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Fantastic Fest · 2019

Fantastic Fest 2019

Features

Programme

26 films · 21 reviews

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Abou Leila

Review preview for Abou Leila

This is a long way off the beaten track of traditional narrative, but it is nonetheless engaging and affecting.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
Two men take an increasingly surreal trip into the desert against the backdrop of Civil War.

(Country: Algeria, France; Year: 2019; Director: Amin Sidi-Boumedine; Writer: Amin Sidi-Boumedine; Stars: Slimane Benouari, Lyès Salem, Azouz Abdelkader, Fouad Megiraga, Meriem Medjkrane, Hocine Mokhtar, Samir El Hakim, Slimane Benouari, Lyès Salem, Azouz Abdelkader, Fouad Megiraga, Meriem Medjkrane, Hocine Mokhtar, Samir El Hakim)

Full review

Adoration

A young boy becomes infatuated with a young inmate at his mother's psychiatric hospital.

(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2019; Director: Fabrice du Welz; Writer: Romain Protat, Vincent Tavier, Fabrice du Welz; Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Laurent Lucas, Peter Van den Begin, Fantine Harduin, Gwendolyn Gourvenec, Martha Canga Antonio, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Anaël Snoek, Renaud Rutten, Sandor Funtek, Thomas Gioria, Jean-Luc Couchard, Pierre Nisse, Pierre Brichese, Maïté Lorand)

After Midnight (Something Else)

Review preview for After Midnight

The sweetness in this film and its lightness of touch are utterly beguiling. Nothing you can do will prepare you for the way it ends.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A man struggles with loneliness, the possible collapse of his relationship and the fact that every night a monster tries to break into his house.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jeremy Gardner, Christian Stella; Writer: Jeremy Gardner; Stars: Henry Zebrowski, Justin Benson, Brea Grant, Jeremy Gardner)

Full review

Amigo

Review preview for Amigo

Pareja and Botet often perform comedy together and have a seasoned chemistry which makes it easy to buy into the depth and intensity of their characters’ relationship.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
After injuring him in a car crash, a man tries to care for his best friend in his remote house but the tension between them grows.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2019; Director: Óscar Martín; Writer: Javier Botet, Óscar Martín; Stars: Javier Botet, David Pareja, Esther Gimeno, Zoe Berriatúa)

Full review

The Antenna (The Night Bulletin)

In a dystopian Turkey, a government is installing new TV antennas across the country... and a building superintendent finds himself standing against a menacing broadcast.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 2018; Director: Orcun Behram; Stars: Ihsan Önal, Ihsan Önal)

The Black Pit Of Dr M (Misterios De Ultratumba)

Two doctors make a pact in which they swear that the first to die will return - if possible - to tell the other how to get a glimpse of the afterlife while still alive.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 1959; Director: Fernando Méndez; Writer: Ramón Obón; Stars: Gastón Santos, Rafael Bertrand, Mapita Cortés)

The Cleansing Hour

Review preview for The Cleansing Hour

LeVeck has more story ideas than are initially apparent and saves the best till last.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
Millennial entrepreneurs, Drew and Max, run a webcast that streams live exorcisms that are, in fact, elaborately staged hoaxes. They get their comeuppance when today's actress becomes mysteriously possessed by a real demon that holds the crew hostage.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Damien LeVeck; Writer: Damien LeVeck, Aaron Horwitz; Stars: Kyle Gallner, Ryan Guzman, Joanna David, Emma Holzer, Alix Angelis)

Full review

Come To Daddy

Review preview for Come To Daddy

This is one film that's really going to test the mettle of Wood's mainstream fanbase.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
After receiving a cryptic letter from his estranged father, Norval travels to his dad’s oceanfront home for what he hopes will be a positive experience. If only he’d known the dark truth about his old man beforehand.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Ant Timpson; Writer: Toby Harvard; Stars: Elijah Wood, Madeleine Sami, Stephen McHattie, Ona Grauer, Michael Smiley, Martin Donovan, Raresh DiMofte, Garfield Wilson, Simon Chin, Alla Rouba)

Full review

The Happiness of the Katakuris (Katakuri-ke no Koufuku)

Review preview for The Happiness of the Katakuris

Small children would delight in this film, but most adults would be horrified by the thought of them seeing it.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Running a guest house proves deathly for a family. Just as well they know a few good songs.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2001; Director: Takashi Miike; Writer: Kikumi Yamagishi; Stars: Kiyoshiro Imawano, Keiko Matsuzaka, Naomi Nishida, Kenji Sawada, Shinji Takeda, Naoto Takenaka, Tetsuro Tamba)

Full review

Happy Face

The story of a handsome teenager who deforms his face and attends a support group for disfigured people. and in turn, changes all their lives - for good and bad. Based on real events.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2018; Director: Alexandre Franchi; Stars: ER Ruiz, Cindy Nicholsen, David Roche, Dawn Shaw)

Homewrecker

Review preview for Homewrecker

Flitting between the agonies of trying to be socially appropriate, real violence and frantic comedy, Homewrecker is a fast paced, character-driven film that will follow you around until you give it all of your attention.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A woman asks a stranger she meets at a yoga class to redecorate her home, then refuses to let her leave.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Zack Gayne; Writer: Zack Gayne; Stars: Alex Essoe, Precious Chong)

Full review

Jojo Rabbit

Review preview for Jojo Rabbit

As Jojo, Davis delivers one of the finest performances of the year.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Satire following a lonely boy and his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler, whose nationalistic views are challenged when he discovers his mum is hiding a young Jewish girl.

(Country: Germany, US; Year: 2019; Director: Taika Waititi; Writer: Taika Waititi, based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens; Stars: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Sitara Attaie, Luke Brandon Field, Victoria Hogan, Brian Caspe, James McVan, Judith Georgi, Bethany Adams)

Full review

Knives And Skin

Review preview for Knives And Skin

This is a world of ballgowns, sequins and lace...but none of that diminishes the ability of its heroes to think clearly or take charge of their own fates.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Trouble brews in small town America after the disappearance of a teenager.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jennifer Reeder; Writer: Jennifer Reeder; Stars: Kate Arrington, Tony Fitzpatrick, Tim Hopper, Marika Engelhardt, James Vincent Meredith, Robert T. Cunningham, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Ty Olwin, Raven Whitley, Audrey Francis, Grace Etzkorn, Genevieve Venjohnson, Ireon Roach, Kayla Carter, Haley Bolithon)

Full review See: Interview with Jennifer Reeder about Knives And Skin

Koko-di Koko-da

Review preview for Koko-di Koko-da

We don't see the much of the immediate aftermath of death here, but instead are treated to the way grief can linger, catching anger and guilt in its wake

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorsing them, luring them deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror.

(Country: Sweden, Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Johannes Nyholm; Writer: Johannes Nyholm; Stars: Leif Edlund, Ylva Gallon, Peter Belli, Katarina Jacobson)

Full review

The Lodge

Review preview for The Lodge

The Lodge hinges on a powerhouse performance from Keough, who inhabits the troubled Grace so completely that we can stay with her even as her ability to distinguish what's real and what isn't breaks down.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A young woman and her reticent new stepchildren find themselves isolated in the family’s remote winter cabin, locked away to dredge up the mysteries of her dark past.

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2019; Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz; Writer: Sergio Casci, Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz; Stars: Richard Armitage, Riley Keough, Alicia Silverstone, Jaeden Lieberher, Lia McHugh, Katelyn Wells, Lola Reid)

Full review

Lyle

Review preview for Lyle

Carried throughout by a strong performance from Hoffmann.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A young woman recovering from tragedy becomes convinced that somebody is out to harm the child she is carrying.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Stewart Thorndike; Writer: Stewart Thorndike; Stars: Gaby Hoffmann, Ingrid Jungermann, Rebecca Street, Michael Che, Ashlie Atkinson, Kim Allen) , Official site

Full review

Memory: The Origins of Alien

Review preview for Memory: The Origins of Alien

There are some good stories - various myths around the filming of Alien are punctured, but one of the film's central theses is a mythological one.

Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott’s Alien – rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O’Bannon and HR Giger.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Alexandre O Philippe; Writer: Alexandre O Philippe; Stars: Mickey Faerch, Linda Rich, Mickey Faerch, Linda Rich)

Full review

Parasite

Review preview for Parasite

Bong Joon Ho's tale of two families explores the wealth gap in South Korean society with wit, insight and a pitch black sense of humour.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Bong Joon Ho; Writer: Bong Joon Ho, Jin-won Han; Stars: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Cho, Woo-sik Choi, So-dam Park, Lee Jeong-eun, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myeong-hoon, Ji-so Jung, Hyun-jun Jung, Keun-rok Park, Yi-Seo Jung, Jae-myeong Jo, Ik-han Jung, Kyu-baek Kim)

Full review

Rock, Paper And Scissors

Review preview for Rock, Paper And Scissors

Most interesting for its nicely balanced performances.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
Jesus and Maria José live together in the grand house that belonged to their recently deceased father. Their playful routine is disrupted when Magdalena, their half-sister on their dad’s side, returns from Spain asking for her part of the inheritance which they have no intention of sharing.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2019; Director: Macarena García Lenzi, Martín Blousson; Writer: Macarena García Lenzi; Stars: Pablo Sigal, Valeria Giorcelli, Agustina Cerviño)

Full review

Swallow

Review preview for Swallow

It unfolds in a way that defies expectations, finding hope and humanity in unexpected places.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.

(Country: US, France; Year: 2019; Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis; Writer: Carlo Mirabella-Davis; Stars: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Denis O'Hare, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Luna Lauren Velez, Zabryna Guevara, Laith Nakli, Babak Tafti, Nicole Kang, Olivia Perez, Kristi Kirk, Alyssa Bresnahan, Laura Dias, Elise Santora)

Full review See: Interview with Carlo Mirabella-Davis about Swallow

Synchronic

Review preview for Synchronic

Synchronic is science fiction thinking about itself.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A pair of paramedics find their friendship put to the test after a series of deaths are linked to a drug.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead; Writer: Justin Benson; Stars: Jamie Dornan, Anthony Mackie, Katie Aselton, Ally Ioannides, Bill Oberst Jr., Betsy Holt, Aaron Groben, Shane Brady, Martin Bats Bradford, Devyn A. Tyler, Natasha Tina Liu, Lawrence Turner, Kate Adair, Carl Palmer, Rhonda Johnson Dents)

Full review

VHYes

Review preview for VHYes

Chaotic and fragmented, VHYes initially snares the viewer with simple curiosity value and then, as distinct themes and characters begin to emerge, becomes harder and harder to look away from.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
12-year-old Ralph, over one formative week in late 1987, mistakenly records home videos and his favourite late night shows over his parents’ wedding tape, with unexpected consequences.

(Year: 2019; Director: Jack Henry Robbins; Writer: Nate Gold, Nunzio Randazzo, Jack Henry Robbins; Stars: Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Mark Proksch, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins)

Full review

Vivarium

Review preview for Vivarium

Lorcan Finnegan never allows us to lose sight of the absurdity of the situation, nor of the real life absurdities that it points up.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
In search of a starter home, a young couple follow a mysterious estate agent and get trapped in a strange housing development.

(Country: Ireland, Belgium, Denmark; Year: 2019; Director: Lorcan Finnegan; Writer: Lorcan Finnegan, Garret Shanley, Garret Shanley; Stars: Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Olga Wehrly, Danielle Ryan, Senan Jennings, Molly McCann, Eanna Hardwicke, Shana Hart, Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Olga Wehrly, Danielle Ryan, Senan Jennings)

Full review

Why Don't You Just Die (Papa, sdokhni)

Review preview for Why Don't You Just Die

The characters are beautifully drawn and the performances finely balanced in a film with a lot more going on upstairs than its preoccupation with violence might suggest.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A dark action comedy about a group of people brought together in the apartment of police detective Andrei: his resentful daughter, an angry thug and a cheated cop. Each one of them have a reason to want revenge.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2018; Director: Kirill Sokolov; Writer: Kirill Sokolov; Stars: Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev, Evgeniya Kregzhde, Michael Gor, Elena Shevchenko, Igor Grabuzov, Aleksandr Domogarov, Ilya Gavrilenkov, Vasiliy Kopeikin, Ilya Kostyukov, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev, Evgeniya Kregzhde, Michael Gor, Elena Shevchenko)

Full review

Wyrm

Review preview for Wyrm

Taplitz is a real find, bringing depth to a character who doesn't get much room to express emotion given the film's dry, mannered style.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
In a retro-future alternate universe where children wear electronic collars to monitor their sexual development, one boy, Wyrm, has fallen woefully behind.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Christopher Winterbauer; Writer: Christopher Winterbauer; Stars: Theo Taplitz, Alanna Ubach, Mel Rodriguez, Lulu Wilson)

Full review

You Don't Nomi

Released in 1995, Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls was met by critics and audiences with near universal derision. You Don’t Nomi traces the film’s redemptive journey from notorious flop to cult classic.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Jeffrey McHale; Writer: Jeffrey McHale)