August 11, 2024

13th Floor New Zealand International Film Festival 2024 Report #1

The New Zealand International Film Festival is now in full swing. Opening night was Wednesday. Here is The 13^th Floor’s Marty Duda with his first dispatch after having viewed three films.

NZIFF Marty has already reviewed/previewed of the music-related films that the NZIFF is screening this year.

You can find them here:

In Restless Dreams: The Music Of Paul Simon (dir: Alex Gibney): https://13thfloor.co.nz/in-restless-dreams-the-music-of-paul-simon-dir-alex-gibney-13th-floor-nziff-film-review/

Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line (dir: Paul Clarke): https://13thfloor.co.nz/midnight-oil-the-hardest-line-dir-paul-clarke-13th-floor-nziff-film-review/

Ryuichi Sakamoto/Opus (dir: Neo Sora): https://13thfloor.co.nz/ryuichi-sakamotoopus-dir-neo-sora-13th-floor-nziff-film-review/

Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat (dir: Johan Grimonprez): https://13thfloor.co.nz/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat-dir-johan-grimonprez-13th-floor-nziff-film-review/

We Were Dangerous (Dir: Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu)

Auckland opening night at The Civic took place this past Wednesday with a screening of We Were Dangerous, directed by New Zealand filmmaker Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu and followed by a “Gala Party” in the Wintergarden.

This being opening night, the film was preceded by speeches by NZIFF Executive Director Sally Woodfield, who put on a brave face despite the fact that the festival had to be cut back to 2 weeks and 3 venues. More uplifting was director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, who praised and thanked cast and crew, many of whom were in attendance.

It’s good to see a New Zealand film featured on opening night and We Were Dangerous pulled it weight. Set in 1950s New Zealand we are dropped into a world far from modern Kiwi life…or is it?

The story centres around three teenage girls who have been sent to the School for Incorrigible and Delinquent Girls under the care of a matron, played by Rima Te Wiata. They and about a dozen other “incorrigible” are basically imprisoned on an island; where they are preached to, abused and worse until they are deemed fit to return to proper society.

It’s a situation that not particularly novel but is unique in its New Zealand setting. And that’s where the film shines…the scenery, the dialogue and the attitudes are unique to this part of the world. Unfortunately the anger, racism and abuse are not.

The performances are universally excellent with Rima’s matron particularly powerful. This is Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s directorial debut and she comes through with (mostly) flying colours. The tone and the look of the film is wonderful. My main criticism is the plot twist taken near the end of the film. I though it unlikely and unnecessary. And I felt Stephen Tamarapa’s character Barry, the bumbling but likable caretaker was undercooked. Otherwise a strong film and one worth catching if you can.

The Beast (Dir: Bertard Bonello)

I caught the screening of The Beast on Friday night at The Civic and my mind is still reeling from the experience. Clocking in a 145 this France/Canada production is a real trip.

The plot, such as it is, finds us in the year 2044 where AI has taken over and humans are left to find something meaningful to do with themselves. Apparently they can go through some purification process that involves time travel so they can find better jobs.

I tell you this, not from watching the film but from readying the Wikipedia entry.

A good portion of the first third of this film feels like a blur. Our two main character are Gabrielle, played by Lea Seydoux and Louis, played by George MacKay.

They first go back to the year 1910where Gabrielle is a pianist whose husband (not Louis) owns a doll factory. Louis is a “friend” and together they meet with a medium and wind up trapped in the burning doll factory in a truly harrowing scene.

That scene is indicative of the film’s strength…powerful, mind-blowing set pieces populate the film, but the plot, such as it is, is inscrutable at best.

The duo also interact in the year 2014 and again in 2044. David Lynch fans will appreciate some of the set design…and that’s always a good thing. And the choice of music is pretty cool, too.

Black Box Diaries (Dir: Shiori Ito)

Even more harrowing, and much easier to follow, is Black Box Diaries, a documentary made by another first-time filmmaker, Japanese journalist Shiori Ito.

The film is based on Shiori’s 2017memoir detailing the sexual assault she experienced at the hand of a powerful, well-known and well-placed Japanese journalist who was to be her mentor. Instead he drugged and raped her. Ito has bravely gone very public with her story after the Japanese police refused to take her criminal complaint to trial. It turns out that her assailant was close to then- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the old-boys club had little interest in punishing one of their own.

Ito eventually won a civil case against her assailant but not before paying a heavy emotional price, one that almost killed her.

Black Box Diaries Instead she decided to make this film and it is incredible. Even more incredible is the fact that Shiori Ito was a surprise guest at the screen I attended at Hollywood Avondale, taking part in a post-screening Q&A. It is events like this that make a case for how important, film, as an art for is, and festivals such as the NZIFF are. Sharing this experience with a cinema full of patron and the filmmaker cannot be replicated on a streaming service.