Welcome to the 10th annual Fantastic Fest film festival here in Austin, Texas. This is my daily recap which over the next week will primarily recap the film experiences I have has as well as touch on the mental and physical status of the Festival-going folk, myself included. My entertainment is guaranteed but please, pray for my well being. Let chaos reign!
KUNG FU ELLIOTIt’s hard not to like Elliot Scott at first. A naïve but enthusiastic man whose intention is to become the Chuck Norris of Canadian martial arts, but he’s more like a Canadian David Brent. Kung Fu Elliot is a documentary that looks into Elliot’s life as he is working on his third film Blood Fight, his ambitious new feature after earlier amateur productions They Killed My Cat and Stalker and the Hero. These B-Movies are a manifestation of his fascination with Asian culture which is the culmination of his interests after a lifetime of learning karate, exploring his (apparent) Asian heritage and also meeting his Chinese-Canadian girlfriend Linda, who helps him in making his films.
Filmmakers Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau follow this interesting, quirky personality as he seeks to increase his fame but also show us the more personal side of his life, notably the ongoing relationship with his girlfriend Linda. Together they shoot films on cheap camcorders, roping in local friends and personalities to help. While Elliot is the dreamer of the pair, Linda is more pragmatic about their abilities and aspirations.
Elliot also seems to have constructed his own reality, exaggerations about his past and outright lies become apparent as the documentary progresses, what’s more shocking is how he seems to have ultimately convinced himself many of these things are actually true. A trip to China fuels his delusions of grandeur and his life hits a new and more perverse level while maintaining the same relentless focus on his ambition. A darker side exists within the man, his priorities conflict with Linda’s and he seems to be living in more of a deluded daydream than facing up to an adult life. His fascination with Asian culture starts out as laudable but really is something far more twisted. While the filmmakers perhaps intrude on their subject more than is appropriate, the end result is entertaining. It is fascinating learning about this artificial world Elliot has constructed for himself and watching it crumble.
Kung Fu Elliot is the tale of a sweet and unintentionally hilarious but deeply flawed and tragic character. A lesson on how aspirations and delusion can go hand in hand to an individuals detriment.
DUKE OF BURGUNDYDuke of Burgundy is a fascinating look at the dynamics of power in relationships. How you can all warp yourself into the person your partner wants you to be and the strain it can cause, heightened here for dramatic and visual effect by having the couple be into BDSM. The film opens with a stunning title sequence before settling into an aloof feel; austere Entomology professor Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) assigning her maid Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna) with tasks, expressing disappointment in her performance before ultimately disciplining her. The cycle repeats again the following day, many actions and words verbatim, it is then we realize theirs is a sexual relationship.
The initial perception is that Evelyn is the submissive but in reality, she is the master. The driving force behind an increasingly elaborate role-play driven by her need for discipline and punishment. A need that eventually wears down Cynthia causing fractures within their relationship. There is a kinky feel, rather sweet but subversive in its approach, an intensely sexual film that actually contains no nudity. Only women being involved levels the playing field, the power play between the two is easier to focus upon without the imbalance that is by society’s way, inherent to a male/female relationship. It makes for a fascinating study.
Duke Of Burgundy shows an abstract, chilling beauty and decadence that brings to mind Park Chan Wook’s Stoker, but without the horror vibe. It is a quirky world, men are entirely absent, women meet to discuss matters of moths and a local businesswoman sells unique beds that include built in prison chambers as well as “human toilets”, all with a air of genteelness. It is unclear what era it is set in but there is a civility to the manners and costume that hint at a bygone age.
Peter Strickland has delivered a film that feels reminiscent of an art installation exploring the power plays that go on in a relationship. It is exaggerated but there are nuggets of truth and devilish humor to be found for anyone who has been in a relationship. Sumptuous viewing.
FELTMany can see a piece of art and be baffled by it, not understanding its connections or its intent. Felt shows how profoundly deep a connection an artist can have with their work as form of communication and an outlet, a way to express inner emotions such as joy and pain. Felt manifests this connection in a very tangible way and more importantly than that, it highlights an issue with society about the frequency of violence towards women and its tolerance of it.
Director Jason Banker approaches his filmmaking in a abstract way, he selects a subject and begins filming their lives and together with the subject takes it on a path informed but not led by the reality of the subject to create a story. In Felt, Amy Everson (deserved winner of the FF 2014 Best Actor award) plays Amy, an artist who is evidently the victim of sexual abuse. Through her art, she takes on new identities, making masks and body suits outfitted with male and female genitalia. Often dressing up in these guises and wandering the forest as a man, perhaps as a role-reversal to try and regain a position of strength. Her friends, aware of her history, try to push her into moving past it and her coping mechanism to move on with her life. One evening she encounters the quiet but sweet Kenny (Kentucker Audley) and begins to feel she can trust again.
Feltis one of the most profoundly affecting experiences I had at this festival. Everson is an immense presence in the film, moreso when you know she isn’t a professional actress. She starts out as a weird, damaged character but soon envelops you with her personality: quirky, odd, dark, creative, strong and yet intensely vulnerable. Banker has helped to fashion something very intimate in his collaboration with her, a journey as she copes, heals and is yet again hurt. Tonal shifts and editing issues can cause emotional beats to peter out but these are small issues in a powerful and personal piece of work. Felt offers no real answers or solutions, in fact there is a bleakness in how it seems to show the perpetuation of the cycle of abuse against women and perhaps that is the point. It is a cycle that will continue in a culture that fails to deal with what is termed “rape culture” and informs a plethora of issues towards women.
Felt is a incredible organic collaboration between a filmmaker and his subject that has spawned a very personal piece of cinema. Profoundly affecting work.
NORWAYTo quote the indomitable Leonard Maltin, who was in attendance at Fantastic Fest this year, “No”. I wasted enough time watching this horrendous slice of Greek cinema and have no intention of revisiting it for a review. Terrible.