August 19th
MORE MIFF - including Shorts for free
Indian Film Festival - FREE online
Miss - in selected non-lockdowned location
Who says you don't get anything FREE? We need some cheering up and free films from the Indian Film Festival plus free short films at MIFF could be just the ticket. Plus for those not in lockdown, a terrific new release is there on the actual big screen.
Melbourne International Film Festival
Until 22 August ONLINE
You still have a chance to catch some of the fabulous films available online at MIFF. Below are four feature films I wholeheartedly recommend.
Short films - Plus the most amazing selection of short films is already available , or coming in the next few days - and they are free. Short film, so often the harbinger of major directorial talent, is something to be savoured, and you don't often get the opportunity to view them, so settle in for some binge viewing. Watch out particularly for The Ninth Tower!
Smooth Talk
A remastering of the fabulous 1985 film
Dir: Joyce Chopra
Length: 92 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I0g2YyLJ3E  |
| © MIFF - this totally stands the test of time! |
Connie is a 15-year-old teen, hanging out with her friends, trying to look older than she actually is and curious about boys and sex. She exudes sexuality, flirts shamelessly, and fights endlessly with her mother. When an older man lures her out for a drive, she grows up in a hurry. Although this film is 36 years old, it totally stands the test of time, and we can see how Laura Dern, then 18, is already a magnificent actress, capturing to a tee the nuances of a teen caught between childhood and womanhood. The film is a knock-out, with the first half encapsulating the silliness and quasi-innocence of a giggling Connie and her friends, and the second half becoming so creepy as to resonate with all today's nightmare stories of older men grooming young girls. This is seriously rewarding viewing.
Little Tornadoes
Dir: Aaron Wilson
Length: 90 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asqut30qZFA  |
| © MIFF - wonderful Aussie drama |
A rural town in Australia in 1971: Leo (Mark Leonard Winter) has been abandoned by his wife and left to juggle his factory work with caring for his two small children. Tony, (Fabio Motta) his co-worker, recently arrived from Italy, suggests his sister Maria (Silvia Colloca) could be employed as a home help with cooking and childcare. Meantime Leo tries desperately to connect with his dad (Robert Menzies), a war veteran suffering PTSD and unable to connect with the world. Shot in Tocumwal, the film perfectly captures the era visually. It also nails the Zeitgeist - a time where men found it hard to speak of their feelings and where anyone not Aussie was given a hard time. There is so much pain and loss in this film, moments of joy too, and all is handled in a beautifully understated manner. Author Christos Tsiolkas (one of my faves) is the co-writer and his experience of coming from a migrant background informs the authenticity of the script. The voice-over is captivating, as Maria speaks both English and Italian to narrate her poetic impressions of her new homeland. A beautiful story, exceptionally well told.
The Macaluso Sisters
Dir: Emma Dante
Length: 89 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I0g2YyLJ3E  |
| © MIFF - a searing tale of tragedy |
Five orphaned sisters bringing themselves up and running their parents' business of renting out doves for festive occasions may seem a recipe for idyllic carefree lives. That is, until a tragedy strikes on a hot summer's day at a beach in Palermo, Sicily. The film moves from the girls' youthful years to points later in their lives, when it becomes clear that what happened has irreparably and tragically destroyed their ability to live happy adult lives. This is interpersonal drama at its best, with evocative and painfully sad images and music, and top notch performances from all the actresses playing the girls and women at the various life stages.
Riders of Justice
Dir: Anders Thomas Jensen
Length: 116 mins
Trailer: hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Okx5teGBQ  |
| © MIFF - on the vengeance trail |
Soldier Markus (Mads Mikkelsen) returns home to be with his daughter Mathilde after his wife is killed in a train crash. Two oddball company statisticians Otto and Lennart believe that the crash was no accident and approach Markus, claiming an outlaw bike gang engineered it to silence a witness. Together with corpulent colleague Emmenthaler, the quirky quartet decide to go on the revenge trail. Throw in Mathilde's delicate boyfriend Sirius, and a rescued trafficked Russian sex slave, and you have a recipe for mayhem and madness, a little Coen-Brothers-esque in nature - crazy, clever, funny, violent black comedy with never a dull moment. Mads continues to show what a fine actor he is, and his deadly serious Markus is a great foil for the eccentricities of the others. The only voice of sanity in the whole debacle is (of course) a woman - Mathilde. If you can hack the violence, it's wonderfully screwball entertainment, not without its moving moments.
Indian Film Festival - FREE online
Online Until August 30th - in-cinemas times to be confirmed
Like so many festivals under the current circumstances, the in-cinema presence of this one is on hold, but it's now online with, as always, a terrific offering of films. Visit the website to find out what and when.
The festival is paying tribute to India's greatest film maker Satyajit Ray with no fewer than 11 of his films to be enjoyed. There are films from all regions of India, and an emphasis upon women film-makers. Animation, kids' films, feature films, docos, short film - it's all here and free, with more to come when the festival heads to cinemas at a date to be confirmed.
Biriyaani: Flavours of Flesh: This daring and in-your-face film is not what you expect from Indian movies. Set in Kerala in the Muslim south, it is the story of Kadeeja, a married woman who is kicked out by her husband and roams around with her mentally troubled mother. Life goes from bad to worse - most of the men she meets are brutes with the exception of a kindly muezzin at the mosque where she is sleeping rough. Just as things are vaguely looking up, she commits an act of revenge that will stay in the viewers' minds a long time. This is (again) a salutary look at the mistreatment of women in India. Warning: there is plenty to shock here, but it's an excellent, thought-provoking film.
Miss
Dir: Rubin Alves
Length: 107 mins
Showing where lockdown isn't!! - Adelaide, Hobart, Castlemaine - put it on your to see list
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsCxhRi2Ka0  |
© Limelight - great insight
into the gender spectrum |
Androgynous French model Alexandre Wetter plays Alex, a
little boy who want to be Miss France when he grows up. This moving, humorous
and delightful film traces Alex's adult journey, as he attempts to transcend
society's view of gender definitions. All the characters in Alex's adult life
are warmly and empathetically portrayed, especially Lola the trans/drag queen.
Underneath the richly human tale and the many moments of humor, are very serious
issues about acceptance, identity, following dreams, and the importance of
questioning long-held limiting norms. Anyone wanting to understand more about non-binary gender concepts will get a great insight. Wetter is brilliant in their (his/her) debut acting
role and a talent to be watched. I loved it!4 - highly recommended
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