Category: FIN: AIFF 2019

Student Festival Report from FIN: AIFF 2019

Based on Lord of The Flies by William Golding, set in modern war-torn Columbia, Monos is an exciting thriller that lives up to its category of ‘Extreme’ movies at the FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival. Sofia Buenaventura delivers an amazing performance as a child raised into guerrilla warfare, torn between her family and her morality. The children, known as ‘monos’ (Spanish for ‘monkeys’), have been raised in this violent world and it seems to be the only thing they understand, but Buenaventura plays a character too ‘soft’ for this lifestyle. Despite the way they were raised, he starts to question whether they are doing the right thing and is incapable of committing the atrocities that seem to come so easily to some of the other characters, like Moisés Arias’ character. Monos gives a very realistic view of what happens to children in war and the psychological effects of being raised in violence. In many ways they are a family, but they are also always turning on one another. They are a team, but they are also only really out to help themselves because that is what they have been taught to do. They are cruel, but they are also just teenagers who drink and dance and laugh, and they don’t know any better.

Festival Report by Aaron Chakraborty

Cunningham 3D was my pick of the movies I had the pleasure of seeing at the Atlantic International Film Festival. It’s a documentary about the late choreographer Merce Cunningham, and was a visual treat from start to finish. Watching the act of dance on film always highlights the dynamic nature of the medium, and the routines sprinkled throughout these understated 93 minutes were poetry in motion.

Unlike many documentaries, Cunningham 3D has no artificial narrative and does not attempt to contort the topic to fit a traditional story structure (think the concert movie which injects tension through the band rushing to write songs before the tour starts). Instead, we learn (in photos, interviews, footage, and letters), about the life and career of the enigmatic Merce Cunningham. The structure of the film itself is an ode to his creativity – the rhythm of presentation is always changing, and we jump even from contemporary dance to abstract poetry in a loose journey of his life from start to finish. I knew nothing of the man (or of dance itself) before watching this film. It successfully made me a fan of both subjects.

Cunningham 3D is a bright and unpredictable biopic that I recommend to all viewers. The film festival was a similarly joyous experience, marked by awesome volunteer work and a real sense of community, so I’m grateful to the Cinema and Media Studies program at Dal for providing me with tickets. Thanks!

Festival Report by Ashley Bradford

Run This Town takes audiences back to a time not so long ago in 2012 when the city of Toronto was shaken by the Rob Ford drug scandal. The movie opens with a percussion-heavy soundtrack that plays throughout the film, perfectly setting the theme for corruption and deceit as newbie journalist Bram, played by Ben Platt, seeks to break into the news world by exposing the infamous video featuring Rob Ford smoking crack. Simultaneously, the title of the movie comes into play as we see the inner workings of the City of Toronto, particularly through the eyes of those working directly under Ford. The use of muted colours and straight camera angles reflects the bleak reality of those holding the city up while Ford is having his down-fall and journalists such as Bram are trying to bring the truth forward to the public. Direct zooms in on characters are frequently used, building tension as the scandal breaks through the surface and into the public eye. The soundtrack and cinematography combined set the tone for this true story, but the storytelling through the perspective of multiple characters causes confusion to arise on what exactly is happening.

The cast of Run This Town is effective as the audience can feel the different struggles that both Bram and those working for Ford face during this time, but the method of displaying these perspectives is generally confusing and makes the story difficult to follow. Often cutting back and forth between characters, the film doesn’t give the audience a clear indicator of who the story is really about, and while it is interesting to see how everyone was affected by the Ford scandal, the storyline feels somewhat scattered.

Overall, the sound and cinematography set the tone for the suspense and corruption that the film was trying to convey, but the scattered storyline is somewhat confusing and hard to follow. On the plus side, several Canadian actors were featured, including Nina Dobrev, Mena Massoud, and Rebecca Liddiard, which was fitting as the movie was portraying a story that occurred in Canada.

Festival Report by Janna MacDonald

Based on the play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter and the life of Judy Garland, the film takes us into the final months of the woman who once took her audience to the land of Oz. Renee Zellweger gives us one her best performances as Garland, giving a complex performance of a woman who had a beautiful voice and a tragic life. The film gives us the illusion of glamour that once surrounded the legendary singer, but in truth we are shown a woman who wanted to be loved for who she was, and not for what she could do. We see Garland not as someone who unhappy by her decline of fame; rather, she is unhappy for not having the love she craved since becoming Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ. In a way, this is a cautionary tale for many young talented people in the entertainment industry who struggle with mental health issues and drug addiction. Judy Garland is striking story of just how much negative impact the entertainment industry can have on a person’s life.

Festival Report by Janna MacDonald

This documentary looks at the lives of several women, their navigation in the Nova Scotia prison system, and the lack of resources that are available for them to make a fresh start in society. This was truly riveting look into the lives of these women, who just want the ability to lead constructive lives, but are seemingly without help from both the provincial and federal government. Despite the opposition these women face, they still seem to have hope for a better future for themselves, and other women like them. This is an important film to look at, because as it points out, women are the fastest growing prison population throughout the world. Very little empathy is dedicated to the uphill battle reformed prisoners face in order receive the proper help, whether it be mental health support or drug treatment. The future these women seek is a true battle, but it seems they are willing to fight to reform the system that once held them.

Festival Report by Jay Dinghui Zhu

Come to Daddy was the film I viewed at this year’s Atlantic International Film Festival. This movie was very good, with a scary and interesting story. I enjoyed watching this movie because of the characters: the main character, Norval, was my favorite because of his calm style. The other characters were very dramatic and crazy. I liked both types of characters but Norval stood out to me and became my favorite.

I am very glad I was able to go to the film festival. I loved how scary the movie and I think choosing to see Come to Daddy was a good idea. I would love to come to the festival next year and the years after. 

Festival Report by Aurora Ellingsen

Britt-Marie Was Here is a Swedish film from director Tuva Novotny starring Pernilla August, Vera Vitali and Peter Harber. The story of the film is something that we have seen before in Swedish films about a struggling small-town soccer team. The movie is original in its way of the telling the story, as the focus is not actually on the football team itself but about the coach. The film is narrated by Britt-Marie as she compares the quality of her life to the cleanliness of her house. Her “Dollhouse”-like life consists of cooking for her husband, cleaning his perfume stained shirts and scrubbing her house until flawlessness is reached.  When she one day realizes that her husband has a mistress she instantly leaves him and takes the only job that is available for a 65-year old woman who has not had a job in 40 years: coaching the soccer team at a youth center in another part of the country.

The location of the story is a little town, covered in graffiti, that centre around a kebab shop.  The small town vibe creates the perfect backdrop for the interactions between the characters in the film. As Britt-Marie’s character develops, her metaphors do too, from looking at life through the eyes of a housewife to looking at it through the eyes of a soccer coach. The children’s dreams about being a professional soccer team mirrors her own childhood dreams of traveling to Paris. The protagonist does not just impact the children’s lives, but the children inspire her in the same way. Overall Britt-Marie was here is a feelgood film with heartfelt comedy, great acting by Pernilla August and a story that tells us that you are never too old to change your life around.