If you read The Age then this morning you’ll be able to find a copy of the 2014 Melbourne International Film Festival screening program embedded somewhere between articles that contain actual words and not just photos (see: Herald Sun). As always, this year’s festival boasts an impressive selection of local and international cinema highlights, wherein you’ll find films straight from Cannes, Sundance, Berlin and Venice Film Festivals among countless others.
On top of a great shorts program and myriad panels, parties and masterclasses throughout the 2½ weeks, here is a selection of 15 personal recommendations to look out for if you’re overwhelmed by the 200+ films from 50+ countries that you find in your program this morning.
Mommy (Xavier Dolan, 2014)
Canada
The plot: A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbour inserts herself into their household.
Why: Xavier Dolan is only 25 years old and he’s already made 5 incredible feature films. Premiering at Cannes this year upon rapturous acclaim, Mommy took home the Jury Prize alongside a new film by Jean-Luc Godard. The film is shot in a 1:1 aspect ratio (Instagram square dimensions), features Oasis, Counting Crows and Dido on the soundtrack, and stars the kid that Dolan directed in this insane Indochine music video. It is my most anticipated film for the year and considering it’s one of the most well received films so far, you can bet that it’ll be a highlight at MIFF.
Wish I Was Here (Zach Braff, 2014)
USA
The plot: Aidan Bloom is a 35-year-old man who finds himself at major crossroads, which forces him to examine his life, his career, and his family.
Why: You’ll all recognise Zach Braff from his recurring principal role in Scrubs, and most of you will be familiar with his 2004 dramadey Garden State: a supposed Manic Pixie Dream Girl film that some argue introduced The Shins to almost everyone. Following a super successful crowd sourcing campaign, Wish I Was Here is the second film directed by Braff; and, while the reviews haven’t been as great, it still looks like a great meditation on fatherhood with another killer soundtrack.
Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
USA
The plot: The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to age 18.
Why: Boyhood was shot over 12 years using the same cast, meaning that for once in a film when it advances a couple of years the same actors are playing the same people. Obviously that takes tremendous dedication from everyone involved, and judging by the reviews following its Sundance premiere the commitment appears to have payed off. This one will sell out quick, and you can expect to see it at the Academy Awards next year without doubt.
Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, 2014)
France
The plot: A dog explores a forest. A naked couple, in the midst of an affair, discuss the modern world. A windscreen wiper shifts water off laminated glass.
Why: Jean-Luc Godard is cinematic royalty, considering it was he along with Truffaut, Verda, Rohmer etc. that defined filmmaking with French New Wave cinema. Goodbye to Language was awarded the Jury Prize at Cannes with our other MIFF pick Mommy, and you can bet it will be unlike any film you’ve ever seen before. If you’re in the mood for older Godard though, MIFF will be screening Masculin Féminin in their Jean-Pierre Léaud homage program (including the 773 minute long Out 1 – Noli Me Tangere.)
Miss Violence (Alexander Avranas, 2013)
Greece
The plot: On her birthday, 11-year-old Angeliki jumps off the balcony to her death with a smile on her face. An investigation is started as to the reason for this apparent suicide, but the family keeps insisting that it was an accident.
Why: Avranas took home the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival for this film, and already you can find it on ‘best-of’ lists for 2014 films so far. From what we’re hearing, it sounds like a difficult and unnerving watch that is both a powerful film and an informative allegory about modern Greek society. Queue the Michael Haneke vibes.
White God (Kornél Mundruczó, 2014)
Hungary
The plot: Lili’s search her lost dog on the streets of Budapest takes an unexpected turn when the lost canine friend is thrust into the seedy world of dogfighting before winding up in the local pound.
Why: White God won the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes film festival, the section that celebrates innovative filmmaking. The plot mightn’t sound that ‘avant-garde’, although the execution undoubtedly is unique considering that it is filmed from the perspective of the dog, not the human looking for it. It is one of the most interesting films to come out of Cannes this year (probably only behind The Tribe), so you can expect something very different.
Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre, 2014)
USA
The plot: A twenty-something comedienne’s unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront the realities of independent womanhood for the first time.
Why: Apart from being the best reviewed out of all comedies to come out this year, Obvious Child tackles the sensitive issue of abortion in a supposedly ‘mature, honest and witty’ way. Most people will conflate it down to ‘that pro-abortion movie’, but that will defeat its assertion that abortion is a personal choice not a societal one. All I’ll say is that you can expect a comedy that’s hilarious, smart and refreshing.
Han Gong-ju (Su-jin Le, 2013)
South Korea
The plot: When 13-year-old Han Gong-ju is forcibly transferred from her rural school to one in the city, it’s clear something dangerous hangs in her past
Why: The film just broke box office records in Korea and had a fantastic festival run around the word. It’s been labelled as one of the most exceptional Korean dramas, and if Martin Scorsese says it’s “outstanding” and he has “a lot to learn” from the film, you can bet you probably do too.
Concerning Violence (Göran Olsson, 2014)
Sweden/USA/Denmark/Finland
The concept: The most daring moments in the struggle for liberation from colonial rule.
Why: This documentary is based on Frantz Fanon’s controversial masterpiece of anti-colonialism The Wretched of the Earth, and assesses the psychological consequences of oppression on both victims and perpetrators during the African liberation struggles of the 60’s and 70’s. It sounds like a potent reflection on colonization and its ramifications, although be warned that it contains graphic archival footage.
Two Days, One Night (The Dardenne Brothers, 2014)
Belgium
The plot: The film follows Sandra, a young woman assisted by her husband, who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.
Why: We listed this one back in our list of most anticipated films from Cannes because both Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are magnificent filmmakers and teamed with Marion Cotillard you can expect nothing short of stupendous cinema. With what many critics named their favourite performance on the Croisette this year, Cotillard appears to have knocked this one out of the park again so you can probably expect a tearjerker.
Life of Riley (Alain Resnais, 2014)
Belgium
The plot: In the midst of rehearsals for a new play, amateur dramatics proponents Colin and Kathryn receive the shattering news that their friend George is fatally ill and only has a few months to live.
Why: Alain Resnais made what is probably my favourite film of all time: Hiroshima, Mon Amour. Since that film in 1959, Resnais has gone on to make countless others until his death this year in March after he was awarded a FIPRESCI Prize at Berlin. The Life of Riley is a celebration of life that will be all the more powerful from a voice beyond the grave.
Hard to Be a God (Alexei German, 2013)
Russia
The plot: Thirty scientists from Earth are sent to a present-day planet stuck in a perpetual medieval existence, to bring it through renaissance.
Why: Hard to Be a God was written adapted into a screenplay in 1968 and shot between 2000 and 2006. It was finally completed in 2013, and by that stage the legendary director Alexei German had passed away. This film dominated the Rotterdam Film Festival, and with over a decade in production you can expect something extraordinary.
My Mistress (Stephen Lance, 2014)
Australia
The plot: An infatuation between the vulnerable teenage romantic Charlie and S&M mistress Maggie soon becomes something more dangerous.
Why: Despite being an international film festival, MIFF always celebrates local filmmaking talent and even has its own ‘Premiere Fund’: a Victorian government funding initiative. My Mistress will have its world premiere at MIFF so we have no prior acclaim to go off, although by sounds of the plot and involvement of Stephen Lance (who has made some great short films in the past), this film may be an Australian highlight.
Stray Dogs (Tsai Ming-liang, 2013)
Taiwan/France
The plot: An alcoholic man and his two young children barely survive in Taipei. They cross path with a lonely grocery clerk who might help them make a better life.
Why: Earning the first ever Grand Jury Prize at Venice last year from the hands of Bernardo Bertolucci, Stray Dogs runs just over two hours and was a frontrunner for Venice’s top prize when it first premiered. From that moment it’s been on my must-watch list of 2014, and although critics from The Variety weren’t as impressed, Stray Dogs appears to be a provocative family portrait.
God Help the Girl (Stuart Murdoch, 2014)
UK
The plot: Eve is in the hospital and starts writing songs as a way of getting better. Songwriting becomes her way forward, leading her to the city where she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own.
Why: Apart from a great cast of young leads including Hannah Murray from Skins and Game of Thrones fame as well as Melbourne’s own Emily Browning, God Help the Girl is directed by the lead singer of Belle & Sebastian and received widespread acclaim at Sundance this year. When the film was announced I was initially afraid its themes might be esoteric, although early reviews have slashed that theory and at very least you can expect a groovy soundtrack and great performances.
If you’re looking for anything else to do during the Melbourne International Film Festival weeks, make sure you check out the shorts program and the major events too. There’s a whole bunch of other films that we’ve got our eye on at MIFF this year, so head to CultureMad during the festival to find more reviews.
The Melbourne International Film Festival runs from the 31st of July to the 17th of August. Most screenings will be held at Kino Cinemas, The Forum, The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), RMIT Capitol Theatre and Melbourne Central Hoyts.
