It’s gonna be double bills all the way now, I reckon, as I keep missing days!
All Is Vanity
Dir. Marcos Mereles / Dur. 73 mins
Strand:- Dare
In A Nutshell:- A photographer, a model, a make-up artist and a runner are staying the weekend in a studio flat for a shoot. Things take a turn when one of them disappears…
The Good:- I’m going to struggle with this one as I’m afraid that, despite being on paper exactly the sort of film that I should like, it really didn't float my boat. It’s also tricky to say a lot about it without spoiling it as it’s one of those films that is best gone into without any knowledge of what it’s about.
The Bad:- For me personally, this was a perfect storm of elements coming together to create something that just didn't gel. The performances weren’t great, the characters were not especially likeable and pretty thinly drawn which combined to make them uninteresting and the elements which should have been fun and playful somehow came across as smug and pretentious. I don’t usually like to give predominantly negative reviews but I just didn't really enjoy anything about this.
The Verdict:- A complete misfire for me on every level and disappointingly so as it really is the sort of film that not should I enjoy but is probably the sort of thing I’d end up making.
Q&A Notes:- The director and some of the key cast were there. It was an entirely self-financed film filmed in the single location over a period of about 11 days. The film was very scripted but, during filming, the actors were encouraged to improvise around the start and end of scenes to give the impression of having just dropped in mid-conversation.
Nitram
Dir. Justin Kurzel / Dur. 112 mins
Strand:- Official Competition
In A Nutshell:- Based on a true story, this tells the story of Martin Bryant and explores the build up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, Australia.
The Good:- The film adopts a low key and unsensational way to depict the story of a young man who doesn’t fit in to the world around him. It’s a tricky subject to tackle and this feels like the best approach - the film has a strong sense of unease throughout but doesn’t attempt to explain, justify or judge its subject. Credit has to go to Caleb Landry Jones for a performance that holds the attention throughout even when he is a difficult character to truly empathise with. There are many potential contributing factors for his actions but the film doesn't try and pin it down on any one of them which is to its credit. In fact, it is the gun laws that made this such an easy feat to accomplish that are the intended target of this film.
The Bad:- Nothing immediately springs to mind for this one.
The Verdict:- An unsettling and compelling film which treats a difficult subject with a refreshing lack of sensationalism.
No Q&A for this one.
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