RVIFF Day 10: Tehran Dopplegangers, Hanging Out With Looters, and a Classroom Mystery
September 15th, 2024 | Robin
A Ken and Robin Consume Media Special Feature
Dry Ground Burning (Brazil, Adirley Queirós & Joana Pimenta, 2023, 4) In a Ceilândia favela a gasoline trafficker, her half-sister and all-female gang fend off a police crackdown. Epic-length slice of life drama with non-professional uses diagetic music sequences to widen the characters’ emotional expression.
Subtraction (Iran, Mani Haghighi, 2022, 4) Tehran couple (Taraneh Alidoosti, Navid Mohammadzadeh) discovers that they have exact duplicates, also married to one another. Realist tale of the uncanny offers a brilliantly fresh take on the doppelgänger motif, with culture-specific complications enhancing the suspense.
Monster (Japan, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, 2023, 4) A fifth grader’s odd behavior leads a determined mom (Sakura Andô) to accuse his teacher (Eita Nagayama) of verbal and physical abuse, but multiple perspectives reveal a different story. Puzzle drama expresses a deep empathy.
Dedicated to the memory of its composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto.
La Chimera (Italy, Alice Rohrwacher, 2023, 5) Washed-out archaeologist with dowsing powers (Josh O’Connor) returns from prison to his old stomping grounds to reunite with his lost love’s mother (Isabella Rossellini) and his merry band of artifact looters. Beguiling, mythically resonant hangout movie.
For the third year running, my wife Valerie and I are attending our own at-home film festival. It takes the place in our hearts and vacation plans formerly reserved by the Toronto International Film Festival. The Robin and Valerie International Film Festival is the cinema event you can play along with at home, with a roster of streaming service and SVOD titles. Its roster includes the foreign, independent and cult titles we used to love to see at TIFF, but cheaper, hassle-free, and on the comfort of our own couch. Daily capsule reviews roll out throughout the festival, with a complete list in order of preference dropping a day or two afterwards. Review ratings are out of 5.
If you enjoy this special text feature of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff podcast and don’t already support our Patreon, consider tossing a few bucks in the tip jar. Or check out my book on action films and their roleplaying applications, Blowing Up the Movies. Or the roleplaying game inspired by the Hong Kong films I first encountered at TIFF, Feng Shui 2.
