MIFF announced some surprise screenings on the last day. These are films that weren’t part of the festival program and were a mixture of classics – Abbas Kiarostami’s A Taste of Cherry to mark his passing last month – and new films like this New Zealand drama that had just premiered at the NZ Film Festival and been chosen for the New York Film Festival. It’s based on a book by Eleanor Catton, author of the much better know The Luminaries so it has some credentials. Overall it was a pleasant experience though I was left wondering what the film was really about. Continue reading
One of the great things about MIFF is that you get to see older films that you can’t easily access. I don’t book many of these as there are so many new films to see but I liked the sound of this 1978 one by director Claudia Weill. It’s a simple story about two room mates, Susan and Annie, whose friendship is tested when Annie moves out and gets married. 
A lovely film, beautifully told, this triptych of stories directed by Kelly Reichardt (Meek’s Cutoff) immerses us in the lives of three women, played by Laura Dern, Michelle Williams and a luminous Lily Gladstone (above). Each of the three stories has a small interconnection with the others but stands alone as a meditation on loneliness and the sad reality of our inability sometimes to help others. 
The French title of this lovely family film is Jamais Contente, which I think translates as ‘never satisfied’ and this seems an apt description of both the affliction of the central character, 13-year-old Aurore, and the attitude of the adults around her. Aurore is repeating year 7, has a younger sister who always gets good grades and an older one who seems to do what she likes. Aurore feels misunderstood by all and disenfranchised from her family. 
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. 
I wanted to really like this movie. It’s Australian, it has a young cast, it’s quirky and has a great sense of style. It’s set beautifully in the 70s; the fashions and decor making me want to go out there and redecorate. It starts off with an oddball lightness and a great sense of colour and framing but then veers into darker territory and seems to lose its way. I was left unsure as to which demographic the film is aimed at and how authentically it explores the anxieties of contemporary teens. 
At last, a five star film. I had hopes for Chevalier as it is co-written by Efthymis Filippou, the co-writer of 
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. 
Lovely, lovely. This Brazilian film reminded me a little of Sebastian Silva’s work (
