Wednesday, August 02, 2006

 
DARKON
7/10
Every year the festival seems to have a documentary that features some freaks of nature who are passionate about something unusual. In previous years we've had the opportunity to laugh at people who enter eating competitions or build stock cars for racing on weekends. This year the eye is turned on some residents of Maryland who every second weekend gather in fields or forests to do live representations of role playing games. Predictably enough, the participants are those that seem socially awkward in real life, who were probably loners at school. The interesting thing is how much they get out of their shells when they're playing this game. Ultimately the message here is that in their real lives they're not getting what they crave (power, confidence, adventure), so they use this fantasy world as a substitute. Hopefully they will begin to learn that they can function in the real world more if they give it a try - especially as the game increasingly simulates the real world as some characters strive for acceptance or power. The documentary wasn't bad and was entertaining enough - however, it would have been nice if the filmmakers had spent a bit more time on the background and history of how this thing started.

GRBAVICA
8/10
This is a Bosnian film about a single mother's trials and tribulations trying to collect 200 euros in order to send her daughter on a school trip. I almost didn't catch this as I've seen a couple of Bosnian films at previous festivals which I didn't like, but this one was highly regarded by a friend. And it will possibly will be my surprise hit for the festival. While it's a drama there are many touching moments and a degree of humour which is used to show that even in dark times, there's humanity that continues to shine through. This was the last session of this film for the festival, but I recommend trying to see if it you get the chance.

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