The Auckland programme for the NZ International Film Festival is out now, with the rest of the country soon to follow. So begins the filmlover’s annual routine, using highlighters, post-its or scribbles to work out their films, sorting out their clashes, buying their tickets, and finally enjoying cinematic satisfaction. With over 150 films in the programme, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. Here we make it easy for you, taking a few minutes to look at some of the many highlights on offer.
Zero Days
“The monster turned against its creator, and now everyone is in this game.”
This humble USB drive might not seem as big as the subjects of previous Alex Gibney documentaries – think Scientology, Enron, or even the Catholic Church – but the potential for disaster in Zero Days may be even greater. Suspected of being a US-Israeli cyber-weapon, the origin and spread of the Stuxnet computer virus should be fascinating, if slightly off-putting, viewing.
Toni Erdmann
“Do you have any plans in life other than slipping fart cushions under people?”
Say what you will about the German sense of humour – here a prankster dad with a taste for silly props tries to connect with an uptight daughter and may smash those stereotypes… With a fart cushion?
Theeb
“He who swims in the Red Sea cannot know its true depth.”
Introducing this Bedouin western with a proverb, the trailer for Theeb showcases the Arabian locations and largely non-professional cast of this Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film as well as the action and tension set to erupt.
The Handmaiden
After making his English-language debut with Stoker, director Park Chan-wook returns to its themes of domestic dodginess with The Handmaiden. In competition for the Palme D’or at the Cannes film festival, it sees a pickpocket pose as the new maid of a Japanese heiress. But instead of helping to rob her blind, she falls into an explicitly-depicted, erotic relationship with her.
Midnight Special
“You have no clue what you’re dealing with, do you?”
Last seen in the film fest with Mud, director Jeff Nichols gets ambitious here, assembling an amazing cast for a paranoid-looking sci-fi tale of a kid with powers on the run from The Man – with a little bit of help.
High-Rise
“Laing was satisfied with life in the high-rise…”
At Flicks we’ve been hanging out for this retro-futuristic adaptation of the J.G. Ballard dystopian classic High-Rise for some time now. Ben Wheatley directs Mr Taylor Swift aka Tom Hiddleston as he moves into a swanky new residence, where things seem to turn to shit fairly quickly, yet the film never seems likely to stop looking stylish.
Green Room
“This’ll all be over soon, gentlemen.”
There’s no getting around the tragic passing of Green Room lead Anton Yelchin. In fact, some of Green Room’s frequent grotesque moments may be potent reminders. For those that can hack it, though, this is a five-star, gut-wrenching wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time punk rock survival thriller. It’s a must see – and that’s even before main baddie Patrick Stewart shows up.
Everybody Wants Some!!
“Wish I had a tail. That’d be awesome.”
I get the feeling both of these rules are going to be broken in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!! Set in 1980 and billed as the ‘spiritual successor’ to Dazed & Confused, the film follows members of a college baseball team in the countdown to the start of the academic year. Expect drinking, getting wasted, chasing girls, boisterous male bonding… and dudes talking about their junk…
Chasing Asylum
“If you come here, we’re going to make it worse for you.”
Australia’s solution to illegal immigration by sea is documented in Chasing Asylum. Sadly, the truth is bleaker than the meaningless campaign slogan Stop The Boats, with the reality of asylum seekers’ incarceration coming as grim viewing. Their treatment by the Australian government may be degrading, or inhumane, but the stories of these people deserve to be heard.
A War
“It’s not what you should have done. It’s what you do now.”
Once again separated from family by director Tobias Lindholm, as he was in gripping 2013 fest selection A Hijacking, Pilou Asbek plays an army commander serving in Afghanistan. When his men are ambushed and he calls in an airstrike to save them, a chain of events commences that will follow him back home and into a Danish courtroom.
There’s heaps, heaps more to check out, so grab a physical programme, visit NZIFF.co.nz or stay locked on Flicks.co.nz for festival news, interviews, tips and info.
