Ash’s MIFF ’13 Diary: Part 6

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Click here for PART TWO
Click here for PART THREE
Click here for PART FOUR
Click here for PART FIVE

I am writing and completing my second last diary entry after two solid days of MIFF action, and probably the only two successive days of the season where I stayed in the city for the entire day. Of course, with a new week comes new pay (Wednesday is my payday) so limitations of food and beverage had finally been scrapped. Also, for the first time I was in the financial position to afford to buy extra sessions if I damn well please (which I did, for The Moo Man on Friday morning). Over these days I gathered what it would be like to do MIFF hardcore for the full two weeks. The forum lounge becomes your home away from home (though I do wish it was open all day, every day) and you start to recognize the same faces rocking up at some of the same screening, giving you the opportunity to discuss great cinema with like-minded people. During this time I was able to attend my first MIFF Activity in the Forum Lounge, getting quite drunk during the wonderful trivia night. Sadly, upon writing I only have three films left and one diary post. I have no doubt the festival will end promisingly (with some of my most anticipated films still to come) but I am regretting that moment on Monday morning where there will be no more MIFF for another year.

The Day of the Crows (Dir. Jean-Christophe Dessaint)

The Day of the Crows was my first and only animated feature for the entire Melbourne International Film Festival. The films story line is uncomfortably familiar; an unnamed boy (Lorànt Deutsch) is raised in the jungle by his tyrannous father (Jean Reno). When his father falls ill, he must venture out into society where he learns that there is more to existence than nature, the trees and the forest. Here, the boy is met with hostility by most of the townsfolk except for the Doctor (Claude Chabrol, in his final role before his passing in 2010) and his daughter Manon (Isabelle Carré), who take him in, clean him up and teach him the ways of society.

Though The Day of the Crows is undoubtedly charming and warm, its themes of nature vs society and parent/child relationships seem all too familiar and are likely to evoke memories of many of the great Studio Ghibli features. Visually, the combination of hand drawn animation and CG-rendering also does little to help set The Day of the Crows apart from the Ghibli films it is clearly influenced by. Regardless, the film has a certain honesty and magic which is highly likely to be won over by patient children and film loving adults all across the world.

A Hijacking (Dir. Tobias Lindholm)

Using the very real threat of Somalian Pirates, A Hijacking stands as one of the most gripping, politically relevant films of the entire festival and certainly among the best. When pirates hijack a Danish cargo ship bound for Mumbai, the crew and the corporate authorities who own the ship must negotiate in order to ensure the crew are returned home safely. Running dual narratives, one on board the ship and one at the companies offices in Copenhagen, A Hijacking explores the crucial details involved when dealing with hostages and the hostile pirates and the strain placed on both those on board the ship and those responsible for the negotiating. Held together by astounding performances and simple but effective cinematography, A Hijacking will engage audiences from its opening shot and not let them leave until the final credits.

Ilo Ilo (Dir. Anthony Chen)

Following A Hijacking I was rather concerned for Ilo Ilo as it had to be a seriously engaging feature not to be overshadowed by what came before it. Luckily, Ilo Ilo was of the same high quality and yet another very small story was able to captivate me with its stunning cinematography, acting and honesty. Ilo Ilo is a gorgeously designed Singaporean family drama about the relationship between two parents Hwee Leng (Yann Yann Yeo) and Teck (Tian Wen Chen), their son Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) and their recently appointed Filipino maid Teresa (Angeli Bayani). First time feature director Anthony Chen won the prestigious Caméra d’Or at Cannes for Ilo Ilo (the first Cannes prize awarded to any Singaporean film) and upon viewing, this is certainly no surprise.  As the relationships between the characters evolve, shift and grow he manages to capture the complexities of these emotions without ever moving into tasteless melodrama. Visually and thematically, the film echoes many ideas honed by the great Taiwanese director Edward Yang and though this certainly is not a bad thing, it makes it difficult for Ilo Ilo to stand out as something definitive or new. Regardless, the film is absolutely spectacular and should certainly be sought out by all fans of Asian cinema.

The Moo Man (Dir. Heike Bachelier, Andy Heathcote)

Proving that documentaries don’t necessarily need to be packed with drama in order to be interesting (reality seldom has this in mind) The Moo Man is a subdued but thought-provoking film about farming practice and the consumerism through globalization of milk destroying small farming business throughout the UK (and the rest of the world). Stephen Hook, the “Moo Man” of the films title, allows film makers to capture the delicate and tender relationship he has with his Fresian cows while outlying crucial differences between his business and the major corporations crunching on his business and making it near impossible for farmers like him make a profit. Combining wonderful cinematography with a bouncy score by Stephen Daltry, directors Heike Bachelier and Andy Heathcote portray the usually unexciting cattle as playful, intelligent and even elegant, making a sequence of them playing in a field bring joyous tears to the viewers eyes. Though probably not as bold or powerful in its message about consumerism as it could have been, The Moo Man is a lovely little film about one mans affection for his cows and the saddening ways in which changes in the farming industry are rapidly causing men like Stephen Hook to work extremely hard to secure the future of their businesses.