King of the Cruise: NZIFF Review

Sophie Dros' short-running documentary about a character on a cruise ship appears to many as a paean to a world we can no longer currently experience thanks to Covid-19.

But set aside the fact this captures the mundanity of life on a cruise vessel thanks to shots that take in cleaning and drone racing for the masses, and King of The Cruise is at its heart, a tragic look at a man trying desperately to achieve a connection.

That man is Scottish baron, Ronald Busch Reisinger, one of the richest men in the world.

However, as the old adage goes money can't buy you happiness, and Dros' documentary sees him cut a lonely figure on a ship filled with couples or with people looking for a good time.

The morbidly obese Reisinger is a tragic figure, a man who will consume vast quantities of food purely because he likes it - but will never seem to share a meal with anyone due to people giving him a wide berth.

Dros' film never mocks Reisinger, nor does it put him in the position of being a target for others, but with grandiose statements falling from his mouth, there gradually becomes a feeling of wanting to know how much is true. Dros never really gets to the nub of the man, nor does she follow up some of his claims - she's more interested in seeing how others react around him.

And it's a sad indictment of human life, and the growing lack of connection human beings have.

Some take selfies with Ronnie on the dance floor, but feign interest in him; others appear to turn the other way in corridors; Dros' eye for the tragedy of humanity is sharp, and weirdly never confrontational or judgemental. Detached she may be initially, but toward the end, the camera's peering eye into Reisinger's life is uncomfortably sad and bittersweet.

That leaves an unpleasant feeling at times - a bittersweet sadness for Reisinger but also an insight into our own failings. From the fripperies of the excesses of the cruise to the banality of some of the conversations, King of the Cruise proffers some poignancies at times (it's hard to not be moved by Reisinger's comments of how people have changed dealing with him over the years) as well as a great deal of empathy for a character you'd be auto-tuned to not want to sympathise with.

It's hard not to feel for Reisinger but it's even harder to feel like cruising is a soulless shallow enterprise - and that this one man is looking for life and even love in the worst possible places.

Some Kind of Heaven: NZIFF Review

Director Lance Oppenheim's peek behind the curtains of The Villages in Florida in the US is a crafty little doco that finds a way of inveigling itself under your skin.

Some Kind of Heaven starts with a series of golf carts being organised in a synchronised pattern as someone barks orders from a loud hailer and from then on, Oppenheim leads you through the lives of some of the residents.

Taking in a widowed woman, a long-married couple and a non-resident who believes he's still got the right to be a player, the doco somehow proffers up the feeling that The Villages is some kind of cult, with quick cut shots showing residents involved in activities, expounding the joys of it all, but never once looking like the emotion is there.

But scratch beneath the surface and Some Kind of Heaven unveils a kind of nagging sadness within its subjects. 

The long-married couple appeal to be unravelling; the widower worries she's never going to find anyone else, and the non-resident believes his way of life is best until it comes crashing down around his ears.

There are bittersweet touches here in Oppenheim's doco, but none of them are manipulated for the viewing pleasure of the audience. Each story plays out with poignancy and disturbing flair.

Part of the joy of Some Kind of Heaven is seeing it unfurl and its poignant surprises - but its look beneath the polished veneer of OAP happiness is as disturbing and as tragic as they come, without ever feeling exploitative.

If anything, Oppenheim's managed to scratch below the surface of the Stepford Wives-esque perfection, and what's laid out is slickly delivered, cut for an eye with the humanity as well as the humour and tragedy, and is really a damning indictment of this Florida utopia.

Win a double pass to see UNHINGED in the cinema

To celebrate the release of UNHINGED in cinemas July 30, thanks to Studio Canal NZ, you can win a double pass.

About UNHINGED

Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe catches a deadly case of road rage in this psychological thriller, choosing to relentlessly pursue a mother who overtook him at a corner (Caren Pistorius, Slow West). 

From the writer of Disturbia and Red Eye. 

UNHINGED is in cinemas July 30

Kubrick by Kubrick: NZIFF Review

The reclusive Stanley Kubrick is laid a little more bare in Gregory Monro's doco - but the words of the man ultimately give way to the usual discussions and praise of his films.

Kubrick authority Michel Clement reveals hitherto unknown conversations with the man about his art and the reasons why he rarely engaged with media over his films.

Beginning with the BBC announcement of the death of Stanley Kubrick in 1999, Monro's doco sets out its MO early on - how do you capture the details of a man who was not anything the papers said and who rarely gave insight into his personality.

Via fascinating snippets early on, Ciment reveals how Kubrick never found it meaningful to talk about the aesthetics of film and how rare interviews made him feel under obligation to be insightful about his films.

But for fans of Kubrick, there's a haunting feeling there's nothing new here, and even Ciment's recordings gradually give way to clips from the films and others discussing Kubrick and his way of filming. From discussion over how continual takes would dull the actor until the words and performance came alive again to the interjections of the brilliant BBC film critic Barry Norman, a lot of the last portion of this film gives voices to others than Kubrick.

It's not that these insights have less to offer, more that they take away from what the doco set out initially to achieve.

Ultimately, you're maybe left with the feeling that Kubrick rarely saw the value in going deeper under the skin of his films and that may have been a wise move from him.

In Kubrick by Kubrick, despite an initial flurry of heady excitement, it ends up feeling much like other insights into the man - others put words into his work, and breathe unnecessary life in where there was already plenty. 

Steelers: The World's First Gay Rugby Club: NZIFF Review

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the 2020 New Zealand International Film Festival, doco Steelers: The World's First Gay Rugby Club falls squarely into the formulaic category as it spools out its story.

Eammon Ashton-Atkinson's doco delivers the story of the inception of the London based club, the ripple effect it had on the scene and the journey of the team at the Bingham Cup, the event where the gay rugby teams come together to fight it out.

It may be earnest and crowd-pleasing at times, but coupled with an overly bombastic piano score everytime there's a hard story to be told or a flashback to be conveyed and a voiceover of a script that's ripped from cliche, Steelers: The World's First Gay Rugby Club emerges as more of a damp squib than a firing-on-all-cylinders story.

It's not helped by the usual slow-mo shots from the game - there's little that feels original in here for even casual viewers of sports docos or coming of age stories.

Fortunately some of the earnestness and energy comes from the human subjects Ashton-Atkinson chooses to dwell on - Simon the never before out player, Drew the flamboyant also drag artist and Nicky the head coach who's mothered the team but is in her last season at the top job.

It's probably not wise that Ashton-Atkinson is a paid up member of the team, and perhaps he wasn't quite distant enough from his subjects to be more objective when it counts.

Jumbo: NZIFF Review

Easily the oddest sell in the Incredibly Strange portion of the programme, Jumbo is the tale of Portrait of A Lady on Fire's Noemie Merlant's Jeanne, who falls for a rollercoaster at the amusement park where she works.

Jeanne has a condition, objectum-sexuality, that leads her to fixate a relationship between herself and the new rollercoaster in town.

Despite her over-bearing mother trying to pair her off with her new boss, Jeanne's less interested, coming only alive when she's around the rollercoaster.

What could easily be exploitative and laughable, becomes surprisingly intimate and unconventionally humane in Jumbo. 

Director Zoe Whittock's preference to never mock its subjects ends up leaving you with a wistful and thoughtful meditation on what desire means to many.

Merlant is thoughtful and awkward as this weirdly sweetly told tale unfurls in its esoteric edges; much like last year's Deerskin where a man became obsessed with his jacket, Jumbo deals with an unconventional subject with much aplomb.

Initial scenes where Jeanne believes the coaster is talking to her have both Close Encounters edges and an almost ET like naivete as the pair connect - on paper, this is a difficult sell admittedly; however, on screen, the Spielberg-esque aesthetic joys bring back memories of films of kids connecting with aliens and robots and society not understanding them. It's a mesmerising and inventive watch to say the least.

Don't overlook Jumbo - it's one of the programme's hidden secrets that's well worth discovering.

The Prince's Voyage: NZIFF Review

It may look handsome in its animation, and have elements of a Planet Of The Apes style class clash, but The Prince's Voyage feels slight in comparison to the other animated offering of Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale.

When an ageing monkey washes up in an unknown land, he's taken in by a boy, Tom, who's living with two scientists. Curious about where he came from and battling with the concepts of other lands, the Prince forms a bond with Tom as they head out to have adventures. But all the while, suspicious scientists draw ever close, worried over what the revelation of new lands could mean for them.

The Prince's Voyage has hand-painted stylings which are truly sumptuous to behold as it pushes its cross-generational message of friendship and understanding.

But the story feels slight in comparison to the visuals, leading to a feeling of adventures being episodic rather than strongly connected to what's going on.

The film's better when it heads out of the labs and into the wider city, as the creeping rot from the outside attacks the buildings in the shape of vines. But The Prince's Voyage doesn't quite know what to do with these edges and while it uses the outsider allegory to push an element of fear, it's never cohesive enough to firmly cement its message.

A "Festival of Fear" brings a more nightmarish edge to proceedings, as a street festival allows the apes to go wild at night, but the film feels too afraid to fully embrace what it wants to be and its whimsical edges collapse under closer scrutiny.

The Prince's Voyage is pleasant enough and a visual feast, but sadly, it's not memorable enough once it's ended.

Yummy: NZIFF Review

The latest zombie splatter fest to hit Ant Timpson's Incredibly Strange section of the festival suffers somewhat from being an at home experience.

Belgium's first zombie film centres around Alison, an amply-endowed woman who's heading to a treatment centre for a breast reduction. Tagging along is her cosmetically-obsessed mum and her wet blanket boyfriend, but none of them have a clue what they're in for, when it all goes wrong.

After a patient zero zombie's set loose in the hospital, the rag-tag gang try to make it out alive...

Director Lars Damoiseaux channels the more excessive edges of splatter gore-fest with Yummy, and the film's admirably fun for at least half of its run time.

But the emphasis is more on the comedy and the gore, as well as the nudity. And while some of the kills show a degree of creativity, there's a streak of this film that cries out more for a communal cinematic experience, fuelled by puerile behaviour and booze-addled patrons.

The East-European aesthetics and setting make you feel like you're in line for a blast of Hostel's nastiness, but in truth, there's more ineptitude in these characters combined - only the lead in the form of Maaike Neuville's Alison takes it seriously, and delivers a committed performance throughout.

Ultimately, Yummy's trashy and lurid enough to last the 90 minutes, but robbed of the creativity and originality, most of it feels all-too familiar to be memorable.

Coded Bias: NZIFF Review

If you weren't worried about AI, Coded Bias will definitely unnerve you.

This festival's warning shot across the bow is a documentary warning us about how facial recognition technology is dangerous and is misshaping society.

Slickly presented, and polished, the doco zips across the globe, taking in the trials within London, where a 14 year old is pulled from the streets on a technological whim after the system mislabels him a troublemaker. Visibly shaken by the affair, the teen's reaction is disturbing and the ramifications more frightening than anything.

But a calm approach from doco-maker Shalini Kantayya manages to deliver a measured and studious approach to the technology issues from various protest groups campaigning against it, as well as US representatives as they question whether they want to go the way of the Chinese society where CCTV and facial recognition technology is prevalent.

Disappointingly not once does Kantayya go to those involved with the technology to get their point of view, or even proffer that they weren't interested in talking. And occasionally there's a feeling that the doco is repeating itself and fuelling the fear (no matter how rightly placed it is), but Coded Bias and its approach to invasive AI is likely to be the festival's rallying cry.

Mainly talking heads and footage comprise most of the clealry outlined arguments against, but a feeling there's never really a desire to get the other side leaves Coded Bias with a definite impression of disappointing documentary bias.

Perfect 10: NZIFF Review

With elements echoing the grit and realism of Fish Tank, Eva Riley's smartly deft Perfect 10 centres around Frankie Box's Leigh.

A wannabe gymnast, Leigh's prone to the usual bullying by young girls and the torment of trying to fit in with her own family life thanks to an absent mum and a wayward dad. Things are further complicated when a half brother Joe she didn't know about shows up.

Despite initially not wanting anything to do with his world, Leigh gradually falls in with Joe, as she seeks to reject everything else and everybody else in her life.

Perfect 10 opens with Leigh hanging upside down, her world disturbed by the chatterings of others, and the sounds of laughter troubling her. From locker room cruelty to a phone permanently clutched to her hand, Leigh is the typical teen, struggling to find her place - and Box imbues her Leigh with a spiky vulnerability and strength that's compelling to watch.

With a growing confidence - misplaced or otherwise - Leigh becomes her own person, and Riley sensitively and cleverly weaves this coming-of-age story with familiar tropes and themes while making them all seem fresh.

A good eye behind the lens delivers close ups and precision upending Leigh's world but gradually inviting us in. A strong decision to stay away from cliches amid the familiarity helps a lot of the journey of Perfect 10. 

A final moment of utter bravado emerges as Perfect 10's voyage from the chrysalis is complete - audiences should lap up this intimate tale of street life and inner strength.

Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale: NZIFF Review

Tackling societal change via the eyes of a children is not a new conceit.

However, the animated German film Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale does it sweetly and successfully in just under 90 minutes.

It's the story of two young friends Fritzi and Sophie in East Germany in 1989. One day, Sophie and her family go on holiday and never return - Fritzi is heartbroken and can't believe there's no reason why she can't go and find her friend. But this is East Germany in 1989 where the Wall is prevalent, communism is on the rise and the divisions are deep.

Pertinent as it promotes the power of protest, Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale benefits from its simplicity of story-telling.

There's no preaching to be had here, even though there is a strong message coursing through the film's veins. Authority figures are drawn out in strong angular edges and rounded off with an element of cruelty; a visual cue that these are not to be trusted - whereas the kids and the other protagonists have more rounded, kinder faces.

Sure, there's an innocence of a child in revolutionary times here, but the story never acquiesces to patronising its characters or its audience - the power of friendship is the driving force here, swept up as it is in the time of change and an adventure at heart. 

While actual photos at the end show the divisions and the reintegration, the film's authenticity is kept throughout, rather than a heavy-handed finale that screams "This really happened."

Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale is a strong, family-friendly tale that shines a light on a period of history and does so without ever losing sight of the people involved, fictional or otherwise.

Instinct: NZIFF Review

Definitely one of the most uncomfortable films of the festival, Dutch psychological thriller Instinct is a queasy look at the power dynamic between men and women.

Game of Thrones' Melisandre aka Carice van Houten is Nicoline, a therapist working at a prison. Newly installed in the position, Nicoline finds herself unwisely drawn to sexual offender Idris (Aladdin's Marwen Kenzari).

Despite every instinct of her training telling her otherwise, Nicoline puts herself in positions that offer temptation at every turn - however, the question remains, is she the victim or the instigator?

Instinct skirts around forbidden desire in an extremely uncomfortable way.

For most of the film, it feels like van Houten's character is the questionable one, with every single action leading you to scream at her and her behaviour in the rehab centre. 

But that's also where the power of this film lies - in its manipulation dance and in inviting you along for the uncomfortable ride. 

Mood lighting helps greatly, with the director's use of blues and whites blurring the lines as the complexities and uncertainties of the two flirt with each other.

There are deeper questions to be raised here, and perhaps Nicoline's character is not as fully fleshed out as she could be (a relationship with her mother seems odd to say the least) but robbing her of the character context actually works to the film's advantage and the viewer's disadvantage.

Relic: NZIFF Review

Japanese Australian director Natalie Erika James' generational horror arrives at the festival with plaudits ringing in its ears.

Praised for being female-led and for being disturbing, the film's the story of Emily Mortimer's Kay who discovers her mother is missing. Suspected dementia adds a layer of tension to the story as Kay and her daughter (Bella Heathcote) investigate - but when mum returns home, it soon transpires something else has come with her...

Slow-burning and somewhat akin to the rather marvellous The Babadook, this is a horror that leaves an impression long after it's ended.

Twisting shots inside the film's location add to the atmospherics and James' eye for the slow clever use of shots add much to Relic.

It begins with what looks like a flashing red light that transpires to be a Christmas light, and ends with something that's led to much debate - in between snapshots of moments mix with jump scares and the psychological tricks played on the mind's eye.

Murky rotting walls give the film a sense of the creeping dread, but Mortimer and Heathcote do much to keep the film's humanity alive as the talk of the demon and its reality builds.

A taut 90 minute run time helps greatly as well, without any of Relic feeling like bloat as the unease adds up to something that may trouble some more than others. Granted, the reveals are less about unleashing cheap thrills, more planting the seed of an idea into the viewer's mind and watching it unfold.

Relic is a film blessed with as much intrigue as it has smarts. It will take up residence in your mind as it delivers on its promise.

Tench: NZIFF Review

Patrice Toye's sensitively handled portrait of a young paedophile returning to society has much in common with Paul Schrader's First Reformed.

23 year old Jonathan (a fearless Tijmen Govaerts) has just returned to his home, having been released from prison and into the care of his mother. Apparently acquitted, Jonathan is trying to integrate back into life - when temptation literally moves in next door in the form of a young girl, Bes.

Faced with temptation, Jonathan finds himself at a crossroads, and dangling between what he knows is right and wrong.

Like First Reformed, Tench deals with the notion of temptation and societal ills, but also delves deep into the psychology of what the struggle is for those caught up in the worst of society's criminals and perceptions.

Stunningly empathetic, but not overtly so, Tench aims to open up a conversation around paedophilia. For this, it's confrontational in some ways, but it's also carefully constructed and all the more troubling for it.

As mentioned Govaerts delivers a tortured and fearless performance with the conflict rippling through every frame that Toye puts on the screen. Muidhond asks much of Govaerts, and it's a tough film that places you squarely in the place of the paedophile, but Toye carefully pieces together a nuanced film that is as thought-provoking as it is troubling.

Tench is nowhere near as confrontational as it could - or indeed should - be. The film is more about what could happen - scenes like when Jonathan is tasked with placing a plaster on Bes' knee ripple with uncertainties over what may transpire, and Toye gently leads the audience to a darker place and perception, rather than painting every moment on screen.

Not once does the film ever walk the guilt away, or absolve its protagonist of its pain and paint things in a perfect light.

For that, Tench makes a discomforting watch, and poses a lot of questions, rather than preaching the answers. Granted, the subject matter won't be for everyone, however, thanks to Toye's sensitive framing and Govaerts' ferocious turn, Tench makes for compelling, if uneasy, viewing.

Driveways: NZIFF Review

Driveways is one of the New Zealand International Film Festival's unmissable films.

The achingly intimate small-scale story from director Andrew Ahn concerns a young Asian boy's friendship with his elderly neighbour, played by Brian Dennehy.

It may be one of Dennehy's last roles, but that sentiment is not the reason to adore Driveways.

It's the story of 8 year old Cody (Lucas Jaye) who's dragged to a new town with his mum Kathy (Hong Chau) after she has to clear out her dead sister's home.

Next door is former Korea war vet Del (Dennehy), a grouchy and widowed old man. Grudgingly, and out of circumstance, Del ends up being part of their lives, and Cody forms an unexpected bond with him.

Sweet, innocent and profoundly moving even though nothing really happens, Driveways is a timeless film of connection that doesn't rely on cheap narrative tricks or reveals to detonate an emotional timebomb in its final frames.

Both Dennehy and Jaye underplay their roles massively, with the script offering them moments of visual nuances rather than verbal subtlety. It's the kind of film where a look says more than anything, and it's one whose final frame will utterly destroy you.

Driveways is a gentle easy watch, made stronger by Chau, Dennehy and Jaye, who cement the growing bond between the two families.  That's not to dismiss it - in fact, it's the opposite as this is where the film's power lies. There are simplicities to the relationships formed by children and there are also complexities in how the script slowly reveals what's under the surface.

Every frame drips with sincerity and heart, and it's this veracity that makes Driveways a powerfully understated film, one that's packed with a bittersweet final feeling.

Just 6.5: NZIFF Review

As searing a drama as last year's Les Miserables was, this Iranian cop drama focuses on the war against drugs in Iran.

Masterfully put together by its director and screenplay writer, Saeed Roustayi, this is a visceral thriller

that commands every frame as it unspools. 

Opening with a chase that ends in the most unexpected way, and ending the film in a most unexpected way as well proves to be fortuitous for the viewer of Just 6.5.

Samad and his colleagues are trying to stem the tide of drug use within their country and on their beat, when they get a lead on the kingpin they believe is flooding the market - Nasser Khakzad. Initially appearing as a Keyser Soze character (everyone's spoken to him, no one has met him), an unexpected lead takes the cops to their suspect.

But from there, nothing is as straightforward as it seems as a chain of events is set in motion.

Just 6.5 has a way of sideswiping you as it plays out - and certainly by the final frames, you'll be unsure where your allegiances lie.

A Separation's Peyman Maadi is a thrilling lead, all anger and determination as he fights bureaucracy as well as internal wranglings to get to the conclusion he needs. At the core of the character, Samad is facing domestic upheaval, but Roustayi never veers away from the criminal chase to soapify things with homestead woes.

It's a wise move; and while some of Just 6.5 suffers from an extended bloat, there's more than enough here to suggest a Netflix series could be fashioned from its trappings.

It helps that it has a charismatic villain in Khakzad, butting heads against the stony-faced cop - every scene drips with suspense and dangles uncertainty in the viewer's face.

However, when Just 6.5 pauses and presents the reality of what drugs are doing to its populace, the film wields its power. A bust sequence within a series of pipes and crackpipes is haunting more than thrilling - addicts emerge from the pipes like zombified rats fighting for their lives; it's viscerally gripping stuff that never really lets up.

And in the final moments, the pendulum swings viciously, leaving the audience unsettled by its conclusion.

Compelling, thrilling and magnetic, Just 6.5 is an essential viewing experience.

Jumbo director Zoe Wittock - New Zealand International Film Festival 2020 Q&A

New Zealand International Film Festival Q&A 2020: Zoe Wittock, Jumbo

Your Name

Zoé Wittock

Title of your film

JUMBO

Tell us about your 2020

2020 has literally been the biggest roller coaster ride I’ve ever taken ! My film, Jumbo, started its festival run with the Sundance Film Festival in January and went on to the Berlinale which just as exciting! What a dream, I thought, as I was waiting for the film’s French release in March 2020… Which, of course, never came as Covid-19 got the best of the whole wide world.  And we’re only halfway through the year… Can you imagine?! 2020 is about uncertainty, I think. So I’m trying to just roll with the punches and make the most of them as I keep developing new projects. 

How has Covid-19 impacted you and your film?

It pretty much destroyed its theatrical release. Less than 20% of the usual moviegoers have stepped back into the theatres to watch movies as Jumbo made its new release in France on July 1 after the theatres reopened. It seems that despite the intense safety measures that have been put in place in cinemas, people still felt more comfortable watching films from their couch on one of the many new VOD platforms they subscribed to during the various confinement periods in the world. Which, to be honest, is understandable. I actually like to believe that this will become part of Jumbo’s identity as time passes, theatres (hopefully) come back to normal, and people slowly learn about the film and its history. The lucky thing for us is that we had just enough time early this year to screen at major festivals, which, we all know, is essential to an independent film’s career. I’m ecstatic that some festivals were able to keep on through this crisis, even if their screening “platforms” had to change from “real” to “virtual”. This is giving the film the exposure needed for it to exist. It is indeed   festivals that the film is, for now, really finding its audience! Which, to be honest, is already a huge win ! 

Jumbo

What's the moment you wish audiences were seeing in a theatre, and why?

“Elephant man” – I actually went to see it as it played in select theatres after Paris’ reopening of theatre (post-COVID). And wow! It was just the biggest emotional punch I’d had in years. The first time I had seen it (on a small screen unfortunately), I had been moved, but I couldn’t remember it as one of the most exceptional screening experience I had had. Originally left with only a vague memory of the film, I am now haunted by it… The solitude of the characters, their distress and most importantly their beauty… I think this is film essential to the morose times we are currently experiencing.  

“Interstellar” or “Apocalypse Now” – More obvious choices of cinematic experiences – but still worth a thousand rides! 

What have you learned about film-making, the film-making community and the film-going audience during the pandemic?

I’ve learned that even the biggest fan of theatre screens have lost (a bit of ) the habit of going to theatres. Hopefully this will change, but it most definitely forces you to think of how to make sure your next films remain a true cinematic experience that can only really exist on the big screen ! 

What's the single best moment of your film?

I think that’s up to the audience to decide. I of course have my favourite moments, but they wouldn’t be the ones you’d expect. It has more to do with the artistic freedom I felt as I was shooting them then the actual end result. ;) 

What do you plan to do next in terms of film-making?

I’m most definitely looking for character stories that can be both emotional and caustic at the same time!  Or at least one or the other. The two things I love the most when watching a film is to be emotionally moved (if I cry, even better! Haha) and/or to pushed to think outside of the box when asked to be rooting for a character. 

And then of course, if there is a fun visual component to the film, it’s always a plus ! I like to play with genres to elevate intimate character stories. 

Tench director Patrice Toye - New Zealand International Film Festival Q&A 2020

Your Name My name is Patrice Toye

Title of your film Tench Tell us about your 2020 Tench had its international première at the Rotterdam Film Festival, that was great ! But soon Covid changed all my plans of travelling around from festival to festival with my delicate film. First I was very frustrated and sad about that, but once I accepted things as they are, I saw the advantages: more time to spend with my family, time to read and time to write. There is beauty in being silent for a while…

How has Covid-19 impacted you and your film? Tench had just been released in theatres in my home country when Corona closed everything down. I hope we will have a ‘re-birth ‘ online and in some arthouse cinemas later this year. 

What's the moment you wish audiences were seeing in a theatre, and why? I wish they would see the whole film on big screen, but I’m sure it also works on a smaller screen. 

What have you learned about film-making, the film-making community and the film-going audience during the pandemic? A creative mind always finds solutions. The master shows himself in the limitation. One can still make powerful, inventive films even without any means. I teach film directing in a film school and my students had to start making ‘minimal’ films at home, with no crew, material etc… but some really fantastic short films came out as a result of those limitations. 

What's the single best moment of your film? I really can’t say. Maybe the moment when Bess and Jonathan have lunch and eat ‘schnitzel’ together. 

What do you plan to do next in terms of film-making? I’m working on a new script, but I don’t like talking about it, I’m superstitious.

Tench plays at Whanau Marama, the New Zealand International Film festival. You can get all the details here - https://www.nziff.co.nz/2020/at-home-online/tench/

Whanau Marama - the New Zealand International Film Festival 2020 Preview - five of the best 

The hybrid film festival is just days away from launch.

This year's festival will offer a selection of screenings in cinemas and online to deal with the ongoing Covid-19 situation which continues to affect the film industry globally.

There may be a reduced programme on hand, but there are no lesser offerings in this year's event, and certainly some will need to be snapped up before they reach online capacity.

Here are five titles that you absolutely cannot afford to miss

Just 6.5

Just 6.5

As searing a drama as last year's Les Miserables was, this Iranian cop drama focuses on the war against drugs in Iran.

Masterfully put together by its director and screenplay writer, Saeed Roustayi, this is a visceral thriller
that commands every frame as it unspools. 

Focussing in on the cops as they try and take down a druglord, the film's got a way of sideswiping you - and certainly by the final frames, you'll be unsure where your allegiances lie.

Some Kind of Heaven

Some Kind of Heaven

Director Lance Oppenheim's peek behind the curtains of The Villages in Florida in the US is a crafty little doco that finds a way of inveigling itself under your skin.

It starts with a series of golf carts being organised in a synchronicity and from then on, Oppenheim leads you through the lives of some of the residents.

Part of the joy of Some Kind of Heaven is seeing it unfurl and its poignant surprises - but its look beneath the polished veneer of OAP happiness is as disturbing and as tragic as they come, without ever feeling exploitative.

Relic

Relic

Aussie director Natalie Erika James' generational horror may be being lauded for being female-led, but that's not the only reason to see this smartly executed psychological terror.

When Emily Mortimer's Kay finds her mother Edna missing, she sets about dealing with the realities of what lies ahead - and soon finds herself and her daughter (Bella Heathcote) having to tackle a bigger problem than they imagined.

Slow-burning and akin to The Babadook, this horror's likely to leave an impression after it's ended. And that's a great thing.

Jumbo

Jumbo

Easily the oddest sell in the Incredibly Strange, this is the tale of Portrait of A Lady on Fire's Noemie Merlant's Jeanne who falls for a rollercoaster at the amusement park where she works.

What could easily be exploitative and laughable, becomes surprisingly intimate and unconventionally humane, preferring never to mock its subjects and leaving you with a wistful and thoughtful meditation on what desire means to many.

Don't overlook Jumbo - it's one of the programme's hidden secrets that's well worth discovering.

Driveways

Driveways

Easily the most affecting movie of the entire festival, Andrew Ahn's intimate picture of a young Asian boy's friendship with his elderly neighbour (Brian Dennehy) is the first unmissable film of 2020's festival.

Sweet, innocent and yet profoundly moving, the story is one of those that can be filed under "Life happens"; and yet, it's a little more than that. 

It may be one of Dennehy's last roles, but that sentiment isn't the reason to adore Driveways - it's a timeless film of connection that doesn't rely on cheap narrative tricks and reveals to hammer its point home. In fact, it's the antithesis of such films - and it's all the better for it.

Driveways also has the most bittersweet final shots of the festival too, so don't be surprised if it catches you off guard.

Whanau Marama - The New Zealand International Film Festival 2020 runs from 24 July to August 3. 

All the details can be found at nziff.co.nz

New Zealand International Film Festival 2020 Q&A with Incredibly Strange director Ant Timpson

Ant Timpson's Incredibly Strange returns to the New Zealand International Film Festival.

Ant's views expressed here are strictly his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Festival.

You can find out more on Ant's selections here - https://www.nziff.co.nz/2020/at-home-online/films/collections/incredibly-strange-1/

Hi Ant, how have you been? 

Surprisingly we've been doing very well, that was until we moved back to Auckland and remembered what traffic and malls were.  Earlier we hit the jackpot by moving the fam in January to a small isolated coastal community. And so when the world went to poop we were in a bubble within a bubble. If we didn't check news or social media, we might not have known there was a pandemic happening. 

 

Dinner In America

How has Covid-19 affected you as a programmer, film-maker and film-lover?

Programmer : Like anyone else programming festivals, this year has been a bit of a wash for obvious reasons. Many films were held back and of course the overall capacity of titles for the festival was reduced. 

Film-maker: All productions ceased and because there are so many variations in film - every project was affected differently. We still don't have a clear path forward just yet but it's encouraging being in New Zealand and not elsewhere. We have the ability to get a jump on everyone else but we also may not have the resources to fill all the eventual demand. Personally I'm involved with a few projects and things are inching forward.

Film-lover: To be honest, I was more about the beach, making cocktails and eating food during lockdown than sitting inside watching stuff on a laptop.

 

How did it affect the selections for this year's Incredibly Strange?

Lots of major genre titles didn't want to risk any online premieres before their VOD release so we missed out on many titles just through that aspect. There was also uncertainty between producers and sales agents about what strategy they were going to take - the timing wasn't great for us - if we'd had a bit more time then we could've had some other choice cuts and had them playing in cinemas. Still super happy with the small number I have and very lucky to have a couple of 'em tbh. 

Is it a double edged sword for you this year with some films in cinemas, some in homes? A chance for more people to see your selections, but less gatherings and atmospheres?

Double edged? It's a guillotine!

I've only got one title playing in cinemas so that's gutting to me. It's not what I signed up for decades ago. HA!  Online festivals are the antithesis of what I've spent every year doing since the mid 80s.  

I'm the wrong guy to be asking all this stuff  - I'm not a fan of people tweeting what they think of a film as it's playing - all this supposed "interaction" with a large online audience - it's one giant distraction to me. Film is escapism - so how do you escape into a film when someone is sending you moronic memes or their new Tik Tok jam? 

Festivals have always been kind of snobby and elitist - and that was ok to me - cos it meant there was etiquette applied that you don't get during some Marvel poop on a Friday night at the plex. 

Look there's zero atmosphere around the festival unless it's in a cinema - we're so lucky we have that component happening for us - otherwise it would have been one sad affair.

 

You are doing some in cinema screenings - what's going to be the best one in terms of audience reception?

Is this for me or for fest director Marten?  Have you done a cut and paste again Darren?   Anything playing in a cinema is worth seeing at the moment. There's only a 1/4 of the line-up playing so read up on 'em and go see em how they're supposed to be seen. 

Relic

Turning to the selection, Relic is fantastic - what drew you to this?

Advance word before it hit gold at Sundance, a slow burn debut chiller from an exciting new voice coming out of Australia - Natalie James, like Jennifer Kent before her with Babadook, will be going on to do big things. 

Losing your mind has to be one of ultimate fears of any sane adult - and so a film that manages to weave that and some dark generational angst alongside some genuinely creepy moments was always going to fit the bill.

Yummy brings virus and zombies to the IS -the best moment in this film is what?

Yummy

You're asking me? The King of Non-Spoilers to reveal the best moment? Sorry comrade - no can do. Not on my watch. If you like slickly produced demented zombie fun then you're going to find enough puerile gags and gore laden amusement throughout YUMMY.  It does what it says on the box. 

 

Jumbo's inspired by a true story - what more can you tell us about that?

Loosely inspired by Amy, who was the star of the documentary Married to the Eiffel Tower.  The real life Amy has many lovers, one of them a theme park ride and the documentary explores how she and two other Objectum Sexuals (people who are horny for objects) deal with intimacy. Their "partners" range from the Berlin Wall to the Eiffel Tower. You can check out Amy and others here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5OiplprDFU 

Jumbo

 

2020 finds us in a reflective mood generally, so Friedkin on The Exorcist seems perfect fodder. What is it about The Exorcist that keeps drawing people in do you think?

Well it's perpetually cited as the scariest film ever made so there's that huge cultural hook that keeps pulling in new generations of viewers. It's very hard to describe to people who weren't around in the 70s just how impactful the film was to audiences. It was shocking and convincing. 

So hearing Friedkin take us back to that time and to hear about the creation of the film is something anyone interested in cinema is going to find captivating. 

 

Tell us about Dinner in America

Another buzzy Sundance title - this was one of those films that starts off so abrasively with an obnoxious character that you're not sure whether you wanna spend 90mins with em - but then things take a few turns and a relationship begins to grow and it suddenly morphs into something a lot sweeter. A simple story of two miscreants who end up being good for each other once they let their walls down.

 

Congrats on having the best film title in the programme with Jesus Shows You The Way to the Highway.....

Not only the best title but possibly the best film for the right viewer. I truly felt invigorated after seeing it for the first time - it wasn't just because it was gonzo filmmaking, it seemed to celebrate all of cinema and I had a smile throughout and for a long time afterwards. 

 

What are your picks from the rest of the programme?

If there's a chance to support a local film in person at a cinema screening - then please go check it out. Ya just never know when we might all be back in lockdown!

 

Do you hope the NZIFF can run a hybrid festival like this again?

Nope. Zero interest in ever doing this again. 

 

What's the one moment in all your films you want audiences to experience, either in a cinema or at home?

That they got their money's worth for their time and emotional investment. 

And at home I just want them to experience the feeling of wanting to be in a cinema watching the film.