FANTASIA 2022 | Mid-Festival Capsule Reviews, Part II
Fantasia Film Festival is winding down in Montreal. The awards have been announced, and only a week remains for this year’s genre festival. While there are still many great movies left to play, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of my favorites (or some of the more intriguing ones) to have played through the middle of the festival.
Glorious
5/12 ForReel Score | 2/5 Stars
Rebekah McKendry, horror podcaster and filmmaker, brings the guts and gore to the big screen in this single-location, horror comedy. Helmed by Ryan Kwanten (of True Blood fame) and the voice of J.K. Simmons, it pits man versus myth in a rest stop bathroom. West (Kwanten) has just gone through a messy breakup, and when he gets locked into a bathroom with a man who claims to be a god in the stall next door, he must confront his own self-righteousness in order to - and I’m not kidding here - save the universe.
Glorious, which comes to Shudder in mid-August, is neither pure comedy, nor pure horror. Its scariest moments are laced with over-the-top absurdism, while its purposely comedic beats are often undercut by it being essentially a one man show. Still, there’s a lot to love - or simply gawk at - in this purple-tinged spectacle. The set pieces are gory, the script is silly, and Ryan Kwanten gives it his all. It’s undone by its own storyline and simplicity, but it’s still a headtrip worth checking out nonetheless.
The Roundup
8/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars
Fans of Ma Dong-seok, rejoice, for the South Korean action star reprises his role of Officer Ma, from 2017’s The Outlaws, in the new action comedy The Roundup. Needlessly complicated - as all good action films are - and outrageously funny, The Roundup follows Officer Ma as he travels to Vietnam to extradite a cabal of South Korean thugs. Not quite as serious as John Wick, but not quite as eccentric as the Fast & Furious franchise, this action flick hits the sweet spot between the two: wickedly fun, with a ton of great action sequences.
Dong-seok, who has only recently broken through to American audiences as Gilgamesh in Marvel’s Eternals, is without a doubt, the star of the show. He hits like a tank and shrugs off blows like water off a turtle’s back. That being said, the supporting cast is rounded out perfectly with key comedic performances from Choi Gwi-hwa and Park Ji-hwan; and Son Suk-ku, who plays Kang, the film’s big bad, steals the show with a kickass performance. The Roundup is gnarly, hilarious, and already the highest grossing South Korean film of the year. If you can check it out, it’s a must!
We Might As Well Be Dead
8/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars
Tonally unlike The Roundup or Glorious, the German directorial debut of Natalia Sinelnikova, We Might As Well Be Dead, has also shown bright at this year’s Fantasia Fest. Hard on metaphor, light on satire, We Might As Well Be Dead allegorizes Germany’s refugee crisis by focusing on a housing community at the edge of civilization. Society has all but totally collapsed in this world, and the carefully maintained high-rise at the center of the film is a bastion of hope - and survival. But, as is often the case in the post-apocalypse, paranoia sets in. Anna, head of security and an immigrant herself, must fend off a growing sense of insecurity in the high-rise, balancing the protection of society against the protection of herself and her daughter.
At times as funny as it is irritating, We Might As Well Be Dead is a true feat of filmmaking. Ioana Iacob gives a stellar performance as Anna, while cinematographer Jan Mayntz provides the best camera work I’ve seen at the festival, thus far. The screenplay can leave much to be desired (as I mentioned, some character decisions are especially irritating, and the films glides by plot holes without a second glance), especially in its allegorical heavy-handedness, but that’s not to say it isn’t an excellent metaphor for the current state of Europe. When dealing with topics as weighty as the ones tackled in We Might As Well Be Dead, coming down overly hard on fascism and xenophobia is preferrable to not coming down hard enough. And making the metaphor look good is enough to earn this film some bonus points.
Princess Dragon
8/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars
While Fantasia Fest is great for horror films, European social commentaries, and jewels from East Asian, what is often forgotten by the wayside is the festival’s eclectic selection of animated world cinema. This year’s lineup features some gems from all over, including Japan, the Caribbean, and Portugal, but Princess Dragon - my favorite animated film I’ve seen so far at Fantasia - comes from France. The film follows the titular character, Bristle - a dragon princess, as she works with a fellow human princess, aptly named Princess, to save their kingdoms from destruction. It is simple, sweet, and an absolute joy to watch.
Often animated films that play festival circuits are aimed at adults, taking what is usually considered a “children’s genre” and elevating it to become something more mature. However, the best animated films are effective for both audiences. Princess Dragon falls into that second category. While being a frolicking adventure, easy to follow and easier to predict, filled with memorable characters and fun animation for the kids, its ballast is a timely metaphor for parents: love and protect your children, no matter who they are. As the partner of a trans person and a conscientious citizen of the world, I know the dangers that face trans folk, and especially trans children. Princess Dragon, whether intentionally or not (and I believe it is intentional), serves as a sign to trans children that they are valid and lovable, and a ringing reminder to parents, family members, and fellow people writ large, that it is our job to respect and accept our trans neighbors as they truly are. Princess Dragon reminds us who is worth fighting for.
3.5 out of 5 stars. 8 out of 12 on the ForReel scale.