Filmfestivalen 2016

As framing devices
go, Decamerone is pretty much the original. And the concept can, and sometimes
do, work in cinema as well as in books.

What we have here,
though, is mostly surface. Spectacular scenery, spot-on costumes and a heavenly
beautiful cast. The five stories told within (making this, I suppose,
Quintamerone) are of varying quality. The falconry bit works fine, but the one
that’s supposed to be funny just leaves a bitter taste: I guess we’re to
sympathise with the simpleton being tricked into thinking he’s invisible, but
he uses what he believes is invisibility to be a dick. A violent, abusive dick,
at that.

But, yeah, I’d like
to go to Toscana someday, and preferably not during the plague.

Passed the Bechdel
test

3 supermodels of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/wondrous-boccaccio
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3596952/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

As beautiful and
thought provoking as it starts, as dull and confusing it gets about halfway
through.

The deal with
mindfuck movies is to force the viewers to think and interpret, leaving a few
possible outcomes still hanging, each no more right or wrong than the others.
Too straightforward, and it’s not a mindfuck; too contradictory, and it’s not
rewarding, too many possible interpretations, and it’s pointless.

Turpin starts with
the right amount of mindfuckery, but gets ensnared in his own complexity. Too
bad, because Endorphine could have been great, with a sort of Caruth wibe, but
alas, not so, at least not after the brilliant beginning.

Passed the Bechdel
test

3 licks of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/endorphine
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4247428/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

For a film that
takes place mostly on the wide open sandy beaches of the Danish west coast,
it’s eerily claustrophobic. Disarming mines or bombs where every little shake
can result in an explosion is an effective way of creating tension, though.

But Under sandet,
punnily translated as Land of mine, is not a film about disarming mines. It’s a
combination of a buddy movie and an opposites attract deal, as the aging Danish
officers in charge of the young German POW:s slowly but surely warming up to
his former enemies.

It’s a tad cheesy
and predictable, but decent enough, and quite engaging during the tension
filled mine moments.

Failed the Bechdel
test

3 beetles of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/land-of-mine
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3841424/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

In a
contemporary alternate take on christian mythology, jjjjj presents the god of
the bible as a married man, living in a closed apartment with his completely
silent wife and a preteen emo daughter. His son, JC, has already moved out.

God is
portrayed as a complete douche, abusive and commanding, ordering his submissive
wife around and beating his daughter. At work, he controls creation by means of
computer, and takes pleasure in torturing mankind for his own sociopathic
reasons. So, slightly more sympathetic than he’s portrayed in the bible.

Ea, the
daughter, gets sick and tired of her dad’s cruelty, and decides to go to the
mortal world and get disciples.

It’s
wonderfully blasphemous, and a quick take and easiness not far from Jeunet’s
style. It effortlessly mixes poetry and laughter, profoundness and profanity.
The camera work is beautifully put together, and all actors are terrific. Some
could see the film as somewhat pretentious, but personally I think it stays on
the right side of the line. Others, quite a few I’d wager, probably find it
blasphemous and will chose to get offended. Tough shit for them; I, for, one,
welcome a work of art that at least sheds light on the fact that Christians,
Jews and Muslims worship a complete arsehole, and especially when it’s done in
such an entertaining and visually stunning way.

Failed
the Bechdel test

5
stitches of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/the-brand-new-testament
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3792960/?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

A know a wee bit
about early 20:th century Far Eastern history, but not as much as I’d like.
Amsal, or Assassination as the English translated title is, caught my interest
about the era.

Mostly set in 1933,
this action-filled popcorn film follows the formulaic fortunes and misfortunes
of a trio of would-be assassins, their sellsword foils and the traitor in their
midst. One has to wonder whether GRRM and/or J Whedon were involved in the script,
judging by the death toll among the main characters. Violence, lorrychases,
comic relief, adventure, excitement and just a smidge of romance makes Amsal a
great film for watching with some mates over a Cass or three. Highbrow it is
not.

Passed the Bechdel
test

3 nicknames of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/assassination
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501416/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

Roughly a
year after the horrible murders at Charlie Hebdo comes a documentary about the
event. And that’s pretty much all there is to it. Talking heads, archive
footage, some of the hate triggering drawings. Instead of crossing the line in
the same way as the magazine portrayed, blasphemously challenging the
religitards, Leconte just goes tepid on a hot topic.

It might
have been better had I been more subdued in French satire tradition, but as it
is, this was just ‘meh’. And that’s not the reaction you want for a work
depicting something as controversial as the events of January 7th 2015.

Failed
the Bechdel test

2 arses
of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/je-suis-charlie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4760714/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

When
Kaufman decides to enter the world of animation, all bets are off. Add
production by Starburns* entertainment and an executive producer by name of Dan
Harmon and weirdness and high quality are to be expected.

After a
slow start (it’s basically just the protagonist Michael flying, taking a cab
and checking in to the hotel, with the sort of garden variety conversations
that come with that) things start to get more interesting. We, the viewers,
share Michael’s unease, due to increasingly unsubtle animation and voice talent
tactics. It’s at the same time hyper realistic and absurdly dreamlike and
Jennifer Jason Leigh brings life to the eponymous character.

I can’t
pinpoint this picture, which probably is Kaufman’s intent; the film balances
between familiarity and far-fetchedness and does so just a wee bit off. And as
such, it is definitely worth a viewing, but not a casual one.

Failed
the Bechdel test

4 apple
mojitos of 6

https://festival.giff.se/events/anomalisa
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2401878/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1

*) His
name is Alex