Below is a full roundup of our IFF Boston coverage from 2015, which includes 28 reviews of 20 feature-length films and 8 short films from 5 writers. Two additional film reviews are upcoming.

Your Editor-in-Chief, Mary Tobin, covered IFFBoston as NUFEC press. Her parents so happened to be in town from Iowa during the IFFB weekend, so thankfully many of the NUFEC Blog writing staff stepped up. NUFEC writer and editor, Carter Sigl, contributed several articles, and one article was contributed each by NUFEC member Andy Robinson; Patrick Roos, former Treasurer of NUFEC; and incoming NUFEC Treasurer, Arzu Martinez.

Wednesday

Mary Tobin on The End of the Tour - "In exploring ascension to fame, it explores so much more about the relationship of the interviewer and the interviewee; how both are always assessing one another while potentially drowning in their own self-doubt."


Thursday

Patrick Roos on Being Evel - "If you’re a long-time fan of extreme sports, calculated showmanship, or Hot Rod, you shouldn’t need more than the title to sell you on this movie.  For others, you’ll still want to see a man who, when told by the federal government that he wasn’t allowed to jump the Grand Canyon, went out and bought a canyon of his own to jump."

Mary Tobin on Slow West - "There were a lot of deaths and there was some commentary on outlaws and children, but really nothing that I felt was phenomenal. I feel very indifferent towards the film, unfortunately. "

Mary Tobin on T(error) – “...it appears no one is watching the organizations that have systematically gained vast amounts of power and influence especially in the criminal justice system… which feels anything but just, especially in this context. While I’ve seen many fantastic films at this festival, this is the breakout; this is the film I want to watch again and again. "


Friday

Mary Tobin on Do I Sound Gay? - "... the film was a fascinating take on the impact of the voice, from scientific examinations of intonation to the use of the “gay” voice in film. The cultural impact and assessment was the most intriguing..."

Coming Soon: Mary Tobin on The Surrender 

Carter Sigl on The Overnight – “If you and a few friends want to see an awful American sex comedy, by all means see this movie. Otherwise, I would say this one is a pass… Unless of course you want to see Jason Schwartzman’s dick, in which case this movie will happily oblige.”

Carter Sigl on They Look Like People – “A chilling psychological horror, They Look Like People is a terrifying picture of what it feels like to struggle with schizophrenia.”


Saturday

Mary Tobin on Prom Night - "With a light, airy soundtrack, this comedy short about the sexual expectations accompanying prom night delves into the insecurities of an inexperienced young man with a fresh feel."

Mary Tobin on Hasta La Vista - "This quirky, hilarious short with a quick-witted premise could easily be too sad or too overdone, but manages to walk a comedic line throughout."

Mary Tobin on Help Point - "Two strangers looking for their cars in an airport parking lot cross paths and lament over their common woes."

Mary Tobin on Ticky Tacky - "I’m all for a film set exclusively in an office-library featuring a precocious child who shares a murderous streak with his enigmatic boss, so it was pretty exciting all around."

Mary Tobin on Desk Job - "The film managed to feel familiar without feeling overindulgent for the most part. It felt like the person who made this maybe had to convince their parents that they should be able to work in film rather than have a stable job at a large corporation..."

Mary Tobin Actor Seeks Role - "Alex Karpovsky’s portrayal of a man going off the rails for his craft feels natural, albeit disturbing. Dylan Baker may have stolen the show, though, as his medical instructor excitement flew off the screen."

Carter Sigl on H. - "...the thing about this movie is that it’s a tease.  All these strange things happen, and even if they are interesting or occasionally frightening in the moment, nothing is ever explained..."

Mary Tobin on Lost Conquest – “The most exciting part of this film is, thankfully, the meatiest part: interviews with puzzlingly genuine, thoughtful, and warm people that respectfully held differing beliefs."

Carter Sigl on Wildlike - "Combining a well-written plot with a cast of experienced actors, Wildlike is a touching drama film about two people who start as strangers and slowly come to care for one another...Wildlike is a beautiful film, on both a visual and emotional level..."

Coming Soon: Mary Tobin on Stray Dog

Mary Tobin on Crooked Candy - "It feels rare that a voiceover short film shot largely in the same room and with limited visual engagement of the single subject could so quickly and delightfully engage, but engage it did."

Carter Sigl on DEATHGASM - "DEATHGASM is ridiculous, hilarious, extremely gory, and downright awesome. It’s a horror movie and splatter comedy based entirely around Heavy Metal music which does not take itself seriously in the slightest and runs entirely on sheer mayhem and absurd comedy...All in all, DEATHGASM is one of the funniest and most fun movies I’ve seen in quite a long time."


Sunday

Carter Sigl on Made in Japan - "Directed by John Bishop, Made in Japan is probably one of the most unlikely stories of either Japan or country music I’ve ever seen. The documentary charts both Tomi’s history in the music industry and her contemporary quest: to play on the Grand Ole Opry one last time."

Mary Tobin on The Look of Silence - "This companion piece to The Act of Killing is just as difficult to watch as the original installment, if not more so. That’s not to say the film isn’t fantastic in it’s ability to confront human emotion and what we expect of humanity in a striking tone; it is."

Carter Sigl on The Keeping Room - "All in all, The Keeping Room is a beautiful and terrifying film about women and war, a topic that sorely needs more attention and examination in our culture."


Monday

Mary Tobin on Lost Colony - "I really wanted to like this film, but the combination of frustrating camera choices and a wandering plot with many touched on but underdeveloped subplots was too much for this 84-min film to handle."

Arzu Martinez on Posthumous - "In their conversations, there are brief mentions of questions that could have made the story deliver, like the definition of art and its value, the difference between a real artist and a sell-out, or whether an artist should strive for greatness or happiness."

Mary Tobin on The Hermit - "Unfortunately, The Hermit felt too disorganized to pack much of a punch. For such a ripe and unique story, the exploration felt conventional and surface-level."

Carter Sigl on Future Shock! The Story of 2000 AD - "Overall, Future Shock! is a fascinating and entertaining story about a realm of geek culture I knew next to nothing about."


Tuesday 

Andy Robinson on The Wolfpack - "Moselle positions herself as a fly on the wall in the claustrophobic apartment, but is shy about addressing her influence on the family dynamic. As the first and only guest in their apartment, it’s hard to believe that Moselle was merely an observer throughout several years of filming."


Wednesday

Mary Tobin on Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - "You can read this review in its entirety, but I’ll save you some time if you’re a busy person on a train or something and you’re reading this in a hurry: go see this movie."

This article is part of NUFEC's ongoing coverage of the Independent Film Festival Boston 2015.


Before I dive into these films, I just want to say: damn were they good. I only attended one short film session, which was Shorts B = Bravo, a narratives collection, but I wish I could've attended more short film series. These were truly fantastic films, and getting back into the practice of watching short films is quite easy. They're pithy, because they need to be, and they're often quite funny, which is impressive given the small amount of time we have to connect with the characters or the situation. Bravo, indeed, to these six films: Prom Night, Hasta La Vista, Help Point, Ticky Tacky, Desk Job, and Actor Seeks Role.

*image sadly not available*

A young, slightly awkward man living in New York City attends a party thrown by a friend. What could go wrong? This quirky, hilarious short with a quick-witted premise could easily be too sad or too overdone, but manages to walk a comedic line throughout. You’ll learn about relationships, the impact of subway singers, what true awkward behavior looks like, and maybe even a few fun facts about hippos.

Grade: A

Two strangers looking for their cars in an airport parking lot cross paths and lament over their common woes. The bus stand hosts a “Help Point” where they can speak to someone to help locate their cars, but in the meantime there’s plenty of time for a story or two. This short felt a little overdone at times but was largely enjoyable. Thank goodness I don’t have a car to lose in an airport parking lot.

Grade: B

Initially, this short caught my attention with Wes Anderson-esque symmetry and angles, as well as the inclusion of an all-knowing lawyer who appeared to be about eight years old. But the star of the show, Oscar Isaac, stole the moment with a tale of love, betrayal, and loss. I’m all for a film set exclusively in an office-library featuring a precocious child who shares a murderous streak with his enigmatic boss, so it was pretty exciting all around.

Grade: B+

In Desk Job, we accompany a man through his frustrating day as an insurance claim adjuster working from home. Largely, we only see the one man and the sound editing of the voices he speaks with on the phone is quite impressive. Having working for a large corporation, albeit without the clients breathing down my neck, I completely identify with the feelings of worthless time and meaningless emails. The film managed to feel familiar without feeling overindulgent for the most part. It felt like the person who made this maybe had to convince their parents that they should be able to work in film rather than have a stable job at a large corporation; I don’t know about their parents, but that person convinced me.

Grade: B+

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Short Films at IFFBoston this year.

An aspiring actor (Alex Karpovsky of GIRLS) in New York City pays his rent with a part-time medical acting gig, which involves performing the symptoms of various illnesses to help train student doctors. Although his acting coach doesn’t think he has what it takes, he truly subscribes to the Meisner technique through which the focus is for the actor to "get out of his head," such that he or she is behaving instinctively. His medical instructor (Dylan Baker) loves his flair for the theatrical and is especially excited to see him perform a series of complicated illnesses for the students’ final exam.

Alex Karpovsky’s portrayal of a man going off the rails for his craft feels natural, albeit disturbing. Dylan Baker may have stolen the show, though, as his medical instructor excitement flew off the screen. Both actors worked for the minimum amount they’re required to make accordingly to guild rules, yet their performances indicate they were paid much more. Hats off to the special effects or makeup crew for the film as well – I thought I was looking at real rashes.

Grade: B+

When American kids learn about the Civil War (or the War of Northern Aggression for you Southerners out there) in history class, a couple of themes tend to pop up over and over again: state sovereignty, the Southerners’ disgust at having a ‘black’ Republican President, and of course the glorious quest to liberate the slaves. We learn the famous names like Lincoln, Lee, and Grant. We learn the famous battles, like Sumter and Gettysburg. We learn about all the big, dramatic things because they’re easy to talk about. But there are many aspects of war that get glossed over in class because they aren’t easy to talk about, things like ordinary life during war, and especially the lives of women. The history of mankind is, after all, the history of men. British director Daniel Barber is trying to change that with The Keeping Room.

The Keeping Room is the story of two sisters and their family’s slave, played by Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, and Muna Otaru. They are struggling to get by in a land absolutely decimated by the war; food and medicine is all but exhausted and all the men have gone off to fight and die. The Union Army hasn’t reached their town yet, but two forward scouts have, played by Kyle Soller and Sam Worthington. After persuading the barkeeper at gunpoint and to hand over any alcohol he has left and abusing his wife, they follow Marling’s character home.

What follows is a dark and brutal examination of both the plight and strength of women in war time. I enjoyed this film first and foremost because we so rarely see historical dramas from a female perspective in cinema, or any media for that matter. It is an unrelentingly bleak picture of the horror of conflict from the perspective of those who are most vulnerable to it. Although I certainly appreciated the sheer cynicism of the film, it sometimes takes it a little too far, to the point where you start to think “Oh come, give these people a break”. The movie is beautifully shot, even though much of it is beautifully awful and disturbing. And all of the actresses and actors do a terrific job, although I think Brit Marling in particular stood out. That has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I have a little crush on her.

All in all, The Keeping Room is a beautiful and terrifying film about women and war, a topic that sorely needs more attention and examination in our culture. I hope that someday films such as this are shown in our history classes so we can get an idea of what the Civil War was really like.

Grade: A-

This article is part of NUFEC's ongoing coverage of the Independent Film Festival Boston 2015.

This follow up, companion piece to The Act of Killing is just as difficult to watch as the original installment, if not more so. That’s not to say the film isn’t fantastic in it’s ability to confront human emotion and what we expect of humanity in a striking tone; it is. But watching people discuss in detail how they murdered people, often involving reenactments of where they would stab them, and laugh about it… well, it hasn’t gotten easier since we saw The Act of Killing. 

This article is part of NUFEC's ongoing coverage of the Independent Film Festival Boston 2015.

In a wolfpack, there is a leader: the Alpha male. They command respect, keep order, and enjoy first dibs on dinner. In The Wolfpack, Crystal Moselle’s debut documentary, there is no leader; there is only the shadow of a father.

The Angulo family lives on the Lower East Side. Six brothers and one sister are kept in seclusion from the outside world, whose windows are really only the small television set they have and a library of films numbering in the thousands. Images from Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino fuel their eagerness to create – in the form of meticulous re-enactment. They recreate the scripts from scratch by transcribing the movies in real time, make costumes out of yoga mats and cereal boxes, and get into character using music from tape decks.

For roughly twenty years, this was the way things were in the Angulo household. Homeschool during the day, then movies. Dad, a Salinger-esque hermit, would stay in his room. The father’s obsession with his children’s safety verges on abuse; by trying to protect them from unspecified forces outside, he turned them into shut-ins. For all that, home video shows a warm upbringing. The children bond, polite and well-spoken. They celebrate birthdays and have parties. Throughout the documentary, there is no sign of child abuse by the father. There's a brief discussion of him slapping their mother several times during their upbringing, but largely he only drifts in and out of the frame.

The hook may be the reenactments: silly, heartfelt renderings of Batman and Tarantino characters. But the real intrigue comes from the father’s cultish impact on the family. The patriarch is the most interesting character, but unfortunately he has the least screen time.

Moselle positions herself as a fly on the wall in the claustrophobic apartment, but is shy about addressing her influence on the family dynamic. As the first and only guest in their apartment, it’s hard to believe that Moselle was merely an observer throughout several years of filming.

We only get a few brief encounters with the father and mother. I was left with more questions after the credits rolled. Moselle teases us with these enigmatic people, but leaves us shy of any real closure. The brothers eagerness to leave the family makes you eager with them, grinding your teeth in frustration that one little lock can keep such bright young people away for so long. The story is captivating enough to keep you going, but what it really needs is a better director–or maybe a leader.

Grade: C+

This article is part of NUFEC's ongoing coverage of the Independent Film Festival Boston 2015.

Being the story of how an artist’s presumed death launches his work from obscurity to belated celebrity, I thought that Posthumous offered an interesting premise and some solid ground to explore important questions about success in the art world. However, it turned out to be slightly disappointing.  

When most people think of country music, they generally don’t associate it with Japan. Although Japan has absorbed and assimilated many forms of Western music, from rock to metal and the infamous J-pop, country music never gained much of a foothold in the land of samurai and anime. But there’s always an exception that makes the rule, and in this case it’s a woman named Tomi Fujiyama. While growing up in post-war Japan, Tomi gained a taste for country music after hearing it on American army bases. Quickly becoming one of the stars of the (admittedly small) Japanese country circuit, she eventually moved to the United States in search of a bigger audience and more opportunities for her music. Her dream came true on the night of November 9, 1964, when she played for a national audience on the Grand Ole Opry, the most prestigious venue in country music. She received a twenty minute standing ovation, something that even Johnny Cash (who also performed that night) could not claim.

Directed by John Bishop, Made in Japan is probably one of the most unlikely stories of either Japan or country music I’ve ever seen. The documentary charts both Tomi’s history in the music industry and her contemporary quest: to play on the Grand Ole Opry one last time. The documentary manages to be charming, humorous, and occasionally touching all at once; Tomi Fujiyama is a fascinating person, with the drive of youth and the warmth of a grandmother at the same time. She is a great musician, with a well-honed skill at the guitar and a beautiful voice, whether singing in English or Japanese. The film features numerous performances by Fujiyama, both original recordings from her youth and more contemporary fare; even though she’s 75 years old she still performs frequently. Between the fascinating and unique story and the magnetism of Tomi herself, Made in Japan is a must-see for anyone interested in country music, Japan, or a totally unexpected story. 


Grade: B+

I very openly consider myself a geek. I love videogames, anime, and movies (obviously). However, I do not consider myself a comic book geek. I didn’t grow up reading about the heroic tales Superman or The Avengers. I didn’t read any comic books until I was in high school, and even today my experience with comics is limited and decisively non-standard: Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta and Watchmen and Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. However, both of those writers worked somewhere else before they wrote the stories that are so near and dear to my heart: a British anthology comic called 2000 AD. Featuring tales of the near and the far future, the title’s mix of classic science-fiction, brutally graphic violence and biting social commentary, 2000 AD was an instant hit among British comics fans when it was first published in 1977. Over its long history it has featured stories from nearly every famous British comics author, from the aforementioned Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman to Garth Ennis (Preacher), Grant Morrison (Doom Patrol), and Mark Millar (Kick-Ass). It was the home of some of the most well-known stories of science-fiction comics, from Moore’s abortive Halo Jones, to the phenomenally popular Judge Dredd.

Created by Paul Goodwin, Future Shock! charts the history of 2000 AD from its inception on the heels of the post-Star Wars science craze to its stagnation in the 1990s following the departure of many of their best writers to their recent revival. It features interviews with a huge number of the writers and artists who have worked for the title over the decades, but the film as a whole is anchored by the original creator of 2000 AD, Pat Mills. Many of these creators, particularly Mills himself, have very strong personalities, refuse to censure themselves, and don’t like each other very much. Goodwin does a very good job of showing a balanced view of 2000 AD, of both its good parts such as the camaraderie between the founding members, and the less-proud aspects of its history, such as many of the stories that were run in the 1990s. Overall, Future Shock! is a fascinating and entertaining story about a realm of geek culture I knew next to nothing about. 


Grade: B+

Do I Sound Gay? follows writer David Thorpe after he and his boyfriend breakup, prompting David to pay more attention to what makes him a desirable partner at 40. One of his biggest concerns: sounding gay. This film begins as a personal journey of self-discovery but soon expands into a social and cultural examination of what it means to sound gay as well as the ensuing implications.

David’s exploration of confidence and self-knowledge was complimented by interviews with fascinating individuals including comedian Margaret Cho, sex advice columnist Dan Savage, writer David Sedaris, actor George Tekai, and fashion expert Tim Gunn on their assessments of both their own voices and the cultural biases surrounding the gay voice. It was also complimented by staged scenes, which felt a little off, and by street interviews.

I watched this film with my parents, who were in town from Iowa for the weekend. It prompted quite unexpected dinner conversation, especially regarding the three gay porn scenes featured in the film. To be clear, they each last probably 3-5 seconds, so they take up maybe 15 seconds total out of a 75-min film. I find the choice to include those scenes both bold and necessary; how can the filmmaker discuss his fear of not being desired and not address how this may tie to his own and cultural perceptions of desire through porn? Still, I admit it surprising and the lead-up was practically non-existent, giving me little time to mentally prepare to see (blurred, but still clear) gay porn. My mother and father saw the porn addition as a weakness that drew them out of the film, and I can understand their conundrum. The inclusion of the porn scenes ensured that the film, while anchored in universal questioning of confidence and desire for connection, remained incredibly tied to the film’s subject and unfortunately did detract from the connections I felt to the film. That being said, I would not advise him to remove the scenes; as this is still a personal exploration, it is necessary to discuss issues and stereotypes around pleasure.

Despite our arguments over those scenes, our conclusions were the same: the film was a fascinating take on the impact of the voice, from scientific examinations of intonation to the use of the “gay” voice in film. The cultural impact and assessment was the most intriguing; I immediately began paying more attention to the way I speak as well as my perceptions surrounding speech. If you can handle three quick porn scenes (you probably can), this is a worthwhile 75-min exploration that provides a whole new lens through which to view our culture of voices.

Grade: B