Another slow start today and some bad decisions but things are finally looking up. I skipped The Front Line in favor of extra sleep and work from home - which led to me missing Tyrannasaur (which I didn't even realize was playing this morning), fingers crossed to see that one at Fifth Ave or something. Next bad choice? Picked Outside Satan over The Skin I Live In. Sigh...next time go with the gut feeling instead of saying "oh it will definitely come out".
That done, my screening of Outside Satan ended up being delayed half an hour and shown on DVD with the time code. Have never seen such a small crowd in GR7, guess most people went to see Almodovar which is what I should have done since the 2 films were supposed to start at the same time. The handy thing having a time code on screen though is knowing exactly where you are in the film when you decide it's time to walk out.
After all that, things had to get better, and slowly but surely they did by the end of the night.
OUTSIDE SATAN (France)
The write up sounded interesting, a vagabound who appears out of nowhere and performs all sorts of righting acts. Perhaps it was the dvd - images very quite dark, and I'm not sure if it was a complete film as there didn't seem to be much music, if any. Like Elena and Anatolia, this film is very slowly paced. You may even find yourself timing every shot between cuts as you're more mesmorized by the running clock. Perhaps there was a bigger meaning as other slow films, but given it also started late, I didn't stay to find out.
2/5 playing October 4th at 930pm.
THE DAY HE ARRIVES (South Korea)
A man arrives in Seoul and has plans to meet a friend. A simple linear that becomes a repetition of similar locations, dialogue and cast involved except it varies and differs from the last time we saw. Described as something that explores all possibilities for our character's day, it's an interesting watch and quirky. Presented in B&W.
3/5 playing Tuesday October 4th 7pm and Thursday October 6 1045am
BACK TO STAY (Argentina, Switzerland)
Another drama that places characters in a situation and just unfolds as they move forward. Marina, Sofia and Violetta are 3 sisters whose grandmother has just died, and they are now left to themselves with the house. There isn't much plot to describe, but it's interesting to see the directions they decide to move forth. With typical sister arguments and affectionate acts, worth a watch.
3/5 playing Monday October 1st at 115pm
TOP FLOOR LEFT WING (France)
The still alone should put this film on your radar, for once, the write up does some justice to the film. An evictor is held hostage when the father and son he's evicting block the door to the police, with the hotheaded son claiming to be a terrorist as he tries to stall them so he can unload 5kg of cocaine. The rest of the plot is taut with well written power shifts as the stories of the three men develop, keeping you thoroughly engaged and laughing hard. The comedy in this is fantastic, playing on dialogue as well as character and story. It builds and builds so that even the final image will leave you remembering this film. A not funny situation but inevitably is hilarious and well done overall. My second favorite film so far at VIFF.
4.5/5 playing Tuesday October 1st at 1pm
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