I saw a lot of really good films at the Leeds International Film Festival. Low-budget, high-budget, sci-fi, comedies, dramas, films from many different countries, slow films, fast paced films. What they had in common was that they were generally of a really high quality. That might mean one of two things. I'm either a genius at looking through descriptions of films and choosing films I will like or the curating at the leeds film festival is of a very high level indeed. Or perhaps it's a mixture of both.

I best do this in order of films watched. Each of the day's headings represent a day I actually went to see films, which was not every day the festival is running. The way I understand the films is certainly informed by what films I've seen that day, whether I'm tired, etc, so I think that information is relevant.

Day 1

A Samurai in Time

What a treat to start my festival with. An absolute gem. Expertly crafted, low-budget, homage to the genre of samurai films and the people who create that magic. Samurai travels to present day mid-fight and finds himself in a set of a tv-show set in samurai times, a samurai story. Lulls you into a lowering your guard by ham-fisted dialogue and slightly off sound effects, but if you have the good sense to overlook it in the interest of a good story, you will be in for a treat. For those who like to be deceived. Cinema being an illusion, for those who like cinema. Period. (Period cinema).

Next up I went to the "sci-fi" day, a marathon of four sci-fi films shown in a row.

The A-Frame

1st Sci-fi marathon film.

Starts off well, the viewer having to wave off some sciency-souding word salad they came up but we're ok, it's part of the game. As it progresses, the waving off becomes more of a full-time shoveling of not only the sciency bit, what's worse, plot wholes and characters behaving inexplicably baffling, until it climaxes into an unavoidable sense of "meh". Not great.

Jupiter

2nd Sci-fi marathon film.

Girl in cult, the search for meaning, adolescence, the trials of living with neurodivergence in the family and what we're willing to overlook in our search for a place of belonging. It's a well constructed film, whose strong suit is the nuance with which it treats its subject matter, which is commendable. One problem it has which is not its fault is that it is not in any way a sci-fi movie and it was included in a sci-fi marathon, and not for lack of other sci-fi films in the festival. Even Samurai in Time has some elements of otherwordlyness which would fit better into the marathon. In the end, for me, it doesn't really shine very brightly, though if you're interested in any of the above it might be right for you. It's a solid effort, it's well shot, it builds tension well. It's a rewarding view. Maybe I didn't like it more because I couldn't get over how out of place it was in a sci-fi marathon. Oh well.

U Are the Universe

3rd Sci-fi marathon film.

Ukranian film, space trucker and the loneliness of being surrounded by technology that tries to keep you company. You're in for a proper closet drama with this one, taking place in the spaceship for almost the full film. It's a lovely film, full of heart and human emotion. Real strong performance from the carmudgeon space trucker which is perfectly complemented by the upbeat on-board computer that tries to cater to his every need - and can't help but fail. It works very well. And the ship is very beautifully clunky. So many spaceships in films are top of their class, latest technology, blah blah blah. This one is a space truck, a workhorse, and every sliding movement, every opening of closing of hatches is the opposite of slickness. Also, some real, human stakes in total despair. Humble desires for something basic as the heroic story. Don't expect any world-saving stunts from our droopy-faced hero. But be involved in something deeply heroic nonetheless. Recommended.

Tim Travers and the Time Travellers Paradox

4th Sci-fi marathon film.

If U are the Universe brought us delicate human stories in a contained environment, this one brings us the most bombastic of concepts... in a contained environment. Ish. There's a lot of special effects after a while, but,for the most of it, it's the strength of the performances that keeps the whole crazy show going. At it keeps going, gaining momentum, until the machinery eventually gets a bit out of control and maybe no-one knows what to do with it anymore and it goes a bit too crazy. But, you know, fair play. Doesn't mean the ride isn't a lot of fun.Because it's a lot of fun. If you like crazy intellectually shit, don't mind some sort of insight into how even small experiences can change you, so long as it's spoken softly in the midst of wildly entertaining shenanigans, and don't mind spending all of your time with someone you will not like as a person but can't help but admire their uwavering commitment to the figuring something out, you will have a blast spending some time with the very unhinged mind(s) of Tim Travers.

Day 2

Nickel Boys

A history of Civil Rights in 60's Southern US. A simple story about how easily one can fall into degradation by just being black. Also, how even when things change, or are starting to change, how some institutions will refuse to change, will remain holdouts of the old ways. Though the black person on the streets may see some change, what of the incarcerated, the children, and, what's more, the incarcerated children. There are so many standouts in this film. It shown in first person, and begins with a discovery of the world. See how the sun shines, how the sky is blue, how the trees blow, how the skin on your arms is dark. How important that last fact my turn out to be, but there's nothing natural about that importance. The blocking is outstanding, especially when the perspectives switch. And the villains are, to my mind, excepcional. None of the ridiculous pleasure in cruelty of your traditional fare. These are throughly normal people. Not particularly fastidious in their evil, nor just pawns and victims of the system which happens to exploit. With their greed, their personal sense of what should be done, which is a sense, not of justice, but perhaps of righteousness, they are a perfect portrait of what it looks like to do the thing that is expected of you, getting your take from the system and not question it. Perhaps they are a perfect portrait of how we are, at least most of the time. And what horrors are wrought from this pettyness of ours, what evil! We would do well to remember that, for all our stories of eventual victory for the brave underdog, the way to freedom has been paved, and will continue to be paved, by people being crushed by the machine. Many of whom would have perhaps made it through their circumstances had they been, not brave, but compliant. That is all that is required for systems to continue existing, is it not? And let us not forget beauty, and friendship. I dwell on the villains because I related to them, but it's certainly not what the film is about, though it is about a lot and it's hard to contain all. Expect a hard experience to contain, but, a great film nonetheless or perhaps because of.

Union

A story of importance, sure, a story of great resonance, today, as some many enjoy the fruits of the labour of people in the shadowlands: e.g. rapid, even somewhat magical, delivery of all you could afford, or get into debt and fall yourself into the shadowlands to acquire. Profits the size of which bring even that other great power, the state, to heel. Though mighty, it is very clear what this power fears: organized labour. It understands the awesome power the worker has, and so expends a considerable amount of its great resources to make the workers forget it. For this, for recording what is going on, not in some faraway moment freedom was brought to us, be that civil rights or an escape from Egypt, but right now, all around us, it is worth supporting, perhaps even watching the film. However, it is not a great cinematic story that makes this documentary a must-see. I'm very grateful for all that it has brought to my attention, that cannot be taken away, but I'm not about to say that it is a fantastic film. Perhaps I am just annoyed the film-makers have not been able to find a way to smash the corporate stranglehold on our lives in an a single act of cinematic awesomeness, and have found themselves compelled by the reality they have found to create a piece of cinema that is unsatisfying. Perhaps it is just as it should be. Though certainly noteworthy and of great relevance, the story of what is happening is not one in which our Moses has arrived and has delivered us from bondage. The filmmakers have done well in not giving me a symbolic substitute for what we are all in need of in actuality.

Rumours

I was really anticipating this one. When I read the program it was one of the first that marked "definitely going to watch this one". The premise sounds great. The leaders of the G7 countries face an end-times event during a summit, and must fend for themselves. The casting sems great, Cate Blanchett as the German Chancelor and Charles Dance as the President of the United States. The situation lends itself to funny situations, and the film itself is quite quotable. The execution, the pacing, and the charactes, though, are lacking. And that's kind of the entire film. Is there nothing that can be salvaged from the wreck? Well, just the premise and the funny bits when they land. So what to do? Avoid. And, maybe, if you have some terrific storyteller in your midst, have him watch it and tell the story back to you. That should be a laugh for about 10 minutes. Do not, under any circumstances, allow the success of this exercise in any way tempt you to go see this film. You have been warned.

Day 4

The Stimming Pool + A Body

A film by autistic people about the experiences of autism. Very interesting, especially if this is a topic you are interested in. Also not very long. Not going to tell you the very disjointed plot of the various autistic character/creators is a masterpiece, though the disjointedness itself might be a part of its message. If this is something you have an interest in, consider watching it. A Body is a short film that rounds up the session, The Stimming Pool being a little over an hour long, if memory doesn't fail me. It follows a character who is deeply interested, as is the case with some autistic people, in a very narrow subject, which, to him, is the world. Puddles and microbia, if I remember correctly. As you can tell, it is not something that struck me very deeply, but I do remember finding it well-shot. Attending just one session in a day means I was otherwise engaged that day (in this case, with a full day's work), so make what you will of my hazy recall.

Day 5

Flow

I took my daughter to see this wordless animation about a cat, which she found too scary, which forced me to leave the theatre after only a few minutes of film. I managed to convince her to reenter breifly but we mostly spent some time having tea in Hyde Park Cinema's rather comfortable cafe. Some things to bear in mind: my daughter was three years old; my daughter had never been to the cinema before; my daughter, after the film was over did say she wanted to see the cat and was upset to find she couldn't (her only exposure to media coming in situations with endless possibilities for stopping, starting and rewinding). I have little else to say other than maybe don't take a three year-old who finds the mildest of excitement in cartoons in the laptop screen at home to be scary to watch this film in a large screen. Though that might not be of use to many of you, it might be of use to some.

Day 6

She Loved Blossoms More

Another one I made a point to see very early on. It was the image in the program that I found compelling above all, a mixture of grotesque and beautiful, open flesh meets fleur-de-lys, Cronenberg meets patterned tapestry. And boy was it good! Not for everyone, I'm sure, low budget body-horrorish (an ish for patterned beauty), racy fantastical concepts being as niche as it gets, so niche it might be its own niche so really who knows if this is your jam if you've never seen anything like it? The heart of the story is still familial drama, which some of us might be able to relate to, and every bit of the plot, set and characterization undergirds its themes, or perhaps the theme and plot undergird the visuals. Either way, it works. One feels a sense of craft in the film, this is a a film that was well-crafted in every respect. Despite its reliance on strangeness, it maintains its freshness until the very end, which is both surprising and satisfying, never an easy thing to achieve. Recommended.

Day 7

Doc Short Film Panorama: Movements

This selection of short documentary films was good. I'm unsure I buy the theme of "movements" as somehow uniting these shorts, but it was a very good session of unpretentious cinema. In order, there was Mute Utopia, Brazilian documentary about a pirate free radio, what it mean to the people listening to it and making it happen, how it was organized and how it had to grapple, in the pre social-media, with the problems of acceptable discourse and limits to free speech. Then there was A Move, a documentary about an Iranian woman who decides to stop wearing the veil and how her family reacts to it, a simple film which interrogates the mechanisms that people use to maintain and justify traditional behaviours, how they react to being put off-guard by a simple refusal, forcing them to think about the relationship they have to it and what reasons they have to maintain and pressure others to maintain them as well. There was also Chernobyl, My Promised Land, a Ukranian documentary about a man from the Donbas region who settles in the land contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster and how the relationship he has with the locals is marked by a feeling of otherness, stemming from the foreigness of his ways and himself, and how that foreigness is transformed by how the conflict which informed his depature seems to have followed him to his new dwelling. Finally there was The Tunes, a film about songs, centered around a single pub in Belgium, which acts as a hub for a community of very different people who find each other in song and in singing. Maybe the curators were clutching at straws with the theme, but it made for a satisfying viewing experience.

Day 8

The Gesuidouz

What a fun film. A comedy which follows an extremely commited niche band (so niche it hardly has a single fan) from the big city as they move to rural Japan, as part of a program to bring youth to the declining countryside. It is hilarious always, the characters are wacky but always full of heart, and it is able to explore themes of youth, fame, artistic inspiration, following one's idols, countryside life and the search for a place to belong in total fluency. Never let anyone tell you that to be hilarious a film has to be disjointed, or direspectful of its characters, or cynical and if they insist, throw a copy of The Gesuidouz in their face.

I'm Still Here

This one is a gem. Political assassinations, the destruction of a hitherto properous family, and the anguish of not knowing what happened, the loss of waiting for someone who was taken from you, and the coming to grips with what happened. This is no abstract film, this is the story of a very real woman in a very real historical circumstance, when the police could swoop down to your house, take your husband, and leave behind only silence, with not even a death cerficate to give you closure and ease in handling your affairs. A wound that lives on, that is not closed, that, in a way, cannot be closed and the necessity to continue, to find a way to recreate a life for your family, now sitting squarely on a single pair of shoulders, without, by doing so, becoming compromised, betraying the vision of a better society, of justice. The cinematography and directing are beyond reproach, bringing the acting talent of Fernand Torres to full display, who delivers an astounding performance, with heart and nuance, strength and vulnerability at the right times and the right amounts. We feel the injustice in her face, in her every move, we feel, not a sentimental or melancholy injustice, but a very real and carnal injustice, an injustice we feel in our bones. We must never forget the sons-of-bitches and what they have done, though it is clear that most in society would like us to just move on. But, though we may overcome our trauma, we should never move on, should not tolerate these enormities. May our vigilance be reawakened now and last forever.

Cloud

Probably an artefact of how deeply I felt the previous film, how I was still, in a way, reeling from it when I entered Cloud, but I couldn't quite relate to this action thriller about an online salesman (should we just call him a grifter?) and the people whom he leaves behind damaged in the wake of his search for success. I cannot find fault in it, the acting, the pacing, the action scenes, everything is fine, I just couldn't connect to the main character and to the plot. It wasn't a problem of miscommunication by the film, as I understood well what the stakes were (if, sometimes, not quite the motivations, though that wasn't a problem), and could certainly follow the flow of the plot, which is cleverly constructed. But I didn't care that much. Perhaps it is an interesting exercise in going through the motions of the action film without having a clear hero to root for, perhaps I have failed to see how that is an accomplishment of the film. Perhaps. But, at the end of the film, the overwhelming feeling was something like "okay, fine, that happened", and nothing else much to write about.

The Killers

What a stylish film. Anyone who appreciates syle will not fail to appreciate this anthology film, composed of four different stories by four different directors. As with other anthology films, the experience is somewhat jarring, it starts with a vampire transition story, very red-velvet sexy, which is really good actually, successfully going for looks and style and feel, as you relate to the character who's experiencing this new normal with you, and is just as surprised as you are. Success. The second story goes on to a very funny hitman story, starting with a perfect descent from high-life to low-life, in the funniest Chinese Whispers sequence in film or maybe ever, and it is the standout of the four. We next have a not quite a whodunnit but a whoisit, which is gripping and moves you to engage in the exact same attempt at guessing which the characters are involved in. The last film is so stylish it's perhaps too stylish, another homage to the Nighthawks painting (perhaps the third?), this one more on the nose, and I can't say I was fully on board for it though I had a fidgety time watching it as I had a train to catch and was very much afraid I was going to be late. I ended up stepping out before it finished. Worth a watch, for sure, not worth you breaking up plans to go watch it.

Day 9

Gloria!

Jee-elle-oh-are-ay-ey gloria, not in excelsis diem, if you catch my drift. Well, it's about both stiles, classical and popular music, but it's mainly about female freedom, freedom to live lives and sing songs. Yes it's about women living in a patriarchal situation, a convent in the before times - 16th century, 17th? - not sure, not that it matters, it's definitely not a film boasting great historical accuracy, though there is an element of what could've been in this women invent modern popular music in the before times. Could've been as in what talents we have wasted, what lives we have crushed for the benefit of things still extant that we do not seem to care about anymore. But you will read this and think it's some sort of preachy dull experience, more feminist lecture than film, when it is the exact opposite, it's a film full of joy, a joy to watch, a joy to hear the music of, a joy to live through. For it is joy that it preaches, that is the G-L-O-R-I-A, the real one, the one that keeps getting pushed down and never ever gives over, is always present, the joy of life, even the constrained and tyrannical life on show. And it shows you all this joy without pulling punches about the conditions being investigated, though it is, at essence, a pop film and it will adhere to audience expectations rather than seek to subvert, and that is what makes it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, one to get for mom and dad. We can have a good look at oppression and injustice while still being a feel-good film. Because why not? To make art that make us feel good is precisely the thing that was being suppressed. Is not to enjoy one's life and one's art the greatest rebellion? Find it, watch it, have a good life, okay?

When the Light Breaks

What a great way to finish this festival. There's something going on in Iceland that makes them make really great films. Great films that have clear situations that are very particular. Actually I'm just thinking about Rams. But the comparison is not worth the time, because this is a great film on its own merits. It's a film about the grief of the young, but it hangs on a twist of someone having to grieve in secret. I mean she can grieve, but she cannot grieve the depths that she wants to because the relationship she is grieving is not public, and there is a very specific cost to someone else if they do. What does it matter anyway? He is dead, nothing can change that. What does it matter how you grieve and how people perceive your grief and treat you in relation to that grief? Actually, it matters quite a bit as the film shows. This is straightforward plot told in images, a few young adults dealing with a tragedy. All you have to do is look and pay attention, everything is in the character's eyes, their clothes, their movement. Their speech, as well, of course, which also rewards careful attention. Jarring speech is revealed to be precisely what the plot needed. If you like watching people, paying attention and have ever been young, this is the film for you.

All in all, a great experience, which has been a pleasure to recall for this post. And that, in itself, has already made it worth it.