Better late and never, hey? As many struggling artistic folk may find after taking three weeks off work to attend 60 films in between bed-ridden bouts of the flu, I have been exhausted and poor in equal measure and have spent much of the last week and a half resting and working so that my sad, sorry bank account doesn’t feel too ignored.
While I am legitimately sad to see the end of this 60th annual MIFF celebration, I have also been ecstatic that it’s finally over. That it ended on such a delightful high as David Gelb’s sumptuous Japanese documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi was purely by accident. A bonafide, sure fire, box office hit if it ever gets released, Jiro follows the titular 85-year-old sushi chef as he goes about explaining the hows and whys of his acclaimed 10-seat restaurant. Filled with gloriously framed moments of food porn, Jiro is a crowd-pleasing, mouth-watering treasure.
The chefs of Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant in JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI. Jiro Ono in centre
Another hit from Asia was Dang Pi Pang’s Bi, Don’t Be Afraid. Four different generations of Vietnamese life are portrayed in this flowy drama, told from the point of view of eight-year-old Bi. He watches as his parents navigate a tumultuous marriage, he comforts a dying grandparent and he longs to be accepted by the factory-working teenagers who represent the next generation of Vietnam. It’s slow moving and some audiences will struggle, but like Scent of Green Papaya it is a vital sign of life from Vietnamese cinema.
The music of iconic, legendary New York hip-hop outfit A Tribe Called Quest is the focus of Michael Rappaport’s Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. This is a robust and entertaining documentary that while lacking in ingenuity, gains major points for simply being about such a musically gifted group as Quest. The beats and rhymes of their stellar career are so infectious and masterfully crafted that even the simple direction by actor-turned-director Rappaport can’t spoil it. Audience members’ heads were indeed bopping throughout.
Socially awkward Bella, Evangelia Randou, and Marina, Ariene Labed in ATTENBERG
Sadly, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s examination of socially awkward young adults in Attenberg was a big let down. Forsaking any real human emotions for uber-quirky looniness, Attenberg will surely only be of interest to those who like the flag-bearer of modern Greek cinema, Dogtooth. Andrew Rossi’s behind-the-scenes documentary Page One: Inside the New York Times was another disappointment, as its unfocused and sprawling internal narrative makes for rather uninvolving film-going.
Never mind those though because all the disappointing, frustrating and outright terrible films were rendered null and void by Nicolas Winding Refn’s (Bronson) newest film and high profile closing night premiere Drive. Starring Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) as a mechanic, part-time stuntman and heist getaway driver, who finds himself inevitably caught up with mobsters and gun-toting pizzeria operators after falling for a gorgeous woman next door (Carey Mulligan, An Education). We will surely review Drive in full upon its theatrical release, but as of now it stands as the sole perfect film of 2011. Crisp and bold Los Angeles cinematography, a blazing 1980s Wang Chung-inspired soundtrack and a bristling, surprising and thrilling aura of European pulp filmmaking. Drive is perfection.
Ryan Gosling as “The Driver” in DRIVE
That Drive sits atop my list of the festival’s best films should hardly surprise you dear readers. Other titles that should be must sees (if and when they get released) are the sly indie Tiny Furniture, devastating documentary How to Die in Oregon, the hilarious and pathos-filled Natural Selection, charming family-oriented fare Winter’s Daughter and intriguing Aussie titles in X and Falling for Sahara. Special mention must go to all the films with exemplary Oscar-worthy acting: Olivia Colman and Peter Mullan in Tyrannosaur, Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia, Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Conor McCarron in Neds plus Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre.
All in all it was a fantastic festival. Just next year? I won’t be seeing 60. And with that… it’s a wrap!
