Ash’s MIFF ’13 Diary: Part Two

Click here for PART ONE

Now a couple of days into the festival and just over half a dozen films, I have certainly started to get a taste for the atmosphere of the festival and I must say, it tastes good. Besides being less and less enthused by seeing the same array of advertisements (especially the particularly annoying MIFF Official ad), I am starting to love every single thing about the festival; the people, the films, the writing, THE FILMS! I am also beginning to wish that I had booked more than 26 films and have already started trying to reshuffle my finances so as to allow me to purchase just one more mini pass. Snapping back into reality assures me that that is probably not going to happen, but at least I know for next year. Anyway without further ado, here are my thoughts on the next bunch of films I got to see at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2013.

The East (Dir. Zal Batmanglij)

The East certainly is a brave film and tenacious film in it’s own right, if a bit obvious and one sided. Basing elements of the film on actual events of corporate corruption in America, the film follows an undercover private investigator and former FBI Agent Sarah Moss (Brit Marling) as she attempts to uncover a group of Eco-terrorists who have been violently rebelling against the environmentally unsound, capitalist businesses of America. The acting and cinematography remains solid throughout but the film falls under the weight of its own purpose. It is far too obvious which angle the film is going to be taking right from the beginning and the result of the impending ethical struggle Sarah must face is answered for us in the political slant the film is obviously taking. Having said that, this political awareness and stance is a very important one. Basing the events on actual cases of company corruption is a bold move and one which should encourage more people to stand up for the health of the environment and fellow man in the face of big business.

Further to Brit Marling’s relatively solid portrayal as a heroine in the face of a major personal struggle, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page and Shiloh Fernandez give honest performances as children of the cult-like Eco-terrorist group known as “The East”. The uncomfortable cult environment Sarah finds herself caught in (complete with bizarre bathing and eating rituals) evokes memories of last years Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene. As Sarah dives deeper into this strange lifestyle, she seemingly becomes more adjusted to it.

The East is a fairly solid output from rookie director Zal Batmanglij (Sound of My Voice) but it really does crumble due to its (many) imperfections. During a festival atmosphere like MIFF a film really needs to stand out in order to remain memorable among the many other films people will be seeing around the same time and The East simple doesn’t delivery to this required uniqueness.

For Those in Peril (Dir. Paul Wright)

Following my morning session for The East  I managed to score fifteen minutes of sunlight out the front of ACMI before it was back into the darkness of the Forum for Scottish director Paul Wright’s debut feature For Those in Peril. Set in a small seaside village in Scotland, the film follows Aaron (George MacKay), the lone survivor of a shipwreck which claimed the lives of five other men (including his brother Michael (Jordan Young)). As he struggles to deal with the grief caused by this tragedy, he must also succumb to the guilt placed on him by the maniacally mourning townsfolk, who cruelly believe he “should have died out there too.” Paul Wright directs the film with astonishing gusto, combining wonderfully shot images of Aaron walking meandering by the sea with fake archive footage of the boys growing up, handheld camera footage and abstract shots of nature a la Terrence Malick. Unlike Malick, however, For Those in Peril lacks the drive in its dialogue and purpose in its symbolism to bring the film home.

The film is ultimately let down by the unimaginable torment placed on Aaron by the people of the village. This kind of unruly community chastising of an individual evokes memories of The Hunt, and the film does little to help the audience in siding with its victim. Toward the end of the feature, the mistreatment of Aaron’s character seems to be portrayed as being warranted and Aaron slowly loses grip on reality (ineffectively, it just kinda happens). Unfortunately, I never felt the sympathy toward Aaron needed to allow me to be fully engulfed by the apparent emotional upheaval in the back half of the film and it seems that Paul Wright probably didn’t care all that much either. Regardless, For Those in Peril is a visually audacious film with some stunning acting performances but it never quite hits the profound sincerity needed to transcend its visuals. Check out Simon’s scathing review on For Those in Peril over at his MIFF 2013 Diary.

Everybody in our Family (Dir. Radu Jude)

Combining the quick and clever dialogue of Yasmina Reza’s play Carnage with the maniacal violence of Haneke’s Funny Games, Romanian director Radu Jude is able to capture the devastation of  a broken apart family with the blackest of black humor. The film follows the lovable loser father Marius (Serban Pavlu), putting every iota of effort into spending the weekend with his daughter (who he only gets to see a handful of days in the year) Sophia (Sophia Nicolaescu). However, when Marius’ ferocious ex-wife Otilia (Mihaela Sîrbu) claims that Sophia is too ill to take a holiday with him, Marius begins to lose control. What ensues is a comic battle of adults acting like children, with Marius, Otilia, her new partner Aurel (Gabriel Spahiu) and Otilia’s delusional mother Coca (Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez) arguing over Sophia’s weekend custody. Eventually, as Marius grows crazier, things get violent and out of control and an argument between everybody in the family turns into a darkly hilarious hostage situation.

The dialogue in Everybody in our Family is absolutely hilarious, throughout the feature Marius is portrayed as more childish than his five year old daughter, often resorting to insults and tantrums in order to get his way. Further to this sharp and witty dialogue, each actor gives some of the best performances I have seen of the entire festival. The insanity bubbling up in Marius’ brain is apparent right from the start and even little Sophia gives a charming and solid performance (albeit mistakenly looking directly at the camera a couple of times.) Everybody in our Family is a smart and witty film, which I would definitely recommend checking out at the festival.