Here are (in no particular order) my 24 TIFF reviews (one of my screenings was cancelled)! These are only the beginning – expect us to be posting many more, as collectively we covered much of the festival! And please excuse any typos or similar errors – time is short these days and 24 film reviews, no matter how few words, is no small task!
She, A Chinese [5]
Though the film brings little new to the table stylistically or ideologically (one portion plays much like Ali : Fear Eats the Soul free of its tableaus), it articulates Li Mei’s struggle with her Chinese identity remarkably well. The music mixes source and score seamlessly, also acting to modernize Li Mei’s plight through its fusion of Chinese and Western influences.
Men on the Bridge [5]
A documentary-turned-fiction weaving together the stories of 3 men (sometimes barely) employed on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. The director’s documentary sensibility dominates the film (for the best), focusing on the quotidian – which for these men is irreparable. Without the story of the Traffic Cop the film would have been completely defeatist, but this story brought balance and insight to an already enlightened, beautiful film.