Directed by Women

Had a back-and-forth today with @DirectedbyWomen on Twitter about Deepa Mehta coming to the Twin Cities for the first time for MSPIFF's 35th anniversary. Her most recent film Beeba Boys was at TIFF in September 2015 and I chose not to see it there because I knew it'd come here eventually. I just didn't know she'd be bringing it! Can't. Wait.

Directed by Women has a database for films by women so that people can see many films directed by women. I'll add the MSPIFF films to their database because Directed by Women uses Facebook events to import events, but it'll be easy for me to add them. MSPIFF won't do FB events, thankfully (because I'm not there anymore). So excited to be contributing them!

(Have I used up all my exclamation points yet?)

MSPIFF promised the schedule would be coming very soon. We'll see. Last year it came in late March according to my 2015 post about it. But here's photographic social media proof that the film society said the schedule is coming VERY SOON.

Late TIFF Post

While I wait anxiously for MSPIFF to post its program for its April 7-23 festival, I thought I'd write about my TIFF experience last fall.



I liked almost everything I saw (here's my mostly updated list). Here are a few I'm most enthusiastic about:

Not on my list, but saw & liked:

Where to Invade Next. Michael Moore's "happy film," according to his production team. They said the film is all solutions, no problems. I'd agree.

My Skinny Sister. The view of a young woman with an eating disorder from the view of her fat sister. Interesting POV. My guess is this one is coming to MSPIFF.

On my list and I liked:

Angry Indian Goddesses. I hope you get to see this somewhere and sometime. The acting and pace were top-notch. The film was beautiful too, and not just because of the beautiful actresses. The script was largely improvised but you wouldn't know it.

Into the Forest. Directed by Patricia Rozema, the woman who directed I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, one of my favorite movies of all time, this post-apocalyptic film about two women in the woods didn't disappoint. Can't wait to see it again.

Girls Lost
Three outcast teenage girls get a new perspective on high-school life when they are mysteriously transformed into boys, in this skillfully crafted tale of sexual confusion with a supernatural twist. Not as intriguing as the description, but this film is well-worth seeking out.

Ninth Floor. Director Mina Shum sheds light on the Sir George Williams University riot of February 1969 against institutional racism at the university. I hope Americans get to see this Canadian film about an incident few of us know about. Lest you think Canada is a better place about race relations.

Miss Sharon Jones!. I really like Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, and really liked this film. It was great fun, including the Q&A afterward where she broke into song right there on the stage.



Five Nights in Maine. Loved this film with David Oyelowo (Selma) and Dianne Wiest (Bullets Over Broadway in this intimate drama about a grieving widower who sets out to fulfill his wife’s last wish that he finally meet her irascible mother.

The Pearl Button. I was surprised by this gentle meditation on healing and genocide.

Mustang. This has played in some art theaters already, I think. A lovely film about sisterhood in the face of the patriarchy.

Summertime. I usually hate French films. Not this one. A lesbian coming of age story, beautifully shot and written.

Dark Horse: An underdog story about outsiders winning the hearts of many. And a literal horse. This film has lots of heart.

Room: You know about this one. I'm shocked the boy, Jacob Tremblay, didn't get any award nominations. His performance was a revelation. Keep on the lookout for him in the future because he's got quite a lot of talent.

Fire Song. Another queer film, but this one from a First Nations director. Important. Well-written and directed, but the acting is mostly from amateurs and it shows a little.

25 April. Director Leanne Pooley (The Topp Twins) fuses documentary, fiction, and state-of-the-art digital animation in this astonishing film. Filmmaking like I've not seen before. An animated documentary of the 1915 Gallipoli campaign, one of the bloodiest and costliest blunders of the First World War.

Granny's Dancing on the Table: I just love Scandinavian film. This one centers on a girl living under the thumb of her abusive father and never sways from her POV.

I don't usually do a worst-of list but I came away thinking about what I dislike in some films. Here you go.

The Whispering Star. I came away wanting warnings on movies that says there were fewer than 200 words in this film or no real narrative arc or horrible special effects like wind sounds in space.

Disorder. I hate it when women direct films that fail the Bechdel Test miserably. Most people won't notice how the only female character is never a person in her own right.

Sky. See Disorder. The first hour of the film could have been deleted and the back story it provided could have been realized with the MC's friendship with her Native American coworker. Plus this has the added bonus of the racist use of Native American characters in full service to the white characters stead of fully realized human beings.

Campo Grande just wasn't the film described in the description.

Go to TIFF sometime if you like film! I'd love to go again.

Bucket List: TIFF 2015

When my film friend Dale said she was going to the Toronto International Film Festival, I wanted to go too. And now I am! They turn 40 this year. I'll shortly after turn 48, so this is kind-of a birthday trip.

I've made all my film selections and just picked out the first 20 tickets. I have to wait until September 7th to get the remaining 12. I will absolutely try to get into one film through the rush line.

Here's what I'm seeing! I'm excited about everything in this list.

My comments in italics. Many are directed by a woman, and are marked with an asterisk* (22/30 films in my list).

Late addition: if you want to join me in Toronto, see my schedule at tiffr here. I wish I'd found tiffr like three weeks ago. Woulda made scheduling so much easier.

Have Tickets

Into the Forest*

Two sisters (Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood) struggle to survive in a remote country house after a continent-wide power outage, in this gripping apocalyptic drama from director Patricia Rozema (Mansfield Park, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing).

I'm going to RUSH line this one--there weren't any tickets left to us at the bottom of the membership pile. Got tickets this morning. Dale also got me tickets (she's already in Toronto). I've Heard the Mermaids Singing is one of my favorite movies of all time. And, well, Ellen Page. Duh.

Girls Lost*

Three outcast teenage girls get a new perspective on high-school life when they are mysteriously transformed into boys, in this skillfully crafted tale of sexual confusion with a supernatural twist.

The trailer to this one is even more interesting than the description.

Parched*

In a rural Indian village, four ordinary women begin to throw off the traditions that hold them in servitude, in this inspirational drama from director Leena Yadav.

Ninth Floor*

In her first feature-length documentary, director Mina Shum (Double Happiness) takes a penetrating look at the Sir George Williams University riot of February 1969, when a protest against institutional racism snowballed into a 14-day student occupation at the Montreal university.

Miss Sharon Jones!*

Two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA) follows R&B queen Sharon Jones over the course of an eventful year, as she battles a cancer diagnosis and struggles to hold her band the Dap-Kings together.

I really like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.

Five Nights in Maine*

Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma) and Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest (Bullets Over Broadway) star in this intimate drama about a grieving widower who sets out to fulfill his wife’s last wish that he finally meet her irascible mother.

The longer description, in the link above, includes a more detailed and subtle sense of this film. I'm excited to see another film with David Oyelowo (yes, Selma, but he was also extraordinary in Nightingale, on HBO).

Body*

The lives of a young woman with an eating disorder, her coroner father, and a physical therapist who believes she can communicate with the dead intersect in unexpected ways, in this absurdist dark comedy from the director of the 2011 Festival hit Elles.

The Pearl Button

The great Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán (The Battle of Chile, Nostalgia for the Light) chronicles the history of the indigenous peoples of Chilean Patagonia, whose decimation by colonial conquest prefigured the brutality of the Pinochet regime.

This one is interesting to me because I just saw the PBS series on the First Peoples that explored the possibility that Native Americans  came from Asia not over the land bridge, but by boating along the shore of the bridge all the way to South America. Perhaps the indigenous people in this film are direct descendants of the first peoples.

Kind Words

In the wake of their mother's death, three Jewish Israeli siblings discover that their biological father was a Muslim and set out on a journey across France to locate him.

I will have to RUSH line this one because I bought a ticket for the wrong time.

Mustang*

Five young sisters living in a coastal Turkish village on the Black Sea are placed under the tyrannical regime of traditional morality by their guardians, in the poignant, award-winning first feature by Turkish director Deniz Gamze Ergüven.

Thank You for Bombing*

Austrian filmmaker Barbara Eder’s latest fiction feature looks at the behind-the-camera lives of three international war correspondents on assignment in Afghanistan.

Our Little Sister

After their estranged father's death, three twentysomething sisters discover that they have a teenaged step-sibling, in this gentle, deeply affecting family drama from Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda (Like Father, Like Son).

3000 Nights*

Railroaded into an Israeli prison on a terrorism charge, a young Palestinian woman discovers that she is pregnant just as a group of her fellow inmates launch a revolt against the prison administration.

Summertime*

In 1971 France, a young girl from a rural family moves to Paris and begins a life-changing affair with a feminist activist.

Almost every time I see a French film at MSPIFF I swear I will never see another. Occasionally I find a decent French film and try to see it but I made Dale and Liz promise me they'll try to talk me out of French films. They tried for this one. But the trailer makes it seem like it has little ennui and an actual plot and story arc. Unlike most French films. Besides, it's a queer feminist film. I may regret it though.

Dark Horse*

Filmmaker Louise Osmond follows the story of a group of friends and neighbours in a small Welsh town who pool their modest resources to invest in a racehorse they dub Dream Alliance, and soon find themselves breaking social barriers by competing against some of the wealthiest horse owners in the UK.

Looking for Grace*

A married couple (Richard Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell) embark on a road trip across West Australia in pursuit of their runaway teenage daughter, in the new film from Australian writer-director Sue Brooks (Japanese Story).

Room

Escaping from the captivity in which they have been held for half a decade, a young woman and her five-year-old son struggle to adjust to the strange, terrifying and wondrous world outside their one-room prison.

Loved this book. The TIFF description says the film stays in the child's POV just like the book, but it seems to extrapolate a little--most of the film focuses on post-emancipation. 

Sky*

Fleeing from the scene of a terrible crime, a young woman embarks on a life-changing road trip across California and Nevada, in this drama starring Diane Kruger, Lena Dunham and Norman Reedus.

An*

A lonely baker has his life (and business) reinvigorated when he hires an elderly woman with an uncanny culinary skill and a mysterious communion with nature, in this graceful, quietly moving drama from Japan’s Naomi Kawase (The Mourning Forest, Still the Water).

Whispering Star

A humanoid robot deliverywoman muses on the mystery of human nature as she drops off parcels around the galaxy, in this playful sci-fi fable from Festival favorite Sion Sono (Why Don't You Play in Hell?).

Need to Get Tickets

A Journey of a Thousand Miles*

Documentarians Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (the Academy Award-winning Saving Face) and Geeta Gandbhir follow the stories of three Bangladeshi policewomen who served with the UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Fire Song

One of the first films by a First Nations director to deal with two-spirited people, the thoughtful and moving debut feature by Adam Garnet Jones focuses on a young Anishinaabe man who is forced to choose between staying in his community or exploring the expanded possibilities of the world outside.

Angry Indian Goddesses

On the eve of their friend’s wedding in Goa, a group of women discuss everything under the sun — from their careers, sex lives, and secrets to nosy neighbours and street harassment — in this largely improvised and refreshingly frank depiction of contemporary Indian society from award-winning director Pan Nalin (2001’s Samsara).

Murmur of the Hearts*

Legendary Taiwanese actress and filmmaker Sylvia Chang directs this magical story of estranged siblings whose shared memories of their mother’s fairy tales begin to draw their lives together once again.

25 April*

Director Leanne Pooley (The Topp Twins) fuses documentary, fiction, and state-of-the-art digital animation in this astonishing recreation of the 1915 Gallipoli campaign, one of the bloodiest and costliest blunders of the First World War.

Loved The Topp Twins film!

Disorder*

A young ex-soldier suffering from PTSD (Matthias Schonaerts) protects a beautiful woman (Diane Kruger) and her child from a brutal home invasion, in this masterfully engineered thriller from director Alice Winocour (Augustine).

Granny's Dancing on the Table*

A young girl living under the heel of her tyrannical religious zealot father in the depths of the Swedish forests finds strength in the memory of her rebellious grandmother, in the searing new feature from director Hanna Sköld.

A Tale of Three Cities*

Based on the incredible true story of superstar Jackie Chan’s parents, this epic spans the period from the Second Sino-Japanese War to the beginning of the Mao era as it follows the romance of a former spy and a drug-smuggling young widow as they struggle to survive in a country devastated by war and famine.

Journey to the Shore

A young widow undertakes an elegiac voyage with the spectre of her dead husband, in this delicate, touching ghost story from Japanese master Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Tokyo Sonata, Pulse).

Campo Grande*

A wealthy middle-aged woman unexpectedly finds herself caring for two impoverished young siblings, in this subtle, touching and sincere study of class disparity from Brazilian filmmaker Sandra Kogut.

Films I'm Not Seeing

Stonewall is premiering at TIFF. I hope to be part of a protest or action instead of attending. Any film about Stonewall needs to be centered around trans people-of-color. Not a white cis-gendered boy from Iowa.

If the director had done the right thing and cast the transgender person in About Ray with a transgender actor, this film would be at the top of my list. Not now that they're getting played by a cisgendered person.

No Men Beyond This Point could be fantastic or fantastically horrible. I'm thinking that when women stop needing men for reproduction, you'll see a whole hell of a lot more bisexual women in the world. And transgender women. And gender queer women. Secret affairs with men would be few and far between.

MSPIFF 2015 Best of Fest

I had a mostly successful festival this year. Except for late-night films, and not because they weren't good. I'm getting to an age where late-night films should be the exception rather than the rule. I missed a lot of the films I'd planned to see at that hour (or early films the next day after seeing a late movie).

Notes for next year: More fresh fruits and veggies for snacks, reconsider late films (or early films after a late film), and SMACK ME IF I SAY I WANT TO SEE FRENCH FILMS. Generally, I don't like them. There are exceptions, but really. Smack me. Say YOU DON'T LIKE FRENCH FILMS. I did like a couple of them this year, but I disliked more than I liked.

Here is my BEST-OF-FEST list, in no particular order. I do call out my top four films. My notes, if there are any, are in italics after the description, which are all from MSPIFF 2015.

El Critico
A playful yet heartfelt take on the rom-com genre, El Critico follows Victor Tellez, a world-weary Buenos Aires film critic who prefers to think in French and eschews romantic clichés...until he finds himself living one. Tellez drifts from screening to screening in search of cinematic perfection, casting judgment on filmmakers and their films with scathing incisiveness. But when a chance meeting throws him into the jarring world of gorgeous thrill-seeker Sofia, he starts to question his meticulous, intellectual routine and realizes there’s more to his story than he ever dreamed. Trailer. Runtime: 98mins

Seeing this has ruined all rom-coms for me forever. In a good way.

Dukhtar
Pakistan's Official Submission for Best Foreign Language Film, Dukhtar carefully combines an emotional story with a thrilling adventure. Allah’s 10-year-old daughter has been promised to an old tribal leader to settle a blood feud. Determined to protect her daughter at all costs, Allah enlist the help of a reluctant truck driver and changes the course of her simple life forever. Afia Nathaniel’s assured debut, based on a true story and shot entirely on location in Pakistan, makes her a filmmaker to watch. Website with trailer. Runtime: 93mins

The only MSPIFF film I heard that sold out all of its early showings. Looking forward to more from this director.

Speed Walking
From the Scandinavian director of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, here’s a very funny and authentic coming-of-age tale that manages to hit the perfect note between tragedy and comedy. In a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, 14-year-old Martin is getting ready for one of Denmark’s most formal transitions from boyhood to manhood: his confirmation. It is 1976, music is in the air and hormones are blossoming. But in the middle of it all, Martin’s beloved mother suddenly passes away and her tragic death triggers a series of events that not only change Martin’s life forever, but also affect everyone else in the local community. Martin seeks comfort with friend Kim and girlfriend Kristine. Trailer. Runtime: 108mins

This is one of my top four films. It should have been in the LGBT section of the festival but wasn't. Honestly, the film festival had me at "From the director of the Swedish film Girl With the Dragon Tattoo..."

Out in the Night
Out in the Night is a documentary that tells the story of a group of young friends, African American lesbians who are out, one hot August night in 2006 in a gay friendly neighborhood of New York City. As the women, all in their late teens and early twenties, walk under neon lights of tattoo parlors in the West Village, an older man sexually and violently confronts them. He says to Patreese “let me get some of that” as he points below her waist. When she says that they are gay, the man becomes violent and threatens to “fuck them straight”. He spits and throws a lit cigarette. Renata and Venice defend the group and a fight begins, captured by security cameras nearby. The man yanks out hair from Venice’s head and chokes Renata. Then, Patreese pulls a knife from her purse and swings at him. Strangers jump in to defend the women and the fight escalates. As the fight comes to an end, all get up and walk away. But 911 has been called and the man involved has been stabbed. Police swarm to the scene as their radios blast out warning of a gang attack. The women are rounded up and charged with gang assault, assault and attempted murder. Three of the women plead guilty. But Renata, Patreese, Venice and friend Terrain claim their innocence. They are called a “Gang of Killer Lesbians” by the media. In activist circles they become known as The New Jersey 4. Website and trailer. Runtime: 75mins

Another of my top four films. #AllBlackLivesMatter

Ciudad Delerio
Nothing raises your spirits (or romantic inclinations) like a little salsa music and dancing. Chus Gutierrez’s Ciudad Delirio taps into the undeniable joy of salsa, coming alive with vibrant music and eye-popping choreography. Sparks fly when salsa dancer Angie meets charming doctor Javier who is visiting Cali for a conference, but how will it effect her current relationship with her dancing partner and their dance competition aspirations? Easily winning hearts worldwide, Ciudad Delirio is a box office hit in Colombia. Trailer. Runtime: 99mins

Think Hollywood in Colombia. Just for fun.

Girlhood
Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of 3 free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to a new life. Director Céline Sciamma (Water Lilies, Tomboy) cements her cinematic expertise in exploring the many facets of young female identity with her most powerful film yet. Trailer. Runtime: 112mins

A bit perplexing but stunning in its portrayal. I don't like French films in general but this is from the same director as Tomboy, which I loved.

All of Me
Every day since 1995, a group of women stand at the tracks near the Mexican town of La Patrona waiting for La Bestia — the train used by thousands of migrants from Mexico and beyond to get to the US border. Deemed “Las Patronas,” the women toss water and homemade food to the weary travelers. Trailer Runtime: 90mins

A little too long (could have been 45 minutes), but relevant. I heard a story today about how unsanctioned border crossings from Mexico into the US has gone down significantly mostly because Mexico is enforcing their own migration laws. The majority of people coming into the US south of the border are from other central and south American countries, and they travel, undocumented, through Mexico. And they meet these women.

Clouds of Sils Maria
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago, only this time she will take the role of the older woman. Seeking refuge in Sils Maria, a remote region of the Alps, to rehearse the play, she takes stock in her career and her unknown future with her young assistant. Director Olivier Assayas takes pleasure in being coy by with his two stars—Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart—as he knowingly layers references to their own lives and roller coaster careers. Trailer. Runtime: 124mins

Another perplexing but beautiful French film. See it at your nearest independent film theater soon. Or right now. Who knew that Kristen Stewart could act? Without glitter.

1000 Rupee Note
Independent film producer Shrihari Sathe (co-producer of Dukhtar, also playing MSPIFF 2015) makes his directorial debut with feature that explores the power and corruption of money. During a political rally in a small village in Maharashtra, Budhi, a poor old woman receives a few one thousand rupee notes from a politician. Excited about the prospect of having more money than she ever imagined, she goes shopping in the nearby market town with her neighbor. Fate, however, has other plans. Trailer. Runtime: 89mins

Unlikely Heroes
Sabine, a housewife who has recently has recently separated from her husband, suddenly finds herself alone over the Christmas season. In order to gain recognition from her family and friends, she decides to stage the story of William Tell with a group of asylum seekers. An endeavour for which she is hardly prepared, in many respects. When news of the performance hits the media, Sabine goes to her limits – and beyond – to ensure the success of the play. Only then does she realise that what really counts is quite another matter. Trailer. Runtime: 94mins

Despite the temptation, the director made sure the white woman isn't a hero or savior in this film.

Difret
On her way home from school, Hirut, a 14-year-old girl, is kidnapped with the intent of forcing her into an arranged marriage—a tradition in Ethiopia that many girls face. Hirut fights to escape, forcing a chain of events that leads her to an empowered young lawyer willing to fight for Hirut’s rights and putting her between tradition and modernity. Shot entirely on location in Ethiopia, Difret, which means “courage,” is a powerful feature from first-time director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari. Website and trailer. Runtime: 99mins

I wish the film had told you what Difret means. I thought it would be the girl's name. But it's not. After you see the film (no spoilers on my page), you can find out here. It's clever.

Papusza
Bronislawa Wajs, also known as Papusza, was the first Roma woman to put her poems into writing and publish them, confronting the traditional female image in the gypsy community. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauzefollows’ beautifully shot biopic follows Papusza’s life from birth to old age. Her meeting with the Polish poet Jerzy Ficowski, who discovered her great talent for poetry and revealed her work to the world, led to a tragic paradox in which her own community rejected her for betraying their secrets. Trailer. Runtime: 131mins

Stunning all around. Another one of my top four. I had not a single moment when I wasn't totally engulfed in the story, sound, and visuals of this beautiful film. Seriously, check out the trailer.

Next to Her
In this strikingly shot, intensely performed film, Chelli is a pretty security guard who is raising her mentally disabled younger sister Gabby on her own. Although Chelli hates the idea of putting Gabby in any kind of institution, she has no qualms about locking her in the flat and leaving her alone while she’s at work. Her attitude is that Gabby is hers, and that she knows what’s best for her. While Gabby’s problems are plain to see, it slowly becomes clear that Chelli has major co-dependency issues. The two twenty-something women dwell in an intimate, feral state with no personal boundaries, until Chelli’s co-worker Zohar literally comes between them. Trailer. Runtime: 90mins

52 Tuesdays
16-year-old Billie’s reluctant path to independence is accelerated when her mother reveals plans for gender reassignment and their time together becomes limited to Tuesday afternoons. Filmed over the course of a year, once a week, every week—only on Tuesdays—these unique filmmaking rules bring a rare authenticity to this emotionally charged story of desire, responsibility and transformation. Sophie Hyde’s debut narrative feature is an incredibly compassionate and honest look at Billie’s mom’s transition, as well as Billie’s exploratory path as an invincible teenager. Trailer. Runtime: 114 mins

One of the things I love about MSPIFF is the places that international film can go that no American filmmaker can. This is just one of several examples of what I call the Star Trek phenomenon. You know, going places no one has ever gone before…

The Mask You Live In
Few documentaries are as timely as The Mask You Live In, tackling the tough issues of how we raise boys and the violence in American male culture. Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity. Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media also weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the “boy crisis” and tactics to combat it. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men. Website and trailer. Runtime: 97mins

Margarita With a Straw
A rebellious young woman with cerebral palsy leaves her home in India to study in New York, unexpectedly falls in love, and embarks on an exhilarating journey of self-discovery. Trailer. Runtime: 100mins

Marshland
True Detective, Spainsh-style! A series of brutal murders of adolescent girls in a remote and forgotten town bring together two disparate characters—both detectives in the homicide division—to investigate the cases. With deep divisions in their ideology, detectives Juan and Pedro must put aside their differences if they are to successfully hunt down a killer who for years has terrorized a community in the shadow of a general disregard for women rooted in a misogynistic past. Trailer. Runtime: 105mins

This one is ripe for a sequel. I hope that happens.

Hello! Jun’ichi
Katsuhito Ishii turns his attention toward the everyday failures and successes of being 9 years old. Junichi is a painfully shy third grader who can’t find the courage to return an eraser he borrowed from his secret crush. But the arrival of an unorthodox assistant teacher named Anna pushes Junichi and his friends to find the confidence to face their fears and turn them into something amazing. Hello! Junichi embraces the familiar yet magical essence of childhood with surprising humor and generous compassion. Trailer. Runtime: 91mins

The narrative is a bit disorganized and frenetic, but it's fun and silly. “Live Action Anime,” a friend described it.

Nena
It is the summer of 1989 and half of Europe is in tumult. Sixteen-year-old Nena’s life takes a dramatic turn when her paraplegic father’s suicide attempt shatters her own bliss. Angry and despondent, Nena is nonetheless obliged to face up to the fact that her father can no longer bear his own life. Torn between her love for her father and coming to terms with his death wish, Nena begins to ask herself some tough questions and tries to overcome her fears of losing him. Writer-director Saskia Diesing uses her own personal experiences to contemplate an individual’s right to determine their own life. Trailer. Runtime: 95mins

I had a film immediately following this one but couldn't go. I needed time to absorb this story and the profound ending. Not a date movie.

Lola on the Pea
Nine-year-old Lola and her free-spirited mom live on a houseboat called ‘The Pea’ in a small German town. Ever since her father split, Lola has vowed not to cut her hair and wants nothing to change until he returns. Frustrated, losing friends, driving her mother (who is ready to move on!) crazy, finally Lola meets an intriguing new friend named Rebin, who sometimes disappears. Checking into Rebin’s mysterious behavior, Lola discovers his Kurdish family is struggling to get by as undocumented workers. Together, Lola and Rebin navigate their colliding cultural worlds with humor and learn to trust in their future in spite of it all. Trailer. Runtime: 90mins

Fun family film addressing fear of "other."

Shana: The Wolf’s Music
Since the loss of her mother, 13 year-old Shana has hoped for a sign. Shana hangs daily letters to her mother upon an ancestor tree, watched by a white wolf. When her grieving father loses himself in alcohol, Shana quits school and stops playing violin, the gift she shared with her mother. A new teacher discovers Shana’s vulnerability and talent, and takes her in as her protégé. But it’s not until Shana makes an unexpected quest that she is able to reconnect with her ancestors and find herself as she lets her mother go. Filmed by a Swiss director with the Salish People of the Creeks, Lower Nicola Indian Band near British Columbia. Trailer. Runtime: 80mins

I love movies about American (north American in this case, Canadian) directed by people who are not from this continent. Beautifully shot, well acted by Shana, but most of the supporting actors are novices and it shows. Worth seeing, though.

Bread and Butter
Thirty year old Amelia Karinsky, obsessed with her virginity, struggles to take control of her life when two emotionally arrested men fall for her. Bread and Butter chronicles how she learns that independence is more important than a mismatched romance. Trailer. Runtime: 90mins

The director spoke after the film and said this film is her answer to her belief that all rom-coms are harmful to women. I agree with her opinion and affirm her answer.

Letter to the King
Five peoples meeting in Norway outside the refugee camp are given permission to leave the snowy no-man’s-land and travel to Oslo, a welcome change in an otherwise monotonous life. But we soon realize that all of them have a purpose with this trip. All five will be confronted by their destinies as they discover happiness, suffer humiliation, find love and seek revenge. Their five stories are bound together by a letter, written by eighty-three year old Mirza who wants to personally hand the letter to the King of Norway. Trailer. Runtime: 75mins

Starts out slowly and it's a little confusing. But everything comes together by the end. Beautiful and moving.

The Grump
A stubborn 80-year-old farmer from rural Finland is forced to spend some time in the capital where he rants about the modern world. Director Dome Karukoski creates an entertaining comedy of bad behavior. The Grump is both an old-school Everyman and an extreme force of nature—politically incorrect and guilty of recounting the good ol’ days when “children weren’t spoiled and people didn’t spend money on useless things.” Trailer. Runtime: 104mins

Black Panthers: Vanguards of the Revolution
Whether they were right or wrong, good or bad, more than 40 years after the Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California, the group, & its leadership, remain powerful and enduring figures in our imagination. The Black Panthers weaves voices from varied perspectives who lived this story—police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters, and detractors, those who remained loyal to the party & those who left it. Website and trailer. Runtime: 116mins

We have so much to learn from history. They're fundraising for a fall theatrical release (and are close to their goal as of this writing so give if you can), and will be on PBS next February for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party. Don't miss this one. And don't wait for next February to see it.

Marie’s Story
At the turn of the 19th century, a humble artisan and his wife have a daughter, Marie, who is born deaf & blind, is unable to communicate. Desperate to find a connection to their daughter and avoid an asylum, the Heurtins send 14-year-old Marie to the Larnay Institute, a school for deaf girls. Sister Marguerite sees in Marie potential, and despite her Mother Superior’s skepticism, vows to bring the her out of the darkness into which she was born. Marie’s Story recounts the courageous journey of a young nun and the lives she would change forever. Trailer Runtime: 95mins

Lovely film. ASL is directly related to French Sign Language, much more so than to British Sign Language. So not only could I understand most of the French in the film, I could understand a lot of the signing. Coming to theaters May 1.

They Are All Dead
Lupe (Elena Anaya) is a former punk rock star who now lives in a valium induced agoraphobic state, slowly losing her touch with her teenage son. Lupe’s mother (Angélica Aragón) sees little option but to solicit the help of Diego—Lupe’s deceased brother and bandmate—by way of a Day of the Dead ritual. Trailer Runtime: 93mins

No spoilers. But this is another film that went to a place no American film would ever go. I had to confirm my understanding of what happened in the film with another moviegoer because I wasn't sure I didn't misconstrue the uncomfortable meaning.

The Second Mother
Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice. Trailer Runtime:114mins

Another of my top four films. I loved this one. And think the English title is a better one than the Portuguese title, which was "Que Horas Ela Volta?" Which roughly translates to "When will she return?"

Pervert Park
In St. Petersburg, Florida there is a trailer park that 120 convicted sex offenders call home. The Florida Justice Transitions, otherwise known as “Pervert Park,” was founded by a mother of a convicted sex offender who couldn't find a place to live after his release. Frida and Lasse Barkfors’ unflinching new film is about the people no one wants as a neighbor. It follows the every day life of the sex offenders as they struggle to reintegrate into society and gives us a chance to understand who they are and how the destructive cycle of sexual abuse can be broken. Trailer Runtime: 77mins

Film about an American thing (criminal justice and sex offenders) but done by people who are not from here. Just wow. Going where no American would ever go.

Welcome to Leith
White neo-Nazi tries to make Leith, SD into a whites only town. Trailer Runtime: 95mins.

Also an instructional video on what to do when white supremacists try to take over your small town.

1001 Grams
With the kind of wry humor that we’ve come to expect from Norwegian director Bent Hamer (Home for Christmas, MSPIFF 2011; Kitchen Stories), 1001 Grams offers a minimalist meditation on life’s magical abstractions. At the Norwegian Institute of Weights and Measures, Norway’s kilo, kept under lock and key, must be transported to Paris to be calibrated. Marie is put in charge of traveling with the kilo as she contemplates obtuse scientific quantifications with more personal concepts of love, life, and death. Trailer Runtime: 93mins

This might be disappointing if you're unfamiliar with Norwegian humor. It's quiet and slow. But I like it.


The Summer of Sangaile
Seventeen-year-old Sangail is fascinated by stunt planes. Afraid of heights, she has never dared to even enter in one of the cockpits at a summer aeronautical show. Nearby her parents’ lakeside villa, she meets Auste, a local girl of her age who, unlike Sangaile, lives her life to the full with creativity and daring. As the two girls become lovers, Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret, and finds in her teenage love the only person to truly encourage her interest in flying. Trailer Runtime: 88mins

This one barely made it onto my list because it's a little bit exploitative. Watch at your own peril.

Accused
Paula van der Oest’s Accused, shortlisted for Best Foreign Film Oscar, turns a compelling true story into an engaging, heart-pounding thriller. Neonatal nurse Lucia has a knack for quieting crying babies but is scorned by her colleagues for being independent and private. After being present at one inexplicable death too many, Lucia gets caught up in hospital politics and a very ugly witch hunt. Ariane Schluter gives a gripping and down-to-earth performance that makes this drama riveting from start to finish. Trailer Runtime: 97mins

Loved Ariane Schluter's performance.

The Keeping Room
When you hear “home invasion thriller,” you don’t think Civil War period piece. But The Keeping Room willfully bends expectations by mixing genres—-predatory horror, revisionist western, feminist drama, and brutal cat-and-mouse thriller. The story focuses on the violent resilience and dramatic camaraderie of three Southern women as their home is besieged during the purges at the close of the American Civil War. Forced to defend their land and fight for their lives, the women take up arms against oppressors, shattering gender and genre conventions in the process. Clip (not trailer) Runtime: 95mins

I was on the edge of my seat just about the whole time. Had to close my eyes too.

2015 MSPIFF

This will be my life during MSPIFF. Punch. Movies. Knitting.

Back once again with my list of films that I'd like to see. I'm excited because this year's program includes a whole program called Women and Film.  Thirty-five whole features including 27 directed by women. Now if only the film society would get their act together about the actual SCHEDULE of films...

In this part of the 21st century, descriptions are important and trailers are even more important. So click on the link and watch the trailer if you want.

Update: I've made my final schedule selections. A mostly correct list is here (thank you to the Film Society of Minneapolis and St. Paul for the mostly 21st century tech this year). I've *never* been this organized for MSPIFF before. As currently configured, I'm seeing 56 films from April 10-April 25; that's 3.5 films per day. Honestly I probably won't be able to make *all* of them (I never have). Because sleep. Film fatigue. Hearing bad things about films. Etc.

I'm particularly excited about:

52 Tuesdays
Accused
Antarctic Edge: 70° South
Beyond the Divide
Cuidad Delirio (This one looks like it includes a trans person of African descent)
Girlhood
The Golden Era
The Lesson
Margarita, With a Straw (Seriously, watch the trailer)
The Mask You Live In
Nena
Out in the Night
The Second Mother
The Summer of Sangaile (the trailer link on MSPIFF's website is wrong--here's the right link
)
Tales (I am swooning for this one)
Dukhtar (This should be in the Women in Film program and I don't understand why it's not): 4/10 7pm
Letters to the King
Speed Walking (MSPIFF, you had me at "From the Scandinavian director of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo..."
The Grump
Love Marriage in Kabul
Hello! Jun'ichi
Courage
Shana: The Wolf's Music
Just Eat It
Capturing Grace
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Knucklehead
Operation Popcorn
Welcome to Leith
Bread and Butter
A Borrowed Identity
Childish Shorts
Clouds of Sils Maria (Um, Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart)
The Lobby
The Dark Horse
Marie's Story
Shorts 6: Femme Regard


Less excited but likely:

1000 Rupee Note
About a Girl (about women and girls but directed, written, and produced by men)
Lola on the Pea
Secrets of War
Cheatin'   (couldn't fit into schedule)

2014 MSPIFF

My first time through the MSPIFF catalog is usually in search of films directed by women since Hollywood is so hostile to women and Iran and other countries provide more opportunities for women directors. So armed with the online catalog and Google images, I search for names that don't indicate a gender to me. Which is a lot of them, since this is an international film festival. Early on this year, I found a director whose photos didn't fit squarely in either end of the gender spectrum, from Concrete Night, Pirjo Honkasalo. She's Finnish, and Scandinavians have a very different social contract about gender roles (which is one of the things I love about Scandinavian film). So now I have a new first preference for films.

Possibilities:

*Directed by people not solidly on the male end of the gender continuum.

*Shosh Shlam: Documentary about internet addiction being an official diagnosis in China.
Above All Else (about trying to stop the XL pipeline)
*The Amazing Catfish: Women meet at a hospital. All about women. By a woman. From Mexico.
American Arab: About that chosen identity and all its conflicts. From the POV of American Arabs.
*The Animal Project: Quirky class where students don animal costumes and live in them to discover themselves. Not documentary.
*Bends: Drama that takes place on the border between Hong Kong and China. Looks like it has themes of social class.
*Dangerous Acts Starring Unstable Elements of Belarus: Documentary about artistic expression and repression. Images of true courage.
*Despite the Gods: Documentary directed by a woman about a white woman in India (Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch) directing a Bollywood film. What's NOT to like?
*Distance: Woman-directed near future sci-fi? Yes.
*Final Recipe: Woman-directed and the trailer made my mouth water.
*Gabrielle: Love story about two developmentally disabled young adults and their families. I hope this one makes me reconsider my hate of French film.
*Habi, the Foreigner: Spanish girl's coming of age and seeking her own identity through Islam.
Half of a Yellow Sun: based on the book with the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
*Hotell: Erika joins a group to heal from trauma and they find some unique ways to deal with it. Swedish.
*I Thought It Was A Party: Two women go on vacation and a male lover shows up. Drama ensues.
*InRealLife: This documentary asks what the internet is doing to our children.
The Jingle Dress: Local, Native, but directed by a guy who looks white.
*Karaoke Girl: A young Thai woman in Thailand struggles to support her and her family.
*Longing for the Rain: Hong Kong film about a middle class Chinese family. Themes of class and gender roles and sexuality.
*Love and Lemons: "Charming" and Swedish in the description and directed by a woman? I'm there.
*Midsummer Night Tango: Finnish director claims that the Tango was invented in Finland. Three people travel to Finland to investigate.
*Shorts: Stage to Screen has one film directed by a woman.
Nobody's Daughter Haewon: A flawed Korean woman tries to find herself. Funny.
*Out of the Fire: A documentary about wood-fired kiln operations.
*Pine Ridge: Documentary profiles of residents of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.
Remembering Nokutela: A documentary about a woman who paved the way for freedom in South Africa.
*Salma: Documentary about a young Muslim girl in India who became a poet.
*Stay Then Go: The story of a mom letting go of her son who she's built her entire life around.
Trapped: One Iranian woman fights for another's freedom.
*Twin Sisters: Two Chinese girls discover that they are twins after they'd been adopted out of the country, far from each other.
We Are the Best!: Girl punk band in Sweden.


Mayyyyyybe:

*Burts Buzz: Documentary about the guy behind Burt's Bees. About a white guy but the trailer had me wanting more. So maybe.
*Concrete Night: One night for two boys. Violent. But the trailer is beautiful and it's Finnish.
*Cyber-Seniors: Looks kinda fun, directed by a woman, but everyone is white. Gah.
*For a Woman: I hate French film and the trailer shows all that I hate about French film (sssshhhh, don't tell Mrs. Bond, my high school French teacher). I'll see this if there's absolutely nothing else to see and I don't need a nap or a run.

MSPIFF 2013 Choices

It's here! Check out the MSPIFF website for more choices.

I'm wondering, though, how long they'll be able to continue to call themselves an "international" film fest. In the program's index by country, there are six columns of films, and two columns are U.S. films. While I enjoy truly independent American film, I go to MSPIFF for the international film, for the perspective of people around the world. Is the film fest losing its way in its search for cash? MSPIFF got a big grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You know, the folks who give out Oscars. Yeah, the ones who are overwhelmingly white and male. Please don't follow the Oscar's lead Film Society. Please.

Rant's over. Now for my choices. I'm out of town for the first weekend, but 45 minutes after I get off the plane, I'll be in a theater. Join me for some!

*Films directed by women

Sunday, April 14

3:45 Merry Christmas*
7:15 The Door
9:00 The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear*

Monday, April 15

5:30 After Tiller*
7:20 Alois Nebel
9:20 Violeta Went to Heaven OR
9:45 La Playa DC

Tuesday, April 16

4:15 The Towrope
7:30 Made in Ash*
9:30 Born This Way*

Wednesday, April 17

5:00 Bwakaw
7:30 Justice for My Sister*
9:45 Lunarcy!

Thursday, April 18

2:45 Goodbye Morocco
4:45 Kuma
7:00 Midnight's Children*

Friday, April 19

2:15 Eden*
4:20 Augustine*
6:45 La Bas: A Criminal Education
9:00 Key of Life

Saturday, April 20

11:10am The Mosuo Sisters*
12:45 Cinderella Moon
4:00 Shorts Program 4: American Indies
7:00 Arcadia*
9:00 The Brass Teapot*

Sunday, April 21

12:00 We Women Warriors*
3:15 Inch'Allah*
6:15 With Impunity: Men and Gender Violence
9:25 Everybody Has a Plan*

Monday, April 22

5:00 Polluting Paradise*
7:10 The Fifth Season*
9:30 Broken

Tuesday, April 23

4:45 Igor and the Crane's Journey
7:00 Mama Illegal
9:55 Children of Sarajevo*

Wednesday, April 24

4:00 The Virgin, the Copts, and Me
7:15 Too Cold Out There Without You*
9:35 The Deflowering of Eva van End

Thursday, April 25

4:30 Kauboy
6:00 Bells of Happiness*
7:20 The Reluctant Fundamentalist*

Friday, April 26

2:45 Electrick Children*
5:10 Modest Reception
9:50 The Deep

Saturday, April 27

11:45am Lucky
2:00 About 111 Girls*
4:10 Tiny: A Story About Living Small*
7:30 In a World...*

Sunday, April 28

1:00 The Parade
4:05 Jin
7:00 Zaytoun
9:30 Papadopoulos and Sons

Note for me for next year: See my 2013 MSPIFF Process note for 2014! And remember to keep your schedule light. Three weeks is far too long.