BLACK DOG - MIFF 2024

 

As per the MIFF guide: “It’s 2008 and, far from the Beijing Olympics, Lang returns from a stint in prison to the decaying hometown he hasn’t seen in years. There, he finds no-one is happy to welcome him back, and the arid settlement is about to be demolished to build large-scale factories. Haunted by the past and confronted with an uncertain future, Lang tries to get work as a ‘bounty hunter’ of stray dogs but ends up falling into an unlikely camaraderie with a rabid dog he’s forced to quarantine with.”

I saw Guan Hu's “Black Dog” during the first weekend of this year's MIFF, where it immediately became one of my favourites. The film is about a guy, Lang, who returns to his home town after spending a lengthy period of time in jail for manslaughter. When he arrives, he notices that everything has changed; most of the houses have either been demolished or are in line to be and the place is something of a ghost town......with the exception of the large number of stray dogs roaming the streets. When people fled the town, they left behind their dogs to fend for themselves, to the point they have now overrun the place. From a personal point of view, Lang's father is a shell of the man he once was, now sickly and frail. Whilst he still works at the local zoo, most of the animals have already been relocated or set free. Lang, who was once a local celebrity due to the band he used to play in, is not welcomed home with open arms, instead the gangland uncle of the man he killed is after his blood. Lang, himself, is unhappy and rarely speaks. He is totally bereft of emotion, and appears to care little about living. Needing to survive, the only job he can find is one where he rounds up the stray dogs of the village. He particularly becomes enamoured with a feisty “thin, black” dog who is very sneaky but has more character than any of the humans living in the town. While Lang attempts to catch this dog, he is bitten on the bum by it, and is soon told that it is a dog that has rabies. His friend says that the dog needs to be put down, but Lang disagrees and wants to capture the dog, which they do together. Lang and the dog quarantine together, where Lang's friend says if the dog is still alive in a week, he doesn't have rabies and you are both fine. During this week, Lang and the dog form an unbreakable bond, as they both find in the other someone to love and someone who will love them back. With the dog now in his life, Lang sees a future worth living again, and he starts to grow once more, with his emotions free again to come out.

I know that it probably seems like a gave away the whole film there, but I would say that I have talked up until the halfway point of “Black Dog”, as there is a lot more that happens from this point onward. I thought “Black Dog” was an absolutely beautiful film, and the dog in the film is extraordinary. The dog's real name is Xiao Xin, and he won the Palm Dog's Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival for best dog in a film, and it is so deserved. Not only does he have character and cheek, but all the things he has been trained to do in the film, like ride in the sidecar of the motorbike are both brilliant and hilarious. There is a very funny sequence when Lang and the dog first meet, as Lang urinates on a wall of a dilapidated building. Once he is finished, he walks away and the dog runs out and urinates on the wall himself to re-mark his territory. It becomes a daily ritual for Lang to urinate there, and each time the dog runs out after he is finished. It is very funny. As good as Xiao Xin's “tricks” are, he actually gives a genuine “performance” as well, because early on he comes across as very aggressive and territorial, but the longer he spends with Lang you can see a real connection between the two of them. Just in the way the dog looks at him later in the movie, you can sense a real love.

The other member of this duo is Eddie Peng, who is just outstanding as Lang, in a near wordless performance. Peng rarely gets to speak in “Black Dog” but is brilliant at showing his character's state of mind through eye contact and body language. Early on, he rarely makes much eye contact with anyone, and he kind of shuffles through life. He doesn't feel worthy of a life with any good in it, so keeps to himself and says nothing. After the dog enters his life, and he feels like he has something to live for, he straightens up more, and starts to look people in the eye. He is also bolder in the decisions he makes in life, because he actually wants to start living again. However, Peng never smiles throughout the film........until the film's final shot, and it is totally worth it; it is such a great moment, that is well earned too.

While overhearing people's conversations at MIFF, the talk about “Black Dog” was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seemed to love it, but something else that most people noted was that it was a very slow film. This shocked me because I never once thought the pace was slow or that the film was overlong. My brother saw “Black Dog” later on in the festival and when I asked him what he thought, the first thing he said was “It was slow, but really good”. Again, I just never felt this slowness, which is either a sign that I was totally entranced by the film, or that I thought “Black Dog” was perfectly paced. The only section of the film that seemed extraneous was the romantic subplot with the circus performer which ultimately led nowhere, but which did add a female presence to the film that was sorely missing.

“Black Dog” was actually the second Chinese film I saw at MIFF this year that brought up the destruction of these smaller towns, all in the name of progress (the other film was Jia Zhang-ke's “Caught by the Tides”). Both films actually use the Beijing Olympics of 2008 as a backdrop for this change. It is really sad seeing these villages disappear slowly, bound to be forgotten one day. The abandoned zoo in this film just gave a real sense of sadness and melancholy of what once was, and this sadness permeates through “Black Dog”. That said, the desert locations of “Black Dog” are quite beautiful, with cinematographer Weizhe Gao making the most of the location with his lovely widescreen images.

Overall, I thought “Black Dog” was a really beautiful film about a man's love for his dog, without the need for sentimentalism. Watching this man, who previously was bereft of happiness, finding the joy of life once more through his connection to a dog was really touching. Thinking back on “Black Dog” though, there is so much that happens in the film that I have not even touched on, so if you are worried about spending two hours with a man and his dog, do not fret, there is a lot more going on in “Black Dog” then just that. On a lovely side note to finish this review, I have to mention that after filming had finished on “Black Dog”, Eddie Peng had so fallen in love with Xiao Xin that he ended up adopting him, and he is now his dog, so the love story between man and dog extended beyond what was onscreen into real life.

4 Stars.

 

 

MY OLD ASS - MIFF 2024

 

As per the MIFF guide: “Elliott is queer, about to turn 18 and can’t wait to leave her Canadian cranberry-farming family for college in Toronto. Camping beside a lake with her besties Ruthie and Ro, she sips some magic-mushroom tea that somehow summons her jaded 39-year-old self. Elliott can’t resist asking for some tips on what’s ahead. Her future self is cagey, not wanting to alter Elliott’s path, but she insists on one thing: “Stay away from Chad.” What? Elliott’s not even into guys! But then she meets the family’s goofy new summer farmhand, and guess what his name is?”

Out of all the films that I saw at MIFF this year, Megan Park's “My Old Ass” was definitely the most “Hollywood”, and not the kind of film that I would usually see, so I really wasn't expecting that much from it. Instead I ended up loving it; it is such a sweet film, with fantastic characters and scenarios, it is funny, poignant and even has something to say about life and love. The whole learning from your future self trope is well worn by now, but what I loved about “My Old Ass” is the best piece of advice actually comes from the younger version of Elliot, and not the older, which is a change from the norm in these time-travelling coming of age stories.

I believe the reason I booked a ticket to “My Old Ass” was due to the casting of Aubrey Plaza as the older version of Elliot. This in itself is amusing because I have a love/hate relationship with Plaza in that sometimes her performances drive me bananas, and other times I find her quite endearing. She has made a name for herself, and quite the career, thanks to her ironic, eye-rolling persona. Her characters often seem pissed off for some reason, and they never seem to give a shit about anything. Depending on the film, sometimes it works, and other times it gets tired fast. However she is wonderful in “My Old Ass”, and totally does away with this persona she is known for. Her version of Elliot is so likeable, happy and fun. I am not sure that the younger Elliot would ever grow up to look like Plaza though (which amusingly is briefly made fun of a couple of times throughout the film, like the fact that Plaza has a gap in her teeth whilst the younger Elliot does not). The thing that I was most surprised by though, was just how little Plaza is seen onscreen in the film, seeing she is all over the marketing for the film. She is essentially only in the film for two scenes: the scene at the campfire at the beginning when Elliot is tripping on mushrooms, and another scene towards the end. She is still present within the film via a number of phone calls the two Elliot's share, but in these we only hear Plaza's voice. Anyway, she is excellent despite how brief her onscreen time is.

The heart and soul of “My Old Ass” though is Maisy Stella who plays the younger Elliot. She is absolutely outstanding in the role, and the complete definition of “cute as a button”. She is so adorable in this!! Stella does such an excellent job at playing Elliot and she isn't afraid to go anywhere with her character. There are times when she is totally endearing, other times she is a total goofball, she knows what she wants when it comes to the girls that she wants, and there is a beautiful side to her when engaging with her mum. The role gives her a huge range of emotions to play and she nails every single one of them. I especially liked the way Stella was able to honestly express the confusion Elliot feels as she begins to fall in love with Chad, because until this point in her life, she was so sure within herself that she was gay, and for her now not to be sure or understand what she now is if she is in love with Chad, it scares Elliot. Maisy Stella does an excellent job of portraying this confusion, fear and excitement of falling in love all at the same time. As I said, she also doesn't mind looking ridiculous, and one of the best moments in the film is when she wants to reconnect with her older self again, so decides to trip on mushrooms once more. This time her trip is absolutely hilarious with her dancing to a Justin Bieber song as if she is in a concert. It is such a funny scene, especially when director Megan Park cuts from this awesome concert footage of Elliot, to the reality which is her dancing badly by herself in the forest. Its brilliant!

Percy Hynes White plays Chad and he is just as adorable as Maisy Stella, and when the two of them are together, there is a cuteness overload, but they are super sweet as a couple. One of the very few issues I have with “My Old Ass” is that Chad is almost too perfect. We never see him do anything offensive or anything slightly bad or weird that could upset Elliot or turn her off. He is always charming, says the perfect things at the perfect time, is great with her parents etc. He is almost too good to be true, and that is one of the things that Elliot herself questions, because if he is this good of a person, why would her older self warn her against spending time with him?

Aubrey Plaza's version of Elliot doesn't give Maisy Stella's Elliot too much advice, because she fears that it will effect her future if they change too much, but one thing she does say is to spend more time with your brothers and do not take for granted your parents. The younger Elliot takes this advice onboard, and we are given a number of really lovely scenes between Elliot and each family member as she gets to know them all a little better before she leaves for college. She is a little heartbroken when her eldest brother lets her know that he felt that she was embarrassed to be seen with him, to which she replies in the negative. It sounds simple but it is a really sweet and real moment between the siblings. The scene with the mother is even more emotional, as the mother is in a weird state of being so proud of her daughter but so upset that she is leaving. Elliot says that she will always need her mother, no matter how far away she is leaving from them. Again, it doesn't sound like much but director Megan Park is really able to extract the truth and heart out of these scenes to give them so much impact on the audience.

I mentioned that the younger Elliot gives her older self the best piece of advice in the film which is that living life safely so there is not chance of getting hurt in the process is not really living at all. You have to attack each moment front on, and with gusto, and if you do end up getting hurt, it doesn't make the experience any less worthwhile, because you still have those memories to look back on. As opposed to doing nothing, and thus having nothing to show for it. It is actually really sage advice from the younger Elliot, and it is something that is brought up in another favourite film of mine, Denis Villeneuve's “Arrival” from 2016.

Overall, “My Old Ass” was a really nice surprise and quite the delight to watch. Maisy Stella is sensational as the younger Elliot, and is the heart and soul of the film, while she is ably supported by an excellent Aubrey Plaza, playing the older version of Elliot. Whilst I would call “My Old Ass” a coming-of-age comedy, it also has a number of heartfelt and dramatic scenes within, that director Megan Park handles with sensitivity and honesty. If I was to have anything negative to say about the film it would be that it my be a little bit too sweet and offensive-free, but I don't care, I had a fantastic time with “My Old Ass”; it is worth seeing just for the hilarious Justin Bieber mushroom trip scene.

3.5 Stars.

 

 

SHE LOVED BLOSSOMS MORE - MIFF 2024

 

As per the MIFF guide: “Using a time machine concocted from a wardrobe, a trio of siblings venture to bring their long-gone mother back to the world of the living. As they deal with their delusional father and a girlfriend who plies them with drugs, their wayward experiments catapult them into a time-warped journey of grief and longing that is as visually arresting as it is comedic and disturbing.”

Unfortunately I saw director Yannis Veslemes's “She Loved Blossoms More” on the second-last night of MIFF when I was suffering from both exhaustion and burnout, whilst also coming off my worst film at this year's festival just prior to walking into this. To say that my concentration levels during “She Loved Blossoms More” may have been affected is an understatement, and to be totally honest my memory of the film is a little cloudy in parts, but I do remember liking it a lot and thinking that it was the weirdest film I saw at MIFF this year.

This is a sad tale about grief and a family who is struggling to let go or move on since their mother's untimely death. Instead of dealing with their grief, the three brothers, who have the bizarre names of Hedgehog, Japan and Dummy, (along with their French father) all attempt to make progress at bringing their mother back to life, by creating a time machine out of a simple wardrobe. The brothers theorise if they can send something to another dimension, then it stands to reason that they can bring something back also. However their attempts have been disastrous, including one try which left a chicken headless with his body in one dimension and its head in another. Taking a drug-fuelled break from the experiments, the brothers along with Samantha (one of the boy's girlfriend) attempt to relax, before Hedgehog starts talking to a giant flower (that looks remarkably like a woman's vulva) coming from his mother's grave, that insists that he should try his experiment with Samantha. Since the flower speaks with his mother's voice, Hedgehog goes ahead with the flower's plan, which doesn't go at all well, especially for Samantha.

Did I happen to mention that “She Loved Blossoms More” is bloody weird? Even though the two films share nothing in common, while I was watching “She Loved Blossoms More” I could not help but be reminded of Panos Cosmatos's “Mandy”. The reason you ask? Because both films have a singular and unique vision, that may not make sense to the audience the whole time, but I am sure is exactly the world that the director wanted us to see. Even when certain scenes or moments are not entirely successful, it is still 100% true to their vision. There are so many weird elements in “She Loved Blossoms More” but they feel real and believable in the world Veslemes has created. One thing I loved about the science fiction elements to the film was how analogue everything felt. The computers and their graphics have a retro feel to them, as does the “time machine” itself.

As soon as “She Loved Blossoms More” started, with its thick visual appearance, I immediately thought that it had to have been shot on film, and possibly even 16mm film. Unfortunately I have been unable to find any information to confirm my hypothesis on this, but I will say that it is a stunningly shot film by cinematographer Christos Karamanis who moves the camera in a very slow manner which matches the character's own speed of movement, while using cramped compositions and a large array of neon lighting to create the brother's obsessive world while leaning into a retro sci-fi aesthetic. When talking to someone recently, I mentioned that the film looked like it was taking place through an opium haze (which I feel is also apt due to the amount of drugs the characters take, and the pace they themselves move through this world). I also mentioned that the look reminded me of a combination of those early Jeunet and Caro films like “Delicatessen” and Lucile Hadzihalilovic's 2021 film “Earwig”.

One of the greatest elements of “She Loved Blossoms More” is its wonderfully detailed production design. While the entire film essentially takes place in one location, the boy's house, you never get bored because there is so much to look at in each room. The special effects team also deserve a huge pat on the back for their glorious practical effects, like the piglet who gets turned inside out during a failed experiment (in an obvious nod to David Cronenberg and “The Fly”), to the headless chicken that wanders around the house, to the split face/three-eyed version of Samantha, to the very weird puppet effects used for the father late in the movie. It is all brilliant and gory stuff, and most importantly tangible because it was made for real and not on a computer.

I am not going to go through everyone's performances but I will say that the three guys playing the brothers do a great job of portraying their obsession of bringing their mother back to life, with more than a hint of melancholy. What is interesting about this is that it is alluded to that she is not the lovely woman the boys remember or idolise as such. This is even shown via the title which is a truncated line in the film, which the full version is “she loved blossoms more than her own kids”. Who I do want to mention is Sandra Abuelghanam who plays Samantha and totally steals every scene she is in. She is a burst of energy and light in this quite dark film, and like all the brothers, you immediately fall in love with her and her love of life. She is just fantastic. Dominique Pinon shows up in the brief role of the boy's French father, and while he is his usual excellent self, his inclusion in the cast screamed that French money was used to help produce the film.

As great as “She Loved Blossoms More” is, I must say that I didn't think its ending was totally satisfying; in fact I found it more than a little confusing. Maybe that is on me for thinking a film as weird as this one would end on a concrete note, but I found the last ten to fifteen minutes muddled some of what came before it. Is what we are seeing real or is this a fantasy of one of the boys? I have my own theory but I cannot speak of it without destroying what happens at the end, so I will just say that it wasn't as strong as the rest of the film before it.

Overall, I thought Yannis Veslemes's unique and very weird vision he had for “She Liked Blossoms More” was something special and I enjoyed it immensely. It is a gorgeous looking film, filled with brilliant practical effects and some absolutely weird-as-all-heck story beats. While it isn't always successful, I loved its boldness and vision, and always prefer when something is original compared to the same old stuff. “She Liked Blossoms More” was a total blast, a wild trip, and the weirdest film that played at MIFF this year. Highly recommended!

3.5 Stars.