Jul 24, 2024 Film & TV
I Saw the TV Glow
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
I Saw the TV Glow is that film from distribution company A24 you’ve seen all over Twitter for the last wee while — the slow drip drips of praise have been building a sense of hype for the movie ever since it premiered at Sundance in January. It’s described as a sort of psychological horror, in which two young and troubled teens get into trouble when the reality TV show they bonded over gets the axe — reality bends and things start getting weird. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow has been well received for its “distinct visual aesthetic” and “emotionally resonant narrative” as well as commended as a “profound vision of the trans experience”.
Problemista
Director: Julio Torres
If you want to see I Saw the TV Glow, then you’ll probably want to watch Problemista, also from A24, and directed by the extremely chaotic Julio Torres in his feature debut. Torres created the HBO series Los Espookys, which is the sort of show you almost can’t believe got made, let alone by HBO — a surrealist, dreamy, otherworldly comedy that follows a group of film buffs who turn their love of horror into their job. (It’s even stranger than it sounds and super-funny.) Problemista will strike a similar tone: Torres stars as an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who starts working for an eccentric art-world outcast in New York City. That art-world outcast? Tilda Swinton, of course! Perfect, perfect, perfect.
Dahomey
Director: Mati Diop
There are many worthy-sounding documentaries in this year’s film fest line-up. Top of mind would be Dahomey from Mati Diop. (She also directed Atlantics, an excellent romantic drama.) Here, Diop turns her attention to royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin, in West Africa) that were previously held in a museum in France. This dramatised account explores the return of the artefacts to Benin, blending fact and fiction to tell stories of the 26 works and the people of Benin to whom they return.
Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus
Director: Neo Sora
Another very worthy documentary. The black-and-white one-minute trailer alone, featuring Sakamoto playing at the piano, almost brought us to tears. The film is Sakamoto’s final performance, tracing 20 pieces over the course of his composing career, and was curated and sequenced by the man himself before his death in 2023. (It was directed by his son.) If you don’t want to sit through an almost two-hour concert film, then perhaps skip this one. But it looks (and sounds) extremely good.
A few others in the doco-world to look out for: Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros, a four-hour exploration of a three-star Michelin restaurant in France that has been in the same family for decades, is slow and methodical and keeps you abreast of every little detail in the restaurant lifecycle; The House Within, a portrait of New Zealand writer Fiona Kidman; and No Other Land, made by a collection of activists, which follows the story of Basel Adra, a Palestinian who has been resisting efforts by the Israeli Defence Forces to displace members of his community in the West Bank.
Brief History of a Family
Brief History of a Family
Director: Jianjie Lin
Brief History of a Family should also get a look-in as you curate your festival wishlist. It’s one of those slow-burn psychological thrillers centred on a mystery guest who infiltrates the family unit (maybe The Killing of a Sacred Deer-esque?), set in contemporary China. The more middle-class Wei befriends a classmate, Shuo, whose mother is dead. Shuo starts spending more time at Wei’s high-rise apartment, gaining the trust of his parents and situating himself as a surrogate son — pretty soon, however, it becomes apparent that his motives are not completely pure.
A Mistake
Director: Christine Jeffs
Christine Jeffs’ A Mistake — a New Zealand film based on Carl Shuker’s novel of the same name — is also set to show at the festival this year. A surgeon (portrayed by Elizabeth Banks) makes a mistake (unavoidable word, sorry!) by letting a junior colleague take charge and finds herself in a sticky situation as a result. This is Jeffs’ first film since Sunshine Cleaning in 2008, and, fun fact, she is also the director of one of New Zealand’s best gothic films, Rain.
Kneecap
Director: Rich Peppiatt
The films in this preview are light on the comedy, but if you’re looking for something a bit more ha ha than boo-hoo, you could try Kneecap, about an Irish hip-hop group of the same name. It stars the members of the band themselves, who rap in Irish (the language, which the film is also mostly in… so rare!). One of them often wears an Irish flag balaclava; they are very vocal about their political beliefs (including being super-supportive of Palestinian freedom and resistance); and for this film they did drama lessons for six weeks to teach them how to act. Apparently, the final results are convincing, which is pretty amazing considering the rappers are appearing alongside a supporting Michael Fassbender.
Head South
Director: Jonathan Ogilvie
We’re all about supporting the local film and television industry (which, for obvious reasons, is in very bad straits, with all those recent job losses at the Film Commission and just the general State of Things). Alongside A Mistake, above, there are a few other New Zealand films at the festival you can show your support for the industry with, including Head South, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama set in 1979 Christchurch about a teen drawn into the world of underground post-punk. Ah, so nostalgic — especially for those whom I imagine to be the target demographic of this film fest. Angus is desperate to fit into the post-punk scene and lies about his musical ability, which forces him to attempt to become a talented musician in a hurry, all while dealing with self doubt and a family tragedy.
Grafted
Director: Sasha Rainbow
A New Zealand body horror film about a Chinese scholarship student who travels to Aotearoa to work on some scientific research involving her dead father, Grafted is the feature debut of Rainbow (who directed a short film, Kamali, nominated for a BAFTA). The film is set in Tāmaki Makaurau, so offers ample opportunity for delightful frissons of recognition, and stars Joyena Sun and Jess Hong (of Netflix’s 3 Body Problem fame). Note: if Grafted sounds good to you, then you’ll also want to see Cuckoo, the horror film starring Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens and our own Marton Csokas, about a 17-year-old girl forced to move to a resort in the German Alps where everything is not as it seems.
Evil Does Not Exist
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
You can also this year catch Drive My Car’s Ryusuke Hamaguchi Evil Does Not Exist, which is apparently quiet and melodic and a very satisfying portrayal of the conflict between rural life and city life. At the centre of the film is Tamuki and his daughter Hana, who spend their days foraging for wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant (dreamy!), until their routines are disrupted by the prospect of a glamping site being built nearby. If you are struggling with the breadth of the programme, this is a safe bet…
…but of course, maybe the safest bet of all is watching the 4K restoration of Wim Wenders’ 1984 neo-Western Paris, Texas, which is almost certain to show at The Civic and be totally gorgeous.
