Now that we are well and truly in the age of social media, MIFF encourages attendees to tweet our responses to films in real time. I remember when I was nearly the only person in the theatre with a screen – it was a big one, first generation iPad. Now MIFF staff upload selected tweets onto the big screen for our amusement while we’re waiting for films to begin, preceded by the dreaded advertisements which become almost unbearable after repeated (60!) viewings. The tweets are a welcome distraction. I was very excited to see 7 of mine up in lights and took pictures so I could share my glory! It’s a good way to assess your immediate response to a film, even if it was midnight when I was composing some of them. I’ve collected all of them here. They’re in the order I sent them out, which mostly followed the order in which I saw the films. It’s interesting to see how often I spoke about the cinematography, and performances. I thought I’d over-used heartwarming but now realise I probably didn’t because it’s too long a word! I clearly over-used great. These are all prepared for a very public viewing and I’m consciously trying to be positive in order to make it to the big screen. I even managed it, sort of, for The Killing of a Sacred Deer! I couldn’t manage a positive tweet about The Woman Who Left. Seeing them like this demonstrates the inadequacies of twitter as a medium for deep communication, but shows my contemporaneous thoughts. They all included the hashtag #MIFF2017.
Fly Away Home shows a child’s view of war through the eyes of the irrepressible Christine, elides over the horror. Sweet.
Loved following Micha’s journey in The Paris Opera and all the behind the scenes insights.
Great performance by Australian actor Emily Browning as a newcomer unsettling established New York relationships in Golden Exits.
That’s Not Me. About acting, sibling rivalry, celebrity, life’s purpose. Great performances by all. Very funny. Very Melbourne. (I actually saw a better tweet about this film – ‘ That’s Not Me is anti-La-La-Land. A feel-good film about disappointment. Came out with heart pangs & laugh creases’ via David Astle).
Loved On Body and Soul. Beautiful shots of deer. Lonely souls connecting through dreams. Harry Dean Stanton look alike a bonus.
An hour focussed on Isabelle Hupert and Kim Min-Hee. What’s not to love about Claire’s Camera. Clever script. Great performances.
Wonderstruck. Slow build up leads to poignant conclusion. (Great 1970s vibe for those of us who were there!)
Loveless. Icy appraisal of relationships in modern Russia. Beautiful, bleak winter scenery.
Hotel Salvation. Restraint delivers poignancy. Prparing for a death brings new life. Great characters & Indian culture reveal.
Rabbit. Great concept struggles to emerge from too many distractions and a problem with overall tone. Strong performances.
Call Me By Your Name. Incredible performances from two leads. Luca Guadagnino’s so good at portraying desire.
Ingrid Goes West – beware the lure of hashtags.
Ali’s Wedding. Wonderful! Heartwarming! Great script. Great performances. If you miss it #MIFF see it at the cinema.
Faces Places. A beautiful study in contrasts – Agnes & JR – complementing each other to reveal the heart of communities. Beautiful.
Salawaku. Staggeringly beautiful Indonesian landscapes and seascapes in this simple road movie.
Los Perros. Outstanding lead performance by Antonia Zegers compels in this complex drama about inter-generational national guilt.
Great hearing Geoffrey Rush talking about The Final Portrait. An absorbing view into Giacometti’s daily life. Accompanied by this picture:
Western. Can human connection transcend language and politics. Beautiful cinematography. Great performances.
April’s Daughter is a riveting roller coaster of a movie! Be thankful not to have a mother like April.
Westwind: Djalu’s Legacy. Great film. Privilege to see it.
Spettacolo. A nostalgic trip to Tuscany. Beautiful cinematography, real people struggling to preserve their traditions.
Colo. Though provoking in its silences at the beginning but an unexpected turn and inconclusive finale disappointed.
The Man Who Cried. Great, straightforward story telling. Beautiful cinematography. Some Spectacular set pieces.
Jupiter’s Moon. Grabs you by the throat & never lets up. Heart thumping car chase. Scenes reminiscent of ‘Inception”. Magical.
Buena Vista Social Club: Adios. Exuberant, life-affirming record of the band’s musical journey. A poignant farewell.
The Nile Hilton Incident. Powerful exposure of corrosive corruption towards the end of Mubarak’s regime. Great performances.
The Butterfly Tree. Wonderful rich colours, warm humour, powerful denouement. Melissa George & Sophie Lowe outstanding.
24 Frames. Some arresting images especially a Bruegal painting, trees, deer, snowscapes but tests one’s capacity for stillness.
Loved everything about Let The Sunshine In. Pitch perfect performance by Juliette Binoche as Everywoman.
Great memories of Tangerine Dream in Revolution of Sound. What a groundbreaking band. What a psychedelic sound!
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. Enigmatic.
Maudie. Beautiful, warm bio of an amazing artist. Nicely restrained so not mawkish. Stay to see her pictures during the credits.
Big Big World. Beautifully photographed, especially in the forest. Some great images. Engaging young leads. A sad story.
Radiance. Visually arresting and thought provoking. About losing things – people, mind, sight. And about acceptance of loss.
Closeness. A dark film about tribes. What it means to belong to cone. Conflict within and between. What’s our place in the world.
The Song Keepers. Joyful. Life affirming. Celebrating remembrance, resilience, rejuvenation. Wonderful women. Wonderful music.
Loved the role reversal in Lover for A Day. And the beautiful black and white photography.
A Man of Integrity. There’s no escape from the pervasive culture of corruption exposed in this brave film.
A poignant voice over elevates Where You’re Meant To Be. There’s humour, tears and great music to be had in this delightful film.
Marjorie Prime gives much food for thought long after the end credits. About how you remember life’s journey and your loved ones.
Loved My Happy Family. All the chaos and complexity of family relationships. Gorgeous Georgian music a bonus.
The Party. Fast paced & laugh out loud funny. Witty dialogue delivered perfectly by great ensemble cast. Beautiful in black and white.
Pop Aye. On the road movie quietly reveals Thai life, change wrought by progress, the pain of ageing and the majesty of elephants.
Loved Glory. Amorality of the political class collides with simple honesty and integrity. Great performances. Great ending.
Brigsby Bear. A whimsical take on what we learn from our parents. See if you recognise Mark Hamill.
Stonehead. Childhood friendship and betrayal & the heartache of absent fathers in rural China. Wonderful performances from young leads.
Spoor. Great characters, spectacular scenery, intricate plot. Moody score. Beautiful animals. Who’s the hunted? Who’s the hunter? Big Screen
Patti Cake$. Can a white girl make it as rap singer? Great lead & strong relationships lift a familiar story to another level.
The Lovers. Middle ages sex can be exciting. Great performances. Nice to see work environments. Leopards don’t change their spots!
The Tango Lesson. A romance between film and dance. Exquisite black and white cinematography. Great dancing. A lesson in film making.
I Am Not Your Negro. James Baldwin – a prophet then and now. Hard to watch given current state of America. Old hatreds arise anew.
Marlina the Murderer. More dead men than in a year’s tv crime. Nice to see women taking charge. However briefly. Great landscape.
Loving Vincent. Mystery of his death resolved but the wonder of his art lives on. Beautiful animation.
Step. James Baldwin meets Beyonce in Baltimore. Equal parts joyful, awe inspiring, poignant.
The Teacher Gripping portrayal of a teacher bullying and exploiting her class. Corruption, anywhere, is pervasive until confronted.
The Square. So much food for thought – about trust, fear, the herd instinct, what is art, responsibility, what’s the public domain?
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