Adventures at MIFF (Zoë)

As a hopeful Cinema Studies major, I decided that it was not only my duty, but educational, to go to the Melbourne International Film Festival. So I got a mini pass, which gets me into 10 screenings, and poured over the guide, carefully selecting 10 films to see. So far I’ve been to seven, so I have three more until the festival ends on Sunday. It’s been a whirlwind – I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many films in such a short period of time. So here’s a rundown on what I’ve seen.

Once: A gorgeous little Irish film about a busker and a Czech musician who meet and start recording songs together. It’s a twist on the musical genre, as the songs they record detail their pasts and their own developing love story. I’d recommend it to anyone – it was the first film I saw and still my favourite. It’s uplifting, charming, and the songs stay with you. The lead actors are both musicians in their own right, Glen Hansard from The Frames and Marketa Irglova.

Eagle vs Shark: This was an oddball, quirky comedy from New Zealand. I wasn’t a huge fan, in all honesty. There’s something about these sorts of films that are just a little too left of centre for me (and there goes my Cinema Studies street cred). I didn’t think the characters were likable, and their misfortunes were just painful rather than funny.

The Hottest State: Okay, so I have a confession to make. The only reason I went to see this film was because Ethan Hawke directed it, who was in one of my favourite films of all time (even after studying it for a year), Gattaca. The film is slightly autobiographical, and it’s about a young man trying to make it as an actor in New York, and his relationship with a young budding musician. It was an enjoyable film, and I thought it was very honest. Although Ethan Hawke himself was in the film playing a character called – wait for it – Vincent. (Non-Gattaca nerds, you can tune out now). Vincent! I freaked out. On a similar note, Ethan Hawke did a Q&A earlier, but I didn’t go, because I knew I’d just freak him out by asking if he ever saved anything for the swim back.

After Life: This was an interesting Japanese film about life after death. When people die, they spend a week in a facility, where they have to choose one memory to take with them to the afterlife – and only one. All the memories in the film are actually ones from real people who the director interviewed. It really made you think about the nature of memories, and which one you would choose to spend eternity with.

Manufacturing Dissent: Michael Moore and the Media: My final essay for Cinema Studies last semester was on Bowling for Columbine, so I was interested to see this film. As it turned out, I was a little disappointed. The filmmakers started the film as a biography of Michael Moore, and as they struggled to get an interview with him it sort of took of a critical tone. As a result the final film didn’t manage to do either fantastically, and so it felt a little wishy-washy. Although that may have been because I had researched a lot of their evidence in the course of my essay.

The Boss of it All: A comedy from Lars von Trier about an IT company where the head created a fictional president who lived in America in order to pass the blame onto a higher authority figure, and consequently has to hire an actor to portray him during a major business deal. Hilarity ensues. The most exciting thing about this film (which was very amusing – sort of a Danish The Office) was that the lead guy from The Eagle, which is a great show on SBS on Thursday nights, played the actor. I was so excited when I recognised him.

Sicko: I couldn’t do the film festival without seeing Sicko. It’s a slightly different Michael Moore film, as his presence is much less conspicuous. Rather, he’s absent from in front of the camera for most of the first half, instead letting the film rest on the individual stories. This creates a slightly more sombre, less confrontational film, and even though the facts are debatable, as in any Moore film, it’s a good starting point for thinking about the flaws in the American health care system.

So that’s it so far. Last Friday I saw 3 in one day, which was pretty exhausting. But I also ran into an old school friend who had not seen 5 on Friday, but 14 since Sunday. I was amazed, but not surprised – he’s studying film and Swinburne and this is exactly the sort of thing he’d do. But 14 in 6 days! I can only just manage 10 in 19….but it’s been a great experience so far, and I’d definitely do it again next year.