VIFF 202409.26.24 - 10.06.24
Vancouver, BC
The Piano Lesson (2024)
It's like it couldn't pick a direction to commit to -- the supernatural angle to it felt pretty out of place. The family drama side, however, had potential, but I wish it spent more time developing those characters, maybe leveraging more flashbacks and relying less on everything taking place in the present. Tight performances all around -- the cast was given a TON of dialogue to work with, and while it was a bit tiring to consume at times, it did feel like they gave it their all. And it might be just my reservations towards any film with the Netflix logo plastered onto it, but it felt claustrophobic in its approach, rarely building onto much more than the set pieces within the family's home. I would have loved to see more on-location filming to develop the movie world and the family's place in the community and the country, particularly to give it a grander, more filmic approach, rather than a rehash of the play it's based off of.
My first film at VIFF 2024, and actually my first film at a film festival of any kind! Screened at the Vancouver Playhouse in downtown Vancouver.
My first film at VIFF 2024, and actually my first film at a film festival of any kind! Screened at the Vancouver Playhouse in downtown Vancouver.
Anora (2024)
Could definitely go down as one of the defining films of 2024, considering how fresh and confident it is. Impressive how laugh out loud funny it is for the majority of its runtime, with some of the lengthiest hysterical sequences I’ve honestly ever seen, and I mean that as a compliment! Superb casting — everyone fits in like a glove.
Watched at the Vancouver Playhouse as part of the VIFF 2024 programming. Staunch difference in the demographics of those in attendance here compared to my first film of the festival — I definitely felt like I was amongst my own. When people talk about how unique film festival audiences feel, I totally felt that here — I’ve never heard a theatre crowd have such a rollicking good time.
Watched at the Vancouver Playhouse as part of the VIFF 2024 programming. Staunch difference in the demographics of those in attendance here compared to my first film of the festival — I definitely felt like I was amongst my own. When people talk about how unique film festival audiences feel, I totally felt that here — I’ve never heard a theatre crowd have such a rollicking good time.
Rumours (2024)
Did not really rock with this one... never bought into the premise, which wasn't up my alley in the first place. The zany humour and random changeups left me scratching my head more than anything. I want to complain about the casting (Dance and Blanchett in particular), but I suppose that plays into the intentional randomness of it all.
Watched at the Rio in Vancouver as part of VIFF 2024.
Watched at the Rio in Vancouver as part of VIFF 2024.
The End (2024)
The idea of a post apocalyptic musical sounds neat and all, but once you get going and realizing there’s not much room to work with when it comes to sets/characters, it quickly becomes a drag to get through. George MacKay deserves a lot of credit here though — he’s a real talent and I hope to continue seeing more from him!
Watched at the Vancouver Playhouse as the closing film for VIFF 2024. Great to finally have some film festival experience under my belt, and I imagine this is only the beginning!
Watched at the Vancouver Playhouse as the closing film for VIFF 2024. Great to finally have some film festival experience under my belt, and I imagine this is only the beginning!
