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 Shadows off the beaten pathIndies, foreign, docs and shorts... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 5.Jun.24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deep Sea Review by Rich Cline | 
BERLIN FILM FEST  Is it streaming?
|  Truly groundbreaking, this astonishing animated adventure from China is worth seeing on the big screen for its outrageously eye-catching imagery. Colours and textures are so vivid that they often blur the lines between animation and real life, although the story itself is so fantastical that it virtually exists only in the imagination. In fact, the film is so wildly spiralling and hyperactive that its emotional moments struggle to resonate. Feeling desperately alone, young San Su (voiced by Wang) spends her time pining for her mother (Ji). So her father (Teng) and his new wife (Ting) take her on a cruise to bond as a family. But she feels as lonely as ever, and when she imagines being washed overboard in a storm, she finds herself in a wildly bright-hued realm in which the hyperactive Nan He (Xin) runs an extravagant floating restaurant for a lively crowd of walrus guests. And San Su ends up leading them into the eye of the deep sea. With its surreal Gibli-esque plot and cluttered Gilliam-esque design, this film can't help but hold the attention, even if it's overlong and repetitive, peppered with such full-on characters and situations that it's tricky to connect with them. That said, everything is underpinned with robust ideas that provoke thought while tantalising us with witty details and a bottomless supply of madcap mayhem. And the dazzling visuals encompass both photo-realism and painterly abstraction. San Su is a compelling central character, a sullen girl who travels through this odyssey making odd attachments along the way. First is a "hijinks", a swirling bundle of hair and eyeballs that has eerie echoes of her mother and also allows Nan He to create a crowd-favourite hallucinogenic soup. While working in the kitchen, she also finds a makeshift family of adorable walruses. And ultimately she makes a friend in Nan He, whose rubber face and kinetic body are both exhausting and clownishly frightening. Even if the film's out-of-control narrative keeps us at arm's length, there are constant themes that catch the imagination, amplified in the extraordinary imagery. At the story's core is the fact that San Su is unable to accept the idea that her mother has moved on, so she lives in a dream world that definitely isn't a healthy place to be. The question of whether she will be able to wake up and face reality is quite intense, adding some dark emotion alongside several weepier moments. So it's a movie that lingers.
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| Here Review by Rich Cline |
|  dir-scr Bas Devos prd Marc Goyens with Liyo Gong, Stefan Gota, Cedric Luvuezo, Teodor Corban, Saadia Bentaieb, Alina Constantin, ShuHuan Wang, Victor Claudio Zichil, Jovial Mbenga, Sanae Kamlichi, Stella Kitoga, Misha Van der Werf release US 9.Feb.24, UK 7.Jun.24 23/Belgium 1h24 BERLIN FILM FEST TORONTO FILM FEST  Is it streaming?
|  With strikingly observational camerawork, this drama from Belgium centres around migrants who make up a lively and diverse workforce. Settings are established with a documentary perspective, revealing telling details alongside dialog that feels overheard rather than written. Writer-director Bas Devos keeps things rolling along with real-life rhythms, never forcing the narrative. This may leave the movie feeling a bit sleepy, but it's also honest and involving. In Brussels, Romanian construction worker Stefan (Gota) works in high-rises, quietly getting to know his colleagues but mainly sticking to himself. So he's thinking of returning home for more than a holiday. He talks this through with his friend Cedric (Luvuezo) and his sister Anca (Constantin). Meanwhile in a forest nearby, botany professor Shuxiu (Gong) is cataloging moss when she sees Stefan, whom she met earlier in a local Chinese restaurant. He's fascinated by her work and pitches in for a while, then they go for a walk, sheltering from the rain as night falls. Beautifully capturing how life in a big city can feel silent and lonely, Grimm Vandekerckhove's cinematography is immaculate, lyrically framed and edited. The contrast between the cityscapes and the green parkland is striking, especially as seen through the eyes of these two loners who find something unexpected that makes them question their plans for the future. But all of this happens very, very subtly. Performances are so naturalistic that the people barely seem to be actors. It feels much more like an artful fly-on-the-wall piece, in which relationships and connections emerge through the context as each person goes through his or her normal life. But little glimpses of feelings can be seen here and there, especially in the particularly delicate work from Gota and Gong. The gently meandering storytelling might leave some viewers feeling rather impatient, but others will be mesmerised by the clever, beautiful imagery and the silently evolving series of events. Nothing much happens in plain sight over the course of the film, but there are things going on in the lives of these people that are hugely momentous. It's a lovely reminder that real life isn't supposed to be as heightened and melodramatic as it's usually depicted in the movies.
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| Solo Review by Rich Cline | 
TORONTO FILM FEST Is it streaming?
|  Drenched in luxuriant colours and surging musical beats, this Canadian drag-scene drama creates a warmly romantic, sexy vibe that's thoroughly engaging. The story is an emotional odyssey for a young man who needs to discover his own identity apart from the people around him. Writer-director Sophie Dupuis finds insight in skilfully observed moments that are beautifully shot and played, as she reteams with gifted young actor Theodore Pellerin. A rising-star drag performer in Montreal, Simon (Pellerin) is instantly intrigued by Olivier (Maritaud), who has just arrived from France. And since the attraction is mutual, Simon doesn't think that his life could get any better. As they get closer, they begin performing on-stage together. And Simon's opera diva mother Claire (Cadieux) reappears after many years on tour. But she only has time for a brief meeting. Then as Simon begins to understand why his sister Maude (Moreault) doesn't want to meet their mother, he also faces unexpected dark changes in his relationship with Olivier. Instant passion surges between Simon and Olivier, and they get lost in the feeling that they've found their significant other, which begins to strain Simon's close relationship with Maude, who makes his fabulous gowns. And as drugs lead them into some blurry situations, Olivier's controlling tendencies begin to emerge. This is beautifully filmed through Simon's perspective, which helps the audience take an emotional journey alongside him. Performances are textured, creating realistic connections that are infused with both humour and drama. Pellerin is hugely likeable as Simon, earning our sympathy with his sincere emotions as he grapples with feelings he is struggling to understand. Watching him fall apart is painful. Maritaud skilfully navigates a tough shift in Olivier's personality, from charmer to aggressor, but he also infuses the role with honesty. This is a remarkably involving film that gets deeper and darker as it continues, cutting through brightly hued drag culture to tell a powerful personal story. Strikingly juxtaposing high camp and bright comedy with quiet devastation, the film burrows its way under the skin. The emotions that overflow in the final act are complicated and revelatory, reminding Simon (and us) that your true strength is inside you, even when you can't feel it. And it's not dependant on anyone else.
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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL © 2024 by Rich Cline, Shadows
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