FACES PLACES (unrated)

Fell asleep (my fault, not the film’s) during this film about a young French artist (JR) roaming around France with the older Agnes Varda. They work together to create art on the move, and I’m sorry I slept through most of it, because what I did see, I liked very much. Had a good response amongst those who saw it too.

Skipped the next two sessions as they were at The Comedy Theatre. Fuck, I hate the comedy theatre. Can’t wait for the place to be dumped by the wonderful MIFF team.

LET THE SUNSHINE IN (unrated)

French film starring Juliette Binoche who plays a woman looking for love, I think. Can’t say for sure, as I was snoozing throughout the film after working all day. Other people seemed to think it was ‘alright’.

GODSPEED ★★★★

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p>Really good Taiwanese film about a low ranking drug runner who uses a taxi to do his long journey for drop off/pickups. Basically shows the relationship form when he decides to use an older cab driver with a less modern car. Well made, recommended do long as you like a film with a bit of action and violence.

GINGER & ROSA ★★☆

Accidental viewing. I had a ticket for something at Hoyts, and showed up at Kino instead, so I wound up watching this film. It’s about two teenage girls growing up in post-war Britain, set during the Cuban missile crisis. The set design was incredible, the acting was great, but somewhat like the opening night film, not really a film that’s to my taste, so I’m possibly unfairly rating it at 2.5 stars here.

DAPHNE ★★★★

Debut feature length film by a very amusing director, Peter Mackie Burns, who was present to introduce the film and do a Q&A afterwards. It’s an extension of his short film ‘Happy Birthday to Me’ which can be streamed for free on Vimeo, and is about a 31 year old woman who’s life isn’t really heading anywhere, and who tends to be fairly self-centred. Despite not being a particularly kind person, she is likeable and the director does a great job at creating empathy for her. For fans of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s stuff (Fleabag, Crashing).

CLAIRE’S CAMERA ★★☆

Person One: This was a Korean film starring Isabelle Huppert and set in Cannes.
Person Two: Yes, it was a Korean film. Set in Cannes, about a young film industry girl who’s fired and who meets up with a French Woman played by Isabelle. Who is a great actress.
Person One: Isabelle is a great actress. She might have picked a dud with this one though
Person Two: Yes, she might have picked a dud.
Person One: Picking a dud. That’s no good.
Person Two: No, it’s not good. It’s not good that Isabelle Huppert who is a good actress picked this film. It was a bit of a dud.

I can only assume that the director used Google Translate to work on the script for this. Given that the characters are Korean and French, and choose to use English as a middle ground, it was disappointing that it didn’t achieve more.

UNREST ★★★

I liked this documentary about chronic fatigue syndrome (aka myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)). It’s an illness that as I learned, isn’t very well understood, and which afflicts millions of people. And, unfortunately, due to the fact that the sufferers are unable to be visible in public, very few people know more about it, and its impacts. Congratulations to the film makers on this who open their lives to show how this can affect people fairly suddenly, and with little reason to understand why. If you want to help contribute to spreading the word, you can see their kickstarter campaign for more info via http://unrest.film

BEATRIZ AT DINNER ★★★

Guess who’s coming to dinner? It’s Beatriz, not surprisingly, an alternative medicine health care giver played by Salma Hayek. After assisting a rich family with their unwell daughter, she’s continued to maintain a ‘friendship’ with them (as in, they have continued to use her services privately after their daughter is better). When Beatriz’s car breaks down, she winds up joining the parents for a dinner party they are hosting for some business contacts of the husband. This definitely has a lot to say in today’s times of Trump and the 1%ers, and I think it does a pretty good job of showing both sides and beliefs. The final couple of scenes though worked against everything that came before it, and unfortunately cost this film one star in my opinion. Worth a watch, but try and pretend the ending was better if you do.