Matt's Top 10 films of the 43rd INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM

 

8. - EVAPORATING BORDERS by Iva Radivojevic

Filmmaker Iva Radivojevic explores the heavy theme of migration and the many ways in which it affects society. Though the film is set in Cyprus, it is clear that the theme and film could just as easily translate on a more universal level – which would be expected in a film titled Evaporating Borders. A thought provoking essay documentary, what is ultimately most rewarding is the personal touch that can be felt throughout the film. Having been a migrant herself throughout her life, in this film she uses a first person approach that directly links her to the greats of documentary from Alex Gibney to Chris Marker and, along with the primary source material and interviews with people directly involved in that socio political situation, makes her statement seem more impactful as well as an excellent starting point for international debate.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - Sans Soleil (Chris Marker, 1983), The Do-Gooders (Chloe Ruthven, 2013)

 

 

7. - FAREWELL TO THE MOON (Afscheid Van De Maan) by Dick Tuinder

Set in the early seventies, the times of the moon landing and the Vietnam War, this is the story of some of the inhabitants of a Dutch apartment flat that get involved in intertwining and intricate romantic predicaments as they struggle to abide and adapt to stale family life or frustrating distances. This leads them to infidelity and often more unhappiness. Tuinder’s Farewell to the Moon is a clever and sometimes sedictive quasi-satirical take on the society of the time that uses a soap-operatic structure but also leaves plenty of room for some interesting observation on more political and cultural issues that intelligently underline the narrative. This deepens the experience but also carefully invites the viewer to understand and even appreciate each of the character’s individual viewpoints. Often shot with warmth and a somewhat trancelike lighting, Tuinder is also able to balance a sexual charge with a kind of innocence that conceals the theme of humanity, including its vulnerability and imperfections.  

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - Good Bye Lenin! (Wolfgang Becker, 2003), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Bunuel, 1972)

 

 

 6. - FROM TEHRAN TO HEAVEN (Az Tehran ta Beshesht) by Albofazl Saffary 

Using the Hitchcockian plot of a pregnant woman in search for her husband who has mysteriously disappeared and hence put her life directly in danger, Saffary paints a worrying picture of Tehran. This depiction is directly implied in the title that points Tehran as an opposite to heaven, and indeed Tehran is painted as a place where incidents of ordinary everyday madness and social decadence are aplenty and take place in normal and relentless succession. Cleverly, however, Saffary makes use of satirical exaggeration and, towards the end, explicit abstract imagery by shifting the action to the desert, which not only makes this thriller seem post-apocalyptic but also seems to isolate Tehran in a sea of sand. The exciting pace and suspense of the thriller also ensures Saffary’s film to be quite entertaining, gripping and, at around one hour and fifteen minutes in length, never boring.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - Shinjuku Mad (Koji Wakamatsu, 1970), D.O.A. (Rudolph Maté, 1950)

 

 

5. - ANATOMY OF A PAPER CLIP (Yamamori Clip Koujou No Atari) by Ikeda Akira

A modern day fairytale about the typical loser working a dead end job and leading a repetitively dull lifestyle. One day he finds a butterfly in his flat, and the next day he finds the butterfly has turned into a woman who behaves like a while – though she speaks incomprehensively. Anatomy of a Paper Clip is an absolute gem and this is also partially due to the fact that filmmaker Ikeda Akira makes a wide and free use of a deadpan and simplistic approach. Even the cinematography, often two dimensional, possibly seeks to make the presence of the camera want to disappear. Initially comical and then, as it progresses, more keen on revealing the individual delicate nature of vulnerability and humanity, Anatomy of a Paper Clip is a wonderful sweet natured film with a taste of poignancy and melancholia.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - Saturday Afternoon (Harry Edwards, 1926), The Man Without a Past (Aki Kaurismaki, 2003)

 

 

4. - STELLA CADENTE (Falling Star) by Luis Miñarro

For approximately two years before the Spanish republic – which also lasted a similar amount of time – Amadeo van Savoy theoretically ruled Spain but was really restrained to his castle partially because of die-hard opposition from virtually everyone in the country but also due to his stubbornness that prevented him to leave. For long-time producer Luis Minarro, stepping behind the camera for the first time as a director in his first fiction feature effort, this is also a time span that can be used to his advantage, and shaped into an exploit of extravagance and lustful deadpan decadence. Costumes and sets, in fact, lend themselves so well to flamboyance However, Minarro does well to restrain the film slowing down the pace and photographing the action meticulously and yet in a still fashion that seems to have been influenced from the paintings of Caravaggio. However, the creativeness of the film lies in its widely deadpan style that accentuates the delight of its musical and comedy touches, that seem to work delightfully within a familiar historical drama structure and that make Stella Cadente a joyous celebration of life and sexual awakenings.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - The Marquis del Grillo (Mario Monicelli, 1981), Fellini's Casanova (Federico Fellini, 1976)

 

 

3. - FISH AND CAT (Mahi Va Gorbeh) by Shahram Mokri

Horror and drama blend in naturally and compellingly in Shahram Mokri’s Fish and Cat, which tells the story of the relationship between the owners of a shifty restaurant and the inhabitants of a neighbouring camp where a kite festival is taking place. Ambitiously shot in one long take, the style never takes over the actual narrative multi-character plot but actually deepens the dramatic and psychological tension that seems to hence develop in a more natural and hence chilling way. This suspense is often verbal and atmospheric, as there is no real gore and the film lacks the visual explicit attack on the viewers that are easily identified with slasher films and horror features. Ultimately, this feels like the ultimate exercise in art-house horror and a wonderfully original one at that.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974), The Wind Will Carry Us (Abbas Kiraostami, 1999)

 

 

 2. - WHERE ARE YOU BUCHAREST? (Bucuresti, unde esti?) by Vlad Petri 

Vlad Petri takes us right in the middle of a Romanian revolution as he takes the cameras among the hoard of protestors that took Bucharest by storm to let their voices be heard in favour of a better life. A greatly rewarding documentary, Petri allows its audience to not only get an extreme close up of the events but also makes us feel a part of them by revealing sides that often remain hidden away and are never explored by mainstream media or even other documentaries. This means not only showing the anger and frustration but also the theatrical side of it all where, for instance, strange individuals promote their ideas of creating new political parties and strip to their underwear in the middle of a blizzard carrying a national flag for the sake of the revolution. Chronicling the protest from its beginnings to its miserably anonymous demise, Where Are You Bucharest? is a testimony of our times, a time of protests and mass gatherings against the systems that often end disappointingly after their initial vivid eruption.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED - The War Room (Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebaker, 1993), 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (Aaron Aites, Audrey Ewell, Nina Krstic, Lucian Read, 2013)

 

1. - QISSA by Anup Singh

During the partition, and Indian man returns home and dreams of re-starting a new dynasty for his people and for his own family by giving birth to a son. But when his wife graces him with another daughter, he refuses to let himself disappointed and brings her up as a boy – a decision which obviously ends up having heavy psychological repercussions as times goes by and she grows older. Twelve years after his delightful debut Name of a River, Singh returns with another dreamlike feature that is nevertheless contrasting the vivid and nostalgic poetry of his previous work. Qissa is rather dark, but despite its heavy psychological undertones and sinister developments it is remarkable not fuelled by neither hatred nor anger. This makes the work all the more interesting as well as engaging in a different and unique way. A great fluid cinematography, mostly dark and creating a great contrast between the colourful art direction and the majesty of the landscape, tied together with Khan’s excellent turn as a soft spoken villainous figure whose sad eyes reveal plenty of vulnerable humanity and sadness contribute to making Qissa all the more rewarding meditation that was appropriately described by the filmmaker himself as a father’s dream about a daughter he betrayed.

 

WATCH THIS IF YOU LIKED -The Lonely Wife (Charulata, Satiajit Ray, 1964), The Name of a River (Ekti Nadir Naam, Anup Singh, 2002)