Here, in my order of preference, are the films I saw at the 2007 festival:

 

·          My Favourite: Juno

It didn’t win the People’s Choice award, but it was the first runner-up, and with good reason; it even cracked my all-time top 10 (I’ve pegged it at #9). I think the best description I could come up with for this disarming and poignant comedy is a complicated recipe: Five parts Gilmore Girls, four parts Rushmore, three parts High Fidelity, two parts Heathers, and one part Amelie. Snappy dialogue, clever writing, and universally likable characters make this a real charmer almost anyone can like.

 

·          Honourable Mention: The Tracey Fragments

Bruce McDonald’s newest movie is most remarkable for the way it’s constructed, with busy, dynamic split-screen images reflecting the frame of mind of the protagonist. The story is a fairly simple teenage runaway story (based on the book by Maureen Medved) but the editing style and elements of unreality make it thought-provoking and satisfying. I was going to say that it’s just a coincidence that my two favourites this year both star Ellen Page (who I don’t recall ever seeing before) but I suppose that would be unfair to her; she really did turn out two great performances.

 

I also recommend:

·          The Sun Also Rises – This dreamlike Chinese film was the unexpected gem of the festival for me. As far as I know it has no relation to the Hemingway novel, but is based on a book called “Velvet”. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt in one sense, in that I’m not sure the story was really tight and all the loose ends tied up, because the plot lines are very difficult to follow (especially because of the fractured timelines and multitude of characters) and I wasn’t paying enough attention to one key piece of exposition toward the end of the film. (I overheard several people coming out of the theatre who were also confused about the timelines and character crossovers.) However, even if there were logic or continuity errors (and I’m not saying there were, I’m just saying I’m not sure) I would consider it a success even simply as an aesthetic joy.

·          Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame – Shot on location in Bamian, Afghanistan, where the famous giant Buddhas were blown up by the Taliban, this Iranian film works both as an interesting slice of life for a child in Afghanistan, and as an allegory for life in Afghanistan in recent history. It has the relaxed pace and absence of music I consider typical of Iranian cinema, but it also shares the realism typical of it as well. I might be slightly biased because the central protagonist reminded me of Paisley, but I think that’s actually part of the intent of the movie, using children as the main characters to elicit empathy in the audience.

·          Boy A – If I gave an acting award, it would go to Andrew Garfield (the star of this British drama about a young man given a second chance in life) for the likeability, vulnerability, and tainted innocence he brings to his character. I had a real problem with the ending, which didn’t ring true for me, but the story is well-constructed, the acting superb, and I think ultimately the film has its heart in the right place.

·          Dinner with the President – A documentary that is part of the “Why Democracy?” series (which will be airing on CBC Newsworld over the course of the fall, as part of a worldwide broadcasting event) this explores the subject of Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and his efforts(?) to bring democracy back to Pakistan. I found it a thorough and thought-provoking portrait of Pakistani society and human rights, as well as a fascinating lesson in recent Pakistani history.

·          Please Vote For Me – Another in the “Why Democracy?” collection of documentaries, this one tells the story of an experiment in democracy the filmmaker was able to arrange in China. A third grade class will elect their class monitor from three candidates chosen by the teacher, but the students and candidates are unfamiliar with the concept of democracy, so they have to make it up as they go. There are also elements of social commentary, adding up to an insightful and entertaining glimpse of both Chinese society and the perils of primal democracy.

·          Pink – I think it would be fair enough to sum up this Greek film as Catcher In the Rye meets Through the Looking Glass, because it combines the passionate youthful idealism of the former with the dark fantasia of the latter, although that probably sounds more appealing than the movie actually feels. I recommend it for the artful and thoughtful execution of the ideas (including excellent use of music) but be forewarned that it is at least somewhat unsettling. (In fact, thinking about it some more now, this is probably the closest thing to Lukas Moodysson’s “A Hole In My Heart” that I’ve yet seen, so take that as a recommendation or a warning as you will.)

·          Nightwatching – A painter by training, Peter Greenaway is known for composing his shots like paintings, and with this interpretation of Rembrandt’s painting of “The Night Watch”, he’s achieved new heights in lavish fluid composition. Complex and challenging to follow, it’s kind of like reading fine literature; it might have a hard time qualifying as entertainment, but it’s interesting and enriching and admirable nonetheless.

·          Diary of the Dead – The only other George A. Romero zombie movie I saw was the original Night of the Living Dead, but this is so much better. A reimagining of the zombie scenario if it were to happen today, there’s plenty of social commentary and subtext here, among all the creative brain munching and zombie blasting, so it has something for everyone…it’s a brainy movie in more ways than one.

·          The Take – John Leguizamo stars as an armoured car driver in this heist movie. A real throwback and perhaps even homage to some great movies of the seventies (most notably The French Connection) this is an entertaining thriller with some great scenes.

·          You The Living – A surreal celebration of life morosely and blackly humorous as only a Scandinavian could create. I very much enjoyed the use of imagery in this great thought-provoking piece of contemporary art.

 

Also worth seeing:

·          Stuck – Although based on true events, this story of an extreme case of hit-and-run is clearly embellished for maximum dramatic effect. Mena Suvari plays a different sort of villain, but an impressive one. I suppose I was looking for more subtext (rather than the one-note morality tale this delivers) which is why I don’t quite want to recommend it, but the story is morbidly entertaining in the Hollywood style, and I particularly enjoyed the ending.

·          XXY – This Argentinian film is a coming-of-age story with a twist: the protagonist is gender-ambiguous. The subject of gender ambiguity is capably explored, with a relative absence of sensationalism, which I might argue is both its greatest strength (it’s honest, earnest, and credible) and its greatest weakness (it has little to recommend it over any other dime-a-dozen coming-of-age movie). I did see it toward the end of the festival, so perhaps I was getting a little jaded; at the least it certainly is well worth seeing.

·          Reclaim Your Brain – This ambitious German movie tells the story of an ambitious plan to hijack television ratings to get rid of the dreck that dominates contemporary television. I think there are weaknesses in the script, particularly in the believability of some of the characters, but the idea and sentiment are admirable, and it’s quite entertaining as well, especially the opening sequence.

·          The Girl In the Park – Sigourney Weaver stars as a mother whose child disappears from a park, which turns her world upside down, and yet years later she encounters a young woman who may be her daughter. It feels very much like a play, which is both good and bad; good in that the characters and dialogue are well fleshed out, with great dramatic results, but bad in that it is almost entirely people talking in rooms, so there’s not much in terms of visual excitement.

·          Ulzhan – The story of a man walking across Kazakhstan for mysterious reasons, I very much liked the way this gave a new slant on the idea of the road movie. It’s soulful and plaintive, but in a good, ultimately uplifting way.

·          Joy Division – This documentary on Joy Division is interesting and informative, and if you have any interest in the band it’s well worth seeing. However, I didn’t think it really possessed anything exceptional to recommend it beyond that audience.

·          It’s a Free World… – As is typical of his style, Ken Loach wears his leftie leanings on his sleeve in his latest film about exploitation of immigrant workers, but this feels intimate and authentic, as is also typical of his style. Not his best work, but not his worst either.

·          The Voyeurs – This is the first Indian film I’ve seen at the festival, and there’s certainly an element of the cheese and low production values that I associate with Indian cinema, but there’s also some genuine substance here, about the social and economic upheaval in Calcutta today as well as some timeless truths about love and kindness.

·          The Passage – This suspense film about two westerners in Morocco is cleverly constructed, and the scenes in the passage are very suspenseful and creepy, but it commits some classic B-movie mistakes right at the climax. If only they’d worked a little harder on that part of the script, they’d have a great horror movie, but as it stands, it’s a decent idea with some good scenes (despite the big hole in the middle). The kicker at the end is pretty commendable too.

·          King of the Hill – This Spanish film reminded me of After Hours, in that it begins promisingly with a man’s chance encounter with a mysterious attractive woman, but then goes downhill from there toward an almost ridiculous conclusion. It does a very good job of building the suspense, but the payoff is less than satisfying.

·          New York City Serenade – I was quite disappointed by this buddy film starring Freddie Prinze and Chris Klein, with its immature characters. It does have some interesting scenes and supporting characters, and does ultimately deliver a decent message, but in the form of a tacked-on schmaltzy epilogue.

 

I don't recommend:

·          The Babysitters – I was quite disappointed by this story of an enterprising teenage girl who falls into a secret life of prostitution. There was little to like about any of the characters, and I had a difficult time believing either the situations or the actions of several of the characters in those situations.

 

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