Film #9 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
Small, slow but steady. A perfect title for this film.
Being a Japan fan having travelled the country many times, I got a real kick from seeing everyday life in Tokyo. Usually you get the Akihabara, Shibuya and Shinjuku versions of Tokyo, or the gardens and the parks. In here you get the brown and yellow colours, the fog, the primitive apartments, the dirty boxing gym, ordinary life... I love that.
Also,…
Film #8 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
Coming of age through childhood trauma.
What goes through the mind of a child witnessing horrible sexual violence must be hard to describe, so I think the technical feats used for that works well.
The fantasy is artful and true - most of the times, anyway. It might be a slight overload of the dreamy stuff, but overall the balance worked for me.
I love that she's doing BJJ, cuz I want her to be able to destroy whoever tries to cause her harm in the future. 💪
Film #7 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
A heavy and very emotional meditation on death, life and love. Depressing and beautiful. Very relatable.
Film #6 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
I didn't think I would like this, but I really did. It was darker and deeper than I had expected.
Film #4 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
The art of film making right here. The struggle is real. How to cope, how to love.
I could relate. Not 100%, but close enough to feel totally immersed for two hours, and long after that.
So many themes of adolescence portrayed in such a beautiful, honest way. Got the same vibe as when I watched "Fresh" in 1994. Fantastic camera work, great sound, awesome score, superb actors, editing and light...
One could wish for something more indie and arty, but this time I'm not that guy.
Film #3 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
Queer drama featuring time travels, child witchery and magic realism. What a cool combo! And executed in quite a subtle way, not making too much fuzz about the weirdness. Some scenes could've been left out to make it tighter and more powerful, but all in all a welcome change, not afraid to mix genres.
Cool soundtrack too.
Film #2 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
Great cinematography and really great actors, but it feels a bit strange watching a feelgood version of the refugee crisis and human trafficking... The music didn't always sync well with what was goin on (the "Open the gate" scene, for example), and the trauma didn't come through. I expected nightmarish visions and pure horror.
I guess the film is saying there is still hope, that even smugglers are humans etc.
"Exodus" has got a big heart, and it probably deserves a higher rating than 5/10, but it was too polished for me. I couldn't feel the darkness.
Film #1 at the Göteborg Film Festival 2023.
Despite the dark themes (drug abuse, mental issues), this is a fine French family drama about being there for one another.
It struggles with finding a direction pretty much throughout the whole film, but I was pretty moved for the last 20 minutes or so.
Strong 6/10.