My Favorite Movies of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival
The 23rd L'Alternativa Independent Film Festival, which was held in Barcelona from 14 to 20 November 2016, has proposed a selection of really interesting movies. Four, in particular, have caught my attention:
Behemoth, dir. Zhao Liang, China 2015, 95 mins - An alienating behind the scenes of modern Chinese capitalism. More than the fate of those wretched workers, what really hurts is the fact that we can’t even understand what they are doing. The film is dedicated to "those who face the hardship of life", a concept that no longer belongs to Western culture.
Havarie, dir. Philip Scheffner, Germany 2016, 93 mins - How to give dignity and purpose to a bland 3-minute amateur video posted on YouTube; preserve it from the incessant stream of futility to question ourselves on the current miserable state of humanity. It won the Festival's Feature Film Prize.
The Illinois Parables, dir. Deborah Stratman, USA 2016, 60 mins - An hour of pure magic which is very difficult to explain. Deborah Stratman manages to let places talk and share their heritage with an absolutely brilliant mix of large still-shots, old forgotten stories, and evocative sounds.
Heart of A Dog, dir. Laurie Anderson, USA 2015, 75 mins - Like it or not Laurie Anderson is a highly talented and creative person. She has something important to tell us about life and death and choose to do so through the uncertain eyes of her dog, almost without mentioning her famous husband. The result is so addictive that you lose track of time and when the film is about to finish, you'd like it to last at least another couple of hours.
