Without a doubt, Gimme The Loot was my favorite film at the 55th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival. It was fresh, different, and completely entertaining without falling victim to typical film problems. They presented the work that they wanted to present without any played out formula, Hollywood attention grabbers, or undertone. Instead, Gimme the Loot is a compelling story about two kids being kids and growing up in the process; in some ways but not others. Malcolm (Ty Hickson) and Sofia (Tashiana Washington) are two young graffitti artists that bomb buildings in New York. When their tags get messed up by some other crew, they devise a plan to retaliate. What ensues is a couple days around the city following them try and raise money.
At first, Malcolm’s character was a bit annoying but he grew on me. Sofia had me smiling from the beginning – she’s a cute hardcore Brooklyn chick. Both of them run schemes and walk the line of trouble in New York but you can tell they’re just innocent kids with time on their hands. The characters they interact with and way they change their demeanor in various situations is spot on. The language is real for the most part and the camera work amazed me as it highlighted the city. I love how the movie turns into something a lot more than it is…even though you kind of had that inkling all along. You’re definitely allowed into this world and given a bird’s eye view to a modernized “Beat Street” environment. This one already got distribution so seek it out.
Off Label“Don’t do drugs, but here, takes these.” What started as a documentary about pharmaceutical guinea pigs turned into something so much more. Off Label was a beautifully artistic view at a myriad of stories surrounding prescription drugs. Don’t let the name fool you and think this movie is only about off label use…it’s more of a metaphor for depicting something in ways you didn’t imagine. From prison guinea pigs to over medicated patients to an Iraq veteran, scorned mother, and so much more, directors Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher show us the lives of people wound up in this medicated mess. Sure, we all probably know somebody popping pills for one reason or another, but the people involved in this film are on the extremes of the spectrum. You won’t believe some of the stories they tell until you hear and see them for yourself so do yourself a favor and see and hear it for yourself through this documentary. It’s beautifully shot and will keep you mesmerized throughout the entire thing…even through some scenes that are pretty graphic and difficult to watch.
PolisseMy top film was a narrative. My second was a documentary. Polisse is a little bit of both. When the film began, I thought it was a real documentary about the Paris Child Protection Unit until the characters became too drawn out and the stories became too interconnected. Then I realized it was just a really well done narrative mockumentary and it took on a whole life of it’s own. Inspired by real-life cases, the movie illustrated how hard it must be to work on such a sensitive subject and then take it home with you every single day. How these officers must deal with some of their country’s worst people and then not emulate those same activities in their own lives. It’s definitely eye opening and as close to the real thing you’re going to get without watching something like COPS. I wrote a couple paragraphs on the film here.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverage
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
Tonight is the closing night of the 55th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival and the San Francisco Film Society intends to end it with a bang! The closing night film is Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey – a documentary about the rock band Journey and how they found Arnel Pineda, an unknown Filipino, to become their new lead singer. All current members of Journey are expected to be in attendance at the Castro Theatre and some tickets are still available!
Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey
In this fairly long (113 min) look into Journey and their amazing transformation from a somewhat American band to an International sensation, director Ramona S. Diaz tries to highlight way too much. Journey fans are going to enjoy every moment of it as it lasts longer than a Journey concert and shows the inner workings of the band while also offering up some concert footage. However, audiences may get antsy as the movie moves from this to that and then this again. The movie revolves around Arnel Pineda: from finding his breathtaking talent on YouTube, to seeing if he fits with the band, to watching him take control of stages all over the world on tour. It’s remarkable how someone can be plucked from obscurity and thrown into the fire like he was. The rest of the band: Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Deen Castronovo, and Ross Valory were supporting characters in the documentary whenever Arnel was around but when the movie switches to talking about Journey’s long and scattered history, their one-on-one interviews took center stage. And then back to Arnel and his depressing past of rock, women, and drugs (This is truly a rags to riches story). And then back to Journey on their sold-out tour which brought their name back to the top of the list of successful bands. The structure and editing of this movie needs a lot of work but there’s a great story here and it’s quite fascinating watch.
Last ScreeningI feel like it’s appropriate to couple a capsule review of Last Screening here since tonight will be every one’s…Last Screening (puntastic). Last Screening was part of this year’s very small The Late Show program and left a lot to be desired. About a psychopathic projectionist named Sylvain at a small one-screen cinema, Last Screening shows us a traumatic breakdown fueled by a cinephile’s childhood. The movie is typically as silent as the awkward Sylvain himself. It’s extremely slow paced while being pretty straightforward and not burdening the viewer with unnecessary scenes – I’m not exactly sure why they achieved that as the movie could have run a lot smoother and have been more entertaining. Most of the murders are left off screen so horror fans won’t get their socks rocked in this one. All together, it was a wash for me and doesn’t deserved to be watched. Don’t let the Last Screening be your last screening.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverage
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
What happens when you leave your sons alone in a rural countryside with nothing to do and they run out of money? Probably not what happens in The Giants. Two brothers, 15 and 13 3/4 years-old meet another 15 year old boy who’s discarded by his family and start hanging out. Everything seems innocent – just boys being boys and getting into trouble – but without any future in sight, they start making horrible decisions. It never seems to bother them though, they just go with the flow as things start getting worse. Cursing at the top of their lungs by a fire turns into playing with a found gun into dealing with a drug dealer into breaking into and destroying a vacation home into so much more. But does it all even matter? They have found each other and isn’t that enough?
WillWill is another boy that was abandoned by his parents. After his mother died, his father left him in an orphanage for years only to return with tickets to the Champions League Final. You see, Will is a Liverpool fan – possibly the biggest Liverpool fan with an encyclopedic-like memory of every game, player, and random fact to know about the team. Everything looks peachy again for Will until his father suddenly dies. It seems like this kid can’t catch a break until he decides to take matters into his own hands and go to the game anyway. Will is about the journey he takes to Istanbul to see his team play and the characters he meets along the way. It’s not an easy journey from England to Turkey but football fans are some of the best fans you’ll ever meet. If you’re a sports fan, this is a great watch for you and family. It’s heartwarming and might actually make you tear up a little in the end – especially if you remember going to your first big match in a big stadium.
The Loneliest PlanetBased on the short story “Expensive Trips Nowhere” by Tom Bissell, The Loneliest Planet is about a newly engaged couple on a backpacking trip through Georgia. They hire a rugged mountain man to be their guy and set off to have an adventure of discovery. What they discover is themselves when the whole movie switches tone and direction after one split-second decision. It’s incredibly tense and awkward and genious. The dynamics between the entire group changes and nothing can change the past. But can they find resolution for the future? That is up to interpretation. Between beautiful stretches of scenery and slow walking scenes, Julia Loktev allows us to travel along and feel like we are spending time right next to the couple on screen.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverage
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
“He has a fate, you have a fate.” People Mountain People Sea is a Chinese/Hong Kong film by Cai Shangjun starring Chen Jianbin. It’s a beautifully grim depiction of a horrific tale set in industrial China. Sparked by the murder of his brother, Lao Tie (Chen Jianbin) sets off to get revenge and finds almost every negative human trait as he travels from village to city. Drugs. Crooked Cops. Betraying Friend. Rape. Even an estranged son. This is a very slow moving film but it entices you with meticulous shots and expansive views thanks to director of photography Dong Jinsong. Visually, it’s stunning. The set-up is gripping. The follow through…nonexistent.
Lao Tie (Chen Jianbin) in People Mountain People Sea
The story seems simple: a man is robbed and killed for his motorcycle. The police know the murderer is Xiao Qiang (Wu Xiubo) but can’t follow through since he ran away to a different city. Lao Tie takes it upon himself to find the killer but you don’t really know what he’d do if he found him. While in the big city where he had failed to make success, you see how gritty life is as people literally live on top of each other. You can see why Lao is such a silent type only speaking when critical and always having a indiscreet look on his face. He interacts with anybody who could know where his brother’s killer is but nobody says a word, nobody cares.
Xiao Qiang (Wu Xiubo) is ruthless
When taking the trip with Lao to the city and seeing how drastically different it is from his small country town, it is quite an eye-opener. It’s seldom that we get a glimpse inside the true life of China and it’s not pretty. In this case, the movie feels more like a documentary than a narrative giving us exposure to something real rather than imagined. I really appreciated the camera work and tediousness of the movie for that. They created such well-crafted shots that you couldn’t feel any other emotion than awe for the film. They made inconsequential things beautiful and drew your attention away from the story just for a bit to see the true beauty of the film. It was very impressive.
"Even if you could change shapes, you'll be changed forever."
But then the story kept on. This whole time you’re experiencing a slow-burn thinking that the ending might have a gratifying resolution but then someone changed the channel and you wind up in another movie entirely. If you thought there wasn’t much dialogue or much going on in the beginning of the film, the end will have you cringe in your seat. I have no idea what happened but once the movie entered the illegal mine, I wanted out. The movie completely falls apart in the end which is incredibly sad because there was so much potential for it to be something grand. Luckily, people who will have access to this film are film aficionados anyway so they should appreciate the work for it’s startling qualities and patiently anticipate a quality movie from those involved. I’m treating this movie as a preview of what’s to come.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverage
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
Polisse is a well-crafted film from France that lies between Law & Order and Kids Say the Darndest Things. At first, I thought it was a documentary as they followed around their cast of characters on duty in a Paris police department…the acting was so superb and lifelike. However, it’s an extremely serious mockumentary that contains a splash of comedy and passion. The movie begins to slowly go into the personal lives of each of the characters and show how 1) their personal beliefs and situations influence how and why they do what they do; and 2) they have to carry the burden of work home with them.
Polisse is about the Paris Child Protection Unit and based on real-life cases. It’s sickening and disheartening and real. While running long, the movie gives us a glimpse into the lives of the strong and weak people of law enforcement. The movie gets a little confusing as more and more characters come into the spotlight and get mixed up into various side stories but it’s fun to pay attention to the few that interest you personally. They threw in an audience surrogate so that the audience can learn about the department and not just be a fly in the wall during their daily routines.
InformantBrandon Darby. If the name rings a bell, you probably have strong feelings about him one way or another. People are fascinated about him by proof of this documentary and the award winning, “Better This World” documentary from last year. While Better This World went into the story of two activists that were jailed for creating Molotov cocktails and the 2008 Republican National Convention, Informant goes into the story of the man who turned them in. Turned them into the authorities or turned them into the anarchists they were framed to be is up to discussion.
The documentary tells the entire story from his background to how he rose to fame in various activist channels to how he lost most of his support in his own community and switched sides. Pathological liar is a term that seems to go hand in hand with Brandon Darby and it’s interesting to see it first hand through close up interviews with Darby himself. The documentary uses old friends of Darby and expert commentary to contradict and expose Darby leaving you with no idea who to trust or believe. Interestingly enough, they also star Darby in reenactments of his own stories which just makes me believe he just wants to be in the spotlight. Nonetheless, he’s an interesting fellow and hard to decipher. Check out the doc and decide what you think of him for yourself.
ComplianceI want to rename the movie Compliance to Competence or Lack Thereof. Do you remember the stories about fast food employees who participated in ridiculous and lewd acts just because someone over the phone told them to…while claiming to be the police? Well this movie is based on all those true events. And it hurt to watch. I’ve never seen so many people leave a screening – over a 1/3 of the theater. The murmurs and conversations of the people that stayed were quite substantial as well. In my opinion, the film was neither good or bad – it was pretty manufactured and run of the mill but the subject matter is what polarized everyone. I guess that’s a testament to the fiilm making that it highlights it’s message and conveys it so well that nothing else really matters.
The movie is shot as a straight up narrative in pretty much real-time. It focuses on the manager of the ChickWhich as well as the counter girl who got abused. The whole theater became tense as everyone wondered why someone didn’t stop what was going on or question the man on the phone. There are many scenes where the movie lets you figure out what you would have done – or think you would have done – in those situations. It’s easy to roll your eyes and laugh but the most startling thing came at the end of the movie – apparently there were over SEVENTY instances of these pranks in over 30 cities. The delivery man in the beginning was right, “You’re fucked without bacon, I’ll tell you that!”
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
The Sheik and I is so meta. It comically achieves it’s goal in a roundabout way without the audience realizing what is even going on. It doesn’t know what it is itself just as the majority of the audience has no idea about the subject matter. It’s a documentary. It’s a narrative. It’s art. It’s whatever you want to call it…especially controversial. Sharjah, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, decided to have an art show and invited director Caveh Zahedi to make a movie for it. They never showed the movie at the show and they don’t want you to see it either. However, Zahedi is hiding behind America’s whole freedom of speech thing and you get to see whatever Zahedi wants to show you through his somewhat arrogant retelling of the whole film making experience.
A lot of the situation behind the movie doesn’t make sense. Why would a conservative Middle Eastern city invite a prolific documentary maker of taboo ideas such as, “I Am a Sex Addict”, commission him to make an “art as subversive” film, and then not expect him to make something that would ruffle a few feathers? At first they say there are no rules for this movie but Zahedi doesn’t play by the rules anyway. “It’s part documentary but part of it is not documentary.” He travels to Sharjah without an idea and just begins shooting the people he meets and making a movie from that. And yet, it still has more of a plot than many crap movies in theaters these days.
Caveh Zahedi and his crew...sans baby.
It’s interesting to see how he and his crew interact with the people of Sharjah and how many regular people are willing to or unwilling to help. We have to assume most of the people are just regular people and they are merely intrigued by the filming camera. What this evolves into is a movie about making a movie about making a movie you’re not allowed to show. The reactions that sprout from this experiment are pretty wide ranging. Many people hated it and many people enjoyed it. It was banned from the art show but apparently not because the powers at be didn’t like it but they were afraid to show it. In a climate of uprising right now in that area of the world, you can understand why.
Zahedi underhandedly set out to show how “cool” the people of Sharjah were by creating a movie for them with them about them. For me, it worked. It broke the many stereotypes of Middle Eastern culture while exposing how and why many of those stereotypes still exist. You can learn a whole lot more from a mockumentary without a goal that just exposes the people for who they are than a documentary setting out to exploit key features a filmmaker might want to tackle. You get a better understanding of the everyday lives and feelings of the people. You also get a better understanding of what they’re going through in terms of government and quality of life.
Typical baby snatching scene from the middle east
“In a place where there’s no freedom of speech, you cannot go and say there’s no freedom of speech.” I don’t think Zahedi intentionally set out to overthrow traditional ideas and shake up a government, he’s just a hard headed American trying to understand a people he knows nothing about. He was intrigued by the mystery of the state of life in the Middle East and seemed dumbfounded by how regular and easy-going the actual people of the land are. He wanted to include them in his artwork and by doing show, depict how cool he though they were. The documentary, mockumentary, art, bad film, whatever you want to call it was a fun watch and great exposure of the UAE…even if they don’t want you to see it.
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
The San Francisco International Film Festival is different. It’s the longest running film festival in North America but you can never put your finger on what it’s going to offer and you can never guess which films will be shown. The festival is run by the San Francisco Film Society and instead of sticking to a formula like many other festivals do, they try and curate a wide range of cinema that appeals to the wide range of audiences that inhabit San Francisco. Just as the city is mixed with all kinds of people and influences, so are the films that they show.
The 55th edition which runs for two weeks from Thursday, April 19th to Thursday, May 3rd at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre, SF Film Society Cinema, SFMOMA and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley is no different. This year they offer a wide range of world cinema, riveting documentaries, all kinds of shorts, and local treats. But how is an outsider looking in supposed to know what to watch? The only thing missing from this lineup are those big name Hollywood blockbusters anybody can find each week. Instead, THE SFIFF brings the obscure and hard to find works that deserve to be seen and need these kind of festivals to promote them. We’ll give you a few hints of what we think is interesting but you should be fearless in watching movies you know nothing about.
Gimme The Loot Gimme the Loot just reminds of beat street from its synopsis. It’s about 2 New York graffiti artists who have to raise money in order to pull off a prank to get revenge on a rival gang. I missed it at SXSW where it won the Grand Jury award for Best Narrative so I’m definitely going to catch it at SFIFF.
The Intouchables The film won the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix (Best Film) award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Award for Best Actor to both Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy. Omar Sy also won the César Award for Best Actor and Étoiles d’Or for Best Male Newcomer. It’s pretty controversial dealing with French racism which Americans still try to hide from.
Robot & Frank Coming from Sundance, Robot & Frank got mixed reviews but for the tech-heavy influence of San Francisco, I’m sure this film will get a warm welcome. It’s about an old cat burglar (Frank Langella) who receives a helper robot against his will.
TWIXT This may not sound like much until you call it Francis Ford Coppola’s TWIXT. There has been a lot of anticipation for this one as it makes its way around the festival circuit before it gets a wide release. It’s a genre film (horror thriller) written and directed by Coppola about an eerie small town with a mystery. And if you didn’t know, Coppola lives in the bay area so he might just be sitting next to you at the screening.
Informant If you saw “Better This World” last year, you definitely want to see Informant this year which is a documentary about Brandon Darby, the FBI Informant known for taking down the two activists in last year’s documentary which won countless awards including the Best Documentary Feature at the 2011 San Francisco International Film Festival. It will be interesting to see how San Francisco’s progressive audiences react to the other side of the story.
Polisse Polisse was the winner of the Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Resembling a documentary, it’s a narrative going into the lives of the men and women of the Paris Child Protection Unit. It’s based on real-life cases but takes its liberties to give you a startling look into this disturbing world.
Last Minute Additions!
Even if you’ve studied the handy mini guide or program, you might not know that 6 new films have been added to the lineup:
Bernie plays 9:30 pm, Saturday, April 21, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
Nobody Walks plays 9:30 pm, Wednesday, April 25, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
Chasing Ice plays 7:15 pm, Thursday, May 3, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverage
Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.Visit an Francisco International Film Festival’s Official Website
Sadly, I only got to stay for the first weekend of South By Southwest this year. Still, I managed to hit up 16 films which I think is quite respectable for 3 days. South By Southwest combines three passions of my life – not only film, but live music and interactive (the internet). This was my third year and I typically do things in 3 and thought this would be my last but even with the horrible rain at the beginning of the festival, I don’t think I can keep away…so look for me once again next year in the beautiful city of Austin, TX!
This year, no film wowed me like Pelada and Sound of My Noise the past 2 years…but still, the film festival lineup was stellar combining favorites from other festivals and a new batch of amazing documentaries and fresh narratives. There were definitely a handful that will be sure to raise a few eyebrows. Here are my top 5 this year consisting of 3 documentaries, 1 stellar indie narrative, and a blockbuster.
Bay of All Saints (World Premiere)
It’s no secret that I love documentaries but Bay of All Saints separates itself from the rest of the pack. It’s fundamentally a story about single mothers who must support their families while their own homes are supported by just stilts over open water. It’s a fascinating look on people far away but with qualities that hit close to home. By taking six years to examine their lives, the documentary finds its own life and displays it through an amazingly shot film. Full Review
Safety Not Guaranteed
I love having fun in a movie theater and this movie was just plain fun. You’re supposed to lose yourself in cinema and forget that you’re even watching a movie so when you’re presented with a quirky story about time travel set in the current day, you forget that time travel hasn’t been accomplished yet and lose yourself in these characters wishing you were in their world. I love Aubrey Plaza and she’s remarkable in this film. Her chemistry with Mark Duplaas is wonderful and that combined with the other side characters and parallel shorelines is pure bliss. There’s so much win going on and it’s such a funny script. I seriously can’t wait to watch this one again. Full Review
21 Jump Street (World Premiere)
This is the big blockbuster winner of the festival. It didn’t need South by Southwest’s approval but it certainly got it. What does that mean? Especially after the MacGruber fiasco? Obviously not much in relation to box office sales but in the geek and film blogger community, it gets a pass. But besides that, the film was actually really funny and a great time in the theater for audiences. From the script to the acting to the outrageous plot turns and nod to the original work – 21 Jump Street got a lot of it right. Full Review
Seeking Asian Female (World Premiere)
Back to the docs. This one was a story we all hear about but never get to really see. It’s not an overbearing problem affecting half the world or a little known injustice that needed light shined upon it. It’s a modern day love story told from the perspective of a modern day non-first generation woman in a non-traditional marriage. It’s a documentary that anyone can relate to because at its core is everyday people trying to achieve a basic need we all want. Capsule Review
Decoding Deepak (World Premiere)
This might be my biggest festival surprise. I remember talking to friends before the festival on if I should even see this film. I dabble in the teachings from many different walks of life and am no stranger to Deepak Chopra but I thought I knew what this documentary would be all about. Boy, was I wrong. It was more about the relationship with his own boy and less about the eternal question of himself and what he recites. As with most of my favorite documentaries, there is no clear objective to the film but an expose on a strong controversial subject matter. Full Review
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The SXSW® Film Conference and Festival features a dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry leaders in a uniquely creative environment. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of independent film. The internationally acclaimed Film Festival program celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, featuring provocative documentaries, comedies, genre standouts and more.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Bay of All Saints was not only my favorite documentary, but my favorite movie at the 2012 South By Southwest Film Festival. It was also many other’s favorites as it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It’s an extraordinary piece of work that shows not only passion but true dedication. It tells the story of a little known area in Brazil that many of the people don’t even know about. People living around this area don’t even know about or care to know about it. The doc features not just the stories, but the lives of families plagued with their various situations that put them in their current living condition and outline how each of them deal with it. And it begins this story six years ago in 2005!
Rather than making a film about facts and figures about Salvador, Bahia’s slums, filmmaker Annie Eastman decided to live down in the palafitas with her filmed subjects. She found an incredible narrator and voice of reason through a refrigerator repairman named Narato who has “never met a stranger.” Through fixing odds and ends and being somewhat of a shrink to the slums, Narato has become friends with many of the inhabitants of the bay’s shanty town. Through him, we meet our cast of Geni, Rebecca, Jesus, Rafaela, and Donna Maria (amongst others). The area is filled mainly with single mothers who can’t afford a house anywhere else and have decided to make their own cardboard houses over the water on stilts. The whole documentary is mainly interviews with these women and follows them as they live in their homemade homes and shows how nothing ever really progresses in terms of their living situation.
Set in the slums of Bahia, Brazil
The basis of this documentary was to see how the $49 million World Bank grant would work in Brazil’s plan to fix this palafitas problem which threatens the ecology of the bay and the advancement of the country as a whole. The question of the documentary then turned to if the money would even help as the government took years to get proposals off the ground and interact with the people of the slums. One of the women the documentary followed, Geni, was eventually elected to be a representative of her area and we got to see first hand what that actually meant – nothing. She had one of the most interesting quotes I’ve ever heard, “The courage I prefer not to have.” It was painful to see these people have their hopes risen and then dropped throughout the years as bureaucracy took hold of their new homes or alternatives. Throughout, the red tape, Bay of All Saints showed us the black and white of these people’s lives and how they aren’t much different than anybody else.
Houses on stilts...over water
We got to see the cutest and very intelligent kids hampered by this living condition. Rebecca, a very clever young girl ran away from her grandmother’s spot. Rafaela, Jesus’ daughter was with child during filming and eventually had a baby with a boy who said he would support her. Donna Maria, Rebecca’s grandmother, who was pretty much raised as a slave found her own strength and identity by going to adult classes between picking up trash to pay to live. It’s really interesting watching how others live and puts your own life into perspective. These are real people, not actors, and they’re going through this right now…still, to this day. It’s a powerful notion and beautifully presented in this short glimpse into their homes.
I loved this film because it held nothing back. It had a goal to expose the situation of the palafitas and it’s people. It not only did that in a personable way by highlighting the people rather than scrutinizing the bigger picture, but by going back year after year, the doc itself discovered new stories and took a meaningful life of its own. It packages up its thesis, research, and findings in an entertaining fashion that characterizes the good-willed mood of these people who still have hope and life in each and every one of them. It makes you think and/or care about something you might have never known about…the true goal behind any documentary.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The SXSW® Film Conference and Festival features a dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry leaders in a uniquely creative environment. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of independent film. The internationally acclaimed Film Festival program celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, featuring provocative documentaries, comedies, genre standouts and more.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Yesterday, I posted our documentary roundup and noted that the South By Southwest Film Festival is known for their amazing documentary selection as well as midnighters and emerging visions sections. This roundup focuses on that second half: the horrifying genre films as well as the questionable and odd movies. Sometimes, you have to be in the right mood, experience the right past events, or just have a certain taste for these kinds of works. One thing is for sure though, they are all quirky and made by people who all have something to say.
The Aggression Scale (World Premiere)
Simply put, The Aggression Scale is Home Alone for adults. Remember all those cool booby traps Macaulay Culkin set for those home invaders? How about that scene with the gangsters and guns on TV? Well Aggression Scale starts of loud, bloody, and messy with gangsters with guns and then switches gears to this family moving into a new house trying to start anew. Obviously, you know these two stories are somehow connected and the filmmakers leave some obvious clues for you – what you don’t know is how bad ass Ryan Hartwig who plays Owen, the young boy of the family, is. You see, the aggression scale is a test that determines how harmful an individual is…Owen scored extremely high and without his meds, is a menace to society. Oh, and you thought the gangsters were a menace to society? Other than Lauren’s (Fabianne Therese aka Legs) annoying screams, The Aggression Scale is a really fun film I recommend checking out. You might recognize some of the “bad guys” (Ray Wise, Dana Ashbrook, Derek Mears, Jacob Reynolds)
King Kelly (World Premiere)
Like OMG. This movie is just wow. If you don’t feel uncomfortable during the first scene, which is pretty much a porn clip of a live sex show, you might enjoy it. I’m still not sure if I recommend watching it or not but it makes you think and talk about it so it definitely gets it’s job done and it’s message across. It’s a progressive movie about those obnoxious teenage girls (mainly Louisa Krause (Kelly) and Libby Woodbridge (Jordan)) that record their lives and put it online for everyone to see. It’s shot entirely on iPhones and Cannon Elfs and the majority of the movie is actually actor-shot. That alone is some noteworthy stuff but the actual story that transpires through the movie is something else! You can compare it to Hangover-type movies where things just get out of control, events escalate past anything you would imagine, and you’re left asking, “What’s next?” I don’t want to spoil it as a lot of what happens comes from left field but know King Kelly is actually incredibly funny and smart…it just gets under your skin.
CITADEL (World Premiere)
People always put themselves in their movies…one way or another. This is exceptionally true for director Ciarán Foy who himself suffered from agoraphobia – an anxiety disorder which made him a hermit and afraid to leave his house. CITADEL’s main character, Tommy Cowley (Aneurin Barnard), becomes agoraphobic after his wife is stabbed and killed by some kids on the day they were moving out. Tommy’s wife was pregnant so now he’s left with the constant reminder and responsibility of his little girl. But these kids won’t leave him alone because they feed off fear and he’s very scared. But are these even children at all? Not according to our crazy Priest (James Cosmo) who has dealt with these feral children before. The movie is a bit corny but pretty frightening and very well done. It takes the real world situations and fears and combines it with the common midnighter experience of the unknown things that go bump in the night. If it wasn’t for Aneurin’s incredible performance, CITADEL might have not worked but you could see the fear through the sweat on his brow and that puts your right in his shoes on screen.
Dollhouse (North American Premiere)
When introducing the film, the presenter said he had no words to describe Dollhouse…it’s just so unique and different. I have to agree…there’s no way to truly talk about this film. It’s just too…can’t do it. Can’t find the words. Director Kirsten Sheridan decided to take a risk and cast kids off the street and give them no script. This is basically all improv with a bit of scenarios and character development thrown in. She said she would whisper to one or another what they were to do and have the other kids react to it. What resulted was a lot of laughing, cursing, awkward stares, confused dialogue and actual genuine interactions. After getting through the initial shock and awe and realizing you have as much knowledge of where this is going as the actors, you begin to appreciate the stylized storytelling that’s happening on screen. There’s a glorious food fight, drugs, explosions, lots of drinking, and some crazy unexplainable scenes. The music is a highlight as well as the curious feeling you get after watching this film. “What are you doing?”
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Without a doubt, Gimme The Loot was my favorite film at the 55th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival. It was fresh, different, and completely entertaining without falling victim to typical film problems. They presented the work that they wanted to present without any played out formula, Hollywood attention grabbers, or undertone. Instead, Gimme the Loot is a compelling story about two kids being kids and growing up in the process; in some ways but not others. Malcolm (Ty Hickson) and Sofia (Tashiana Washington) are two young graffitti artists that bomb buildings in New York. When their tags get messed up by some other crew, they devise a plan to retaliate. What ensues is a couple days around the city following them try and raise money.
“Don’t do drugs, but here, takes these.” What started as a documentary about pharmaceutical guinea pigs turned into something so much more. Off Label was a beautifully artistic view at a myriad of stories surrounding prescription drugs. Don’t let the name fool you and think this movie is only about off label use…it’s more of a metaphor for depicting something in ways you didn’t imagine. From prison guinea pigs to over medicated patients to an Iraq veteran, scorned mother, and so much more, directors Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher show us the lives of people wound up in this medicated mess. Sure, we all probably know somebody popping pills for one reason or another, but the people involved in this film are on the extremes of the spectrum. You won’t believe some of the stories they tell until you hear and see them for yourself so do yourself a favor and see and hear it for yourself through this documentary. It’s beautifully shot and will keep you mesmerized throughout the entire thing…even through some scenes that are pretty graphic and difficult to watch.
My top film was a narrative. My second was a documentary. Polisse is a little bit of both. When the film began, I thought it was a real documentary about the Paris Child Protection Unit until the characters became too drawn out and the stories became too interconnected. Then I realized it was just a really well done narrative mockumentary and it took on a whole life of it’s own. Inspired by real-life cases, the movie illustrated how hard it must be to work on such a sensitive subject and then take it home with you every single day. How these officers must deal with some of their country’s worst people and then not emulate those same activities in their own lives. It’s definitely eye opening and as close to the real thing you’re going to get without watching something like COPS. I wrote a couple paragraphs on the film here.
This post is part of our SFIFF coverage
In this fairly long (113 min) look into Journey and their amazing transformation from a somewhat American band to an International sensation, director Ramona S. Diaz tries to highlight way too much. Journey fans are going to enjoy every moment of it as it lasts longer than a Journey concert and shows the inner workings of the band while also offering up some concert footage. However, audiences may get antsy as the movie moves from this to that and then this again. The movie revolves around Arnel Pineda: from finding his breathtaking talent on YouTube, to seeing if he fits with the band, to watching him take control of stages all over the world on tour. It’s remarkable how someone can be plucked from obscurity and thrown into the fire like he was. The rest of the band: Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Deen Castronovo, and Ross Valory were supporting characters in the documentary whenever Arnel was around but when the movie switches to talking about Journey’s long and scattered history, their one-on-one interviews took center stage. And then back to Arnel and his depressing past of rock, women, and drugs (This is truly a rags to riches story). And then back to Journey on their sold-out tour which brought their name back to the top of the list of successful bands. The structure and editing of this movie needs a lot of work but there’s a great story here and it’s quite fascinating watch.
I feel like it’s appropriate to couple a capsule review of Last Screening here since tonight will be every one’s…Last Screening (puntastic). Last Screening was part of this year’s very small The Late Show program and left a lot to be desired. About a psychopathic projectionist named Sylvain at a small one-screen cinema, Last Screening shows us a traumatic breakdown fueled by a cinephile’s childhood. The movie is typically as silent as the awkward Sylvain himself. It’s extremely slow paced while being pretty straightforward and not burdening the viewer with unnecessary scenes – I’m not exactly sure why they achieved that as the movie could have run a lot smoother and have been more entertaining. Most of the murders are left off screen so horror fans won’t get their socks rocked in this one. All together, it was a wash for me and doesn’t deserved to be watched. Don’t let the Last Screening be your last screening.
What happens when you leave your sons alone in a rural countryside with nothing to do and they run out of money? Probably not what happens in The Giants. Two brothers, 15 and 13 3/4 years-old meet another 15 year old boy who’s discarded by his family and start hanging out. Everything seems innocent – just boys being boys and getting into trouble – but without any future in sight, they start making horrible decisions. It never seems to bother them though, they just go with the flow as things start getting worse. Cursing at the top of their lungs by a fire turns into playing with a found gun into dealing with a drug dealer into breaking into and destroying a vacation home into so much more. But does it all even matter? They have found each other and isn’t that enough?
Will is another boy that was abandoned by his parents. After his mother died, his father left him in an orphanage for years only to return with tickets to the Champions League Final. You see, Will is a Liverpool fan – possibly the biggest Liverpool fan with an encyclopedic-like memory of every game, player, and random fact to know about the team. Everything looks peachy again for Will until his father suddenly dies. It seems like this kid can’t catch a break until he decides to take matters into his own hands and go to the game anyway. Will is about the journey he takes to Istanbul to see his team play and the characters he meets along the way. It’s not an easy journey from England to Turkey but football fans are some of the best fans you’ll ever meet. If you’re a sports fan, this is a great watch for you and family. It’s heartwarming and might actually make you tear up a little in the end – especially if you remember going to your first big match in a big stadium.
Based on the short story “Expensive Trips Nowhere” by Tom Bissell, The Loneliest Planet is about a newly engaged couple on a backpacking trip through Georgia. They hire a rugged mountain man to be their guy and set off to have an adventure of discovery. What they discover is themselves when the whole movie switches tone and direction after one split-second decision. It’s incredibly tense and awkward and genious. The dynamics between the entire group changes and nothing can change the past. But can they find resolution for the future? That is up to interpretation. Between beautiful stretches of scenery and slow walking scenes, Julia Loktev allows us to travel along and feel like we are spending time right next to the couple on screen.
Polisse is a well-crafted film from France that lies between Law & Order and Kids Say the Darndest Things. At first, I thought it was a documentary as they followed around their cast of characters on duty in a Paris police department…the acting was so superb and lifelike. However, it’s an extremely serious mockumentary that contains a splash of comedy and passion. The movie begins to slowly go into the personal lives of each of the characters and show how 1) their personal beliefs and situations influence how and why they do what they do; and 2) they have to carry the burden of work home with them.
Brandon Darby. If the name rings a bell, you probably have strong feelings about him one way or another. People are fascinated about him by proof of this documentary and the award winning, “Better This World” documentary from last year. While Better This World went into the story of two activists that were jailed for creating Molotov cocktails and the 2008 Republican National Convention, Informant goes into the story of the man who turned them in. Turned them into the authorities or turned them into the anarchists they were framed to be is up to discussion.
I want to rename the movie Compliance to Competence or Lack Thereof. Do you remember the stories about fast food employees who participated in ridiculous and lewd acts just because someone over the phone told them to…while claiming to be the police? Well this movie is based on all those true events. And it hurt to watch. I’ve never seen so many people leave a screening – over a 1/3 of the theater. The murmurs and conversations of the people that stayed were quite substantial as well. In my opinion, the film was neither good or bad – it was pretty manufactured and run of the mill but the subject matter is what polarized everyone. I guess that’s a testament to the fiilm making that it highlights it’s message and conveys it so well that nothing else really matters.
The Sheik and I is so meta. It comically achieves it’s goal in a roundabout way without the audience realizing what is even going on. It doesn’t know what it is itself just as the majority of the audience has no idea about the subject matter. It’s a documentary. It’s a narrative. It’s art. It’s whatever you want to call it…especially controversial. Sharjah, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, decided to have an art show and invited director Caveh Zahedi to make a movie for it. They never showed the movie at the show and they don’t want you to see it either. However, Zahedi is hiding behind America’s whole freedom of speech thing and you get to see whatever Zahedi wants to show you through his somewhat arrogant retelling of the whole film making experience.
Gimme The Loot
The Intouchables
Robot & Frank
TWIXT
Informant
Polisse
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage
The Aggression Scale (World Premiere)
King Kelly (World Premiere)
CITADEL (World Premiere)
Dollhouse (North American Premiere)
