SIFF Roundup
The Seattle International Film Festival wrapped up its 25 days of sharing 450 movies from across the world on June 7th. As a first time SIFF attendee, I gathered all the movies I viewed during this time for a quick roundup. My absolute favorites are:
Liza, the Fox-Fairy
The Dark Horse
Circle
Racing Extinction
The Primary Instinct
Guidance
7 Chinese Brothers | Bob Byington | Grade: B-
Undriven and stuck, Larry finds himself going from one unfortunate event to event to another.
An unorthodox take that showcasing the quiet and erosive side alcoholism
Schwartzman adds to his acting arsenal with this role
Genuine – sometimes, good things do not happen to people who do not deserve them
Circle | Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione | Grade: A-
Fifty strangers are confined to one room with the ability to kill one another by voting.
Boils down to one question: Who deserves to die?
Despite the situation, there’s a balance between humorous and heavy moments
Able to maintain the sense of shock throughout the film
The Dark Horse | James Napier Robertson | Grade: A
Genesis Potini, a New Zealand speed-chess champion teaches a group of students the ways of the board while battling through his mental barriers.
Cliff Curtis, James Rolleston, and Wayne Hapi are unforgettable
Complex relationships and no sense of judgement from the youth
Breathes positivity into mental illness
A Few Cubic Meters of Love | Jamshid Mahmoudi | Grade: C
Coming from different worlds, an Iranian worker and the daughter of a strict Afghan man fall in love.
Relies heavily on prior knowledge in Iranian and Afghan culture
Ill-paced with an ending that escalates and then disintegrates
Disconnect during translation
Front Cover | Ray Yeung | Grade: C
Two Chinese cultures, modern and traditional, clash with the fashion and movie industry as a backdrop.
Played it safe with a gay man in the fashion industry
No sense of taking place in New York
Originally written 20 years ago, story is still prevalent
Guidance | Pat Mills | Grade: A-
A washed up ’80s child star lands a promising role by posing as a high school guidance counselor.
Breaks down societal expectations: promiscuity, racial injustice, and sexual identity
A few moments of prop inconsistency
Outwardly coarse and a rambunctious trip
Haemoo | Shim Sung-Bo | Grade: B
With insufficient fishing hauls, a captain accepts a transport assignment with a more precious cargo: humans.
Highlights today’s indifference to the growing number of deaths on fishing barges due to human trafficking
Events unceasingly built upon one another with a never ending sense of angst
Captain is haunting and disturbing
Kahil Gibran’s The Prophet | Bill Plympton, Gaëtan Brizzi, Joan C. Gratz, Joann Sfar, Michal Socha, Mohammed Saeed Harib, Nina Paley, Paul Brizzi, Roger Allers, Tomm Moore | Grade: C
A girl befriends a convict, man who shared his free-thinking ways with the community.
Casting was off and lacked authenticity
A culmination of all artistic aesthetics and dimensions in one film
Appropriately awakens Gibran’s poetry
Liza, the Fox-Fairy | Károly Ujj-Mészáros | Grade: A
Men meet their untimely death after falling in love with a woman, a cursed fox-fairy.
A convergence of opposites that come together in a most unexpected way
Musical score is timed well and exclusive to the story
Secondary characters are varied, intriguing, and do not compete with one another
Manglehorn | David Gordon Green | Grade: B-
An old man’s distant nature costs him more than he is willing to admit.
Even with a lackluster script, Al Pacino’s performance does not disappoint
Grown into a cranky curmudgeon, tales of greatness and magnetism hint at a much different past
Tangents are awkward and mundane
The Primary Instinct | David Chen | Grade: B
Inspired by The Tobolowsky Files podcast, director, David Chen showcases character actor, Stephen Tobolowsky’s storytelling in a new format.
Created intimacy between the audience member and Tobolowsky
Phenomenal storytelling by Tobolowsky that ignites the urge to try and do anything
Evokes a range of emotions
Racing Extinction | Louie Psihoyos | Grade: A-
A documentary exploring the markets capitalizing on the capture, distribution, and selling of endangered species
Unbearable suspense and sickening realization the film is more than a movie, but illustrates the real world
Emphasizes how everyone puts pressure on the trigger
A symphony of the cacophonous and harmonious
Saved From the Flames: A Trip to the Moon and Other Trips Through Time and Space | Serge Bromberg | Grade: NA
A collection of previously lost films from the early 20th century.
Superb selections showcasing cinematic treasures
Director and archivist, Serge Bromberg, is spirited and a gift to the film community
Proof in the value of archiving and visual representations of history
Time Out of Mind | Oren Moverman | Grade: D
Separated by alcoholism, a homeless man attempts to reconnect with his daughter while coming to terms with his homeless state.
Bland performance by Richard Gere
No development character-wise
Provides insight into the limited resources provided to homeless assistance programs
The Tournament | Elodie Namer | Grade: C-
A French chess champion’s throne is threatened by a much younger and brighter adversary.
Another film showcasing the lavish lifestyle of chess players
Attempts to address inequality between men and women and the macho image, although never tackles the issues directly
Impressive in regards to the fact that all cast members were required to learn chess prior to filming
The Village | Levan Tutberidze | Grade: D+
A woman struggles with the traditional practices of a village among the clouds.
Beautiful Georgian landscapes
Not enough conflict between the conservative elders and the woman to gain the sense of her misunderstanding
Disconnect in the relation between the woman and two male residents
When Marnie Was There | Hiromasa Yonebayashi | Grade: B+
Vacationing in a town to escape asthmatic issues, a once solitary and reserved girl forms an unbreakable friendship.
Similarly to The Secret World of Arrietty, Yonebayashi instills a sense of wonder
A focus on the population of foster care children
Touching story on connectedness to family
Where I am King | Carlos Siguion-Reyna | Grade: B
Blindsided by bankruptcy, a grandfather brings his grandchildren to his old neighborhood to teach them value unrecognized by the privileged.
Brings to the forefront the LGBT community that is otherwise brushed aside or ignored
Disparity between the sprawling metro and shantytowns, both within the borders of Manila
One too many bylines
The Wolfpack | Crystal Moselle | Grade: B
For years, six brothers live cut-off from society with movies as their only exposure to the outside world.
Bizarre
Leaves many questions unanswered: Where did they receive income for food? What happened when the mother wanted to visit? What are they doing now?
A disturbing real-life story of the Angulo brothers who actually live through movies
Originally published on AudiencesEverywhere - June 10, 2015
Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash