The last of our Melbourne Film Festival Reports…
Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist”
If “Bronson” shocked us, then “Antichrist” can only be described as a straight up assault. We’re still trying piece it all together. The film is split into four chapters, beginning with a phenomenal slow-motion prologue that details the tragic death of the son of our protagonists, (played by William Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg). The first chapter features fascinating dichotomous therapist-patient, husband-wife exchanges between Dafoe and Gainsbourg, but in Chapter 2, things take a turn and by the time the film explores the idea of ‘The Three Beggars,’ we were already totally out of it. We’re admittedly not horror fans (as one might be able to tell from our film selections) and were quickly proven wrong about thinking we could handle whatever Von Trier served. The atrocious, though often amusing, events that proceeded seemed to serve provocation for sake of provocation – that may very well be Von Trier’s point but we’ll still ask “why?” Filmmaking achievements aside and an admittedly great performance by Gainsbourg, we quickly began to sympathize with the many that have left their own screening kicking and screaming. [C-]
Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank”
Discovered by a talent scout who saw her yelling at a boyfriend in public, “Fish Tank’s” lead actress, Katie Jarvis, exhibits that exact raw ability in her stellar portrayal of the tough, rough and glammed up 15-year-old who, when push comes to shove, is still just a vulnerable 15 year old. Though a touch overbearing at times, the grim exploration of how the lives of dysfunctional Mia Williams (Jarvis) and her fringe-living family are changed by the arrival of Connor (Michael Fassbender), is a compelling and forthright work. The film’s aesthetic (shot in an initially uncomfortable 4:3 ratio) further personifies this notion. One particularly immoral and monumental event is oddly paired with the stunning incorporation of mesmerizing street lights illuminating the dark scene. The film without doubt belongs to Jarvis whose ability to draw sympathy through her foul-mouthed, violent mannerisms makes her almost the anti-Sally Hawkins from “Happy-Go-Lucky.” However, as a whole, and as noted by many, the film does run a little long. [B+]
Armando Iannucci’s “In The Loop”
Centering on a time of imminent war, implied but not explicitly revealed to be the Iraq conflict, ‘Loop’ is an absurdly hilarious but ultimately aimless political satire that spreads its wings across both the U.S. and U.K. governments. It definitely has its moments and is almost worth it for Peter Capaldi’s stand-out performance as British Minister for Communications Malcom Tucker, alone. His profanity-ridden rants are littered throughout the film, often arising from nothing and providing what is pretty much the film’s heartbeat. Not to sell short though the well oiled ensemble cast that features the likes of James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, Chris Addison and Anna Chlumsky, who seem perfectly attune as they commit to professional politics and warfare against one another before any troops have the chance to even put their uniforms on. For a very episodic film, that feels like a stretched version of a TV show, it’s still pretty damn enjoyable. [B]
Lynn Shelton’s “Humpday”
Honest and humble in its exploration of relationships, namely that of married men and their unwed male counterparts, Shelton and company know their boundaries, but don’t try to be anything more and flourish accordingly. “Humpday” follows the story of Ben (Mark Duplass), his wife Anna (Alycia Delmore) and his friend Andrew (Josh Leonard), who abruptly re-enters Ben’s life after a long hiatus. Stuck between a rock and a hard place (marital bliss and his friendship with Andrew, or bromance if you must) Ben’s masculinity is put on the line in a moment of drunken debauchery when he and Andrew talk each other into making a porno and then both are too stubborn to stand down. Never about the big picture, the film shines in moments of golden, warm hilarity that focus squarely on the relationships rather than the story. Definitely a crowd-pleaser. [B-]
Steven Soderbergh’s “Che: The Argentine” & “Che: Guerilla”
We’re not sure what effect splitting Soderbergh’s ‘Che’ saga in two had on the experience as a whole but the idea of watching it all in one four and a half hour sitting was too daunting an option for us. As a result, we decided to split it across two days and are ultimately glad we did. The first part centers on Guevara’s experiences with the Cuban revolution and is intertwined with interviews and speeches he gave on the matter in hindsight. The result is a wonderful marriage, with Guevara commentating on the events as they concurrently unfold on-screen. The film is a swift and lively journey that begins and ends on the very same night in Mexico. Shot in a documentary-like manner, Soderbergh captures the raw vigor of Guevara’s movement wholeheartedly. Never preachy or enforcing, Benicio Del Toro simply eases his way into a portrayal of Guevara that has us convinced of the man’s qualities and abilities. [A-]
If the first part of Soderbergh’s saga was about what hope can achieve, the second part is about the contrary. Depicting Guevara’s ill-fated attempt to repeat his revolution in Bolivia, the film picks up soon after the first one ends, but as Guevara begins his next revolution, the absent hallmarks of his Cuban adventure quickly has the audience in doubt (Mind you, we didn’t know the story of Guevara extensively). As an earlier Playlist review clued us in on, the differences in aesthetic was furthermore a sign of things to come. As the story unfolds, a notion of misguided hope blankets Guevara’s new movement and, while it’s just as expansive as the first, pacing on the ‘Guerilla’ is slower with an understandably more solemn touch. A worthy conclusion to the saga which is just as much about the viewing experience as it about the story – which many are probably already knowledgeable on. [B+]
All Good Things Must Come To An End…
A great festival all round, though we really wished we bit the bullet and went to all the screenings we wanted to, but were too lazy, tired or slow with bookings. And it doesn’t help when you hear good word about them later on, does it? Falling in this category is the likes of the four hour love story epic “Love Exposure,” Park Chan-wook’s vampire-thriller “Thirst,” Cannes-winner “Dogtooth,” dolphin-doco “The Cove,” Belgium-coming-of-ager “The Misfortunates,” revenge-comedy “Louise-Michel,” British journeyer “Unmade Beds,” future-Aussie-cult “Van Diemen’s Island,” reported-supermarket-killer “Food Inc.,” rockumentary “It Might Get Loud” and Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience.” Some will be getting theatrical releases in Australia but for the ones that don’t, it was a real shame. A greater investment in Red Bull is definitely in the cards for next year.
