Hey guys, still doing Vancouver Film Fest stuff, so here's some movies
I saw and yes, I did see Blade Runner, but I'll be seeing it for a second time later tonight
So I might as well make my review for it tomorrow
It was great. Anyway, at Vancouver Film Fest I saw BPM or Beats Per Minute or 120 Beats Per Minute,
I have no idea why it has so many titles. This film follows a group of AIDS activists in France in the early 1990s
It also won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Now this film is from the director of The Class
which won the Palme d'Or in 2008
which kind of pissed me off because there were several infinitely more deserving films in competition
that year. The Class wasn't a bad film, but for the most part it was just kind of forgettable, although
I did very much appreciate how this director films conversations.
When there's a discussion taking place in a group like in a classroom environment,
people talk over each other in a very convincing way. Not like they're interrupting each other
but in a way where sentences kind of overlap each other.
It makes everything feel much more genuine compared to actors
essentially waiting for the other person to finish their lines.
So despite the plot for The Class being relatively boring and forgetful
at least I was able to appreciate something about the filmmaking throughout.
With his newest film Beats Per Minute,
it was much more eventful plot-wise, but there were far fewer scenes where I found myself
appreciating the film's presentation.
There were many scenes where the activists participated in group discussion in a classroom
and it was filmed in a similar way to The Class in the sense that it was convincing conversation
But outside of those scenes the most I could say about the actual filmmaking is that it was fine?
No real complaints about any of the performances, the cinematography was acceptable.
It was in no way a poorly made film, but there was nothing about it that made me feel invested
I didn't really care about any of the characters
I mean sure, the crisis and the actual events that the film is based on our reasons to care
But I don't feel like the film itself earned any of it, which almost makes it a gimmick at that point
It was a long movie that had no real reason at all to be long.
A lot of the scenes were incredibly repetitive and didn't really add anything to the film
It was a lot of the same thing over and over and it felt like they were dicking around a bunch.
A couple days after I saw the film, I was going over all the films in the festival
I had seen so far, and I legitimately forgot that I had seen this.
Again there's nothing wrong with the film making on a technical level.
The way that this director films conversations is very natural and realistic
Perhaps my boredom and lack of investment is completely subjective
But at this point after feeling so similar about The Class and now this,
I don't think I'll be exactly rushing to see this director's next films anytime soon,
and I'm giving this one a 5 or 6 out of 10. I can't decide.
Next, I saw Loveless by Andrey Zvyagintsev. Now this guy is undeniably one of my favorite directors
I recommended his film Elena on my 2012 list and Leviathan on my 2014 list
Elena was an 8/10 from me and Leviathan was a 9
I have yet to see his films The Banishment or The Return
But I am super excited for both of them. With his new film Loveless, once again he does not disappoint.
As the film I went into completely blind, I didn't even see the poster, and it was absolutely incredible
There are so many points in the film where I feel absolutely floored.
He has such an ingenious way of revealing information to the audience.
He understands and he plays on your expectations
He has an incredible awareness of what audience members may be thinking or expecting at any given time
and he uses that to his advantage. All of his shots look incredible,
all of the acting is superb, and the child actor did an amazing job
The characters are layered and interesting
There are details and subtleties about the way that each of them are presented.
The film's story is nothing short of entrancing.
Everything about this movie is absolutely top-notch and this is one of the very best films of the year
And honestly I do think that the best experience of watching this film is
to go into it knowing as little as possible
All you need to know is that it's a drama
It's pretty depressing
and it's amazing.
So do yourself a favor and check this one out whenever and wherever you can, and I'm giving this one a 9/10.
Next I saw A Fantastic Woman,
a Chilean film from the director of Gloria.
The most you need to know about this film is that it's about a transgender
woman trying to seek acceptance from her boyfriend's family. If you don't need more than that to get interested
then I'd suggest not looking up too much more about it. This film definitely had its flaws
but the story kept me interested until the very end.
The lead performance by Daniela Vega was an absolute joy to watch.
Now I'm not really the kind of person to get up in arms
over a trans character being played by someone who isn't
but I do feel as though her being a trans actress did actually add to this film.
The entire performance and overall aesthetic of the character was incredibly believable
And I didn't even have any of that kind of information before going into the film
But watching it you can tell that the character is genuinely experiencing these issues
Much like the authenticity shown in Ariel Holmes's performance in Heaven Knows What,
wherein much of her performance was her essentially reliving experiences of her own life.
Again I completely disagree with the idea that trans characters have to be played by somebody who's trans
But judging this film on its own, I do feel as though it's something that added to the experience
It didn't feel like an actor putting on a performance,
it felt like a genuine experience from a human being.
Now all that being said, there are some parts of the film that are a little cheesy;
there were a few sequences in the film that existed purely to be metaphorical in a really obvious way
You can tell what the directors trying to do in those scenes
But overall it feels like it might just be more appropriate in a different movie.
For the most part they felt random and out of place as though they could have been thrown in anywhere.
Rather than adding to the experience of the film,
they felt more or less distracting.
There were also a few glaringly obvious continuity mistakes
that were kind of distracting at important parts in the story
But thankfully there's enough going on in the plot to keep your attention and it makes for an overall very
Interesting and engaging film. Kind of mixed feelings about it, but definitely enjoyed it overall
It is a solid film, and I'd recommend checking this one out, and I'm giving it a 7/10
Stay tuned for more film festival quickies, and I'll get a video out for Blade Runner soon, also.
Love you guys. Thank you