For the first time in my life, I went to a Film Festival, more precisely Motel X - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Terror de Lisboa, or in the Queen's English, Internacional Festival of Horror Films of Lisbon. And although I went as a visitor, I intend to return there as a filmmaker sooner rather than later.
First and foremost, the staff and Motel X team deserve a massive round of applause for managing to put together a festival, that in the middle of a global pandemic, had a sense of normalcy to it. Yes, there was the scent of alcool gel all around the lobbies, and the sitting arrangements were every other seat, among further details.
Due to some time constraints, I did not see all the movies that I (it really should say we because my girlfriend is a Motel X fan and she was the one that organized our visits there), wanted to see. But I (we) managed to watch five exciting movies, one of those managed to win the Motel X award.
Said movies were (in viewing order);
The Trouble with Being Born (2020)-Directed by Sandra Wollner [O Silêncio (2020)-Directed by Pedro Caldeira and Paulo Graça]
初恋 / First Love (2019)-Directed by Takashi Miike [Mirror Room (2019- Directed by David Seguro]
Pelikanblut / Pelican Blood (2019)-Directed by Katrin Gebbe
Saint Maud(2019)-Directed by Rose Glass [Porque Odeias o teu irmão? (2020)- Directed by Pedro Martins and Inês Marques]
The Rental (2020) -Directed by Dave Franco [Mata (2020)- Directed by Fábio Rebelo]
So, to the movies! Starting with The Trouble with Being Born...well I can't say much about this one, since I fell asleep a good 20 minutes in, and only woke after a good 10/15 minutes, which caused me to completely lost the plotline and idea of the movie. That being said, some production aspects stood out to me (yes even with a mid-movie nap). The camera work was very raw, and intense, working in tandem with the sound; there were some transitions where these two elements had a jarring difference, you would start in a room, -cut- now you are in the freeway. That change would be from a very dark room with some greens and oranges, to a very overcast shot, and during these transitions, the soundtrack seemed to die off giving place to this clash, from the ambient sound of a room to the white noise machine that is the freeway. One other issue that I had with the cinematographic choices was the length of some of the shots, they dragged for a way to long at times, which might have been shot this way to increase the ambience or the feel of a scene, but ended up looking like time padding. Besides the transitions, there isn't much I can say about the movie, whilst being fair.
The next movie was Takashi Miike's First Love, a chaotic journey through the underbelly of Tokyo, the way only Miike can do it. It falls under the same vibe as Kill Bill in a way, tons of action, a lot of bloody scenes, gore and ridiculous premises. I mean the movie characters are as diverse and (ab)normal as; a dying 20-year-old boxer with a brain tumour, a Yakuza that talks in cliches, a prostitute being haunted -by a ghost of a man in tight whities- as well as all sorts of Yakuza and Triad members, all quirky in their way. It was a perfect popcorn horror/thriller/comedy(?), with manic energy and a "wtf" spirit, it was a delightful experience.
It was the first time that I've seen any of Miike-sensei's movies, but now all of his films are in my to-watch list, the last time this happened was when I found my love for Wes Anders Movies.
Now for the winner of the Festival, Pelican Blood! What a journey it was. A classic to be, deserving a place beside the likes of Midsommer and Us. It was a very refreshing movie, at least for someone that has been seeing mostly British and American Movies for the greater part of my life. The framing and cinematography were simple and somehow mysterious. It had something that I really enjoyed (and ill try to say this without giving off any spoilers). Still, the movie can be seen both as a "supernatural" horror movie, and "natural" horror movie, as it is left to the viewer to conclude on its own. It is also one of those movies that you are, almost from the get-go, left with a feeling of unease.
It follows the story of a mother and her two adopted kids, focusing mostly on the child that was recently adopted. This child works a bit like the classic cliche of the devil child (like you see in movies like The Omen) while both propagating and subverting the troupe. I hope that this movie isn't an indie darling but gets some mainstream success.
Now the last two films are both directorial debuts. First, is Saint Maud directed by Rose Glass.
This was one of the movies we were more looking forward as are both huge Studio A24 fans, and A24's horror ventures rank high on our favourite horror movies. And what can I say apart from the fact that it lived to the expectation, and something was interesting in the genre subversion, the fact that religion can be as deadly if not worse than paganism(?). This is a movie I want to dwell much in neither thematics nor story since I believe that it should be experienced not told like this. Especially because of the way we see the world, through a point of view very close to first person. We feel and "vibe" with "Maud". It was a chilling movie, taping not only in faulty narrations, delusions, but her mood also affects how we see the movie, from loneliness, depression, salvation, chaos and ablution we see a bit of everything. It is a must-see! Also just like Pelican Blood, it made anxious and nervous from minute 1 (ok, probably more like minute 10 or so).
Finally, The Rental! James Franco, until a few years ago an actor that I hated for no apparent reason apart from his role in Scrubs. The movie was nothing revolutionary, it was a very simple "horror-by-numbers" narrative that is well made, nothing out of this world. A true statement to the old age adage "Keep It Simple Stupid". Perhaps the best thing about this movie was it'as realistic, dialogue and humour, something that many Horror directors seem to fail to understand.