Revelation Round-Up - Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th July

So this weekend I've been at Revelation Perth International Film Festival, This is my 4th year attending, and it just keeps getting better and better. And, seeing as I see most of the films on my own, I'm going to talk about them here. Now, I'm no film reviewer, but here is what I thought. The synopsis is taken straight from the Rev program, they do it the justice I never could. 


Saturday 7th July 


Battle For Brooklyn - 'Battle for Brooklyn focuses on the large-scale redevelopment planned for downtown Brooklyn. The plan - the largest in New York City history- is simple, build a sports arena and a neighbourhood. Except for one thing, there is already a neighbourhood there complete with elderly residents, generations of families and local businesses.' - This film spans over 6-7years, from the start of the state announcing the redevelopment, thought the struggle of a community, and in particular one man, and how the fight for their homes and businesses. Fight to stop the state taking possession of them for this project. I really enjoyed it, but as usual, the bad guys won. 


Your Sister's Sister - 'a comedy/drama that focuses on the relationships between a trio of friends staying at a remote cabin. Jack (the always great Mark Duplass) is adrift in the shadow of his dead brother when he's offered the chance to spend a weekend alone at a cottage owned by the family of his best friend Iris (Emily blunt). Little do they realise that Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt), Iris's sister, is also staying at the cottage following the collapse of her relationship. And then Iris makes a surprise visit. What follows is an honest simple and warm character driven movie.' - I think this is my pick of the festival. It was beautifully witty, clever and thoroughly enjoyable. It was the opening night film, and you can see why immediately. If you get the chance, see this film, you won't be disappointed. I wish it was playing again, I would see it again.


Livid - 'on her first day as a nursing aide for the sick and elderly Lucie's taken to a rural mansion. Here she is 'introduced' to one of her future clients; an old lady in a coma. Discovering that the elderly woman has a hidden treasure secreted somewhere in the building, Lucie and her friends return to the house that evening. What follows slips from the dark gothic to abject horror.' - To be honest, I was expecting more from this French horror flick. The first half of the film was awesome. It had the right suspense and it was engaging. But the second half fell short, and I just wanted it to end. Which is a shame, because it could have been a really beautiful, impressive horror flick. But, it is worth seeing just for the first half.


Sunday 8th July


The Impostor - 'If any film exemplifies the notion that 'truth is stranger than ficton' it's the impostor. This award winning dramatic and suspenseful documentary is a dynamic and fluid mix of film noir and Hitchcock that's made for the big screen. Throughout a combination of interviews and dramatised recreations Bart Layton's Sundance nominated documentary tells the story of thirteen-year-old Nicholas Barclay who went missing in Texas in 1994 but then reappeared in Spain years later. As the film develops it becomes clear that the boy - now a young man - has changed, not least in his acquisition of a French accent, but neither the police or his family seem to have noticed. What unfolds is a strange, mysterious tale of identity that exceeds anything imagined by a Hollywood scriptwriter.' - I was blown away by this story. It is an unbelievable tale. And it was told brilliantly. I was fascinated from the minute the film started until the minute it ended. 


The Whisper in Darkness - 'H P Lovecraft's short story The Whisper in Darkness is generally considered to be on of the authors best realised works. It combines elements of haunting New England gothic, crypto-science fiction and the sense of a vast utterly alien intelligence at play in the darkness. Now - after eight years in the making - the H P Lovecraft Society has produced an epic feature based of the story, loyal to the original source materiel. The film is a slowly unwinding tale of uncanny suspense and creeping terror' - This film was shot in Mythoscope, and is in the style of the horror and sci-fi films of the 1930's. It was seriously enjoyable to watch! Anyone who knows me, knows that I adore early black and white films (complete with ham acting) and this film certainly delivers as a throwback to that. The filmmakers really did the story justice by shooting it this way. It was super fun and enjoyable to watch. Even Jesse enjoyed it!

I've got a whole weeks of films planned, and I'm really excited. I try to drag people along to see these films with me, but no one ever takes me up on the offer. It's their loss. Revelation really do bring some amazing films here, and I look forward to it every year.