Posts by brightsurfer4

Regarding the title—honestly, I was hoping there was some deeper, smarter explanation I just missed. It feels like people are taking Fish Tank way too seriously. I’m actually a big fan of Haneke’s whole philosophy that film and art should be about asking difficult questions, but this? Fish Tank is just trying to shock the audience, and frankly, it fails. They wrote Lolita ages ago.
As for the documentaries in the main lineup—I don't think there's even a basis for comparison here.
Look, the real question is what you're even using as a benchmark when you're comparing feature films, given how massive the variety is, but I think this is a bit of an apples-to-oranges situation...

I’m totally with you on that—I just didn't have the patience to type out a whole manifesto.
Regarding the lineup—honestly, I don't even know where I'd catch these movies anywhere else in the States (unless I'm heading over to some indie theater in Brooklyn), so this is actually a decent opportunity. The reality is, if you strip away the classics and the Finnish films, there isn't much substance left to chew on...
Look, I’m no film scholar, but isn't it a bit weird that the main competition includes a documentary (Letters to the President) alongside stuff from '07 and '08?
But hey, since we don't have anything better going on in our neck of the woods, we guess we’ll just take what we can get. It would be great if someone actually running the festival read this, though, because things could be run a hell of a lot better.
And as for the drinking? Unfortunately, that’s where the money is. If it weren't for the booze and the free camping, nobody would show up to Motovun in the first place. And if nobody shows up, there's no TV coverage and no sponsors...

Glad you're on board with the idea that the movie isn't anything special. Sure, there's some chemistry between those two, but I was talking about that scene where he breaks down over the horse and then that dance with the old lady—just totally off. And seriously, what is even up with the title *Fish Tank*?? All those subtle allegories and metaphors? They just don't sit right with me. It feels like if a movie tackles a socially conscious topic (even if it's poorly executed), people just assume it has to be good...

I haven't checked out Lady Vengeance yet, but honestly, Revenge is killer—it’s actually a step above Fish Tank for me. I can't stand Fish Tank; I think its biggest flaw is just taking itself way too seriously. The movie lacks any real sense of humanity or warmth. Sure, we get it—the protagonist lives in a world where swearing and getting punched in the face is just Tuesday—but whenever they try to pivot toward showing actual human connection or warmth, they totally whiff it.

Grabbed my tickets during the presale and spent the whole week living in the camp. I honestly thought I was signing up for a legitimate film festival, but let’s be real: it’s basically just a massive drinking session with occasional breaks for movies. You've got jury members who are nowhere to be found, program events you can't even get into unless you have accreditation (like those Satie and Glass concerts), and screenings that run late while people wander in and out like they're browsing a damn flea market. We were packed into that tiny theater like penguins because the screen was set way too low—you literally had to tilt your head left and right just to catch the subtitles. As for the campsite organization? Beyond words. The whole town reeks of urine, and the chairs in the square are practically falling apart.
The films were actually pretty solid considering the local standards, but if you're being honest and strip away the indie darlings and the classics (which I did enjoy), there’s really not much meat on the bone here.
Fish Tank—the big winner—just wasn't my thing. It felt overstuffed and lifeless, just a bunch of disconnected vignettes that failed to form a cohesive whole. There’s this one scene where the protagonist breaks down—which is supposed to be the emotional core of the movie—but the acting was subpar, and the motivation behind it felt completely hollow.
Planting Kisses—the short film winner—is the exact same story. Compared to the rest of the lineup, it’s weak; it lacks a narrative and relies on a simple concept that never gets properly fleshed out.
My personal picks were O'Horten from the main lineup, White Ribbon (make sure you watch that in High Definition!!), Miami Shorts, and Worthless—that Kaurismäki film from '82. That one is absolutely wild, almost like a Finnish version of Pulp Fiction. It actually reminded me of Rundek in that Shane music video—you know, the one where he's driving that wood chipper.🙂
Last Screening—about Rundek's Cargo Orchestra—was an absolute train wreck. It’s a film about the collapse of America told through the eyes of the band members. But instead of showing us how the music actually comes together or how these people met, it focuses on scenes of passing the torch to Marshall or lighting torches in Ottawa in '84. It was the only screening I actually walked out of before the credits rolled.