Category: Danielgetahun - Joyless Creatures

Joyless Creatures

Lamb

15/4/2016

by Daniel Getahun

Yared Zeleke’s brilliant debut, Lamb, has set the bar extraordinarily high for the Ethiopian film industry. The semi-autobiographical tale of a precocious boy’s soul-searching after the death of his mother was the country’s first ever film to be featured at the Cannes Film Festival. Lamb’s jaw-dropping cinematography and affecting performances betray its shoestring budget and amateur cast; Zeleke leverages the breathtaking Ethiopian highlands as a silent but bonafide supporting character.

MSPIFF
Friday, April 15, 6:45 pm
Saturday, April 16, 1:10 pm

Director: Yared Zeleke
Producers: Laurent Lavole, Ama Ampadu, Johannes Rexin
Writer: Yared Zeleke
Cinematographer: Josée Deshaies
Editor: Véronique Bruque
Music: Christophe Chassol
Cast: Rediat Amare, Kidist Siyum, Welela Assefa, Surafel Teka, Rahel Teshome, Indris Mohamed

Runtime: 94m.
Genre: Drama
Country: Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway/Qatar

Charlie's Country

14/9/2015

by Daniel Getahun

Once upon a time, Section 51 of Australia’s Constitution authorized its Parliament “to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth... with respect to the people of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws.” In other words, it was legal to create laws that discriminated against indigenous Australians. Not even officially recognized in the constitution, they became among the most marginalized and disenfranchised populations on earth. Once upon a time was 2015.

Trylon microcinema

Director: Rolf de Heer
Producers: Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr, Nils Erik Nielsen
Writers: David Gulpilil
Cinematographer: Ian Jones
Editor: Tania Nehme
Music: Graham Tardif
Cast: David Gulpilil, Peter Djigirr, Luke Ford, Paul Blackwell, Bobby Bunungurr, Michael Dawa, Jennifer Budukpuduk Gaykamangu, Gary Waddell

Runtime: 108m.
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Premiere: July 5, 2014 – Karlovy Vary Film Festival
US Theatrical Release: June 5, 2015
US Distributor: Monument Releasing

Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story

22/4/2015

by Daniel Getahun

Maybe don’t order the extra large popcorn before this thought-provoking documentary about the troubling amount of wasted food in the world. Disturbed by statistics that show nearly 40% of food produced globally is never consumed, Canadians Grant Baldwin and Jen Rustemeyer pledge to survive for six months entirely on discarded food. The result is Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, directed by Baldwin and a surprisingly refreshing entry into the genre of food documentaries that, by this point, I thought had long gone stale. Using the standard “advocacy documentary” template (problem, reasons, solution, website), Baldwin effectively makes the case that there is no single reason for so much wasted food, but rather a multitude of minor factors in our food culture that contribute to it. Portion sizes have ballooned, hospitality norms require abundant buffets that can never run empty, and consumers only purchase aesthetically perfect, unblemished food. And those are just a few reasons, before even considering the indirect impacts of wasted food (destroyed cropland, energy used for food distribution). It won’t surprise you that--spoiler alert--Baldwin and Rustemeyer survive the six months, but it will surprise you to see just how easily they do so.

MSPIFF
Wednesday, April 22, 5:00pm
Friday, April 24, 2:20pm

Director: Grant Baldwin
Producer: Jenny Rustmeyer
Writers: Jenny Rustemeyer, Grant Baldwin
Cinematography: Jenny Rustemeyer, Grant Baldwin
Editing: Grant Baldwin
Music: Grant Baldwin

Runtime: 75m.
Genre: Documentary
Country: Canada
Premiere: April 27, 2014 - Hot Docs International Documentary Festival

Pervert Park

21/4/2015

by Daniel Getahun

There is likely no class of criminals more despised in society than sex offenders--at least I can’t think of another group that is hunted for sport on television through shows like Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator.” Typically imprisoned and released back to society with specific rules about where they can live, those “predators” may end up at places like Florida Justice Transitions, a trailer park and rehabilitation center housing 120 registered sex offenders in St. Petersburg, FL. Swedish-Danish filmmaking couple Frida and Lasse Barkfors set out to document the stories of some of these (mostly) men and women in Pervert Park. Skating a fine line between portraying the sex offenders as both criminals and victims, the Barkfors reveal the legal complexity of sexual crimes and the wide range of life experiences (including widespread abuse and neglect as children) that comprise a typical sex offender registry. Sympathetic and sobering, Pervert Park does not sensationalize its subjects or their deviant behaviors. It presents sexual criminals as any other class of criminals--broken, remorseful, hopeful, and resilient. Occasionally disjointed, Pervert Park is still a frank and objective look at people outcast from society, trying to find their way back in.

MSPIFF
Tuesday, April 21, 5:30pm
Friday, April 24, 5:15pm

Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors
Producers: Frida Barkfors, Anne Köhncke
Writers: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors
Cinematography: Lasse Barkfors
Editing: Lasse Barkfors, Signe Kaufmann
Music: Julian Winding

Runtime: 77m.
Genre: Documentary
Country: Denmark/Sweden/USA
Premiere: November 6, 2014 - CPH: DOX

Happy Times

17/4/2015

by Daniel Getahun

A sharply written anti-romcom, Happy Times is pleasurable festival fare--not too long and not too serious, with a distinctively Latin flair. The premise isn’t as original is it would like to be, but the performances and brisk pace aid Mexican writer/director Luis Javier M. Henaine’s film about a lovable loser and the girlfriend he can’t let go. Max and Monica are two twenty-somethings at a critical juncture in their on-again, off-again relationship: Max wants to break up, Monica wants to get married. Happy Times follows Max’s efforts to cut the cord, eventually retaining the assistance of the Abaddon Agency, a mysterious service that helps break up relationships that don’t want to be broken up. As Max, Luis Arrieta carries the film with a performance reminiscent of Ben Stiller or Paul Rudd—the well-meaning guy who causes all of his own problems but still charms the audience (and the girl) anyway. The production design and technical merits are also strong, clearly influenced by Henaine’s background as a TV commercial and music video director. Happy Times isn’t going to be the film you remember most from the festival (unless you’re currently in a bad relationship), but it’s a worthwhile diversion that proves see-saw romances are universal to all cultures.

MSPIFF
Friday, April 17, 7:20pm
Saturday, April 18, 7:20pm

Director: Luis Javier M. Henaine
Producers: Alejandro Blazquez de Nicolas, Luis Javier M. Henaine, Alejandra Olvera Avila, Juan Carlos Sierra Niembro, Luis E. Gadea Salinas
Writers: Luis Javier M. Henaine, Alejandra Olvera Avila
Cinematography: Diego García
Editing: Branko Gomez Palacio
Cast: Luis Arrieta, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Humberto Busto

Runtime: 80m.
Genre: Comedy
Country: Mexico
Premiere: October 21, 2014 - Morelia International Film Festival

Operation Popcorn

15/4/2015

by Daniel Getahun

An intriguing but uneven documentary about betrayal and justice, Operation Popcorn too often resembles its title. New plot lines pop up every few minutes, and repetitive bits of hidden camera footage and wiretapped phone conversations keep you munching along but ultimately never feeling full. Director David Grabias is certainly working with interesting material: a group of Hmong-Americans, the trauma of the Vietnam War still fresh in their minds, begin to consider an armed return to Laos some 40 years after they fled as refugees. Among the alleged plotters are polarizing Hmong-American activist Locha Thao and venerated war hero General Vang Pao. When mysterious American partners approach them with weapons and advice on potentially overthrowing the communist Lao government, the Hmong leaders are left wondering whether everything is on the up and up. Operation Popcorn recalls a remarkable true story that flew mostly under the news radar only a few years ago, but it's presented like an episode of "Dateline NBC", long on court evidence and short on deeper analysis. Most compelling are the interviews with Hmong-Americans about how they see themselves as citizens of a country that abandoned them, and Operation Popcorn is arguably worth seeing for these insights alone.

MSPIFF
Tuesday, April 14, 7:10pm
Thursday, April 16, 4:00pm

Director: David Grabias
Producers: David Grabias, Anne Edgar
Cinematographer: Howard Shack, Shana Hagan
Editor: Christopher Brannan, Matt Coddaire, Victor Livingston

Runtime: 81m.
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA

Zemene

12/4/2015

by Daniel Getahun

A touching tribute to a young Ethiopian girl and the selfless doctors who save her life, Zemene is a refreshing picker-upper to squeeze into your festival schedule. At just over an hour, director Melissa Donovan makes efficient use of time to reveal cultural insights and also tell a stirring narrative. In rural Ethiopia, Zemenework (“Zemene”) Tiget suffers from kyphosis (the spine condition that presents as a “hunchback”), a result of contracting tuberculosis as a toddler. Having lost her mother to malaria, Zemene faces a likely early death as her spine threatens to eventually crush her lungs. When her helpless uncle brings her to the nearest city seeking care, they miraculously cross paths with Dr. Rick Hodes, a saintly American doctor who just happens to adopt spine patients, arrange their surgery, and nurse them back to health. It's a made-for-Hollywood fairy tale, but Donovan doesn't pander with melodrama or pity the seemingly endless line of children with spinal deformities. With Zemene, she demonstrates that transforming the body goes a long way to transforming the mind. And in this case, angelic Zemene appears to be on her way to transforming an entire community.

MSPIFF
Sunday, April 12, 1:15pm
Tuesday, April 14, 4:45pm

Director: Melissa Donovan
Producer: Melissa Donovan Writers: Melissa Donovan
Cinematography: Melissa Donovan
Editing: Dina Guttmann, Melissa Donovan, Christo Tsiaras

Runtime: 69m.
Genre: Documentary
Country: Ethiopia/USA
Premiere: September 28, 2014 - Boston Film Festival

Dukhtar

10/4/2015

by Daniel Getahun

Pakistan’s Oscar submission last year, Dukhtar (Daughter) is the complete package: a heartfelt, well-acted, intelligent drama about the constraints of tribal traditions on those who dare seek a life outside of them. The first feature from Pakistani filmmaker Afia Nathaniel, Dukhtar was filmed in northern Pakistan and features the stunning vistas to prove it. The story follows 10 year-old Zainab and her mother Allah as they escape their village after learning Zainab has been offered as a wife (and peace offering) for an opposing tribal elder. Chased across the rugged Pakistani mountains as they make their way to Allah’s family in Lahore, mother and daughter eventually find a friend in Sohail, a truck driver with his own troubled history as a non-conformist. There are moments of tender understanding and childlike naivety, but Dukhtar is hardly a Disney movie. There's a significant body count and an unsettling realism that is consistently suspenseful. Stepping back, one can imagine what’s at stake for many young women in real life, not only in Pakistan but wherever tribal allegiances and arranged marriages are the common law. Made with genuine love for her country, Dukhtar is a very promising debut by a filmmaker who will hopefully continue to be given a prominent platform in Pakistan.

MSPIFF
Friday, April 10, 7:00pm
Saturday, April 11, 2:00pm

Director: Afia Nathaniel
Producers: Muhammad Khalid Ali, Afia Nathaniel
Writer: Afia Nathaniel Cinematography: Armughan Hassan
Editing: Armughan Hassan
Cast: Samiya Mumtaz, Mohib Mirza, Saleha Aref

Runtime: 93m.
Genre: Drama
Country: Pakistan/USA/Norway
Premiere: September 5, 2014 - Toronto International Film Festival

Maidan

20/3/2015

by Daniel Getahun

This week an estimated 100,000 Russians gathered outside the Kremlin to celebrate the first anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. It’s striking to compare images of those cheering Russians with the images of impassioned Ukrainians in Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary Maidan. The film opens on a sea of faces spiritedly singing the Ukrainian national anthem at a rally against the government in Kiev’s central square (a movement that would become known as “Euromaidan”). Two hours of edited footage later, Maidan closes on the same sea of faces at a vigil in the same central square, spiritedly chanting “Heroes never die!” in memory of citizens killed in the political violence that preceded the Crimean annexation.

Walker Cinema

Director: Sergei Loznitsa

Runtime: 134m.
Genre: Documentary
Countries: Ukraine/Netherlands
Premiere: May 21, 2014 – Cannes Film Festival
US Theatrical Release: December 12, 2014
US Distributor: Cinema Guild

Selma

9/1/2015

by Daniel Getahun

Arriving only fifty years after the watershed Civil Rights Act of 1964, at a time when social, racial, and economic issues are again dominating our nation's attention, Selma is a sobering, inspiring portrait of courage under fire and the power of nonviolent protest. It is a landmark achievement in the history of cinematic depictions of Martin Luther King, Jr., and a seminal work by a director, Ava DuVernay, whose star is about to become a supernova. (Her indie darling Middle of Nowhere wowed the festival circuit in 2012, inexplicably vanished, and will finally be released on DVD and VOD next week.)

Area Theaters

Director: Ava DuVernay
Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey
Writer: Paul Webb
Cinematographer: Bradford Young
Editor: Spencer Averick
Cast: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Jim France, Oprah Winfrey, Clay Chappell, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, André Holland, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Common

Runtime: 128m.
Genre: Biography/Drama
Country: UK/USA
Premiere: November 11, 2014 – AFI Fest
US Theatrical Release: December 25, 2014
US Distributor: Paramount Pictures