March 12th
Queen and Slim
In Fabric
French Film Festival
Melbourne Queer Film Festival

Two new feature films this week. And two wonderful film festivals - the Melbourne Queer FF and the Alliance Francaise French FF. What a selection, what a smorgasbord of choice. 

Queen and Slim

Dir: Melina Matsoukas

Length: 132 min

© Universal - clever blend of light-heartedness and 
deathly serious issues

Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) are on a first date when the police pull their car over. Queen is a lawyer and makes the mistake of arguing with the cop. The incident escalates, and Slim shoots the policeman in self-defense. The couple, who were never going to have a second date, go on the run, but a video that Queen has taken goes viral and the couple become celebrities and symbols of black resistance. Their dangerous journey, heading for Cuba, takes them to Queen's estranged uncle, and on through many towns and places where their notoriety has preceded them. This film is very watchable - the lead pair have terrific chemistry and there is a lot of humour injected into the script, despite the serious subject matter. Cinematography is flawless. In the era of Black Lives Matter this is an important film, showing yet again the fear that many black people live in, and the brutality and prejudice of white police towards them.
4 - highly recommended!

In Fabric
Director: Peter Strickland
Length: 118 mins

 © Arcadia - the bargain dress you get at the sales
may be more than you bargained for!

Recently separated Sheila (Marianne Jean Baptiste) buys an exotic red dress from a London department store. After wearing it, she develops a nasty rash, and, from that point on, her life goes from bad to worse. The dress finds its way to other owners, but wherever it goes, eerie happenings occur and misfortune follows. Bizarro maxima! This is one of the weirdest but oddly compelling films I've seen in a while. To categorise it is challenging - a sort of erotically charged, fantasy/horror/surreal haunted dress tale! Critics seem to love it; audiences not so much. Peculiar characters pepper the film - Sheila's employers at the bank, her son's girlfriend (Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones), Reg Speaks, the washing machine repairman, his fiance Babs (Hayley Squires), but none so weird as the bewigged sales assistant Miss Luckmoore (Fatma Mohamed), who speaks in poetic riddles and seems to be kinky, twisted and malevolent beyond belief. The film blends implicit sexuality, horror and surrealistic art-house vibes with a color-saturated look. At times satirical (humorous?) dialogue baffles, and the whole resembles some sort of twisted fashion-infused nightmare. Fans of a certain sort of horror will no doubt love it. 
2.5 - maybe!

The Melbourne Queer Film Festival

Melbourne: March 12 - 23

Venues: Village Jam Factory, Cinema Nova, The Capitol

For program details visit https://mqff.com.au/

MQFF celebrates its 30th birthday this year. What a milestone! With 140 feature films, short films, docos, workshops and more, this is a true celebration and showcase of the LGBTQI community and its wonderful filmmakers. And don't worry if you're not queer - you can find many films that will have resonance for everyone. I'm lucky enough to have previewed a few. 

Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America: This award-winning doco follows the attempts of four asylum LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees who have fled persecution and violence in their home countries. Cheyenne and Mari leave Angola, Junior escapes the Congo, while Subhi runs from Syria. All arrive in San Francisco and start the long bureaucratic process of being accepted in the USA. The refugee crisis per se is one of the most pressing issues of our time, but add the burden of general discrimination on the basis of one's sexuality and you have even more stress. The four subjects chosen are wonderful screen presences - interesting and articulate, while the kindness of strangers who advocate for them and take them in is overwhelming and moving. This testament to human kindness and resilience makes the doco a must-see.   

15 Years: This brilliant Israeli film is the story of Yoav and Dan, a couple who've been together for 15 years. When Yoav's best friend Alma announces she is pregnant, Dan starts to imagine the idea of fatherhood. Many of the same-sex couples around them are rearing kids, but Yoav is horrified by the idea. The tension that starts to arise in their relationship causes Yoav's life to spiral out of control. This is a deeply emotional movie; I'd imagine couples of any sexual orientation could relate to: what happens when one partner wants something out of life that is is so diametrically opposed to the desires of the other. Brilliantly acted and scripted, it's a compelling picture of a relationship in crisis. 

The Shiny Shrimps: Director Cedric Le Gallo is a member of a Parisian water polo team which welcomes gay, lesbian and transgender players. He's made a fictional comedy inspired by the team, featuring imaginary straight Olympic swimmer Matthias who has made public homophobic remarks. As penance he's "invited" to coach the Shiny Shrimps, a rag-tag collection of not-so-talented players who are hoping to compete in the Gay Games in Croatia. The film is fairly predictable, following the well-loved formula of underdog sporting teams, but there is so much exuberance and feel-good humour, it is sure to appeal to lovers of French comedy (and water polo). With a fun-filled travelling bus (think Priscilla), and gorgeous guys in their speedos, there's plenty of fun to be had here. 

Drag Kids: Nine-year-old drag queens are not people you come across every day. This intriguing doco features four youngsters who simply love dressing in drag, three boys and one girl. The parents are 100% supportive of their kids' wishes to be who they are, and dress how they like, but some critics dislike the idea of  young kids going into competitions that showcase any aspect of young sexuality (even though the parents vehemently deny this is part of it.) Ultimately the film is a celebration not only of drag, and all the fun and glitz it incorporates, but also firmly advocates letting kids follow their hearts, while repudiating conservative, disapproving voices and other kids who bully anyone who is in any way different.
  

Bonnie and Bonnie: The Afghan-born director looks at the what it's like to be stifled within a Muslim family. The story is told through the eyes of Yara, who is being forcibly betrothed to a boy she cares nothing for. When Yara meets leather-jacketed, tomboyish bartender Kiki, a love develops between the two girls. Yara's brother Bekim is determined to put a stop to this "shame", but the girls go on the run like Bonnie and Clyde. The lead actresses are charismatic with strong chemistry, while the plot is yet another timely reminder of the grief that parents cause their children by not letting them be themselves.

5B: Canadian director Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash) has made this inspirational doco about a seminal time in the history of the treatment of AIDS. In 1983 ward 5B was set up in a San Francisco hospital. There, a team of compassionate and brave caregivers and nurses radicalised the treatment of this illness, about which there was so much fear and misinformation. These generous people gave of their hearts, with loving human touch instead of rubber gloves, and fought for the rights of patients to basic human dignity. With testimony from those who worked at the time, archival footage of now-deceased patients and survivors, and an examination of community and governmental attitudes, this is not only an important  historical record, but a celebration of the bravery and goodness within ordinary people. 

Unsound: Aussie-born Noah, who was raised in England, quits the music tour he's on to  return to Oz to see his estranged mother. At the local community Deaf Centre he meets Finn, a young trans man in the very early stages of transitioning. Noah finds inspiration for his music and Finn finds support and understanding from Noah. Yiana Pandelis, who plays Finn, is a hearing impaired girl, while Reece Noi (Noah) has learned Auslan for the role. Credit to the film-makers for tackling hearing impairment and transgender issues in the one story. Pandelis and Noi have a nice on-screen chemistry, and an additional plus is Christine Anu in the role of Moniqua, the singer Noah backs. Other cast members are somewhat wooden, and at times the dialogue feels clunky, so the moments of sweetness at times give way to an amateur feel. 

Queer Japan: This doco features a wonderful assortment of interesting people from the LGBTI community across Japan. From a creator of erotic manga, to a kinky fetishist, to the first elected transgender politician (and others), this is an eye-opening look at how members of the community express themselves and get on in a society that is both quite conservative, but also has a long history of sexual fluidity. For those who love Japan, or have never been there, there is much to also enjoy in the various settings and creative cinematography, at times almost feeling like like a top-shelf vibrant video clip.   

Distance: Winning many awards in the Philippines, this beautiful and sad drama is the story of Liz, who returns to her family after a five-year absence. Gradually the reasons for her departure are revealed. Her husband is endlessly calm and understanding, but trying to rebuild a relationship with her two daughters is the challenge. To compound matters, the older daughter (an absolutely stunning performance) is going through her own struggle as she becomes attracted to another girl. This is a superbly acted drama, with an intensity and intelligence in dealing with its themes of desire and closely-guarded secrets.  

The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
Melbourne: March 11 - April 8
On at all the Palace Cinemas
For other states, program details and times, visit https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/

Back for its 31st year, this is one of the most popular film festivals in Australia. As always there is a smorgasbord of premiere feature films, documentaries, animation and more. Artistic director Philippe Patel stresses that this year's festival exchanges "easy laughs" for stories of a more serious nature, centering on the sorts of societies we would hope to build together. And even when the laughs come, they still offer plenty of food for thought. It looks like an amazing program, and here's a few I've previewed: 

The Swallows of Kabul
Director: Zabou Breitman & Elea Gobbe-Mevellec:
Length: 81 mins
Here is one of the most exquisite animations I've seen in a very long time. Based upon a novel, the directors have created a gentle water color style to bring to life the terribly sad story of two couples, living in Kabul under the Taliban. One is a prison warden and his dying wife, the other a modern couple aspiring to get away from the daily living nightmare. Twists of fate will make their lives collide. Every character has a complex nuanced emotional life, and each depiction is unique, totally credible, and enough to sweep you away in a tide of feeling. A much lauded and awarded film, it is a must-see. 

Farewell to the Night
Director: Andre Techine
Length: 103 mins
French icon Catherine Deneuve plays Muriel, who runs a horse-riding school and a cherry farm. Her grandson Alex (Kacey Mottet Klein) comes to visit, and to see his girlfriend Lila, who has worked for Muriel for years. Gradually Muriel discovers that Alex has been radicalised by Lila and that the pair are planning to head to Syria to fight for ISIS. This film puts an intensely human face upon the vexatious topic of religious fanaticism. All the relationships are beautifully drawn, acting is uniformly superb, and the film makes for very thought-provoking viewing.  

Aznavour by Charles
Director: Marc de Domenico & Charles Aznavour
Length: 83 mins
Beloved French singer Charles Aznavour (1933-2018) had a long and glorious career crooning to fans around the world. In 1948 Edith Piaf gifted him a Bolex camera, which he then used to document nearly every moment of his life, from that day forward. Before his death at the age of 93, Charles collaborated with the film's director to trawl through his film and diary archive and put together this fantastic documentary. Through the painstaking knitting together of footage, plus a voice-over, taken from Charles' diaries and spoken by Romain Duris, we get an extraordinary insight into the man. His many marriages, love affairs, relationships with famous friends, are fascinating, but more so is his use of language - a poetic view of the world, life, music, and his Armenian heritage. And of course a selection of his exquisite songs in that haunting tremolo trademark voice. I felt surprisingly affected by this moving film. A must-see for Aznavour fans. 

La Belle Epoque
Director: Nicolas Bedos
Length: 115mins
Victor (Daniel Auteuil) is in his seventies. His wife Marianne (Fanny Ardant) has lost all interest in him and his career as a cartoonist is on the wane, partly because he is technophobic, loathing all manner of modernity. He meets Antoine (Guillaume Canet) who runs a company specialising in unique theatrical experiences, where customers pay to visit a historical period of their choosing and to re-enact carefully constructed fantasies. Victor opts for a particular week in the 1970s, the one when he met the love of his life. I did not expect to be so moved and delighted by this playful, sweet, nostalgic film. The whole 70s disco, big moustache, flaired trousers thing is beautifully done, as is the lovely setting of the Belle Epoque Cafe (with obvious reference to a previous film!) Auteuil gives a great turn as a guy rediscovering his joie-de-vivre. The film really was food for thought as I mulled over exactly what time in my life, or further back, I would choose to experience. 

How to Become an Astronaut
Director: Jurgen Hansen & Pierre-Emanuel Le Goff
Length: 71 mins
At the age of 38. Thomas Pesquet became the youngest ever French astronaut. This insightful doco tracks the gruelling training regime he must go though, along with two other astronauts, before they are launched on their way to a six-month mission at the International Space Station. Anyone wanting to be an astronaut will be completely enthralled by this, and anyone not so committed to the idea may well be deterred.   

Zombi Child
Director: Bertrand Bonello
Length: 101 mins
France's troubled political history with Haiti is the backdrop to this fascinating, entertaining  film which has two threads, one of a Haitian man in the 1960s who is buried alive, then resuscitated as a Zombi to work in the sugar plantations. The other is the story of Melissa, a Haitian student at a prestigious French boarding school, whose friends become curious about her culture and background. Close friend Fanny becomes obsessed with what she learns of voodoo from Melissa, leading to some shocking events in her life. I'm no zombie buff, but this so fascinated me that I went researching exactly what Haitians believe as regards voodoo and zombis. All the young women turn in great performances, the atmospheric filming is strong, and the whole film thoughtfully plays with one's expectations of the genre, and an entire cultural history.