Edinburgh International Film Festival Tag Archive
Mother – EIFF 2016
Mother (Ema) is the third feature film from young Estonian director Kadri Kousaar, it’s also her first film to really dig its heels into the role of women in contemporary culture.Mother is about an unnamed aging woman stuck in the trap of domestic existence. Her situation is particularly vexed by the round-the-clock care she must
The Hallow – EIFF 2015
Corin Hardy’s debut feature The Hallow is a refreshing creature-feature feeding off the folklore of Ireland. The film follows a British conservationist (Joseph Mawle), his wife (Bojana Novakovik), and their infant child who find themselves caught up in a nightmare after moving dangerously close to an ancient forest.
Narcopolis – EIFF 2015
Decriminalisation of drugs and what that would lead to: Justin Trefgarne’s Narcopolis is a dystopian take on a hot topic. For a debut feature this sci-fi political thriller is ridiculously ballsy in its choice of subject matter but often favours the thrill of its twisting adventure over deeper consideration of its core questions. There’s still […]
Dead Rising – EIFF 2015
Considering how saturated the zombie genre is, its difficult to craft an exceptional or even noteworthy entry. Dead Rising: Watchtower, the screen adaptation of the popular Capcom game franchise, has even more pressure since its namesake is a hugely successful part of modern zombie culture, loved by fans worldwide.
The Lesson – EIFF 2015
The Lesson, written and directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchenov, has plenty of things to talk about but never seems to feel that way. The farce of desperation is never really milked to its full black comedy potential keeping the feature firmly grounded in the, sometimes dull, domain of drama.
Who Am I? – EIFF 2015
Title aside, there’s nothing long-winded about Baran bo Odar’s Who Am I – No System is Safe. From scene to scene Odar wants to entertain, to pull us in and drag us along under the wheels of an impressive and enjoyable cyber-thriller.
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 […]
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 […]
