Miss Remarkable and her Career

This wonderful 30 minute animation will be screening at the Annecy International Animation Festival in June. Based on the book by Joanna Rubin Drager, the Swedish-Irish co-production fuses elements of dark comedy and fantasy to tell the story of Miss Remarkable- a young woman struggling under the weight of parental expectation and the societal pressure to be... remarkable.

Watch the teaser for Miss Remarkable and her Career

... Whiskey and Cinema make a fine match

Last weekend I headed across the country for a taste of the Jameson Dublin International film festival. Neglecting to book tickets, I wasn't spoilt for choice as most of the screenings had sold out (great to see at any film festival). But I did manage to get along to a few films in between sips of free whiskey...

WHATEVER WORKS

Woody Allen's new film touches on what seems to be a recurring theme in my recent cinema-going experience... Mid-life crises! In 'Whatever Works', Larry David assumes the role of Boris, cynical 'genius' (sound familiar?) who settles into an habitual New York existence after a failed suicide and marriage. After coming to terms with an imperfect and random existence, he takes in Melodie, a young runaway from Mississippi who accosts him outside his apartment one evening. Relishing the opportunity to impart his cynicism and worldly view onto another human being, Boris begins to develop feelings for the pretty but essentially dim-witted young woman; and as Melodie soaks up Boris' 'wisdom' like a sponge, she blossoms with self-confidence and unwarranted devotion for the old man.

I didn't enjoy this film nearly as much as 'Vicki Cristina Barcelona', but Woody Allen stays true to style, delivering a film rich with witty and provocative dialogue, and a palette of interesting characters. He also experiments with a new element, allowing Larry David's character to directly address the audience throughout the film. It's a strange and yet rewarding experience; as an audience you are invited into his world as the 'cretins' and 'inchworms' he so despises. In any case, if you are seeking a bit of New York nostalgia and mid-life reassurance, you'll definitely enjoy this film. According to Boris, life, love, happiness and fulfillment is all unpredictable and in many ways disgusting... but 'whatever works'!

REVANCHE (REVENGE)

Living a life of debt and oppression, an ex-prisoner (Alex) and an illegal Ukrainian prostitute (Tamara) decide to rob a bank on the outskirts of Vienna and elope to Spain. When the seemingly simple plan goes horribly wrong, Alex takes refuge with is grandfather, where he chops wood and devises a plan of revenge.

In the style of Michael Hanneke, this film rides on tension-building, anticipation and long drawn out pauses. With some great performances and poignant moments I was completely absorbed for the majority of the film. It is a visceral and unpredictable piece of storytelling, that explores the process of grief and the cyclical nature of life and death; and how extreme emotional circumstances can sometimes open the door to intimacy.

APPLAUSE

Carried by the brilliant performance of actress Paprika Steen, this gritty Danish drama tells the story of a recovering alcoholic who tries to reconnect with her children, her past and essentially find something to live for. Toying with genre and audience expectation, I enjoyed the ambiguous plot and was drawn into the vicious circle of alcoholism. However, don't expect to be uplifted by this stylistically bleak and often nauseating piece of cinema...

SHAMELESS

I went into this low-budget Czech drama with little to no expectations and it definitely lived up to its name as an 'unromantic comedy'. Full of bulging bodies and shallow behaviour, 'Shameless' follows a 40-something year old man who tumbles into a mid-life crisis after waking up one morning to the realisation that his wife's nose is too big. Losing his job and moving out of the family home, he reverts back to bachelorhood, experimenting with life as a sugar daddy and toy boy.

Like its characters, this is a graceless film that doesn't shy away from sheer silliness. Again, we are encouraged to embrace a life that isn't predictable or symmetrical, but full of surprises. Although clunky in places, I found 'Shameless' somewhat refreshing in that it explores mid-life crises without taking itself too seriously.

Dublin Film Critics Circle

I went along to the small awards ceremony presented by the Dublin Film Critics and was delighted to see 'Samson and Delilah' take out the Best Film category! This quietly powerful Australian film has already captured audiences across the globe; it is so good to see it continue to do so.

Meeting Mr Brainwash... the Final Word from Berlinale!

Screening to a packed-out artsy Berlinale crowd, Banksy's debut film 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' presented a brilliant critique on humans and their relationship with art. True to style, Bansky debuts in unconventional style, redirecting the camera from himself to someone 'much more interesting'. Frenchman Thierry Guetta has a family, a vintage clothing business and an addiction to video cameras; he cannot live without a third eye capturing everything that happens, not matter how mundane. When chance finds him making a documentary about the world of underground street art, he must find and befriend the notorious Banksy to star in his film. Renaming himself 'Mr Brainwash', Thierry eventually joins the ranks as a street artist and finds himself setting up a mammoth 'Banksy' style exhibition. His journey is unplanned and unpredictable, but when he has an idea, he goes at it with gusto!

Acutely aware of the hype that surrounds him, Banksy maintains his secret identity throughout the film. Faceless and deep-voiced he assumes a God-like persona; and with a mixture of embarrassment, horror and bemusement, he tells the story as it unfolds, lamenting the unintentional creation of a monster.

Throughout history, 'documentary' has strived for verisimilitude; the ability to capture the real. In many ways, I think 'Exit through the Gift Shop' is one of the most successful in its genre. This mainly comes down to the fact that the film was never intended, therefore there is no ulterior motive or bias from which it was created. Compiling decades of amateur, home-video style footage, Bansky created this portrait of obsession and as he points out from the beginning, there is probably no moral lesson to be taken away from it, just the ironic and baffling phenomenon of 'Mr Brainwash'.

Most of all, it's the ambiguity of Thierry as protagonist that renders this story better than any fiction. Is he an artist, genius, conman or madman? We are left to make up our own minds!