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Being 14 | MIFF2015 | Next Gen
By Niamh Byrne Feeling nostalgic for your teen years? Being 14 smashes the rose-tinted glass and gives a clear reminder of just how shitty that age can be. In the debut movie from 25-year-old director Hélène Zimmer, we see mean girls Sarah, Louise and Jade as they traverse their final year of Junior High. Restricted by parental guidance, their only way to experience adulthood is through cheap vodka, awkward sexual encounters and bummed cigarettes. Jade fairs the worst during the school year as her ìbest-friendsî Sarah and Louise direct their frustrations and angst solely at her. Come the end of term, the trio are older, but questionably wiser. Shot in a series of long takes, the movie feels almost documentary-like at times, as if we, the audience, are an exchange student, sitting in the corner, absorbing French teens in their natural habitat. Parents of teen girls, Being 14 takes your fears for your daughter and plays them out on the big screen. If you're a teen going through a crappy time then this is a good choice for you; there's no Hollywood happy ending, warm fuzzy love story or particular moral lesson to take from the movie, so you can simply sit back and revel in the fact that other teens are just as miserable as you are. Being 14 screened at the 2015 Melbourne International Film Festival
The Time Of Judgement: THE PEARL BUTTON (2015)
The following is a transcript of Nicholas Li’s radio review of Patricio Guzman’s The Pearl Button, screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival this year.
Cinema is a medium that can remind us with such gut wrenching ability just how insignificant we and our little blue marble are when compared to the rest of the universe. Guzman is devoted to making you feel human. The Pearl Button, the follow-up documentary to 2010’s critically acclaimed Nostalgia For The Light, is an experience of emotional immersion. The film’s value is obvious and it will leave an impression on you; it just might not be what the director wholly wanted.
The film explores the connection between the waters across Chile’s vast coastline and links them to the nation’s mistreatment of its indigenous inhabitants, as well its political prisoners during the dictatorship of 1973-1990. Along with water, space and the cosmos act as a central inspiration for the way the Indigenous model their lives. Audiences familiar with Nostalgia for the Light will be right at home watching this film; indeed Guzman himself has stated that it should be considered with Nostalgia in mind.
The film begins on the premise of understanding the value of water. There is a very spiritual element to Guzman’s storytelling, as he brings you in and out of nature and into long conversations with his subjects, suddenly and un-expectantly. From the indigenous, and the distant past, the film moves to the not so distant past, and various experts are interviewed to explain the role of the coastline as grave yard for political prisoners.
Immaculately shot, The Pearl Button is at its best when it plays on the senses. Stunning point of view scenes of Chile’s landscape are captivating and position you to feel as if you are one of the indigenous, rowing past ice glaciers and jagged cliff faces in a world which seems untouched by man. The orchestral soundtrack is highly appropriate, and brings to mind the delicacy of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in the best possible way. You can’t help but feel the blood pulsing through your chest as Guzman combines these spectacular images with lonely, expansive music and couples it with the sound of water falling on a tin roof, or with a gentle stream.
Yet, this touch of expertise is ultimately not quite matched by an ability to engage the audience in comprehending the historical depth of his subject matter. Australian audiences for the most part will be unfamiliar with the shocking and deplorable actions of the Chilean government, and Guzman’s work rightfully and importantly brings these issues to attention.
Guzman’s lethargic narration simply does not hit home in the way that a David Attenborough type can compel an audience. The cinematography of emotional and sensual immersion just doesn't correlate to an experience that is conducive to education – in one second the audience is thrown from the depths of space to the stagnant living room of an expert; (and) whilst these experts are certainly informed, they are not presented in a means that’s engaging.
Whilst moving, the film does not explain in a coherent manner that fundamental question of why these events happened. Ultimately The Pearl Button’s strengths highlight its weaknesses; it could have been so much more. 3 stars.
BTS Sonam Kapoor at Melbourne International Film Festival 2015
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Here my miff wrap up, fave to least fave... roughly. Basically I chose all the movies I wanted to see into my wishlist then I thought an easy and worthwhile way to cut it down to a manageable list would be to favour films directed by women, cause the wishlist was men everywhere. Then trimmed it a lil more to actually fit into my free time. Had to change a few sessions during the festival, ended up seeing 15 films, 9 directed by women so that was cool. I wanted to write some more for each film but I’m just bad at words. The top 3 I’ll totally watch again, hopefully in a cinema if they get a general release here. I prob pretty generous with ratings... and these could change plenty with a bit more reflection but for now.
The Invitation (Karyn Kusama) ★★★★★ So tense. I read a review basically calling this film a poor mans “Coherence“ with much worse dialogue and honestly, I can see that. If I just read the script for this film I don’t think I’d wanna see it, some of the dialogue is just silly. But I loved everything else about it so damned much. The direction is fucking spot on and the score is perfect.
The Witch (Robert Eggers) ★★★★✰
Corn Island (George Ovashvili) ★★★★✰
Democrats (Camilla Nielsson) ★★★★ Was interested in this after reading “The State of Africa“ last year which covered some Zimbabwean political history leading up to the events depicted in this doco. This wasn’t quite as harrowing as the book and even had some laughs, in a sort of comically hopelessly depressing way. It was very impressive just how much crucial footage and close access the film crew got to the process of writing a constitution.
Theeb (Naji Abu Nowar) ★★★★
Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) ★★★★ So easy and comfortable to watch. Like relaxing in a bath w/ some tea looking out the window daydreaming for a couple hours.
The Second Mother (Anna Muylaert) ★★★✰
How To Dance In Ohio (Alexandra Shiva) ★★★✰
Don’t Tell Me the Boy Was Mad (Robert Guédiguian) ★★★✰
Putuparri and the Rainmakers (Nicole Ma) ★★★✰
Turbo Kid (François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell) ★★★✰
The Liar (Kim Dong-myung) ★★★
Dreamcatcher (Kim Longinotto) ★★★
The End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt) ★★✰ I feel like this was fine and Jason Segal did a good job as DFW but that maybe I just don’t really like biopics? I can’t think of one I’d give more than 3 stars. They always just feel a little pointless or something.
Sworn Virgin (Laura Bispuri) ★★ I didn’t see any bad films at miff but I connected with this one the least. Felt like the plot and characters had potential but that it was handled poorly and just became tedious.
Friday August 14th
THEEB ★★★★
If The Assassin was the biggest disappointment of the festival, this was the nicest surprise. I didn't originally have this one booked, but after having heard good things about it, decided to give it a try. An engaging Arabic film about a boy who follows his brother who's asked to guide a British soldier to Mecca in World War I, the pacing, suspense and emotional connection with the characters was spot on. See it if you can.
Tuesday August 11
THE LIAR ★☆
I think I'm being generous with this rating. A film about an unlikeable girl doing shitty things to people with little to no narrative. Wish I'd walked out.
THE ASSASSIN ★★★
The biggest disappointment of the festival for me, though certainly not the worst film. I was really excited to see this, having loved a lot of the martial arts films shown in previous years at MIFF. The cinematography was incredible, gorgeous, and almost worth seeing the film for alone, but unfortunately I couldn't follow the story, and its slow pace wasn't enough to keep me there till the end, in part due to my disappointment in the film earlier in the day.
