Ten Must See Films at the NZ 2012 International Film Festival

Photo credit: Karen Williamson

Ah the glitz and glamour of the New Zealand International Film Festival, a shining light amongst the bleakness of winter. A multitude of arthouse films squeezed into two and a half weeks of viewing pleasure enable the culture fanatics among us to gorge ourselves silly on a diverse collection of thought-provoking, genre-bending, beautiful and at times way-out weird films.

If you haven’t got yourself a 2012 programme yet, do it! You can pick up a copy from the main venue, the Civic Theatre, or from various cafes and other locations around town. The  ‘Pick up a programme’ link on the festival website will tell you exactly where. I love getting a copy;  flicking through the glossy pages, scanning for the names of my favourite actors and directors and looking out for the countries I love seeing on the big screen. Then of course, there’s the task of narrowing down the films to see, which is no easy task. But too much choice is definitely not something I’m going to complain about and besides, lots of the films that have done well on the international film festival circuit will make it back onto our screens within the coming months.

This year’s programme looks to be a really well-rounded mix of films and based on the few I’ve seen already, I’d say the 44th festival is going to be a cracker.

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1. The Hunt

It doesn’t matter whether Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen plays the baddie (Casino Royale) or the goodie because he’s always on form. He is as brilliant as ever in this intense drama thriller set in a close-knit rural community. He plays Lucas, an affable kindergarten assistant demonised by a child’s false accusation of sexual wrongdoing. The theme is a familiar one and yet the highly plausible and tightly written script coupled with the urgency with which director Thomas Vinterberg endows the film makes for utterly compelling viewing.

*This film is playing Wednesday 25 July, 9pm at The Civic

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2. Your Sister's Sister

It’s a year since the death of Jack’s brother Tom and he still feels like he’s not coping. His best friend Iris (Emily Blunt), who also happened to be Tom’s ex, suggests he goes to stay at her father’s island cabin in the hope that some time alone will help the healing process. She’s unaware  though that her gay sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) is also there, nursing a broken heart – and a plentiful supply of tequila – you can probably guess what happens next. Writer / director Lynn Shelton’s script delivers quick-witted banter, classic bedroom farce and an authentically played out emotional dilemma. The film is fresh and funny and Mark Duplass (Humpday) is perfectly cast as Jack, the man in the middle.

*This film is playing Tuesday 24 July, 2pm and Wednesday 25 July, 6:45pm at The Civic as well as Saturday 4 August, 6pm at Bridgeway

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3. Marley

The long-awaited Bob Marley documentary is balanced enough in its admiration of Marley’s unique talent to make it fascinating watching for the converted and the unconverted alike. Little interview footage exists of the man himself but the documentary is full of revealing new interviews with collaborators, adversaries and even a studio janitor. Marley is presented in its historical context: We see soccer crazy Rastas living in less than harmonious proximity to London punks. And we are transported to Jamaica's lush countryside and then later to inhospitable winter in Germany, where cancer patient Marley spent his last months in 1981. Marley shows how insightful a music biopic can be when it's done right. And naturally enough, the music takes centre stage.

*This film is playing Wednesday 25 July, 1:15pm at the Civic as well as Saturday 28 July, 6pm and Sunday 29 July, 3pm at Bridgeway.

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4. No

Winner of the Cannes Film Festival Art Cinema Award, the simply titled No, by Chilean director Pablo Larrain, takes an often overlooked event in his country’s recent history and makes it into a clever and compelling film that blends reality with drama to provocative effect. In 1988, after 15 years of authoritarian rule, Chile’s leader, General Augusto Pinochet, responds to international pressure by agreeing to hold a referendum on his rule. Each side, including the "No" members, will get 15 minutes of uncensored television time to state their position. Ad man Rene Saavedra, beautifully played by Gael Garcia Bernal, comes up with the controversial idea of selling the "No" vote the same way he would a soft drink or a microwave oven. The idea is widely rejected but Saavedra, our underdog hero, is undeterred.

This film is playing Thursday 2 August and Friday 3 August at 9pm

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5. Shut Up and Play the Hits

Here’s one for the dance music fans out there. The huge influence Grammy award-winning New York based LCD Soundsystem have wielded over dance music since their mesmerising first single, Losing My Edge in 2002 is undeniable. Shut Up and Play the Hits is essentially a day before / morning-after summation of the group’s swan song concert at Madison Square Gardens in April 2011. Much of it focuses on the enigmatic singer, songwriter and producer James Murphy. At its best it’s a profoundly emotional experience, a once-in-a-lifetime coming together of 18,000 people and a revered band led by a man determined to go out with a bang.

*This film is playing Saturday 28 July, 9:30pm and Tuesday 31 July, 4:30 at The Civic

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6. Where Do We Go Now?

The latest film by director Nadine Labaki (Caramel) is an entertaining and unlikely near-musical which turns stereotypes of women in the Middle East upside down and uses humour to explore serious subjects. When the outside world begins to filter into the isolated Lebanese town, first through town-square TV broadcasts and then through “he said, she said” type accusations, the uneasy peace between Muslims and Christians begins to show signs of strain. The women respond by banding together and scheming of ways to prevent their husbands from killing each other in the religious conflict that surrounds the community.

*This film plays Friday 27 July, 6pm at Bridgeway

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7. The Sapphires

Bound to become an instant Australian classic, The Sapphires is a comedy / romance that’s full of heart, has a fantastic soul music soundtrack and is set against the racial and social upheaval of the late 1960s. The Sapphires are a quartet of young, talented singers from a remote Aboriginal mission. They're discovered by a kind-hearted talent scout played by Bridesmaid’s Chris O’Dowd, in a role where he yet again shows off his comic brilliance. With very little rhythm but a vast knowledge of soul music and an unwavering belief in the sister act, he sets out to secure them the gig of their dreams: to sing for the American troops in Vietnam. Their journey of discovery not only offers them huge commercial success, but the chance to find love, experience loss and to grow as women.

*This film is playing Friday 3 August, 1:15pm and Saturday 4 August, 6:45pm at The Civic

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8. I Wish

This utterly endearing film by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Nobody Knows) celebrates the innocent minds of children and the warmth of family life. Older son Koichi wishes for a miracle that will bring his family, separated by divorce, back together again. His happy-go-lucky younger brother, Ryu, who now lives in the north with his musician father, is at first resistant to the idea of trying to reunite the family because of his vivid recollection of the constant fighting. When Koichi tells Ryu he’s heard that anyone who watches two bullet trains passing in opposite directions has their wish magically granted, he enthusiastically agrees to join in on the adventure and put this rumour to the test.

*This film is playing Wednesday 25 July, 10:30am and Wednesday 1 August 6:30pm at The Civic as well as Saturday 28 July, 3:15pm at Bridgeway

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9. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Marilyn Monroe on the big screen at the Civic Theatre, need I say more?  Even if you’ve seen it before, you haven’t watched it like this. Howard Hawks’ dazzling 1953 Technicolour comedy is shown here in new DCP restoration. Monroe and her sexy companion Jane Russell play cruise ship showgirls in the film based on Anita Loos' book and stage play. Considered by many as Marilyn's finest performance, the two friends romp and romance their way to Paris, singing five tunes, including Two Little Girls From Little Rock and the iconic Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.

*This film is playing Tuesday 24 July, 12pm and 6:30pm at The Civic

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10. Vivan Las Antipodas

“Feel good” and “documentary” are two words that don’t tend to go together but here’s a film which challenges such boundaries. A celebration of humanity and the wonders of Planet Earth, Vivan Las Antipodas documents four pairs of places that are each other’s antipodes. For most people if they dug a hole straight through the central core of the planet, they would come out in the middle of the sea. But director Victor Kossakovsky selects locations which yield much more interesting results. In remote Argentina, two brothers operate a toll bridge, an existence almost incomparable to their polar opposite of chaotic Shanghai. Island life in Hawaii is matched by an encounter with a lion in Botswana and a beached whale on a Wairarapa beach is the vice versa of a butterfly in Spain. Aided by the soundtrack, which binds one location to the next, this film highlights the interconnectedness of our lives with humour and passion.

*This film is playing Sunday 29 July, 5:30pm at The Civic

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