Day 3 of TIFF...
Falcon Lake (Le Bon) - Loosely adapted from a graphic novel by Bastien Vivès - it was essentially retrofitted with a supernatural ghost story thematic element when a more literal approach failed to attract financial backers - this coming-of-age tale boasts some earnestly awkward performances from it's two young leads. The introduced changes recontextualize the original story into something unique that's able to stand on its own. I do think some of the elements could have been executed better but I applaud the ambition shown from this debut feature effort. (6.5 out of 10)
Holy Spider (Abbasi) - In many ways this film comes off like Iran's answer to The Silence of the Lambs - except this one's arguably more haunting as it's based on real-life events. Anchored by two lead performances whose game of cat-and-mouse carry the entire film - Amir-Ebrahimi and Bajestani are on par with any acting you will see this year - and some excellent camerawork, the only thing that makes this film a difficult rewatch is its harrowing subject matter. (8 out of 10)
Triangle of Sadness (Östlund) - This year's winner of the Palme d'Or is more of a series of comedic skits designed to poke fun at and tear down capitalist austerity than an actual film. There are some true moments of absurd brilliance here reminiscent of the Brooks - Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker greats. Other skits don't land quite so smoothly and there's a sense of redundancy here that sets in long before the end of this film's 2 1/2 hour runtime. (6.75 out of 10)
EO (Skolimowski) - What can best be described as an arthouse Homeward Bound starring a donkey simply trying to find its way back to his beloved circus trainer, this highly empathetic film is almost entirely carried by its jaw-dropping cinematography and Mykietyn's rousing orchestral score. This film begs to be watched in a theatrical setting, if at all possible. No, the donkey doesn't talk but Isabelle Huppert does show up briefly to smash some plates. (7.5 out of 10)
Falcon Lake (Le Bon) - Loosely adapted from a graphic novel by Bastien Vivès - it was essentially retrofitted with a supernatural ghost story thematic element when a more literal approach failed to attract financial backers - this coming-of-age tale boasts some earnestly awkward performances from it's two young leads. The introduced changes recontextualize the original story into something unique that's able to stand on its own. I do think some of the elements could have been executed better but I applaud the ambition shown from this debut feature effort. (6.5 out of 10)
Holy Spider (Abbasi) - In many ways this film comes off like Iran's answer to The Silence of the Lambs - except this one's arguably more haunting as it's based on real-life events. Anchored by two lead performances whose game of cat-and-mouse carry the entire film - Amir-Ebrahimi and Bajestani are on par with any acting you will see this year - and some excellent camerawork, the only thing that makes this film a difficult rewatch is its harrowing subject matter. (8 out of 10)
Triangle of Sadness (Östlund) - This year's winner of the Palme d'Or is more of a series of comedic skits designed to poke fun at and tear down capitalist austerity than an actual film. There are some true moments of absurd brilliance here reminiscent of the Brooks - Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker greats. Other skits don't land quite so smoothly and there's a sense of redundancy here that sets in long before the end of this film's 2 1/2 hour runtime. (6.75 out of 10)
EO (Skolimowski) - What can best be described as an arthouse Homeward Bound starring a donkey simply trying to find its way back to his beloved circus trainer, this highly empathetic film is almost entirely carried by its jaw-dropping cinematography and Mykietyn's rousing orchestral score. This film begs to be watched in a theatrical setting, if at all possible. No, the donkey doesn't talk but Isabelle Huppert does show up briefly to smash some plates. (7.5 out of 10)
