Toni Erdmann
dir. Maren Ade
rating: 10
Maren Ade's acclaimed latest film received overwhelming raves at Cannes, escaping as the most acclaimed film of the festival despite not winning any major awards. Spoken alternatively in both German and English. Toni Erdmann is a three-hour dramedy which contains some of the greatest comedic set pieces this decade, linked through a thoughtful and melancholic exploration of its main characters. Winfried is a middle-aged man with a fondness for practical jokes who, after the death of his beloved dog, decides to fly to Romania and visit his daughter, Ines, who he's never able to spend much time with. Ines works for a business consulting firm, and she's constantly busy with work. Winfried soon realizes that Ines is miserable, and encourages her to introduce a little humour into her life.
On the surface, the film has a relatively simple plot, but it's in the details where the film shines. The challenges of Ines' workplace situation are demonstrated through the film's intimate lulls, while her relationship to Winfried is often implied more than outright stated - yet those implications speak volumes more than any sort of exposition might have, and when Ade leaves the camera rolling on a performer's face for a few seconds after the scene ends, the film's real depth becomes apparent. The nuance to these wonderful characters gives the exquisite comedic scenes a level of catharsis which truly makes Toni Erdmann a magnificent experience.
It's Only the End of the World
dir. Xavier Dolan
rating: 4
What did receive a major award at Cannes was the polarizing new film from Xavier Dolan, an adaptation of a French stage play filled with major French actors. Reception out of Cannes is a major step down from the acclaim received by his previous film, 2014's Mommy, and having seen it now, it's not hard to see why. The basic story, about a gay writer who returns to his family to announce his death, has some shades of nuance, but it's all drowned under a shouty script which revolves around the family constantly screaming at each other without delving especially deep into any single character. Right when one family member is starting to show a level of nuance, we move on to the next, and the earlier thread is never really picked up again. Instead, Dolan films close-ups of the actors' faces as they mug for the camera, and the constant bickering becomes tiresome up until the film's clunky, brainless, completely unsatisfying ending. What the Cannes jury saw in this is beyond me.
Manchester-By-The-Sea
dir. Kenneth Lonergan
rating: 10
One benefit of CIFF occurring so late in the year is that it can pick up the critical winners of just about every major film festival, and this was the press favorite at Sundance. A devastating examination of grief and loss, the film follows Lee Chandler, a man who's made to take care of his teenage nephew, Patrick, after his brother dies of cardiac arrest. Even before that incident, it's clear that Lee is an irreparably damaged man. He has a surly disposition and a crummy job, and an early scene where he's drinking alone at the bar speaks volumes about his mental state. This impression is aided by a melancholic performance from Casey Affleck, who captures not only how Lee struggles with grief and guilt but also how he still cares about Patrick despite his concerns about taking custody of the boy.
However, just as much credit must be given to Lucas Hedges, who plays Patrick as someone who's grieving in a very different way, indicative of the character's very different standing in life. Although Patrick is stricken with grief and anxiety about his future, he mostly just tries to go on living as he was before, hunting down distractions from his feelings. While the film is able to serve up powerful visuals, these are largely because of context, and its real power is derived from a script which is brutally poignant and deeply affecting. Bring out the tissues - you'll certainly need them.
The Salesman
dir. by Ashgar Farhadi
rating: 6
I've not seen Farhadi's widely-acclaimed A Separation, but I have to assume that it's more inventive than this intermittently powerful but often hackneyed revenge drama. Emad is a Farsi literature professor performing with his wife Rana in an Iranian production of Death of a Salesman, but when his wife is assaulted by an unknown man in their hotel, Emad becomes obsessed with bringing justice to the assailant. Farhadi appears to be interested in all of the challenges which women who are victims of assault have to face, but only intermittently does this lead anywhere especially interesting. The film's best point revolves around Rana not wanting to go to the police, and one excellent scene discusses why a victim of assault - particularly sexual assault - might not want to report the crime.
Unfortunately, the thread about Emad's fall from grace overpowers everything. He's a nice man driven to do bad things, and his character arc comes across most often as cliched, even as the film tries to question the morality of revenge. The narrative is certainly complex and nuanced, but it's also well-trodden territory, and while Rana's voice is prominent in the film, her role often amounts solely to a victim. It doesn't help that the narrative suffers from a few contrivances, but the riveting climax almost makes it all worth it even if it doesn't stray into stronger thematic territory. The Salesman might not impress everybody, but it's consistently watchable, and for many its thematic complexities might be enough.
Moonlight
dir. by Barry Jenkins
rating: 9
A last-minute addition, Barry Jenkins' epic life saga of a homosexual African-American man is almost (although not quite) as good as the hype suggests. Unfolding over three distinct periods in protagonist Chiron's lifespan, the film is a poetic examination of a specific childhood. The first two segments are gorgeous slices of life in which Chiron deals with family issues and wrestles with his sexuality, both ending on thrillingly inconclusive notes. He struggles with bullying and an abusive drug addict mother, and the film is meticulous in showcasing how his decisions and self-image are built up by his environment. By the time we meet him again as an adult, he's a different man, yet still recognizable as the kid we met in the first segment.
For the most part, Moonlight is a mood piece, thriving on a complex and beautifully observed journey from childhood to adulthood. It's a film with a lot on its mind, and among its themes, most prominent is a takedown of toxic masculinity, attempting to showcase the experience of a gay man in a culture terrified of emasculation. The final third attempts to reconcile who Chiron has become with who Chiron could still be, but while it hits many strong emotional notes and delves even deeper into the film's themes, I found myself not quite finding the catharsis the film is clearly going for. Moreover, here the film begins cutting to visuals from earlier life stages, which consistently comes across as superfluous. That's not to say that Moonlight is anything less than spectacular, but I found myself unable to appreciate it as much as others - but perhaps a second watch will help with that.
There are several films which I would have liked to see but never made it to, including Jim Jarmusch's Paterson, Andrea Arnold's American Honey, Paul Verhoeven's Elle, and Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake among many others. However, with three out of four screenings being for truly great films, I think I had a good festival, and all three of those have been picked up for distribution. They're among the best films this year has to offer, so be sure to keep an eye out.
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