The first three days of the 31st annual Vancouver International Film has proved to be nothing less than spectacular.
Although VanRamblings’ Festival started out a bit on the meh side, Friday and Saturday were knockout punches in terms of film quality. As was mentioned yesterday, the counterintuitive (at least for us), heartfelt drama, Any Day Now , has emerged as the most well-acted, poignant, and accomplished piece of indie filmmaking we’ve seen thus far at VIFF2012.
Nuala (Grade: B+): Renowned Irish journalist, feminist TV producer and host, book reviewer, teacher and New York Times best-selling author Nuala O’Faolain, who passed on May 9, 2008, was the second eldest of nine children, the daughter of neglectful parents — a raffish social affairs columnist father, and a book-loving, alcoholic mother. Somehow, through her love of literature, a beauty which brought her many (many) lovers, and the undampened spirit she carried within her throughout her life, Nuala prevailed. As British poet Philip Larkin wrote, “They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do.” Odds-on favourite to win Best Non-Fiction Film at VIFF2012 (no mean feat that considering the superior quality of VIFF docs this year), Nuala is must VIFF viewing in 2012. One final screening, Wednesday, October 3rd at 11am, Vancity Theatre.
Any Day Now (Grade: A-): The Audience Award winner at Tribeca this year, winner of Best Actor (Alan Cumming) and Best Director (Travis Fine) at the Seattle Film Festival in June, among a raft of other awards, this touching, tragic, sentimental and (fortunate for us) at times wildly comic 1979-set apparently true period drama explores the discrimination to which gay men have long been subjected, and the lengths to which one must go to engender tolerance and civil rights. Far from pedantic or a polemic, the at all times honest and beautifully-etched story of Paul, a closeted deputy district attorney who falls in love with Rudy (Alan Cumming), a flamboyant, lip syncing drag queen, and the fight the two wage to adopt Marco (Isaac Leyva), a teen with Down syndrome, offers as intimate and nuanced a character-driven drama as you’re likely to see this year. A film not to miss. Screens again next Saturday, October 6th at 11am at the Vancity Theatre, and on Monday, October 8th at 9:30pm, Empire Granville 7.
A Q&A with Thursday Till Sunday’s Dominga Sotomayor and Santi Ahumada
And for our final film today, our favourite Latin American film thus far — we’ve seen a number of wonderful Latin American films in preview and early in the Festival, so that’s saying something quite wonderful about …
Thursday Till Sunday (Grade: A-): A lyrical and moving family drama with a superb, breakout performance from 11-year-old newcomer Santi Ahumada, and an audacious, superbly in control, atmospheric and assured film début for talented Chilean writer-director Dominga Sotomayor, the film’s narrative takes place over the course of four vacation days as Lucía (Ahumada), acting in the capacity of reliable and poignant observer, watches from the back seat of the car as her parent’s marriage disintegrates before her very eyes. Capturing childhood with all its precocious insight, there is about Ahumada’s approach to Lucía a winsome and engaging fidelity, in a début screen performance easily the equal of the precociously talented 11-year-old Natalie Portman. In a VIFF year of standout child performances, Ahumada’s ranks among the very best. Were she American, Santi Ahumada would almost certainly find herself on track to becoming a big, big star. A must-see. One final screening: Wed., Oct 3rd at 1:30pm, Vancity Theatre.
