By Evrim Ersoy Nov 10, 2008, 15:42 GMT
UK’s biggest independent film festival, Raindance ran between 1-12 October at two London venues: Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue and The Rex Cinema + Bar. Boasting possibly the strongest Raindance ever, the festival for once seemed to have captured that great balance between independent and quality perfectly. The usual low-budget, no plot, no meaning, no enjoyment indie flicks seemed to be in the minority and most of the films were solid, well-crafted and intelligent.
A scene from Brazilian film Estomago.
The guest roster was also quite strong this year: From screen legends Faye Dunaway and Liz Smith so 80’s heart throb and all – round cool icon Corey Feldman, filmgoers were treated to a bevy of actors, directors, musicians and writers who were more than happy to talk, sign and generally hang out. The informal feel of the festival also helped matters greatly, creating the atmosphere of a party rather than a stiff, formal event.
If there was one unacceptable problem this year at Raindance, then it was the delays. On at least two occasion films were delayed by well over an hour and in one occasion an hour and a half! This would have heinous but acceptable if someone showed the slightest amount of remorse and apologised or tried to make the situation more light-hearted but the festival team simply did not seem to care: the attitude was ‘this is a film festival. Things like this happen. Deal with it.’ Which I can confirm did not go down well with the audiences. I don’t think I’d ever seen contempt for an audience before but there it was and it certainly made for interesting viewing.
The other problem, which can be considered minor, was the unavailability of tickets for certain films. It seemed as if tickets were sold out before they could even be bought which made it rather unpleasant! Without naming films, suffice it to say, it is very weird when you applaud an award for a title you fully know that NO ONE in the room got a chance to see.
Anyway, without getting bogged down in the negatives, let us cast back an eye over what were considerably the best titles of the festival in no particular order.
1) Estomago: A dark, adult fairy tale about a man who survives in life through his cooking skills, this Brazilian film was an amazing addition to the program. Featuring a stand-out performance from lead Joao Miguel, the film visits dark and humorous places that many films would not dare visit, exploring the relationship between food, power and sex.
2) It’s Hard To Be Nice: A humorous drama from Serbia exploring the attempt of a crooked cab driver to live straight and be ‘nice’, this unexpected gem brought a smile to the faces of many a festival-goer. Featuring strong performances from a small cast, the film is particularly intelligent in its exploration of attitudes in post-war Serbia and in its’ depiction of the smaller people living their day to day lives trying to survive.
3) Acolytes: From Australia comes this jet-black tale of a couple of teenagers discovering a body buried by a serial killer and trying to blackmail him into murdering a local bully who has made their life hell. Dark and twisted in its’ sensibilities, the film almost feels like a throwback to 70’s cinema where the film landscape was occupied by characters who have no moral scruples in committing evil deeds one after another. Stunning photography and a killer last twenty minutes makes this one of the most exciting horror genre films of the year to watch!
4) Chris And Don : A Love Story Chronicling the love story between Don Bachardy and Christopher Isherwood, this beautifully documentary not only successfully captures the distinct characters of two unique men and the nature of their beautiful relationship but also sheds light on a time long past and of social attitudes and lifestyles. Obviously a work of love, the film features unseen footage of Isherwood and Bachardy as well as their friends and family. Worth seeing simply for the home movies alone, the film features perhaps the most striking frame of the festival: that of Raymond Chandler belly flopping onto a swimming pool in Hollywood.
5) Adrift In Tokyo: A beautiful drifter film from Japan, this stars the amazing Joe Odagiri as Takemura who owes a loan-shark a considerable amount of money. One day debt collector Fukuhura (Miura Tomokazu) bursts into his apartment demanding payment and promising a lot of pain if Takemura fails to do so.
Without any family or relative to borrow from , Takemura quickly exhausts most of his options but just as he thinks it’s all over, he is surprised by an interesting proposition from the debt collector himself: walk with him from western Tokyo to central Tokyo and he will pay him enough money to cover his debt. This walk will turn out to be a surprising journey for both men.
Blessed with not only extremely strong central performances, Adrift In Tokyo also benefits from having a bevy of wacky side –characters who populate the Japanese landscape. At once funny and heart-wrenching, Adrift In Tokyo is a promise of things to come from Japanese director Satoshi Miki.
6) One Day Removals: The hilarious story of two Scottish removal men (Patrick Wright and Scott Ironside) and the increasing number of bodies in the back of their removal van, One Day Removals encapsulates the true spirit of low-budget film making. Created obviously with love and passion, the film truly captures a sense of a place (North East Scotland) and the people in it as well as keeping the humour extremely dry. Like Laurel & Hardy film on drugs, One Day Removals deserves to be seen by anyone even with the faintest interest in independent and unique cinema.
7) The Birthday: Although long released in Spain and some parts of Europe, this Corey Feldman vehicle has unfortunately never made its’ way to the U.K. Showing in the 117 minute Festival cut, The Birthday is one of the most unique and weird films ever to be seen. Focusing on the character of Norman Forrester played by Corey Feldman (channelling Jerry Lewis all the way!), the film is the story of his girlfriend’s birthday party at a fancy hotel depicted in real time. Unbeknownst to anyone there are also other dark powers at play in the same hotel and Norman finds himself in the middle of it all – without a clue and completely at a loss! Marrying several genres and always focusing on Norman Forrester, The Birthday is a unique film that will divide an audience right down the middle.
8) Gardens Of The Night: Fresh from its’ controversial screening in Berlin, Gardens In The Night made a much lauded and appreciated appearance at Raindance’s first night. A film about child kidnapping and abuse, it is a relentless and brutal movie – but one that stays honest throughout its’ running time. Featuring a stellar young cast but more surprisingly a one-of-a-kind, stand-out performance from Tom Arnold as one of the kidnappers, this is the sort of movie that should be shown as a public information film to all parents. Grim and yet eminently watchable, this was one of the truly stand-out titles of the festival.
9) Mao Tse Tung: Set in 1970’s Albania, this often funny, very odd films explores a gypsy community through the eyes of Hekuran who decides to name his new-born child Mao Tse Tung. Suddenly finding himself thrust into the very watchful eye of the party, Hekuran proves the wisdom of gypsies by overcoming every obstacle with charm and wit. Effective both as political satire and out-and-out comedy, Mao Tse Tung is a flawed but certainly interesting film from an often forgotten country.
10) The Tour: Focusing on a group of actors who foolishly accept the offer of going on a tour of Belgrade, where they are caught up in the conflict in Serbia in 1993, the film is a powerful satire on the absurdities of war as well as carrying a very strong anti-war message. Based on a play of the same name.
The Tour is Serbia’s entry into 2009 Oscars and it is easy to see why: a strong cast work their way through a debate of a conflict no-one really understood: Croats, Serbs and Muslims all get their fair share of criticism whilst the question of identity resonates all the way through. Perhaps a little too over reliant on it’s’ stage play based set pieces; The Tour nonetheless impresses and effects in equal measure.
Raindance on the Web.
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