MAMI’s 19th Mumbai Film Festival, 12-18 November, Mumbai: Many good films, no masterpieces

Overview of the films, seen and unseen.

*Mukkabaaz-India-Anurag Kashyap: Inaugural film, inaccessible to me.

Anurag Kashyap is a much-acclaimed film-maker and a member of the Board of Trustees of Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI).

India Gold section

*Checkmate-India-Ektara Collective: Good feature film debut of independent collective: ***

(film still above).

*Granny (Ajji): India-Devashish Makhija: Both shows in low-seating multiplex full. No seats available. Director Makhija offered me his VIP pass at one show, but it was too late; event manager insisted that there was no place.

*Ralang Road-India-Karma Takapa: Exotic locale, but nothing happens for 30 minutes. Walked out.

International Competition films

*Apostasy-UK-Daniel Kokotajlo: Insider’s look at the Jehovah’s Witness sect. Heartbreaking. ***

*Bad Lucky Goat-Colombia-Samir Oliveros: A good first film, with some oddball comedy and a touch of the supernatural but with some rough edges. **1/2

*I Am Not a Witch-UK, France-Rungano Nyoni: Hard-hitting attack on superstition and exploitation. ***1/2

Montparnasse Bienvenue-France-Leonor Serraille: A dumped girl-friend decides to carry-on, with only a cat for company. ***

More-Turkey-Onur Saylak: Heart-wrenching film about the plight of Syrian refugees exploited by cold-blooded human traffickers. Just a hint of good and redemption. ***1/2

Most Beautiful Island-USA, Spain-Ana Asensio: Drawing on the personal experience of the writer-director, it nevertheless reminds you of the Australian film Sleeping Beauty. Some blood-curdling moments apart, it has a very thin and repetitive premise. **1/2

Oh Lucy!-USA, Japan-Atsuko Hiranayagi: Feature-length version of the director’s 2014 short, the film explores various shades of black, white and grey, comedy and tragedy. ***1/2

Quest-USA-Jonathan Olshefski: Chronicle of a black working class family in North Philadelphia filmed over 11 years, it captures racism amidst eternal hope and the magic of music. A documentary, competing with features (why?), it can stand on its own. ***1/2

Scary Mother-Georgia, Estonia-Ana Urushadze: Much ado about nothing. A fifty year-old house-wife living in a patriarchal society pens a novel secretly, and faces the consequences. Nothing scary about this mother. **

Summer 1993-Spain-Carla Simon: Simon sure knows how to draw out naturally mesmerising performances from little kids. Endearing family values amid death and illness. ***1/2

The Wound-South Africa, Germany, France-John Trengove: Circumcision, coupled with homosexuality, is the theme of this crude effort. Walked out 30 minutes into the running time, wounded.

Winter Brothers-Denmark, Iceland-Hlynur Palmason: Few film-makers from other parts of the world do justice to themes of loneliness and absence of love as do the North Europeans. Realistically made, the film is a complex tale of deviant human behaviour, morality and amorality. ***1/2