By Saimi Jeong, Ada Lee and Isabelle Comber
Reviewed by Saimi Jeong, Ada Lee and Isabelle Comber
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION
Karman Line
BABY, BABY
(Australia, 16 minutes)
The Lion's Mouth Opens
Directed by Billie Pleffer
From a rising filmmaker who just happens to be the daughter of leading director Gillian Armstrong, this drama centres on two warring tribes of children. Magnificent cinematography captures the tranquillity yet eeriness of the Australian bushland, the backdrop for this fabled world. Matilda Simmons embodies childlike innocence with a natural survival instinct playing Lina, the 12-year-old leader of her tribe. When mysterious forces threaten both tribes, they must unite in order to survive and win the real battle.
BUSH MECHANICS
(Australia, 11 minutes 30 seconds)
Boogaloo & Graham
Directed by Jonathan Daw and Jason Japaljarri Woods
In a comical claymation film, young Warlpiri men (Caleb Jangala Hargraves, Adam Jampijinpa Gallagher and Dennis Jupurrurla Charles) travel across the Central Desert's red dirt in a shoddy car to visit a powerful elder (Neville 'Cobra' Japangardi Poulson). Narrated in the Warlpiri language by Francis Jupurrurla Kelly, Bush Mechanics is a fascinating representation of modern Aboriginality in the bush. The young men must combine their knowledge of the land and mechanics to overcome the trickery of the Munga Munga spirit.
A Tropical Sunday
FLORENCE HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
(Australia, 13 minutes)
Bush Mechanics
Directed by Mirrah Foulkes
Mayhem ensues at a nursing home when two rival Elvis impersonators show up for the same Christmas Eve gig in a black comedy from Foulkes, who is part of the famous Blue-tongue Films collective. Bored with the daily reminders of death, Florence (Jacki Weaver) has long sought to escape from the home. Endearing moments between one Elvis (Justin Rosniak) and Florence unleash emotions she had not bargained for.
Baby Baby
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
A TROPICAL SUNDAY
The Chicken
(Mozambique, 15 minutes)
Directed by Fabian Ribezzo
Oh Lucy
Four street kids living in the Mozambique capital of Maputo are used to begging and gleaning to get by. But Sunday is fun fair day which means Lisa (Odette Chissano), Babu (Batista Goca), Gito (Ze Zimila) and Nuno (Fabiao Machava) want to join other children licking ice cream and hopping on rides. A Tropical Sunday is a close-up look at social inequality through the eyes of a child, as the four skirt around the margins of a world in which they cannot fully take part.
OH LUCY!
Florence Has Left The Building
(Japan/USA, 21 minutes 20 seconds)
Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi
A compelling drama follows the psychological threads of office worker Setsuko (Kaori Momoi) as she wanders around the sometimes lively, sometimes lonely city of Tokyo. Her discovery of a new side to herself is kindled by an unusual English lesson, a curly blonde wig and a new name - Lucy. But just as things are going well, an unforeseen loss threatens to undo all that she has learned.
BOOGALOO & GRAHAM
(Northern Ireland, 14 minutes)
Directed by Michael Lennox
Set in 1978 Belfast, a time of deadly riots and religious division in Northern Ireland, this drama is both uplifting and heartbreaking. Two young brothers (Riley Hamilton and Aaron Lynch) are in awe of their pet chickens, reminding us of the joy in simplicity and the innocence of new life. The boys are wonderfully naive and, in a time of violent conflict, sometimes a little naivety is refreshing. Ultimately, this is a film about love, family and hope.
THE KARMAN LINE
(UK, 24 minutes)
Directed by Oscar Sharp
In a quirky take on the devastating journey of loss, a mother (Olivia Colman) is diagnosed with a rare condition that makes her involuntarily float higher and higher into the air until she reaches deadly altitudes. The further she drifts away, the harder it is for the daughter and husband she is leaving behind to cope. The mother's emotionally turbulent experience of dying is beautifully depicted through lonely storms and majestic views at sunrise. This drama, titled after the boundary between the earth's atmosphere and outer space, is a moving portrayal of vulnerability, heartbreak and loneliness in families dealing with illness.
THE CHICKEN
(Germany/Croatia, 15 minutes)
Directed by Una Gunjack
Six-year-old Selma (Iman Alibalić) is delighted to receive a chicken for her birthday but soon becomes distressed when she realises it is destined for the dinner table. Taking matters into her own hands, she sets the bird free. This leads her mother (Mirela Lambić) into danger as she sacrifices safety to feed a hungry family. Set in a tense Sarajevo, The Chicken explores the melancholy of experiencing childhood in times of war.
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
THE LION'S MOUTH OPENS
(USA, 28 minutes)
Directed by Lucy Walker
An intimate insight into hereditary disease, this documentary follows young filmmaker Marianna Polka. It explores her journey to find out whether she will contract the debilitating Huntington's disease. Raw and confronting, The Lion's Mouth Opens examines friendship, destiny and the devastation of the mysterious illness on the sufferer's body and mind.