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LIFF30 - Paris Tower 13 - Cinema Review

'Both richly authentic in insight and frustratingly narrow in scope'.

Being able to attend a Q&A session with Thomas Lallier immediately after watching Paris Tower 13 was illuminating, especially regarding a number of decisions the director makes throughout his film and the context in which he made them. Perhaps the most important piece of information revealed during the event was that Lallier views the documentary as a companion piece to the website he built at the same time as shooting and editing the film.

If the site celebrates the destination arrived at by the hundred odd street artists who took over the abandoned Paris apartment block destined for demolition, then Paris Tower 13 is a document of both the journey and the people making it. Lallier opts to focus his film primarily on the artists who worked throughout 2013 to transform the building from a vacant former living space to a truly unique public art gallery which showcased street art in a way that had never been achieved before.

In taking this approach, the director essentially creates a film which is both richly authentic in insight and frustratingly narrow in scope. The interviews recorded with the various artists capture the passion and motivation behind their reasons for working as they do, tapping into the psyche of street artists as a collective and providing intimate insight into their usually illicit craft. Through these conversations, Lallier also broaches wider ideas such as cultural identity and the contemporary political climate in Paris and beyond.

Lallier chooses not to tell a story for much of the running time, opting instead for a loosely edited guerrilla style which offers authenticity but also makes his film feel a bit too one-note at times. There are undeniable missteps here too: I initially presumed the director's choice not to include captions introducing each of the artists might have been made to protect their identities in some way (one participant's face is never shown for exactly this reason), but as Lallier includes all the interviewees' names in the end credits I ultimately had to chalk this up to a somewhat amateurish error.

The director's decision not to showcase the finished artwork, whilst based on sound reasoning, ultimately hurts Paris Tower 13 as a standalone film more than anything else. The month during which the block was open to the public (October 2013 to be precise) gets remarkably short shrift, making it almost feel as if part of the film is missing at this point. The destruction of both the tower block and the art contained within it at the end of 2013 - an act that led to a public outcry but which the artists, who had always created their work to exist in a state of ephemerality, were happy to see - means there is literally no way anyone can document the same topic in the same way as Lallier ever again; a fact which helps Paris Tower 13 to overcome both the director's self-imposed constraints and occasionally imperfect execution.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

By Ben Broadribb. Ben is a regular contributor to Film Intel, having previously written at Some Like It Hot Fuzz. He is normally seen in the wild wearing t-shirts containing obscure film references. He is a geek, often unashamedly so. He's also on Google+ and Twitter.

LIFF30 - Schneider vs. Bax - Cinema Review

'A theatrical game of cats, mice and other animals across the swamp surrounding Bax's house'.

A black comedy of errors from the Netherlands, Schneider vs. Bax is at its best when writer, director and star Alex van Warmerdam manages to successfully juggle the numerous absurd characters and situations he creates. When he does so, van Warmerdam demonstrates such comedic skill that it's impossible not to enjoy the ludicrous events playing out in front of you.

The first act sets things up well enough. Contract killer Schneider (Tom Dewispelaere) is forced on his birthday to take out a contract on novelist Ramon Bax (van Warmerdam), his employer Mertens (Gene Bervoets) insisting that Bax - "a child killer" - must die today or the window of opportunity will close. Schneider begrudgingly takes the contract, assuming that it will be a quick and easy job allowing him to return home to enjoy the celebrations he has planned. Of course, things become far more complicated, setting in motion a theatrical game of cats, mice and other animals across the swamp surrounding Bax's house.

After an opening section which feels a little too slowly paced, it's during the middle act that van Warmerdam hits his stride. Characters come and go at an exuberant pace and the narrative takes one unexpected twist after another. It's a heady cocktail of pitch black buffoonery, with neither drugs, prostitutes, sexual deviance nor death (of course) proving to be off limits. The director's sense of humour is sharpest when at its simplest: a text message sent to the wrong person provides a particularly funny complication whilst also feeling entirely believable through the lens of Schneider vs. Bax's warped reality.

As is too often the case with farcical comedies on screen, however, van Warmerdam eventually tangles his film up in its own complexities a little too much. More characters are introduced than is necessary - a brief excursion involving Bax's father Gerard (Henri Garcin) is particularly superfluous, introduced out of nowhere and adding very little of worth to the overall story. Others, such as Bax's girlfriend Nadine (Eva van de Wijdeven) and her friend Jules (Bart Harder) are set up well initially but allowed to drift out of the film somewhat uneventfully, never providing the humorous results they potentially could have delivered.

This leads to Schneider vs. Bax's messy conclusion which leaves too many plot threads unresolved. More damaging, however, are those which are tied up by van Warmerdam in an unsatisfying manner. Non sequiturs and surreal moments feel like they are thrown in not because they fit, but because the director simply doesn't know how to draw his various narrative strands together satisfyingly. The final scenes go for Burn After Reading-style anticlimactic befuddlement but actually leave the film's moral compass feeling frustratingly skewed, delivering a disappointing end to a largely enjoyable tale.

LIFF30 - Hedi - Cinema Review

'Hedi the character makes it impossible to enjoy the strong work to be found elsewhere in Hedi the film'.

Hedi's original Arabic title actually translates as "We love Hedi"; there's a temptation to think that Mohamed Ben Attia shortened it for the film's international release after realising how many people would respond to the statement in the full title with a resounding "No, we don't". Directing from his own script, Ben Attia apparently wants us to see his title character as a downtrodden dreamer whose life is perpetually controlled by others, most of all his overbearing mother Baya (Sabah Bouzouita). The problem is, the director never gives us much of a reason to care about Hedi (Majd Mastoura), who comes across as little more than a wet blanket throughout the opening act and makes for a particularly limp and unengaging protagonist.

At around the point at which Hedi meets the fun-loving Rym (Rym Ben Messaoud) we see a transition in the character as he starts to break out of his listless personality and begins a passionate love affair. There's a section near the start of the second act where Hedi actually becomes bearable as the infectiously upbeat Rym rubs off on him, but it's all too brief. Before long, Hedi becomes unlikeable once again, his character going too far in the other direction and coming across as recalcitrant and self-centred.

To be fair, it's likely that Ben Attia does this on purpose. Hedi and Rym discuss the Tunisian Revolution and what it meant to them at a few points throughout, the director positioning Hedi's transformation as a journey of self-discovery following the country's sociopolitical upheaval. However, whilst the context explains the reasons behind the character's conversion, it doesn't excuse his newfound selfishness. It might work if Hedi was a teenager, but he isn't. The image of a grown man shedding all responsibility without any thought to the consequences for others is antipathetic no matter where you come from, and it's hard to see Hedi's decisions being driven by anything other than self-serving egotism.

In fact, there are few people in Hedi's life who remain unscathed by the decisions he makes, not least his bride-to-be Khedija (Omnia Ben Ghali). That Ben Attia essentially positions her as collateral damage in the title character's narrative sits uncomfortably with his presentation of modern Tunisian society breaking free from its anti-democratic past.

The cast are strong, with Ben Messaoud in particular giving an appealing and authentic performance throughout, providing the sole character within the film to feel genuine affinity towards. It's worth noting that Mastoura is also fine despite his deeply problematic role. Ben Attia's decision to use a handheld style throughout works well, only occasionally becoming distracting when the director opts for some unnecessary 'shaky cam' moments. But, in the end, Hedi the character makes it impossible to enjoy the strong work to be found elsewhere in Hedi the film. Perhaps more disappointing than a comprehensively poor film is one which contains commendable elements which are continually dragged down by an unavoidable fatal flaw; unfortunately Hedi emerges as a prime example of the latter.

LIFF30 - Eggs - Cinema Review

'Often feels more like a collection of sketches or live-action comic strips starring the same characters than a continuous narrative'.

Had the Coen Brothers ever opted to remake a foreign film for the English-speaking market, you can imagine that Eggs would almost certainly have sat somewhere near the top of their list of choices. The fact that the main characters are also a pair of eccentric brothers is purely coincidental; originally released in 1995, the film in many ways bears a striking resemblance to the output of Ethan and Joel during the same period. Writer and director Bent Hamer's focus during his debut feature is never storytelling, concentrating instead on building uncannily comedic characters and situations with which to fill his film.

It's an approach which makes Eggs a consistently amusing experience. From the opening shot of elderly brothers Dad (Kjell Stormoen) and Moe (Sverre Hansen) descending their impractically quirky staircase to begin their daily routine of listening to the radio together, completing the crossword together and being affectionately cantankerous towards each other, you'll find yourself watching Hamer's film with a broad grin across your face. The director is perfectly happy to allow his film to move at a leisurely pace, a decision which works particularly well during the opening segment introducing Dad and Moe, giving plenty of room for the audience to warm to the characters and their idiosyncrasies. Eggs often feels more like a collection of sketches or live-action comic strips starring the same characters than a continuous narrative. A sequence in which Moe repeatedly interrupts Dad to ask him about taking their Christmas tree down during an inopportune moment is a particularly good - and particuarly funny - example.

The brothers' interaction with the various people who arrive at their remote Norwegian home is also fun to watch, affording Hamer plenty of opportunities to present even more offbeat characters and activities. The arrival of an equally unusual pair of friends - one in a full head brace - leads to some memorable exchanges, as well as a challenger for the most unusual game of ping-pong you're likely to see on screen. Elements such as Dad and Moe gleefully watching their attractive housekeeper Cylindia (Juni Dahr) clean the living room from the comfort of their sofa now feel somewhat dated in a Carry On sort of way, but the humour is both so gentle and so daft that moments such as these are easy to forgive.

Where Hamer is less successful is in his handling of Konrad (Leif Andrée), Dad's wheelchair-bound adult son who arrives to disrupt the brothers' happy existence, as it is here where the director's laidback approach to narrative comes back to bite him. After Konrad's arrival, very little actually changes between Dad and Moe despite Konrad's peculiar behaviour and Moe's occasional suspicions of him. When matters are eventually brought to a head, Hamer rushes through a great deal in a short amount of time, rendering the film's climax somewhat bewildering as it arrives almost out of nowhere. The director fumbles the balance between subtlety and transparency, and Eggs concludes on an uncharacteristically bum note as a result.

LIFF30 - Under The Shadow - Cinema Review

'The director skilfully blends the unreliable hearsay and inescapable paranoia of life constantly under threat by modern warfare with similar feelings precipitated by the Persian folktales and mythology which permeate the story'.

Comparisons between Babak Anvari's Under The Shadow and 2014's The Babadook are apt in a number of ways. Both have emerged from somewhere other than Hollywood, both focus on the troubled relationship between a mother and a child, and both prove that it's possible to create an effective and well-made horror film using the tried and tested tropes of the genre in new and interesting ways.

Anvari, in his feature debut as both writer and director, in fact presents a traditional haunted house narrative as seen in many other horror offerings past and present. The fact that his chosen format is well-worn, however, doesn't stop Anvari from breathing new life into it, something which he achieves pleasingly on a regular basis. Where Under The Shadow is at its relative weakest is when the director leans most heavily on less inspired mainstream techniques. There are a few jump scares à la James Wan which feel somewhat out of place here; whilst suggesting Anvari could comfortably move on to generic Hollywood fare in the future should he so desire, at the moment everything else here tells us he's better than that.

Narges Rashidi and Avin Manshadi in the central roles of mother and daughter beset by the supernatural goings on provide a solid pairing for Anvari to build his film around. Beginning the story surrounded by both husband and father Iraj (Bobby Naderi) and a host of supportive neighbours, the film becomes ever more intense as one by one the other inhabitants of the apartment block exit both the building and the narrative, leaving Shideh (Rashidi) alone to protect young Dorsa (Manshadi) as best she can. The tension between the two is increasingly palpable, with Anvadi skilfully keeping matters ambiguous as to how much of their fraught relationship is down to unearthly forces and how much is simply lack of empathy between Shideh and Dorsa.

Elevating Under The Shadow most of all is Anvari's superb amalgamation of the effective horror story he creates with his chosen historical backdrop. Setting his film in 1980s Iran during the country's protracted conflict with Iraq, the director skilfully blends the unreliable hearsay and inescapable paranoia of life constantly under threat by modern warfare with similar feelings precipitated by the Persian folktales and mythology which permeate the story. Anvari deftly parallels the oppressive nature of both the malevolent force tormenting Shideh and the strict fundamentalist society in which she lives, giving his effective yet archetypal ghost story a unique and compelling twist.

LIFF30 - Father and Daughter & The Red Turtle - Cinema Review

'Both films are beautifully animated, The Red Turtle in particular benefitting from the artistic involvement of Isao Takahata and the overall production from Studio Ghibli'.

Screened as a double bill as part of LIFF30's Animation Day, Michael Dudok de Wit's Oscar-winning short Father and Daughter from 2000 and his feature debut, 2016's The Red Turtle, together showcase the director's fascination with our journey through life. They also provide evidence of both the artistic strengths and narrative slightness of Dudok de Wit's work, the latter of which ultimately holds both of his films back.

The short opens with a father bidding farewell to his young daughter before climbing into a boat and rowing off over the horizon. We then see the girl grow up and live her life, continuing to harbour a longing to see her father again even as she has children of her own and enters old age. The ending is touching and pleasingly open to interpretation, but even at under nine minutes it feels as though Dudok de Wit has stretched his idea out too much. When you consider how much the likes of Pixar manage to do in terms of character building and storytelling in their animated shorts, Father and Daughter comes up wanting.

The same problem ultimately hinders The Red Turtle. During the first half, focused upon an unnamed man who becomes marooned on a desert island, Dudok de Wit effectively tells the story of his efforts to survive and learn about his new environment, all whilst including virtually no dialogue. The director pleasingly puts a range of emotions up on screen through both the castaway and the island wildlife - a group of crabs seen at various points throughout are particularly humorous and endearing - with his relationship with the eponymous red turtle gradually becoming the central focus.

Whilst there are occasional excursions into the surreal during this section, the narrative takes a sudden and somewhat unexpected turn into the fantastical at around the halfway point. This works initially, but the further Dudok de Wit gets from this decision the more unfocused his film becomes. At just eighty minutes the film should feel swiftly paced, but instead becomes notably turgid during the second half. The story as a whole could be viewed simply as an magical fairytale, or with deeper subtext as an extended metaphor for the man's journey through life; the problem is that neither of these interpretations of The Red Turtle excuse the less engaging and unevenly executed areas of the film's narrative.

Both films are beautifully animated, The Red Turtle in particular benefitting from the artistic involvement of Isao Takahata and the overall production from Studio Ghibli. What this can't make up for in either case, however, is the precision and rigour lacking at times in Dudok de Wit's writing and direction. Whilst Father and Daughter and The Red Turtle both offer plenty to like, there are also too few reasons to love either film.

Father and Daughter

The Red Turtle

LIFF30 - Homo Sapiens - Cinema Review

'You'll find thoughts being continuously provoked within your mind as Homo Sapiens quietly unfolds in front of you like a cinematic screensaver'.

Describing Homo Sapiens as a documentary feels at least partly misleading. Whilst it certainly provides a document of the places it depicts, it does so with no voiceover, no talking heads and no camera movement. Director Nikolaus Geyrhalter even makes the choice not to include captions describing the location of each of the spaces he shoots.

In one sense the title is ironic, in that no human beings are either seen or heard at any point in Homo Sapiens. What the director presents instead are images of spaces created by people which have since been abandoned. Most are modern - offices, hospitals, theme parks - whilst a handful are considerably older. Some have clearly been deserted for many years, others perhaps only two or three. Whilst a number remain as eerie ghost towns, nature has begun reclaiming quite a few others.

Geyrhalter's unconventional style may sound bewildering, and at times it is, but that is part of the uncanny appeal of his film. Each place is presented through a series of still camera shots lasting between twenty and thirty seconds each with only diegetic sound included, making Homo Sapiens feel more akin to an art installation than a documentary at times. Covering so many locations means that inevitably some will be less engaging than others, but for every one that has less to offer there are at least four or five more that prove fascinating. Geyrhalter also has a wonderful eye for photography meaning that, whether it piques your curiosity or not, there's no denying that each location is beautifully captured.

The director's choice to limit the information he includes means that each place is presented purely without the intrusion of text or additional sound. As a result, you'll find thoughts being continuously provoked within your mind as Homo Sapiens quietly unfolds in front of you like a cinematic screensaver. At times the world as presented in the film feels like the setting for a post-apocalyptic drama - until you remind yourself once again that these are all places that actually exist somewhere on the planet whilst you're watching. The placelessness of the locations works well too: whilst a few can be tied to specific parts of the world through language or cultural indicators, many have a profoundly universal feel thanks to Geyhalter's deliberate acontextuality; others still feel curiously alien without knowledge of their purpose before they became abandoned.

Geyrhalter's greatest achievement, however, is prompting his audience to reflect on humanity's legacy without ever feeling sanctimonious. What do these places say about our priorities? Which should fill us with pride, with awe, with horror or shame? Perhaps most pertinently of all, with so many parts of the world used and discarded as shown here, what do we need to change about our attitude to our planet as the amount of human beings grows ever greater? With that in mind, the film's title takes on a fresh irony: Homo Sapiens may translate into English as "wise man", but just how wise do the places Geyrhalter offers for our consideration make the human race look?

LIFF30 - I Am Not A Serial Killer - Cinema Review

'The interplay between Records and Lloyd is consistently superb'.

In the hands of a different director, an adaptation of Dan Wells' novel I Am Not A Serial Killer could easily have become a retitled, sanitised YA feature for the 12A market complete with embattled teenage protagonist and a ready-made franchise in Wells' series of follow-up volumes. Thankfully that's not the film Billy O'Brien sets out to make, ensuring his film retains both its indie roots and a palpably mature tension as well as offering a blackly comic undercurrent at the right moments throughout.

The first act provides a character study of fifteen-year-old antihero John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records). A gift of a character, John is simultaneously obsessed with serial killers and with not becoming one himself whilst receiving therapy for diagnosed sociopathy. Records' performance in the role is virtually flawless, ensuring John's idiosyncrasies never become quirks for the sake of quirkiness and effectively putting across the character's troubled mind. A scene in which John gains the upper hand over a bully at his school Hallowe'en party is particularly memorable, perfectly showcasing just how good Records is as John.

After a series of brutal murders in the small town and a supernatural revelation towards the end of the first act, the focus then shifts to John's suspicions and subsequent investigation of his neighbour Mr. Crowley (Christopher Lloyd). Whilst the step back from John's own psyche is a necessary sacrifice, the interplay between Records and Lloyd is consistently superb. Anyone who's seen Sin City: A Dame To Kill For will know how effective Lloyd can be in crafting a truly unsettling performance, and the veteran actor doesn't disappoint here.

Whilst O'Brien allows the cat-and-mouse games between the two go on for a little too long before bringing matters to a head, the paranoid atmosphere the director creates ensures that I Am Not A Serial Killer is continually a gripping watch even when he loses focus a little. The film is also buoyed by the other people in John's life, particularly his conflicted relationship with his mother April (Laura Fraser) and therapist Dr. Neblin (Karl Geary).

The only significant misstep O'Brien makes is in the film's climax, making the classic error of revealing too much of the film's supernatural side and losing a great deal of the mystery surrounding it up to that point. We don't need everything spelling out to us like this; O'Brien never feels the need to go nearly so obvious with any other part of the story, so both his reasoning and execution feel uncharacteristically flawed. For the majority of its running time, however, the director and his cast ensure that I Am Not A Serial Killer distinguishes itself as a distinctive and well-crafted thriller.

LIFF30 - The Master Cleanse - Cinema Review

'Miller's commitment to using only practical effects throughout is commendable and more than just a middle finger to CGI-driven fare'.

Blending fantasy, comedy, body horror and creature feature, The Master Cleanse has obvious influences from the likes of Carpenter and Cronenberg as well as the 1980s output of Dante and even Spielberg. Stylistically there are also nods to the more recent offbeat cinema of Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson. Writer and director Bobby Miller makes The Master Cleanse a smorgasbord of cinematic homages, a decision that makes his film a pleasing love letter to movies past and present, but which also stifles his own original voice from ever coming through.

At just 81 minutes long, The Master Cleanse ultimately feels caught between extended short and brief feature film. Miller's decision to pad the central idea out in places rather than trim it down overall is frustrating, but one which he just about gets away with in the end. Still, there are far too many elements which either jar overall - the Jonze-esque opening act on reflection feels like it comes from a somewhat different film to everything else - or lack the development to truly satisfy.

The weird-yet-cute unnamed creatures introduced midway through the film are the most prominent example of this. Miller's choice to offer minimal explanation of exactly what they are initially works, injecting some intriguing mystery into proceedings. As the film progresses, however, the lack of definition in the director's ideas becomes more and more problematic as Miller increasingly seems like he doesn't know where he wants things to go. The subplot following Eric (Kyle Gallner) and Laurie (Diana Bang), for example, feels potentially more interesting than that of main characters Paul (Johnny Galecki) and Maggie (Anna Friel) but is frustratingly allowed to fall by the wayside during the muddled final act.

Casting Galecki in the lead role is also an error. Paul is never distinct enough to The Big Bang Theory's Leonard, rendering his infatuation with Maggie feeling too much like a retread of Galecki's character arc on the sitcom. Oliver Platt and Angelica Huston bring some welcome experience to the cast, although both are somewhat underutilised in supporting roles.

Despite its problems, however, The Master Cleanse ultimately gets by on the creativity it showcases. Miller's commitment to using only practical effects throughout is commendable and more than just a middle finger to CGI-driven fare, both tying the film to the vintage cinema the director clearly reveres and lending a pleasing tangibility to the film's supernatural elements. Whilst structural issues mar Miller's feature debut, there's also enough of worth here to mark him out as a filmmaker to keep an eye on.

LIFF30 - The Birth Of A Nation - Cinema Review

'Parker wisely shows not tells the story of Turner's transformation, never rushing his message and allowing the often uncomfortable images he puts on screen to speak for themselves'.

Since the initial positive reaction to The Birth Of A Nation following its premiere at the Sundance Festival earlier this year, the resurfacing of controversial issues from writer, director and star Nate Parker's past have increasingly overshadowed the film. Whether you can separate the the artist from their art is a personal choice, one which many have been forced to make one way or another regarding the output of the likes of Woody Allen and Roman Polanski in the past.

Whilst Parker is the driving force behind The Birth Of A Nation, the film should not become a referendum on public opinion of the filmmaker, especially when it tackles such a significant period in America's past with boldly appropriate levels of brutality. The director is unafraid to put the reality of just how repulsive the slave trade was during the 19th Century on screen in a manner which justifiably shocks but never feels exploitative.

Parker's portrayal of Nat Turner and his journey from slave to preacher to the leader of a rebellion against the established order of the time is also excellent. His performance is regularly reminiscent of Denzel Washington's early work, believably bringing Turner to life on screen during every stage of his life. Parker wisely shows not tells the story of Turner's transformation, never rushing his message and allowing the often uncomfortable images he puts on screen to speak for themselves.

Of the two key relationships in Turner's life that Parker chooses to focus upon, it is that with his master Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer) which emerges by far the stronger. After his breakout performance in 2010's The Social Network, Hammer has waited for a role to truly showcase his acting abilities once again; he finds it in Samuel, deftly balancing the conflict between his benevolence towards his slaves and his desperation to make the family plantation prosper following the death of his father. Parker and Hammer build a believable relationship between master and slave, their chemistry developing it into the most affecting of the film.

Less successful is the depiction of Turner's relationship with wife Cherry (Aja Naomi King), which regularly feels too romanticised, especially when placed alongside the stark manner in which Parker puts across the barbarism of slavery. Most of the scenes between King and Parker are simply too soft and sanitised to ring true, the strength of the dialogue elsewhere regularly traded in for toothless sentimentality.

The film is at its strongest during its final act focused upon the rebellion led by Turner in 1831. Parker unleashes the anger which has been brewing within Turner and his band of insurgents in unapologetic style, whilst at the same time ensuring the violence on display is never reduced to mindless vengeance. The disclaimer that The Birth Of A Nation is only "based on a true story" means that Parker's film should not be viewed as a historical document; but there's no denying the director's success in capturing the bleak inhumanity of this chapter in American history.

The Birth Of A Nation plays LIFF30 again on Wednesday 9th November at 15.30 at Vue in The Light.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

LIFF30 Day Summary - Tuesday 8th November - Hitman / Heart

Two more films were added to my tally during my final day in Leeds, bringing my festival total to thirteen features and one short film over four days. At the risk of sound hyperbolic, I genuinely believe that my time at LIFF30 has been the best period I have spent at the festival since I first had the privilege of attending in 2013. I've enjoyed the majority of the films I've been able to see, and even the small handful which I didn't rate as highly I haven't regretted watching. LIFF30 has already proven to be another huge success for the organisers: I can't remember seeing a single complaint or negative comment about the festival on social media, which is testament to the hard work and commitment of the LIFF team.

Before I break into song in the style of a Disney princess, I'll get back to Tuesday. My first film was Hedi, a Tunisian romantic drama which I'll admit had been completely off my radar and only made its way into my plans at fairly short notice. Whilst there were elements of the film which I enjoyed, particularly the supporting turn from Rym Ben Messaoud, Hedi ultimately failed to resonate with me. The titular protagonist felt especially problematic, beginning the film as a total wet blanket and concluding it as a selfish bastard.

Thankfully, my second and final film of the day proved to be much more satisfying. Schneider vs. Bax offered a Dutch black comedy of errors centred around a hitman given a seemingly easy contract to bump off a novelist and the compications which ensue to make matters far from simple. Whilst the plot couldn't untangle itself from its own twists at a few points, this was a film I enjoyed a great deal thanks to some great dialogue and performances. Maybe it's just that I'm a big Coen Brothers fan, but Schneider vs. Bax was also the third film of the festival to feel reminiscent of their back catalogue, specifically Burn After Reading.

As I said before, attending LIFF once again in its thirtieth year has been a fantastic experience, and I sincerely hope I'll have the opportunity to return to Leeds in 2017 for LIFF31. With another nine days of programming to come, LIFF30 still has plenty on offer, so if you're able to attend the festival even to take in a single film then do. For now, keep an eye on the site for full write-ups of everything I've managed to take in over the past four days.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

LIFF30 - The First, The Last - Cinema Review

'The close relationship between Cochise and Gilou feels entirely genuine and emerges as one of the film's strongest elements'.

With its biblically-inspired name and a character called Jésus (Philippe Rebbot) who may or may not be the Jesus, you might expect The First, The Last to be centred around a theological narrative. But whilst religion, specifically Christianity, is clearly in the back of director and star Bouli Lanners' mind (playing "spot the crucifix" throughout is increasingly satisfying), his film is far more concerned with philosophical questions in general rather than ones tied to a specific faith.

That the director approaches his topic through a road-movie-cum-crime-drama with a blackly comic slant makes The First, The Last feel truly original. Lanners offers up two parallel narratives: the first following Cochise (Albert Dupontel) and Gilou (Lanners), a pair of heavies sent by their employer to retrieve a stolen phone containing incriminating files; the second focused upon Willy (David Murgia) and Esther (Aurore Brutin), a couple on the run who just happen to have the phone Cochise and Gilou are after.

Whilst the four characters feel destined to meet, the path Lanners takes from the opening of his film to its conclusion is one few will be able to predict. The way in which Lanners gradually unfolds the convoluted and interconnected nature of the tale he's telling works well, a slow-burning shaggy dog story complete with initially tangential elements that reveal their importance later on. The distinctive cinematography from Jean-Paul De Zaeytijd also ensures that The First, The Last is regularly a pleasure to behold on screen, with several stunning panoramic shots that are destined to stick in your memory long after the film is over.

With Lanners' brace of plots unfolding alongside each other, its the former which undoubtedly proves to be the stronger of the two. Whilst Cochise and Gilou may begin the film (purposefully) looking and feeling like stereotypical jaded criminals, the director soon shows that this is not the case. The way in which the emotional side of both men is gradually revealed by Lanners is excellent; the close relationship between them feels entirely genuine and emerges as one of the film's strongest elements.

In comparison, however, Willy and Esther feel less successful, and it's through them that Lanner's more aimless nature comes to the fore. After spending the first half of the film journeying towards an unknown destination, the director allows the pair's story to grind to a halt a little too much to truly satisfy. Whilst the performances of Murgia and Brutin are fine, neither is as strong as Dupontel or Lanners, and their characters are simply less interesting than their criminal opposites.

Whilst Lanners is clearly more interested in character than plot, the fact that the director becomes so unconcerned with developing the narrative during the middle section proves frustrating at times, as well as making the unification of the two stories in the final act feel a little more manufactured than it should. And then there's Jésus, one of several questions Lanners is happy to leave unanswered, some of which add to the ethereal feel of the film's (either literally or metaphorically) post-apocalyptic setting, with others you'll wish the director had resolved far more neatly.

The First, The Last plays LIFF30 again on Wednesday 9th November at 18.00 and Thursday 10th November at 20.45, both at Vue in The Light.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

LIFF30 Day Summary - Monday 7th November - From Norway to America via Iran and Belgium

My third day in Leeds really emphasised the "I" in LIFF30, allowing me to take in a quartet of international films from across the globe. The first was a mid-morning screening of Norwegian film Eggs at Hyde Park Picture House, which in all honesty I had chosen to attend just as much to visit the historic cinema as to see the film, otherwise my favourite LIFF venue would most likely have not featured in my schedule this year. Originally released in 1995, the film proved light on plot but rich in oddball characters and situations, reminding me a great deal in that respect of the Coen Brothers' releases during the same period.

From Hyde Park to Vue in The Light, and from Norway to Iran for Under The Shadow, a film which I'd been eager to see before I knew it was part of the LIFF30 schedule. Having heard universally good things I hoped that this would live up to my expectations and thankfully it did. If you're a fan of The Babadook then Under The Shadow will almost certainly be for you. The way in which first-time director and writer Babak Anvari intertwined paranoia of both the supernatural and of the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s worked particularly well.

Film number three was The First, The Last, a Belgian film which I knew little about other than what I'd read on the LIFF30 website and which delivered an experience I couldn't have predicted. A philosophical and existential road movie with some cracking performances (including a bit part fulfilled by a surprise big name veteran) this was the second film of the day to feel Coen-esque, reminiscent of both Inside Llewyn Davis and No Country For Old Men.

My final film of the day was The Birth Of The Nation, Nate Parker's biopic of Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831. Whilst I found the film to be a success overall, many have struggled to separate the film from Parker as writer, director and star due to his chequered past which includes allegations of rape. It's a point of view I can understand, but as I only learned of Parker's personal history after watching The Birth Of A Nation it's something I may be able to do more easily than some who go into the film with that knowledge. Whilst not perfect, the film powerfully portrayed the brutality of slavery in America on screen, which for me made it a worthwhile and effective piece of cinema.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

LIFF30 - Train To Busan - Cinema Review

'Just when you think the excitement, the tension and the scares are over, the director gives you more, never allowing himself to sit back or miss a beat right up until the final moments'.

Having watched Colm McCarthy's The Girl With All The Gifts under a month ago, I wasn't expecting to be singing the praises of a zombie movie quite so highly for some time, let alone considering a second entry into the genre as one of the best films of the year. That was before watching Train To Busan, however, a film which comprehensively manages to live up to the considerable hype which has followed it since its release in South Korea.

For much of the first half, Train To Busan stands up as a consistently well made and thoroughly entertaining action horror film. Director Yeon Sang-ho wastes no time in moving his film to its primary location of the titular mode of transport and steadily introducing the zombie threat which rapidly takes over the country. The choice of setting from screenwriter Park Joo-suk is inspired allowing for some truly innovative and unsettlingly claustrophobic encounters with the infected. Each action sequence is well-constructed and dynamically shot by Yeon. Parallels with 28 Days Later feel apt, both in Yeon's utilisation of an urban setting and in his fast-moving, rabid zombies, whilst the supernatural elements are also pleasingly influenced by J-horror offerings such as Ring.

Somewhere towards the end of the first hour, however, Yeon elevates Train To Busan further still, capitalising on the characters he has established amongst the terrified commuters to increasingly bring refreshing and authentic emotion into proceedings. The central relationship between Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) and his daughter Soo-an (Kim Soo-an) is wonderfully realised, with Gong believably transforming his character from the distant father we see at the beginning to a parent willing to risk his own life to protect his child. The supporting cast are also developed well, in particular Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) and his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong (Jung Yu-mi), the former providing many of the film's moments of well-placed comic relief.

In a manner reminiscent of Frank Darabont's The Mist, Yeon uses his set-up masterfully to bring out both the very best and the very worst of humanity. The way in which many of the survivors gradually turn on each other is teased out brilliantly, with ruthlessly self-serving businessman Yong-suk (Kim Eui-sung) likely to top your list of cinema's nastiest bastards of 2016. In the same way, those who emerge as the heroes of Train To Busan do so authentically to deliver some of the most affecting scenes you're likely to witness in a horror film for quite some time.

Importantly, the emotional elements are not given prominence at the expense of the action; moreover, Yeon pushes himself to deliver increasingly impressive action as the film goes on, with some of the most breathtaking set pieces to be found during the final act. Just when you think the excitement, the tension and the scares are over, the director gives you more, never allowing himself to sit back or miss a beat right up until the final moments. It's testament to Yeon's unwavering commitment to seizing every available opportunity to impress that Train To Busan becomes one of the most moving, memorable and, above all, entertaining experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Train To Busan plays LIFF30 again on Sunday 13th November at 14.30 at Cottage Road Cinema.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

LIFF30 Day Summary - Sunday 6th November - Aquatic reptiles and abandoned buildings

My second day at LIFF30 took me back to Leeds Town Hall for Animation Day to see The Red Turtle, a virtually dialogue-free Studio Ghibli production from Dutch director Michaël Dudok de Wit. Whilst beautifully animated and with a gorgeous score, the film failed to engage in the way that Ghibli's very best have managed in the past thanks to a story which was ultimately too simple to satisfyingly fill the film's eighty minutes. The short shown before The Red Turtle, entitled Father And Daughter and also from Dudok de Wit, was pleasing enough, although I never felt as strongly about it as Ghibli's Isao Takahata who reportedly described it as the greatest animated short of the 21st Century.

The rest of my day could have gone one of two ways: either my first choice of heading to Left Bank for a double bill of documentaries; or my back-up plan to stay at the Town Hall for another Animation Day offering before catching one of my most anticipated of the festival, Under The Shadow, which I could also see on Monday. It all depended on buses, thus leaving matters ultimately in the hands of the gods of public transport. As the bus was awaiting my embarkment when I arrived at the stop, I took that as a clear sign for me to head to Left Bank, so off I went.

As well as wanting to see the two documentaries, Homo Sapiens and Paris Tower 13, I was also keen to experience the venue having never been there before. Housed in a former church, Left Bank proved a fantastic setting to experience the films on offer, reminding me of the Town Hall's Albert Room in terms of layout but with much grander surroundings and a bar offering a nice line in alcoholic drinks (of which I did not partake as I was driving), hot and cold soft drinks, and a selection of snacks and cakes (of which I did partake because cake is good). Left Bank was also housing the Abandoned Yorkshire exhibition, an interesting collection of photography of buildings throughout Yorkshire which have been left in various states of dereliction.

Homo Sapiens had been specifically chosen to tie in with the exhibition, consisting of footage from similarly abandoned spaces and buildings around the world. It's clearly a film which won't be for everyone, and some of the locations chosen had more impact than others, but overall it proved fascinating and a film I was very glad to have been able to see. Paris Tower 13 continued the theme in some respects, documenting an empty tower block in Paris which was transformed into a makeshift gallery for the work of over a hundred street artists throughout the year before its demolition. The film's director Thomas Lallier was in attendance to answer questions following the screening, providing further insight into both his film and the project itself. Three films and one short watched, a new venue experienced, a director Q&A and buses being nice to me: I'd call that a good day, wouldn't you?

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

LIFF30 - Pet - Cinema Review

'Torrens simply becomes more and more unsure of where he and his film are heading, circling around a few ideas but ultimately going nowhere'.

Comparisons have been made between Pet and David Slade's 2005 film Hard Candy, and in many ways it's not all that hard to see why. The two films share some plot and thematic elements as well as attempting to subvert both the audience's expectations of their characters and of specific horror tropes. The difference is in their execution: where Slade's film did so as a slick and well-constructed indie, director Carlos Torrens rarely manages to make Pet into anything more than a muddled and amateurish piece of cinema.

A key source of the film's issues is the script from Jeremy Slater, who teamed up with Josh Trank to write the screenplay for last year's poorly received Fantastic Four reboot. Unfortunately, the problems seen in that film are also evident here. An early in a bar between Holly (Ksenia Solo) and her ex-boyfriend Eric (Nathan Parsons) is awash with clichéd dialogue, hindered further by the unconvincing performances by both actors. Dominic Monaghan as creepy stalker Seth is better, but again is given too little to work with from Slater.

After a disappointing start, Pet does improve during its middle act. Monaghan is given further opportunities to develop Seth and Solo improves as well, particularly following a mid-film revelation about her character likely to provide genuine surprise. The interplay between Holly and Seth, and the relationship that develops as the balance of power shifts back and forth between them, is the main focus and provides many of the film's redeeming moments.

Without a solid narrative to surround the central pair, however, Torrens simply becomes more and more unsure of where he and his film are heading, circling around a few ideas but ultimately going nowhere. A gruesome pivotal event in Seth and Holly's increasingly warped mind games against each other at the end of the second act initially offers some hope for a satisfying climax, but instead Pet becomes even more unfocused and unsatisfying. Scenes of torture-porn-style mutilation feel gratuitous, offering nothing to the characters or plot other than further confusion. A police investigation thread is introduced late on but dropped again after only a couple of scenes, frustratingly going nowhere.

It's in the finale that the film completely falls apart, however. Several plot points are left dangling, presumably because Slater couldn't be bothered to tie up the many loose ends he's created, and there's virtually no explanation during the the coda-like final scenes of how the film moves from one state of affairs to another. Anything of worth within Pet comes from the performances of Monaghan and Solo beyond the first act, and the commendable attempt to switch things up from what you might expect, but in all honesty it's never enough to rescue the film from its many problems elswhere.

Pet plays LIFF30 again on Monday 7th November at 15.30 at Leeds Town Hall.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.