SIFF Wrap Up

Well clearly I got a little too carried away with viewing films this year to actually report back. But after spending a solid three weeks inside the overly-air-conditioned biosphere of a movie theater, I can come back with with my picks to look for in the coming months (fingers crossed for distribution!)

My Pick for the Golden Space Needle: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Now I saw The Hedgehog and it aint got nothin' on Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo. Probably one of the greatest trailers I've seen, this film's catchy and bizarre marketing scheme had me hooked from the beginning. A quasi-documentary/ethnographic (or I should say "entomographic") look at the art of insect hunting in modern-day Japan. Somehow straddling the line between avant garde and nature film, Beetle Queen beautifully mashes the poetic language of Japanese naturalism with creepy-crawlies. The film interweaves bizarre segments showcasing the Japanese obsession with bug collecting and how it's penetrated popular culture across the country. You'll delve into the beetle-fighting video games of the local Pochinko parlor and indulge in a real life beetle battle as eager kids watch on. Don't expect a plot, structure or even to understand what's going on. Just sit back, relax and let the calming tone of the film's narrator take you away. It is stunningly soothing and hilariously absurd, and I whole heartily suggest even the bug-haters out there to take a look.

Runner Up: Utopia in Four Movements

Now I'm not sure I can even call this a film or acknowledge it as truly eligible for this placement. But the academic (and often Marxist) part of me has to place this "viewing experience" near the top of my list. An interactive and live presentation, Utopia in Four Movements attempts to raise questions regarding the existence of Utopia in the present day and age. Crafted in these "four movements," the presentation calls upon historical events to reflect on conceptions of Utopia and efforts to preserve the hope of Utopia. Blatantly Marxist (bordering on Maoist) this project, if anything, raised a number of issues surrounding contemporary hopelessness, starkly contrasted with the spirit of 20th century revolutions. In the end it is not whether or not I agree with arguments made- and this is why I think this project is particularly important for all audiences- it asked me to consider hope and the strive for Utopia despite its inherently contradictory origins. Past the jargon of anti-capitalism, this project embodies a perspective wearily fading in our recession state. Utopia is not a impossible dream, but a spirit of forwardness and boundless efforts, all grounded in the everyday, ultimately accessible to all.

2nd Runner Up: Farewell

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a French Cold War film starring Guillaume Canet. So that's why I saw it, but that's not why I liked it. The film, painted in muted grays, tells the story of 2 men aiming to quietly bring down the crumbling Soviet Union. Gracefully captured by director Christian Carion (Joyeux Noel), Farewell brings the epic push and pull between the 2 world super powers down to the streets. France, notably placed in the center of the conflict, reveals a historical retrospective on the role of the individual and Europe stuck in between the dueling countries. Though this film does not aim to say much about all things past (like a typical French film), it attempts to break down boarders between the overarching event and the individual (unlike a typical French film). This is one of the masses. It has distribution, so I suggest people get out there and actually enjoy a commercial French drama.