Well, that’s it — almost. The 36th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival wraps late on Friday evening, October 13th with the “gory as f*ck” screening of Turkish director Can Evrenol’s Housewife, at The Rio.
VIFF Repeats
Of course, as has been the case for many, many years the fine folks at VIFF have planned, and now released information on, their VIFF Repeats programme, which kicks off on Saturday, October 14th with Bosch: The Garden of Dreams at 11:45am, followed by Meet Beau Dick: Maker of Monsters at 1:45pm, The Farthest at 4:15pm, and two more festival favourites, Loving Vincent at 6:45pm, and the final screening of the first VIFF Repeats day, Indian Horse, at 8:45pm. All screenings will occur at the 175-seat Vancity Theatre. Tickets must be purchased, either online or at the door, for each screening (VIFF passes do not apply to the VIFF Repeats programme). VIFF Repeats run through until Thursday, October 19th.
Still and all, during the course of the final two days of VIFF 2017 there are some very fine films that will screen for a final time, films VIFF patrons and critics alike have simply raved about, and are certainly worthy of your time and consideration — as is the case with Janus Metz’s Borg vs McEnroe, perhaps the finest sports-related drama since Bennett Miller’s entirely tremendous Moneyball. Borg vs McEnroe screens for a final time at VIFF at 3:30pm at the Vancouver Playhouse on VIFF’s last day, Friday, Oct. 13th.
On VIFF 2017’s second-to-last day (Thursday, October 12th), you might want to turn your attention to the following VIFF patron favourites …
- Sami Blood (Grade: A). Knocked our socks off. Little wonder that Lene Cecilia Sparrok won a raft of Best Actress awards, and Danish director Amanda Kernell an equal number of Best First Feature and Best Director awards. A compelling and heart-wrenching watch from beginning to end. A must-see. Screens at 11:15am, Tinseltown, Cinema 10.
- Call Me by Your Name, (Grade: A). A friend wrote to us at 2am, “If you haven’t already, please go see Call Me by Your Name. It was exceptional. I watered up 3 times in that movie, each one more soul crushing than the last. Left the theatre with a heavy but full heart.” Yep, yep, yep. Couldn’t agree more. Screens for a final time at 3:15pm at The Centre.
- Close Knit. According to Screen Daily’s Wendy Ide, Close Knit is “gentle, empathetic and deliberately non-confrontational, taking a mild-mannered approach to transgender issues. Having lived in the U.S., director Naoko Ogigami upon returning to Japan found herself struck by the invisibility of the trans community in her home country. Close Knit’s narrative revolves around 11-year-old Tomo (Rinka Kakihara) who finds herself adopted by her Uncle Makio (Kenta Kiritani) when her mother abandons her. Makio cautions that he is now living with someone. Someone unusual. Rinko (Toma Ikuta) is a transgender woman. Tomo’s initial reserve is soon won over by Rinko’s warm and nurturing nature, and the fact that Rinko keeps a spotless home, and creates cute bento boxes full of rice pandas and sausages sculpted into various sea creatures, which Tomo loves. A nuanced, softly lit family portrait, with compassion and conflict held carefully in balance, Close Knit screens for a final time at 4:15pm, Cineplex International Village, Cinema 10.
- The King’s Choice. Dramatizing a celebrated moment in the Norway’s constitutional monarchy, when King Haakon VII (Jesper Christensen) refused to surrender to the Nazis’ invasion, director Erik Poppe’s filming of the blistering climactic encounter between the King and the German envoy makes for one of the most compelling cinematic scenes of the year. Screens for a final time tonight, 9:30pm, at Cineplex International Village, Cinema 10.
And now onto the final day of VIFF 2017 …
Friday, October 13th
- Borg vs McEnroe, (Grade: A). Janus Metz’s powerful, nuanced biopic while telling the story of one of the great tennis rivalries of all time creates a compelling and oft-times thrilling piece of entertainment. A must-see. Screens at 3:30pm, at the Vancouver Playhouse.
- The Party. With a dream ensemble cast (at least to those of us that love indie filmmaking) and one of the big hits at VIFF this year, a film about which absolutely no one has anything negative to say (no mean feat, that), the new movie from director Sally Potter had Variety critic Guy Lodge writing in his review from Berlin, “Gleefully nasty, zinger-packed this deliciously heightened, caviar-black comedy sets up its brittle, bourgeois characters like bowling pins and gleefully knocks them down in 71 minutes flat, Potter’s dark drawing-room comedy her zestiest work in ages.” Screens for a final time at 5pm at The Centre.
- Wonderstruck, the Closing Gala film, 7:30pm at The Centre, and 9:15pm at The Playhouse. Todd Haynes new film that took Cannes by storm. Stars Julianne Moore (who’s been brilliant in every film she’s ever starred in), about which critic Wendy Ide wrote in Screen Daily, “With first rate work from cinematographer Edward Lachman, costume designer / executive producer Sandy Powell, production designer Mark Friedberg and — particularly — composer Carter Burwell will ensure Wonderstruck, with its gradual swell of emotion that builds to a belter of a tear jerking climax, will emerge as a significant awards season contender.”
And that will wrap the Vancouver International Film Festival for 2017.
Full VanRamblings coverage of VIFF 2017 is available by clicking here.
