The screening of Malaysian drama JAGAT at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival is yet another feather in the annual cinematic summer happening’s plumage of rare and unusual imports to New York City. Past standouts have been the propaganda-laden feel good story COMRADE KIM GOES FLYING from North Korea and SELL-OUT, a musical comedy with audience participation sing-along, (hailing from a far more metropolitan Malaysia.
What JAGAT brings to the screen is a by now classic story of youth learning hard life lessons, the kind that lead to dark futures difficult to acknowledge. However, at times the story’s telling is so far removed from narrative sensibilities familiar in areas with prominent movie industries (as well as those influenced by them), it promises to leave some viewers feeling something askew. No doubt lending to the singularity of the film is its being helmed by a first-time director in Shanjhey Kumar Perumal.
The film first sets its focus on Appoy, a likable and thoroughly relatable middle school aged child who sways to a very different rhythm than his traditional teachers and working class father (a truly imposing figure) who espouse strict old school values. It is the stuff of stories from the good old days, with the resourceful child angling a mirror so he can watch his favorite crime dramas on the family television, and dad coming home in a poster-ripping rage when the absent minded son cannot remember what he did with a work ID card.
At the same time, another narrative unfolds involving some of Appoy’s uncles who are connected to gang that runs increasingly afoul of criminal activity. Pointed conversations suggest a running internal conflict within the Tamil immigrant characters between living modestly and seizing power by more ruthless means.
A combination of experiences that find his creativity unwelcome by those in position of authority, and the influence of those he looks up to reveling in roguish activities sets off a change in Appoy, one the viewers are left to ponder as the movie comes to a close.
A barebones production is made up for by impassioned performances and a clever script; one in which Appoy’s antics often induce laughter and the subtle threat of violence among the older characters occasionally unsettles. The movie’s unique allure includes a remote small town setting presented without any polishing up and music baring the influences traditional influences that together with scenes of local rituals creates a stormy psychedelic effect.
Where JAGAT proves a bit bewildering is an uneven narrative path, including a rather abrupt montage that advances parts of the story a bit too inscrutably. One can also infer cultural and/or government restrictions coming into play, as there is virtually no onscreen violence save a few afterschool scuffles between Appoy and neighborhood bullies. The realism in these scenes do prove to add a surprisingly unnerving element, though.
Despite, and sometimes because of its rough patches, JAGAT is an absorbing blend of classic tale and unconventional storytelling. Seeking it out not only supports a new, compelling voice in cinema, but is also a nod of approval to the New York Asian Film Festival’s continued commitment to bringing unique and far flung programming.
Tamil tough
The New York Asian Film Festival continues its run through July 9 at the Walter Reade Theater and SVA theater. Visit the Subway Cinema website for more information and tickets.
By the time we reach the end of TWISTED JUSTICE’s convoluted police corruption tale spanning the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, it might be difficult to remember just what was the first link in the chain of immoral acts. It all starts with a young judo competitor named Moroboshi Yoichi being recruited to the Susukino (a crime ridden entertainment district) branch of Sapporo’s police force because it will bring their team a coveted championship. When the dust has settled, the ripple effect of this seemingly innocuous transgression is astounding.
The true impetus for the spiral out of control comes when a crooked senior cop (played by Pierre Taki, whose performance one again leaves a frighteningly indelible mark in a Kazuya Shiraishi film) begins to mentor the novice after taking a liking to him. Or perhaps not so much taking a liking to as receiving a rub to his ego by keeping him in his company. One striking element of the narrative is the virtual absence of any pure friendships, as everyone expresses a perceived financial or psychological benefit from the relationships they forge. A well intentioned ex-convict and hallucinogenic drug user describes how becoming Moroboshi’s subordinate on the wrong side of the law makes him feel like he can become a big deal. A fledgling female police officer who later joins the police force enjoys a boost to her self-esteem by being with Moroboshi at his most swaggering. And in one of several scenes of depraved sexuality, Moroboshi excites himself to climax by crying out how his love connection will bring him acclaim and help his star rise.
TWISTED JUSTICE is director Kazuya Shiraishi’s second feature film to take on the true crime genre and is evidence of an artisan thriving in his element. In a departure from the mood of slow creeping dread established in previous film THE DEVIL’s PATH, this is by design a lopsided, sprawling affair. The film’s off-kilter funky middle east tinged tune is puzzling when it first hits the ears but soon comes to perfectly suit the eccentricities. Rather than build an intricate plot piece by piece, Shiraishi sets up a landscape of lunacy gone unchecked with Moroboshi’s part in it taking center stage.
It is full of local color: The tacky flashiness of chinpira suits, giant crabs feasted on straight off the shore, and steaming bowls of curry create an appealing sort of low rent decadence as Moroboshi’s foraging into Sapporo’s underground leads to unlikely territory involving Pakistani nationals and hot car lots.
The often flailing occurrences of interagency conflict and blatant disregard for law and decency reach absurd heights as plans are made in Moroboshi’s department to purchase firearms so they can be reported found, giving credit to their agency. It is a display of the cost of results being pursued at any means that cuts as deep as the best of The Wire. Things become so far gone that when the bottom finally falls out, it is a shock to the senses.
Go Ayano plunges into the lead role, pulling off a riveting on screen transformation, from tepid ‘yes man’ to swindling operator and beyond. When Moroboshi is humbled to cowering in a life or death situation, the acclaimed actor’s (who was invited to the NYAFF for the screening to be bestowed with a Rising Star Award) depiction calls to mind Choi Min Sik’s unrestrained emotional performance in past NYAFF highlight NAMELESS GANGSTER. And the movie is a similarly jaw dropping character study, yet all the more curious for its anchoring in reality.
In this time of Asian film when director’s names are becoming more numerous but output less consistent, it is encouraging to see a director hitting his stride with uncompromising gritty celluloid visions.
TWISTED JUSTICE (or NIHON DE ICHIBAN WARUI YATSURA) received its World Premiere screening at the New York Asian Film Festival and is now playing in theaters throughout Japan. For more information about the New York Asian Film Festival’s programming, visit the Subway Cinema website.
This elegantly heartrending movie gets right to the core of some of our modern existence’s cruelest contradictions: To experience love for people and things, we must also know the sensation of losing them. With the acquaintance of delightful new friends comes the inevitability of goodbyes. Is it a manner by which the universe maintains some semblance of balance? Or is it little more than life’s cruelest hoax? These are difficult questions for anyone to ponder, but especially the young souls at the center of this delicate narrative, found in their early 20s and 30s, a time when ids still cling to the idea of being the center of one’s particular universe, yet realization of being insignificant in the vast scheme of things begins to dawn. It is also a time when many experience their insecurities and self-concerns must share space with that of others, as the frailty, the mortality of other loved ones in their lives comes suddenly to the fore.
These are the emotional currents ridden by the main character as he experiences a cruel twist of fate that leaves the young man with only a few days to live. A deal with the devil, who takes on the character’s exact same form (is there a more loathsome or frightening opponent to consider than our own selves?), presents itself: grant this demon permission to take away something from the world in exchange for one more day to live. A deliberately paced taking stock of life and connecting with those who are most important in the daydreamer’s life ensues.
Akira Nagai, a director with a surprisingly scant filmography, perfectly captures the vibrant life forces through the couple played by Takeru Sato and Miyazaki Aoi. wistfulness, outrage, despair, and wonderment are communicated naturally through their dialogue and body language. As in many Japanese films, difficulties of communication is a prominent theme. As the inextricably entwined couple grasp at what lead to their drifting apart, or a father maintains an emotional distance from his ailing wife, it feels extremely familiar, relatable.
IF CATS DISAPPEARED… joins other contemporary films from Japan (see Daihachi Yoshida’s THE KIRISHIMA THING/桐島、部活やめるってよ) that share a love of films overtly, in the actions and conversations of characters. It is a love that becomes instantly infectious as characters meet and form disarmingly sincere connections over their passions. Interactions between the main character and his film connoisseur friend he mistakenly and repeatedly calls Tsutaya (the name of a popular chain of video stores) are quirky yet show people at their most fragile and compassionate states. They also create an urge to go out and acquaint or reacquaint oneself with classic works like Lang’s Metropolis or Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together.
The parts of the story touched by magic realism are sparing yet rendered in eye-catching fashion, just enough to shake up the melancholy with a much welcome dose of wonderment. The music accompanying these scenes has an assured coolness about it to boot.
Boasting scenes of natural beauty, amidst the brilliance of waterfalls in Argentina or the sloping landscapes of Hokkaido, Japan, it is a film that effectively calls for us to marvel at life’s marvels, even in the face of the most wicked of curveballs thrown our way. Mr. Nagai, I eagerly await your next film.
IF CATS DISAPPEARED FROM THE WORLD received its North American premiere at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival June 24th, and will be shown again on Monday, June 25th, 9 PM at the Walter Reade Theater. Visit the Subway Cinema website for details and tickets.
The New York Asian Film Festival has long been offering a sliding door peek into distant cultures and landscapes by way of programming rare and adventurous films from distant shores. Perfect for New Yorkers to get a dose of exotica without leaving city limits, one can get a quick blast by way of a day at the movies or really immerse oneself in salient aspects of a country’s culture as well as trends in its film output with repeated trips to the festival’s home of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater (June 22 – July 5) and new digs the SVA Theater (July 6 – July 9).
Gaining insight into Japanese culture is unavoidable after even a little time spent with its films, and this 15th anniversary edition of the NYAFF gives plenty of opportunity to do so. Below is a preview of some of the Japanese movies being shown along with some impressions. For a list of all of the movies as well as offerings from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South East Asia, visit the SUBWAY CINEMA website.
1.CREEPY
CREEPY is a psychological thriller from Kiyoshi Kurosawa that has more than a little Hitchcockian flair for suspense. Its biggest reference point, though, is probably early Kiyoshi Kurosawa with the director going back to the kind of off kilter takes on seemingly familiar terror (CURE and KAIRO) head scratching affairs that made singular lasting impressions . This return to form is all the more riveting for casting popular actor Hidetoshi Nishijima as its brooding yet fiery lead and Teruyuki Kagawa, a reliable everyman of Japanese cinema who plays the far more fun villain with maniacal glee. The film’s score dances along a highwire, sending waves of tension down the viewers’ spines. All the while, an equally accomplished sound design makes for a thorough sense of dread and foreboding. The film has its fair share of awkwardness, it is Kiyoshi Kurosawa after all, so prolonged sequences of horrid acts may cause discomfort. It is as though the director is subjecting us to the same notion of being helplessly trapped by circumstances as its flailing protagonists. Like Kurosawa’s other thrillers, CREEPY brings out existential questions of free will and the entanglements of social structures, as well as more local issues of community and the notion of being a good neighbor.
2. WHAT A WONDERFUL FAMILY
Don’t let the charming façade of WHAT A WONDERFUL FAMILY fool you into thinking it is entirely innocuous. The film similarly pokes and prods at traditionally accepted institutions of marriage and family life. The vehicle here is a light comedy focused around an increasingly rare three-generation household, whose eldest figures threaten divorce. While peppered throughout with a gentle zaniness that may seem antiquated, it slyly raises questions over values as family members’ true objections to the split are exposed. The main event is a protracted family meeting scene, which manages to be both no holds barred and civil. Everyone in the cast is on point but Hashizume Isao stands out as the family’s foible-filled patriarchal figure. He is delightfully incorrigible and a joy to watch throughout.
3. A BRIDE FOR RIP VAN WINKLE
Rougher going is the nearly 3 hour BRIDE FOR RIP VAN WINKLE, the latest from iconoclastic director Shunji Iawai (who will be honored at the festival with a lifetime achievement award). It is an odyssey of sorts for its wide eyed protagonist, whose transformative journey, along with the help of a peculiar ‘fixer’ (played by Rising Star recipient Go Ayano) takes her from lonely soul in need of salvation to a savior figure. Far less subtle in its skewering of society, Iwai takes on everything from narrow minded parents to the wastefulness of a population that frowns on recycling old goods. Interesting for its strange straddling of the line between realism and storybook logic, as well as its steadfastly independent production, it can be a tough slog due to some overly long static scenes, in particular those between the main character and one played by COCCO, an actress and singer whose own real life nuances makes for compelling onscreen viewing.
4. KIYAMACHI DARUMA
Faring less well is the more straightforward genre exercise KIYAMACHI DARUMA. Its title a reference to an ill-fated yakuza member’s limbless state, the mostly plodding narrative only occasionally engages viewers in his unthinkable plight. Although initially suggesting off color humor at the main character’s expense, the proceedings largely maintain 1 sustained note of gloom and denigration. It doesn’t help that the movie’s look is lacking in innovation, reminiscent of video nasties from the 90s (remember Guinea Pig anyone?) that lacked any substance beyond their shock factor. A few points for not pulling any punches, but this story of betrayal amidst a backdrop of criminal activity mostly shouted through by its assorted lowlife characters failed to stir much interest.
5. TETSUO: THE IRON MAN
In honor of its 15th anniversary, the festival is screening a few favorites from the past, including an appropriately slotted 11 pm showing of TETSUO: THE IRON MAN. For those more interested in a visceral experience without the societal context, this was the world’s introduction to Tsukamoto Shinya’s wild imagination. It is a short blast of roughly hewn metallic imagery accompanied by a clanging and banging industrial soundtrack that tells the tale of individuals warped into industrial strength iron clad monstrosities drawn to destroying each other or the world, whichever comes first. With nods to the over the top transformation sequences in Akira, it has been recognized as a pillar of the body horror subgenre, but truly nothing has looked like this before or since. For those uninitiated, the opportunity to see the film that launched hundreds of thousands of passions for Japanese cinema, my own included should not be taken for granted.
For more information about the NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL, visit the SUBWAY CINEMA website.
The WORLD OF KANAKO is the latest in a line of several films helmed by Japanese director Tetsuya Nakashima, but is closest in spirit to its immediate predecessor CONFESSIONS. Both are adapted from literature, more specifically tales of a current generation of youth acting out in ways unfathomable to those that spawned them. As a result both are forced into situations of violent conflict with, and perpetual lack of understanding for, one another.
This powerful 1-2 punch of films also chronicles various individuals’ descents into hell as they are pulled into the growing vortexes of suffering by the most pained central figures around them. The downward spirals are all encompassing, and made alarmingly entertaining at times due in no small part to the diverse and meaningful palette of music Nakashima employs. Not only does his excellent taste help to complement and enhance the emotional drama in scenes, they add a playful flair to the otherwise heavy transgressions on screen. Even more so this time around, music is a trigger to underscore particular recurring themes. It is also a sign of the culture that surrounds the characters in the story, pervades their lives, no different than us the viewers.
I decided to dive into the film another time, on this occasion attempting to recreate its dizzying path with an emphasis on its sonic features. It was a harder task than I’d imagined it would be, a virtual trip down the rabbit hole, bringing to mind the same allusion made in Kanako to Alice as an escape from reality (for some pleasurable, for others a nightmare). In my pursuit I realized Nakashima’s hip soundtrack is something of a gateway to discovery of some of Japan’s elusive underground music landscapes and edgier pop. The soundtrack itself not getting its own release (a mystery since the CONFESSIONS soundtrack did and this is very much its equal), but rather bundled with the domestic release of the movie on dvd. A sole reason I can think of for keeping the soundtrack obscured is it is a collection of music that perfectly complements themes of disorientation and confusion running through the film. Old familiar songs appear but with different twists – as covers or in a strange context. Songs that approximate moods from specific time periods or genres in American culture end up being the product of Japanese artists.
After a good chunk of my mind was blown by sonic oddities like Trippple Nipples’ ‘LSD’, and I saw my Macbook Pro survive one too many flirtations with free download website that wanted to install something unknown into it, I called it a day. So while I cannot yet tell you the artist who performed the smoldering version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ heard throughout the film, I have compiled some videos and taken some notes on how the soundtrack of WORLD OF KANAKO is an essential element of this unrefined cinematic experience.
Panis Angelicus by Cesar Franck
This mournful religious choir performance bookends the film as a pure snow comes down on a Japanese cityscape. It is a holiday that is not celebrated for religious reasons, but people are seen going through the motions of dining out with loved ones and reveling in near new years’ cheer. Meanwhile, unseemly bouts of suffering filter through, a ghastly triple murder at the outset, and a weariness of delving into so much psychic pain at its close.
Gone Away Dream by Barbara Borra
The words “A loving life and a loving home” appear as alcoholic private detective Akikazu envisions the idealized family life that is far from his grasp. It is an easygoing waltz recalling 1960’s America, sung by an apparently Italian vocalist who has performed on other Japanese OST’s before, but whose activity is elusive. The word ‘dream’ appearing right in the title is a none too subtle reference to the theme of escape from reality that plays a big role in the movie, and it is not the only song to do so. The song appears later on, ironically, as layers of humanity are stripped from an Akikazu who has been pointed in the direction of a bigger monster, given an excuse to unleash his inner demons. We see a part of him whose desire laid bare is to destroy the dream. And this he does.
Free Fall By Yoko Kanno with Ryo Nagano
A dream pop song that I could’ve been told was a product of Elliot Smith and I would’ve bought it. It is an impossibly catchy, feel good, lush tune that desperately needs to exist in its own life outside of KANAKO. But it is utterly brilliant within it, as essential to its identity as Radiohead’s ‘Last Flowers’ was to CONFESSIONS. The song appears on cue when the film flashes back to 3 years prior to the central story, a teen beset with the most teenage case of angst is seen moping, an outcast who is constantly bullied. Yet, all pain is erased by the perfectly angelic appearance of Fujishima Kanako. It is a most pristine love at first sight experience. The (cruel) joke of it is the eventual floor dropping out to reveal a hellish abyss where salvation was thought to be. The Barbara Borra track is used to similar effect, making pain that much more palpable by dangling a truly blissful sensation in front of us. It’s absence makes the heartbreak stronger.
‘Denden Passion’ by Dempagumi
Many of the more modern-sounding tracks came in a blur during an underground rave-like party scene. Here is where visual flourishes and psychedelic effects were heavily emplyed. Songs came in a blur, starting with this song that could be regarded as J-Pop on speed. Nothing serious in mind is seriously head-spinning. Print club graphics pop onto the screen imbuing adolescent cute onto a bad acid trip, as the teen crushed out on Kanako is suddenly in way over his head. Cleverly, a snippet of this mostly harmless time stamped flash in the pan is used in such a way to instill panic and anxiety around the ritual bonding of a current generation.
LSD by Tripple Nipples
The party continues, as does the descent into loss of control. And the generation gap is further emphasized with the scene and sounds feeling even more alien. Musically, it’s all obnoxious screams coated in sugar and reverb, with a rave of effects whirring around and around. This trio occupies some real estate in Tokyo’s underground music scene, but information is hard to come by about this enigmatic unit.
Fog by Daoko
The party is now starting to simmer, eyes glaze over, and another side of Kanako begins to show: the center of attention, a cult of personality… Here is another artists making cult status music on Tokyo’s cool fringe, as glitchy chip hop and stream of consciousness vocals blend into a soothing spell. It is like Kanako finding herself at ease in the hidden realm of a 3 AM drug party.
‘Rusalka – Song to the Moon’ by Antonin Dvorak
A lush mournful opera from Czech plays as illusion is shattered, the innocent at first believing he had found love realizes he is the butt of a brutal joke. Akikazu is faced with ugly truths about Kanako, about himself… Is there a connection between the opera’s theme and the events onscreen? It is interesting that Rusalka involves the daughter of a goblin considering the constant reminders that Kanako is the stuff of her father, Akikazu. Rusalka seeks love despite her form, inaccessible to humans, yet everyone wants to love Kanako. Have forces beyond her control made her into what she is? Would she be better able to love if not for he that brought her into the world?
Under the Sky by Yasushi Sasamoto
A suave flash of 70s funk that could be right out of a Blaxploitation film but is in fact performed by a Japanese band of a bygone era, which little information could be obtained about. It signals the charge into action of Akikazu and a ruthless killer for hire. When Akikazu is pointed in his direction, both go at it in a blaze of guns and machismo, and both seem to revel in the violence-filled moments, even as others around them are swallowed up by the horror. Here dreams are again a surrogate for a painful and far less glamorous reality, in which men act out gun-weilding fantasies set to a grooy soundtrack.
‘Everybody Loves Somebody’ by Dean Martin
A heart-warming sentiment that is hard to swallow after enduring the psychic pain exchanged between everyone in the film and those they are connected to. With the tension ratcheted up, the kitsch novelty brings about an expulsion of air, a loosening of the knot in one’s stomach allowing a reprieve from all of that pent up aggression as the film comes to an end. It is one of the many reminders in the film that the characters do not exist in a vacuum; the culture informs them of what their dreams should be. The gap between dream and reality is a killer.
This is but a bit of the THE WORLD OF KANAKO’s diverse soundtrack. Other genres in the mix include rockabilly, dubstep, and beautiful soundscapes, the latter also arranged by Yoko Kanno. The film is playing in select theaters across the US now, and is available on VOD. It will also be shown at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Yonkers December 11 through 13.
I am going to start this journey, which could take a sharp turn off a steep cliff at any given moment, by writing in a mode I have a general disdain for: The life hack, list-centric, turn everything into a reason for being mode. Far be it from us to leave people to draw conclusions, let’s map out their reasons for sticking around lest they fear their time is being wasted, valuable time that could be spent on fingerprinting their approval on streams of photos or making up 2-choice surveys for random people to stop and click on their favorite cancelled 90s sitcom.
So while on one hand this might not be putting my best foot forward, this is also a fitting theme for stepping out into the abyss: by introducing a new institution. A new destination. A new preoccupation. New at least for me. Although in its 4th year, this is the first that the 5 day event, running from November 11 – 15, has landed on my radar and continued blipping. Steadily, til it dawned on me that I must be a part of it.
And while I find the overuse of this function-over-form way of focusing an article, it is pretty fitting here. A few times that I have tried to tackle an introduction to this festival, which I myself am just getting to know, I ended up stymied. There is that much to process. I find then, my most honest – and desperate, as I find this piece of writing fast approaching irrelevance with every passing minute – approach would be to talk about what has got me all hot and bothered about the affair. As of yet, I haven’t counted how many points there will be. But hopefully, it will be a nice countable number like 5 or 10, which would end up making the title that much more clickable and your time perceptibly that much less wasted.
Of course you could always just click on the link to the festival website: http://ithacafilmfestival.com and draw your own conclusions.
A Resplendent Retrospective
Without knowing a single shred of new features on the program, I was sucked in by an incredibly curated side focus on body horror. It features a razor sharp selection of touchstone works for fans of cult films and offbeat takes on the horror and scifi genres alike. Most notable for moi would be Tsukamoto Shinya’s TETSUO: THE IRON MAN, a discovery I pulled off the shelf of a Blockbuster Video store while in high school, which has had more of an influence on my apetite for Japanese movies than anything by Kurosawa Akira or Hayao Miyazaki. It is a seamless world of industrial pleasures, despite being created on a shoestring budget, which erases the boundary between sensory experience and analysis. A riff on the battles of mass destruction rendered in Godzilla along with the kaiju movies it spawned and Akira, it follows two men whose bodies transform into junky, unwieldy metal machine monsters who are drawn into a love hate battle of wills, in which one will prevail or two will merge into one bigger and more destructive machine. It is a work of nihilistic glee set to a tribal-industrial soundtrack way ahead of its time by CHU ISHIKAWA. Seeing it on a big screen can only enhance its thrills.
Fast forwarding a decade into Japan’s visceral canon of films, we have AUDITION, one of Miike Takashi’s first blasts of confrontational cinema to impact Western shores. It starts as a playful romp wherein as a single father engages in the most charming of abuses of power by engineering an casting call that also doubles as a search for a potential new wife/mother for his adolescent son. Then, suddenly and violently turns into an increasingly delirious drop into madness. Man’s idealized notion of woman becomes his worst nightmare, as the now iconic Eihi Shiina has her way with her suitors in queasy sequences involving needles and wires. Its another film whose effect will be enhanced by the viewer’s inability to look away.
Then there is David Cronenberg’s SHIVERS, a mischievous experiment on the zombie genre in which sex is terrifying, and an all purpose apartment complex is a microcosm for an infected organism. The 70s kitsch on display is the perfect backdrop for a yarn about uncontrollable lust for physical gratification gone to gruesome extremes. The series is rounded out by EYES WITHOUT A FACE and POSSESSION, films I have not seen and am grateful for the opportunity to catch in a theater.
2. New York, but not New York
New York City is filled with events in the realm of film and music and art, but there is something significant to be said for getting away from the trappings of the city one is familiar with and truly escaping into an all encompassing environment. And opportunities to do so without going too far out of bounds have been on the rise. Basillica Hudson, for instance is a festival that has been earning high marks for presenting music and other arts in a moody, absconded landscape, where the lack of commercialism and the daring of the artists curated has been rewarding for those willing to travel. If coming from New York City, you’ll have to travel a bit farther to get to Ithaca but the array of experiences to take in is vast enough to make it well worth the road trip.
3. A New Sono
Upon seeing the film fest’s lineup of international selections in competition, a question I’ve considered had a chance to be answered: Is the chance to see a new Sion Sono (in this case LOVE AND PEACE) film worth driving 3 plus hours for? To which I leapt up and cried ‘yes!’ Without worrying if it will be good or bad, his best or somewhere in the middle, I can rest assured that it will be true to his vision, that it will be unique, and therefore more than likely to be intensely interesting. Look to his existing body of work peppered with rousing acts of celluloid incitement like SUICIDE CIRCLE, LOVE EXPOSURE, and WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL.
Other films in the lineup I am looking forward to on the merit of their directors’ past work is Midnight film AAAAAAAAAH! featuring lines blurred between man and ape, helmed by Steve Oram, who helped write the quick witted Sightseers. Scherzo Diabolico looks to be a blast of societal skewering by Adrian Garcia Bogliano, whose punk fueled head splitting horror film HERE COMES THE DEVIL blasted me out of complacency.
Japan
Along with TETSUO, there is a small focus on extremely independent films dubbed DIY In Japan. HARUKO’S PARANORMAL LABORATORY is one of them, a piping hot Bento box of pop culture references and hyper sexuality that betrays its Gondry-on-a-budget cuteness.
Movies…. andMusic and Art
It’s nice to have a mix of mediums so as to give some perspective to all you are digesting. So it is notable that the organizers of the IIFFF had the foresight to include an art and music component to its proceedings. A gallery will host the art of Chet Zar, a noted special effects creator for the likes of Planet of the Apes and Hellboy. A documentary on the artists called I LIKE TO PAINT MONSTERS will also be screened Saturday afternoon. Concerts will take place most evenings with a focus on heavy sounds Friday, and a diverse evening Saturday, which includes visitors coming up from the Tristate SCREAMING FEMALES and AYE NAKO, whose punk and indie rock leanings are sure to stir the soul.
Oh wow, that came down to 5. Totally organically, not at all planned.
This is far from a complete overview, though, with the event also including films with a focus on the art world, another focus on the films of Turkey, as well as one dedicated to directors from New York, and others under an umbrella theme of gaming. The international competition section features a number of films that may have eluded the savvy filmgoer at fests like Tribeca, Austin Fantastic Fest, and Montreal’s Fantastia to name a few. A selection of short films will be screened, and numerous guests will be on hand including Joe Begos (THE MIND’S EYE), Michael Keating (DARLING), and artist Chet Zar along with the director of the documentary he is the subject of, Mike Corell.
For a comprehensive look, peruse the IIFFF website and download the brochure. And keep in mind, it starts the evening of Wednesday, November 11 and continues through Sunday, November 15.
The WORLD OF KANAKO is the latest in a line of several films helmed by Japanese director Tetsuya Nakashima, but is closest in spirit to its immediate predecessor CONFESSIONS. Both are adapted from literature, more specifically tales of a current generation of youth acting out in ways unfathomable to those that spawned them. As a result both are forced into situations of violent conflict with, and perpetual lack of understanding for, one another.
I am going to start this journey, which could take a sharp turn off a steep cliff at any given moment, by writing in a mode I have a general disdain for: The life hack, list-centric, turn everything into a reason for being mode. Far be it from us to leave people to draw conclusions, let’s map out their reasons for sticking around lest they fear their time is being wasted, valuable time that could be spent on fingerprinting their approval on streams of photos or making up 2-choice surveys for random people to stop and click on their favorite cancelled 90s sitcom.
mondocurry 