CIFF Wrap-Up
The Chicago International Film Festival has come to an end with some huge surprises; many of which I recommend you add to your queue immediately.
Chicago International Film Festival (2024)
I had the pleasure of attending a few screenings this year, certainly not as many as I would’ve liked but nevertheless, I am always grateful for the experience of going and seeing a number of awards contenders early on the big screen. A couple in particular really stood out. Since they aren’t officially released yet, they will be short and sweet this time. Plus there are still movies to catch at this month’s over film festival I support: Mental Filmness! Here’s a rundown of what I was able to catch over the past week or so for CIFF. Stay tuned for an interview featuring director Joel Pytrykus whose latest film played this festival and it could very well be my favorite film of the year.
The Brutalist (dir. Brady Corbet)
Here we have a film that I must admit, deserves to be seen again for a lot of reasons. Not to mention the fact that it won’t be out for a couple of months and there’s still a lot to process on a first viewing. This is an experience you simply must try to savor on the big screen and even Corbet himself has been upfront about this before screenings. Don’t wait for streaming, do not watch this at home. Give it your full attention without distraction. Shot in VistaVision, presented in 70mm screenings that evoke the film’s midcentury period, the movie is a 215-minute epic, complete with a 15-minute intermission built into the film’s print. Brady Corbet’s third film is certainly his most assured work and a remarkable achievement from a production level.
Corbet’s previous two films announced an exciting new voice despite having reservations with his second feature. They are both ambitious in scope managing to engage personal psychology alongside the broader sweep of history with novelistic objectives and depth. The same holds true for this 3 and a half hour epic about an architect (Adrien Brody) that gets sucked into the world of an ambitious millionaire played by Guy Pierce. There’s a lot to comment on in terms of where the story goes but I was mostly taken with how stunning everything looked. Take into account that this was made for under $10 million and it really is a monumental feat.
This is, among other things, an immigrant story, and it’s fascinating to see how waves of ethnic immigration are woven into the narrative, through the diverse surnames. In terms of an overall feeling I have about the film as a whole, the epilogue left a lot to be desired especially coming after some of the more striking imagery and character dynamics I’ve seen all year. Something shocking also leaves a lasting impact in a way that shook me. But it’s also executed from a distance. We know what’s happening but Corbet’s confidence as a storyteller really packs a punch as one particular interaction followed by internal conflict slowly begins to emerge.
Along with Pierce and Brody, Felicty Jones has also never been better and I wouldn’t be suprised if the three leads garner a lot of attention for awards season, rightfully so. The film as a whole - once again - I need to assess with a second viewing. Which says a lot given the running time which flies by and actually made wish this went even longer. There will be a lot more to say other than, “see this on a big screen for its myriad of accomplishments to engage the audience,” but for now, The Brutalist is imperfect and yet, essential viewing for any cinephile who reveres classical filmmaking at its most ambitious and dynamic. We need more movies like this out there.
Pavements (dir. Alex Ross Perry)
This thoroughly wild and often hilarious documentary comes from Alex Ross Perry and is a manic hybrid of many different approaches to telling a story about a band. It also manages to the spirit and style of Pavement in a way that defies description. Somehow everyone involved made a movie that is certainly for fans, but also, for anyone with a curious, open mind. It’s clear that approaching the subject with a traditional framework was not something anyone wanted to do, weaving together five distinct elements: the band’s early days, their reunion tour, the creation of a Pavement museum, a musical, and a mock Hollywood biopic featuring Stranger Things star Joe Keery.
As accessible as Perry attempts to make this for non-fans, this is still the ultimate “your mileage may vary” viewing as well since the editing is frantic. There were moments when songs would start and I would hope to hear them in full, but they’re often abruptly interlaced with the other “films within the film.” To say you have to acclimiate to this style would be an understatement. Sometimes two films are playing within the same frame and you have to choose which to pay attention to. Once I adapted to this unique choice, I ended up loving nearly everything about this approach to portraying a band’s life story. Ultimately, the statement ends up being, “it’s impossible to sum up a band, its music, its impact” in 2 hours. So why not try a bunch of approaches and see what sticks? All of them stick which is kind of a miracle.
For detractors of either the band or the filmmaker, I can’t imagine them finding the film to be pleasurable since it’s peculiar and eccentric, much like the music of Pavement itself. But as a huge fan, it was everything I hoped for. The band was a mosaic of ideas and the film reflects precisely that. It’s like a pinata being smashed wide open and it’s a wonder that it all comes together in a satisfying way by the end. When everything is intercut together, it weaves into a one of a kind portrait. The medley for the Broadway musical towards the end integrates so many of favorite Pavement songs that I got goosebumps. Not to mention the fact that they use my favorite song of theirs, “Here” quite often. Speaking of here…
Here (dir. Robert Zemeckis)
People who know me well likely realize that sometimes I’m an apologist for directors that mean a lot to me. Back to the Future was the first movie I remember seeing with my dad and we both bonded over the experience. It was the first piece of escapist entertainment that became an instant favorite. From that point forward, I simply just latched onto Zemeckis as a director whose work I mostly respond to (outside of the motion capture period).
I’ll be honest, a lot of the recent films he’s made, I can openly admit their imperfections and failings to a degree. Am I going to actively defend Welcome to Marwen as a great work of art? Certainly not. It is not something I’d go out of my way to recommend. As a superfan, I still find it interesting as a commentary on his career at times but I can see why many do not. Let’s look beyond some of his recent output and focus on what he does successfully time and time again. Bobby Z makes me movies that move me, make me laugh or simply just allow me to forget the outside world for a couple of hours. I know most might scoff at me for putting him in the same category as Spielberg but I’ve usually gravitated towards him more than a lot of directors of the same ilk.
Here is a failed experiment and one of his lesser works. A noble one with its heart in the right place but the execution in this adaptation of a beloved graphic novel is nothing more than a static shot over time with a rather saccharine screenplay to carry us along. There are definite cuts, editing choices and thoughtful transitions between various story-lines and characters but there is little to no emotional impact as a result of examining too much. If he just focused on one family and only one, it might’ve worked.
Zemeckis has always had an interesting relationship with time throughout most of his films. He’s also renowned with innovative techniques and technology as his aid to enhance rather than detract from the story. Here is almost the opposite - the choices and technology overwhelm any possible sense of character depth. All that effort and innovation amounts to little more than an intergenerational Lifetime-esque drama in which even moments of grief and loss don’t connect. The final shot ends up looking like AI than anything resonant and satisfying.
I won’t go into specifics about why Here is almost an encapsulation of things that people have criticized him for in the past til more people see it. With this film, they’re a little more apt. This may aim to be another indictment of American life and the disillusionment of American values, but the ambition gets buried in shockingly bad performances and dialogue, the satirical intent is completely lost. Especially by jumping around in time and having no emotional investment due to how fragmented it ends up.
Once again, I am a fan of nearly every Zemeckis film to date. There’s something to be said about the fact that the cast here is actively unengaging and given a lot of hackneyed dialogue. I admit that something has been rubbing me the wrong way with recent takes on The Witches and Welcome to Marwen to where I still never caught up with his take on Pinocchio. This is a filmmaker I still revere for past work but I cannot defend his latest despite admiring the ambition to be boldy experimental. Here just lays there and even the performances throughout are stilted and bland. Part of me wanted Here to be the one that brought me back to why I became a fan of his but it’s actually made me wonder if he’s still got a truly great movie left in him.
Hard Truths (dir. Mike Leigh)
One of the best films of the year comes from another favorite filmmaker of mine who really only has stumbled once for me - that was his last film, Peterloo. The latest film from Mike Leigh, Hard Truths, opens with Pansy (the great Marianne Jean-Baptiste) jolting awake with a yell. Sure, there’s a quiet scene before that, but all of the film’s elements must be routed through and filtered by her; in short, she sets the tone. There’s a lot to uncover here. It’s more than just another portrayal of depression, it’s a portrayal of frustration with what’s expected from simply existing in a complicated, difficult world. What happens when you possess an instinct to push people away too?
While her husband is away at his plumbing job, and while her unemployed 22-year-old son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) is locked away in his bedroom, the dispirited fifty-something Pansy likes to clean, perhaps a little too much, if only to create a channel for her anxiety and where she can nap without having to worry about the outside world. This paradise never lasts. The real world always comes knocking sooner or later, whether in the form of a fox in her yard or the men in her life asking for their next meal. Burnout is real. “I might spend the day living in bed,” she says.
I’ve always said that Another Year remains my favorite of Leigh’s films and Hard Truths is definitely in the upper tier of his filmography. Keep in mind that this guy is in his 80s! As is his usual way, Leigh has time for all these characters, taking care to craft asides for each of them, with an extra degree of focus on Pansy. In this, it’s remarkable to watch Jean-Baptiste breathe aggressive life into this specific woman. She’s not someone you’d want to encounter in real life, yet Jean-Baptiste is still able to locate her wounded humanity. This is right up there with her other collaboration with Leigh with the first film of his I ever saw back in 1996, Secrets and Lies.
Leigh’s talent for humanely tapping into piercing vulnerability from his actors continues in his reunion with both Jean-Baptiste and Austin, but here he also reteams with the late Dick Pope, who shot many Leigh films over his career. The camerawork mostly stays unassuming and stationary, allowing the deep-cut performances to play out in front of us, while also subtly capturing the nature and organic life around Pansy’s house that she is incapable of appreciating. Yes, she may make “everything about herself,” but perhaps she’s having trouble connecting with herself to see the forest for the trees.
This is a sublime, lived-in story that many can relate to when they feel exhausted by the demands and pressures of existence. It comes at a perfect time in my life and once again, Leigh continues to showcase that he is one of the all-time great directors of actors to where you see human beings at their most imperfect but at their most authentic. This is a stunning film that I can’t wait for others to discover especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure, looking for comfort and hope anywhere you can find it.