Deck 5b - Review
Whilst Deck 5B shows terrific technical craft, it struggles to create a deep emotional connection. The film follows Mia, a mother who takes her son on holiday. Whilst aboard a ferry, she struggles to decide whether to pursue a personal relationship or look after her son. The film is brilliantly shot by Malin Ingrid Johansson, it is intimate and claustrophobic, showing the struggle of looking after a child on your own. However, I struggled to feel emotionally enthralled by the strong style, with a script that perhaps doesn’t utilise the premise to its full potential.
Dive - Review
Dive is a very small and confined tale that lulls you into a false sense of security before a gripping end. The film is set on a beach as a boy and a girl share a beer before heading into the sea. It feels almost plotless, beautifully so, however, it soon reveals itself as something darker. A film that shows the naivety of youth, and the loss of naivety as the characters are thrust into a world out of their control.
Marion - Review
Marion is a heartfelt tale of defying gender barriers, with the title character Marion being the only female bulljumper. The film does a good job of othering her, being in a male changing room where she is told she shouldn’t be. Everyone is referenced as gentlemen in a moment that shows Marion defying the odds. However, the film muddles its messaging, as a man prays to watch over her and an ending that takes away some of the power of the narrative.
NIGIQTUQ - Review
NIGIQTUQ is impressive in its achievement of conveying so much in so little. It is confined to a small house in Rural America. Whilst it is not the easiest film to understand exactly what is happening, what is clear is the themes that are extracted from the piece. That of the contrast between home and house. Missing where you come from. The invasion of the house as a place of safety. Conforming to fit in with a new style of life, losing the uniqueness of the mother tongue. These are all subtlely but powerfully conveyed in this intriguing piece.
Shut up and fish - Review
A gripping and visually stunning piece about isolation and peer pressure. Shot in black and white, the monochromatic style adds a great sharpness to the look of the characters. Particularly the protagonist who is singled out on the film’s setting of a boat, in a sweeping shot that feels akin to Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. The film is able to brilliantly display the isolation of the protagonist as he has to tackle peer pressure in a decision of fight and flight.
Then comes the body - Review
Then Comes The Body is a documentary about a ballet school just outside of Lagos, however, the film shows not just the power of ballet, but the power of art in general, with Hollywood dance movies being the inspiration of some of the subjects within the documentary. What is most impressive about the doc is how it creates a lived-in experience. Using close-ups to create an immense specificity with each shot being greater than the sum of its parts. It gives a real feel of community within the film.
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