Films
Filipiñana
Rafael Manuel’s extraordinary debut is a razor-sharp satire of wealth and exploitation in the Philippines, every shot perfectly manicured as the fairways in the elite country club where it’s set.
Isabel, a 17-year-old from the rural north, gets a new job pampering powerful men, but soon uncovers the ugly truths behind the veneer of luxury as she encounters the patriarchal director of the club and uncovers her country’s history of violence.
This is a decent new entry in the documenting-gross-inequality subgenre. I very much liked the quote from the director about golf courses being a silent violence committed against a land.
There are parts of this that are lovely. It has an episodic, Greek epic feel about it — we encounter different characters going about their lives, absurd little vignettes of life amongst the servants of the country club.
Unfortunately, it’s incredibly slow and the dramatic tension only really ramps up at the very end of the film. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I felt it pulled its punches rather: it had the chance to explode from its reserved, mannered start into something quite cutting but never quite does. Still a very enjoyable watch.
Oh, but the pine trees are not happy.
Daughters of the Forest
Show, don’t tell. It’s easier said than done, especially in documentary cinema, which so often feels like an extended news report. I’m all for an essay film, but Daughters of the Forest was far from it and much the better for it.
The film revolves around two indigenous women in different Mexican states, both balancing between their communities and the call of academia. They’re keen to write down the knowledge of their ancestors and parents, but wary of perpetuating a cycle of exploitation — academic strip mining of local knowledge that moves on without even paying its way with so much as a bottle of mezcal.
Oh. And the mushrooms. So many mushrooms. Some edible. Some loco. Some white. Some blue. The footage of fungi is astonishing.
It’s a powerful film with a strong message that manages to never feel preachy. (Although I guess I’m already in the choir.) Add in a very nice soundtrack by Hannah Peel and I’ve got my first five stars of the festival.
Queens of the Dead
A zombie romp set around a drag club night in Brooklyn. It’s a well made, well paced one. Having been very into zombie films for a long time its a while since I’ve seen one, and this is knowing, funny and silly, but places the zombie element with sincerity.
There are some very funny set pieces, weapons you might not expect, and it’s all round a decent little zombie film. Nice.
Ghost Elephants
A very Werner Herzog film. Is it about looking for elephants? Or about the very act of looking for things? Or about obsession? Or about mankind’s inability to live in harmony with nature? Or all of the above?
It’s a powerful film, with some jaw dropping scenery, some glorious wildlife, and a lot about the humans of the story - their different backgrounds, their hopes, their fears.
The journey itself sounds completely insane - 1000 miles across almost untrodden ground in pursuit of some very big elephants. They’re all quite mad, but I enjoyed watching their madness.
Calle Málaga
The wonderful Carmen Maura is a retired widow, living alone in the bustling city of Tangiers. Her daughter, keen to make money by selling the house, pushes her out and starts a sequence of events that are all about finding community and conversation and purpose.
It’s a small film in its way. But its an absolute joy to watch Maura pottering through the city, coming up with schemes and badmouthing those who wrong her to a silent nun.
An interesting counterpart to the Blue Trail which told a story of an older woman lead, muscled out of her routine by her daughter, forging her own path (in a very different way!).