Thursday, October 4, 2012

VIFF 2012 - Day 7

Neighbouring Sounds (O soma o redor)
directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho
BrazilBrazil
A slow burning piece told in a casual documentary like style. Doesn't have much of a plot. The camera seems to randomly follow a handful of residents living in a well off neighbourhood in Recife. Strong on mood, exceptionally good use of ambient sounds, and manages to make all the random lives interesting. There's also a certain nostalgic feel to it, almost like The Last Time I Saw Macao where you get the sense that the director has a fond memory of how the city used to be.
A Royal Affair (En kongelig affære)
directed by Nikolaj Arcel
DenmarkDenmark
Overall, a well crafted period piece with a fascinating story, some very strong performances (hard to believe this was Folsgaard's first role), and great production values. Also nice to see the focus was mainly on the political manoeuvring and intrigue instead of the steamy romantic story advertised. However, like most other historical pictures, it plays loose with historical accuracy and never shakes the feeling that these are all just modern people playing dress-up.
The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (La brújula la lleva el muerto)
directed by Arturo Pons
MexicoMexico
A sometimes spiritual, sometimes comedic, but always exceedingly weird allegory of modern Mexico. Self indulgent and tries to do and show too much without ever really going anywhere the whole time. Still there are some hilarious moments and very good use of the desert locale.

2 comments:

FrontRoomCinema said...

Fallen asleep yet in any screenings? I bet you are feeling a bit FILMED out by now!


Great coverage as always matey

d_4 said...

Kinda eh overall just initially.. though I do wanna see the Mexican flick. Mostly because I'm curious how much an escape due to the language change.

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