Speaking of shit, Faust was a massive mis-fire on every level. This bizarre, nonsensical, almost slapstick re-telling of the Faust legend just made no sense whatsoever, and was excruciating to sit through. The plot swung between being non-existent or being incoherent, the acting was horribly over the top (it was like they thought they were in a panto or something), the changes to the original story were brazen betrayals of the material, and the director made some ridiculous stylistic choices which were horribly intrusive. Absolutely nothing worked. If you ever get a chance to see this film, run really hard in the opposite direction.
Beyond the Hills was a hard film to categorise: so much about it was so good, yet there were a handful of things that just didn't work at all. A woman in her early twenties travels to a church in the remote Romanian countryside to convince her best friend, who's now a novice nun, to leave with her. The collision between the modern world and the unyielding faith of the nuns is fascinating, and handled with an elegant touch. Unfortunately the film (which has a fairly slight story, in the end) is way too long. Through the middle section, as the visiting girl and the local priest push each other further and further in their conflicting ideals, it gets super repetitive. The bleak Romanian landscapes are beautifully shot, but man, I wish I'd seen less of them. Take out maybe half an hour, and this would have been one of the films of the festival. As is, I think it's a wasted opportunity.
My second Takashi Miike film of the festival (he made Ace Attorney as well; apparently he makes three or four movies a year) was called Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. (Guess how it ends ...) A period film, it's about a wandering samurai who, finding himself with no useful work in a time of peace, visits a lord's castle to ask permission to commit an honourable suicide. As the samurai and the lord talk through his request, it becomes clear there's a whole lot more to his mission than meets the eye, and a series of extended flashbacks fill us in on what's actually going on. Everything we see in the castle itself is fascinating, as these strong-willed men explore the very edges of their rigid honour codes. It's also gorgeous to look at: whoever does his production design needs kudos in a big way (though the 3D they shot in was completely useless). Unfortunately, the flashback sequences (one of them in particular) are much too long, and they stop the narrative momentum of the story dead. I can see why they're there: some of the info disclosed in them is absolutely vital to our understanding of the story. They just needed to be much more economical in giving us that info, so we could get back to the castle and the main story without the film losing its drive. It's such a shame, because there was so much to like about this movie, but (like Beyond the Hills) it was much longer than it should have been. If there's one lesson for film-makers from my experiences at this festival so far, it'd be that you've gotta know how long your film should be.
On the other hand, Sleepless Night, a French thriller set almost entirely in a huge nightclub, was a real find. A deceptively complicated little film, it gets great mileage out of putting a bunch of well-defined characters into a situation, then using the ways their motivations come into conflict to drive the film from one action set-piece to the next. The script was brilliantly structured, one scene leading inexorably to the next as the good guys bad guys, and sorta-kinda-both guys put their plans and counter-plans into action. The fights were brilliantly directed as well (unlike the vast majority of contemporary action movies), one showdown in an industrial kitchen having an incredible visceral punch to it. A brutal, well-directed, brilliantly structured, self-contained action thriller, leavened with moments of organic humour ... honestly, it kinda reminded me of Die Hard, and that's very high praise, because Die Hard is basically the king of 'brilliantly structured self-contained thrillers'. Obviously it's not going to be to everyone's taste, but if you dig action movies, give this one a try. It won't disappoint.
A fascinating Iranian buddy movie, Facing Mirrors is a devastating critique of the inflexible moral codes that rule that country. Rana is driving her husband's cab while he's in prison; one day she picks up Adineh (or Eddie), a pre-op transsexual trying to flee the country to escape an arranged marriage. As the two overcome their initial distrust and open up to each other, the sexual politics underpinning Iranian society are laid bare, and held up for analysis. Two great performances from the leads (particularly from Shayesteh Irani, fucking fearless and totally convincing as Adineh/Eddie) and a subtle, slow-burn to their burgeoning friendship made this one a real highlight.
The word 'quirky', when used to describe a film, usually leads to either awesomeness or disaster, and rarely to anything in between. Although 'awesome' might be over-stating things a bit, Safety Not Guaranteed definitely fell on the right side of the ledger. An indie sci-fi romantic drama comedy thing (man, is that a mash-up of every single genre? If it had somehow managed to also be a sword 'n' sandals western, I think they could have made history...), the film-makers had the good sense to base their bizarre, fantastical plot elements on a grounding of sympathetic, believably damaged characters (okay, it's not that believable that Aubrey Plaza, who's basically my dream woman, is playing a friendless loser, but I'll forgive it that one flaw). Each of the four main characters has their own personal journey of discovery, and it's in the way those stories collide and lend each other deeper meaning that the film really shines. It's more than the sum of its parts ... and it's also very funny, which helps a lot. This one will definitely be hitting cinemas at some point I reckon (code for: it's American), see it if you get a chance. It was lovely.
From Hong Kong, Vulgaria was silly and funny and, yes, vulgar, and left most of the cinema in stitches. Those who didn't like it, though, took great pleasure in walking out in an ostentatious huff: it's that kind of a film. During a Q&A at a university, a bumbling, inept film producer recounts the many disasters that dogged the making of his latest film. The wild story includes bestiality-obsessed gangsters, vain elderly former porn stars, an eye-popping oral sex technique, exploding body parts, a videogame that simulates masturbation, and a sexual harassment case based on an unfortunately misheard word. It's pretty much batshit crazy, but it's also a whole heap of raucous fun.
21 films down, 7 to go. I can make it! Oh God, can I make it? The MIFF sniffles are turning into something worse, and (like last year) I suspect there'll be at least one day when I just have to stay in bed and let the movies carry on without me. Hope not, though, there's still a few films left that are among my most anticipated flicks of the whole festival. Wish me luck! And if you sat/sit next to me and I give you a cold, I'm really sorry.
Cheers, JC.
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