GFF 21

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year's Glasgow Film Festival was forced to adapt and move everything online. Personally, I think they did so very well; they had a full, exciting schedule with Q&A options available for some of the films. While the experience was obviously very different, it was still enjoyable nonetheless. I struggled to choose some films out of a packed and intriguing programme, but finally managed to decide upon six that sounded interesting. Without further ado, I'll just give you a quick rundown of the films that I watched and what I thought of them!

MINARI

dir. Lee Isaac Chung

Minari was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and it absolutely did not disappoint! It is quite honestly an absolute triumph; it is a story tinged with hope even amid despair. Steven Yeun is a powerhouse and puts in an incredible performance, along with the rest of the cast. Alan Kim - who is just the cutest thing EVER - and Youn Yuh-jung have such wonderful chemistry as grandmother and grandson, and their scenes are so heartwarming to watch. It was so well shot, with a beautiful score adding punctuating poignance to many of its scenes. The first few minutes of the film are absolutely breathtaking; the score pairs perfectly with shots of a rugged yet beautiful landscape. Minari tells a story that transcends any language or race boundary; as Lee Isaac Chung says, it speaks "a language of the heart". Believe me, it will tear you apart before gently and lovingly putting you back together again. I'm so pleased that it has been getting award recognition, and I look forward to seeing it receive more praise over the coming weeks.

RIDERS OF JUSTICE

dir. Anders Thomas Jensen

Okay, so when I first heard about this film I thought it looked interesting and definitely pretty hilarious. However, then I watched Hannibal and fell in love with Mads Mikkelsen - who doesn't love him, to be fair?! - and decided that it had to be one of my GFF picks. It definitely didn't disappoint; the story, while wild and borderline farcical at times, was still heartbreaking and achingly poignant. Each character was well developed and given their own intricacies and nuances that made us really care for them; this, in turn, gives the film higher stakes when it reaches its climax. The cast were all wonderful and had great chemistry with one another; this film really exemplifies the 'found family' trope, and does so very well. Not only that, but it is darkly comedic, allowing for enough levity to carry it through more serious moments.

SHORTA

dir. Frederik Louis Hviid & Anders Ølholm

Shorta drew me in from the moment I first saw the trailer; I couldn't stop thinking about it, and even after watching the film properly I still can't get it out of my head. It was an extremely timely watch; there are similarities between the film's trajectory and that of the surge in the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd last year. The film was definitely unflinching in its portrayal of violence and police brutality; it was unapologetic, bold, and brash. The performances were pretty stellar and dealt well with the nuances and complexities of key characters, whose development was well handled throughout. The two main characters - police officers Mike and Jens - experience moral dilemmas throughout the film that are interesting to watch. I was worried that the film would potentially glorify the police, but on the whole it felt well grounded and honest; I felt like it managed to steer clear of any romanticization or sensationalism of the events within.

VOICE OF SILENCE

dir. Hong Eui-jeong

Voice of Silence offers an extremely poignant, subversive look at the crime genre, instead focusing on the people behind the scenes and what happens when they get inadvertently caught up in a tricky situation. It managed to seamlessly blend tense, thrilling moments with more heartfelt ones, ultimately creating a film that will make you laugh and make you cry. Yoo Ah-in's performance is exceptional; he manages to say so much without saying anything at all. His character doesn't utter a word throughout the entire film; his dialogue is instead communicated through masterful body language and expressions. My only criticism - if it can even be called that - is that the ending was a bit disappointing. I liked the tone of the ending, and I understand why it ended the way it did, but there were so many questions left unanswered. I appreciate the merits of open-endedness, but this film felt like it could've benefited from an extra ten minutes just to tie up some glaring loose ends. Nonetheless, it was an extremely enjoyable watch; sensitive, sincere, and darkly comedic, told through visually stunning scenes acted by a wonderful cast.

THE MAN STANDING NEXT

dir. Min-ho Woo

Okay. I would be lying if I said I knew exactly what happened in this film. I understood the overarching storyline, but there were so many other subplots and characters running through it that I got a bit tangled up in trying to figure out the intricacies of the narrative. It was a stunning watch in terms of production design and costume, with characters dressed in sharp suits foregrounded against opulent interiors. I can see it being the kind of film that would do well during awards season, although I don't think it's been nominated for anything so far which is a shame. Lee Byung-hun definitely deserves praise for his performance as Director Kim; his emotions were fervently palpable, written into every line of his body and every expression. It was fascinating to watch that character's trajectory throughout the film, especially when it came to the exciting and bloody climax of the film. Tension was masterfully created and sustained throughout the film, making for an intriguing - albeit convoluted - watch.

SURGE

dir. Aneil Karia

After hearing that Ben Whishaw won an acting award for Surge at Sundance last year, I was very interested to see his performance. He's a talented actor anyway, but his performance as Joseph here is mesmeric. While the film itself felt a little directionless at times - although perhaps intentionally? - Whishaw really carried it along. He was excellent; he truly embodied Joseph, giving a perfectly fractured portrayal down to every microexpression and every movement. The plot itself was interesting enough, although I could definitely pick holes in it if I tried, but what really stood out was the way that the director employed formal techniques to really allow us to occupy Joseph's mind. Much of the film is shot in an extreme closeup, making us feel claustrophobic and emulating how trapped Joseph feels. Perhaps the most interesting of these techniques is the film's use of sound; it relies less on a score and more on the natural sounds of the world that surrounds Joseph. Certain diagetic sounds are amplified - car horns, traffic sounds, background dialogue etc. - to exemplify the oppressive nature of the world, at least to Joseph. I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the film; I enjoyed most of it, to be fair, I just felt as though I was floating along without anything to ground me at times. I did enjoy it, though. It is self-assured and unapologetic, with a commendable performance from Whishaw at the helm.

So, those are the films I managed to catch during this year's Glasgow Film Festival! Did you watch any? If so, let me know what you watched and what you thought of it! I've linked the trailers to all of the above films; just click the pictures and they should take you through to YouTube. Thanks for reading, have a great day!