Highlights of the 2008 Sydney Film Festival
June 24th 2008 23:26
Sadly, the Sydney Film Festival finished off its run on Sunday, closing the theatre doors and dismantling the box office. I had hoped that there would be some sort of Christmas miracle and the films would be screened all over again, for another three weeks, but, alas, it never happened.
I often kicked myself with regret for not making several screenings, but, with a festival like this, you've got to gnaw off an ankle to free yourself. Looking back, here are my highlights of the festival:
The Biggest Experience: "Silent Light" by Carlos Reygadas
After the opening, a 5 minute, uninterrupted shot of a sunrise, followed by a movie that captures so much natural beauty and vitality of the human spirit, it's hard not to be moved by "Silent Light". The film has its detractors, certainly, but one thing is certain: Reygadas went through Herculean efforts to bring us this rare piece of Mexico.
The Most Aesthetically Sexual Film: "Help Me Eros" by Lee-Kang Sheng
Lee-Kang directs this wandering Asian stoner film and stars in it himself, capturing a wonderful sense of a world that hinges on sexual relations, and the people that fall without it. He auditioned and casted some of Taiwan's sexiest actresses and displays them with glee and candor, projecting brand logos on their naked bodies, or dressing them up in male fantasy outfits.
Despite his lusty eye for flesh, "Help Me Eros" has moments of extreme poignancy and humour, which elevate it above merely being labelled Taiwan's Cheech.
Stylistic Fury Imprinted on Celluloid: Sukiyaki Western: Django by Takaski Miike
This incredibly bold Japanese Western by Miike is an odd step for the Sydney Film Festival, showing that great movies do not necessarily have to be grim and serious, or thoughtfully playful. Some movies can slap you in the face with violence and blood, drawing inspiration from multiple genres and still providing the audience with a rousing, sincere experience.
Miike shows himself to be a master with "Sukiyaki Western: Django" which teeters on raw style and raucous comedy.
Read my review of "Sukiyaki Western: Django"
Most Scathing Look at the Lives of Families: Toyko Sonata by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
I wish I had seen this at the opening night screening, surrounded by the laughs and chuckles of the audience, slowing giving way to fear, then the realization that we're all on the verge of tipping into a bleakly harrowing reality, as depicted in "Tokyo Sonata".
At first, the film seems weirdly Japanese, but as Kurosawa removes the elements of comedy, the film becomes increasingly homogeneous, making the viewer aware that, as our living space becomes increasingly crowded, we're actually pushed farther apart from each other.
Yes, terrific movies, all of them. Of other note, "My Winnipeg" and "A Girl Cut in Two" were also quite entertaining, with definite strokes of brilliance.
I missed quite a few screenings, and didn't follow up to see them in the Media center, so I'm disappointed to say that I didn't watch the following movies, which I dearly wanted to:
"Black Narcissus" - Deborah Kerr, recommended by JohnDoe and looking fine.
"Crows: Episode 0" - another Miike film, recommended by Bryn. Bryn also recommended "Gonzo" the Hunter S. Thompson documentary, and I would have liked to have seen "Donkey Punch" and "Let the Right One In", two horrors that looked interesting.
"Useless" - I'm a big fan of Jia Zhangke's work, and this is his latest, a documentary about the textile industry in China.
From Matt Riviera's incredibly hard-working blog, I'd have loved to have seen "Phase IV", "Encounters at the End of the World" and "Lake Tahoe".
With enough time, I'd have tried to have watched all the movies in the Chinese Current strand, including "Children of the Silk Road", "Endless Night", "Fujian Blue" and "The Red Awn".
Unfortunately, I'm a mere mortal, and I need sleep and sustenance. The Sydney Film Festival is best appreciated by vampires and ghouls - fearing the sun in the day, hiding in the cinema, then coming out in full splendour after sunset.
Next year...
I often kicked myself with regret for not making several screenings, but, with a festival like this, you've got to gnaw off an ankle to free yourself. Looking back, here are my highlights of the festival:
The Biggest Experience: "Silent Light" by Carlos Reygadas
The Most Aesthetically Sexual Film: "Help Me Eros" by Lee-Kang Sheng
Despite his lusty eye for flesh, "Help Me Eros" has moments of extreme poignancy and humour, which elevate it above merely being labelled Taiwan's Cheech.
Read my review of "Help Me Eros"
Stylistic Fury Imprinted on Celluloid: Sukiyaki Western: Django by Takaski Miike
Miike shows himself to be a master with "Sukiyaki Western: Django" which teeters on raw style and raucous comedy.
Read my review of "Sukiyaki Western: Django"
Most Scathing Look at the Lives of Families: Toyko Sonata by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
At first, the film seems weirdly Japanese, but as Kurosawa removes the elements of comedy, the film becomes increasingly homogeneous, making the viewer aware that, as our living space becomes increasingly crowded, we're actually pushed farther apart from each other.
Yes, terrific movies, all of them. Of other note, "My Winnipeg" and "A Girl Cut in Two" were also quite entertaining, with definite strokes of brilliance.
I missed quite a few screenings, and didn't follow up to see them in the Media center, so I'm disappointed to say that I didn't watch the following movies, which I dearly wanted to:
"Black Narcissus" - Deborah Kerr, recommended by JohnDoe and looking fine.
"Crows: Episode 0" - another Miike film, recommended by Bryn. Bryn also recommended "Gonzo" the Hunter S. Thompson documentary, and I would have liked to have seen "Donkey Punch" and "Let the Right One In", two horrors that looked interesting.
"Useless" - I'm a big fan of Jia Zhangke's work, and this is his latest, a documentary about the textile industry in China.
From Matt Riviera's incredibly hard-working blog, I'd have loved to have seen "Phase IV", "Encounters at the End of the World" and "Lake Tahoe".
With enough time, I'd have tried to have watched all the movies in the Chinese Current strand, including "Children of the Silk Road", "Endless Night", "Fujian Blue" and "The Red Awn".
Unfortunately, I'm a mere mortal, and I need sleep and sustenance. The Sydney Film Festival is best appreciated by vampires and ghouls - fearing the sun in the day, hiding in the cinema, then coming out in full splendour after sunset.
Next year...
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