June 29, 2014 Archive
In Order of Disappearance – EIFF 2014
Hans Petter Moland’s In Order of Disappearance is as slick and indifferent as the cold environment it occurs in. Originally titled ‘The Prize Idiot’, the film follows Nils Dickman (Stellan Skarsgard), a quiet dedicated snow-plough who becomes a furious force of vengeance when his son is murdered by a drug cartel.
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case – EIFF 2014
Last year I was lucky enough to catch the tale-end of a Toronto exhibit of Ai Weiwei’s work. It was the first time I’d laid eyes on the renowned Chinese artist’s stuff but even then you can see the acidic commentary on the Chinese government clean off the bat. Andreas Johnsen’s insightful documentary proves an […]
Cold in July – EIFF 2014
Jim Mickle is fast proving himself to be a director of particular vision and consistent quality: 2010’s Stakeland and last year’s We Are What We Are both flaunt a gorgeous unity of content and tone. This perfect southern Gothic vibe leaks through into his new feature Cold in July.
Welcome to New York – EIFF 2014
Abel Ferrara has always been interested in contemporary American society, particularly the class divide of New York and the legitimacy of the so-called upper classes. His latest film Welcome to New York is a bold look at high-class low-life.
Aberdeen – EIFF 2014
Though Pang Ho-cheung’s Aberdeen is very much a Chinese film about Hong Kong, it refuses to alienate its audience by making its focus specific issues of Chinese life. Aberdeen is essentially a film about relationships in the contemporary world told through the parallel and intertwining lives of the people in one family. On each level […]
Joe – EIFF 2014
Arguably the most impressive proof of a director’s versatility at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, Joe is the latest offering from David Gordon Green. It’s a striking kind of American film, miles away from the dark Gothic Americana of Jim Mickle’s Cold in July but still very much a Deep South film of dusk […]
Honeymoon – EIFF 2014
For the most part, Leigh Janiak’s debut feature is a romantic melodrama in which its newlywed couple grapple with the overwhelming concept of what marriage really is. It’s not long before things begin to go wrong; thin slivers of doubt creep in and the whole film’s central relationship seems hopelessly stranded on the shores of […]
Night Flight – EIFF 2014
Night Flight is the name of an old abandoned gay bar, once covertly operated in an apartment block. Here two young men meet up periodically to discuss gay life in contemporary Korea. As they stand on the roof, chain smoking under a sunset sky, the ominous sounds of the planes overhead and traffic down below […]
