WIFF

I was fortunate to be able to attend this years Wisconsin International Film Festival(WIFF) a couple weeks back. Over two days I went to screenings of The Park, dir. Lichuan Yin, Getting Home, dir. Yang Zhang, and Mongol, dir. Sergei Bodrov. Ranked in personal preference, I'd have to say that Getting Home came out on top, followed by The Park and Mongol.

Getting Home was the story of two construction workers who spent their days drinking, until one of them died. The other man, Zhao, had promised to see his remains home, which is across China in Three Gorges. Though it sounds like something Chevy Chase would have done in the late 80's, the film becomes more than just a black comedy or buddy film. Beautiful imagery abounds throughout the film, with the director unafraid of letting a certain amount of silence exist. The people met upon the duo's journey are a fascinating cross section of humanity, from the good (a young man biking to Tibet who helps carry the load up a hill) to the bad (robbers and cruel restaurant owners). The film is sad, no doubt, with it's questions of mortality and futility, but by the end of the film, the viewer is left with what can only be described as a warm feeling inside, filled with the thought that perhaps humanity does have a hope after all.

As a review? 5/5. The only real flaw was that the festival was unable to show a 35mm print(it was held up in customs) and the audience was shown a digital version that was more of a promotional copy, with a time-stamp and image quality lower than a true 35mm print.

The Park was a touching story of a young woman and her father, set in a world where old values and youthful vitality and views are at odds with each other. A fascinating, well shot and acted film. As for a personal rating, I'd say 4.5/5.

Mongol could be described as the big budget film of the festival, as far as I am aware. It seemed like something Hollywood could and would pump out. An attempt at an epic retelling of Genghis Kahns childhood and rise to power, the film was nominated for something like 10 Academy Awards. It was an interesting film, but to flashy at times for it's own good. Had they shot it in two parts and focused more, rather than allowing the quick, at times confusing jumps in time, I feel it could have been much stronger. Not that it was bad by any means, it just lacked the charm of Getting Home and the emotional investment of The Park. Numbers again...4/5.

So, there we have it. A brief, nutshell retelling of the WIFF from my personal point of view. Any time you get to go out and see a bunch of foreign movies AND have some drinks equals a great time in my book.