There's a special kind of sadness reserved for the week after a film festival, and I'm going through that right now, post fantasy filmfest. I'm all the more sad because I only saw four movies this spring, although the complete lineup was fantastic and when I sat in my comfy seat at Zoo Palast, I felt that wish in me to just keep sitting and watching more movies, to watch them everyday for three-four days... (It's not that dramatic, they expect you to go out and walk around, eat something between movies and they actively make you stand up, so you don't have to die watching movies.) Let's look at the films I was able to see, not every one of them was amazing, I have to say, but at least one was!
Una Ballena / A Whale (Spain 2024)
OK, so this Lovecraftian Neo-noir follows a hit woman who has a supernatural connection to a sort of whale-like sea creature, who helps her to success in her "job". As the daughter of a Norwegian whaler, Ingrid has had a connection to the maritime all her life. Now living in a littoral Spanish town, she meets Melville and agrees to finish a job or two for him. But can he be trusted? (Clue; just look at his name, of course he can't!)
Una Ballena stands out with a haunting, ambient score and wide-sweeping, beautiful shots of grey seas, as well as a claustrophobic atmosphere.
If you know you know, I can take a long film if I have to. Although I feel a little antsy and not very at ease right now in my life, I can generally concentrate fine and take even the slowest of paces. Well, you will need patience and inner peace for this movie, because it is s-l-o-w even for me. It is in fact so slow that it ended up being a mediocre cinematic experience for me.
Pok-no: nu-nul-gam-un a-i / A Girl With Closed Eyes (South Korea 2024)
Luckily, the following movie was just fine pace-wise.
In the South Korean police procedural/thriller A Girl With Closed Eyes, we follow the story of two women, one perpetrator and one representative of the law, in the aftermath of the murder of an insanely popular author.
The deeper we dive into the interrogation, the clearer it becomes that not everything is what it seems here, and that includes the relationship between these two young women.
In her debut feature, director and author Chun Sunyoung peels off the many layers of a murder case - one by one, drenched in delicious suspense. Is it melodramatic from time to time? Of course it is. But it is also a brilliant examination of the various kinds of violence on women, in a way only a woman could have filmed. I liked this a lot.
Behold, from here on the movies only get better! As one of the first Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood) horror flicks, The Weekend gives us all it has got: a movie unabashed in morbid humor and drenched in blood, it fixates on toxic family ties and the lengths we will go to cut them loose.
An only child with only her mom to rely on, Nikiya has always yearned for a big, cordial family, and doesn't understand why her boyfriend Luc won't go that extra step to make their relationship "official official" by introducing her to his parents. (Clue: It's because he knows better!) Despite his determination, he still accepts his mother's invitation to a big family gathering and party for their anniversary in a bid to make her happy. And although the weekend starts splendid and with much fun, she eventually finds out the reason which made Luc stay the fuck away.
I loved this, I enjoyed it so much... You just need to see it if you can!
The Rule of Jenny Pen (New Zealand 2024)
It's safe to say that my final film also constitutes the highlight of this year's festival for me. I had been joyfully anticipating this movie for a while, and I'm more than glad to say that I wasn't wrong, it was totally worth it. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The Rule of Jenny Pen.
Judge Stefan Mortensen suffers a stroke which leaves him partially paralyzed and in need of medical care. Thus he takes up residence in a care home to regain his faculties and his health in the hope and believe that it's all only temporary. After witnessing a fellow resident accidentally set himself on fire, he is introduced to the residence's cursed cat (whoever she goes to is rumored to die), and to his discontent he finds out that he needs to share his room with someone.
Stefan keeps to himself but is soon caught in the radar of Dave Crealy, an incredibly, unspeakably disgusting and dreadful person who bullies, terrorizes, and even torments the other residents, especially Stefan's new roommate Toni Garfield, a former Maori rugby legend with whom Stefan gradually grows closer in a friendship. At night, Crealy goes into their room and immobilizes them and makes them lick his doll Jenny Pen's ass, throws bottles of urine over them. At day he sexually assaults women, intentionally crosses boundaries, and generally isn't afraid to let his games escalate to deadly dimensions. Since he used to be the janitor of the home he knows where to find the key which will give him access to everywhere and knows his way around. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any security cameras, and the crew is clueless and determined to stay so.
As his condition worsens, Stefan realizes he may not be able to return home, and despite all he tries to stand against the bullying and even encourage other residents to stand up. But how long will he and Tony last?
Examining grim themes like aging, grief, losing hope, and bullying in social and private settings through nerve-wracking, soul-crushing horror, this movie will break your heart, for sure, but will also offer a satisfying experience. It’s the performances of Geoffrey Rush, and of evil villain John Lithgow, who both sink their teeth into their respective roles, that carry the greatest part of the film, the rest is pure suspense and stomach pain (because it gets so deep under your skin!)
By now, all the world knows how sensitive I am in terms of older people and the way they're treated by society. Some twenty years ago I got a car ride from a girl I knew from university and as we passed by an older couple who were minding their business she suddenly and out of the blue opened her window and yelled "Rentneeeer!" at them. To me, this was so uncalled for and stupid for a person in her twenties - I could have forgiven her had she been under the age of ten, maybe there would have been hope to educate her in basic decency - that I never again cut out anyone faster out of my life as I did her after this. In another incident a girl on Goodreads wrote that she thinks that old people are creepy, and didn't answer me when I asked her if she herself doesn't age. I unfriended her too. I could go on with examples where people think it's OK to trample on older people, maybe it's just that the culture I am from rather respects people of age instead of demonizing them.
What I'm saying is, The Rule of Jenny Pen struck a chord with me as it shows both the internal horror of aging, the horror of losing control of your own body, and the terror of losing control of your body while someone malicious is targeting you. This film moved me to such a degree that I had a stomach ache from tensing up, but all the more did I like the ending bringing me relief. There was much to appreciate in the director's speech in the beginning of the screening too and this is definitely one of the best movies of the year for me.
So, another nights over, and up next is the main festival which will take place September 3 - 10, when I'll hopefully be able to get a festival pass before they're sold out.
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