August 6th - 23rd
MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival - online):
Some Kind of Heaven
Bombay Rose
Lara
The Letter
Coded Bias
Prayer for a Lost Mitten
Bloody Nose Empty Pockets

For MIFF-o-philes it's finally here, but online this year! For the next two and a half weeks you can watch the best in international film, all from the comfort of your own sofa! Go to www.2020.miff.com.au for all the details. Meantime lucky me has reviewed several, all highly recommended, for your consideration. 

Some Kind of Heaven 
Dir: Lance Oppenheim
Length: 83 mins

© MIFF - oldies having fun

Imagine Baby Boomers spending their days and nights as if they are young again - dancing, golfing, hooking up, in fact on a perpetual holiday without having to work. That's life in a ginormous (now 130,000 people) retirement village in Florida, known as The Villages. This insightful doco focuses on four people trying to live that fun life, but nevertheless facing the inevitable issues of growing older - loneliness, health and money problems, addiction, in fact the usual stuff of life. Maybe one can never escape what it means to age, but these folk are sure having fun trying. There's a bitter-sweet edge to this engaging doco, which is beautifully shot and could help you to see aging in a new light. (BTW, I spent a couple of days there four years ago, while on holiday, staying with a friend of my husband's. It really has to be seen to be believed, but not sure I'd want to live there!)

Bombay Rose 

Dir:Gitanjali Rao
Length: 93 mins

© MIFF - gorgeous animation; terrific story

Kamala works by day selling flowers on the streets on Bombay and dances by night in a club. She catches the eye of another flower seller Salim, but he is Muslim and she is Hindu. Meantime a thuggish creep wants to whisk her away to Dubai. Throw into the mix Mrs de Souza, English teacher to Kamala's sister, a mute boy who helps Kamala's grandpa mend antique toys, and the general chaos that is Bombay (Mumbai today), and you have a quintessentially Indian film that is vibrant, and true to life..  Eight years ago I saw a short by Rao at the Fort Cochin Bienalle (in Kerala India), and thought her to be a stunning film-maker. This debut feature film lives up to that promise, and is a treat for all the senses, with a fabulous soundtrack of Gazals (classical Indian songs), upbeat songs, and exquisite animation that captures both the mythology and tradition of India, and its modern beating heart. The variety of painting styles are numerous, making for a captivating, absolutely unique film. 

Lara
Dir: Jan-Ole Gerster
Length: 98 mins

© MIFF - Mother and son - not the warm fuzzy
relationship you might hope for

This impressive German drama has won a truckload of awards. A powerful drama, it portrays mother Lara (Corinna Harfouch), who gave up on her own musical talents years ago, but poured her energies into pushing her son Viktor (Tom Schilling) to become a top pianist. The trouble is Lara has mixed motivations - she is proud of Viktor, but also insanely jealous, bitter and resentful of his success. In the course of one day, when Viktor is to premiere his new composition at an evening concert, Lara goes through the wringer of emotions, even giving away tickets to Viktor's show  to random strangers. This film is all about the nuances of emotions; Harfouch's performance is outstanding, despite Lara being someone one does not enjoy spending time with. The musical soundtrack complements the narrative, and for fans of deep and meaningful mother/son stories, this should hit the spot. 

The Letter
Dir: Christopher King, Maia Lekow
Length: 81 mins

© MIFF - an eye opener on life in rural Kenya

Karisa lives in the Kenyan city of Mombassa. He heads to the rural village where his 90-year-old Grandma has been quietly tending her patch of land, up until the time a relative sends a letter accusing her of  witchcraft. She is apparently the cause of all manner of ills from women's barrenness to various illnesses. Many old women accused of witchcraft have been killed so Karisa goes to investigate, while director King documents the proceedings. This is a fascinating insight into a life we would seldom see - simple, humble village life, with a hefty side-serve of superstition and ignorance. Tragic that again old folk are in the firing line, as a whipping-post for every other bit of life's misfortunes the younger ones experience. The doco is also beautifully filmed, with some stunning scenery (when it's not just barren dirt), and colorful traditions. 

Prayer for a Lost Mitten
Dir: Jean Francois Lesage
Length: 79 mins

© MIFF - the existential sadness of life
is captured in this powerful doco

Winning the top award at the Canadian Documentary Festival, this is a beautiful, melancholy, reflective feature documentary, set in the Montreal winter. After an extraordinary opening sequence of snow falling at night, we meet a variety of anxious people at the lost property section of the transit office, searching for such lost items as hats, keys, and scarves. When the director later tracks them down and interviews them we learn a lot more about the true meaning of loss in their lives - loss of loved ones, of youth, of relationships - the stuff we all share in common. The timelessly evocative black and white cinematography makes the whole thing like an elegaic poem - rich, evocative and simply exquisite to look at, while provoking thought and self-reflection in us all.  

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
Dir: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
Length: 98 mins

© MIFF - a crew of disreputables celebrate closing
night of a Las Vegas Bar

Las Vegas bar, the Roaring 20s, is closing down and a group of heavy-drinking regulars celebrate from morning right through until the wee hours of  next morning. Mike is a thoughtful ex-actor, Pam likes to show off her boobs, a drag queen flaunts his stuff, others want to argue, cry, hug, regret, pronounce love, denounce politicians, while the amiable barman loves to grab his guitar and sing. Most of the men have a crush on Shay who also tends bar and has a wayward teenage son. I really believed that these were the actual characters, until I read that this is a film experiment using actors to play themselves in what is essentially an improv exercise. Boy, does it work well. Everything they say feels totally authentic; one can feel their joy, pain and regret. Though not a lot happens, this is one of the most enjoyable times I could spend with a bunch of people in a place I'd probably be reluctant to ever step into. Innovative, novel and entertaining. 
  
Coded Bias
Dir: Shalini Kantayya
Length: 81 mins

© MIFF - persons of color, women and people who've
crossed the legal line- watch out for the inbuilt bias
being used in all manner of invasive technologies

When AI researcher Joy Buolamwini finds a facial recognition program seems unable to recognise her, she begins to further investigate algorithmic coding of many data systems. What she discovers is absolutely shocking: not only do so many technologies have inbuilt bias on the basis of color, they also discriminate around gender and social standing, influencing outcomes relating to finance, employment opportunities and the criminal system. She has now formed the Algorithmic Justice League to fight the rampant use of facial recognition systems for public surveillance, and to try to call to account the massive corporations like Google and Facebook which use these biased algorithms. Sobering, and disturbing watching.