RVIFF Day 5: An Indonesian Middle School Weretiger, Mom Comes Back From the Dead, and the Hunt for an Iranian Serial Killer
September 10th, 2024 | Robin
A Ken and Robin Consume Media Special Feature
The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (Chile, Francisca Alegría, 2023, 4) Controlling doctor (Leonor Varela) takes her kids back to the family dairy farm after her father suffers a health episode triggered by an encounter with her mother (Mia Maestro), whose suicide occurred decades ago. Eco-themed family drama places well-drawn characters in a magic realist situation.
At least one extremely long title is a must when simulating a film festival. Between this and the previously described Don’t Expect Too Much From the End of the World I feel this has been successfully covered this year.
Tiger Stripes (Indonesia, Amanda Nell Eu, 2023, 4) Hassled at school for being a little bit high-spirited, a girl who is the first in her cohort to get her period begins to turn into a tjindaku, the local version of the weretiger. Transforms from a naturalistic feminist coming of age drama into witty teen body horror.
If this was a conventional horror film there would be a bunch of exposition in which the words tjindaku and weretiger would be mentioned. Instead Tiger Stripes retains its realist observational detachment even after it crosses over into horror mode.
Peter von Kant (France, François Ozon, 2022, 4) In a typical act of romantic self-destruction, 70s filmmaker Peter von Kant (Denis Ménochet) courts a handsome young man with a tragic past (Khalil Ben Gharbia) by promising to make him a star. Billed as a remake of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, to which it bears the sole resemblance of being set in an apartment, this is actually a rueful and funny highly theatrical chamber biopic of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Isabelle Adjani plays Hanna Schygulla and Hanna Schygulla plays Fassbinder’s mother, who at one point has an impassioned speech defending Isabelle Adjani as Hanna Schygulla.
Ozon’s entire career has been in dialogue with Fassbinder and an exploration of cinematic game-playing, making his most directly Fassbinderian film also his most Ozonian.
Holy Spider (Denmark, Ali Abassi, 2022, 4) Risk-taking reporter defies authorities in the holy Iranian city of Mashhad as she tracks a serial killer preying on women in the sex trade. Gritty crime procedural where the social and political context throws additional obstacles into the manhunt and its aftermath.
Shot in Jordan.
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.
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