February 20, 2015

This Australian drama deals with the struggles one family has as the mother transitions from female to male. During the first year of the transition the daughter moves in with her father; mother and daughter agree to meet each Tuesday. The film was shot once a week over 52 weeks on the days of those visits. As the daughter is exploring her own sexuality through much of the film, there wasn’t much light shed on the emotions of either the mother or daughter about the transition itself.

I was looking forward to this movie, but was disappointed in the end. The titles and news clips that advanced the date from week to week interrupted the flow for me.

February 20, 2015

The film was introduced by Wendy Brown, the cartoonist for our local paper. She spoke of the lines that need to be honoured, and the ones that need to be crossed, in a tribute to satirical cartoonists around the world.

The movie followed several cartoonists from many different countries in the midst of political turmoil. It tells of their fight for freedom of speech, the rules they are told to follow, and the struggles they face every day due to censorship and the fear of reprisal.

In a few spots in the movie there wasn’t enough time to read both the sub-titled words of the speakers and the translation of the cartoons they were showing. When in doubt, I chose the cartoon.

February 19, 2015

It was hockey night at the film festival. Our own Powell River Kings were in attendance, and they showed a short made by one of the Powell River King volunteers about his love of the game and the community.

And what better preview to the main attraction than the NFB short called The Sweater, narrated by Roch Carrier. Pat and I had the pleasure of seeing (and hearing) Mr. Carrier read from his book at a festival when we lived in the city.

Red Army, told mainly from the view of Slava Fetisov, follows his tough journey from a nine-year old boy trying out for the team through to his stint as captain of the the Soviet Union’s Red Army team. When offered a chance to play in the NHL the politics of the time wouldn’t allow him to leave; when the politics changed he was given the chance to leave for the US, but only if gave 90% of his salary to the Russian government. Refusing to capitulate Fetisov was eventually able to play, under his own terms, in the NHL with New Jersey and Detroit. Truly an eye-opener into the lives of the Russian stars of the day.

February 19, 2015

Fourth film of the festival – first popcorn of the festival!

This was a beautiful film about the Gypsy poet Bronislawa Wajs. Shot entirely in black and white with very few professional actors we get a good glimpse of the lives of the Gypsies as their caravans travelled across Poland. I agree with Pat that almost every still from the movie, if printed, would be a masterpiece.