Bifan: Smile for the camera

With jury duty completed, I've had some time to explore beyond Bucheon, starting with taking a journey into central Seoul (about an hour by metro) on a very, very rainy Tuesday. Still, it was fun to walk around an area that's very different from Bucheon - both older and newer, with cool shops and restaurants packed in tiny, winding streets. Then the juries were taken on a day out for an archery experience that was a lot of fun - learning the history and tradition, training and then competing - followed by an amazing festival dinner. I also took the morning to head back over into Seoul and walk around the main palace, this time in blazing sunshine. And of course, I'm watching films as well. Here are two more I saw earlier, plus two more Japanese titles...

Smoking Causes Coughing [Fumer Fait Tousser]
dir-scr Quentin Dupieux; with Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Lacoste 22/France ***.
Leave it to demented genius Quentin Dupieux to offer a course correction for the superhero genre, producing this wry comedy in the style of a cheesy 1970s TV series, starting with some riotously exaggerated violence. Consistently amusing scenes are underlined with silly details, clunky tech and a surprisingly heartfelt emotion. In the end, it feels a bit slight and corny, but its considerable charm is difficult to shake... FULL REVIEW >

Evil Dead Rise
dir-scr Lee Cronin; with Alyssa Sutherland, Lily Sullivan 23/US ***
As the horror franchise returns, writer-director Lee Cronin sidesteps plot and characters to focus on creating the grisliest movie imaginable. It's an approach that keeps the audience squirming at each mind-bogglingly awful thing that happens to a bunch of relatively normal people minding their own business. Genre fans will enjoy the yuckiness, but the connection to the other movies is tenuous, and there's not much else to it... FULL REVIEW >

Life of Mariko in Kabukicho

dir Shinzo Katayama, Eiji Uchida; with Sairi Ito, Yutaka Takenouchi 22/Japan ****

Freewheeling energy propels this lively Japanese movie through a series of outrageous scenarios, as a large ensemble of characters weave in and out of each others' lives. Action, comedy, romance, drama and sci-fi are stirred into the mix, creating a riotously entertaining vibe from start to finish, even when things turn violent or dark. Set out as a series of episodes in the life of a sparky young woman and the people in her Tokyo neighbourhood, the film endearingly gets under the skin.

Egoist 
dir Daishi Matsunaga; with Ryohei Suzuki, Hio Miyazawa 22/Japan ***.

An understated, slice-of-life approach both adds to the emotional depth of this Japanese drama and leaves it feeling somewhat familiar. Director-cowriter Daishi Matsunaga tells the story with sensitivity, taking on big events and some surprising events without even a hint of melodramatics. What remains is an engaging exploration of unexpected relationships, most notably how love can be expressed through selflessness. And the story reveals this in some very moving ways.

Bifan: Be afraid

My first impression of Korea was in driving rain and low clouds during the drive from the airport to Bucheon, which is about halfway between Incheon Airport and Seoul. The rain continued all day and into the night, but couldn't dampen the spirits at the opening ceremony for the 27th Bifan: Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. As a member of the international competition jury, I walked the long red carpet with my fellow jurors, Korean actress Kim Sunyoung, Japanese filmmaker Kazuya Konaka, Korean filmmaker Lee Wonsuk and Canadian writer-producer Kier-La Janice. The ceremony was also attended by Ari Aster, whose Beau Is Afraid is the opening film, and Korean star Choi Min Sik, who is honoured with a special section within the festival. Other impressions over the first two days centre mainly around the excellent array of food options and the heavy humidity that makes breathing a bit of a chore outdoors. I'd already seen the opening film, so I went to the epic party instead, and then the first four films we have watched couldn't be more eclectic...

Beau Is Afraid
dir-scr Ari Aster; with Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone 23/US ***.
Another indulgent auteur project, this epic odyssey feels both deeply personal and in desperate need of an independent editor. Genius filmmaker Ari Aster definitely knows how to push the audience's buttons, and his rambling, over-the-top movie is packed with moments that are hilarious, terrifying, riotously outrageous and darkly emotive. It's also infused with almost Lynchian surrealism, defiantly refusing to bring its fiercely clever segments into a coherent whole ... FULL REVIEW >

Sorcery [Brujería]
dir Christopher Murray; with Valentina Véliz Caileo, Daniel Antivilo 23/Chile ****
With its gloomy skies and hazy cinematography, this Chilean drama has a powerful intensity that runs through a darkly mystical clash between cultures and religions. Based on a true story, it's grippingly directed by Christopher Murray and played in an often unnervingly understated style. So it goes far beneath the skin to provoke us with insistent ideas about colonialism and nature.

Tiger Stripes
dir-scr Amanda Nell Eu; with Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral 23/Malaysia ****
There's an engaging animalistic tilt to this adolescent body horror from Malaysia, as a young girl taps into her feral nature. Writer-director Amanda Nell Eu maintains a blackly comical undercurrent even as things get very freaky indeed, exploring big themes through lenses of culture, gender and religion. And Zafreen Zairizal shines in a complex and physically demanding central role.

Restore Point [Bod Obnovy]
dir Robert Hloz; with Andrea Mohylova, Matej Hadek 23/Czechia 1h51 ***
Slick and packed with audience-pleasing gimmicks, this Czech thriller has an intriguing sci-fi premise that raises all kinds of big moral questions. So even if the script feels somewhat undercooked, it's still a fun ride as a police procedural potboiler. Director Robert Holz creates a bold vibe with prowling cinematography, high-tech gadgetry and a twisty narrative. The key is to ignore the plot holes and just enjoy it.

Disorder
dir-scr Batdelger Byambasuren; with Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba, Bat-Erin Munkhbat 23/Mongolia ***
An amusingly bonkers tone sets this Mongolian mental hospital horror apart, lacing its sinister premise with elements of a slapstick heist as well as pointed social commentary. And while the narrative is rather jarringly awkward, writer-director Batdelger Byambasuren keeps things interesting with whizzy visual elements and solid themes that add weight to the melodramatics.

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