Drama at the New Zealand International Film Festival
With just days until the New Zealand International Film Festival kicks off in Auckland before heading around the country, it's time to cast an eye over some of the drama and local cinematic fodder on offer.
The festival kicks off with Behind the Candleabra, a Soderbergh blast of fabulousness starring Michael Douglas as Liberace - and things don't die down soon after.
But it's not just the flamboyant which will resonate with audiences during the festival run. Sometimes, the quiet powerful pieces pack an emotive punch.
The Rocket |
One of those doing just that is The Rocket. This little drama won the best film prize at the Berlin International film fest this year - and just scored the audience award in Sydney. Set in Laos, it's the tale of a young boy, Ahlo, who, according to his grandmother is born under a curse. Relocated by the powers that be from their village due to a hydroelectric plant being built in the region, he and his family find themselves in a shanty refugee town. With the belief Ahlo has a curse, the family's soon outcasts and become friends with one other set of outcasts - a young girl and her James Brown loving, purple suit wearing uncle. A chance to partake in a local rocket festival (where finalists launch off their rockets into the sky for a prize) holds the key to their future...and potentially Ahlo's redemption. A small film with a massive heart, this packs a punch early on during a mountain trek and is evocative in its denouement. With a lead that's stunningly impressive, Ahlo is by turns relatable, loveable and adorable. The Rocket's right to win its acclaim and you really should make this a must see on your calendar.
Starlet, starring Dree Hemingway (daughter of Muriel) is the story of a 21 year old adult model Jane living in sun-drenched California and getting high with her pet chihuahua (the Starlet of the title) in tow. But when she heads to a garage sale, she picks up a thermos from an old lady, Stella, which she later finds is laden with almost 10k of cash. Despite initially trying to return the thermos with no success, she's reticent to reveal the cash is there - and decides the only way to make it up to Stella is to befriend her. What follows is an understated indie (and quite sexually explicit in some brief parts) and is utterly watchable as the friendship begins to blossom. Sure, dysfunction blows in thanks to Jane's waster flat-mates and a seedier side of American life but it's a breezy fresh feeling film - mainly in part to a transcendant Dree and a beautifully underplayed octagenarian turn from unknown Besedka Johnson. Starlet may drift in parts but it certainly hits the astral plains it aspires to in others.
Soul In The Sea |
Soul In The Sea is a doco looking at the effect of Moko the dolphin on the people of this country - and in particular those living in Whakatane and Gisborne where the friendliest dolphin showed up back in 2007. The bottlenose blighter stole hearts and minds of most of the residents - but not those working at DoC it would appear. Sure, director Amy Taylor appears to be nothing but sympathetic to the creature with underwater shots, sun kissed sequences and harp music, but there's just something inherently lovable about Moko - and his charming effect on those around him. In particular, local Kirsty Carrington, a single mother, who rediscovers her roots and community compassion because of her association with the water bound Flipper. Shot 6 months before Moko's death, this empathetic and sympathetic piece captures the divide that the giddy addiction brought - from the locals who one person describes as having the crazies for the creature to those who staunchly defend it, all of the impact of the dolphin's time is thrown under the microscope - as is our kinship and desire to do all we can to save those creatures we deem as helpless and needing protection. There's no denying the charm and moving nature of this piece as our link to our world is explored and certainly as the camera follows Kirsty as she finds Moko's body, I've never felt so much like a moment was being intruded on. There's a charming simplicity to this doco which will entrance many who watch it - and DoC should spend some time reconsidering their public image in light of it - because it looks as if the shadow of Moko will continue to cast a pall on them three years after his untimely and suspicious death.
Gardening with Soul |
Terms and Conditions May Apply is a slickly put together doco which takes a terrifying look at how things change when you click on the Agree section of any website - and how little you know about what's there in the small print. Sure, everyone pretty much knows that no-one fully reads all the fine print of the electronic contracts, right? But what transpires in this doco is how deep the check-box ignorance goes and how continual flip-flopping of privacy policies is occurring. Granted, you'd have to be naive to not know this, but this doco posits the theory that privacy is pretty much dead thanks to our blase way of dealing with it and our reckless disregard for what the actual implications are. Taking in a tourist whose Tweet claiming to "destroy America" was seen as a provocation in a post 9-11 world by a computer red flag system despite being a declaration to party when they got there and a comedian whose anger against the Apple store ended up with a SWAT raid on his home, the examples show how prevalent the paranoia is these days and how the nanny state may end up destroying some unintentionally. The expose may be nothing new to the tech savvy but I have a feeling some of us may be a little more reticent to just ignore the small print moving forward.
Blancanieves |
The Weight Of Elephants |
The New Zealand International Film Festival kicks off in Auckland on July 18th - before heading around the country. For more info on all the programme, including session times and ticket details, head to their site at www.nzff.co.nz.
Read a preview of The New Zealand International Film Festival docos here
Read an interview with The New Zealand International Film Festival director Bill Gosden here.
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