ICMF-FF7: Geographical Based Minor Slates

[zzzorf]

Welcome to the 2023 iCMForum Film Festival!


From Monday the 13th of November to Monday the 11th of December this thread will be the discussion thread for the 5 geographically based Minor Slates.

The Main festival hub is here: viewtopic.php?t=6672
Please rate the films you've seen on a scale from 1-10 to help contribute to this year's Audience Award.


Africa:
Ashkal [2022]
Saloum [2021]
This Is My Desire (Eyimofe) [2020]
Night of the Kings (La nuit des rois) [2020]


Asia:
A Writer's Odyssey (Ci sha xiao shuo jia) [2021]
Brother's Keeper (Okul tirasi) [2021]
Limbo (Ji Chi) [2021]
Memory Box [2021]


English Language Independent:
Ali & Ava [2021]
The Beta Test [2021]
On The Count of Three [2021]
Strawberry Mansion [2021]


Europe:
Earwig [2021]
Rimini [2022]
Sick of Myself (Syk Pike) [2022]
Mandibles (Mandibules) [2020]


Latin America:
Azor [2021]
Mamá, mamá, mamá [2020]
Sundown [2021]
Utama [2022]

[zzzorf]

African Slate Introduction


This year the African slate is brimming with life, diversity and allegory, as we explore social injustice, poverty, revenge and the power of stories across the African continent. The slate boasts of everything from a kafkaesque drama, to action-packed genre fare, to a cold stripped-bare thriller, to an almost magical prison drama that almost feels like a tale from a kingdom of old.


Ashkal (2022)
Tunisia, Youssef Chebbi

Ashkal is an eerie police "procedural", set in the midst of the unfinished buildings started before the 2010 revolution, and at a moment when those who committed crimes in aid of the old regime may be held accountable for it. However, at this simultaneous moment of a new society, and the remnants of old fighting back, seemingly unconnected people are being found - burned to death. Everything points to suicide, but the coincidences are too many. Its social context adds a lot of weight and makes it a particularly solemn thriller.




La nuit des rois / Night of the Kings (2020)
Ivory Coast, Philippe Lacôte

Night of Kings is a visceral ode to the storytelling traditions of the Ivory Coast and much of Africa, created with love and bringing magic into the bleak and violent of an inmate-run prison. It is a tale of two doomed men. The ruler of the prison, known as Blackbeard, ailing to the extent he can no longer lead and is expected, by inmates' rules to commit suicide, and the latest inmate which he assigns the title/name of "Roman", also tied to a tradition where, on a red moon, a storyteller will tell a tale, and then, as the night ends, blood will be spilt. With the prison almost feeling live a kingdom of old and narratives mixes the modern world and fables, this is a truly special and magical film.




Saloum (2021)
Senegal, Jean Luc Herbulot

Saloum is a Senegalese horror/thriller that oozes with style. Hiding out in a small town near the Saloum River, a group of criminals desperately try to keep their identity hidden from the local police officer, but their concern soon turns to simply staying alive. The horror stretch is the film is magnificent with an excellently crafted swarm-like monster and intense scenes as they try to pass it undetected. In fact, the second half is delightfully bonkers for the most part and nicely more focused on the WTF nature of everything going on.




Eyimofe / This Is My Desire (2020)
Nigeria, Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri

This is My Desire is a slow-brooding exploration of the want of a better life outside of Nigeria. It depicts poverty in Lagos in striking detail as we explore two dreams/desires, two stories - taking place in the same neighbourhood - but not intersecting beyond thematic of money, passports and a long grind as straws are clutched and dreams are put under tighter and tighter odds. Is the desire of escape even worth it at the consequences they may entail?

[zzzorf]

Asia Slate Introduction


Ci sha xiao shuo jia / A Writer's Odyssey (2021)
China, Yang LuZhuang, Jie Qiong

A film that highlights the enormous evolution Chinese commercial cinema has gone through the past two decades. Based on a web novel (as so many Chinese films are these days), A Writer's Odyssey combines sprawling fantasy and dashing near-future sci-fi with excellent special effects and stylish cinematography. It shows a side of Chinese cinema that we don't get to see that often in the West, and the execution here rivals (if not exceeds) the best Hollywood has to offer.




Okul tirasi / Brother's Keeper (2021)
Turkey, Ferit Karahan

In a small boarding school cut off from the rest of the world by a snow storm, a little boy falls ill. The adults present spend more time on trying to figure out what happened to the boy and who to blame for his condition, while his best friend vigorously hopes he survives this ordeal. The barren setting, the near real-time storytelling and the contrasting experiences of the adults and children involved make for harrowing watch, including a heartbreaking twist.




Zhì chi / Limbo (2021)
Hong Kong, Soi Cheang

After spending a good part of the previous decade on an epic blockbuster adaptation of Journey to the West, Soi Cheang went back to his roots and delivered one of the darkest, grittiest films Hong Kong has even seen. The high-contrast black-and-white cinematography isn't just fitting for the detective story set in the fringes of the city, it's also absolutely overflowing with visual detail. Strong performances and stylistic prowess are easy selling points, but don't expect an easy watch, as the film gets quite terrifying in the second half.




Memory Box (2021)
Lebanon/Canada, Joana Hadjithomas (F), Khalil Joreige

East meets West in this nostalgic drama. Maia is a Lebanese woman who moved to Montreal, where she is raising her daughter by herself. When a box with memorabilia from her past arrives she seems unphased, but her daughter sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn more about her mother's past. It takes her back to the 80s, when she meets her first true love, against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War.

[zzzorf]

English Language Independents Slate Introduction


This year's indie slate highlights the exciting talent coming out of the USA and UK with a twisted thriller, a black comedy, an imaginative science-fiction and a poignant romance:


Ali & Ava (2021)
UK, Clio Barnard (F)

This touching British Indie film takes a look at the unlikely connection between two lonely souls, both of whom have troubled pasts that threaten to loom over their burgeoning relationship. Clio Barnard directed this wonderful human drama which was nominated for two BAFTA awards and is likely to move even the most cynical of viewers with its realistic portrayal of love against the odds.




The Beta Test (2021)
USA, Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe

Director/Writer/Actor Jim Cummings is well on the way to stardom with yet another twisted outing under his belt in The Beta Test. Its twisted thrills revolve around an inspired script that fuses the satire of American Psycho with the surreal mystery of Under the Silver Lake. An excellent central performance from Cummings is bolstered by a satisfying screenplay, which allows Cummings to indulge in his hilarious monologues that appear to take centre stage in most of his outings.




On the Count of Three (2021)
USA, Jerrod Carmichael

On The Count of Three is a superb black comedy from Jerrod Carmichael who directs and stars in this gripping film exploring the friendship between two sucidial men as they decide to go out with a bang on their last day. The ensuing mayhem is a lot of fun and suprisingly poignant with an awesome soundtrack that deserves to be played at full volume.




Strawberry Mansion (2021)
USA, Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney

Audience members who enjoy films about dreams will find a lot to love in this inventive science-fiction about a government agent who becomes immersed in an aging lady's dreams when he is sent to audit them. The delightful visuals conjure up inevitable comparisons to the work of Michel Gondry, but Strawberry Mansion also infuses a lot of originality alongside the homages to those which it has clearly been inspired by.

[zzzorf]

Europe Slate Introduction


If there was one thing that ties our European slate together it is perception, how (or who) people want to be seen as, and how others see them. With tales of fading popstars, creepy guardians, a woman who has to be the center of attention, and two slackers who tries to train a oversized fly, the slate has little else in common. It has comedy, drama, and borderline, stripped-back horror. Something for everyone? Perhaps! It also features a star-studded director list with Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Ulrich Seidl and Quentin Dupieux, as well as an upcoming name we are sure everyone will know soon: Kristoffer Borgli.


Earwig (2021)
UK, Lucile Hadzihalilovic (F)

This enigmatic drama follows a young girl and a much older man employed to take care of her, which includes frequently changing her dentures. If not quite as masterful as Innocence or Evolution, this is yet another great, non-straightforward look at childhood and the mysteries of the adult world from Lucile Hadzihalilovic. Much like her earlier films, it works best as a mood piece. The most compelling scenes focus on the barefoot girl wandering around dark hallways in silence a la Amer. The deliberately low lighting is perfectly atmospheric and the dialogue-free first twenty minutes are excellent with Hadzihalilovic accentuating every gulp of food and other such sounds.




Mandibules / Mandibles (2020)
France, Quentin Dupieux

Discovering a giant fly in the trunk of the car they stole, two slackers decide to domesticate and train the insect to rob banks "like a drone" in this kooky comedy that is every bit as crazy as it sounds. Coming from the mind of Quentin Dupieux, the sheer weirdness of it all is only ever a plus. While the characters spell out their plans, their journey is unpredictable in the best possible way, especially as one slacker is mistaken for a long-lost friend, and then pretends he is for free bed and board. The fly does not act like a real fly in the way it sleeps and eats (despite convincing special effects).




Rimini (2022)
Germany, Ulrich Seidl

Rimini is a harsh portrait of an aging, drunken pop star with no chance for a comeback. All he has left are a few aging groupies as he plays to almost empty, small halls in the summer resort town of Rimini, but during autumn and winter. Occasionally soaked in neon, but mostly abandoned, filled with trash and poverty. Darkly comedic in the bleakest way possible, especially as his estranged daughter and Muslim boyfriend show up asking for money, the illusions our lead has built up for himself all start to crash down.




Syk pike / Sick of Myself (2022)
Norway, Kristoffer Borgli

Sick of Myself is a queasily uncomfortable portrait of a woman of who can't stand to be placed on the sidelines, and have eyes off her, and tries, in increasingly unhealthy and disturbing ways to get the spotlight. Walking a tightrope between reality and her own imagination, this comedy (yes, comedy) is a perfect example of deadpan Norwegian comedy fans of Ninjababy from the main slate should definitely seek out.

[zzzorf]

Latin America Slate Introduction


In the Latin American section, we have selected two films from Argentina, one from a male director and one from a female director. We have also selected a film from Mexico and a film from Bolivia.


Azor (2021)
Argentina, Andreas Fontana

Travelling to politically unstable 1980s Argentina when his colleague mysteriously vanishes without a trace, a Swiss banker tries to close a lucrative deal while also investigating his partner's disappearance in this slow-burn thriller. The film has some echoes of The Third Man, and an eerie night-time visit that he makes to his colleague's abandoned hotel room simmers with tension. The also film concludes on a high note with very interesting character progression from start to finish.




Mamá, mamá, mamá (2020)
Argentina, Sol Berruezo Pichon-Riviére (F)

Haunted by vivid memories, an adolescent girl has trouble processing her sister's drowning in their backyard pool in this enigmatic drama. The movie works since the filmmakers are more interested in capturing a mood and feeling than telling a story as such. The project has a perfectly dreamy feel to it, wherein (just like the protagonist), we are unsure whether what we are experiencing are dreams, memories or reality. The film is incredibly well acted too by its young cast.




Sundown (2021)
Mexico, Michel Franco

Pretending to have lost his passport, a middle aged man continues his vacation in Mexico while his family returns home to attend a funeral in this cryptic drama from New Order director Michel Franco. While his motives are left mysterious for the most part, Tim Roth is incredibly sympathetic in the lead role with a seeming desire to stay permanently in vacation mode. Add in some interesting pig symbolism and great seaside vistas and this is a film that truly lingers in the mind.




Utama (2022)
Bolivia, Alejandro Loayza Grisi

Living a quiet life as farmers in the Bolivian outback, an elderly couple are visited by their grandson who tries to convince them to move to the city in this potent drama. The wide open plains vary well between beautiful in the daytime and creepy at night. What really resonates is the grandfather's stubbornness despite ill health and his breathing seems to get heavier as the film progresses. In fact, the whole audio design is fantastic, including unusual sound effects style music.

[hurluberlu]

Asia:
Memory Box [2021]
The experimentation on the format of material found in the "Memory Box" and how is its translated on screen by the authors is quite interesting and the highlight of the film. I wish there was more of it though as it falls quickly into a more classical inter-generational bitter-sweet drama without it.
6+ (seen before festival)

Europe:
Mandibles (Mandibules) [2020]
AKA The Big Lebugowski on the French Riviera or how slackers try to turn an outsized fly into a money, life changing opportunity. Thoroughly nonsensical, funny at times, yet lacks a sharper and richer script to keep the main joke running.
6 (seen before festival)


Latin America:
Azor [2021]
Laudable craft and acting in composing Swiss bourgeoisie meeting their Argentinian counterparts in 80s Buenos Aires: good manners and business ventures in chic hotels and asceptized venues reeking passive violence and morale corruption. It holds its line very strongly and subtly all along, towards, and that is my only regret, a little too predictable show down.
7+

Sundown [2021]
It is pretty good for as long as it let you guess Tim Roth (imperial) is any modern man seeking a harbor from social angst. When it brings mexican cartels and some heavy characterization elements, it becomes more of a tedious melodrama.
6- (seen before festival)

Utama [2022]
Beautiful scenery from Bolivia does not completely make up for the simple, linear plot but this is still a worthwile take on a generation passing to the next.
6 (seen before festival)

[mightysparks]

Africa:

Saloum (2021) 7/10
I was absolutely loving this until it turned into a horror film which just wasn't as strong as the first part. It has a little bit of Scarecrows and a little bit of From Dusk Till Dawn in there. The characters were fun, the main character was super cool, the setting was pretty, great tension etc. But the horror made it all fall apart, the characters lost a lot of their individuality and 'purpose', the effects weren't very good, I wasn't invested in the supernatural explanation and it just didn't keep up the pace as much. Still a very good film and I had fun with it.


English Language Independent:

The Beta Test (2021) 6/10
I haven't loved any of Cummings' films but I find him interesting, as an actor, writer and director, so I'm generally happy to check his stuff out. There are interesting ideas in here but never seem to go in the way I want them to go and often character motivations and actions are confusing. While I liked the revelations behind the purple envelope's sender I found it difficult to believe

Spoiler

That most people who would accept an anonymous sexual encounter would not care that much about paying to find the person they were with. And why wouldn't anyone take off their mask and be like 'hey' if they wanted to see each other again. And I also wasn't sure if Cummings' character was meant to be just paranoid about the person knowing who he was or his secret being revealed or if he was actually interested in the woman he met with. And why did his wife forgive him and what were we supposed to take away from the girl who left her number for him at the end?

Just didn't find most things convincing though it is fairly enjoyable and you do want enough answers to be interested throughout.

On the Count of Three (2021) 6/10
Enjoyable but not as much as I wanted it to be. It just wasn't funny enough, dark enough, quirky enough.. the characters didn't have much of a connection to me. Nothing really wrong with it, is just never grabbed me in any way. I also disliked Val's reasons for change and it felt kinda forced to me.


Europe:

Earwig (2021) 5/10
A young girl who requires regular changing of dentures made of ice and her older caretaker are told to prepare for her to finally leave. Don't remember the only other Hadzihalilovic film I've seen (Evolution) other than mostly finding it boring with the occasional atmospheric shot. And this was pretty similar. Plotwise pointless (and got less interesting the more it 'revealed'), often just kinda ugly and meandering, occasional aesthetic shot capturing the dingy-ness of the environment but mostly feels flat in atmosphere too. Really didn't care about anything except for waiting for it to end.

Syk Pike (2021) 7/10
Awkward, dark and a lot of fun. Signe and her boyfriend are such gleefully unlikable douchebags constantly trying to outdo each other for attention--with Signe taking her need for attention so far as to get herself a severe skin condition. The dream sequences where she imagines how perfect everything will be contrasted with the crappy reality are hilarious. The film also never wastes any time and is consistently on-point, enjoyable and funny.

[cinewest]

I'm one film away from completing the Latin Slate, and will comment on all 4 in the same post, but I have also seen 2 good ones from the African Slate, and since I don't anticipate finishing that one, let me touch on the 2 I have seen:

Ashkal (2022)
Tunisia, Youssef Chebbi

This is a highly cinematic police procedural that also touches upon contemporary social and political realities in Tunisia, where the crime being investigated is more than incidental, and clearly meant to serve as a metaphor for the aforementioned present day realities that involve governmental corruption and past atrocities, as well as gender and class based issues endemic to Tunisia, which somewhat eluded me, given my lack of more specific knowledge about the region. That said, the filmmaking, here, intrigues, mostly due to the way that the landscape and expressions are captured on film, in conjunction with a resonant film score and the gradual penetration into its central characters and story. 7.4

La nuit des rois / Night of the Kings (2020)
Ivory Coast, Philippe Lacôte

Saw this last year and think that the description in the above intro is a great lead in to this modern day, Sheherazadian, prison drama constructed as theatrical realism: 7.9

[blocho]

I'll post my reactions to the five movie in this slate I have already seen.

Saloum (2021)
A tale of two halves. The first half is fun and stylish and clever. It begins as something like a West African spaghetti Western, with three mercenaries and a lot of gold suddenly stranded in a remote region of Senegal. And then halfway through, a big plot turn unleashes the supernatural portion of the story, and the whole thing kind of falls apart. It’s a shame because I thought this could be something special.

4/10

Sick of Myself (2022)
The protagonist of this movie suffers from what is commonly known as Münchausen syndrome, though a diagnosis is never mentioned explicitly. She induces an illness in herself in order to satisfy a pathological need for constant attention and validation. The results are gruesome. This is pretty much the opposite of a feel-good movie, though it has some nice moments of dark comedy. Very dark. There’s nothing better than the scene in which the protagonist takes off her mask for the first time after her skin disease becomes serious and immediately forces her boyfriend to take pictures of her for social media while she is wearing a “Festival de Cannes” shirt.

7/10

Azor (2021)
A Swiss couple arrives in Buenos Aires in 1980. He’s a banker of some sort, and it soon becomes apparent that he’s in Argentina in lieu of a colleague who has mysteriously disappeared. For the rest of the movie, the banker meets with a random assortment of rich people. We only sometimes learn who they are or how they are connected to the banker. The conversations that result are desultory. The missing colleague gets mentioned a lot, but no narrative develops. Nor do we learn much about the characters. Given the geographical and chronological setting, it’s not hard to guess what this is all about, but it also scarcely seems to matter. Azor never gives the audience a reason to care. This is a thriller without thrills, a drama without drama. It’s not fair to call it a slow burn. This is more like someone tried to start a fire, failed, and took a nap instead. Forget burning; nothing even gets toasted.

1/10

Utama (2022)
This movie depicts an elderly couple who live in a small house near the Salar de Uyuni. They have a herd of llamas and grow some crops, though both are imperiled by a lack of rain. A grandson visits and urges them to move to the city, both because of the drought and the grandfather’s increasingly frail health. And that’s the entire story. It’s a very simple narrative with weighty themes that’s elevated by its landscape, an aura of authenticity, and a setting that has rarely been depicted cinematically.

6/10

Night of the Kings (2020)
A very unusual prison drama that begins with fairly standard genre tropes and then takes a curious swerve into folklore and ritual. Fascinating in some ways, but it doesn’t really come together.

3/10

[magnusbernhardsen]

Okul tirasi (Brother's Keeper, 2021)
Turkey, Ferit Karahan

I can say without a doubt it is the best film about a boarding school in Turkey I have seen, and due to ICM there have been a few. Rather than lusting after female teachers or doing pranks on stuffy male teachers the kids here bend the rules to get hot showers in winter time.

I see a lot of Turkish reviews on Letterboxd say it is a political film, and I think the fact that it is set in remote Eastern Anatolia with Kurdish pupils gives some extra gravitas to the story in the country of origin.

There is also an obvious comment on how the central government treats peripheral regions and the Kurdish-majority areas, for example in the way the kids have to battle bureaucracy, pride and arrogance to get their friend to the hospital. I liked it a lot, and am happy the festival propelled me to watch it.

[cinewest]

I'll post my reactions to the five movie in this slate I have already seen.

Night of the Kings (2020)
A very unusual prison drama that begins with fairly standard genre tropes and then takes a curious swerve into folklore and ritual. Fascinating in some ways, but it doesn’t really come together.

3/10

You seem to have trouble getting into a lot of foreign language films, but that is probably true of 1/3 of the posters, here. For a film festival that is international in scope, I would expect those attracted to it have more interest in international cinema, but having said that I am also aware that Night of Kings has been divisive since it was first nominated for last year's festival, and only got in at the last moment this time around.

I haven't been able to ascertain any universal complaints about the film (everyone who dislikes it seems to have their own reasons), though in a general sense, I guess it can be concluded that a large number of people simply had trouble connecting to this one.

For me, it has been one of the more memorable films of the past few years, if only because it brings to life the connection between culture and living realities, in this case one fairly exotic to my own (even as I have lived abroad on various continents, and delved into a variety of cultures). I also take issue with your assessment that "it doesn't really come together," and actually thought it quite interesting the way it starts out as a somewhat conventional incarceration drama and becomes a dramatic, visceral theater piece within prison walls, fusing "folklore and ritual" and a "storytelling tradition" with everyday life. At least one person agrees with me that it is both "magical" and "special." I, for one, was compleltely caught up in it until perhaps the very end, where I thought that the plight of the young prisoner should have resonated more fully (for that reason, and the fact that at times I felt the direction could have been more masterful, I didn't quite give it an 8, which is not easy to reach on my book).

That said, it continues to be my favorite among the 6 films I have seen so far.

[blocho]

You seem to have trouble getting into a lot of foreign language films, but that is probably true of 1/3 of the posters, here.

I don't think the language of a movie affects my feelings about it at all with the rare exception of certain movies (usually older and more obscure) whose subtitles are poorly translated.

[cinewest]

Just completed the Latin Slate last night, and found them all worthwhile (a tip pf the cap to the programmers).

Azor (2021)
Argentina, Andreas Fontana

This film's tension builds in a slower, lower key way than Ashkal, but it is artfully constructed (in chapters), and essentially about the evolution of an international banker taking over clients in politically and economically unstable Argentina, 1980. As with Ashkal, the socio-political context enriches the story a great deal, but because Azor is more than anything is a character study that doesn't feel quite as important as it did for the Tunisian film. Neither does the main character's specific job. The film is all about making the transition to a more important, more difficult, more risky job, and essentially learning what it takes. It's also about the job of a corporate wife, and how much of a key that can be. It may not sound like interesting subject matter, but the way that the film unfolds is enshrouded in mystery, and keeps you guessing throughout.
7.8

Sundown (2021)
Mexico, Michel Franco

Yet another gem from a filmmaker that seems capable of quite a bit more. What distinguishes this one from other films containing similar stories is not only the imagery, but the filmmakers perspective, and continued exposition of his troubled homeland, beset with socio-economic problems that give rise to volatile outbursts that can encroach upon every other reality, including the most tranquil ones. What's interesting, here, is that the main character doesn't seem to care for reasons of his own that we soon discover.
7.6

Mamá, mamá, mamá (2020)
Argentina, Sol Berruezo Pichon-Riviére (F)

This film reminded me a lot of Lucrecia Martel's early ones- the eavesdropping hand held camera work and pubescent POV, as much as the dreamy, emotional sensibility, and it's most memorable for the imagery generated by that, as much as fusion of reality and fantasy prompted by the death of a sibling.
7.3

Utama (2022)
Bolivia, Alejandro Loayza Grisi

This film transports you to a place and people very remote from our own, where life is not only very basic but very difficult to maintain, given the harsh environment, and the film's strength is in its depiction of that reality through the telling of a simple, realistic story.
7.2

[blocho]

On the Count of Three (2021)
I once saw Jerrod Carmichael, the star and director of this movie, do stand-up. I regret to write that his set was mediocre. In any case, he’s thankfully fashioned a pretty good suicide dramedy with some very dark humor. Carmichael and co-star Christopher Abbott have some very natural chemistry, and the result is movie that offers some genuine insight into the philosophy of suicide while somehow also maintaining a tone that alternates between tragedy and rollicking farce. I think a lot of people will find these tonal shifts jarring, but it worked for me.

7/10

[blocho]

The Beta Test (2021)
Thematically, this comedic thriller is about fame and internet culture and success and the insecurity that results from all three. Tonally, it’s a satire that draws comedy from watching a man suffer one long freak-out. He drifts through the narrative expectorating increasingly ridiculous dialogue. Near the end, he says, “I fucking hate the internet. I just want it to be the early 2000s. I want to be young again.” Not long after, his fiancee tells him, “All this stuff, it’s nothing new. It’s different, but it’s not new.”

So the movie in the end pushes toward big ideas about How We Live Now, which is perhaps a bit more ambitious than the narrative warrants. There is, as Mighty pointed out above, much here that doesn't make sense. It’s best just to enjoy it for the laughs.

6/10

[blocho]

Sundown (2021)
I found this movie so frustrating that I don’t even feel like explaining what was so annoying about it. It’s not worth my time. Writer/director Michel Franco has a talent for making intriguing, provocative movies that are confused and confusing and emptier than they initially appear.

3/10

[mightysparks]

Europe:

Mandibules (2020) 5/10
Well I guess I was bound to not like a Dupieux film at some point. I didn't find this funny at all, at times painfully unfunny-I hated the entire section with Adèle Exarchopoulos' screaming character. I didn't like any of the characters, everyone was boring. I like Dupieux's general vibe and the look of the film. The fly was cute and the only good moments of this film were parts with the fly. I wish this had been a 10 minute short focused on the fly.

[hurluberlu]

Asia:
Limbo (Ji Chi) [2021]
Vibrant, glossy B&W cinematography for a thriller that thrills in a sticky, dirty HK. The hunt for a fincherian serial killer and quintessential HK action (that double chase scene in the middle is wow memorable) coupled with director's artistic vision made it the perfect flick until... the last act when I got that strange feeling of watching a tribute to Besson neo-baroque style where violence aestheticisation is competely canceling plot, characters and context and nothing makes much sense anymore, which cost it some points.
7+

Spoiler

Asia:
Memory Box [2021]
The experimentation on the format of material found in the "Memory Box" and how is its translated on screen by the authors is quite interesting and the highlight of the film. I wish there was more of it though as it falls quickly into a more classical inter-generational bitter-sweet drama without it.
6+ (seen before festival)

Limbo (Ji Chi) [2021]
Vibrant, glossy B&W cinematography for a thriller that thrills in a sticky, dirty HK. The hunt for a fincherian serial killer and quintessential HK action (that double chase scene in the middle is wow memorable) coupled with director's artistic vision made it the perfect flick until... the last act when I got the feeling I was watching a Besson/Beineix/Carax 80s neo-baroque where plot and characters just vanish esthetisation, which cost it some points.
7+

Europe:
Mandibles (Mandibules) [2020]
AKA The Big Lebugowski on the French Riviera or how slackers try to turn an outsized fly into a money, life changing opportunity. Thoroughly nonsensical, funny at times, yet lacks a sharper and richer script to keep the main joke running.
6 (seen before festival)


Latin America:
Azor [2021]
Laudable craft and acting in composing Swiss bourgeoisie meeting their Argentinian counterparts in 80s Buenos Aires: good manners and business ventures in chic hotels and asceptized venues reeking passive violence and morale corruption. It holds its line very strongly and subtly all along, towards, and that is my only regret, a little too predictable show down.
7+

Sundown [2021]
It is pretty good for as long as it let you guess Tim Roth (imperial) is any modern man seeking a harbor from social angst. When it brings mexican cartels and some heavy characterization elements, it becomes more of a tedious melodrama.
6- (seen before festival)

Utama [2022]
Beautiful scenery from Bolivia does not completely make up for the simple, linear plot but this is still a worthwile take on a generation passing to the next.
6 (seen before festival)

[blocho]

Brother's Keeper (2021)
A slice of boarding school neorealism that takes place almost in real time. In some sense, it's a very simplistic story: a young boy gets sick at the school, and everyone else tries to figure out what to do. But, of course, the thematic impact of the story is more complex, not least with regard to sociopolitical issues. There are also all sort of meaningful details hovering around the edge of the story, such as the telephone call the protagonist makes to his mother or the dogs that occasionally appear at the edge of the frame or even the helicopter that passes nearby at one point without being seen. The narrative is also structured as a bit of a mystery, and its resolution provides an artful means of developing greater depth in the characters and the themes of neglect, personal morality, and the conflict between individuals and institutions. Added to my 500<400 list.

9/10

Incidentally, does anyone have enough knowledge of the Turkish education system to explain the nature of this school? I thought at first it was an orphanage, but that clearly wasn't true. One of the teachers at one point says it's not like other public schools and staff must have done something bad to be sent there.

[msainy]

Africa
Saloum (2021)



Three insanely charismatic mercenaries, labeled by locals as heroes, are on the run with a drug dealer hostage and a bag of gold after a coup in Guinea (story 1). An accident prevents them from reaching their destination (Dakar) so they take a detour to rest and refuel in Saloum, a hidden paradise hostel where guests do tasks instead of paying, but they have to keep their identities hidden (story 2). A major plot point takes the film in a different direction and turns into a survival horror against supernatural entities (story 3).

The premise had great potential with spaghetti western vibes (likes bolcho analogy above) that didn't get the attention it deserves. The second story is still cool and was a great set-up for the turning point. However I'll resonate with the previous reactions that the third part didn't live up to the first two and, while still fun and engaging, didn't stand out among the endless similar, but more focused, works of the horror cannon.

I'd eat up a tv-show about those mercenaries traveling across Africa and dealing with local corrupt militias.

Rating 8/10 (cannot underrate the style)

[matthewscott8]

Africa
Saloum (2021)



Three insanely charismatic mercenaries, labeled by locals as heroes, are on the run with a drug dealer hostage and a bag of gold after a coup in Guinea (story 1). An accident prevents them from reaching their destination (Dakar) so they take a detour to rest and refuel in Saloum, a hidden paradise hostel where guests do tasks instead of paying, but they have to keep their identities hidden (story 2). A major plot point takes the film in a different direction and turns into a survival horror against supernatural entities (story 3).

The premise had great potential with spaghetti western vibes (likes bolcho analogy above) that didn't get the attention it deserves. The second story is still cool and was a great set-up for the turning point. However I'll resonate with the previous reactions that the third part didn't live up to the first two and, while still fun and engaging, didn't stand out among the endless similar, but more focused, works of the horror cannon.

I'd eat up a tv-show about those mercenaries traveling across Africa and dealing with local corrupt militias.

Rating 8/10 (cannot underrate the style)

yeehaw! Saloum mafia intensifies.

[msainy]

yeehaw! Saloum mafia intensifies.

Hell yeah!!

If nothing else, Saloum puts its director Jean Luc Herbulot on my radar. And reading the promising plotlines of his two coming films gives me hope.

Zero

Two Americans end up in Dakar, Senegal with bombs strapped to their chests and ten hours to find out why.

Interstate

A supernatural thriller in which a hitman, facing an existential crisis, decides to exit the game and leave town with the woman he loves, but his plans are disrupted by a mysterious young man and his ruthless former boss.

[peeptoad]

I'm just going to post ratings for what I have already seen of these slates (not many unfortunately). I may not have time to get to more...

Africa Saloum (2021) 8/10
Asia Memory Box (2021) 7/10
Europe Earwig (2021) 7/10

[pitchorneirda]

That is not gonna please cinewest but I'm not really the kind to start a raging conversation, so here are my ratings:

Europe:

Rimini 8.5/10
Sick of Myself 5/10
Earwig 4/10
Mandibules 3/10

[hurluberlu]

Africa:
Saloum [2020]
It does the most out of its low budget and is certainly good fun in pushing all the genre buttons in a stylish and colored West African background, and what a soundtrack !
7

Reviews

Africa:
Saloum [2020]
It does the most out of its low budget and is certainly good fun in pushing all the genre buttons in a stylish and colored West African background, and what a soundtrack !
7

Asia:
Memory Box [2021]
The experimentation on the format of material found in the "Memory Box" and how is its translated on screen by the authors is quite interesting and the highlight of the film. I wish there was more of it though as it falls quickly into a more classical inter-generational bitter-sweet drama without it.
6+ (seen before festival)

Limbo (Ji Chi) [2021]
Vibrant, glossy B&W cinematography for a thriller that thrills in a sticky, dirty HK. The hunt for a fincherian serial killer and quintessential HK action (that double chase scene in the middle is wow memorable) coupled with director's artistic vision made it the perfect flick until... the last act when I got the feeling I was watching a Besson/Beineix/Carax 80s neo-baroque where plot and characters just vanish esthetisation, which cost it some points.
7+

Europe:
Mandibles (Mandibules) [2020]
AKA The Big Lebugowski on the French Riviera or how slackers try to turn an outsized fly into a money, life changing opportunity. Thoroughly nonsensical, funny at times, yet lacks a sharper and richer script to keep the main joke running.
6 (seen before festival)


Latin America:
Azor [2021]
Laudable craft and acting in composing Swiss bourgeoisie meeting their Argentinian counterparts in 80s Buenos Aires: good manners and business ventures in chic hotels and asceptized venues reeking passive violence and morale corruption. It holds its line very strongly and subtly all along, towards, and that is my only regret, a little too predictable show down.
7+

Sundown [2021]
It is pretty good for as long as it let you guess Tim Roth (imperial) is any modern man seeking a harbor from social angst. When it brings mexican cartels and some heavy characterization elements, it becomes more of a tedious melodrama.
6- (seen before festival)

Utama [2022]
Beautiful scenery from Bolivia does not completely make up for the simple, linear plot but this is still a worthwile take on a generation passing to the next.
6 (seen before festival)

[msainy]

Africa
Ashkal (2022)
I don't know what's going on here.. It started as an interesting slow burning thriller (no pun intended), it fumbles around building up a case that could amount to something, but then it takes a weird detour to hell. It feels like there's a social analogy between corruption and the cases, I cannot see it nor get it. Granted the film overall is pretty decent, with good performances and a magnificent set, an abandoned unfinished huge building, and the music compliments the mood very well, but that's about it.

Rating 6/10

ratings

Africa
Saloum: 8
Ashkal: 6

[msainy]

Asia
Zhì chi / Limbo (2021)
While it plays on overused tropes even within Hong Kong standards (new young boss vs old veteran policemen, over-dramatized revenge story) it still gets away with for the unique cinematography and tight story beats. The new freshly graduated cop who becomes their new boss throws a silly remark, they laugh and immediately move on, there's no beating a dead horse here because they're looking for a serial killer who cuts off the left arms of his victims, already a weirdly fascinating topic.

Another great thing is the tenacity of Wong To and how she will never stop fighting for her life, turning this into a slasher horror and even zombie survival at times.
Rating 8/10

Ci sha xiao shuo jia / A Writer's Odyssey (2021)
On the other end of the spectrum we find this typical mainstream mess that was shot like a commercial, fast aggressive editing, weird CGI, a lot of silly slow motions, and a shallow story that takes itself way too seriously. But it's not all terrible, because it looks like this film was pitched to make the final act and it was spectacular, too bad they had cut corners and fill in the rest with unnecessary padded nonsense and terrible acting.

It also feels like a video game, the fantasy part of it at least, a FromSoftware specifically (Sekiro, Dark Souls) which makes sense considering the lack of depth vs the focus on experience. Watching parts of this film out of context would leave a better impression than watching the whole thing.

Big fan of the human-eating shit-talking dual-welding armor who wants to kill god though.

Rating 3/10

ratings

Africa
Saloum: 8
Ashkal: 6

Asia
Zhì chi / Limbo: 8
Ci sha xiao shuo jia / A Writer's Odyssey: 3

[hurluberlu]

Africa:
Ashkal [2022]
Here the crime investigation is just part of the atmospheric, elliptical description of post- Arab Spring Tunisia and the difficulties of transition and metamorphosis of its society. If you accept it as such, the sheer but vain determination of the main character, wandering in new and old ruins, magnified by the photography, is well worth the watch.
7+

Reviews

Africa:
Ashkal [2022]
Here the crime investigation is just part of the atmospheric, elliptical description of post- Arab Spring Tunisia and the difficulties of transition and metamorphosis of its society. If you accept it as such, the sheer but vain determination of the main character, wandering in new and old ruins, magnified by the photography, is well worth the watch.
7+

Saloum [2020]
It does the most out of its low budget and is certainly good fun in pushing all the genre buttons in a stylish and colored West African background, and what a soundtrack !
7

Asia:
Memory Box [2021]
The experimentation on the format of material found in the "Memory Box" and how is its translated on screen by the authors is quite interesting and the highlight of the film. I wish there was more of it though as it falls quickly into a more classical inter-generational bitter-sweet drama without it.
6+ (seen before festival)

Limbo (Ji Chi) [2021]
Vibrant, glossy B&W cinematography for a thriller that thrills in a sticky, dirty HK. The hunt for a fincherian serial killer and quintessential HK action (that double chase scene in the middle is wow memorable) coupled with director's artistic vision made it the perfect flick until... the last act when I got the feeling I was watching a Besson/Beineix/Carax 80s neo-baroque where plot and characters just vanish esthetisation, which cost it some points.
7+

Europe:
Mandibles (Mandibules) [2020]
AKA The Big Lebugowski on the French Riviera or how slackers try to turn an outsized fly into a money, life changing opportunity. Thoroughly nonsensical, funny at times, yet lacks a sharper and richer script to keep the main joke running.
6 (seen before festival)


Latin America:
Azor [2021]
Laudable craft and acting in composing Swiss bourgeoisie meeting their Argentinian counterparts in 80s Buenos Aires: good manners and business ventures in chic hotels and asceptized venues reeking passive violence and morale corruption. It holds its line very strongly and subtly all along, towards, and that is my only regret, a little too predictable show down.
7+

Sundown [2021]
It is pretty good for as long as it let you guess Tim Roth (imperial) is any modern man seeking a harbor from social angst. When it brings mexican cartels and some heavy characterization elements, it becomes more of a tedious melodrama.
6- (seen before festival)

Utama [2022]
Beautiful scenery from Bolivia does not completely make up for the simple, linear plot but this is still a worthwile take on a generation passing to the next.
6 (seen before festival)

[msainy]

Europe
Mandibules / Mandibles (2020)
For better or worse, Dupieux is a one trick pony (to a certain degree at least) it's good because every time you watch a film of his you know you're getting into something extraordinary that can scratch that itch when you get it. But it's also bad because sometimes, like when our two wonderful protagonists find a giant fly, the punchline doesn't come out of no where and you might expect something of the sort, in this case they decided almost instantly to teach it how to steal for them. Maybe that's why no other film of his tops Rubber for me, which was a completely unexpected and jaw-dropping experience.

Anyway this film is still a great one, the opening shot of the protagonist in a sleeping bag at the beach sets the mood for a Big Lebowski kind of guy, only with more stupid and less morals. He and his friend carry the film together with the fly to deliver a memorable experience from the great Dupieux.
Rating 8/10

ratings

Africa
Saloum: 8
Ashkal: 6

Asia
Zhì chi / Limbo: 8
Ci sha xiao shuo jia / A Writer's Odyssey: 3

Europe
Mandibules: 8

[flavo5000]

Europe Slate:
Earwig [2021] 6.5/10
Rimini [2022] 7/10
Sick of Myself (Syk Pike) [2022] 7.5/10
Mandibles (Mandibules) [2020] 6.5/10

[gunnar]

Latin America
Mamá, mamá, mamá (2020) - 7.5/10 - This was pretty short and full of mood as it centers on the loss of a young girl, though it mostly circles around it rather than dealing with it directly. The cast did a nice job and I enjoyed it.

Africa
Ashkal (2022) - 7/10 - Detectives start investigating after people start dying from self-immolation. It's definitely a slow burn, but a little too slow at times. I liked Fatma Oussaifi in the lead role and the setting and sounds were each pretty good. I didn't totally connect with the story, but still thought it was a good film.

I likely won't finish either slate, but thought it was a good time to watch these two. Ashkal has been on my radar since it won at FESPACO.

[blocho]

Detectives start investigating after people start dying from self-immolation. It's definitely a slow burn, but a little too slow at times.

If that's the way to go, I would hope it's as quick as possible.

Spoiler

Sorry, I know that's some very dark humor.

[gunnar]

Detectives start investigating after people start dying from self-immolation. It's definitely a slow burn, but a little too slow at times.

If that's the way to go, I would hope it's as quick as possible.

Spoiler

Sorry, I know that's some very dark humor.

[magnusbernhardsen]

Asia

Limbo (2021) 7/10
This looked amazing, very beautiful and Hong Kong looking nothing like we got to know it in The Dark KNight. The investigative work kinda reminded me of a more violent Disco Elysium, with Will Yam being a Kim Kitsuragi to Cham Lau's Harry DuBois. I didn't react well to the violence towards the Wong To by Cham Lau, but thankfully he isn't made out to be a flawless hero. I want to rewatch it.

A Writer’s Odyssey (2021) 2/10
OK, I maybe shouldn't give this a grade. It looked stunnning in parts, but the version I watched was blocky in scenes with a lot of CGI (and there weere quite a few of those). It was hard-subbed in Korean, and with a Danish subtitle track that was unsynced, so it was very hard to understand which character said what. I gave up on following the plot after a while, and the whole experience was vey unsatisfactory.