Young Dudes - Facing the apocalypse, Taiwanese slacker style.

Review

Film: Young Dudes

Director: Chen Yin-jung

Country: Taiwan

I'm still not 100% sure I know what happened in the second half of Young Dudes, but DJ Chen has undoubtedly brought one of the most individual directorial voices I have had the privelege to come across in my few years going to the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

It's very much a film of two halves, and although the jump is sudden and almost confusing, it all comes together at the end in a really satisfying way (and as a complete aside the final scenes make me want to start a candle and lantern lit musical festival somewhere far away and remote in the Highlands).

It starts off in a lovely, 2 guys and a girl, new-wavey type story. Adam (Edison Wang Po-chieh) wanders about drunk or stoned, carrying his guitar, with no apparent gainful employment apart from staging random protests dressed as Michael Jackson and bugging his best friend Guy (Tsuyoshi Abe), a woodwork teacher.  They meet Adele (Larisa Bakurova) randomly one night in a club, and from their the three of them go off on an endearing journey through their imagination.  With no real problems to deal with, they come up with a solution for the world to survive the apocalypse they are convinced is coming.  And it goes viral.  

Just when you start to think that this will continue along as a sweet film about two friends trying to each win over the mysterious girl of their dreams, Adam gets lost.  Without giving too much away, we are carried into very strange, dream like and philosophical territory.  It's certainly not a way I have ever seen the idea of the apocalypse approached before on film and it is an intriguing journey.  The film in some ways resembles a fairy tale - the hero taken from his idyllic life and then finding himself on a quest to return home - albeit a cyber age, slacker, stoner fairy tale.  

The film is beautifully shot, and really evocative of both youth and lost youth, dreams and idealism.  It is completely infused with imagination and a singular vision of the world.

The performances are wonderful, both humourous and full of personality.

It's a film I would love to see again as I think it is the type of film that you would get something new from repeat viewings.  If you want to jump into a film about the power of friendship, optimism and imagination, then I highly recommend this.

Jackpot - Be careful what you wish for

Review
Film: Jackpot
Director: Magnus Martens
Country: Norway

Jackpot is not the place to go for a cerebral or artistically groundbreaking film about criminality.  But it is bloody (very bloody) good fun.

With its twisted plot and black humour, it has plenty of antecedents and is probably not trying to be too original or mouldbreaking. However, the wonderfully over the top plot is great fun and will just have your jaw drop before you burst out giggling. And it is certainly very different to the grittier brand of Nordic noir that I have been enjoying on my telly recently. The outrageously funny detective is most definitely not Sarah Lund.

By having the plot shaped around one of the participant's interview with a detective, the film is, either deliberately or not, going to get compared to The Usual Suspects.  It doesn't stand up to that comparison, as it is not nearly as cleverly or tautly scripted.

Henrik Mestad is the stand out performance as the detective - comic timing and dry sarcasm doesn't always come through when you're reading the subtitles (and beating the spoken dialogue to the punchline) but he really delivers on it.  Kyrre Hellum is also really effective as one of the most put upon inadvertent criminals you will come accross.

In the end Jackpot is wrapped up in a pacy, absurd, caper with the blackest wit and all done in the best worst possible taste.  If comedy crime dramas are your thing, and the bloodier the action and the more immoral characters the better a film is to you, you'll love it.

Life Without Principle - Tales from the financial crash

Review
Film: Life Without Principle
Director: Johnnie To
Country: Hong Kong

Life Without Principle is a very watchable look at the world economic crash through a group of different lives in Hong Kong, though not one so impactful that it will stay in the memory for long.

The best story line revolves around Panther (Lau Ching Wan), an endearingly enthuiastic, semi-competent, gang member.  It's a really good fun performance, and it brings welcome lightness and comedy to the film. It is Panther's comedy-thriller storyline that provides the engine to the film, and could probably have worked as a more developed single story film in itself. It's not that the other characters' lives aren't interesting stories, but they slow the film's momentum.

Also central is bank worker Teresa (Denise Ho), who is caught in a series of moral dilemnas, first under pressure to sell a risky new investment proposition, then caught with an unexpected opportunity.

Weaving in and out of this is a police inspector, just trying to get through the days, but getting caught up with the consequences of boom and bust. 

A comment is made by a character about how so many people invest or gamble to get something for nothing and in contrast a desperate character later on describes how he has worked all his life only to lose everything, and the message is clear - that morally there was criminal behaviour in legitimate financial organisations that was not much of a step from that in the gang that Panther belongs too and it is the ordinary person that suffers.  It's not a groundbreaking point of view, but what the movie does well is that it isn't the main focus of the film, nor is it being hammered home too heavily, it is just gently seeps through the different stories.

Not a film that will change your life, but an interesting reflection on one of the main issues of the day.

Dragon / Wu Xia - You can't always escape your past.

Review
Film: Dragon/Wu Xia

Director: Peter Chan

Country: China

A bit of context first, I have seen very few martial arts films, so I can't really judge Dragon on that basis, but I found it an entertaining film.

What I can say is that the martial arts were highly spectacular and the film gave room for some excellent performances, especially from Wei Tang as Ayu.  The character development was really interesting and it was never black and white who was hero or villain (except nearer the end) or who was right or wrong.  There was also a compelling sense of foreboding throughout.

The film dealt with some interesting concepts around redemption, the ability to escape from your past catching up with you and the nature of the law, but it didn't have the space to deal with them in a deep enough way to make them truly engaging. This isn't a major criticism, as there was an obvious constraint in keeping the plot and the action rolling, but it did mean the film wasn't as fulfilling as it could have been.  I have to say I was not hugely keen on the score as I found it a bit over the top, but this wouldn't have been the first time this has annoyed me more than most people!

The use of slow-mo generally worked (I'm not always the biggest fan) and I did enjoy the retelling of the opening fight as the detective worked out his own interpretation.  Some of that, along with the approach of the detective, did make me remember the two recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations (both BBC and Guy Ritchie). I'm not making this comparison in either a negative or positive way, just putting it out there!

Overall, Dragon/Wu Xia is definitely an entertaining watch, but it perhaps missed an opportunity to be an even more interesting film.

Sun Don't Shine - A heightened and intense portrayal of love and consequences.

Review
Film: Sun Don't Shine
Director: Amy Seimetz
Country: USA

From the introduction we were given, director Amy Seimetz seems keen that the audience doesn't know too much about the plot before viewing the movie, so I am going to keep to that but hopefully still give a sense of what was a truly involving film.  It was great to have a fascinating Q&A with the director afterwards, to hear what Seimitz was trying to achieve and her thinking behind her choices.

The movie starts in the middle of an argument, and from that point on we are shown a complicated relationship that is portrayed in vivid and believable detail but always ambiguous and left to be interpreted to the viewer's perspective and prejudices. Seimetz is playing with our notions of victimhood, loyalty, manipulation and passion as the relationship is put under a huge strain.  It is fascinating.  It really stays with you as you process it emotionally afterwards.

She explores this by crafting a melodrama and thriller, albeit one at a somewhat different pace and with a hell of a lot more naturalism and character focus to your average Hollywood one.  However, this makes us more involved in the characters (even if we aren't wholly sympathetic to them) making the tension all the greater.  The film does focus a great deal on the intimate conversations and interaction of the central two characters, but it is strange to hear that the film has been given the 'mumblecore' tag, when the subject matter and drama to the film sets it far away from films that are more set in the quieter details of life!

The use of melodrama is particularly effective as it forces the two leads into emotionally heightened performances. Both Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley are excellent and totally convincing. Sheil's performance in particular is so nuanced yet runs the full range of emotions and is utterly gripping.  What this means is that although the characters are apparently in their twenties or older, they have a sort of teenage emotional intensity and irrationality that really works for the film.  The creation of the characters recognises that real characters are messy and confused and unpredictable, rather than a collection of stereotypes or archetypes.  Seimetz said in her Q&A that she really wanted to create a true and interesting female character in Crystal, not just a strong heroine or someone fitting expected female tropes.  She and Sheil certainly succeeded with that.  Crystal is not necessarily likeable but she feels like a real person and provides an incredible core to the film.

By mixing the thriller genre with her instinctive, personal and character driven style, Seimetz is giving us a really fresh perspective on a narrative theme that has been done in many films.  She has focussed on the part that often only detains the plot for a few minutes but in reality could be all consuming.  The emotional car crash, let alone the practicalities, of dealing with unexpected and traumatic events is usually glossed over in thrillers or dealt with in more traditional drama formats.  It takes a lot of skill to mix the drama and thriller elements effectively, but I think it is pulled off particularly well.  Whereas there is often a set way for film characters to react to misfortune or tragedy, the real world brings a myriad of reactions, and these characters react unpredictably throughout, unpredictable even to themselves.  By using different techniques to tell the story, such as the recalled conversations over the scenes on the road, we can never quite settle and relax, adding to the feeling of tension and unease.

This is really confident and individual film making, articulated with a strong, and fascinating voice and I would highly recommend seeking it out if you can.

Grabbers - when aliens invade Craggy Island

Review
Film: Grabbers

Director: Jon Wright

Country: Ireland

Got to get the lazy cultural reference point out the way, but if you ever wished there had been an episode of Father Ted where they had to fight an alien invasion, then this fantastically fun movie will fill that requirement for you.  In fact it probably does for the Garda's alien fighting abilities what Father Ted did for the priesthood - okay, I'll stop it now.

The central conceit (which I'm not going to reveal here as I kind of wish I hadn't read about it in advance) is a brilliantly simple, and clever twist.  How the story plays out goes largely within what you'd expect from the genres the filmmakers are playing with, but the film is aware of this and having an enormous amount of fun with it.

The script is as funny as you can hope.  I'm presuming this film was made on a reasonably tight budget, but this doesn't matter as the film makers clearly understand it's not about throwing millions at the screen but about what you show and more importantly when you show it.  A well chosen movement of the camera or suspense timed to the mili-second can achieve as much a thrill factor as a CGI extravaganza (not to say that the CGI that is used isn't good, it's just to make the point about how well selected its use is).

I don't really have much negative to say about Grabbers.  It may not change the world of film making but I don't think that's a negative - the film knows what it wants to do and does it really well.  In fact it makes it look so simple, you wonder how many films get it so wrong.  It's got the potential to be either a cult favourite or have mass appeal (if that's not a total contradiction!) and I can really see it as one of those films that you find yourself asking everyone you know if they've seen and then shoving the DVD in their hands if they say no. 

One final thought, with first The Guard and now Grabbers, what exactly have the Garda done to Irish film makers to get these kind of on-screen representations?

Hospitalite - Sometimes house guests come with more than just baggage.

Review
Film: Hospitalite
Director: Koji Fukada
Country: Japan

One of the things that I found most interesting about Hospitalite is that although it is very bizarre at times, even farcical, it still felt like quite a naturalistic, neutral film, probably because the performances are kept nicely controlled.  This naturalism draws you in and engages you with the characters, meaning you are kept intrigued at the havoc brought on to their lives.

Unlike many films, I really could not tell where this was going, which definitely made it feel original. You never really know where you are, which leads to the slightly discomforting tone. In terms of films about people meddling in other people's lives, the only two I could think of were Amelie and Harry, He's Here to Help but it is more discomforting than the former, and less sinister than the latter, and stranger than both.  Sometimes it can be unsatisfying to leave a film not being entirely sure what on earth has just been going on - I still have no idea quite what happened, but not in a confusing way, probably just more in common with the central family who were almost certainly still reeling from what hit them.

The film is dryly amusing and a lot of fun,  a lot of that coming from the excellent comic pitch of the performances.  I'm not sure if it is supposed to be an allegory, but I was happy to take it at face value and can recommend it as a very entertaining, interesting and individual film.

Warning: Rent-A-Cat could turn you into a cat person.

Review
Film: Rent-A-Cat
Director: Naoko Ogigami
Country: Japan

This was a very funny and enjoyable film, although it had an underlying sadness, it's overall flavour was super sweet bubble gum.  It won't be for everyone, possibly even most people.  You can't be cynical, and it wears it's quirkiness on it's sleeve.  It delights in being completely over the top and some may find it cartoonish or annoying, but to me that added to the fun.  At the same time, it is a very sentimental film - again that will make it a bit of a marmite film, either heartwarming adorable or unbearably sickly and twee.

Another thing that some people might not be able to stomach is the exaggerated mannerisms of the main character, but again if you just went with it, I thought it was an effective and rewarding performance from Mikako Ichikawa.  It works well in the overall context of the film and complements the inner sadness of the character.

The film uses repetition for amusing effect, although by the end has maybe slightly overdone it.  Although using it as a plot device in a completely different way, from accidentally overhearing the conversation of the people next to me, I wasn't the only person who was reminded of Groundhog Day! 

If kooky and offbeat is your sort of thing, then the film is worth watching for some very funny moments - the sequence when Sayoko (Mikako Ichikawa) thinks she has come across a rival corporate Rent-A-Cat business is totally hilarious and  the reoccurrences of  bizarre, bitchy, gruff, transvestite neighbour had everyone around me (and me) chuckling and giggling.  And an absolutely brilliant use of comedy cats.

I went into the film definitely a dog person, but such is Sayoko's faith in the ability of cats to make life better, I may be a little bit of a cat person now.

A quick first post

I'm hurriedly writing this before I head off to my first film of the Festival.  Since my parents travelled a few hundred miles to see me for my birthday yesterday (so no film going!) and I have a birthday related trip to Berlin from next Thursday, this year's film festival going is squeezed into 6 days for me. With work, my birthday party with friends, and a 1st birthday party as well, all crammed in.  But there is still time for 13 films! Whether there is time for dinner each night, I haven't yet worked out.

It's going to be another round the world trip, with Asia figuring heavily, but Europe and the Americas in there too.  

This year was one of the hardest to narrow down, but I think that's the sign of a really fascinating programme, so I am all the more excited this year for the slate of films.  My process is to work out which features I can go to (one year I will make some time, and spare money to go see some of the shorts) - this year it was 72. Read the programme and give it an initial rating out of 5 (virtually everything gets a 3 or 4, it's not the best process to be honest!) and then do some research onto all those with a score of 4 or more.  That got me down to around 30.  Some might be World Premieres so it comes down to gut instinct or seeing if the director has done anything interesting before.  But for the remainder, one of the most useful things is festival blogs.  Even a snippet can sell you the film - or put you off.  But whichever, it is really helpful and might give me the courage to really take a risk with my £9.  

Blogs helped get me down from 30 to about 20 and then the constraints of time (oh to be in 2 or 3 places at once) got me down to 13.  So just in case any of the films I'm going to see make it to other festivals before they are released, and I can help someone else discover a hidden gem of a film that they can't find much else about, I thought I'd share my thoughts here.

And even if no one else finds it helpful, at least it might save my friends from having to listen to me rambling on about how much I enjoyed a film they will probably never see.