Movie Review by Sergio Martinez
The 28th edition of the Fantasia Festival (July 18 to
August 4, 2024), has come to an end and, to the delight of fans of fantasy,
science-fiction, animation and horror films, this year's program has left
everyone satisfied.
On this occasion we had the opportunity to see about a
dozen films selected under the criteria of diversity of genres and origin of
the productions, the latter, understanding that the focus of this Montreal
festival is especially on films from Asia.
The following is a critical review of the films we had the opportunity to see.
Le comte de Monte-Cristo (The Count of
Monte-Cristo) - The return of a classic
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| Monte-Cristo's vengeance starts |
Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain - A
marvelous animation.
In this reviewer's opinion, this film was simply the best
of the entire festival and certainly one of the best-animated films in a long
time. Directed by Kenji Nakamura, the story is set in the Edo period in Japan,
the plot involves palace intrigues, and the combination of emotions in two
girls who are to enter the service of the powerful Lord Tenshi in the sumptuous
and magical exclusive Ooku compound. All
the while a mysterious figure, known only to us as the Medicine Seller, will
attempt to penetrate that world of Ooku, where unauthorized male presence is
punishable by beheading.
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| Mononoke: a delightful and visual exuberance |
Anime fans will certainly have enjoyed the visual and
scenic exuberance of this film, undoubtedly an exquisitely crafted artistic
work.
Animalia paradoxa - The
quest for the sea
film by Chilean-American director Niles Attalah which blends live action and animation. Dreamlike images of searching and clashing with apocalyptic realities provide the viewer with a good dose of potential interpretations.
Ghost Cat Anzu -
Between here and the afterlife
The Chapel - The quest through time
In this film by Spanish director Carola Pereda we can see
how ancestral fears and the search for answers to mysteries of a past that continue
to fascinate. The girl Emma (Maia Zantegi), believes she has the
"gift", the ability to communicate with the dead. She is particularly
interested in discovering what happened to a girl like her who in medieval
times was separated from her mother because of the plague. The director handles
the psychological elements implicit in the search very well, although, in a
very subtle way, she lets us see that there seems to be no rational answer to
some mysteries.
FAQ - The questions that follow us
In this Korean film directed by Kim Da-min, mysterious
elements are combined with everyday reality and the demands it places on a
girl. Dong Chung, despite being only in elementary school, has been enrolled in
numerous courses and extracurricular activities, because of her parents'
eagerness to prepare her for future studies. One of the courses she attends is
on Morse code, and another on the Persian language. During one of her field
trips, she finds a bottle of rice wine, which she takes home, and before long
the girl begins to receive messages in Morse and Persian from the liquid in the
bottle. She will follow the instructions on the bottle with unexpected results.
Rita- Myth and a social problem
Jayro Bustamante, director of this film and whom we had the
opportunity to interview, indicated to us how this case, although fiction, has
its inspiration in a real fact: the conditions of abandonment and abuse to
which girls interned in children's homes are subjected. One of the emblematic
cases was that of 41 girls who died in a fire in an orphanage in Guatemala in
2017. In the film, Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) arrives at the compound to which
she is sent after being subjected to abuse at home. In the orphanage, where a
prison-like disciplinary style reigns, the inmates somehow evade that reality
by assuming mythological roles. In the dormitory to which Rita is assigned, the
girls have assumed the mythological character of angels and use wings as a
distinctive feature that they wear permanently.
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| Rita: Myth and social issues |
This film makes a very good combination of these
mythological elements with the portrayal of social reality and the denunciation
of the conditions in which the girls live.
Penalty Loop - That time that doesn't go by
After his girlfriend is killed and Jun finds out who the murderer is, he is busy planning in detail how he will take revenge. Thus, when he wakes up that morning of June 6, he knows exactly how he will do it and once he kills Mizoguchi and disposes of the corpse, it seems that he has accomplished his mission. However, when he wakes up on what is supposed to be the next day, it is still June 6, he has to repeat the same event, and so on several times until both characters already know what they will do. By the way, the task of killing Mizoguchi becomes more and more complicated for Jun. They are both in a time loop that will not elapse until something unexpected happens.
A very interesting approach to the concepts of time,
revenge and humanity.
The Ying Yang Master Zero - Enchantments and truths
Director Shimako Sato brings us a story set in medieval Japan where the power of the masters of spells and magic play an important role, even directly influencing public affairs by their ascendancy over the emperor's actions.
This film follows the journey of apprentice master Abe
Seimei, who possesses special powers of enchantment. However, his endeavour
will ultimately focus on solving the meaning of an enigmatic dream that haunts
him every night and that must also lead him to find the justice that will
finally bring peace to his spirit.
Steppenwolf - The ethics of vengeance
The film, named after the novel Steppenwolf, introduces a
quote from Hermann Hesse's work in the opening frame. The plot of this film
directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, from Kazakhstan, places us in a chaotic
environment of armed conflicts in which neither policemen nor criminals are
particularly good. Brajyuk (Berik Aitzhanov) is a typical case in this scenario
of cruelty and death: once a detective, then a torturer, now a lawless man with
psychopathic traits, as some would describe him. Chance leads him to meet
Tamara (Anna Starchenko) who, amid that environment, absurdly appears at the
police headquarters that is being raided, because her son has been kidnapped.
With no one else to turn to, the woman finds in Brajyuk the only one who can
help her. Incidentally, Brajyuk also has another motive for embarking on the
search for Tamara's son: his abductor is someone with whom he also has a score
to settle. Revenge is a great motivator.
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| Steppenwolf: the assassin and a desperate mother share a path |
The Tenants - The absurd city
This Korean film directed by Yoon Eun-kyoung presents us
with an essentially gray and to some extent oppressive image of the city. The
fact that the film is in black and white accentuates the character of the city,
besides adding a somewhat claustrophobic air as well.
In this absurd environment of the city and its people,
Shin-dong, overwhelmed by the threat of being evicted from his apartment,
decides to share the apartment. An enigmatic, elegantly dressed individual and
his mute wife decide to share but curiously decide that they are going to live
in the bathroom. From the moment of their arrival, things become increasingly
complicated and absurd for Shin-dong, and then there is the presence of a
mysterious inhabitant in the ceiling.
A good metaphor for the apprehensions of urban life.
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