Film Fest 919 Part 1: SHOPLIFTERS, DESTROYER & DOGMAN

Picture this. You’re picking a college, and you have a lot of options on the table. You’re a film lover, so you’re obviously looking to expand on that love at school. For a myriad of reasons, you pick a school in an area that isn’t necessarily known for its film culture. You’re able to see movies at a nice theater, but it’s certainly not New York or Los Angeles.

Then one year later, a major international film festival begins in your backyard. This is exactly what happened to me, and it feels like a special kind of luck. After a launch event screening of The Florida Project in 2017, Film Fest 919 officially announced its arrival this year, with a wide assortment of screenings and events from October 3-7, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Founded by Randi Emerman and Carol Marshall, Film Fest 919 is destined to become a major presence on the fall festival circuit.

I’m a student at nearby UNC – Chapel Hill, so this festival is something of a dream. The lineup exceeded my wildest expectations, even after the festival had already begun. Moments after watching Roma, I checked my phone to see that a friend had texted me about Brady Corbet‘s Vox Lux, which was suddenly added to the festival slate. Oscar contenders, festival darlings, possible mainstream hits – Film Fest 919 had it all.

For several days, I was able to cover the festivities, including 14 critically acclaimed films. My coverage will include five full reviews, as well as three sets of capsule reviews. This is only part one, so there will be much more from Film Fest 919 here on Film Inquiry in the coming weeks. For now, let’s get started by talking about the biggest hit at this year’s Cannes Film Festival!

Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda)

One of the unusual things about film festivals is the necessity of switching between radically different films within a matter of minutes. One minute you’re watching Emma Stone battle Rachel Weisz for the affections of a troubled queen, and the next you’re examining the everyday life of a makeshift family of misfits and petty thieves in Japan.

That might be why it took me a few minutes to adjust to the groove of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, which won the Palme d’Or at this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This is a patient film, content to draw in its audience at a slow, measured rate. Eventually, it becomes apparent that Kore-eda is working somewhere between the realm of the mundane and the strikingly intimate, expertly capturing a group of individuals who find solace in the company of each other.

Set in an area of Japan where poverty is prevalent and domestic disputes seem to tear families apart, Shoplifters begins with a playful scene in a grocery store. Father figure Osamu (Lily Franky) and young Shota (Jyo Kairi) are staging a small robbery, picking up a few items for their cozy abode in wonderfully sneaky fashion. They’re clearly experts at this, and Osamu has made his protégé a master of the craft. But on their way home, they discover a young girl named Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), whose parents fight frequently and abuse her continuously. Even though it’s technically kidnapping, Osamu picks her up and takes her home anyways.

Here, Yuri meets the rest of the clan. There’s Grandma Hatsue (the late Kirin Kiki), who provides the pension money for the family to survive. Nobuyo (Sakura Ando) is Osamu’s part-time lover with a slightly enigmatic past of her own trauma, and Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) is a webcam girl with a loose connection to the family matriarch. Together, the Shibata family help heal the wounds of their respective pasts, creating a powerful bond even in dire circumstances.

But can it last?

Kore-eda’s film drops you into its world with little care for explicit exposition or introductions, which some viewers are bound to find frustrating. A story that feels jovial and energetic in the first few moments quickly grinds to something of a halt, allowing Kore-eda to explore those everyday interactions that make up this family’s life. It’s tedious at first, though I imagine the purpose of capturing these quiet moments will click for most viewers.

Much of what happens in Shoplifters feels ordinary and plain, but it’s presented in contrast to what isn’t there. Until the film is forced to go in a more clear-cut narrative direction, it’s striking how little conflict there is. These characters don’t fight with each other, and there’s no room for contrivances.

Instead, Kore-eda shifts his lens to the manifestation of intimacy and belonging, searching to discover how connections are formed by blood and by choice. So many scenes in the film focus on a specific type of bond, whether it’s the profound relationship between a father and his adopted son or the contractual link between a call girl and a client who just wants to be held and caressed for a few moments.

During these flashes of affection and palpable closeness, Kore-eda‘s purpose comes into perfect focus. Of course, Shoplifters can’t stay sweet forever. The inevitable tragedy remains a daunting cloud on the horizon, but Kore-eda‘s love for these characters will keep you in the film’s grasp no matter the circumstances.

Destroyer (Karyn Kusama)

Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer is a rare beast, in that it’s both exactly the film you expect and a totally surprising subversion of expectations. The director’s follow-up to The Invitation spends much of its running time delving into the hallmarks of the gritty, nasty L.A. noir genre, bolstered by hard-boiled dialogue and Nicole Kidman’s terrifying performance as a totally broken detective. But it’s when Kusama finally pivots from convention that Destroyer becomes memorably fascinating.

Kidman plays Erin Bell, who is still struggling under the weight of crippling alcoholism and a past trauma that will be slowly uncovered.  When the story begins, a group of detectives have discovered a body near a ravine. As Bell stumbles into the scene, she reveals that she knows exactly who’s responsible for this murder. Years after a robbery gone wrong, one that left Erin’s true love (Sebastian Stan) dead, the enigmatic Silas (Toby Kebbell) has returned to mess with Erin’s mind once again.

Silas’ return to Los Angeles sends Erin on an investigative spiral, as she chases down leads to find out how the criminal mastermind has gained the finances to support his organization. Bell’s chase leads her to a corrupt money launderer (Bradley Whitford), a fierce former friend (Tatiana Maslany), and a dying associate (James Jordan), all in the hopes of righting a wrong from so many years ago.

The mystery story is compelling enough for a large chunk of the running time, and Kusama directs the film with a kind of grimy bravado that demands admiration. The big set-pieces are obviously well staged, but there’s a palpable feeling of dread to even a few quiet interludes. One sequence involving an impromptu game of Russian roulette had me covering my eyes and holding my breath.

However, as Kusama and screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi push forward to the final third, something unusual happens. Eventually, it becomes abundantly obvious that the mystery is exactly what you think it is. There’s nothing complex or shocking happening under the surface. Silas is an empty villain, the devastating central event is thoroughly predictable, and it appears that Destroyer has run completely out of steam. I’ve seen this film compared to Point Break numerous times; more aptly, it’s Point Break if Johnny Utah spent the next 20 years desperately searching for Bodhi after Tyler’s shocking death.

For a few moments, it genuinely feels like Destroyer is in a spiral. And then something even stranger happens. With the help of a wickedly clever structural sleight of hand, Kusama makes the transition from a grungy L.A. thriller to an insightful, honest character study of Bell herself. The noir framework no longer matters, and maybe it never really mattered at all. While we were caught up in the nastiness of it all, something more interesting was bubbling just beneath our feet.

The turning point is a scene between Bell and Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn), her troubled daughter. The film’s main subplot focuses on Erin’s strained familial relationships, which seems superfluous until it suddenly isn’t. Those facades of toughness and extreme violence that prop the film up for so long dissipate completely, revealing a flawed human being’s painful, raw self-reflection. Here, Destroyer’s narrative missteps fade into the background, allowing Kidman and Kusama to take the wheel. And in this moment, everything that came before feels necessary and vital to reach this deeply moving catharsis.

Dogman (Matteo Garrone)

I’m not sure what I expected from Matteo Garrone’s Dogman, but it certainly wasn’t this. Even as the story unfolds, it’s often difficult to tell where the film is headed and where this character might end up. This seems like a compliment, and it really is in some ways. Garrone creates a character who exists in two very different worlds, who seems to be stuck somewhere between a normal life and a profoundly unpleasant existence. It’s a fascinating basis for a character study, but as the story goes down dark roads, the grueling violence and relentless unpleasantness takes a toll.

The character in question is Marcello, played by Cannes Best Actor winner Marcello Fonte. Marcello is a veterinarian, and it’s clear that he really does adore animals. He treats them with such kindness and warmth, taking every opportunity to compliment their beautiful appearance and obedience. Marcello has a daughter (Alida Baldari Calabria), and he loves her dearly, taking her on trips to the Maldives and holding her close whenever he can.

Marcello is also a cocaine dealer. Life is hard in this crumbling region of Italy, so it’s understandable. But he’s also friends with Simone (Edoardo Pesce), a brutal force of nature with the appearance and demeanor of Robert De Niro in Raging Bull. Why is Marcello friends with Simone, especially when it’s obvious that he’s nothing but trouble? It remains unclear, yet the dog groomer is fiercely loyal to his friend.

From this basic setup, Dogman seems determined to see just how far Marcello can be pushed. With a character built on a foundation of contradictions, it’s easy to see why Fonte took home the top acting prize at Cannes. Marcello makes the wrong choice over and over and over again, but the film’s greatest accomplishment is that he still seems like such a genuine, good-hearted person. In one memorable scene, an associate of Simone laughs as he tells Marcello that he just threw a barking dog in the freezer during a home robbery. Of course, our protagonist marches right back to that home, saving the poor chihuahua from the brink of death.

Garrone also has a sharp eye for how to shoot this particular area of Italy, as the aesthetic is practically drained of any color or energetic visual flourish. With a strong vision behind the camera, Dogman thrives on Marcello’s uncertain loyalties for a while, delighting in the war he’s constantly waging deep in his mind. But I think the film pushes too far in that direction, to the point that it almost feels cruel and sadistic. By the time all is said and done, this is like a Yorgos Lanthimos picture gone terribly wrong.

Even with such an intriguing setup, Garrone‘s resistance to any semblance of logic or reason on Marcello’s part is troubling. And when the violence and nauseating absurdity reach a fever pitch, the more serious elements feel like a farce, stuck at the mercy of a film that just wants to push buttons. Maybe the nastiness of the endeavor is actually brilliant. Maybe I’m just missing the point. But I really do think Garrone‘s chosen arc for Marcello results in a lesser version of what this could have been.

Look for more Film Fest 919 coverage in the near future!

Which of these three films are you most excited to check out and why? Let us know in the comments below!

Shoplifters will be released in the US and the UK on November 23, 2018. For all international release dates, click here.

Destroyer will be released in the US on December 25, 2018. For all international release dates, click here. 

Dogman will be released In the UK on October 19, 2018. For all international release dates, click here.