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Bootleg Film Festival · 2013

Bootleg Film Festival 2013

All Films

Programme

58 films · 15 reviews

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Alex

Review preview for Alex

Jed Berry delivers an assured performance that belies his age.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A teenager left to roam the streets by his heroin-addicted mother dicovers he has a remarkable gift.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: John Sweeney; Stars: Jed Berry, Alison Brougham)

Full review

Aliens Under The Bed

When things go missing in the home where she lives alone, a middle aged woman coms to suspect that something strange is afoot.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Dela Gallagher, Lindsay Brown)

All That Glisters

Review preview for All That Glisters

There isn't much to this wee film, but that doesn't mean it doesn't shine.

Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
Growing up, a girl tries to come to terms with her father's illness.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Claire Lamond; Writer: Claire Lamond, based on the short story by Anne Donovan.; Stars: Anna Cowen, Susan McClure, David McKay, Mairi-Clare McKinlay)

Full review See: Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival awards

An Saileach

Review preview for An Saileach

The film is beautifully photographed, spare but evocative.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A folk song tells of a journey and a terrible decision.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2012; Director: Brian Benjamin Dwyer; Stars: James Barbour) , Official site

Full review

Austin, We Have A Problem

A heartbroken man falls for a porn star he meets at an orgy, but as fact and fantasy blur, can he prove their love is real?

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Andrew Burlinson)

Autumn Wanderer

A man who has just met his ideal woman faces difficult decisions as he realises he has inherited his father's schizophrenia.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Nathan Sutton)

Backpackers

Taking a backpacking trip together strains a romance.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2012; Director: Maren Preuss)

Bitch

A destructive relatonship leads to brutal revenge.

(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Simon Rumley)

Bollocks

An accounts administator who hates his life finally encounters a real opportunity for change.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Simon J Riley)

Darker Shade Of Green

A man tries to assuage his own buried guilt by avenging a stranger.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Edward Andrews)

Dinner With Holly

A bored couple try to spice up their love life.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Josh Crockett, Daniel Sinclair)

Discoverdale

A mockumentary following Dead Cat Bounce acros Europe as they seek to reunite their singer with his supposed father, Whitesnake legend David Coverdale.

(Country: UK; Year: 2013; Director: George Kane; Stars: David Coverdale)

The Download Horror

Two friends settle back to watch a downloaded horror film but things don't go quite to plan.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Jim Hickey)

Easy Reader

A library addict finds himself in truble when distracted by a pretty young woman.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Lewis Rose)

Electric Man

Review preview for Electric Man

The film's main problem is that it's a good 25 minute short padded out to an hour and a half.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
Two comic fans desperate to save their shop are delighted to find a rare first edition of Electric Man - but others are after it too.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: David Barras; Writer: David Barras, Scott MacKay; Stars: Toby Manley, Mark McKirdy, Fish, Jennifer Ewing, Mark McDonnell)

Full review

Extra Time

A man goes to his local football stadium to remember the dead father to whom he never said a proper goodbye.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Crag-James Moncur)

Fabula

A boy and girl meet for the first time on a riverbank. Could this be the beginning of something special?

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2012; Director: Augustin Falco)

Gemalogia

Falling in love destroys a gemologist's ability to appreciate perfection in diamonds.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2012; Director: Rick Limentani)

Graders

A woman searches for her missing sister in the Scottish highlands.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: David Hutchison)

The Greater Good: A Hitchhike Perspective

Review preview for The Greater Good: A Hitchhike Perspective

Unfortunately these fascinating interviews are presented in a disorganised manner that detracts from their impact, and the sound quality is so bad than in places it makes the film unwatchable.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
A documentary tracking global hitchhikers as they discuss what travel means to them.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Thomas Francine)

Full review

Judge Minty

Review preview for Judge Minty

The first thing that needs to be said about Judge Minty is that it looks stunning.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A Judge prepares for retirement in Mega City One - and for a new, still more dangerous life beyond it.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Steven Sterlacchini; Writer: Michael Carroll, Steven Sterlacchini; Stars: Edmund Dehn, Greg Staples, Mark Watson, Peter Seddon, Domino Barbeau, Jared Butler, Fryda Wolff, Mark Engelhardt, Rocco Rosanio, Michael Mohrhardt, Jim Dorsey, Ben Woods, Matthew Banwell, Darren Beddows, Matt Beddows)

Full review

Jäminkipohja

A city teenager has a dramatic impact on the local kids whe his father relocates the family to start an organic farm.

(Country: Finland; Year: 2012; Director: Mika Kurvinen)

Kara

A young woman follows a sinister creature to a place full of secrets.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2012; Director: Traolach O Murchu)

Kenneth

When a strange creature crawls out of his ear it's the last straw for a troubled young man.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Peter Anthony Farren)

L'Appuntamento

A double date goes wrong.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2012; Director: Gianpiero Alicchio)

Lapse

A man wakes remembering that a woman is in danger - but nothing else.

(Country: France; Year: 2012; Director: Gilles Guerrez)

The Last Human

Review preview for The Last Human

The Last Human stands shoulder to shoulder with the greats of science fiction cinema when it comes to style, emotional impact and moral weight.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
On a barren planet, the last remaining human strives to implant dna and seed new life in the universe before it's too late.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Tom Walsh)

Full review

The Last Page

Review preview for The Last Page

The use of ballet and ice dance in this film give it a distinctive Russian sensibility but will make it a firm favourite with little girls of a certain kind no matter where they might be.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
As the last page of The Steadfast Tin Soldier is missing, a little girl has to dream its ending.

(Country: Lebanon; Year: 2012; Director: Marc Roumi; Stars: Lisa Bondarik, Alica Avchinnik, Edward Ivanovski)

Full review

Liars

A man shouts truths his neighbours would rather not hear from a rooftop.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Oscar Nobi)

Lief Lost A Book

A short film about tall tales.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Barry Wigg, Craig Henderson)

Lock Up (Lock-Up)

Review preview for Lock Up

What ought to be familiar is transformed into unknown, unknowable territory, the domain of some other.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
As a man turns out he lights and closes his business premises for the night, he gets the feeling that something is watching him from the shadows.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Ben Kent; Writer: Ben Franklin; Stars: Josh Burdett)

Full review

Markefald

A trip to the summer house proves less than relaxing when a body is found and there's a knock on the door in the night.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2012; Director: Mikkel F G Lund)

Notes

Review preview for Notes

There's a lack of focus that lets the film down badly.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
Flatmates who never meet communicate entirely through the written word.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: John McPhail; Writer: John McPhail, Calum Weir; Stars: Tyler Collins, Emma Claire Brightlyn, Jim Sweeney)

Full review

No Comment

A tale of two unexpected encounters on the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.

(Country: France; Year: 2012; Director: Alexandra Naoum)

Once Upon A Time

Review preview for Once Upon A Time

It's a nice idea but, at four minutes, this film is just a little too long to sustain itself with one joke and not much else.

Jennie Kermode · 1.5 out of 5
A children's television presenter is about to crack.

(Country: UK; Year: 2013; Director: Deloris Collins; Stars: Amy Burke, Colin Emerson, Isabel Williams)

Full review

Plastic Love

An exploration of secret desires.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Jamie Hooper)

Postcard From 1952

An exploration of human memory.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Annie Gunn, Peter Simonite)

Prey

Review preview for Prey

There's little imagination in the story but the characters are well drawn and convincingly portrayed, whilst the overall look of the film is stunning given that it was shot on a budget of just £500.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Awakening after a dimly remembered one night stand, Tom can't shake the feeling that something terrible has happened - or is about to happen.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Jonny Franklin, Ben Kent; Writer: Ben Franklin, Joel Morgan; Stars: Fergal Philips, Jessica Blake, David Blood)

Full review

Pregnant

Envious of his glowing mother, a five year old boy decides to become pregnant.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Angelina Colom)

Pro Kopf

A man offers money to his maid to kill his wife and her lover.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2012; Director: Sascha Zimmerman)

Q

An urban reworking of Don Quixote.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: Felipe Vara de Rey)

Red, White, Black & Blue (Red, White, Black And Blue)

US students travel to New Zealand to play rugby.

(Country: US; Year: 2012; Director: James Brown)

Requiem Of Home

A young Beijing photographer observes the way her country is changing.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2012; Director: Abigail Wang)

Revenge Flame Of Hayabusa

Released from prison, a yakuza seeks revenge for the murder of his gang.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Petong Sakulchai)

A Short Film On Conformity

A businessman comes into conflict with his colleagues.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2012; Director: Matt Willis-Jones)

Sketch

A young drug dealer dreams of a better life.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2012; Director: Justin Evans)

Somebody's Daughter

When an older man seeks to prolong their journey together, a young hitchhiker grows nervous. Does he want to help or hurt her?

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Gareth Peevers)

Sonata

A discussion of the pros and cons of arranged marriage.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2012; Director: Jon Ander Tomas)

Strings

Four young people about to leave home for university find themselves involved in complex romantic situations in this debut feature made on a shoestring budget by a teenager.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Rob Savage; Writer: Rob Savage; Stars: Philine Lembeck, Oliver Malam, Hannah Wilder, Sid Akbar Ali)

Supply

Review preview for Supply

Behind it all lies the mundanity of the situation; even when the story shifts, the lighting and props and system-centred plotting retain that grim suburban comprehensive ethos.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A supply teacher is determined simply to survive his first day at a new school.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Peter Coventry; Stars: Ben Lambert, Russell Barnett, Alec Gray, Cicely Tennant, Alicia Hager, Kenneth Hougham, David Boyes)

Full review

Tales Of The Troll

Review preview for Tales Of The Troll

Its lean condition means we can see the bones but its straightforwardness and lack of pretension give it a certain charm.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
Deep within the forest, trolls still lurk.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Deanna Dewey; Writer: Nicola O'Neill; Stars: Steve Dunning, Nathan Gathergood, Nicola O'Neill, Caroline Otto, Chris St. Omer)

Full review

Tea Breakdown

A temporary PA struggles to get her boss' tea just right in preparation for a big meeting.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Andrew Ionides)

Time 2 Split

A young couple with a young child contemplate separation.

(Country: France; Year: 2012; Director: Fabrice Bracq)

Una Del Oueste

Three friends reconvene after 30 years to finish the Western they started shooting as kids, but they are no longer the same people.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2012; Director: Alexandre Casanovas)

The Undrawn

Superheroes with rubbish powers work in rubbish jobs and dream of the Marvel stardom it seems they can never attain.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2012; Director: Jeffrey P Nesker)

VOID

A single mother struggles to cope, trying to get lost in dreams.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Christopher Cook)

The Waster

Review preview for The Waster

It takes a strong script to navigate this difficult territory and, where it deals with mundane matters, The Waster's is only average.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A man who has wasted his life playing video games is approached by sinister strangers who ask why it shouldn't be taken away and given to someone more deserving.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Colin Ross Smith; Writer: Mark Loftus; Stars: Jamie Jack Gordon, Shona Denovan, Joe Cassidy, Tommy Jay Brennan)

Full review

Weekend Retreat

A couple who have gone away to try and repair their marriage are taken hostage by desperate gunmen.

(Country: UK; Year: 2012; Director: Brett Harvey)