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My Top Ten Films from the 30th Atlantic Film Festival

Oxford Marquee As the summer winds down the excitement begins for the wide range of films that fill the screens during the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is the 30th festival and while I’m not sure what the exact number it is for me, it’s a safe bet that at this point I’ve attended about half of them. The amazing thing about the festival is how every year there are surprises in the films that appear and something that may be highly anticipated could disappoint and something that wasn’t on anybody’s radar becomes a favourite film. When you combine that with wonderful people and good weather you have one of the best 10 days of the year as everyone celebrates and shares and enjoys film. This year wasn’t as completely immersive as last year where there were more films to see, but overall there were some great films and most of the films were very much worth watching and discussing. Here are my favourite ten films from this year’s festival: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Modra, In a Better World, Heartbeats, Fubar 2, Incendies, Gainsbourg (vie héroïque), Undertow, Trigger, and The Myth of the American Sleepover.

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October 10, 2010 aff2010, film, lists, top10

Atlantic Film Festival 2008

Another year, another Atlantic Film Festival, with this one being the 28th. This time I think that I got the balance just right and ended up seeing more films and socializing just the right amount. Overall the lineup this year was more consistent with the films being all generally good without a wide range between great and not so great. If I count the short films, I was able to see 68 films in total (with 15 of the films being features). Continue…

October 11, 2008 aff2008, festival, filmmaking, halifax

28th Atlantic Film Festival

A few days in at the festival and I’m having a great time. This year I’m pacing myself a bit more and not going to as many parties but seeing more films in the first weekend. It’s always a great event with films and great people. If I count the short films my total is 30 so far this year.

September 14, 2008 aff2008, moblog

Breakfast on Pluto

What matters is the journey.

Cillian Murphy is wonderful as Patrick “Kitten” Braden in Neil Jordan‘s latest film, Breakfast on Pluto. It’s based on a novel by Patrick McCabe (who cowrote the screenplay with Jordan) and there is a wonderful novelistic tone to the film which is divided up with handwritten chapter titles. The story is told from Kitten’s point of view which gives the events a relentlessly positive tone, no matter how horrible things become. Set in Ireland and London in the 70s as Kitten the transvestite looks for his mother against a landscape of political conflict and violence. Gorgeously shot by Declan Quinn, it manages to mirror the spirit of the main character with perfectly composed and lit frames.
While the film is over 2 hours long, I was surprised how quickly the time passed. Jordan lovingly fills the film with music of the time and frames the entire story with two Robins who provide some narration via subtitles. The subtitled birds kick off the magical tone which functions like an Irish “Candide” where Kitten’s spirit overcomes all obstacles. It’s the type of film that make you appreciate seeing a team of people all working at the top of their game. I loved it from start to finish and will hopefully be able to see it again in a theatre.

December 3, 2005 aff2005, breakfastonpluto, film, review

Niceland

What is the purpose of life?

Niceland is a quirkly little film that takes us on a search for meaning. It’s a simple story constructed out of complex characters. Set in a vaguely Scandanavian city and with an international cast with a range of accents but pretty much all in English (with English subtitles). All this results in a film that is set in a place that seems to be a strange hybrid that allows broader points to be made about consumer society. The good thing is that director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson wisely chooses to focus on the personal stories rather than the social commentary. The main characters are mentally challenged, but it’s never explored or explained in any detail… it’s about the people and how they relate to each other. I loved the characters and the answer to their problems is quite obvious from the beginning, but we watch as everyone tries to make things much more complicated than they are. It may not be for everyone, but I found it sweet and refreshing.

October 17, 2005 aff2005, film, niceland, review

The Dying Gaul

Take the million, write something else.

I don’t know what it is, but it seems that if Patricia Clarkson is in a film, there is a strong possibility that I’ll like it. She’s one of the main actors in The Dying Gaul and she delivers another layered and nuanced performance. The Dying Gaul is based on a play by Craig Lucas and the film is also his film directing debut. It’s an impressive debut and while the film has the focused characterization and simple locations of a play, it’s very cinematic and I think that I’d like the film more than the play. The film is gorgeous with wonderful performances all around. It’s a complicated, noirish story that doesn’t lapse into formula. I’m glad that I knew very little about the film as it moved around in interesting and surprising ways.
The film revolves around a screenwriter played by Peter Sarsgaard. The writer is offered a deal to have his script developed by a studio executive played by Campbell Scott. The only catch is that the writer has to change the character based on his lover to a woman. I thought that the film was about this moral dilemma, but that only kicks things off. We watch as the power shifts between the characters in unexpected ways. It was gripping and surprising and I loved how it told the story visually. Most people will see it on DVD which is a shame since it’s a beautiful film to see in a theatre.

October 11, 2005 aff2005, dyinggaul, film, review