Facing Mirrors at the LLGFF

Facing Mirrors 

آینه های روبرو 

2011

Directed by Negar Azarbayjani

Full production details on imdb

minigraph:

Simple but moving tale carefully constructed to promote
understanding of what it means to be transgender in Iran 

Facing Mirrors is director Negar Azarbayjani's first feature film and the first film about transsexuality to receive a mainstream release in Iran. The film follows an episode in the lives of Eddie (Shayesteh Irani), a rich transgender man fleeing from his oppressive family and Rana (Qazal Shakeri), a cis woman who is struggling to support her family by driving a taxi. Their worlds collide when Rana accepts Eddie's money in exchange for driving him to Tehran from where he plans to fly to Germany for sex reassignment surgery.

Submerge at the LLGFF

Submerge

Australia 2012

Directed by Sophie O'Connor

Full production details on imdb

minigraph:

Amateurish but fairly enjoyable b-movie. praiseworthy for the understated treatment of bisexuality and fetishism.

Day two of the 27th BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, and I'm off to see some pornography. Well, Submerge was originally conceived as a porn film by co-writer/producer Kat Holmes. In the 9 long years it has taken to reach the screens of the BFI it has come a long way.

The Debt (the 114 minutes that they stole from me)

The Debt
2011
Directed by John Madden
Full production details on imdb

minigraph:

Thoroughly mediocre against raised expectations. Fun if you're easily gripped and can tolerate silly accents.

The characters are Israeli, it's set in Israel, they read Hebrew and there are Magen Davids everywhere. So why, oh why, do we need to have every character adopting a dubious and unique accent? It's clear what language they are 'speaking,' there is no purpose to this. The only logical argument I can see is that in a mixed nationality cast it is not clear which accent should be used for consistency, so why not settle for the accent of the language we are meant to imagine they are speaking. I'll tell you why not - because none of them can do it well enough and it just draws attention to the pretence, makes it forced and hammy. Better to have them all speak Hebrew in line with the German and Ukrainian segments. Or perhaps they thought we wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

So, The Debt and I didn't exactly get off to a great start.

Insert Play on Words About Kevin

We Need to Talk About Kevin
2011
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Full production details on imdb

minigraph:

A brave attempt at Shriver's book. Some of its power lost by being perhaps too faithful & unempathetic.

Kevin opens spectacularly, unexpectedly, uneasily. A surreal, grotesque, organic dream sequence with Swinton's Eva seemingly crucified and devoured. As this happens she wears her trademark expression which could be a smile, could be a grimace. Is this dream sequence a relief for Eva as she faces her demons, or is it just a manifestation of the hell she lives in? Either way this opening displays the richness of her subconscious, sets the tone and imagery of what is to come, raises unease.

I Like to Think of a Cybernetic Ecology...

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Part One: Love and Power
2011
Written and Directed by Adam Curtis
Further production details on imdb

minigraph: dramatically assembled sensationalist documentary dancing on the edge of plausibility.educational;subversive;intriguing.

The first in this triptych of documentaries by Adam Curtis purportedly about “The rise of the machines and the dream of a stable world,” Love and Power focusses on political, economic and violent events in recent history. Under the assumption that Curtis' Good BBC Documentary is well researched, accurate, with minimal agenda and not in the least bit paranoid, this seems an incredibly educational and enlightening 60 minutes. 

"It's a sign of a good film when you can't wait for it to end..."

Originally said in sarcasm, the title of this post rings painfully true with one of the three shorts I saw at this month's Duke Mitchell.

Hirsute

I came across this short film from AJ Bond at the Duke Mitchell film club a few months ago, and found it close to cinematic perfection.

Scre4m

I love Wes Craven's Scream trilogy. An entertaining slasher series with knowing satire undeserving of the further pastiche of the Scary Movie series. It makes for a nicely concluded trilogy which helped define a generation of horror movies.

So I was understandably nervous of the dubiously titled Sre4m and sceptical as to whether it had anything to add to the series. Is it an easy money spinner or a genuinely inspired reunion flick?

The Edge of Heaven

Film numero three is a recommendation from my mother, who wanted to share this film that she found remarkable for its apparent lack of genre. 

Trade

This 2007 film from Marco Kreuzpaintner is an awareness raising piece about international sex trafficking. This is recommendation number two, which my girlfriend caught late night on Star Movies when staying in Bangkok. And it is definitely a film that you will want to talk about, for the subject matter and issues raised, if not the film itself.

Million Dollar Baby

So I'm going to start with a series of three quite different and unrelated films. The only connection is that in rapid succession I had movie recommendations from three important people in my life - my mum, my girlfriend and my flatmate. The first, recommended by my flatmate, was Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby.