As you may know, I spend a lot of my days roaming the globe attending film festivals and markets, searching for new acquisitions and watching a heck of a lot of films.
So here are ten which I have really enjoyed, and will, with all likelihood, be seen across our way sometime soon. About half of these are already scheduled for release in NZ.
The Queen of Versailles
The Queen of Versailles had more chat out of Sundance than any other movie, except perhaps Safety Not Guaranteed, and certainly more inside the USA than any other movie. This doc follows the building of the USA’s biggest ever house, and the couple building it. He’s a very rich man, having made his money from time shares, and she’s, well, his wife. Along came the GFC during the housebuilding, and he lost quite a lot of money, more than any of us would ever see in a lifetime.
Laurence Anyways
Laurence Anyways is from the director of Heartbeats (previous winner of the Sydney Film Festival Official Competition) and also picked up Best Actress in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year. The movie follows a man’s decision to have a sex change, and the repercussions for him and his girlfriend.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Based on a bestseller, this tells the story of a Pakistani man working on Wall St when the events of Sept 11th happen and shake him to the core, forcing him to reevaluate his life choices. Opening night film at Venice Film Festival last month, this movie has a great cast comprising Liev Schreiber, Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland, but it’s breakout British star Riz Ahmed (previously seen in Four Lions and Trishna) whose performance makes this film so compelling.
Rust and Bone
From director Jacques Audiard, and starring Marion Cotillard, this was the big French hope in Cannes this year, and you couldn’t get away from it in all the French media. Luckily for them, it was pretty well reviewed as well, and should perform strongly around the world. Bit of a distressing premise, with a woman losing her legs and learning to live her life once more, this has emotion aplenty and beautiful performances.
The Invisible War
This won the US Documentary Award at Sundance earlier in the year. It concerns the ‘invisible war’ which females in the US military face, often being subjected to rape and harassment. This doc puts forward the case that it’s endemic in the military, going all the way to the top, and there need to be many changes made to stop it continuing. Forget the wars happening overseas, this one’s happening under the US’ nose.
Alps
Winner of the Sydney Film Festival Official Competition this year, and from the team behind Dogtooth and Attenberg, this movie must have one of the more intriguing descriptions you’ll see this year. A group of people start up a business where they impersonate the recently deceased, to help people through their grieving process. It all goes swimmingly until one of them gets a bit too attached.
The Surrogate (aka The Sessions)
Sundance’s other big winner, this has now been renamed The Sessions, perhaps because ‘surrogate’ promotes images of pregnancy, as opposed to ‘sex surrogacy’ which this is really all about. The ever wonderful John Hawkes stars as a man with an iron lung who decides, at the age of 38, to lose his virginity, and brings in a lovely hooker (they’re all lovely in the movies, aren’t they, hookers… Pretty Woman, Hangover, um… Taxi Driver?) to help him along.
Thale
The story of a young Norwegian girl with a tail (yeah, that’s how you pronounce the title too… tail) who is discovered hidden away in a bunker out in the wilderness. The two guys who find her try to unravel the story. What’s great about this is that it’s based on real Norwegian folklore so it’s infused with a bit of mysticism. Very much like Monsters before it, it’s a really well made, lower budget movie with sparse use of CGI to excellent effect. Plus, did I mention it’s a naked girl with a tail?
In The Land of Blood and Honey
Angelina Jolie’s much hyped directorial debut surrounding the Bosnian-Serb conflict, this got a Golden Globe nomination and many accolades, with many saying it would have been much more hyped had it not been for the disdain and attention the director’s name inevitably brought to it. Of course, others say it would have gone almost completely unnoticed if not for her name.
Silver Linings Playbook
This one probably needs no introduction, people seem well aware of it already. Despite what I think is a truly terrible title (I know, I know, it’s based on a book), this film, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper recently won the Toronto Film Fest Audience Award, which puts it in prestigious company with the likes of Precious, Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech and our very own Whale Rider for going on to gain major awards attention.
Read more on Silver Linings Playbook
