This is my
second year attempting to do some sort of coverage on the
sprawling maze of film that is the San Francisco
International Film Festival. As a now fully approved critic
in the city of San Francisco (i.e. I’m invited to
screenings) the glut of films to sift through pre-festival
has been pretty outrageous. Turns out though that the
majority of films that I’ve been given the opportunity to
view pre-festival in a darkened theater have already been
snatched up by some gold-toothed studio system and my
reviews of these films are limited to a "capsule" review.
Meaning, that my reviews have to be short and sweet and not
discuss the details of the plot and whether or not Ewan
McGregor shows off the good bits.
Thus, the second edition of the Quick And The Dirty, a
sometimes column that processes my week of viewing in an aim
to find similarities in the thematic value of these films.
This go around though I just want to shoot the shit about
the films I’ve seen without being low-blowed from the
industry and give the amazing SFIFF just another dollop of
sweet, sweet love. All of these films will get full on
reviews when their true release dates pop up, but for the
mean-time here’s a selection of shorties. San Franciscans,
get out there next week and see some goddamn films!
Quick And Dirty - San Francisco International Film Festival
I can only wish that I had more time to see as many of
SFIFF’s films as possible this year, as the selection seems
to follow their usual programming bias towards fine films
with a quirkier drift. Alas, life keeps dragging me through
the gravel, so I’ve polished off six in the theater and two
at home with an eye on many, many more. I’ll go
chronologically here just to see where my mind started and
where it ended.
Trollhunter
is a possibly the most interesting found footage film I’ve
seen in a long, long time. I’ll say this right out of the
gate: I love a well built world and director Andre Ovredal
paints an amazing portrait of the hidden world of trolls.
The film follows a trio of unremarkable college students as
they discover the secret cadre of trolls that storm about
our land and the dire government cover-up that keeps them
out of the public’s eyes, but the real gem of the film is
the Trollhunter himself Otto Jespersen. Gruff, with a cool
sheen of a killer’s intelligence, Jespersen manages to root
the film as a sort of world weary troll expert who’s seen it
all and is ready to give up the dangerous trade. A scene
midway through the film where a bridge troll roughs up
Jespersen in a full on suit of armor is both humorous and
brutal. The film dulls a bit in the final act, and the
conclusion is a little on the nose, but the build-up is
fantastic, and trolls on a huge screen are more entertaining
than you think.
Beginners,
the debut film of Mike Mills, is one of the best films I’ve
seen in, well, forever. It wears it emotions and quirkiness
on its sleeve, but Mills has a deft eye for visually
astounding his viewers without ever overwhelming us. The
story of Ewan McGregor dealing with his father’s coming out
as a gay man after the death of his mother and then his
subsequent death is so achingly told, I found myself in
tears minutes in to the film. The relationship, cute and
quirky in the best way, that develops between McGregor,
Melanie Laurent (she of Inglourious Basterds) and a
Jack Russell Terrier named Arthur is one of the great bits
of romance produced in the last ten years. In the screening
room after the film, I heard hard-nosed critics denouncing
it as saccharine, but I found it impressive at balancing the
sweet, the sad, and the downright weighty. It’s the festival
this year, and for good reason, it’s a delightful wallop of
a film that I suggest to any one who has a heart.
Incendies,
the new film by critical darling Denis Villeneuve, based on
the play by Wajdi Mouawad, didn’t sit exceptionally well
with me. The story of two twins asked in their mother’s will
to deliver letters to their unknown father and brother in an
unnamed, war-torn Middle Eastern country is fantastic and
the unraveling of the mother’s story is well-paced and
brutal in the most important ways. I found myself
whole-heartedly engaged in the dispersal of the mystery
behind the father and the brother, but when the actual
answer became clear it seemed melodramatic. Villeneuve is a
brilliant composer of scene and sound and the opening shot
of the film made me guffaw out loud that directors are still
making bold, dramatic choices like this. I can’t say I loved
the film, but it is certainly worth the price of admission.
Hesher,
the first film from Natalie Portman’s production company
Handsomecharlie and the newest arrival from Australia’s
young bucks Blue Tongue Films, is a sloppy riot of a
picture. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, attempting here to shed the
straight-laced persona he’s captured so well in films like
Inception, plays a violent, long-haired, metal
loving, stoner who tromps his way in to the life of a kid
and his dad wallowing in the aftermath of a mother and
wife’s death. The film is, to be frank, hardcore and Spencer
Susser (only 22) for the majority of the running time
embraces a sort of oh-shit type of violence. I wanted him to
continue the metal soundtrack and violent explosions
throughout the film, but Susser finds solace in a happier,
more emotional ending rife with overly orchestrated
background music and the softening of our stoner-angel
Hesher. Gordon-Levitt is fantastic in this film, a
unpredictable knot of emotion and anger and when he’s not on
screen the film suffers for it.
I’ve been powering through a handful of screeners at home,
screeners I can write full reviews about, so look for those
in the next week or so. San Franciscans, I implore you, this
is one of the great film festivals on the planet and you
need to take advantage that it’s exploding in to your town
over these next two weeks. I’ll be out there as much as I
can, and I hope to see a few of you as well.
The San Francisco International Film Festival opening
night film is Mike Mill’s Beginners, which screens Thursday
the 21st at The Castro Theater.
- Noah Sanders
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