Another Fantasia has come and gone, and with it, a ton of fantastic genre delights. This year’s fest had an emphasis on Asian cinema, and the offerings certainly didn’t disappoint. Here’s a round-up of some of the many films that were available at this year’s Fantasia.
Frank and Zed | Dir. Jesse Blanchard
Frank and Zed is a fairly evident labour of love that successfully combines the whimsy and charm of Muppet style puppets and off-kilter blood and gore that comes with the age-old dark and horrific story of human beings being the real monsters. It’s thoroughly entertaining throughout but it’s the mad-cap full-throttle finale that really displays how much of a gem this film is.
We’re All Going To The World’s Fair | Dir. Jane Schoenbrun
As much an indictment on the recklessness of youth culture and the dangers of the internet, with webcam point-of-view, phone usage and social media a-plenty, as it is a powerful story of self-realisation. It’s anchored by a stunning performance from newcomer Anna Cobb who swallows up most of the film’s screen time with her awkward, troubled teenager Casey, who slowly becomes assertive and confident as she, well, comes of age.
Seobok | Dir. Lee Yong-Joo
Seobok is a slick sci-fi mystery that blends high-octane action with deep and thought-provoking philosophical questions, largely succeeding at doing both individually but failing to bring them together in a satisfactory way. There are elements of a fully-polished, fully-realised sci-fi hit here, but Seobok can’t seem to get out of its own way. Definitely a missed opportunity.
Brain Freeze | Dir. Julien Knafo
This film succeeds in carving its own path in the already shambling and bloated zombie genre with a winning combination of smart, wide-ranging social commentary and a wry, black and laughably cruel humour. The central The Road-like grizzled adult (Roy Dupuis’ Dan) and young child (Iani Bedard’s Andre) pairing are also superb throughout.
Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break | Dir. Nick Gillespie
Aside from packing a veritable who’s-who of British acting talent and a surprisingly heart-warming treatise on fame, social media and modern society, this film also does the very clever thing of not completely absolving the hapless Paul Dood for his part in his mother’s death as he seeks comically dark revenge against those he deems responsible. Fans of Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers or Alice Lowe’s Prevenge will definitely get a kick out of this.
Love, Life and Goldfish | Dir. Yukinori Makabe
I’m a sucker for a musical film, and I also quite like zany, slightly dream-like films that often don’t make sense; but Love, Life and Goldfish did try my patience with its complicated love story and distinctly unlikeable lead character. I know he’s supposed to be unlikable, but he’s barely redeemed by the end of the film. Still, it’s a beautiful looking film and the songs are entertaining enough.
The Righteous | Dir. Mark O’Brien
The Righteous is brooding, murky, understated and absolutely made to be presented in black and white. O’Brien also stars as the mysterious Aaron who steals the show with sprawling southern-twang carrying monologues in this tale of morality, faith and justice. Henry Czerny and Mimi Kuzyk are also superb as The Masons, whose lives are upended by ‘stranger’ Aaron’s sudden arrival.
Indemnity | Dir. Travis Taute
PTSD is cleverly presented as a corporate conspiracy in this paranoid political thriller fronted by a suitably down-on-his-luck Jarrid Geduld. The film struggles with some of the more emotive moments but when the action starts it flies. Geduld is great as the flawed action hero in over his head.
Raging Fire | Dir. Benny Chan
An adrenaline-filled, slightly corny action throwback to the heyday of Hong Kong action films of old. Raging Fire is effortlessly fun with its relentless high-octane action set pieces and a true-to-form performance from Donnie Yen as the straight-laced, righteous good-guy cop and Nicholas Tse as the cartoonish villain. It’s impossible not to enjoy this martial arts spectacle.
Yakuza Princess | Dir. Vicente Amorim
A Japanese action film based on the Yakuza with a twist, as it’s actually set in São Paulo, Brazil. The twists don’t stop there though in this female-fronted action thriller that has a taut narrative and enough surprisingly bloody action scenes to keep you entertained as the secrets are revealed, if not fully fleshed out.
Mad God | Dir. Phil Tippett
Mad God is pretty much a life’s work for legendary stop motion animator Phil Tippett and, despite the intensely grotesque figures and imagery that permeate the entire film, it’s hard not to be blown away by the sheer scale and charm of the whole thing. There’s no context, no narrative and no real point to anything we see happen, but sometimes the insane images in a man’s head are enough to be arresting and captivating.
Wonderful Paradise | Dir. Masashi Yamamoto
This film was an unexpected rollercoaster because it simply follows no established cinematic formula that I’ve ever come across before. It somehow tells a singular story but almost everything that happens is so random that it makes no sense. It’s as impressive as it is irritating, it’s never boring or unsurprising. A true absurdist experience I’m still trying to wrap my head around.
#Blue_Whale | Dir. Anna Zaytseva
A screenlife film where the main sinister force behind the events isn’t of supernatural origins and a spirited lead performance from Anna Potebnya is already enough to make #Blue_Whale distinctly different from others in the genre. Additionally, the film’s more grounded, albeit still outlandish, slasher premise is actually based on real-life cyber crimes in Russia, adding an element of intrigue.
