Oh, this year's festival was memorable, yes. Exciting as the years prior. However, it felt as though it was missing a key ingredient. Perhaps because last year's selections were nothing short of interesting, a few mentions being Talk To Me, Past Lives, and Kokomo City.
Now, don’t get all pessimistic fellow film lovers. This is part of the progress of witnessing incredible stories. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but leave the theaters a little underwhelmed.
My first tickets were for a film titled, Reiñas, a tale of two sisters who are slightly willing to attempt to bond with their estranged father a few weeks before they are due to leave for the United States with their mother. Set in Peru in the 90's with the economic collapse, social crisis, and city curfews immediately painting the ambiance for the story. Although incredibly slow, lacking in complete character arcs, and the inconsistent jumps between familial and government conflicts, I can neither say that this movie was an emotional masterpiece nor a terrible film. It was simply a mediocre movie, one I enjoyed a few laughs in but that was it.
In a Violent Nature was the second film I saw. A gory new slasher, one that reminds us it’s a new spin on the genre. Even with the amped warning by the staff, I found it to be quite of a letdown. Only dipping its toe into the promise it mentioned. The brutality of the murders was shocking, yes. But in no way was it breaking new molds for slasher films. The monster was not a well-rounded character and the only captivating scenes were the ones you felt were overkill after a few seconds. Not the best decision for a movie where you are supposed to root for the villain. I left not knowing why the ending took forever to “wrap up” when it could’ve been resolved by a simple plot hole, and a little lightheaded. Which, if that is what the director intended, then props to him.