TL;DR This Week In Cinema: Sydney Film Festival Week Two

My festival has thus far been a delight – only one film has disappointed out of ten, a stellar record. For the discerning cinemagoer, I’ve compiled another five flicks I believe will bring you the same quality experience.

Outside of the fest, there’s a few major releases coming out this week that I’ve also checked out – don’t forget to click through and check out our reviews.

Warcraft(RT: 27%) Read our review!

Finding Dory(RT: 95%) Read our review!

Miles Ahead(RT: 72%) Read our review!

Me Before You (RT: 57%)

Mr. Right(RT: 37%)

Alright, let’s get festy…

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IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD

The winner of the Grand Prix and Ecumenical Jury prizes at this year’s Cannes Festival, this claustrophobic family drama is the sixth film by 27-year-old Xavier Dolan. Jealous? Just remember he was born into the industry. Leg-up and all that. OK? Alright.

His latest is unashamed melodrama – Louis (Gaspard Ulliel) arrives home for the first time in 12 years to a family frustrated by his lack of contact. There is, of course, a reason for this expected return: Louis has contracted a terminal illness, and isn’t long for this world. The reasons for his prolonged absence are not explored – a flaw some consider fatalfor this play adaptation.

The experience is painfully intimate, driven by excellent performances from Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Nathalie Baye, Léa Seydoux and Vincent Cassel. Small moments of connection linger for uncomfortable lengths of time; arguments escalate without resolution; and the wounds of the past sting fresh without revealing their true depths.

So, you know, barrel of laughs, really.

tl;dr Some families are better at dealing with absence and death.

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LAND OF MINE

This is my pick for BEST FILM OF THE FESTIVAL. There, I said it.

Land Of Mine is a war film unlike any you’ve ever seen. In fact, it’s not even set in wartime, but afterwards, as Denmark recovers from Nazi occupation in 1945. The country is strewn with landmines, especially concentrated on its beaches, and the brass decides that the best way to get rid of them is to have German prisoners of war – most of whom are teenage boys – remove them by hand.

Astonishing cinematography and Roland Møller‘s potent performance (as the sergeant tasked with ensuring the boys do their job) make Danish autuer Martin Zandvliet‘s drama a must-see, though it is understandably a draining experience. In each and every shot is an invisible clock ticking down to the next explosion, be it a landmine or a person pushed too far.

It’sThe Hurt LockermeetsBeasts Of No Nation, and it’s the best film I’ve seen at Sydney Film Festival.

tl;drA film so raw and emotional it makes Terrence Malick look heartless.

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HIGH-RISE

Anarchy in the UK? Not even close. What makes this alt-’80s dystopian nightmare so disquieting is how frighteningly close it mirrors our own trickle-down political environment.

Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) needs a fresh start, and finds it in his new home, a state-of-the-art high-rise tower. As the class distinction between the wealthy residents in the upper floors and those below begin to rankle, the tower’s sudden loss of electricity plunges the entire community into chaos. Amidst the madness, Laing finds his balance.

J.G. Ballard‘sbrutishly cynical near-future retcon is so well suited to director Ben Wheatley and writer Amy Jump, it’s a wonder no-one’s thought to pair them off before. There’s something uniquely English about it: a film of infinite polish and playfulness that leaves you feeling as if you’ve been headbutted in the face.

tl;dr This is the crash you’ve been looking for.

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SONITA

Rap and hip hop have long been a way of giving voice to the voiceless, to roar back at tyrants and to battle against social inequality. For Sonita Alizadeh, it’s her way to speak the truth of her experience as a young woman living in Iran, in a culture that systematically oppresses women.

But when Sonita’s mother demands she return to Afghanistan to be sold off as a bride, it threatens to silence her forever. The filmmakers watch on, heartbroken but uncertain. They have to record the truth. But can they alter the path Sonita must follow?

The film starts of in middling ground, but takes off when we bear witness to just how good Sonita is at rapping. Sonitaasks huge questions about the responsibility of documentary filmmakers to their subjects. Most importantly, it tells a story about women and by women – something this festival has been excellent at highlighting this year.

tl;dr Say hello to your new favourite rapper.

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WAR ON EVERYONE

(Warning: clip is NSFW; contains drug use and coarse language)

John Michael McDonagh, writer/director of The Guard and Calvary, channels his little brother in the least PC comedy you’re likely to see at the fest, as two corrupt cops (Michael Peña andAlexander Skarsgård) decide to crack down on a heist and take the dough for themselves.

Thing is, Martin has a knack for edgeplay, whereas his brother feels uncomfortable in the terrain. You know those people who wear T-shirts that say, “I’m Not Racist: I Hate Everyone”? This film is those people in cinema form.

There’s nothing to be truly up in arms about – sure, the characters rag on people for their ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social status and just about anything else – but there’s no real hate beyond a general misanthropy. That said, none of the satirical elements hit home with any force, so the jokes are as cheap as they come. Foul-mouthed and empty-headed, it’s saved from being a total waste of time by a solid opening and some amusing unpleasantry.

I’m gonna start a family feud here – In Bruges is better.

tl;drLooking forward to the McDonagh brothers biff.

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Special mentionsfor the many films I haven’t yet made it to that look set to excite this year…

The Devil’s Candy; Psycho Raman; Alice In Earnestland; Weiner; In The Shadow Of The Hill; Ten Years; The Land Of The Enlightened; A Girl In The River; Letters From War; Notes On Blindness; 3000 Nights; Dark In The White Light; A Good Wife; Thank You For Bombing; Wild; Under The Shadow; Fire At Sea; Mekko; Under The Sun; A Journey Of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers; Lo And Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World; Evolution; National Bird; Apprentice; Gimme Danger; Captain Fantastic; Swiss Army Man; Halal Love (And Sex); The BFG.

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And now forTHE VERDICT– most films on this week’s list has my seal of approval, but a Flexipass 20 can only stretch so far. Sometimes, we must be choosy, and if that is the case for you this week, then let your film of choice be…