HOLD ONTO ME – ★★★☆

Greek film about a young girl who similarly to yesterday’s film, Whispers in May, has little parental guidance. In this film, her parents are divorced and she hasn’t seen her dad in years. She spends her time hanging out with a friend, stealing borrowing a boat, and generally fending for herself while her mother and older brother do their own thing. When she sees her father, a deadbeat, petty thief, and in debt to the mob, she tries to reunite with him. Despite his lack of interest (beyond how he can use her to improve his own situation), she keeps trying. The filming was nicely done, the story carries well, and while I found it hard at times to sympathise and root for the main characters, it was a decent enough watch. 

THE WAY WE MOVE – ★★★

A documentary about people who participate at live music shows doing sign language interpretation for people with hearing loss, with a focus on a woman that runs camps to train those interested in doing so. Five stars for the incredible work that these folks do, whether voluntary or paid. The documentary was good, but there seemed to be a lack of focus, in that there were extended segments that related to the loss of the woman’s son, but without really connecting the why. Without a doubt it’s a tragedy no parent should suffer, but I’m unsure that a lot of the time presenting that could have been better spent taking a wider view of the people who are performing on the topic of the doco. Also found it unsettling how much phone use was done while driving. Maybe it’s legal in Texas, but it still seemed pretty dangerous.

HARD AS PUCK – ★★★★

I don’t really “do sport”; playing, or watching. Except for watching my (ice) hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, who will definitely win the Stanley Cup this year for the first time in their 56 year history. Right?

So, with this documentary about a para (ice) hockey team, The Garden Island Pirates, in Western Australia being part of MIFF this year, I was definitely interested. What a treat it was! The documentary is full of heart, humour, and does an excellent job balancing between the players as well as the extraordinary work that goes into amateur sporting teams and non profits, just to keep things running. I was genuinely thrilled to have had the chance to see it. Support your local para hockey team, whether it’s the Pirates (WA), the Falcons (SA), or closer to home, the Walers (VIC).

And if you’re looking for a professional NHL team to follow, I recommend the Vancouver Canucks – no one would be able to accuse you of being a bandwagoner…

WHISPERS IN MAY – ★

How to make a 90 minute film about a multi day trek seem like it *is* a multi-day trek. For years the term “dreamlike” has been warning sign for me, and I missed that in this film’s description. Maybe this film was great for some; the premise sounded interesting enough; a young girl around 12, who in the absence of her parents wants to get a new skirt to as is the tradition to represent her becoming a woman after her first period. What follows is seemingly directionless walking through the landscape with her friends. The scenery was nice, so I was going to give it two stars, but when the ending didn’t even deliver on the film’s premise, it took another star.

ALL THE LOVERS IN THE NIGHT – ★★★★

A long-ish Japanese film about a young woman who acts as a freelance book proofreader and leads a fairly quiet solo existence, bar occasional interactions with her female manager friend. She meets a man in his 50s, and they begin to catch up for a coffee and conversation. As the story unfolds, the darker side of what initially seems like a lighthearted take on her approach to alcohol consumption leads to some of her history, and as such, much of the film feels like her dealing with trauma and how it plays out in her interactions with the man, as well as her more extroverted, go-getter friend. I think I liked this more than many at the session, judging from the comments I overheard as I left the cinema. It wasn’t a fast-moving film, but I enjoyed it.

THE LONELIEST MAN IN TOWN – ★★★★

As I watched this, I was unsure to what extent it was a documentary vs a drama. I believe it’s somewhere in between – a film about an ageing blues artist in Vienna, Al Cook, who is actually a genuine artist who’s been releasing albums for over 50 years. In the film, he’s the last person living in his apartment building, where he’s lived since he was born. The building has been bought by developers who are planning to tear it down, and so he has to face decisions about whether to continue to reject their not-so-subtle requests to leave, and what to do with himself afterwards. It’s a touching story as he faces what to do with his lifetime of collected things, interacts with a long-ago ex-girlfriend that he re-connects with, and that for some, it’s never too late to chase your dreams.

MINOTAUR – ★★★

I’m guessing I’ll be in the minority with this, but while the film wasn’t bad, I guess I was hoping for more. Perhaps seeing this film showing an unethical man the day after seeing the documentary “Silenced” made me less tolerant towards selfishness, or using bureaucratic systems as a weapon against others. And that was all around in this film, not only on the screen, but the selfish person who thought bringing a young child to the session and letting them make noise for extended periods, as well as the asshole who was rightfully annoyed, but decided to yell at the parent in an unkind way, telling them to leave.
Back to the film… Basically, it centres around a father whose wife is cheating on him, and who is far more focused on his business than his family. An unethical man, in an unethical system. He is given instructions to nominate 14 of his employees to be drafted into the state’s war machine (a parallel to the story of Greek mythology where 14 sacrifices are to be chosen), and comes up with an unethical plan to avoid it impacting him, and that’s not to mention how he handles the family issues.

SILENCED – ★★★★

This excellent documentary had its Victorian premiere last night. Very highly recommended, and important to watch. It covered the tendency of women who suffer from violence, and then the ordeal placed upon them when they are hauled through litigation used as a weapon against them, and how social media plays a part in turning the public’s opinions regardless of facts. The bravery of the women to come forward, then having to relive the experiences again, be ridiculed and publicly judged is incredible. So too are the filmmakers who likely had to weave through much additional legal process to avoid being subjected to defamation claims themselves. I additionally liked the international perspective offered, showing that this is something that seems to happen everywhere. Important viewing, and I strongly suggest watching it.