SIFF Ongoing

[tiggymalvern]

A Hijacking. A Danish film about a cargo vessel hijacked by Somali pirates. The film is split evenly between events on board ship, and the negotiations with the shipping company as they attempt to secure its release. The former part we've seen in a million hostage films before, and the latter was actually far more interesting. For most of its length, this film was a 7/10, and then it had one of its characters do something mind-bogglingly stupid to give the film a more dramatic ending. 6/10


Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Ruth and Bob are young Texas sweethearts who make a living from robbery. When a crime goes wrong, the pregnant Ruth shoots a policeman, but Bob chooses to take the blame, so his child won't be born in prison. Five years later, Ruth and her daughter are living a normal life when Bob escapes from jail with only one real aim - to get back to Ruth and the child he has never seen.

This is one of those films that expects its audiences to be intelligent, to fill in the gaps and spot the little things. Bob and Ruth's criminal activities aren't shown in any detail, nor is what leads them into a shoot-out, because that's not what the film is about. The film is about the consequences of choices, and the choices Ruth is once again forced to make. The conflicting emotional pulls are at the centre of the film, and the actors portray it brilliantly. Yet there were times when I found myself wishing the film had been a bit less subtle - it is peopled by characters who go through their lives and talk about them little, when sometimes an open conversation might have been a good thing! 8/10


Wolf Children. A Japanese animated film, by the director of Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Hana is a university student, who falls in love with a man she meets in a lecture. When her sweetheart reveals that he is a shape-shifter who can turn into a wolf at will, Hana takes it in her stride. Several years later, though, when her wolf-husband is killed, Hana is left alone to struggle with raising two young children who have a tendency to sprout ears, tails and fangs at inopportune moments.

This film is utterly charming. It's funny, and sad, and cute, and I'm not a kid person at all, but I adored it. Hana's efforts to protect her children from the world have a deeper storyline about what parents want for their children and what the children want for themselves. 9/10

Two more good films! My choices are getting better :-)

Comments

[teaforme.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree about "Wolf Children" and wish that the film I saw the next night ("The Great Passage") was that good. It was only about a 6 out of 10, and I was up until midnight. Not worth feeling like a zombie the next day.

I'm pretty optimistic about tomorrow though, and my Sunday film ("Test") too!

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

I only have four films left to see, so I hope they're worth it! The Hunt this afternoon was really good.