Review by Sergio Martínez
The 30th edition of this festival, which, as usual, offered
a wide range of horror, science fiction, and fantasy films, left both audiences
and critics satisfied with the quality of the films screened. As always, we saw
what we might call “the strange”—both in terms of plot and narrative style (Her
Private Hell, for example)—as well as the expected: films with stories full
of violence that, in turn, offer a critical social perspective (as in Tokyo
Burst: Crime City).
What we did notice this year was a certain scarcity of
animated films, especially Japanese productions. We missed the Mononoke
series, for example, which had delighted us in the two previous editions.
Below, we discuss the following films that we had the
opportunity to see.
HER PRIVATE HELL
Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn (U.S.-Denmark)
The festival’s opening film, acclaimed at Cannes and
presented to great anticipation in Montreal. The plot intertwines a declining
filmmaker’s search for his daughter with—in a time shift—a similar quest by an
American soldier during the occupation of Japan.
Much of the action takes place in an atmosphere marked by a
mist that envelops the characters and lends the story a tense calm. Other
scenes, however—especially at the beginning—take place in a confined setting
featuring futuristic architecture.
Strictly speaking, this is not a film that tells a story in
a linear or even very coherent way. It can essentially be characterized as a
film that explores new sensations through provocative images, but without a
plot that is easy to pin down.
TIGHT LETTUCE
Dir. Harrison Houde (Canada)
How far will someone go to try to save a loved one who has
fallen into a fentanyl addiction? While we’re usually presented with the
scenario of parents trying to save their children, in this case the situation
is reversed: Joel (Dakota Daulby), who works in construction, is in a stable
relationship with his partner (Christie Burke) and gets along well with his
mother (Maxim Roy) and grandmother (France Castel), but his plans are often
disrupted by his efforts to deal with his father’s addiction, Bodo (Emmanuel
Bilodeau).
Alternating between comedic and dramatic moments, the film
leaves us with a bitter and uncertain feeling about how the opioid crisis is
increasingly affecting our society. Strong performances and the rural
setting—which contrasts with the notion of drug addiction as an urban
phenomenon—make this a film well worth watching.
YOU ARE THE FILM
Dir. Makoto Ueda (Japan)
Without a doubt, one of the most interesting and enjoyable
films at this festival. The originality of the story is the film’s most notable
feature. It follows two young people living in different places and pursuing
different careers: a playwright who learns that the play she had prepared for
its premiere has been cancelled by her producer, and a musician whose band
becomes embroiled in an incident with a dangerous criminal group. They converge
in a sort of parallel universe.
BEASTS CLUTCHING AT STRAWS
Dir. Hideo Jojo (Japan)
An excellent drama in which different time periods intertwine,
and significant moral dilemmas are raised. Kanji, who works at an internet café
and cares for his grandmother as she slowly succumbs to dementia, stumbles upon
a briefcase containing a huge sum of money at the end of his shift. Torn by
doubt, he takes it but doesn’t spend it, though the financial pressures
stemming from his grandmother’s condition will cause him to waver. At the same
time, the story follows a prostitute’s relationship with her abusive husband,
whom she—in collusion with her lover—decides to kill. Another character
entangled in this web of mystery is a corrupt police officer who owes money to
the head of a criminal organization and sells him information. When a tragic
mistake occurs during the prostitute’s attempt to kill her abusive husband, she
turns to María, a mysterious woman from the sex trade who agrees to help her
but, once she learns that a large sum of money is at stake, will stop at
nothing to get her hands on it. Though, of course, the ending is completely
unexpected.
HAYOP KA!
Dir. Avid Liongoren (Philippines)
An animated film made in 2020, but which has only now made
its way to the festival. The plot offers a sarcastic take on the world of soap
operas; in practice, the story follows the usual formula of that genre.
Nimfa Dimaano is a perfume saleswoman at a department store
in Manila. She shares her life with the burly Roger. However, fulfilling what a
fortune-teller had predicted, one day she finds herself serving the handsome
billionaire Íñigo in the store, which seems to change her fortune. But of
course, just as life imitates a soap opera, things will get complicated by new,
unexpected twists.
A good story, with conventional but effective animation.
THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan)
A tale of intrigue and challenges in times of instability,
marked by constant wars between various feudal lords. When Araki Murashige
(Masahiro Motoki) decides to sever ties with the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga,
he is convinced of the impregnability of his castle and the loyalty of his
allied clans. Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda), an envoy sent by Oda to mediate the
conflict, is taken prisoner by Araki. Curiously, the prisoner—a brilliant
strategist—becomes a sort of advisor to his captor.
STUDIO Q –
MYSTERY
Dir. Marcela
Fernández Violante (Mexico)
The theme of the telenovela—a highly popular genre in
Mexico and throughout Latin America—is at the heart of this film, though with
one key distinguishing feature: the fantasy of the television script invades
the very life of the telenovela’s protagonist, Alex (Juan Ferrara), who finds
himself in a situation from which he cannot escape.
This 1980 film has been remastered and explores a theme
similar to that of the iconic The Truman Show, except that it predates
the Hollywood production. It was a true gem unearthed for this festival and
will soon be available on Blu-ray.
MATAPANKI
Dir. Diego
Fuentes (Chile)
This director’s debut feature film presents a punk vision of
society and the aspirations of a group of young people from one of Chile’s
“poblaciones” (poor neighbourhoods). Filmed primarily in black and white, using
a textured visual style reminiscent of fanzine graphics, the film also conveys
a strong political message.
After drinking a mysterious alcoholic concoction, young
Ricardo (Diego Bravo) gains superpowers that he attempts to use to bring about
change in his society. Unbeknownst to him and his friends, his transformation
is part of an experiment led by U.S. agents. However, the result of his new
persona will not be what his mentors expected, and even a fictional U.S.
president will learn of Matapanki’s powers.
DRAG
Prod. Danny DeVito, Jake DeVito, Lucy DeVito (United States)
A black comedy with unexpected twists, in which the
character we’ll only know as “The Younger Sister” (Lucy DeVito) agrees to
accompany “The Older Sister” (Lizzy Caplan) on a legally dubious mission to
seize an object from a house located in a remote area. The Older Sister,
however, suffers from a back condition that leaves her immobilized, and it
falls to her sister to literally drag her through the house where they now find
themselves.
Things get complicated when the homeowner (John Stamos)
returns with a young woman (Christine Ko).
The two sisters have hidden in the basement following a series of
mishaps that have left the Older Sister in even worse condition than her back
injury had caused. To make matters worse, the homeowner is a famous painter who
specializes in portraits of women depicted with disfigured features, somewhat
in the style of Picasso. However, to the sisters’ horror, they soon discover
how the painter prepares his models.
A NEW DAWN
Dir. Yoshitoshi Shinomiya (Japan-France)
An animated film that showcases a rich palette of colours
and striking compositions, but is weak in its storytelling, failing to develop
its characters beyond a superficial glimpse of their respective personalities.
The impending disappearance of what was once a major
fireworks factory and the city’s fireworks festival serves as the backdrop for
the story in which two brothers and their childhood friend are determined to
save them.
THE JOURNEY TO GYEONG-JU
Dir. Kim Mi-jo (South Korea)
There’s a good dose of humour, but also tragedy, in this
excellent film that follows a mother, Ok-sil (Lee Jung-eun), and her three
daughters on a tumultuous journey driven by revenge. The mother, with the help
of some shady characters, has managed to kidnap the man responsible for the
murder of one of her daughters years ago, whom they are now transporting tied
up in the back of an old van. Various comical episodes unfold during the trip,
but in the end, things will get complicated.
Beyond the motive of revenge, the long journey and its
outcome also lead the mother and daughters to reflect on how this endeavour—to
which they devoted so much time—has affected their relationship with one
another.
THE GALACTIC GHOUL
Dir. Simon Harrison (Canada)
The director pays homage to B-movies in this film, in which
two space adventurers, Oscar Bravo and Lieutenant Foxtrot—both played by the
same actor, Vincent Hoss-Desmarais—must escape the planet Toum and the clutches
of the sinister Queen Xaltalusia XXIII (Katherine Isabelle). Before that, the
explorers had to contend with a series of strange inhabitants on distant
planets in order to obtain a valuable stone.
Dir. Louis Godbout (Canada)
One of the best films seen at this festival, a psychological
thriller that leaves us all thinking, “What the hell…!” when it reaches its
conclusion. The story begins when Jonathan (Maxim Gaudette) and Brigitte
(Christine Beaulieu) go to dinner at Brigitte’s sister’s house and, to their
frustration, can’t find an open parking spot. After driving around in circles,
they happen to find one right in front of their destination, but, to their
surprise, another driver (Benoit Gouin), who had been ahead of them, backs up
and blocks their spot. The conflict escalates until the police intervene. The incident, however, leaves a deep impact
on Jonathan, which becomes apparent during the evening at his sister-in-law’s
house and in the events that follow after dinner. And above all, in the
uncertainty left by the film’s final sequence.
TOKYO BURST: CRIME CITY
Dir. Eiji Uchida (Japan)
In an atmosphere of violence, Agent Aiba (Sota Fukushi) is
just another factor fueling that climate. Although his colleagues express
concerns about his methods, Aiba has a track record of successful
investigations in his favour. Both his methods and his personality will be put
to the test when he must investigate a pair of extremely violent killers—a case
that will also require him to collaborate with a detective sent specially from
South Korea, Cho (Uhm Ki-joon), with whom he doesn’t hit it off at first. Beyond
the violence and humour conveyed in many scenes, this film also offers a strong
critique of the corrupt practices of some Japanese politicians, in collusion
with Koreans.
Dir. Dario Russ (Australia)
This is a delightful comedy with elements of a fable—in the
best fable tradition, we have talking animals—in this case, a fox (voiced by
Olivia Colman) who, in exchange for her freedom, offers her hunter some very
special advice. Nick (Jai Courtney), who learns from the animal that his
fiancée, Kori (Emily Browning), is cheating on him, puts the fox’s advice into
practice: he pushes her into a magical hole, after which she is transformed and
becomes forever devoted to him. However, this new situation, in turn, will
trigger new events and revelations that will affect the entire town.
THE BEST AND THE WORST
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