Thursday, October 11, 2012

VIFF 2012 - Day 14

Camion
directed by Rafael Oulette
CanadaCanada
Another exceptional low-key small town family drama from Quebec. Explores familiar ground, but has strong performances from the three leads, a tender story that stays true, and superb direction all around. From the beautifully composed images, to the brilliant weaving and mirroring of each of the character's lives into one cohesive whole.

Full Review
Una noche
directed by Lucy Mulloy
CubaCuba
A stunning and sexy portrait of life in Cuba. Lovely performances from the three young non professional actors, strong use of Cuban music throughout, and fantastic sun drenched visuals. A sudden change in tone in the last act doesn't quite work, but nevertheless it's a strong debut film worth checking out.
Like Someone In Love
directed by Abbas Kiarostami
IranIran, JapanJapan
Another captivating outing from Kiarostami who has an unusual way of constructing frames which are static yet always so beautiful and full of life, and also creating fantastic exchanges of dialogue that tell us everything and nothing about his characters all at once. Like his last film Certified Copy, this isn't entirely successful, but it contains a few truly astonishing cinematic moments that make it a must see.
Charlie Zone
directed by Michael Melski
CanadaCanada
A twisted thriller that's unfortunately held back by its low budget and uneven performances from the supporting cast, but has a terrific lead actor (Glen Gould), and some scenes of very intense violence. Also refreshing to see visible minorities playing multidimensional characters for once.
Home for the Weekend
directed by Hans-Christian Schmid
GermanyGermany
A somewhat typical bourgeois dysfunctional family drama that is well written and acted, and never gets too sentimental. Perhaps a little bland, and not exactly a feel good film either, but it serves as a nice balance to all the heightened tragedy, loneliness, and despair I've seen on screen and on the streets lately.

4 comments:

Michaël Parent said...

The new Kiarostami looks interesting! And Camion is on my list for this Fall. Thanks for this great covering of the event!

d_4 said...

I'm not too sure here.. Initially a few of these don't reach me, but I'm sure if I started watching I'd be pleasantly surprised. At least, I hope so!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

It's an odd one, I'm still not sure what to think of it. May need to see it again to get the most out of it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Out of all these, I think you would enjoy Una Noche the most.

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