FANTASIA FESTIVAL 2021: CONCLUSION

 

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The 25th FANTASIA FEST is now over! Although I watched from my computer like many of you I was very pleased with all the movies I saw, even those I enjoyed less. The movies I will discuss here all have one thing in common: they produce a very strange dystopian mood. The subjects are those that preoccupy us now, the decay and corruption we feel approaching with the climate crisis.

HOTEL POSEIDON

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Stef Lernous  CAST: Ruth Becquart, Steve Geerts, Anneke Sluiters, Tine Van den Wyngaert, Dominique Van Malder, Tom Vermeir

This movie is enormously painful to watch. Sloth and decay is carried to the extreme with scenes that make us want to vomit.

It is meant to have comedic elements through the disgusting scenes but I did not feel the humour. I hung in there like a trooper so I could write about it!

MAD GOD

The brain child of Phil Tippett who has brought his extraordinary talent to many iconic movies like Star Wars, Robocop, Jurassic Parc. It took him 30 years to complete this descent into hell via stop motion puppetry.

The theme of dead bodies pilling up and dead people interfering with our lives was also brilliantly explored in the documentary Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror. It is an unavoidable issue of life on Earth. Ponder this fact: in the coming 100 years, there will be 8 billion human beings who will die on our planet; we live on top of billions of dead animal plants and people; climate change will alter the taste of coffee and chocolate! 

This morbid animated feature is about all of that.

 #BLUE_WHALE                                                                  

DIRECTOR: Anna Zaytseva  WRITER: Evgenia Bogomyakova, Olga Klemesheva, Anna Zaytseva  CAST: Anna Potebnya, Yekaterina Stulova, Polina Vataga, Timofey Yeletsky

This movie is all about how teenagers get tangled up in cyber exploitation and abuse. It is a thriller based on real life events. It is simply brilliant! Fast paced and moving the young people have no time to think about what is happening to them and before they know it, they are ready to surrender their lives! 

What really works about this movie is that it unfolds all through the eye of the computer and the computer screens. But it is also about strange moods!

Fantasia has announced the winners of this years edition and you can read all about it right HERE.

-LENA GHIO  

FANTASIA FESTIVAL 2021: AN EXCITING BREAKTHROUGH FROM STEREOTYPES!

 

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I was pleasantly surprised by some high quality movies that totally broke through movie clichés that have plague modern cinema for decades. There are archetypes that I believed could not be broken through because they are ingrained in our culture. I am so happy to have been wrong!

INDEMNITY

• DIRECTOR/WRITER : Travis Taute
• CAST: Nicole Fortuin, Jarrid Geduld, Andre Jacobs, Gail Mabalane, Louw Venter

This South African thriller blew me away! There is not a second of peace as the plot twists multiply and the action is relentless. Theo Abrams, played by Jarrid Geduld, is a fireman plagued by PTSD. His life is coming apart and his grip on reality is shaky at best. His wife Angela, Nicole Fortuin, is approached by a mysterious man on the run who has a story he hopes she will write for her media. Soon, Angela is dead and Theo is the primary suspect.

As Theo tries to prove his innocence all those he can rely on are murdered by a savage team that works for a man in a position of power who always seem to be one step ahead.

The script is excitingly original. The concept underlying this science fiction thriller is that, somehow, a technology could be developed where a person's PTSD could be harnessed to turn its victim into a murder machine. An ambitious scheme is revealed that takes a position where the US, Europe and Asia are seen as the oppressors that steal the natural resources and limit the opportunities that belong to Africans. We never get to see this perspective much less do we see it being defended. A very satisfying movie!

HELLBENDER

• DIRECTORS/WRITERS/CAST : John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser

FINALLY!!!!! A fresh young look at the ancient religion of witchcraft! I LOVED IT!!!

A mother and daughter pair of witches live in isolation in a luscious mountain. They compose excellent heavy metal songs that they play while wearing their spicy outfits. 

What is significant is that the movie constructs its own symbology and mythology. The witches transcend the infamous pentagram that is so widely used in witch stories. Some symbols are the same: the book, the keys, the bones: but it is not in an ancient old village, it is in a contemporary environment.

Of course there is wickedness...

MARTYRS LANE

• DIRECTOR/WRITER: Ruth Platt 
• CAST: Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer, Kiera Thompson

The ghost story is re-invented in this heartbreaking movie.

Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer are the two young actresses who portray the two main protagonists Leah and Rachel with so much talent and spunk, it is amazing! Leah is visited by a mysterious night friend, Rachel. They play strange games that will in the end reveal the essence of the gloom that hangs over the household. What transcends the stereotype is the importance put on the children's views and approaches to the mystery of death, dealing with grief stricken parents all the while trying to grow up. Just lovely!

ALL THE MOONS

• DIRECTOR: Igor Legarreta 
• WRITER: Igor Legarreta, Jon Sagala 
• CAST : Josean Bengoetxea, Haizea Carneros, Itziar Ituñoa 

My favorite movie so far in a year rich with very satisfying movies.  At the heart of this horror fantasy about vampires are the themes of parenthood and loss. The main characters have all suffered great loss they hope to fill with one another.

Haizea Carneros plays an orphan girl that is transformed into a vampire by a female vampire who desires to love her as a daughter. However they are quickly thorn apart by the villagers hunting down the creatures. And here, the vampire story becomes an entirely different tale that is so touching I actually cried.

Candido, Josean Bengoetxea, finds the girl in one of his hunter's trap after she lived in the wild for a decade. This is the heart of the human tale in this story as the movie expresses with poetic eloquence the profound love a man can have for his daughter.

Haizea Carneros is such a gifted young actress, she is a delight to watch. She is perfectly paired with Josean Bengoetxea as her adoptive father.

The cinematography is exquisite with luscious natural sites and bodies of water and adds to the wonder of this wonderful film.

It will be in-person screening this Saturday August 21 and I hope you will have a chance to see it, it is worth it.

-LENA GHIO  

FANTASIA FEST 25 • Seabok • King Knight • Giving birth to a butterfly

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SEABOK

• DIRECTOR: Lee Yong-ju
• WRITERS: Yeom Gyu-hun, Lee Jae-min, Jeo Min-suk, Lee Yong-ju
• CAST: Gong Yoo, Park Bo-gum, Jo Woo-jin, Park Byung-eun, Jang Young-nam

A former secret service agent who is struggling with a deadly brain tumour is put in charge of the most extraordinary scientific breakthrough of all times: a clone who never dies. 

The film evolves around themes of political power struggles to mankind's eternal quest for youth and immortality. Perhaps some of the questions are asked from a more contemporary perspective since the conclusion is discussed as to whether immortality would actually be good for life.

The film is very pleasant to look at; the characters are endearing enough; there are some elegant special effects that illustrate the power that make Seabok an immortal. It is poetic instead of pragmatic in its ending.

KING KNIGHT

• DIRECTOR: Richard Bates, Jr.
• WRITER: Richard Bates, Jr.
• CAST: Barbara Crampton, Matthew Gray Gubler, Andy Milonakis, Johnny Pemberton, Angela Sarafyan, Ray Wise, Kate Comer, Emily Chang, Josh Fadem, Swati Kapila, Shane Brady

I love this modern look at Wicca with a dash of humour! I love the members of the coven that are quirky and cute. 

Basically, it is a film about owning your true self, in our contemporary world, as we are linked together by the internet and social media. For example, Thorn, Matthew Gray Gubler, earns a living by selling bird baths via his webpage. One day, his past is revealed and the coven is shocked by who he was and doubt his truthfulness in the present. True to the California location of the story, we see the Castanedean influence when Thorn experiences alternate dimensions after unwittingly ingesting ayahuasca, a concoction made from hallucinogenic 

GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY

• DIRECTOR: Theodore Schaefer
• WRITER: Patrick Lawler, Theodore Schaefer
• CAST: Gus Birney, Annie Parisse, Paul Sparksa

Annie Parisse plays Diana, a mom who discovers her bank account has been emptied by an identity thief. She is blindsided when she finds out her son Teddy, played by Kelly Van Dilla, informs the family that his pregnant girlfriend will move in the family home. Her husband is disappointed in his job and whines as Diana's anxiety escalates. Finally it is Marlene, Teddy's pregnant girlfriend played by Gus Birney, that will assist her in trying to solve the mystery of her stolen identity.

A soft toned movie where imagery from surrealist art are evoked but not replicated. The man with a scarf over his face evokes Magritte while Diana sitting with herself evokes the famous Frida Kahlo painting The Two Fridas.

This Sunday August 15 at 9:30 PM at Cinema Imperial you will have a chance to experience the live version of Fantasia for the world premiere of Mark O'brien's The Righteous. Mark O'brien, Henry Czerny and Mimi Kuzyk will be present and discuss the movie with the audience.

Visit the Fantasia site for other exciting premieres you can see live or on on the web.

I am coming back soon with more fantastic movies!

-LENA GHIO  

 

FANTASIA FEST 25 • KRATT • SATOSHI KON: The Illusionist • Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break • Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror

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• The 25th FANTASIA FESTIVAL is now open!

Although the pandemic has removed one of the best fun of the festival, which is being with like-minded individuals rearing for wild experiences, the online version does offer some advantages. For example, you can go to the washroom whenever you want and rewind a scene you need to have clarified! FUN!

Here is a review of my first four choices all of which I thoroughly enjoyed!

The first movie I selected for screening is the Estonian feature KRATT. I was attracted to the film after seeing the trailer in which there is a scene that reminded me of the first nightmare I can remember having as a child. I am not even sure I was school aged at the time but If I was, it had not been long since I started school. In this nightmare I ran in horror up a tiny hill as I had just witnessed a child abduction event by an evil witch who made pies with the children. I still remember the big pie! Although the imagery evoked my dream, and if you choose to see this movie you will recognize the scene I mean, the story is a different. 

KRATT

A KRATT is like the Jewish Golem. In this tale, two very modern urban children come for a visit at grandma's house in the country. They soon make friends with a pair of likeminded youths who are also without smart phone privilege. They must go it old school and soon find themselves at the public library where they find a book of magic!

I was thoroughly happy with my choice of film. First thing I must say, the characters have fabulous hair styles! Very modern and fresh. The story evolves at a good pace and some moments are quite hilarious!

The children are played by Director/Writer Rasmus Merivoo's own children, Nora and Hari, and they do an excellent job.

My second choice was SATOSHI KON: The Illusionist. a I love biographical documentaries of great artists! I wanted to know more and again I was thrilled with my choice!

It is a sad history that we often lose our brightest artists too young and too fast. Satoshi Kon was just starting to gain well deserved recognition for a lifetime of work as a Manga Master film animator and shining story teller. The featured cast of celebrities who worked with Satoshi Kon: Darren Aronofsky, Mamoru Hosoda, Taro Maki, Rodney Rothman, Aya Suzuki.

Plus, I have a gift for you. I found PAPRIKA on Youtube. It is free and illustrates the power of Satoshi Kon's genius.

I LOVED THIS FILM!!!

My third choice was Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break. I decided to watch this film after seeing a review from Patrick Beatty Reviews. On the Fantasia movie page the film is classified as a thriller/action genre BUT I see it as a dark comedy in the same vein as some Monty Python sketches like this one: The Black Knight - tis but a scratch. The story is about a momma's boy who is almost 50 years old and still trying to become a star on a national talent show like Britain's got talent. A series of misadventure prevent him from arriving on time to the casting call and then he finally lets loose his repressed grief and frustration.

Paul Dood is the person who has absolutely no talent, or even style, that we see on these shows that make us secretly laugh at them for being so oblivious to their failing. This movie allows us to laugh at this type of absurdity without hurting a real person. The movie has some shots that made me laugh out loud! I ENJOYED IT! If dark humour is your dada, you will love it!

The film is directed by Nick Gillespie; written by Brook Driver, Nick Gillespie, Matt White; the cast: Mandeep Dhillon, Alice Lowe, Kris Marshall, Tom Meeten, Katherine Parkinson.

My fourth choice was the epic documentary Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror . This movie lasts 192 minutes and it is filled to the brim with some of the best horror film scenes of all times! I just loved the way the myths of the world that are at the heart of our ghost stories and night fears are so similar. We see the role of religion, of country, of folkloric myths in shaping not only great movies but also cultural revivals. I see a link, for example, between The Wicker Man and Burning Man Festival. Again the advantage of watching the movie online is that you can stop and rewind it for greater comfort and deeper understanding.

The movie is written and directed by Kier-La Janisse and features Robert Eggers, Lawrence Gordon Clark, Piers Haggard, Alice Lowe, Jonathan Rigby.

If you don't have your tickets follow this link.

-LENA GHIO  

DREAM HORSE

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Dream Alliance

Based on a true story, this dynamic upbeat movie retraces the amazing defeats and victories of Dream Alliance a horse bred by Jan Vokes, a small town waitress who is inspired by tales of horse racing. Without money or knowledge about horses and the racing world, Jan manages to bring together her community and together they invest in the conception of a thoroughbred race horse that she and her husband raise.

Toni Colette (Jan Vokes) and Damian Lewis (Howard Davies) play the two characters that set the daring deed in motion. M. Davies had some experience with the race world but he has personal conflicts to overcome as his wife objects to his involvement with the popular sport due to past losses.

It is fascinating to see the town come together around the gorgeous animal that takes them to incredible new places. It is a true project of love that leaves one feeling optimistic and in good spirits.

Dream Horse opens in Montreal theatres on August 6th.

-LENA GHIO