Here, in my order of preference, are the films I saw at the 2002 festival:

 

·          My Favourite: Whale Rider

For the second straight year, the People's Choice Award winner is again my favourite. I found this story of a Maori girl born into the family of the chief of a patriarchal tribe truly endearing and touching. I really seem to have a soft spot for New Zealand's cinema, because I've been impressed by virtually every kiwi film I can think of at the moment: The Price of Milk, The Man From Snowy River, The Piano...they all have strong emotional content and take advantage of the dramatic landscape, and I think they also really have something in common with good Canadian cinema in these respects.

 

·          Honourable Mention: Nowhere In Africa

I really enjoyed this true story of a Jewish family who escape Germany just before World War II. It's interesting both from a historical and a dramatic perspective, and the characters are genuine and complex, dealing with the unusual pressures of a difficult time. A healthy affection and respect for Africa are evident too, adding to my respect for the film.

 

I also recommend:

·          Bowling For Columbine - Michael Moore's documentary about the US gun culture is very powerful and darkly hilarious. There are certainly disturbing segments (such as security tape footage from inside Columbine during the massacre) but Moore uses tragedy and comedy extremely well to augment each other, and hopefully to stir the activist in each of us. My chief criticism would be that his over-simplifiication of some issues and his selectivity of footage undermines his credibility somewhat. There are occasions on which he goes for the laugh or uses sources that just don't seem believable (such as his sample of Canadian interview subjects) where if he had taken a more serious tack, he might have come up with something more balanced, meaty, and convincing. Then again, I suppose Michael Moore has never claimed to be an objective journalist. In any case, I don't mean to diminish the strength of this film...I think everyone should see it, especially the Americans and American residents among you.

·          Together - The latest from Chinese director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, The Emperor & The Assassin) is another well-told, interesting story, populated with interesting and likable characters. This time the setting is the present, however, and the central character is a young musician not only dealing with the pressures of growing up but also trying to handle the pressure to become a great musician at the same time.

 

Also worth seeing:

·          Lilya 4-Ever - The latest offering from Lukas Moodysson (whose debut feature Show Me Love was my favourite of the 1999 festival) is every bit as sensitive, intimate, and genuine as his previous work, but the subject matter here is so dark and disturbing that I can't quite bring myself to recommend it. I also found the ending a bit too abrupt...I thought it should have been smoothed and drawn out a little bit, for a more satisfying conclusion.

·          The Cuckoo - It sounds a bit like a joke: A Russian, a Finn, and a Lapp are stranded together in northern Finland during World War II...and there are plenty of comedic elements as they try (and usually fail) to communicate with one another. Beyond the humour, though, there is plenty of anti-war subtext, and the film gets increasingly serious and spiritual toward the end, giving the film plenty of substance, certainly enough to satisfy me. The actress who plays the Lapp woman nursing the two soldiers back to health is remarkably good, considering it is her first acting job...apparently the other two main actors are well-known Russian comedians.

·          Black & White - The true tale of an Australian aborigine put on trial for the murder of a white child in the 1950s, it does a remarkably good job of remaining impartial and giving all sides of the story, from multiple perspectives. A compelling and dramatic story it is, too, with its share of twists and turns...at least as good as any Grisham-adapted movie I've seen.

·          Hukkle - I was very impressed with this highly inventive Hungarian film that manages to convey a story with virtually no real dialogue. The story certainly turned out to be darker than I expected, leaving me feeling somewhat cold at the end, but the innovative, musical, and mysterious style with which the story is told makes it well worth seeing.

·          Lost In La Mancha - A documentary about Terry Gilliam trying to bring his vision of Don Quixote to the screen. It's very interesting to see the process of pre-production, and the film-makers did a very good job, especially of drawing the parallels between Quixote and Gilliam himself, but much of the film is ultimately not much fun to watch (especially if you're rooting for Gilliam, as I certainly was) as Murphy's Law wreaks havoc with the production. Then again, if you're the kind of person who sought out the consenting self-torture of Jackass: The Movie, you might enjoy watching the wheels come off as Gilliam struggles to keep it together.

·          Rub & Tug - An entertaining comedy set in a massage parlour in Toronto. I felt a bit guilty enjoying it after seeing the depiction of the sex trade in Lilya 4-Ever, but the strong story and likable characters make it a fun escapist movie.

·          Elsewhere - This documentary had a concept I found fascinating: spend a month in each of twelve different places around the world (the filmmakers spent the year 2000 on the road) making a twenty-minute segment on each place. I hadn't realized that they were going to be focusing on relatively remote locations, and mostly on indigenous peoples, but that was an understandable specialization, to make it more cohesive. I found most of it quite interesting, and I think it's greatest strength is that it puts you in touch with both the common elements of humanity and the wide differences across the cultural spectrum. However, at a bladder-busting four hours in length, I have to think they could easily have found five minutes to cut from each segment to make it a much more manageable three hours...and if you have no interest in sociology, you needn't bother at all.

·          Try Seventeen - Elijah Wood's natural wide-eyed earnestness drives this story about trying to find yourself. It's quite entertaining, but ultimately insubstantial...sort of this year's Who Is Cletis Tout, but at least with Who Is Cletis Tout, there wasn't the pretense of substance. Then again, maybe I was just embittered by the woman behind me who kept loudly whispering, "He's so cute!", whenever Elijah had a closeup.

·          Morvern Callar - Samantha Morton, one of my favourite actresses, stars in this Scottish film as a young woman on the edge of madness. Although it is sometimes gruesome and often uncomfortable, it is an interesting portrayal of someone coping with an extremely difficult situation. Morton and the woman who plays her best friend are exceptionally good, and I was also impressed by the music and direction. The subject matter weighs it all down, but those elements manage to lift it up. It may not be a good time, but I do think it's a good movie.

 

I don't recommend:

·          Suddenly - This Argentinian film starts off very well, but I really wasn't happy with where it went from there, as the characters seemed to lack both consistency and depth. The director's explanation in the Q&A afterward was revealing; he had adapted some of the early (very good) scenes from somebody else's short story, and written the rest of the screenplay based on how he thought the characters would progress. My conclusion, then, is that he should stick to adapted screenplays.

·          Ken Park - From the people who brought you Kids comes another devastating look at the seamy underbelly of suburbia. The stories here are about a group of teenage kids who survive (or don't, as the case may be) family situations that range from odd to horrible, none of them easy to stomach. I suppose I'd have to admit some guilty pleasure in the same vein as watching Cops or Jerry Springer, but ultimately I was also left with that same sort of dirty feeling, wondering if there was anything to learn from the movie, and not finding much in the way of a redeeming quality in this depressing and sometimes disgusting movie.

·          deadend.com - A largely improvised Canadian film about three kids who drive across the country with the intention of killing themselves when they get to the end of their journey, this ends up coming off like a second-rate film school project. There are some good scenes, especially the ones in Toronto and North Bay, and it looks like it was probably a lot of fun to make, but the acting and dialogue are less than gripping, and I don't think the movie has nearly enough substance to recommend it.

·          Happy Here & Now - Perhaps I missed something along the way, but I never really got into this movie, which at times seemed like a David Lynch weird-out and at other times a pseudo-intellectual wank like Waking Life. There's definitely some imagination at work here, but I didn't get any more from the movie than I got from the title, so let me save you some time: Be happy here and now, because you don't know what the future will hold.

 

Feedback is welcome...thanks for reading!