Nobody asked for it, but here's mini-reviews of 8 of the films I saw at TIFF. The other 9 will follow later today.
____________________________________________________
Stories of Our Lives
A
documentary consisting of 4 thematically intertwined shorts, Stories of Our Lives delves into the
issues facing the LGBTQ community in the heavily prejudiced country of
Kenya. The stories themselves vary in
quality, with the first pair being noticeably lesser than the latter. The two shorts that work are complex and
challenging, yet familiar enough for audiences everywhere to connect to them. That’s one of the brilliant things about this
piece; the observation that stories of discrimination are universal and often
play out in similar ways no matter the setting.
Occasionally trite dialogue and odd editing choices gives away that the
film was made by first-timers, but they also show a clear sense of what makes a
story connect to an audience. It’s hard
not be affected by this one.
Ø The
group that made this film is called The Nest, and it’s possible that the Kenyan
government will take action against them for making the film. Please support brave people such as The Nest
that fight for a good cause. Their website
is www.becauselifeisart.org
____________________________________________________
Life in a Fishbowl
From
Iceland comes Life in a Fishbowl, a
multi-narrative drama that sprawls out with all the messiness of real
life. The cinematography captures a dim,
moist vision of Iceland where everyone has fallen victim to the country’s
economic struggles in one way or another.
This economic commentary will likely go over the head of non-native
viewers (myself included), but the overall dark tone should clue everyone in that
the three main characters aren’t headed for any happy endings. Those familiar with the multi-narrative
approach will see the story’s twists coming, which lessens the ending’s punch,
but the three superb central performances will keep you engaged throughout. With every other aspect of the film being
carried out at such a high level, it’s well worth your time to search this one
out.
____________________________________________________
Love & Mercy
Love and Mercy tells the story of Beach
Boy Brian Wilson in two parts: one while
he was writing the acclaimed album Pet
Sounds and the other years later during a low point in Wilson’s struggles
with drugs and mental illness. Now, I
enjoyed hearing the Beach Boy’s big hits, but what thrilled me was the way they
were used in the film. There’s no
musical breaks or big, showy numbers that stop the film in its tracks. Instead, director Bill Pohlad uses them as they
would have appeared in Wilson’s life, and since Wilson was the primary writer
they fit effortlessly into his narrative.
Paul Dano is great at showing Wilson’s obsession and descent while
writing Pet Sounds, but John Cusack
and Elizabeth Banks as the older Wilson and his love interest steal the
show. They’re the emotional core of this
film, and despite some narrative missteps in their story, they manage to make
you truly care.
____________________________________________________
The Theory of Everything
Based
on the book by Stephen Hawking’s longtime wife, The Theory of Everything focuses on the couple’s personal lives
from their first meeting (before Hawking’s diagnosis of ALS) until close to
present day. Eddie Redmayne gives a
great performance as Stephen, capturing the physicality of Hawking’s disease
and imbuing him with a vivacious personality.
Unfortunately, the film fails to match his performance, skimming the
surface of what appears to be an emotionally rich and complex
relationship. With such thin material, the
other actors competently roll along beside Redmayne, never shining nor
drowning. The pleasing cinematography
and soft lighting leads me to believe that the filmmakers wanted to make a
feel-good story, but in doing so I’m afraid they left the meat out.
____________________________________________________
Tour de Force
On
the other end of the emotional spectrum, Tour
de Force aggressively wants you to feel pain, to contemplate death, and to
consider the possibility that it was made by a monster that feeds on human
tears. This German film is about a group
of long-time friends going on a bike trip that culminates in one member’s
assisted suicide. Your personal beliefs
on assisted suicide may put you off of this film, but if you go with it you’ll
find a tender portrait of friendship that doesn’t settle for easy answers. Each character is wonderfully drawn and
portrayed, and not all of it is gloom and doom.
Those moments of normalcy serve to emphasize what they are about to lose,
not only a friend, lover, brother, etc., but the ability to carry out their
traditions unimpeded. It’s a tear-jerker,
no doubt, and although the ending is a bit too drawn out, it’s undeniably
affecting.
____________________________________________________
Backcountry
And
now we come to the one stinker of the group.
Backcountry sets out to be a
thriller about a couple going on a doomed backpacking trip. That it’s doomed isn’t a spoiler, the film
clues you in early using a variety of tired clichés (an old guy gives them an ominous
warning, they refuse a map, etc.). The
film sticks close to formula and cliché, which can make for a forgivably fun
thriller if executed well, but jerky editing and intentionally blurry
camerawork muddles the action sequences, robbing them of any thrill. It’s too bad this wasn’t shot in a more
coherent way; the lead actors (Missy Peregrym and Jeff Roop) seem game, and there’s
one breakdown scene between the pair that is well written and acted. If the filmmakers had leaned on their actors
more and worked out a few holes in the story this could have been fun, but as
is it doesn’t build to anything particularly thrilling.
____________________________________________________
Cake
A
film that surprisingly doesn’t have a distribution deal yet, Cake is about a woman suffering from
chronic pain who’s stuck somewhere between surviving and moving on. An acerbic tone keeps the film away from pure
melodrama, and the excellent cast (Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna
Kendrick, and Sam Worthington) walk the comedy-drama tightrope with subtle
skill. It would have been easy for this
movie to go big and flashy, but it refreshingly remains rooted to the humane
story it’s telling. The ending is
feel-good, which may make some dismiss it, but the journey it takes is anything
but easy. Plus, you get to see Kendrick
say the c-word. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?
____________________________________________________
The Keeping Room
The
American Civil War is a time period that has been told almost exclusively from
the male perspective, and most often has centered on Northerners (winners do write
history), so to see a story about southern women enduring the brutality of the
war’s end is rather surprising. What
makes it satisfying, and a truly excellent film, is how sharp the storytelling
is. Writer Julia Hart uses the small
story of three women, two sisters (Brit Marling and Hailee Steinfeld) and their
young slave (Muna Otaru), to capture the massive effects the war had on the
southern way of life, but never hits you over the head with its larger
themes. Instead, it tells its story
almost as a home-invasion thriller, with a slow-burning sense of dread filling
every ounce of the run time. Bleak,
tense, and at times difficult to watch, The
Keeping Room isn’t fun, but you’ll be happy that you watched it.
Ø What
could possibly be a better metaphor of the war from the southern perspective
than a home invasion?
No comments:
Post a Comment