NINO – ★★★★

French film about a young man who on his birthday finds out that he has throat cancer, and whose treatment will begin the following Monday. We spend the weekend as he goes through through multiple locations, interactions with others, and processing the news. It’s the type of film the French seem to do well, finding a way to tell a story in refreshing ways. Made me think of others like Conversations with my Gardener and The Intouchables. Perhaps not quite as good as either of those, but still very good. 

SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS – ★★★

Interesting documentary about a small South Korean boarding school specifically for children whose parents (and often themselves) have defected from North Korea. Harrowing stories, and watchable, but it didn’t overly grab me. I was possibly spoiled by the documentary Beyond Utopia at MIFF a few years ago, which showed footage of people as they actually defected. The documentary today though could have been cut down to a one hour TV show instead of the way it was presented. 

BLUE HERON – ★★★★

What an absolute punch in the gut of a film. Watching made me feel like my head was in a vice. I’m not going to say it was a pleasant experience, but it was an extraordinary film in its power to demonstrate the difficulty of a situation where immigrant parents are trying to raise four children, and the oldest has behavioural/mental health issues. Filmed on Vancouver Island, it was lovely to see the Pacific Northwest, one of the most beautiful areas on Earth.