SUBTRACTION - MIFF 2023

As per the MIFF guide: “Driving instructor Farzaneh spies on a person who appears to be her husband, Jalal, heading towards the upmarket residence of another woman. Jalal claims to have been out of town but Farzaneh isn’t placated, so she enlists the help of her father-in-law, who is stunned to discover a man identical to Jalal … with a wife who’s a dead ringer for Farzaneh. Existing on opposite ends of Tehran’s socio-economic spectrum, the couples soon find their lives intertwined in unexpected ways.”

Director Mani Haghighi is like the rock star of Iranian directors, in which I mean he just doesn't seem to care about what is considered the norm in films from that country (which are mainly social dramas). His films are so different from anything else coming out of Iran in that they are big, broad, often very funny, and less political, and he never makes the same thing twice. They are also very, very entertaining. I had seen Haghighi's two previous films, “A Dragon Arrives!” and “Pig”, at past MIFF's and loved them both, so I was very excited when I noticed that he had a new film premiering at this year's MIFF. When I then saw that the film was a thriller that dealt with doppelgangers, it became one of my most anticipated at MIFF because I am a massive fan of films that deal with the doppelganger phenomenon, and issues of identity. Thankfully, “Subtraction” did not disappoint and I was enthralled right from the beginning.

Whilst the film crackles with directorial energy, the true key to the success of “Subtraction” all boils down to the two leads abilities to create two different characters , making them easily identifiable from one another because obviously each looks the same. Both Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh are phenomenal at achieving this task, as you become convinced that you are watching two distinct couples, and this is done with more than just the average change in clothing and make-up. I must admit that when the two couples originally crossed paths with one another, I initially struggled to work out who was who, but once I worked it out (which didn't take long at all) I was never in doubt as to which variation of the character I was looking at onscreen. The two married couples are Farzaneh and Jalal, and Bita and Mohsen. Farzaneh is pregnant, a driving instructor, and appears to be suffering from some form of depression or anxiety. She is quite withdrawn, says little, and her body posture is quite slumped. Her husband Jalal comes across as the most beautiful man, alive and energetic, always smiling and caring for his struggling wife. He is respectful towards everyone, and willing to lend a hand if someone needs it. Bita on the other hand, is almost like the complete opposite of Farzaneh in that she is full of life, happy, cares about her appearance (often wearing light make up), and adores her young son. Her bright outlook on life is impressive when you see what she has to deal with in her husband Mohsen on a daily basis, who is a dog of a man. He is angry, violent, arrogant, rude and disrespectful, has little time for his son, and expects his wife to do everything for him. If there is a villain of the film, Mohsen is him. As I mentioned above, both Alidoosti and Mohammadzadeh are extraordinary in their two separate roles. It is hard to believe at times that Jalal and Mohsen are played by the same guy due to how extremely different Mohammadzadeh is. You fear him when he is Mohsen, but are totally drawn into him when he is Jalal. Taraneh Alidoosti, who I consider one of the very best Iranian actresses, also effectively plays two sides of the same coin with her characters, but she is able to make you care for them both. You love being in the presence of Bita because of how light and happy she is, but you also feel so sad for Farzaneh he is obviously struggling and it is not her fault at all. Whilst Haghighi doesn't do it often in “Subtraction”, the scenes where Farzaneh and Bita play off one another are superb and highlight just how impressive Alidoosti is at creating these two roles and making them distinct from one another.

What is interesting about the whole doppelganger element to “Subtraction” is that they are not real doppelgangers at all. Even though there is also a scene in the film where Farzaneh states to her doctor that “They don't just look like us. It's like we are clones”, that is not really the case, as they are two distinct couples living apart from one another, unaware of each other, until they eventually cross paths. It is only then that the trouble starts to begin for each couple as questions of identity are raised, as well as the morals behind falling in love with another woman or man who happens to look exactly like your partner. Can it be helped or stopped if one of them falls in love or is drawn to a “better” version of the person they already love? It is actually really interesting stuff. There is a really sad moment when Bita laughs slightly at something Jalal says, and he replies that her laugh reminds him of his wife. She says “of course”, to which he follows “...but she hasn't laughed like that in years”.

The suspense of “Subtraction” comes when, due to the volatile nature of Mohsen, the other three decide not to tell him of the weird phenomenon they have discovered, initially leaving him in the dark. Mohsen has a number of problems in his life, and refuses to either own up to them or even attempt to fix them, but with Jalal and his helpful personality, he wants to pose as Mohsen to fix these problems and ease the pain in Bita's life. The fact that Mohsen does not know of Jalal's existence is where the real suspense kicks in, as they then end up in the same place at the same time. Will Mohsen destroy the attempts of Jalal to fix the situation, and what will happen if or when Mohsen finds out about Jalal and Farzaneh? In fact when you look back at the film after you have seen it, most of the problems come out of Jalal's nature of being helpful, so I wonder if Haghighi is saying that it is often better to not get involved in other people's business, even if you are doing so for the right reasons.

From a technical point of view, “Subtraction” has been handsomely put together. It has some quite gorgeous cinematography by Morteza Najafi, some of the best I have ever seen in an Iranian film, that is very theatrical at times and revels in the artifice of cinema. I am not sure if I am making sense here, but a lot of films that originate out of Iran have a documentary look and feel to them, whereas “Subtraction” has the look and feel of a movie, not real life. It gives the impression that the film was produced on a big budget. Najafi's lighting also adds real suspense to “Subtraction” too, particularly during the scenes that take place in a thunderstorm. One element of the film that I have failed to mention, that is paramount to the tension and suspense built in the movie, is the fact that during the entirety of “Subtraction” Tehran is experiencing a freak weather occurrence where it is pouring with rain the whole time. From a production point of view, this would've made the film that much harder and longer to make, but it really adds so much to the film, similar to how the rain creates the atmosphere in David Fincher's “Se7en”. The rain in the film may even be supernatural in origin, as one of the characters mentions the constant fall of rain, but there are no clouds in the sky. However this is never explored further than this. The other aspect of the film that I loved so much was the non-traditional (from an Iranian point-of-view) score from Ramin Kousha. It is very “big” and continually builds as the tension in the film does.

Going into a film that deals with doppelgangers, you can often sense where the movie is going to end up. There is really only one ending that makes sense, and so while the end of “Subtraction” is a little predictable, I must admit that I was also quite surprised with how Mani Haghighi concluded his film (how's that for a contradictory statement?!). In fact, I was pleasantly surprised and genuinely liked the end of the film, which then finishes on a coda of sorts, with a brief exchange of dialogue between two minor characters, that I found to be chilling.

Right now, director Mani Haghighi is three for three with me, as I found his new film “Subtraction” to be a stunning achievement. It may not be as deep and thoughtful as is the norm for Iranian film, but there is still a lot to digest in “Subtraction”, and it is always very entertaining. Haghighi proves once again that he is brilliant at eliciting excellent performances from his cast (no doubt, him also being an actor has helped him in this regard), and both Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh are outstanding in their double roles. I cannot wait to watch this again one day, and really hope it gets an English friendly blu-ray sometime in the near future, as this is a film I want to own.

4 Stars.

 

PERPETRATOR - MIFF 2023

 

As per the MIFF guide: “Something peculiar is going on with 17-year-old Jonny. Experiencing simultaneous nosebleeds with her face-morphing father, she’s shipped off to stay with her austere aunt, Hildie. There, she learns more about her magical blood and shapeshifting abilities – known as ‘forevering’ – that also equip her with a form of hyper-empathy. Which is just as well, as girls at her new school are disappearing at the hands of a mask-wearing killer, and they’ve all been linked to the local jock.”

At this point in time director Jennifer Reeder was something of an enigma to me. After watching her 2019 feature “Knives and Skin” I was so impressed by both it and her ability to create an unusual atmosphere, that I was sure we were seeing the beginnings of a new and important cinematic voice. However, her follow-up film “Night's End”, was the total opposite in that I absolutely hated it, and worse I felt the film had no atmosphere at all, nor did I feel Reeder's “voice”; it came off as a nothing effort. Had I been wrong with my initial opinion of Jennifer Reeder, or did she just fluke the success of “Knives and Skin”? The only thing I could equate the huge gulf in the success between the two films was that with “Knives and Skin”, Reeder was also the writer of the film (something she was not with “Night's End”), so perhaps was more invested in that project since it originated with her. Either way, I had a feeling that with “Perpetrator” I was going to finally have my answer to the question I posed above, and I must say that I went into the film with a fair bit of hope once I noticed that Reeder had also written this film too. Thankfully, I'm happy to report, “Perpetrator” is the work of the creator of “Knives and Skin”, rather than the director of “Night's End”, even if it may not quite be at the level of that earlier 2019 film.

“Perpetrator” is definitely an uneven film, in tone, pacing and performance, but what I loved most about it was the exact same thing I loved about “Knives and Skin”, which was its atmosphere, which was incredibly weird, but felt perfect within the world Reeder has created her story to exist in. And it is a story which has a lot in it. The film initially plays out like a coming-of-age story, but with a supernatural bent to it. Jonny struggles with the changes in her body (and mind), as her new abilities start to manifest themselves. I was worried at first that the reveal would be that Jonny was some type of vampire, which would have been too same-old same-old, so I was happy when it turned out that she was some sort of shapeshifter instead, which I felt was more original. That said, I am not sure that Reeder spends enough time explaining the mythology of the creature and the special abilities that comes with being one of these things. It feels skimmed over, as Reeder needs to move on to the second phase of the film which is the missing school girls, and Jonny's search for them. It is during this section that I think that “Perpetrator” is at its strongest, as it is here when the humanity of the film is found when Jonny starts to make real connections and friendships with the girls from her school. The disappearance of the girls starts to get a weight to it, as does the fear that it could happen to any one of them next. The conclusion goes full genre-style, and full supernatural craziness, but again, I feel like Reeder hasn't given these moments enough time to breathe to illicit the strongest response from her audience. It is certainly interesting, and very bloody, but it also feels a little rushed.

One thing that is absolutely apparent from “Perpetrator” is that director Jennifer Reeder is a massive fan of David Lynch, and hugely inspired by his films. This was obvious also in “Knives and Skin”, but within the first half an hour of “Perpetrator” there were two direct visual homages from Lynch's work; one from “Blue Velvet”, the other “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me”. Like Reeder, I myself adore David Lynch, and one thing I have noticed in my time watching movies is that he is a true original, and that he is impossible to copy. To her credit, Reeder doesn't try to copy Lynch with her films, but rather tips her hat at someone she is inspired by. The atmosphere she creates in her films is all her own, rather than attempting to ape Lynch's style. Something that didn't show up in “Knives and Skin”, but does so in her new film, is her love of David Cronenberg, as there are elements of “Perpetrator” that could have come directly out of either “Videodrome” or “eXistenZ”. For those that have seen “Perpetrator”, it should be obvious that I am talking about the orifices in the chests of the kidnapped girls where the killer is draining them of their blood. Not to mention the fact that there is a body horror element to the story line which sees society's elite attempt to slow the progress of ageing and keeping their youth for as long as possible. Whilst Reeder is not afraid to show off her influences, as her filmography is growing, it is becoming apparent that she has her own fetishes that she likes to tackle in her films, mainly in the use of the “lost” girl. Be it an actual lost girl, or an outsider who feels alone on the margins of society, or the girls who fall through the cracks of life, it is clear these are the characters Reeder is most interested in telling stories about.

I mentioned above that the film is uneven from a performance perspective, which is true, but for the most part I believe that “Perpetrator” is a well acted film. It is important to note that the film is quite stylised, so none of the performances would be what you call naturalistic, but all of them feel cohesive and of the same world, except one (which I will get to soon). Kiah McKirnan gives an excellent lead performance as Jonny, showing the right amount of fear and confusion early on when her powers are coming into fruition, and then showing enough sass when getting more comfortable with who she is and what she can do, whilst looking for the missing girls. She also has really good chemistry with the girls who play her school mates, particularly Ireon Roach who plays Elektra, Jonny's best friend. All the girls are great, but the big surprise is the casting of Alicia Silverstone in the role of Aunt Hildie. Silverstone gives an effective performance whilst being dark, cold and mysterious in equal measure. It is something I had never seen from Silverstone before, in fact if someone had told me at the time “Clueless” came out, that Silverstone also had this in her, I'd have said “OH, AS IF!!!” (sorry!). Unfortunately, the person who plays the role of the villain in the film (and it isn't hard to work out, but I will not mention them by name, to still keep it a secret) is absolutely dreadful. Yes, I mentioned before that none of the performances were truly naturalistic, but this person feels like they have come from a different movie entirely! They have no grasp on the tone of the film, nor the kind of film they are in, so they come off very badly in it. It feels like they have stepped off the set of a comedy, rather than the mystery/horror film that they are in, and it sadly, does hurt the film, particularly its ending.

Before I finish up, I have to mention the film's best scene, which I thought was total genius. We learn that one of Jonny's powers is that she can feel people (emotionally), and then mimic them. The scene in question takes place at a teenage party where Jonny and Elektra are searching for clues on the missing girls. As Jonny is new to her powers, she cannot control them, so as she walks through the house, she is constantly mimicking all the people around her. It may not sound like much here, but it is so well done, and so intricately choreographed because it actually all feels real and happening in the moment. The background actors do not look like they are doing pre-planned actions but talking and moving naturally, and totally in the moment, but as Jonny moves past them doing the exact same moves, it is just something else; it is a brilliant moment, and one of the reasons I am so excited to see Jennifer Reeder grow as a filmmaker and continue making more films.

Whilst I had a very good time with “Perpetrator”, I have to say that this is going to be a divisive film (if my session is anything to go by). There were quite a few walk outs during my screening, and my own brother (who saw it with me) stated it was probably his worst film he saw at this year's MIFF. I obviously disagreed, and I think that those who are able to get on the film's wavelength, will get a lot out of “Perpetrator”. It may not have the polish and cohesiveness of “Knives and Skin”, but there was enough in it to enjoy the film and get me excited again for Reeder's future. All the different and disparate elements don't quite come together as well as they could have, but “Perpetrator” is filled with lush cinematography and a great synth score, not to mention the atmosphere of the film is to die for. Is “Perpetrator” entirely successful? Probably not, but it is a massive bounce back after the dreadful “Night's End”.

3 Stars.

 

 

FALLEN LEAVES

 

It was way back in August 2011, that I finally “discovered” director Aki Kaurismaki and his wonderful, idiosyncratic cinematic world. Whilst I was always aware of him, and also thought that he would be a director I would actually respond to, it wasn't until my screening of “Le Havre” during the 2011 edition of MIFF that I had seen any of his films. I remember that it was my first film of the festival that year, and I thought it was absolutely wonderful, and I immediately set out to see anything and everything that Kaurismaki had made previous. This proved surprisingly easy, due to the fact that, at the time, all of his films had been released on English-friendly blu rays in Finland. I bought them all, and fell in love with the director's entire filmography. I just loved his retro visual style, his outlook on the world, his dead-pan comedy delivery; it all just spoke to me, and I had found another director who I absolutely adored. What I was not expecting however, was for that same director to announce his retirement from filmmaking during the production of his very next film, which is exactly what happened during the shooting of “The Other Side of Hope”. Kaurismaki reported to the press that the film was to be his swansong and all through the promotion of that film, it was always described as Kaurismaki's final film. After taking so long to find this man's work and then finally falling in love with it all, it felt kind of cruel that it was all taken away from me almost immediately. “The Other Side of Hope”, (which was initially meant to be the second part of his “refugee trilogy”), came and went, and Kaurismaki disappeared from the spotlight, staying true to his announcement of retirement. However, totally out of the blue in June 2022, five years after his retirement, Kaurismaki announced to the world that he was about to embark on the shooting of his newest film “Fallen Leaves”. To say that I was beyond excited would not be correct; I was absolutely ecstatic, mainly because I had come round to the fact that we were never going to get another Kaurismaki film again. “Fallen Leaves” was never meant to exist, but because it does, there was no way that it was not going to be anything other than my most anticipated film of 2023. Well, after that very long introduction, I am happy to report that I have now seen the new film from Aki Kaurismaki, “Fallen Leaves”, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Lets look at the film now in a little more detail.

Ansa and Holappa are two lonely souls just trying to get by in Helsinki today. Both work low pay factory jobs, scrounging everything they have just to feed themselves daily, usually with very modest meals. Ansa spends most of her day working, and falling into bed exhausted after she gets home to ready herself to do it all again the next day. Holappa, on the other hand, uses alcohol to relax, to the point that he even finds himself drinking on the job. Their dwellings are nothing special with Ansa living in a tiny one room apartment, whilst Holappa lives in the lodgings provided by his employer, often with other workmates. Life is tough for them; they work hard and have little to show for it. However a glimmer of hope is offered, when at a night of karaoke Ansa and Holappa meet. They are instantly attracted to each other, and Ansa gives Holappa her phone number, which he immediately loses. Will destiny bring these two together again, or is their fate to wander the Earth without that special someone?

As I said in the opening paragraph, “Fallen Leaves” did not disappoint. I absolutely fell in love with the film right from the onset. It was everything I wanted it to be, and more. It is so good (and increasingly rare) to go a cinema and have a movie live up to the expectations you have for it. With “Fallen Leaves” being my most anticipated film of 2023, those expectations were obviously very high, but Kaurismaki has created an absolutely lovely film here. It was one of those films where I knew I had a big, ridiculous smile on my face the whole time I was watching it. “Fallen Leaves” is the fourth film in his Proletariat Trilogy (which is so funny, and so Kaurismaki, to have a fourth part in a three part trilogy) which included the previous films “Shadows in Paradise” (1986), “Ariel” (1988), and “The Match Factory Girl” (1990); all of them are outstanding, showing the plights of low income workers, with “The Match Factory Girl” being not only my favourite of the trilogy but my favourite Aki Kaurismaki film overall. “Fallen Leaves” fits nicely among these group of films, both in its quality of filmmaking and in its themes explored.

A lazy critique often heard from the director's detractors is that if you have seen one Kaurismaki film, then you have essentially seen them all, which is just not true. Story plots, the tone or mood of the films, the themes explored and emotions showed, all differ in each film. However, it is definitely true that Kaurismaki has a distinct style, and if you are not already a fan of this style, I hate to say it, but “Fallen Leaves” wont sway you over to the positive side, as he sticks very true to that style. Like always, Kaurismaki has teamed with cinematographer Timo Salminen, to give the film a rich, textured and lived-in look. Bursting with colour and fitted with retro-technology, as you would expect. Radios and televisions all look like they have come from the 1950's, and while surprisingly, mobile phones do make an appearance in “Fallen Leaves”, they are the older, text-only versions from the 90's, that the characters use. In fact, if it was not for the constant reports on the radio about Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, you could swear that the film was a period piece. Other Kaurismaki trademarks like smoke filled pubs, live musical bands, and dead-pan comedy, mixed in with tragedy, are all present in “Fallen Leaves”, so if you are a fan of the director, I cannot see anyone not loving this. The film has been put together expertly; brilliantly shot, and particularly, edited, however the genius of the film comes down to its simplicity. It is a small scale story, that packs an emotional punch. Too many films these days are so overstuffed, in what appears to be just to inflate their running time. The art of editing almost appears dead, in terms of trimming unnecessary fat from a film. “Fallen Leaves” has a running time of only 81 minutes, but every minute is worth it.

“Fallen Leaves” sees the introduction of two new actors in Kaurismaki's world, with Alma Poysti and Jussi Vatanen playing Ansa and Holappa respectively, and both are outstanding. They fit seamlessly into Kaurismaki's Finland, as if they had been working with the director all of their lives. I do wonder how different it must feel for an actor to work in a Kaurismaki film, because he obviously demands the actor to deliver their performances in the most stone-faced and dead-pan manner, with very limited dialogue, and yet still find a way to express emotions within these restrictions. Regardless of how hard they may have found it, both Poysti and Vatanen do a wonderful job in their roles. The film is so funny, because of the dead-pan nature in the way it is told and acted, and I found myself laughing out loud regularly, with the karaoke scene being a particular highlight. Probably the funniest moment of the film is when the couple go to the movies to see “The Dead Don't Die” (a nice nod to Kaurismaki's friend Jim Jarmusch), and the reactions from some of the cinema goers as they leave are just hilarious! Aside from the comedy, “Fallen Leaves” actually tackles some serious issues with depth, particularly Holappa's alcoholism and the detrimental effect it is having on his work life, and relationships, and looking at why he depends on alcohol so much. The Russian invasion of the Ukraine is also highlighted regularly, with reports on how many people have died being a constant on the radio. With Finland sharing a border with Russia, you can feel the strain this war is having on the people of neighbouring countries, which I must admit, was something I hadn't thought of before this film.

It appears that as Aki Kaurismaki is getting older, he is getting a little softer, because his earlier films were all often quite downbeat; hilarious but downbeat. Something changed with “Le Havre” which had the most beautiful, and almost “Hollywood”, of happy endings. Whilst “Fallen Leaves” does take a turn towards the tragic that I was not expecting, it does also end on a note of optimism. There is a golden moment near the end, where Asna smiles and winks, that melted my heart. It is so quick, maybe a second or less, and not something you would normally see in a Kaurismaki film, but the moment is so perfect here; I just loved it!

Overall, I just adored “Fallen Leaves”. After thinking Aki Kaurismaki had retired for good, it was so great to see him come out with a new film, and for it to be brilliant. He has introduced two new actors into his world who are both excellent, although I must admit I missed Kati Outinen not being part of the cast, but it didn't effect the film, and Sakari Kuosmanen does have a nice cameo towards the end as a sweetener. Kaurismaki has made a film that is small in scale, but large in impact. It is very funny, as you would expect, but also does tackle some serious issues too. At a scant 81 minutes, this is cinema at its most efficient, and I really hope that this was not just a once-off for Aki Kaurismaki, and that he once again continues to make films again. His latest, “Fallen Leaves” is a total triumph, and I can see myself rating it even higher after repeated viewings.

4 Stars.