AFIRE – ★★★★
Second film of MIFF 2023, and another four one. Good run so far! This German drama is mainly centred around an author, Leon, who stays at a country home with his friend, and a woman who is unexpectedly sharing the house with them. Additionally a local lifeguard rescue swimmer rounds out the main cast. Leon is disconnected from the others and seems to be struggling, both with his novel, and with his interactions with others. Meanwhile, local forest fires loom. I really enjoyed the interplay between characters, and I wondered to myself whether the main character may have been a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder; he seemed to share several traits. Entertaining and highly recommended.
SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD – ★★★
Estonian documentary about women who meet together regularly in an isolated sauna, and talk about the pain in their lives. My key takeaway (but not a new learning); some men are shit, and really should have been raised by their fathers better. (Perhaps their fathers needed the same). Beautifully shot, the wilderness looked incredible, as well as the smoky sauna, and the use of shots of the women in a respectful, honest way. I’d have possibly liked to have had a little more narrative explaining a little more about the background of the sauna and how the women came together.
BLUE JEAN – ★★☆
A “kitchen sink drama”-esque story set in 1980s UK. It’s about a lesbian PE teacher living in a time where homosexuality was being attacked by the conservative government. This creates difficulty for Jean, the titular character, who is trying to balance between keeping her career, and being true to herself. Well enough made film, but to me it felt pretty heavy-handed. I’d be curious to know the intended audience – perhaps conservative people who hadn’t progressed since the 1980s in their thinking. That said, nicely enough made, and a good soundtrack made this watchable.
