I love virtual reality! Wow, what an experience. The Turning Forest is a short (10 minute) animation and the virtual reality goggles insert you right into the middle of it. MIFF has a series of VR experiences this year and for this one, I was ushered into a curtained off space and seated on a stool that swivels 360 degrees. With goggles and headphones on, the blackness suddenly falls away and I am in an iridescent forest with orange trees towering above me. Continue reading
Tag Archives: 4 stars
Starless Dreams (2016)
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This is a beautifully made Iranian documentary that immerses itself in the lives of teenagers in a ‘rehabilitation and correction’ centre, which seems to be a cross between a juvenile justice centre and a refuge. With no narration, we see these young women establish lives and friendships in the centre and slowly hear their individual stories. Continue reading
Audrie and Daisy (2016)
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This US documentary delves into the experiences of several teenage girls who were sexually assaulted by school friends while unconscious and the repercussions for them, their families and the perpetrators. It highlights a ‘rape culture’ in the US that shifts blame from male perpetrators to the victims. If you have teenage sons, I recommend you watch this film with them. Continue reading
The Lure (2015)
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Some films are built for entertainment rather than deep thought and The Lure is one of them. Described as a “loony genre mash-up of musical, romance and 80s-style horror”, this messy, delightful Polish film about two mermaids who emerge from the deeps to discover adventure in a strip club is a fun and occasionally gory ride. Continue reading
After the Storm (2016)
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I was a little tired watching this pleasing Japanese drama. I think if it had been an 11am session and had a coffee in hand I would have engaged with it a lot more. As it was, it reminded me a little of a few others I have seen so far – What’s in the Darkness, The Demons, Harmonium – quiet, observational studies of family life where not a lot happens but we get to understand a little about cultural expectations of parenting, what has led the main characters to the situation they are now in. Continue reading
Servant or Slave (2016)
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Here is one of my biases; I like to hear the stories of Aboriginal women. I was aware of it as I sat down to watch this hour-long documentary about the stolen wages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the past century. As the notes of a simple gospel song played and the first of a handful of beautiful, resilient Aboriginal women began to speak, I could feel my heart swell and the first prick of tears, because this is a sad, sad story. Continue reading
Mahana (The Patriarch) (2016)
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Lee Tamahori, who directed Once Were Warriors, brings Temuera Morrison back to the screen, this time in a family-friendly poignant tale of patriarchy, set in 1950s rural New Zealand and based on a novel by Whale Rider author, Witi Ihimaera. The warm tones, beautiful rendering of the rural life of the time and great characters make this an enjoyable and thought-provoking tale. Continue reading
The Salesman (2016)
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Having expectations is always a risk. This is the drama from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and I loved his last two features – A Separation and The Past. He builds a great story, showing us contemporary Iranian life through the eyes of engaging and totally believable characters. Continue reading
Under the Shadow (2016)
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I’m still thinking about this Iranian horror. It wasn’t a genre I knew about before A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night entered my life – my favourite film of last year. There are similarities between these two films, not stylistically but in their feminist subtext, although Girl delivers it much more subtly. And Under the Shadow is much more scary. I returned to my apartment afterwards and the quiet stairs and long corridors seemed disconcertingly like a carpeted version of the apartment block in the film. Continue reading
As I Open My Eyes (À peine j’ouvre les yeux) (2015)
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Farah is a young idealist, a singer fresh out of secondary school and living in Tunis with her mother while her father works away. Farah’s band sing songs of protest about the inequities and corruption of their country, songs that begin to be noticed by the authorities. The music is beautiful – a mix of contemporary and traditional, the lyrics like poetry, Farah’s keening voice a heartbreak. Slowly, we become aware of the world outside Farah’s relatively privileged, sheltered upbringing and her guilelessness begins to affect those around her. Continue reading
