TIFF2010: Day 6

Alright, this has to be a quick re-cap today because I have to be up early to see BLACK SWAN (I am giddy with excitement)!!! In between screenings today was the first time that I thought to myself that I have to come home on Friday. I am terribly sad that this all has to end and at the same time I have a new burst of energy to screen as much as I can. I will obviously let you know how the latter one goes.

Today was a bit of a light day, only 4 films but all rather interesting.

BLESSED EVENTS (Isabelle Stever) Germany: This was an interesting, simple film that somehow came together but still left a lot of questions unanswered. A guy and a girl hook up one night and the girl becomes pregnant. They decide to become a couple and have the child together. They are never very intimate and you never find out anything too personal therefore there are many things left unsaid that any displays of emotion are strange.

B-

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (Werner Herzog) US: Yes, Herzog tackled 3D and yes, it looked great (at times) but as a film it was strange, slow, sometimes informative and patch-worked. Herzog is given permission to enter into a cave in France that houses the oldest known cave paintings, dating back over 30,000 years. The use of 3D is so amazing at these points that it is truly awesome. Other times your eyes cannot adjust and it is blurry and you are unable to concentrate on the image on screen. As for content of the film, Herzog trails off and brings in some pretty interesting subjects for interviews. It is definitely worth seeing but just be prepared for how weird it is.

B-

JOHN CARPENTER'S THE WARD (John Carpenter) US: John Carpenter is back with a new thriller that takes place in a mental institution. Kristen (Amber Heard) is taken in as a new mental patient after she is seen burning down a house. All of the other girls on her floor start disappearing and when she tries to get out, she finds out that there are some scary things happening in her ward. This movie is ridiculous in a gory, fun way. Enjoy it for its campy qualities and do not judge it for the flaws in story because it actually comes together in a very interesting way.

B-

AFTERSHOCK (Feng Xiaogang) China: Talk about a tear-jerker; there was not a dry eye in the house after this one. A family is torn apart after a devastating earthquake in Tehjung, China in 1976. Here the mother, who has just lost her husband has to decide which of her children to save (the son or daughter) who are both caught under a slab of concrete. She chooses her son and must live with the guilt of her dead child and husband her whole life. At the same time, the daughter never passes away and is adopted months later by another family. Years go by as the brother and sister grow up, have children and begin their own families and yet you wonder if the family will ever reunite and if they can ever really be a family again. The production of this film was incredible and epic. It was a little long and really capitalized on the emotional journey of its characters, making it a very heavy drama.

B

More to come tomorrow!