Well, its been a long three years since I did much of this, and work/family commitments mean that another 2013 is a long way off. The last posts were in 2019 (apologies) but as you can appreciate, the 2020's have been a bit crap so far, and this is the first time Ive been back to a festival since. Here's hoping we're through it and we only have global recession, climate demise and an idiot government to deal with now.
The films I post are just a smattering of the films at LIFF this year; theyre chosen more because they fit my schedule than what I would prefer to watch, unfortunately. However, experience has taught me this can be where the best films can be found - the ones you happen to see because the stars align, ones you may wrinkle your nose at and scrawl a '3' next to on your initial scan of the brochure.
I like films.
Hello, Bookstore (US)
What nicer experience to ease me back into the festival spirit than this quiet, gentle study of the locally famous but unassuming 'the bookstore', nestled in the quiet but environmentally dynamic US town of Lenox, Massachusetts. Inside, dwells the quiet, cuddly figure of Matt Tannenbaum, proprietor since my birth year (which yes, is a long time ago, since you ask), who runs the store with occasional help from his two daughters. Learned yet characteristically set in his ways, he watches as the oft present threat of Amazon tag-teams with the in-out-in-out of the COVID lockdowns to squeeze the already modest income passing through his tills. The film introduces us to Matt as he greets potential buyers behind the door in the entranceway, doing his best to work around the restrictions of the first lockdown by getting them to shout their credit card details through the glass, and charts the ups and downs - barely registered by the man too busy enjoying his passion while he still can - until the present day. If it were just a record of the slow death of yet another bookstore, it would have not been nearly so enjoyable, but fortunately it is warmed through by his warmth and friendliness to his patrons, cushioned by readings and excerpts of choice chapters from the many shelves, or from his own life; perhaps a mix of the two sometimes, it's quite possible his memory has been sprinkled with the storylines of a thousand novels. A lovely, affectionate look into the life of a person, an building and a tonne of books that together means much more to the residents of the town. 7.5
Goodbye, Don Glees (Jpn)
What appears to be LIFF22's only anime offering, if you discount Unicorn Wars (which you should), GDG is a sweet coming of age tale about the "Don Glees", a duo of teens sidelined from the popular groups and habitually doing their own thing. For this year's summer break celebrations, they're joined by mysterious newcomer Drop, who convinces them their alternate and private fireworks show will be much better preserved with aerial footage from an expensive drone. With all Roma's money spent, the drone AWOL and the fireworks coming to nothing in a deluge of rain, they managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, when the village has to cope with the aftermath of a huge forest fire the following morning. So begins a road trip of sorts to recover the drone and maybe some footage to prove their innocence.
With Studio Madhouse at the helm, the animation is serviceable but unspectacular, save for a few scenes where the traditional cell animation process is augmented by computer, delivering some grand scenery where it counts. Throughout, the dialogue between the three leads is engaging, though sometimes goes off in odd directions, (perhaps this may be down to my ability to parse the anime style getting somewhat rusty in recent years) but bounces along nicely fleshing the three characters out and keeping things going. A somewhat contrived ending twist takes a little swallowing but doesn't ruin the film and there's still plenty to enjoy. 7
Next Sohee (S. Kor)
Who will be the next Sohee, and the next, and the next...
Sohee is young, spunky and hard to faze. On her final year of school she is told how lucky she is to land an extern job at a major telecom company, somewhere that - she is assured - if she keeps her head down and works hard, could give her struggling school a much needed boost in the all important Korean rankings system. She might even get a few gold stars herself to add to her prospects. But quickly any idea of a fulfilling job post evaporates, and Sohee finds herself in the middle of a busy call centre with grueling hours, impossible bonuses, and downright horrendous customers, who seem to want to terminate their contracts with alarming regularity. When Sohees' boss is found dead in his car, she begins to spiral dangerously downwards, caught between her suspicions around the death, the unfeeling grind of the company, and her increasing isolation and reliance on a stiff drink to make it stop for a few hours.
Based on real life events, Next Sohee tries to convey the reality of both the exploitative working conditions found in some high pressure Korean workplaces, and the frustrating feeling of helplessness from anyone who sticks their head above the parapet and tries to make a change. No one is to blame, everyone is a victim, and lives will continue to be ruined.
Though a tad long, the film is split into two halves with a very different pacing for each, and this helps to keep the attention from flagging. Ultimately though, if you are wanting a film to leave you satisfied that justice has been served, I'm afraid the conclusion it reaches remains true to the real life events it emulates, and this may find you wanting. 7.5
