Category Archives: MIFF

Phoenix (2014)

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I quite enjoyed this German drama about a woman, Nelly, disfigured in a concentration camp whose facial reconstruction surgery alters her so much her husband fails to recognise her. She has been physically and emotionally shattered by her experiences, all her family have perished but her husband has survived. She is desperate to find him only to discover that he was the reason she was arrested. Sensing her similarity to his wife, who he believes is dead, he persuades her to pretend to be his wife and so he can inherit her fortune. Continue reading →

Sleeping with Other People (2015)

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Tonight’s film was a change of pace for me as it was a very mainstream US romantic comedy. The main actors were all a bit familiar, I think some were from Parks and Recreation, and it revolved around the tried and true When Harry Met Sally storyline about men and women not being able to be friends. Jake and Lainey meet and briefly hook up. Around 15 years later, as she tries to extricate herself from an affair and he refuses to commit to any women, they become friends. I won’t tell you how it ends but it is a mainstream American romcom so you’ve probably already worked it out. Continue reading →

Gayby Baby (2015)

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All the way home on the tram I thought about whether to give this outstanding Australian documentary about the children of same-sex parents 4.5 or 5 stars. For me, it was a perfectly crafted documentary, how docos should be made (and I’m talking to you George Gittoes). Engaging subjects who feel safe enough to be real on camera, a story and a message that slowly unfolds, that we observe  and understand without the need for exposition, and no sign of the film maker, we are totally absorbed into the world of the subjects. Continue reading →

Day five – two films and a ukulele

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Okay, I have to admit that I blew off two films today. It was going to be a four film day but then I found out that the Melbourne Ukulele Kollective (MUK) have an open mike night on the first Tuesday of every month in Northcote. How could I resist that? I can hear you all shouting, “Noooo. How will you see 50 films now!” Rest assured, gentle readers, I rescheduled one and have added another. Phew! Continue reading →

Speed Sisters (2015)

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At last a good documentary. And about women. I really enjoyed this Palestinian film. It follows five young, Palestinian women who compete in the male-dominated car racing scene. We meet Marah, Betty, Marsoon, Noor and Mona as they compete in a series of races to be the fastest women champion and also the chance to compete in Jordan. Although all five are competitive, it is Marah and Betty who are the key protagonists. They are the fastest two and winning the championship, we can see, means more than being in a team together. Continue reading →

Red Amnesia (2014)

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It’s only at the end of this slow, quiet Chinese drama that you realise the significance of the title. I won’t explain it here, it’s something worth finding out for yourself. It takes a while for this film to reveal itself. You follow an older widow, Deng, as she leads a solitary life in urban Beijing. She turns up at her sons’ houses unannounced to cook them food, much to their annoyance and the chagrin of one daughter-in-law. She visits her aged mother in a nursing home. The sense is that she is pragmatic, maybe something of a martyr. She talks to her dead husband. Sometimes we see him there too, listening in silence. There is a thread here about generations and the obligations of child to parent, so intrinsic once but now changing.  Continue reading →

Day four – too many self-absorbed white guys

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A three film day today and it started off well with Corn Island (Georgian lyrical drama about rural survival) but went downhill with Snow Monkey (Australian doco vanity project) and Fassbinder – To Love Without Demands (Danish doco about a very unlikeable film maker). I seem to have chosen a few documentaries so far about delusional or egotistical white guys and I’m getting a bit tired of it. I’m going to double-check the other documentaries I’ve booked and see if the trend will continue. Continue reading →

Corn Island (2014)

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I’ll call this a Georgian film, although it was made through collaboration by film companies from a range of countries. It is a slow, lyrical and quiet drama that unfolds at the pace of the seasons. The Inguri River runs between Georgia and the disputed territory of Abkhaz. Every year after it floods, small islands of fertile soil are formed and local farmers stake their claim and grow corn, until the next flood washes them away. Continue reading →