Before I get on with my favourite films of this years Festival, as always I have to concede that I did not see everything, and indeed probably missed a few really good flicks. I have heard nothing but good things about a horror movie from Israel called
Rabies, for instance, while a little documentary about a record shop called
Sound It Out got a lot of affection. I also missed
Hell and Back Again, a war documentary that promised to be this years Restrepo. However, looking back over the films there is no denying a simple truth: last year was pretty bad, but this year was worse. I am speaking purely about the new films, as I did not attend the several events on offer or the special screenings of John Waterss
Polyester (with scratch n sniff cards) or the screening of
Belleville Rendez-Vous in a cinema powered by bicycles (no, really). Though I missed these two films I would have made them if I could. But after a fairly strong beginning, I quickly found myself seeing disappointing movie after disappointing movie. Almost the whole second week was a wash-out. I did see some very strong movies as I always do and my top three were:
The Turin Horse
Not for everyone, no, but I found
Béla Tarrs final (if he is to be believed) movie to be absorbing and beautiful, and lingering in its mysterious imagery. Its an allegory about two people in a farmhouse that feels positively post-apocalyptic, and may be about the wrath of God or simply the indifference of the Universe. Tarr makes movies with little action and long, beautifully composed and lit takes. The use of black-and-white adds to the sense of isolation and nihilism. One person offers something close to an explanation, but is rubbished by the leading actor; this doesnt, however, mean he is being dismissed by Tarr. My review
HERE.
Project Nim
I saw a handful of very good documentaries this year and a couple of clunkers, more on which later and none was better than this absolutely fascinating story of a chimpanzee in an ill-advised, poorly executed medical experiment in the 70s. At its heart it is about the vanity in people that feeds into anthropomorphising animals.
James Marsh, the director of
Man On Wire, brings his energetic and engaging style to the material, and illuminates a fascinating, entertaining and at times heartbreaking story about the fallibility of humans and the unshakeable nature of animals. My review
HERE.
Albatross
The elements of this movie are fairly by-the-numbers: good girl meets bad influence in coming-of-age comedy/drama. So far, so British. What elevates it above most of its contemporaries is an excellent script, confident direction and some wonderful acting. The director, writer and one of its stars (
Jessica Brown Findlay) are all newcomers, and they all have a great deal of potential. Though the Festival awards were retired this year, this would have been a worthy winner of the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature. My review
HERE. Three very good movies, all of which I will revisit. Last year, however, despite my criticisms of the Festival at the time, I saw Toy Story 3, Winters Bone, The Secret In Their Eyes and The Illusionist. All four of those movies ended up on my top ten of last year; I would be surprised if all three of the above movies did this year. Two other documentaries stood out:
Troubadours, for interesting interviewees and some great music from Carole King and company, and
Bobby Fischer Against the World for its fascinating tale of a troubled, brilliant chess-player and the global attention he once had.
Trollhunter and
The Caller offered some B-movie type fun, while
Tomboy showcased some terrific child acting.
There were, however, many disappointments, although its worth noting that I am not necessarily in the majority with my takes on these. Some people have defended the almost unendurably self-important
Perfect Sense, starring
Ewan McGregor as an illustration of the endurance of the human spirit (I prefer it when he plays characters). Some people have completely fallen for
The Last Circus, an over-the-top tragi-comedy about a crazy clown, which eventually tired me out with its mean-spiritedness and misogyny. The Kings of Leon doc was a mighty disappointment, as was a documentary about Bob Marley that, while not as self-aggrandizing as Talihina Sky, was almost unwatchable, with its long, devoid-of-interest clips from home movies. I hope things get sorted out for next year, as, Im sure, do the people behind the Festival, many of whom work incredibly hard to keep things running smoothly.
James Mullighan, the artistic director this year, will be able to re-apply for the job next year, and I sincerely hope that this year hasnt spoiled his chances; its clear hes having to take the brunt of the responsibility despite being thrown in at the deep end. I love the Festival, and am optimistic that this years mistakes will not be repeated. I still had a good time, as ever. But it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to report that, with the best will in the world, this has been the worst Film Festival Ive been to in 12 years of attendance. You can find all my Edinburgh 2011 film articles
HERE. My Edinburgh 2010 articles are
HERE.