Film Fest Fun

After Fashion Week I've been super lazy and not getting up at 8 everyday to do a full day of press screenings for the Film Festival but either way I've already seen a few gems. I was excited for Xavier Dolan's Heartbeats as I actually really liked I Killed My Mother, @ 21 I think Dolan is making films for his age group by someone of his age with his first film commenting on the Relationship one that is unchangeable and will always remain the same regardless of how you hate or love the one who gave birth to you.

Heartbeats comments on the Relationship of a friendship and how the dynamics of that friendship can change drastically as soon as another enters into the equation in this case it is a boy who both friends lust after. Dolan plays lead yet again and is vying for the attention an extremely handsome new boy who has just moved from the country he and his friend who is girl seem to fall head over heels and forget where they stand or stood prior entering into a competition to win the affections of this handsome stranger. The film seems to be like a magazine and can do what a magazine can never do, film is a perfect platform to spark trends off and to talk about and capture the mood of the moment with cool hairstyles and clothes and great music. I love when music is matched perfectly with imagery in this case it was a scene at a party where Nico ( the handsome new boy) is dancing with a blue haired girl and it slows down (Dolan's signature of slowing down the motion of the imagery to music comes into its own in this film) The song was The Knifes- Pass this on, it had a retro feel with steel pans that made the film seem stepped in the past (with Dolans best friend in the film a fan of vintage clothing) yet at the same time present. Whilst Nico was dancing both Dolan & Marie seem to be transfixed by Nico's beauty and it flashes to how Dolan's character sees him a naked marble statue flashes and each time it does more images of this naked figure are shown from pecks to eyes to nose, Dolan sees this boy as perfect. I really liked this film not much happens yet Dolan has skill to be able to draw out a simple topic and make it interesting enough to watch.


Hands Up is another film that caught my attention, the story of a young girl who is an immigrant in France and the Government is going through a sweep up of aliens in the country and whole families are being uprooted and deported. The story is seen through the eyes of this girl who in protest along with her friends run away and hide which captures the medias attention and in the process allows her to be legalized due to the overwhelming backlash from the public against the Government.

Everything Must Go I was surprised to like this Will Ferrel is the lead and although there is a few laughs he film has an overall serious tone, fired from his job only to return home to find his wife has left him and thrown his belongings all over the frontlawn before leaving herself, Ferrel is given 3 days to hold a yard sale before he must leave the lawn of his own property. Within the 3 days he morphs and sees things differently befriending the new neighbor and  young boy and battling his demons.