2011 MIFF Preview – Part Two

by Andrew Moraitis 20 July 2011 21:55 Filmink Festival Coverage

With the Melbourne International Film Festival to commence this week, FILMINK previews another handful of films set to screen...

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Earlier this month, FILMINK previewed the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), examining the likes of James Marsh's Project Nim and Fred Schepisi's The Eye of the Storm.

The festival will begin tomorrow with the Opening Night film The Fairy (Belgium/France, 93 minutes), but - for now - we will look at a variety of international productions, including Takashi Miike's ultra-violent 13 Assassins and the Silver Bear-winning The Turin Horse. 

13 Assassins (Japan, Accent on Asia, 126 minutes)

The shadow of the mighty Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (Yojimbo, Ran) looms large over 13 Assassins, a slow-burning, flamboyantly violent Samurai mini-epic. With the exception of a few flourishes of extreme violence, the first half of 13 Assassins is unhurried and measured. However - similar to other historical adventures like Zulu - the second half is an extended and violent payoff to the earlier exposition, incorporating samurai battles and enflamed animals. For a filmmaker infamous for his ultra-violence, Takashi Miike (Audition) offers a surprisingly thoughtful exploration of the meaning of honour and loyalty in 13 Assassins' final stages. 

Essential Killing - pictured (Poland/Norway/Ireland/Hungary, International Panorama, 85 minutes)

The Spartan thriller Essential Killing offers an interesting, if a tad underwhelming, alternative to the raft of US-produced Afghanistan/Middle East dramas. Unlike those films (like Jim Sheridan's Brothers), Essential Killing is an unashamed genre film: an against-the-odds thriller. It is given added differentiation by telling this story from the point of view of a Taliban combatant (a wordless, animalistic turn from Vincent Gallo, perhaps the only American actor bold enough to play an Afghani terrorist). Jerzy Skolimowski's film has strengths, including Gallo's animalistic performance and beautiful helicopter shots. Yet, Skolimowski's minimalist tendencies eventually dissatisfy, offering little characterisation.       

Michael (Austria, Telescope: New Talent from the EU, 96 minutes)

At the Cannes Film Festival, Markus Schleinzer's Michael drew comparisons with Todd Solondz's Happiness: another unflinching drama about child abuse. Schleinzer's film, though, is less absurd and surreal. With a documentary-like approach, Michael gives chilling (though not explicit) detail about the relationship between a paedophile and his victim. Such details give the film a confronting, challenging quality. Yet - despite the film's controversial subject matter - Michael is always intelligent in its approach, providing well-drawn characterisations to both the suburban monster and his victim. 

The Turin Horse (Hungary, International Panorama, 146 minutes)

The ultra-sombre minimalism of The Turin Horse elicits comparisons to the humanist work of Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, Persona). With monochromatic, black-and-white photography and a simple - almost-archetypical - story, Béla Tarr's film shows all the seriousness of an art-house period drama. Bergman, though, gave texture and individual qualities to his characters, providing them with distinction beyond their archetype. Tarr, however, will likely bore more people than he enthrals. The ageing director is less concerned with creating narrative or compelling characterisations, preferring to coast on a story low on conflict and real drama.