DEAF.- ★★★☆

Enjoyable Spanish film that crosses the intersection of the difficulties faced for any first time parents with the additional aspects faced around someone who is a deaf parent. It was really interesting to see some of the nuances that one mightn’t consider, being able to hear. The sections that presented the experience of the deaf mother from her perspective were really well done from a sound design perspective. The use of that seemed familiar to me, but I’m unsure if I’ve seen it done before or not.

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS – ★★★★

Icelandic film by Hlynur Pálmason, who did Godland at MIFF 2022. There’s something about the Scandinavian aesthetic that does it for me, and this was easily worth the time. I’m yet to figure out the magic of a film that is slowly paced but entertaining, vs one that is slow and painful to sit through. This was the former, covering a slice of time of a family whose parents are separated. It had an interesting mix of fantastical scenes, and I can’t help but feel I probably missed some thematic references. Much like one of the characters, it left me feeling a little bit floating out at sea.

TWINLESS – ★★★☆

American film about two young men who have lost an identical twin, and meet at a support group for those who’ve suffered such a fate. They both have a need, and find them generally met in the other as they build a new friendship. A nice watch, plenty of amusing moments and pretty well done for James Sweeney, who produced, directed, wrote, and acted in it. It felt a tad formulaic at points but not overly so, and I certainly wouldn’t say that every aspect was predictable. Great performances by the leads as well. Given that this is (I believe) only the filmmaker’s second feature film, I’m looking forward to seeing more by them in future.

IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU – ★★★★☆

Wow! What a way to kick off (sorry) MIFF 2025! After last year’s Memoir of a Snail, I felt like we’d reached peak opening night for MIFF, especially given some of the previous picks. It’s wonderful to have another film that blew me away. To some extent, the less you know going into this the better, but I will say that the acting across the board was excellent, the visuals were great, and the ability to create tension was spot on, without overplaying any. The story is about a mother (Rose Byrne) who is trying to hold everything together; managing the repairs to their family’s apartment, taking care of a sick child, and doing her full time work. It’s taking its toll, and she’s beginning to fall apart. I loved the way it portrayed mental health issues. It would pair well with another favourite film of mine in the past few years (ignore the poor ratings): Alison Brie’s Horse Girl.

MIFF is back for another year. Hard to believe I’ve been doing this since 2005. Time flies… This is the list of films that caught my interest this year. I won’t be able to see them all, but if I had more time, this is what I’d try to watch:

• APRIL
• BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND, THE
• BALTIMORONS, THE
• BIRTHRIGHT
• BLACK OX
• BLUE MOON
• BLUE TRAIL, THE
• BRAND NEW LANDSCAPE
• BUT ALSO JOHN CLARKE
• CARELESS
• CLOUD
• DEAF
• DJ AHMET
• DREAMS (SEX, LOVE, DREAMS TRILOGY)
• FAMILIAR TOUCH
• FOLKTALES
• FWENDS
• GREETINGS FROM MARS
• HAPPYEND
• HEADS OR TAILS?
• IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
• IMAGINE
• IT ENDS
• I SAW A KING
• JOHN LILLY AND THE EARTH COINCIDENCE CONTROL OFFICE
• KYUKA: BEFORE SUMMER’S END
• LATE SHIFT
• LEGEND OF OCHI, THE
• LEFT-HANDED GIRL
• LIBRARIANS, THE
• LOST CHAPTERS
• LOVE (SEX, LOVE, DREAMS TRILOGY)
• LOVE LETTERS
• LOVE THAT REMAINS, THE
• LUCKY LU
• LURKER
• MAGIC FARM
• MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE
• MASTERMIND, THE
• MIRRORS NO. 3
• MY FATHER’S SHADOW
• NEVER GET BUSTED!
• NOUVELLE VAGUE
• OMAHA
• ONE MORE SHOT
• ORWELL: 2+2 = 5
• PASA FAHO
• POET, A
• PRESIDENT’S CAKE, THE
• PRIME MINISTER
• REBUILDING
• REDUX REDUX
• RENOIR
• RESURRECTION
• RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING, THE
• SEX (SEX, LOVE, DREAMS TRILOGY)
• SIGNORINELLA: LITTLE MISS
• SORRY, BABY
• SOUND OF FALLING
• SPACE CADET
• SPREADSHEET CHAMPIONS
• SPLITSVILLE
• TETES BRULEES
• THINGS YOU KILL, THE
• TO KILL A MONGOLIAN HORSE
• TRAINS
• TWIGGY
• TWINLESS
• URCHIN
• VIDEOHEAVEN
• WESTGATE
• WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU
• WORKMATES
• ZOMBUCHA!

GOOD ONE – ★★★★☆

A really good one! Possibly my favourite of the festival this year. Really quiet, measured film about a young woman going on a three day hike in regional New York State with her father and her father’s oldest friend. I loved the scenery, the soundtrack (by Celia Hollander), and the incredible story telling. It really showed how little needs to be done to step over a line, and how hard it can be to be heard when that happens. Impactful and highly recommended.

COPA 71 – ★★★★

Documentary about the Women’s Football (Soccer) World Cup held in Mexico City in 1971, which has never been recognised by FIFA, and barely remembered by the football/soccer community since. Well made, with plenty of interviews of the women who competed over 50 years ago, and wonderful moments where you can see the fire in them when discussing the matches and some of the treatment they had to endure. Sure is easy to be embarrassed and disappointed by the patriarchy. I’m really glad that stories like this are brought to light to try and make the world more equal and recognise those that have traditionally been marginalised. 

DEVO – ★★★☆

Documentary about the band Devo. I like Devo, though I’ve never been super into them. But this documentary was good, and I enjoyed it. Told the story of the band’s origin and process through the music industry, with several interviews from the band, and those associated with them. Definitely worth a look if you have even a passing interest in them.