Author: Esme Betamax

Last Ferry From Grass Island: A tale of vengeance set on one of the islands of Hong Kong’s archipelago.

2020 sees the release of Last Ferry From Grass Island, the second directorial turn from Linhan Zhang after 2018’s Dinner With Stranger. He is better known as a producer of short films, including Death Metal Grandma (2018), about 91 year old holocaust survivor-turned death metal singer, Inge Ginsberg.

Last Ferry From Grass Island is possibly the shortest and most beautiful gangster movie I have ever seen. Proving that you don’t need much to create an effective short film, but a picturesque location sure doesn’t hurt.

Balancing rich colours and simplicity, the framing and the detail in the small dwelling are reminiscent of Yasujirō Ozu (Good Morning, 1959): The story propelled by the smallest of interactions.

Linhan Zhang makes the wise choice to keep any violence off camera, with elegant results. He moves the small cast in a methodical chess-like manner. Ah Hoi, played by Tai-Bo, displays the resignation of a man who knows that the question is when, not if, his past will catch up with him.

Tai-Bo boasts an impressive filmography, starting with Enter the Dragon (1973). It also includes Police Story (1985), which serves as both a throwback reference and a plotpoint for Linhan Zhang. Ultimately, Ah Ma (Yee-Yee Yeung) steals the show without uttering a single word.

Producer Aisling Chin-Yee makes her feature film debut directing The Rest of Us. Cami (Heather Graham) and her daughter Aster navigate a difficult situation when Cami invites her ex husband’s family to live with them following his sudden death.

The premise is similar in certain ways to Dead to Me (2019-), but without the violence and humour of the Netflix Original series.

Heather Graham has been hitting TV screens much more often than cinema in recent years, and her directorial debut, Half Magic, made a poor impression in 2018. In The Rest of Us Graham is joined by Abigail Pniowsky, Sophie Nélisse, and Jodi Balfour who made an appearance as Jackie Kennedy in The Crown (2017).

The characters are reluctant to address their own shortcomings and irrational behaviour sparked by the loss.

Chin-Yee works with editor Véronique Barbe beautifully threading in a lot of backstory with a few fragments. Women are front and centre, following the pattern of Chin-Yee’s production filmography. A testament to the pragmatism of women in the face of adversity, but though The Rest of Us has the ingredients of something great, but the result is lacking.

It passes the Bechdel Test, sure, but is that such a victory when the spectre of the man looms large? The Rest of Us is a quiet tribute to the women who pick up the pieces after a tragedy. Perhaps a little too quiet: hardly memorable at all. Kelly Reichardt without the brooding or menacing undertones. 

The Rest of Us premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and has a UK release date of 23rd March 2020

Marcel Duchamp: The art of the possible is an illuminative account of the origin and legacy of the “Father of conceptualism” Marcel Duchamp. An inspiration to an enormous variety of artists, it wouldn’t be difficult to find people to speak about his impact, but director Matthew Taylor excels in gathering top-tier voices to illustrate the point.

Artists (Marina Abramovic), musicians (David Bowie), and filmmakers (Michel Gondry) alike cite Duchamp as the foundation for their respective practices. 

Associated with myriad art movements including Dada, Cubism, and Conceptualism, Duchamp is known for creating paintings, sculpture and film. It is fitting, therefore, that Matthew Taylor is himself a multi-disciplinary artist.

Taking on the establishment of his day, Duchamp likens art to religion “It is irrelevant” he says, with too much emphasis on places of worship and not enough on intent. The key to his philosophy is found in a succinct statement: “I don’t believe in art. I believe in artists.”  

It’s clear to see throughout Taylor’s documentary what a profound effect Duchamp had on the people around him. Even decades after his death, his stepson Paul Matisse (Grandson of Henri) is visibly upset at recalling his funeral. 

Marcel Duchamp: The art of the possible is a chronological account. At 86 minutes, it is thorough but does drag a little in places. It’s heavy on the talking heads historians, and although their monologues are thoroughly informative, their enthusiasm fails to transfer to the audience.

https://vimeo.com/343677744

But stick with it—the pace picks back up once Duchamp makes it to New York.

Matthew Taylor’s documentary is more than a potted history for art students. It is an excellent source for anyone interested in visual culture, 20th Century history, or rejecting the establishment.

Director Nathan Pfaff, editor of the documentary The Advocate, displays an interest in people who eschew financial success in favour of altruistic fulfilment. Film School Africa sees the successful Katie Taylor leave her burgeoning Hollywood career to continue this project in South Africa.

Initially braced for white-saviourism, I was relieved to find a story of empowerment. However, I found the use of subtitling jarring. White people speaking English were never subtitled, but people of colour speaking English were. It didn’t sit well. Nonetheless, Film School Africa embodies the best type of youth programme—challenging, yet rewarding. Teachers Katie and Marie coach young people from different backgrounds  on their journey to become filmmakers. 

Knowing very little about present-day South Africa. I found Film School Africa eye-opening: As post-apartheid South Africa is still massively segregated, it is highly unusual for people from the various groups to be mixing with each other. Those involved in the making of the documentary are keen to express this fact, with special emphasis on the trepidation that Juan, a young white man, feels at first when spending time in the township of Kayamandi.

Youth projects such as Film School Africa have the potential to break these patterns over time, validating young people and creating a space for them to share their own stories, in their own way. In the first instance, they seem to use this space as a forum to engage in DIY trauma therapy.

Film School Africa draws on footage of almost a decade of the project, documenting the achievements and sorrows of group members. It captures their passion and ambition, despite having limited opportunities in their community. Katie and Marie provide context throughout, but the real stories come from the group: Repholositswe “Repro” Mpitsa, Juan Van der Walt, Tsakane Shikwambana, Gasthon Lewis, and Sihle James, who presents their situation at the beginning of his own documentary.

‘Kayamandi’, from the Xhosa-speaking people, means ‘nice home.’ He says “But you shouldn’t let the name fool you. This is far from being a nice home.”