Filmfestivalen 2016

With few
words, the feeling of unease is ever present, as a young mother and her teenage
son return to the Scottish island from whence she came.

We are
not sure what has happened, why she left, who the father is, but it slowly
unravels as the film proceeds. The drama is gripping, but never devastating,
the reveal is unexpected but not shocking, and all in all, it’s a
“meh” kind of drama.

Failed
the Bechdel test

3 dances of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/iona

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4600312/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

A film
that starts with design drawings, complete with reinforcement steel schematics,
can’t be all bad. And sure enough, what we see is a nice, tender and balanced
story about a with terminal cancer diagnosed man’s possibly last hours as he’s
about to have assisted death help. All around it’s fine acting, and, despite
the serious matters at hand, it never gets sentimental.

There’s a
certain lack of highlights, though, and the Russian’s yo-yoing feels toward the
dying man are not explained fully. But that’s a minor concern; all in all
Vanitas is an enjoyable film that could work fine on stage.

Failed
the Bechdel test

4 pools
of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/vanity
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4466946/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1