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The 2022 edition of International Film Festival Rotterdam turned out to be a fascinating ride with an array films across genres being screened over a period of 11 days.
Here’s listing the best titles I watched at the festival, in reverse of preference:
10. Kafka For Kids (Israel)
Filmmaker Roee Rosen’s Kafka For Kids takes the essence of Franz Kafka to a vibrant palette and delivers a surrealistic parody of children’s television. The quirky animation is a treat to the eyes and the soundtrack is pitch-perfect.
9. France (France)
In France, Léa Seydoux stuns with her incandescent face & so does the DOP with a series of adventurous transitions, establishing shots, super-zooms & still frames. If only the maker Bruno Dumont had a screenplay worth sweating it out.
8. EAMI (Paraguay, Germany, Argentina, Netherlands, France, United States)
7. Chavittu (India)
Enjoyed the Malayalam film #Chavittu (ചവിട്ട്). It masterfully chronicles the incidents around a theatre performance in Kerala. The thumping music score, life-like frames, and the brief moments of humor are particularly noteworthy.
6. Phantom Project (Chile)
Chilean film Phantom Project is Roberto Doveris’ second directorial effort. Set in suburban Santiago, it invites you into Pablo’s life and apartment. Now 30, the young gay actor is facing a stumbling block in his career and is stuck with his previous roommate’s plants, a dog, piling bills, squabbling neighbors, and a cardigan possessed with a ghost.
5. ‘My Emptiness and I’ (Spain)
Spanish language film My Emptiness and I, more than anything, offered me an opportunity to upgrade myself on an aspect of queer life that I, perhaps, never thought about before. Adrián Silvestre’s film astutely discusses a condition called gender dysphoria.
4. Meghdoot (India)
Watching Rahat Mahajan’s film magnificent ‘Meghdoot’ (The Cloud Messenger) was mesmerizing from the word go. Layered with cross-cultural metaphors, vivid imagery, and moving performances, the film is haunting from the word go.
3. A Human Position (Norway)
Set in the sleepy Norwegian port town of Ålesund, it is the languid pace that appeals the most in Anders Emblem ‘s A Human Position – a brief feature that makes you feel a multitude of emotions.
2. The Child (Portugal)
The Child by Marguerite de Hillerin & Félix Dutilloy-Liégeois is a suspenseful story about an adopted young man in the mid-16th century. Notable for its unique visuals & sublime art direction, the film eventually emerges as a haunting tragedy.
1. Daryn’s Gym (South Africa)
In Daryns Gym, director Brett Michael Innes fills a universal story with innocence & warmth. It might easily emerge as the surprise charmer during the film festival rounds this season.
