23 films later...

It's finally over! I made it through 23 films this year and thoroughly enjoyed (most of) them. Some noteworthy works that I have yet to mention are...

Melancholia
Lars von Trier's latest piece is truly stunning in true LVT style. The opening is gorgeous (which is an understatement) with what now seems to be his trademark super slow motion editing, much like his opening sequence for the controversial Antichrist. What begins as an ordinary wedding, turns into something deeply painful and ultimately a tragic disaster movie. The acting is superb by Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist) and Keifer Sutherland, along with a loving yet pained depiction of Dunst's character's father by John Hurt. I think this film really needs to seen to gain any understanding of the beauty and emotion that LVT creates in his characters as well as the audience. Without a doubt, a highlight of this year's festival picks.

Le Havre
A simple yet sweet tale set in a small French town where a kind old shoeshiner (deeply in love with his dying wife) decides to help a young refugee boy on the run, with a little help from the locals. The characters are simple, but you can't help but warm to them. The plot might sound like something done before, but the simplicity of the script and the direction gives it an old-fashioned look, rarely seen in film these days. Definitely a feel-good movie that you will walk out smiling.

Beauty (Skoonheid)
Racist and homophobic, Francois is a proud family man who begins an intense and dangerous obsession with his friend's attractive son. A very real and raw film that build in tension when you begin to realise his obsession is spiralling out of control. Well-acted and superbly directed full of long stern close-ups to build up psychological tension (much like Hard Candy), this is not one for the faint-hearted. Director, Oliver Hermanus is one to watch.

Breathing (Atmen)
An Austrian film about a young male in a detention centre for accidentally beating a kid to death during his mid-teens, who, after numerous unsuccessful jobs, finds himself as an undertaker, cleaning and dressing the recently deceased. Despite his troubled life as an adopted child, and his crime, he learns to deal with his guilt and the new-life he must lead in order to move on from his past. Thomas Schubert is perfectly cast for this role and his acting is flawless. Much like Kid with a Bike, its hard to not sympathise with the characters despite their situation.

And that's it folks! At least for another year...

xx