BEST INTENTIONS (Hungary/Romania)
A family story that begins just before the mother is admitted to the hospital for a minor stroke. What follows is nothing exciting and I would recommend a pass on this title. Arguable a lack of plot and a group of people placed in a situation and left to life without much action. The choice of a POV camera is interesting but seemed to be excessive.
2/5 plays Sunday October 2nd at 620pm and Tuesday October 4th at 530pm
HOW TO DIE IN OREGON (US)
A deeply moving film about dying with dignity. The film gives a bit of background on the difference between dying with dignity and euthanasia before sharing the story of how Washington State passed I1000, prior to which only Oregon was the only state with such a law that enabled terminally ill people to have control in when to end their lives. The film is well done and heart wrenching especially once you get to know the people contemplating and making the choice of when to leave this life.
4/5 plays Monday October 10th at 250pm
AMADOR (Spain)
A wonderful story about a young pregnant woman Marcela who is hired to take care of an elderly man Amador. When Amador dies "earlier than expected", Marcela is torn with guilt as she decides to keep his death a secret in order to earn a paycheck she desperately needs in order to help her boyfriend pay for a fridge. This plot really picks up after Marcela gets her job, and there are many layers intricately woven here. Every scene has a significance and nothing gets left behind as dark comedy creeps in and a sense of surrealism envelops the viewer. Possibly one of my top 5 picks at VIFF this year. Today's screening sold out so I definitely recommend going early to the remaining screenings.
4.5/5 plays Sunday October 2nd at 130pm and Monday October 3rd at 8pm
Morente (Spain)
Flamenco fans (and world music fans) rejoice at this look at flamenco singer Enrique Morente's life. A mixture of interviews, rehearsals and performances, it is the music that really was the highlight of the screening. The music and singing is engaging to a state where instead of reading the subtitles, the act of closing your eyes and just feeling the music is a tempting option. I didn't quite care for the interviews, but otherwise this is a good film to check out.
3.5/5 plays Thursday October 6th at 620pm
Sauna on Moon (China)
With a write up that states a situation and a group of characters, this was yet another film with not much of a plot, but what is happening in their lives, what life throws at them next, and what they do about it before the next thing happens. Nothing really interesting and another pass. Unless of course you like films that is situation and character based, not that all situation and character based films are passes.
2/5 plays Monday October 3rd at 3pm
Desert Riders (Canada)
Award winning director/DOP Vic Sarin's latest is a documentary about children who are removed from their homes and forced to ride camels in races held in the United Arab Emirates. His cinematography background evident, this is a vivid and gripping story about the perils and human rights issues concerning these camel jockeys. Interviews from various players including former child camel jockeys, parents, traffickers and even trainers themselves paint a good picture that perhaps many people are unaware of.
4/5 plays Sunday October 2nd at 1220pm *arrive early as this film too was sold out previously
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