MIFF
Kneecap
"The Troubles. I got fuckin' troubles."
Ireland has been having a moment recently with regards to film, seeing as some of the best actors and filmmakers today hail from the Emerald Isle; Kneecap being the highlight of my festival experience reminds me yet again why Irish cinema deserves its time in the sun.
The film stars the members of the titular Irish-language rap group as themselves in their acting debuts, delivering a captivating and wildly entertaining biopic about their supposed origin story. Winner of the NEXT Audience Award at Sundance, and recently submitted as Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, the film maintains an electrifying energy throughout with some highly stylized moments and strong comedic sensibility—an energy that no doubt matches the band’s own.
While at a party with Naoise (Móglaí Bap), Liam (Mo Chara) gets arrested, and blatantly refuses to speak in English when questioned by the police. JJ (DJ Próvaí), a teacher at an Irish-language primary school, is soon summoned to translate. He helps Liam avoid charges, and soon discovers what would later become rap lyrics in Liam’s notebook, and offers to help produce tracks for him and Naoise.
What follows is a real romp as the group find their footing and amass a following, which ruffles some feathers in post-Troubles Belfast (and beyond). The film contains a strong sense of political consciousness as the trio attempts to resist the British imperialist rule of Northern Ireland through their republican messaging. Their journey is intrinsically tied to the movement, as Liam and Naoise are shown to have been raised by Arlo (Michael Fassbender), who is a former republican paramilitary and taught them to speak Irish as an act of resistance.
Having been written by the band themselves (alongside director Rich Peppiatt) the film stays true to their ethos, despite taking creative liberties with the actual events. This works to both the film and band’s advantage; since it is apparent that the story is largely fictionalised (owing to some of the decidedly outlandish things that occur) one might be tempted to seek out the truth behind the band’s inception, through interviews and articles. Even so, the filmmakers are smart enough not to give much away through the press, adding to the myth and mystery surrounding Kneecap (the film, and maybe more importantly, the band).
The idea that culture and language are used as tools of resistance is nothing new, but in the present age when indigenous cultures are still at risk of being wiped out, Kneecap reminds us all again that we must uphold them, lest the colonialists (old and new) succeed. Ultimately, this retelling of the West Belfast rap trio's formative years is a love letter to the Irish language, besides being an absolute belter of a time at the cinema.
Grand Tour
Earning Miguel Gomes Best Director at this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival, this is a film that defies categorisation. Part First World War-era period drama, part cultural documentary, Grand Tour follows Edward (Gonçalo Waddington), a British officer stationed in Burma, as he embarks on a journey across Asia in an effort to avoid marrying his fiancée of seven years Molly (Crista Alfaiate), who seems to be able to track his every move as he travels from country to country.
Some parts of their Tour are not shown on screen; instead, Gomes employs documentary-style footage of everyday life in modern-day Southeast and East Asia, with narrators from each country they visit describing what they did. For instance, in the Singapore-Thailand leg of his trip, Edward is described to have visited a village (or kampung) in Malaya as his train was derailed along the way. However, on screen we see a present-day kampung instead, with a woman making ketupat, sticky rice in a casing made from woven palm leaves. Though, my personal favourite scene would have to be one Filipino man’s performance of “My Way” at a karaoke bar, a performance so impassioned that it leaves himself tearing up at the end.
This mismatch between narration and image seems to be consistent with Gomes’ style elsewhere in the film, as he presents a cinematic language that betrays our preconceived notions; nowhere is this more apparent in the film’s mix of black and white and colour footage, which doesn’t follow any apparent logic. Typically, we would expect black and white to be reserved for the past, but we end up having a mix of ‘past’ and present footage in black and white. Apart from that, having the English characters speak in Portuguese, while keeping other characters’ languages true to their nationalities adds a layer of absurdity as well, which is echoed throughout much of the film.
Nonetheless, I came away largely unmoved. The cultural documentation sparks some thought surrounding orientalism—one character even admits that the white man does not understand the Orient—especially when one considers the film’s journey through and presentation of Asia, as well as the obvious difference in setting between the film and the typical (European) Grand Tour. (One important device employed in its portrayal of Asia here is the motif of puppetry from all over the continent—yoke thé, wayang kulit, dragon and elephant dances, just to name a few—perhaps underscoring Edward’s predicament in which he feels helpless or controlled, or otherwise reflecting the film’s, at times, theatrical tendencies seen in its exaggerated performances.) However, the actual story which justifies this time-fluid presentation of Asia seems to be there for that purpose only, and itself sparks little interest.
I am largely unfamiliar with the works of Miguel Gomes, though Grand Tour does leave a strong impression. I might have to catch Tabu some time.
Janet Planet
A few years ago, I sat down in Hampstead Heath with a copy of The Flick in my hand and read it all in one sitting. I’ll admit I don’t recall much of what happens in the play, but I remember enjoying the read, so when it was announced that Annie Baker would be making her directorial debut in film, I had my eyes set on it. And I am glad I did, because with Janet Planet, this Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright proves herself to be a filmmaking talent to watch.
The film focuses on Lacy (Zoe Ziegler), an 11-year-old girl, and her relationship with her mother, Janet (Julianne Nicholson). We follow Lacy and Janet through the summer, as we watch their lives unfold in a cosy rural home: Lacy attending piano lessons and practising on a small two-octave keyboard in their living room; them having dinners on the porch; trips to (unmistakably 90s) malls with Lacy running past countless stores. Alongside all this, Janet tries to find love, though she only seems to make bad decisions with regards to the men she dates, a fact highlighted by friend Regina (Sophie Okonedo).
Baker’s screenplay comes with a healthy dose of heart and humour, the words of which are interpreted wonderfully by the cast. Though, what actually forms the highlight of the film for me are the pregnant pauses between those words. The pace with which the dialogue is delivered gives weight to each conversation, each proclamation uttered by the characters. This again comes down to the performances, especially by Ziegler and Nicholson, which serve to fill in the gaps that the words leave. (At one point, a short glance even manages to become a comedic callback.)
Not only that, but Baker’s approach to blocking and framing her characters works to create this sort of carefree attitude which suits the mood of the film. She sometimes keeps her characters right at the edge of the frame, half cut-off, giving a playful quality to the mise-en-scène, and perhaps even an innocence.
Janet Planet manages to be tender and nostalgic without ever being saccharine. In doing so, Annie Baker follows in the footsteps of Celine Song (of Past Lives fame) as yet another dramatist transitioning successfully into film.
Sources
Festival de Cannes. (2024, May 25). Award for Best Director – Miguel GOMES for GRAND TOUR. https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/medialibrary/award-for-best-director-miguel-gomes-for-grand-tour/
Kneecap (film). (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kneecap_(film)
MIFF. (n.d.). Grand Tour. https://miff.com.au/program/film/grand-tour
MIFF. (n.d.). Janet Planet. https://miff.com.au/program/film/janet-planet
MIFF. (n.d.). Kneecap. https://miff.com.au/program/film/kneecap
Yoke thé. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoke_thé