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A Matter of Identity @ VIFF 2019
THE SEA: My favourite. I did basically no prep going into this showing, so I was surprised by Russell Tovey’s appearance in this film. (I am also informed I should namedrop Anna Friel.) I loved each shot by the sea, and the build-up to its reveal was masterfully done. Unlike some of the other films, which were too open-ended, I actually felt that this was too conclusive — the explanatory scene at the end wasn’t necessary because the film did such a good job of explaining itself without it.
FLUSH: Incredibly well-written, natural dialogue. The cast & crew did a lovely Q&A; I ended up having to ask a question because nearly no one was volunteering and the MC had already had to ask a question because of that. (I’m not in film! Help!) I asked about the dialogue-heavy script; as the director explained the development process was based a lot in theatre. I was actually surprised the director was a cis guy because I think he did convey a lot of the difficult nuances surrounding pregnancy (based on his sister’s and a friend’s) quite well for a short film.
PEARL: Unlike a lot of these shorts with their twist endings, I knew exactly where this was headed about midway through. It was very well-executed, with some beautiful shots, and communicated the perspective of a young child incredibly well. (As a Mandarin speaker, I have to say that the English subtitling was off enough to be distracting.)
ITOHIME: Feels like an indie J-pop idol music video. And I’ve seen better indie J-pop idol music videos.
VACA: Goes from introduction to conclusion a bit too fast, but it was a fun watch anyway.
A DISAPPEARANCE: Relies much too heavily on its twist ending. Without it I don’t think the film holds up.
THE INTERVIEW: Some interesting soundtrack choices. The premise and story were good, but the tight pacing sapped away some of the emotional impact.
*
O HOLY GHOST: Okay here we go!
So to preface: This was a Kickstarter by Mark Bradshaw (Ben Whishaw’s husband) and Ben is in the film. The “Kickstarter family” in the film credits is about 70% Japanese fangirls, and that? Is so valid. I didn’t find out about this entire film’s existence until last month, when I saw a Tumblr re-post of Mark’s Instagram post on advertising that “O Holy Ghost”’s first festival showing would be at VIFF.
At VIFF? In my backyard? Cue me immediately buying a ticket then freaking out for a month straight.
I was worried about seeing this bc I knew I was going to be reminded of church and I very much was. Thankfully, someone (Mark) hates evangelism just as much as I do. (I may or may not have been the only person in the theatre stifling a giggle at some of the evangelical echoes.)
There is some great comedy timing in this film. The bird was the obvious one. I don’t think as many people picked up on Stephanie’s freudian slip being covered up by Charmaine deliberately chanting louder (chef’s kiss to that one).
I enjoyed the weird-as-hell soundscape for this short, the only one of the shorts to do so. First of all—it’s indie shorts go wild! The contrast between the ominous electronic fuzz of the soundtrack and the rural near-normalcy of the setting was interesting. Also Mark is a film composer by trade so someone was having a bit of fun.
The usage of Elevated, Shakesperian-esque language for Emmanuel is a bit over-the-top. I get the point that was being made but it’s a bit too out of place — even more out of place than the bird. Partly because of that, the ending to Emmanuel’s arc didn’t really deliver for me. But also, the real emotional triumph for Emmanuel was when he experiences enlightenment in the field, and everything after that doesn’t quite connect to that delight. That said Fehinti Balogun, who plays Emmanuel, absolutely carries this short.
Overall, though, the effect was of a short that was too constrained by its length for what it was trying to accomplish, and thus felt too heavy-handed.
Anyway, the important fangirl updates. (1) The green sweater on Ben is a look. However, the dominant outfit is a blue-and-silver windbreaker, which is peak tragic Vancouver fashion. (2) Ben eating a mini-cupcake, with a hot water bottle tucked between his thighs, is beautiful. More of that please, sans the windbreaker.
FLUSH: Incredibly well-written, natural dialogue. The cast & crew did a lovely Q&A; I ended up having to ask a question because nearly no one was volunteering and the MC had already had to ask a question because of that. (I’m not in film! Help!) I asked about the dialogue-heavy script; as the director explained the development process was based a lot in theatre. I was actually surprised the director was a cis guy because I think he did convey a lot of the difficult nuances surrounding pregnancy (based on his sister’s and a friend’s) quite well for a short film.
PEARL: Unlike a lot of these shorts with their twist endings, I knew exactly where this was headed about midway through. It was very well-executed, with some beautiful shots, and communicated the perspective of a young child incredibly well. (As a Mandarin speaker, I have to say that the English subtitling was off enough to be distracting.)
ITOHIME: Feels like an indie J-pop idol music video. And I’ve seen better indie J-pop idol music videos.
VACA: Goes from introduction to conclusion a bit too fast, but it was a fun watch anyway.
A DISAPPEARANCE: Relies much too heavily on its twist ending. Without it I don’t think the film holds up.
THE INTERVIEW: Some interesting soundtrack choices. The premise and story were good, but the tight pacing sapped away some of the emotional impact.
*
O HOLY GHOST: Okay here we go!
So to preface: This was a Kickstarter by Mark Bradshaw (Ben Whishaw’s husband) and Ben is in the film. The “Kickstarter family” in the film credits is about 70% Japanese fangirls, and that? Is so valid. I didn’t find out about this entire film’s existence until last month, when I saw a Tumblr re-post of Mark’s Instagram post on advertising that “O Holy Ghost”’s first festival showing would be at VIFF.
At VIFF? In my backyard? Cue me immediately buying a ticket then freaking out for a month straight.
I was worried about seeing this bc I knew I was going to be reminded of church and I very much was. Thankfully, someone (Mark) hates evangelism just as much as I do. (I may or may not have been the only person in the theatre stifling a giggle at some of the evangelical echoes.)
There is some great comedy timing in this film. The bird was the obvious one. I don’t think as many people picked up on Stephanie’s freudian slip being covered up by Charmaine deliberately chanting louder (chef’s kiss to that one).
I enjoyed the weird-as-hell soundscape for this short, the only one of the shorts to do so. First of all—it’s indie shorts go wild! The contrast between the ominous electronic fuzz of the soundtrack and the rural near-normalcy of the setting was interesting. Also Mark is a film composer by trade so someone was having a bit of fun.
The usage of Elevated, Shakesperian-esque language for Emmanuel is a bit over-the-top. I get the point that was being made but it’s a bit too out of place — even more out of place than the bird. Partly because of that, the ending to Emmanuel’s arc didn’t really deliver for me. But also, the real emotional triumph for Emmanuel was when he experiences enlightenment in the field, and everything after that doesn’t quite connect to that delight. That said Fehinti Balogun, who plays Emmanuel, absolutely carries this short.
Overall, though, the effect was of a short that was too constrained by its length for what it was trying to accomplish, and thus felt too heavy-handed.
Anyway, the important fangirl updates. (1) The green sweater on Ben is a look. However, the dominant outfit is a blue-and-silver windbreaker, which is peak tragic Vancouver fashion. (2) Ben eating a mini-cupcake, with a hot water bottle tucked between his thighs, is beautiful. More of that please, sans the windbreaker.