NZIFF 2019 Reviews

LA BELLE EPOQUE (Nicolas Bedos, 2019)

La Belle Epoque is a romantic comedy which ended up premiering Out of Competition at Cannes this year. It follows Victor, played fantastically by Daniel Auteuil, as his marriage is rapidly falling apart with his wife, Marianne (Fanny Ardant). His son’s friend from school, who he had helped him immensely when growing up, decodes to offer him his services. What are these services, you may ask? The way I worded that seemed as if I was saying the man ended up becoming a male prostitute, an entirely different idea to the film. The service is actually, where clients pay tens of thousands of francs, in order to re-live any period of time, which are painstakingly recreated in a set. Victor, being kicked out of his home by his wife, decides to go, and the lines off reality and fiction begin to blur. First off, the premise is great for this type of film. It’s smart, funny and makes for some thought-provoking scenes, even if the onslaught of jokes doesn’t let you have time to think about them. With a film such as “La Belle Epoque”, it will undoubtedly have flaws (as any film will). Whilst they sometimes show, it doesn’t take anything away from the brilliant story and acting, which combines to create one of the most memorable rom-coms of the decade. Nicolas Bedos is a director I had previously never heard of, but with this film, I will definitely be looking for his name more! His direction is all good, and feels very right for what the film is trying to portray. And why this film screened Out of Competition? I’m not sure. It is undoubtedly better than many films that played In Competition at Cannes, but nonetheless, this is a great film that needs to be appreciated more, as it is stunning. ⅘

CELEBRATION: YVES SAINT LAURENT (Olivier Meyrou, 2007)

After Pierre Berge halted the wide release of this film for over a decade, audiences are now able to see this brilliantly made glimpse into the life of Yves Saint Laurent, one of the last great courtiers. The opening shot of Celebration, is the camera remaining still, as we watch him sketch a design, his hand stopping to think. Yves Saint Laurent is living his last years as the film is being made, and he himself has turned into an empty man, being treated very artificially by his co-worker and former lover, Pierre Berge. He tries to maintain an image of it being glamorous, which Meyrou knows is not true, and therefore captures every detail he can. Overall, he only managed to shoot 18 hours of footage in 3 years, but throughout that time, the viewer sees a man disintegrating. He walks around wearing messy suits, no longer maintaining the image he is expected to maintain. And watching this, is all very saddening. The soundtrack by Francois-Eudes Chanfrault, is deeply unnerving, and it adds so much to the films effect. And just to clarify, this is no normal documentary. This is an almost invasive, yet warmly made documentary that shows how life becomes for someone, who has attained so much fame. Olivier Meyrou handles all the footage and editing with such delicacy, which makes for a mesmerising portrait, of a man who has impacted the fashion world more than anyone else. 4.5/5

MONOS (Alejandro Landes, 2019)

Alejandro Landes has brought on a new film, which takes aspects of Lord of the Flies and the works of Kubrick, to create the best youth-gone-apeshit film since “Eden Lake” (2008). The films stunning opening shot, completely captures how the rest of the film will be visually, which is fantastic. The plot, is a group of guerilla teenagers that live on the top of a mountain, so high up that the clouds go through them. They hold an American hostage with them, who tries to escape from the group, as they become more murderous towards anyone. If I tell you more, the film will be spoiled, so I’ll leave it there. The film has a disturbing look at violence, as we first see the teenagers being trained military style, by a miniscule man who come back up the mountain every once in a while. They each become more brutal the more we see the teens, and it’s utterly disturbing. The look at these teenagers exploring their sexuality makes for an interesting look at time. How long have teens been living here? For all we know, they may have been here most of their lives. Their experimentations with sex make for this interesting thought on time, and how these kids become so murderous because of how long they have been up there, being taught by a strange, small man. And that look at sexuality isn’t a prime aspect, but it is thoroughly interesting, as we see the teens randomly lick others on the neck, experiment with kissing people of the same/opposite gender regardless of sexuality, as they’re curious. All they know is violence. And that is the brilliance of this film. It is how Landes manages to look at these kids, and can dissect them all so thoroughly in the small time of 103 minutes. That is what makes this film so Kubrick like. Its look into the characters is so thorough, and the shots are perfection, and it is why I adore this film. And I mustn't forget Mica Levi’s brilliant score, which makes every scene the music features in, all the more unsettling and she is fast becoming one of my favourite composers, after films like “Under the Skin” (2013). In conclusion, this film is brilliant, and I cannot express my love for it, more than I have attempted to do in this review. 5/5.

LES MISERABLES (Ladj Ly, 2019)

Ladj Ly arrived in Cannes this year with this explosive fiction debut in film, which explores the terrible side of Paris, full of crime and poverty. In the film, we follow three police officers, one being a new recruit. We watch the new recruit at first be horrified by the other two officers treatment of people, which is really terrible. Later on, he comes to accept that they are terrible, but tries looking over it. It’s until one of the officers makes a big mistake, and is recorded by a drone, that everything begins going terribly for the “protagonists”. The film is made in a very raw way, making a consistent use of shaky cam and zooms, which gives the film a far more realistic and terrifying look. Ladj Ly has made many documentaries which deal with the bad side of cities, and it is brilliantly made. Les Miserables doesn’t need to have brilliantly composed shots on dollys, for it would heavily remove its impact. And Ladj Ly does it all well. The performances are also great, and it ends up confusing what is real and what isn’t as it is far too genuine. The soundtrack is very intense, and mixes in so well too. I feel saying too much regarding this is going to lose impact for when you watch this, but I do highly recommend seeing this. 4.5/5.

LE BONHEUR (Agnes Varda, 1965)

Agnes Varda was a blooming pioneer of the French New Wave and proved herself one of the greatest filmmakers of her time, when she was in the minority of working female filmmakers. That statement couldn’t be more true, especially when watching Le Bonheur. It is very short at 80 minutes but doesn’t drag. We see a man, happily married with kids, begin an affair with a woman working at a post office. After some other circumstances in the film that occur, the viewer is left with a deeply unnerving film, unlike before when it is generally happier in tone during the first part of the film. It makes use of Mozart’s music in a way that is joyous at first but turns into dark sways of melancholy very quickly as the film unfolds. Sexual tension is done in such a way that is extremely invasive almost, as the camera glimpses back and forth onto the two lovers having an affair, and with no music being used, it makes for very affectingl scenes. But Agnes Varda is brilliant in that respect, how she can create this feeling without music of any kind, and it is thoroughly great. In conclusion, Le Bonheur is an unnerving drama about infidelity, told masterfully by a masterful person. 5/5.

IN FABRIC (Peter Strickland, 2019)

Peter Strickland is a director whose work, is admired dearly by myself. He has created two films I consider to be brilliant, “Berberian Sound Studio” (2012) and “The Duke of Burgundy (2014). With those two films, he captured specific vibes from older films, with Berberian Sound Studio incorporating elements of giallo, and The Duke of Burgundy using the atmosphere of many softcore films released during the 70s. And now, his new film “In Fabric” delves into the erotica horror genre, which was the combination that created many films in the genre during the 70s. Having long been abandoned, Peter Strickland brings it back to thrilling effect, with the story of a woman named Sheila that buys a haunted dress. It’s silly, yet it allows for great social commentary on consumerism. As she buys the dress, she develops rashes, we get an insight into where this dress came from, and her life starts collapsing. It all makes for great fun, with a perfect blend of horror and comedy. The salesperson (who happens to be involved in sex rituals) tells Sheila “The hesitation in your voice, soon to be an echo in the recessions of the spheres of retail.” It is so bizarre, that it makes for hilarious scenes throughout, with not a single joke uttered. As Emily (who runs the great blog called Beyond the Magic Lantern) stated, it is a great mix of giallo, but it also includes the feeling that episodes of “Are You Being Served?” The film has proven to be very polarising for the people that have seen it, but I personally think it may be Strickland’s best effort, and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store. 5/5.

KOKO-DI KOKO-DA (Johannes Nyholm, 2019)

I had no idea what to expect from this film, but it certainly wasn’t this. In “Koko-di Koko-da, we follow a grieving couple who retreat to the woods after their child dies. (Antichrist, anyone?) But all of a sudden, the couple is tortured by a group of sadistic people that ends up killing them. But then the day starts again. They are going to the same campsite, arguing in the same car together. It is until they wake up and the husband hears the group of people outside, that he realises what is happening. The day is repeating itself, in a “Groundhog Day” type of way. Nyholm uses this effect in a thoroughly interesting way, where this represents the main theme the film presents. But the problem is that even at its runtime of 86 minutes, it still manages to get repetitive for the viewer, as we know what will end up happening. But in the end, it does wrap up nicely, and it is a great look into the effects of grief on people. As a director whose work I haven’t known before, I was incredibly surprised by the film itself, and cannot wait to see more from him. The cast was great, with actor Peter Belli being a standout, as the leader of this sadistic group, wearing a clean white suit whilst walking through the forest. To conclude this, Koko-di Koko-da is a very affecting horror movie of sorts, that tackles the idea of grief very well. ⅘.

WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES (Nagahisa Kamoto, 2019)

This may be the most bizarre film I have seen in the past few years. Its narrative becomes so altered and strange throughout, its structure becomes so strange and altered throughout, the music becomes so strange and altered throughout with many repeated uses of a single classical piece, and a Japanese-pop soundtrack to rule the ages. I'll try my best to explain the plot in the simplest of ways. A group of kids meet outside a morgue, all coming to a joyous realisation that their parents have all died. With this, they decide to form their own band to try express their emotions, and become a huge hit in the process. It sounds straight forward, but please trust me when I say how this film is more confusing at points than David Lynch at his most confusing (maybe that is too much of an overstatement) but it still manages to be entertaining. It's filled with bright colours ressemblant of 8-bit video games, the "stage" structure resemblant of 8-bit video games, and it works and doesn't work. There is a point in the film, when it goes from almost 2 hours of colour filled insanity to a slow moving contemplative section that lasts 5 minutes, all in black and white, as if made by Bela Tarr. And in this recreation of video games from the 80s, there is an abundance of humor to come, such as discussions regarding Franz Kafka's "The Castle", or even in its nostalgic reproduction of these games which can be hilarious. The director obviously had been given lots of creative freedom (due to a successful career as a music video director), and it's brilliant to see surreal films like this be released, and gives a small hint of hope for the future of film, and it was great. In conclusion, "We Are Little Zombies" is a brilliantly made film, even if confusing, that succeeds so well and fits well into the time-period recreation genre, which directors like Peter Strickland have perfected, and Nagahisa Kamoto looks to join the ranks of his someday. 4/5.

TAKE ME SOMEWHERE NICE (Ena Sendijarevic, 2019)

The first few minutes of "Take Me Somewhere Nice" instantly signals the distinct styles of Aki Kaurismaki, Wes Anderson, and Jim Jarmusch, all combined into one hilarious comedy. It follows a woman who goes to Bosnia, in order to find her father who has been hospitalised. She is joined by her cousin and his friend who she begins a love affair with, and we are greeted to a very funny and entertaining road film. I mentioned 3 directors above, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ena Sendijarevic is soon to join the ranks, as she clearly can handle the genre well, which isn't easy to do. Surrealism is used to a point which channels that of David Lynch, specifically in one scene which takes place in a hotel, and it is very much like the scene of Isabella Rosselini in "Blue Velvet" (1986), and seeing how proudly Sendijarevic wears her influences on her shoulder allows for a bombardment of great film techniques, presenting a unique viewing experience. It's look into Balkan culture is interesting, as we see them as people, which is brilliant. I see this as brilliance because the film industry always portrays people such as Balkans, as terrorists of some sort and the Americans are the protagonists. It isn't great that it is always a foreigner, and to see a portrayal of a smaller community like this that isn't done as terrorists, but as people, is great to see. That is off-topic from the film, but it's really a large stepping stone for better portrayals in film. But to conclude this review that has managed to get very off topic into something not at all about the film itself, "Take Me Somewhere Nice" is a wonderfully done comedy, and it had me totally engulfed into everything going on. 4.5/5.

NON-FICTION (Olivier Assayas, 2019)

I would like to clarify beforehand, that I love Olivier Assayas films. Cold Water, Clouds of SiIs Maria and Personal Shopper are all masterpieces in my opinion, so I was excited to hear about this playing for NZIFF. But sadly, I was almost on hatred territory when it comes to this film. If you want to know why, it's about successful boomers discussing technology and engaging in affairs with no consequences, yet its all supposed to be a fun comedy. It really didn't work, and I don't even know how to review this film, without just bashing every element of it. But anyways, the plot is that there are two couples that the viewer focuses on. One of them have a publisher and actor. The other has a controversial author and his wife, who's job is never told. The publisher is having an affair with one of his workers, who he casually meets with to have sex, and the actress has been having an affair with the controversial author for over six years. No consequences occur at any point, and it almost feels useless having included that subplot into it. And then we are treated to many discussions between these people, regarding technology (e-books get mentioned a lot to repeat the same lines about sales to different people), and it gets so dull. By the end, nothing is gained that wasn't in the first 15 minutes. All we know is that technology gets more sales, affairs have no consequences, and there is now a Juliette Binoche cinematic universe? In conclusion, Non-Fiction is a dull drama disguised as a comedy, that is not anything it tries being (unless overtly annoying was one of them.) 1/5.

THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE (Riley Sterns, 2019)

This may be one of the most wickedky brilliant comedies of the decade. That can be seen as a large overstatement, considering the large multitude of comedies to come out during the 2010s. But this film was brilliant. It follows Casey, a man who gets mugged due to being perceived as weak, and then signs up for Karate classes. But during these classes, he becomes the sort of person he hated, and is lured into a dark underworld of crime. This film seems like it is overtly silly, and it is. But its also great. It analyses toxic masculinity so well, Alessandro Nivola's character changing how Casey is as a person, and makes him a "man" which is brilliant social commentary. And that is what makes it so hilarious. Toxic masculinity itself is so stupid due to how some people become because of it, and this movie uses that approach which makes it so funny to watch. The audience I saw this with had a great vibrance, which added to how I felt seeing this. People were literally clapping at one point in the film, it was fantastic. And I feel with a film like this, seeing it with an audience such as the "midnight crowd" adds to the feeling you see watching it, and makes it for a very memorable experience. As I said earlier, this is one of the best comedies of the decade. And that statement, as I also said, can be said to be too far. But in this age we live in, it's an essential film, one that will become a cult classic as years go by, one that will remain an important piece of cinema, and one that will be considered brilliant. In conclusion, The Art of Self-Defense is a film with such striking relevance to the time we live in, and it's also fucking brilliant in every way. 5/5.

KOYAANISQATSI (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)

Here is something you should know. By the end of this film, my heart was beating so fast by what I had seen. And what had I seen? Our society, with no dialogue at all. Godfrey Reggio created this film, to show the downfall of our society, and it works to a powerful effect. This film doesn't have a narrative. It has music, and was filmed. That's all. But, it isn't as simple as that. Philip Glass, one of the great contemporary classical artists of the 20th century, is at his best with the music used in the film. It ranges from Hopi chants, to music that is so fast paced that you can't keep up. And that is what our world is like now. You can't keep up. Technology is changing everything, from how we live our everyday lives, and Reggio whilst making this, obviously knew how large the impact of technology would be in the future. And that is what makes it so hopeless. Because there is no hope. Technology advanced from people drawing on walls with rocks, all the way to people relying on little devices in order to live our lives. It's terrifying, and I feel that Koyaanisqatsi is one of the most terrifying films I've seen in my life. Corporate greed lures us into its trap, and therefore they destroy our world, bit by bit. Koyaanisqatsi is especially relevant in this age, with issues such as global warming, having a huge impact on our world. But it's irreversible. And Godfrey Reggio, during filming, tried warning us. But now, watching in 2019, it's too late. I do want to mention the cinematography in this, as its gorgeous. Ron Fricke is a genius with the camera, and his time-lapse and slow motion shots are mesmerising. But also, what he shoots can be terrifying, which is the case with this film. A film as ambitious as this would have immense struggles being financed today, and knowing this was made when studios were in dire need of new ideas, it's lucky this film was made. And at the end of the film, it states what Koyaanisqatsi means, which translates to "life in turmoil". It could never be truer. In conclusion, "Koyaanisqatsi" may be one of the greatest films I've seen in my whole life. I can't think of any other film which has impacted me in this way, and I just adored it. Please see it at its last NZIFF showing, its meant to be seen on a huge screen, and this opportunity shouldn't be missed by anyone. 5/5.

VIVARIUM (Lorcan Finnegan, 2019)

"Vivarium" is a fantastic horror film about a couple that become trapped in a suburban nightmare, which is a maze of houses in which whenever they try leaving, they end up at a particular house where they must stay. Then, they are forced to raise a child in order to be "released" from this housing development. I personally found Vivarium to be very smart, in its look at parenting, and new housing developments. The viewer gets slammed straight into this surreal nightmare, as we see the couple get thrown into a Kafkaesque nightmare where less gore effects (it doesn't employ any) makes it better, as we get the psychological toll which is taken on the couple. The film contains this sense of dread throughout, which does make you as the viewer feel somewhat hopeless for these characters. And I'm not sure what it was, but at points throughout I even got a bit of a Tarkovsky sort of vibe, and although when I asked who his influences were during the Q&A, he didn't mention him but I really felt it through the film. The grim green colour palette (very reminiscent of "Stalker"), the constant feeling of dread (literally every Tarkovsky movie), and it was a very existential story (again, much like every Tarkovsky film). He made the film on a limited budget, and obviously had made the use of everything available to him as much as possible. He stated that his VFX worker was the person that does it for Lars von Trier, who does incorporate great CGI in von Trier's films. Vivarium is no different, as it brilliantly creates this suburban nightmare through stunning VFX which make the film look far more high budget than it is. And it's so great how this story can be told with a limited budget, which proves you don't need millions of dollars to make a film. In conclusion, Vivarium is a dark surrealist horror film that has lots of existentialist themes throughout, and with the acting of Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots, along with Lorcan Finnegan's fantastic direction, it makes for a very memorable horror film. 4/5.

HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis, 2019)

I just want to get this said right now, but this was an unnerving and brilliant film. Of course many don't like this (check out Emily's review on her Instagram to see her passionate negativity for it which is brilliantly written), but I was in the love it category. It follows Monte (Robert Pattinson), a death row inmate that has been placed onto a large rectangular shaped ship, which orbits all around space. At first, we see him care for his infant daughter. We are also shown the character Dibs, who is played by Juliette Binoche to chilling effect. She conducts many different sexual experiments throughout, involving artificial insemination, as she tries to have life be created. And with these experiments, come some rather shocking depictions of rape, and it's depictions of violence. But that's what actually excels this film's intentions. These are prisoners. And we all know, that in prisons, there is this man-versus-man ideology which has become far too normalised, and it leads to rape and terrible acts of violence unleashed on prisoners. Because sure, some of this is ridiculous in context of a sci-fi film, but when you look at it in a real world perspective, Denis' portrayal isn't always far from the truth. But sadly, the film does take some ridiculous approaches. One of which, is with a room called "The Fuckbox". The room is intended to fulfill the prisoners erotic needs, and with this, involves a scene of Juliette Binoche riding one of these contraptions (a small chair with a metal dildo) for several minutes. It's time that could've been used to look into the characters more, which I feel it didn't do as much as I hoped. And MY GOD what was with the large use of semen in the film? I'm saying it right now, this film has more semen than any other film in the past few years. I don't know why it was used so frequently, was it intended as an analogy for life? It's somewhat silly, but I don't feel it takes away from the otherwise unnerving and terrifying feeling which is gained from the film itself. The film (as you can probably tell), primarily uses sex and violence with depicting different things, whether it be fulfilling sexual desires, or the human treatment of others through different contexts of violence. And I feel that this film takes a brutally honest look at our world, with violence currently being so rampant in society, people fulfilling their taboos, and the way Claire Denis tackles this is something not many filmmakers can do. She doesn't just show us things happening out on the sidewalk like most filmmakers would, but shows it in an entirely different landscape, which is is small ship orbiting space. And it is an act of brilliance by her, and proves her as one of the more interesting filmmakers out there. In conclusion, High Life is a terrifying look into human identity, and it's depictions of sex and violence are still sure to generate discussion for many years to come. 4.5/5.

LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan, 2018)

Bi Gan's latest film is a visual bravado, with some of the most mesmerising cinematography in recent years. Sadly, the film falls very flat narrative-wise, making a simple plot become far too drawn out, and then turns it into something different for the "show off" scene, the 59 minute long 3D shot. With "Long Day's Journey into Night", the film is structured in a very Tarkovsky way, with its slow paced layout and even direct quotes from "Stalker" (1979). But because of how much this is tributed to Tarkovsky, it ends up feeling like a ripoff for a majority of the film, which is a shame. It has a very prominent film noir feel in the first 75 minutes (after that, the surreal 3D shot begins) that feels like a hybrid of The Third Man and Stalker. So I will just go over the visuals and narrative, to get it out of the way. As I said earlier, it's a visually stunning film. It has some of the best cinematography in years, making a great feast for your eyes. The way the camera moves around in the 59 minute shot breaks boundaries that have never been broken in film before, capturing things that seem impossible to film, which gives me a large sense of thankfulness to how much effort was put into making this a visually stunning film. But as I said, the narrative sadly falls flat. In such a surrealist and dreamlike film like this, it is somewhat understandable, as it feels like something that doesn't feel much importance about plot. But because of that, a very meandering film ensues. The screening I attended was sold out, and by the end, many people had already left (including 3 people next to me). And it's because the plot is not drawn out, and takes a narrative that could work as a short film, and adapts it to a Tarkovsky like 130 minute dream. So it's definitely not for everyone. I'm conclusion, Long Day's Journey into Night is a beautiful looking film in terms of its visuals, but its narrative doesn't deliver to the high standards of the visuals. Still recommended though. 3/5.

THE REALM (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2019)

This is most definitely the most affecting thriller I've seen so far this year. The viewer follows Manuel, a politician who goes under fire in Spain for audio footage leaked of him talking about a secret operation. From this point, he has to navigate his way through life with a large amount of caution, until the last half an hour of the film, which makes your heart beat like not many other films do. I suppose the first thing I'll mention is the surprising attention to detail of dialogue. It sort of rolls out like an Aaron Sorkin film, with heaps of dialogue on it, to the point you can't always keep up. And in the case of this film about fast moving politicians under fire, it works really well. Another element of interest to me, is how it uses its cinematography. There is barely ever a still shot, as the film incorporates more shaky cam than whatever new action film fare has come from Michael Bay. But yet again, in the case of this film, it works well too, for the same reason as the dialogue more or less. The film has this sense of paranoia growing more and more evidently, as Manuel grows warier of his every move, with the entire country knowing everything he does. And it's interesting, as Manuel is someone that is terrible and we hate, but watching his determination to change this image the public has of him is intense. I realised this is a short review, but it isn't a film you should know much about going in. It's a very intense thrill-ride, finishing with the most heated live interview on television that you'll ever see. In conclusion,"The Realm" is damn good, and shows the terrifying lengths some politicians go to, which has become too real in today's world. 4.5/5.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (Céline Sciamma, 2019)

This contender for the Palme d'Or this year may be one of the best films I've ever seen, with it growing more on me, the more I think about it. It takes some of the "Call Me By Your Name" (2017) approach, but this film does it far better. The plot is simple, following a young woman named Héloïse who is essentially going to be sold into marriage by her mother who commissions a woman to paint her wedding portrait, and Héloïse falls in love with the woman painting her, and vice versa. Firstly I want to mention the visual brilliance of this film. Sciamma puts a very large focus onto the female body with the camera, capturing the beauty of it as if its a painting in itself. The colours are also graded to seem like a painting, which gives the film this artistic flare that not many other films have achieved. And the two main actors in the film that portray Héloïse and Marianne bring something so stunning to this film that I can't see any other actors pulling off. The carefully portrayed erotic feelings between the two is very intimate, and it brings this beauty. I haven't yet mentioned this, but in the plot, Héloïse refuses to pose for a painting, so Marianne must paint her from how she remembers her, but when Héloïse finds out, she allows Marianne to paint her. It's a strong scene in the film, but that's not saying the other scenes aren't. Some scenes are so stunning, especially the ending. The ending may be one of the most powerful scenes in cinema, with Vivaldi's "Summer" blasting through the speakers, and it was a large emotional punch in the gut. This film won Best Screenplay at Cannes, where it thoroughly deserved the award, and it also would have deserved the Palme d'Or. In conclusion, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is brilliant, and I highly suggest you watch it as soon as possible. 5/5.

MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL (Stanley Nelson, 2019)

What a delight this was! This may be the most insightful film on Davis to come out, and also the one that evoked the most emotions. It is a documentary that follows Miles Davis as he goes from a bad upbringing, all the way to be one of the greatest musicians of all time. To be quite honest, I am not sure how to review a documentary. Because its plot is what you see when you watch, and it isn't stunning from a visual standpoint. But the presentation of all these facts are very interesting, with some great interviews (including some other Jazz greats like Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock). I understand this is very short, but I will conclude it by saying that it is extremely fun, and extremely interesting. I recommend it to music aficionados mainly, but even people not familiar with him, as his story is great. 3.5/5.

ANDREI RUBLEV (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966)

This sprawling epic follows Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev, as he goes through many different periods of time, which make for a thoroughly interesting film. It is directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, and this may be my favourite of the films of his I've seen so far. It's a film that I'm not sure how I should discuss it. It has a plot which is so complex, that when drawn out over three hours, it works unlike other Tarkovsky efforts I have seen. I find it somewhat difficult to talk about this film, due to how a lot of it is left to interpretation, and not explained to the viewer. But that's the beauty of this film. Anyone that watches it, will see it differently to another, which brings upon so many new meanings to the film that you don't notice. "In cinema it is necessary not to explain, but to act upon the viewer's feelings, and the emotion which is awoken is what provokes thought," said Tarkovsky in 1962. This quote is something that directly relates to this film along with his others. He provokes many emotions with "Andrei Rublev", without explaining a lot that goes on. I saw this film as a story of a man that goes through terrible periods of time, trying to hold onto his religious beliefs through it all. There is the last bit of the film, where we see Rublev watching a young boy instructing people on how to cast a large bell. Rublev sees some of his old self in this boy which is especially seen in the last scene of the film. This film is also one of the greatest films made about an artist. Because every film made about artists focus on their art. This film focuses on the man that creates them, and his mentalities. We only see his actual art in the last 5 minutes, when it goes into colour and it traces over his paintings in extreme close ups. Seeing the artist as a person, makes a very large impact rather than seeing him painting. There is a scene where he is asked to paint a cathedral with the "Last Judgement" but he cannot bring himself to paint people in pain and forment, therefore refusing. The film contains scenes that go through the terrifying Tartar wars, pagan ritualists roaming naked, and many times of torture during it. In conclusion, Andrei Rublev is a stunning film that should be experienced by any film lover at least once in their life, as it is an experience that you won't forget for a long time. 5/5.

SORRY WE MISSED YOU (Ken Loach, 2019)

"Sorry We Missed You" is the latest social drama from Ken Loach, which is one of the most saddeningly realistic films I've seen. We follow a family in Britain that has the parents working all day and night to bring in money, with their eldest child getting into lots of trouble and their daughter taking selfies of her eating on Snapchat. The father works 14 hours everyday delivering parcels to people, the mother hurries across the city to help people with disabilities, having to bus everywhere after selling her car so her husband can afford a van. It is saddening, as we see how this gets unnoticed by people around them. It runs with this constant sense of dread, as the viewer knows their situation won't get better. It makes a brilliant social statement on how everyone is made to accept their economic situation with their life, which people allow to stay the way it is. It shows how the family had a mortgage sorted and were prepared to buy a house, until the 2008 financial crash. And due to this, him and his wife have to work insanely hard to try and ensure that their kids and themselves can live good lives. His new job is a quasi-freelance job that has no benefits to it. In one scene, he is obviously crumbling and can't get off work without paying £100 each day that he can't work. It is really gut-wrenching watching the film play out, due to how normalised this is in society. I feel I've said far too much, but you should go into this with no expectations. It's a film that should be viewed with anger at how our society makes this normal, and Ken Loach's delivery of this story is wonderfully done. The cinematography is something that just wouldn't work if it was filmed very intricately, with its camera following the family around in normal places, no sets (or additional lighting, it appears.) The film has this sparking realism, as it explores this toxic issue that society has had shoved down their throats to make it seem normal. It is not, and to see a film showing this as it is, was a revelation in contemporary cinema. In conclusion, Sorry We Missed You is a brilliant film about the terrible economic situations that we have to "learn to accept", and I just can't get this film out of my head. Its a masterpiece, and possibly Ken Loach's best film. 5/5.

LORO (Paolo Sorrentino, 2018)

"I know the script of life!", proclaims Silvio Berlusconi as he cons a woman over the phone for fun. Paolo Sorrentino's glorious film "Loro" is a mesmerising account of Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is one of the most controversial people in modern European history. He was involved in numerous sex scandals, he was corrupt, he stole money from people, and was proud of it all. Sorrentino's regular man Toni Servillo portrays the controversial politician, to brilliant effect. The film has a large focus on how women are viewed, with objectifying views on their bodies, being portrayed as the one thing men desire. And Sorrentino portrays this very well, through how Berlusconi viewed them. It does take the "Wolf of Wall Street" (2013) approach in it's depiction of hard drugs and sex, making this interesting social statement through how it depicts the two, which play large parts in the film. Anyways, here is the plot. Sergio is a man obsessed with being noticed. Whilst having anal sex with a woman on a boat, he notices a tattoo of Berlusconi above her buttocks. At this point, he smiles triumphantly, as he knows who he wants to have his attention. He begins throwing large parties with nude models engaging in sexual acts with other models, and dancing like there's no tomorrow. The party is thrown in a villa next door to Berlusconi so he hopefully notices Sergio. Berlusconi notices, and it is almost an hour into the 152 minute film, that we finally see him, dressed up in a golden Pharaoh-like ensemble to wish his wife a happy birthday. Upon all of this, media scandals occur, and the film finishes with a Fellini-esque dream-like sequence. In a way, this film feels like just another chance to channel Fellini's films, as Sorrentino seems to love doing. A significant standout of the film is actually the editing. It's fast paced, and feels like an MTV video, creating this very fun feel. The cinematography also excels, and it gives the film a very stunning look. Toni Servillo gives the performance he was born to play, and excels at it, portraying the infamous figure to a point that I couldn't tell the difference. My main con, is actually how short it is. In Italy, it was released as two seperate films (Loro 1 and Loro 2). It was cut for International audiences to 152 minutes, and you can tell. This story portrayed is very expansive, and this version is very dulled down, which makes it confusing at points. But luckily, the film is brilliantly made, making you want to watch again. In conclusion, "Loro" is a fantastic film about a not-so-fantastic man, which is portrayed gorgeously. 4/5.

THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL (Lee Won-tae, 2019)

What a great way to end my NZIFF. Last year, I closed the festival with the stunning but dull "Cold War", making me wish I'd seen something more enlightening to close my festival. This year I made the great choice of closing the festival with this insanely fun thrill-ride about a gangster and a cop that team up to find a serial killer. It is a simple premise, which is predictable. But I find that going into this, you don't need to think. It's mindless entertainment that should just be taken in, and not have its themes dissected into like it's an Antonioni film. The film follows a serial killer that goes around hitting people's cars, so they get out and he therefore stabs them to death. But when he stabs an infamous gangster, the gangsters reputation is destroyed and is made to seem weak by his fellow accomplices. He gets made to work with a cop in order to not be arrested for running illegal casinos, so he and the cop both help each other to find the killer, who keeps killing people throughout as they keep getting closer to finding him. It's an insanely thrilling film, that I can't see being done in the same way by Americans. It stars Korean superstar Ma Dong-seok as the titular gangster, and he plays it with this badassery that not many other actors have. The NZIFF programme he was fast becoming Asia's answer to Dwayne Johnson, and it's very true. Dong-seok plays his part with a very fun and easy going feel, and it starts to get hilarious when everytime we see him walk, it goes into slo-mo and some upbeat rock starts playing over it. The Cop is played well, played in the very simple way (angry rookie takes up a case too big for him as he has a lead nobody else has). The Devil, who is the serial killer, has this terrifying feel to him, as you know he is about to get away with taking away lives of innocent people. But that's apart of the thrills, and it all leads up to a great climax, involving a high octane car chase through the streets, and a smile given by one person that will have you finding breath to breathe. In conclusion, "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil" is an insanely fun film, with some great action scenes, thrills and humor throughout. A high 4/5.