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 →

Fassbinder – To Love Without Demands (At elske uden at kræve) (2015)

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This would be a hagiography if Fassbinder wasn’t so unlikeable. Rainer Werner Fassbinder had too much freedom as a child. Rainer Werner Fassbinder had unusual ideas about having sex with your mother. Rainer Werner Fassbinder believed all relationships were power plays. Rainer Werner Fassbinder never grew up. Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a sadistic misogynist. Rainer Werner Fassbinder just wanted to be a father. Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a workaholic. Continue reading →

Snow Monkey (2015)

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This Australian documentary by war photographer and all round good guy, George Gittoes, could more aptly be titled “I’m George Gittoes and I’m doing really great things for the poor children of Afghanistan.” I’ll say upfront that I don’t really like documentaries where the film maker makes themselves a part of the story. Louis Theroux pulls it off because you can see he is the catalyst for those on the societal margins to feel safe enough to reveal themselves. With others, it often comes across as a vanity project. Continue reading →

Day three – sore feet and warm necks

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My first four film day and I coped, although I didn’t get home until midnight and it was a bit difficult to drag myself out of bed this morning. There was mediocre – Welcome to Leith (US non-story documentary about white supremacists in rural North Dakota), My Love, Don’t Cross That River (South Korean sentimental documentary about a dying 98 year old man that I couldn’t watch through to the end) – good – Tales (Iranian episodic but engaging drama about the lives of the working class in Iran) – and great – Magical Girl (Spanish slow-burn thriller), my first five star film of the festival. Click through on the links to read my reviews.

I had plans to browse the shops in the morning as my first film didn’t start until 1.30 but instead I spent the morning sitting in the sun in my flat catching up on some computer work, playing a bit of ukulele, drinking tea. I met up with my friend Alex for coffee at Pellegrini’s and then it was pretty much just films and sprinting from one venue to the next until late. The venues vary in comfort and ease of access. The best are the ones with comfy seats and a steep tier so that you get a good view no matter where you sit – ACMI, Kino, Hoyts. The Forum’s not bad, the seats are old but the view is always good. The Comedy Theatre has been the worst experience so far, lovely old theatre but cramped hard seats and sitting near the front meant a cricked neck. Next time I’ll get there early and try the balcony.

Where the sore feet come in to it is when you have a session at Hoyts (Melbourne Central and at the north end of the CBD) and then one at ACMI or the Forum or Kino (right down the other end) and then another one back at Hoyts. And the streets aren’t flat. It’s not just my feet that are sore, also my calves and shins and ankles and thighs and every part of my legs that doesn’t get a work out living on the plains. I will be super fit by the end.

Interesting food experiences: I didn’t buy too much but had a pomegranate black tea with half ice and half sugar from one of many asian tea shops, very nice, and wontons in chilli oil.

The weather has been changeable but I quite like emerging from the dark to rain soaked streets and an icy chill. It’s not long before you’re back inside again. It helps to have a scarf. Alex’s girlfriend Maggie knitted him a scarf for his birthday, finishing it in the lull between My Love Don’t Cross That River and Tales. It was a revelation for him, having a warm neck. It makes such a difference.