10 Films to look out for at the 59th BFI London Film Festival

The BFI London Film Festival (7-18 Oct) turns 59 this year, and it celebrates the occasion with a programme of huge stature that truly does solidify its reputation as the ultimate "best of" from a year of international film festivals. With a gigantic programme in quantity and quality, any film fan will have a wealth of choice in what seems to be the richest programme of the LFF from the past few years.

 

Picking the titles to make up this list was particularly hard, but in the end, we're quite satisfied with it. Just in case you will be attending the festival, and might need some type of reference point, here is a list of 10 films viewed and reviewed by CineCola at other film festivals throughout this past year, and featured in the programme of the BFI London Film Festival, which we strongly recommend you do not miss.

 

(NOTE: the list is NOT in order of preference and does not include classic or restored films)

THE ASSASSIN by Hou Hsiao-Hsien
 
HOU HSIAO-HSIEN returns to the big screen after eight years and takes on the martial arts period drama. Rather than adapt to the nature of the genre, he adapts his low key style to it and adds great visual beauty through vivid cinematography, stunning art direction and by paying a careful attention to a soundtrack that drives the pace of the film and regales it with a meditative, musical and infectuously solemn rhythm. The story is set in China at the time of the Ting Dynasty and revolves around a formidable female assassin whose humanity and sensitivity is awakened by her failure to fulfill one of her missions. More intimate, political and thrilling aspects of the story are examined throughout in an intricate storyline, which is only demanding when followed in the traditional sense. THE ASSASSIN seems more like the type of movie that aims to achieve a metaphisical interaction with its viewer, who is invited to become immersed whole heartedly in the film and not only to strictly follow its narrative. This approach evokes influences and comparisons to other types of artforms, from paintings to ballet, and builds a infinitely rewarding sensual experience that is naturally absorbing and unique. Arguably Hou Hsiao-Hsien's most ambitious work to date.
 
 
IN JACKSON HEIGHTS by Frederick Wiseman
 
In these tense times of division, a strikingly realistic, intuitive portrait of a neighbourhood of New York defined by its many influences from numerous cultural, religious and social backgrounds stands as a natural celebration of diversity. FREDERICK WISEMAN's latest film IN JACKSON HEIGHTS is an over three hour portrait of the area's sight and sounds, but also its struggles to maintain their policy of tolerance and exciting identity in their near hopeless fight against the invasion of capitalism and large corporations who are keen to get their hands on the area by erecting big chain stores that will ultimately get rid of their small businesses. WISEMAN's distinctive documentary approach remains unchanged, and his subtle touch which prevents blatant manipulation, especially in its editing, makes it all the more immersive, whether he shows meetings of small shop owners, impromptu LGBT marches, street musician performances or people watching a World Cup match outside an electrical store on a TV in a window display. But far from it being a simple collage of different sequences, the documentary is compact because of its awareness of tone and atmosphere, which makes it compact and complete as well as fluid in pace and rhythm.
 
 
THE DAUGHTER by Simon Stone
 
Excellent directorial debut by SIMON STONE, whose intricate dramatic storyline about families and secrets in rural Australia remains focused, well-balanced and absolutely gripping throughout. THE DAUGHTER chronicles the story between two different families from a logging town, a working class one and the other a wealthier one, which is tied together by the friendship between two men, one of whom returns to the village for the wedding of his father to his much younger former housekeeper. From start to finish, the engaging soap-operatic film recalls the delicate subjects dealt with by DOUGLAS SIRK, while its uncomfortable bluntness and grey cinematography not only defies the conventional masculine representation of the Australian countryside but also seems influenced by the immediacy and quiet sensibilities of Scandinavian cinema. Aside from the excellent screenplay, which on top of keeping a careful steadiness despite its rather complicated structure does not disregard a powerful depth in the portrayal of its many characters, the amazingly talented cast assembled delivers powerful performances. Among them, ODESSA YOUNG as the titular sexually precocious but loving and well-raised daughter stands out, but the film also ultimately successfully thrives on the HOW MANY MILES TO BABYLON? like friendship between PAUL SCHNEIDER and EWEN LESLIE, who in their radically opposed personalities add a magnetic and pivotal tension to the story's progression.
 
 
PARABELLUM by Lukas Valenta Rinner
 
Impending apocalypse is somewhat of a cinematic fixation in both mainstream and art house cinema. Yet, with its minimalistic approach, LUKAS VALENTA RINNER's PARABELLUM puts a welcome spin to the subject and aims to examine the cult of the end of the world as a form of middle class escapism, following a type of holiday camp where members of said middle class are taught how to survive an apocalyptic situation. The film can arguably be described as an extreme deadpan comedy, which enhances sometimes mercilessly the physical humour of these unlikely heroes in the making, while its charming simplicity and its exotic Argentinian setting are gloriously effective creating a stunning portrait of modern satire.

 

THE ENDLESS RIVER by Oliver Hermanus
 
Initially booed at its first screening, THE ENDLESS RIVER by OLIVER HERMANUS is actually one of the most different and stand out films that was presented at the 72ND VENICE FILM FESTIVAL. Its story talks about the casual meeting between a Frenchman who recently moved to South Africa with his family, and a woman who is re-united with her husband after his spell in jail due to gang related activities at a cafè. But their destinies will bring them together due to a violent act that takes place in the film's first act. THE ENDLESS RIVER moves at a lyrical, slow and meditative pace that is flattered by its watercolour like cinematography by CHRIST LOTZ. And despite the thriller noir suit that it mostly follows, as the third act of the film especially shows, the film is much better when taken as a remuneration on more inner musings on relationships and guilt, which recalls the alienated tone of the works of ANTONIONI. Perhaps a little demanding for some, OLIVER HERMANUS in his bold directing style shows a confidence that is mostly lacking in today's cinema, but its vision of bleakness and human disenchantment is absolutely disarming.

BABAI by Visar Morina
 
VISAR MORINA's debut feature deals with the always current theme of illegal immegration. However, it is mostly told through the gaze of a ten-year-old boy as he gradually and inevitably awakens to the harsh realities of the real world. We follow his story, as he acts upon his love and devotion for his father by undertaking the dangerous journey from Kosovo to Germany to reach him there. BABAI is a tryptich that is not only sensible to its viewpoint, that makes the story almost fairytale like despite its essentially serious overtones, but also to the cultural divergences between Kosovo and Germany, which completes the picture with a satisfying depiction of modern cultural differences in general. Despite the topical context, much like the best works of Italian neo-realism, MORINA's vision is starkly more interested in the human aspect of the film which makes its social consciousness all the more powerful.
 
 
 
I AM BELFAST by Mark Cousins
 
After excellent explorations of places such as Mexico, Albania and Sardinia, MARK COUSINS returns to the place where he was born and grew up - Belfast. He does so via a documentary structured around an imagined conversation with a personification of the city, a 10,000 year old woman who tells him about her history. Rather than doing so in a stale chronological order, COUSINS allows the film to be dictated my a more natural flow that is sensible to mood and tone and manages to round up a complete impressionistic picture of the Northern Irish city with a steadiness of historical references and the filmmaker's own personal and distinctively passionate viewpoint that also allows for meaningful reflection. A further asset of I AM BELFAST comes with COUSINS' collaboration with the great cinematographer CHRISTOPHER DOYLE, who shot some of the film, leaving a significant poetic visual imprint on it.

 

SON OF SAUL by Laszlo Nemes
 
LASZLO NEMES with his feature directorial debut SON OF SAUL offers a new take on the horrors of the Holocaust by narrowing it down to an individual's story in the dark and oppressive setting of Auschwitz. The film is remarkably intense and uncomfortable, as the camera persistently follows its leading character Saul, a sonderkommando in the concentration camp in an obsessive quest to give a kid who is mercilessly killed by the Nazi after he miraculously survives the gas chamber a proper Jewish burial, with lengthy takes and often tight shots of actor GEZA ROHRIG, trailing behind him at all times. This choice offers no chance to escape his viewpoint, thus making the frantic and gripping pace of the film all the more immersive and exhausting experience, gripping from start to finish, and yet allowing the viewer a chance to question the leading character's motives. A commendable work of sound, with far away explosions and wails of sounds, expands the tight cinematography's horizons and hints at the sinister fact that there are more horror stories happening away from the action we are following.
 
 
SOMETHING BETTER TO COME by Hanna Polak
 
A film about people living outside of society, set in Russia and living on Europe's biggest landfill. SOMETHING BETTER TO COME took HANNA POLAK fourteen years to compile, taking her camera among the community in an unobtrusive way, setting up a strong bond and high level of trust with her subjects, and allowing them to reveal their colourful personalities as revealing their heartwarming solidarity that gets them through their nightmarish lives and living conditions. The driving force of the film, however, is the tender coming of age Yula from child to young adult. An enriching experience and a remarkable project that aims and achieve to give voice to the voiceless, this film is at once strikingly real and impressively poetic due to its genuine portrayal of the situation of extreme poverty with an underlying sentiment of optimism.

 

OUR LITTLE SISTER by Hirokazu Koreeda
 
King of quiet melodrama HIROKAZU KOREEDA returns to the big screen with a manga adaptation which chronicles the life of four sisters living an almost utopian lifestyle under the same room. More than being driven by conventional narrative schemes, OUR LITTLE SISTER aims to represent its warm hearted atmosphere and shows extreme sensibility in revealing darker aspects of the sisters' difficult family past. This in turn leads to being a cohesive and admirable sensitive tribute to the bond of sisterhood and femininity that features very three dimensional feminine characters, with very different personalities. KOREEDA's masterful touch ensures a balance of drama, excellent pacing and great warmth, while its occasional forays into more poetic approaches are beautiful and never overstated, therefore pleasant and delightfully cinematic. 
 
The 59th BFI London Film Festival runs from the 7th to the 18th of October 2015. For more information, click here to visit their official website.