NZIFF: Kelly Reichardt's "Night Moves"

Last night watched the very dark, slow-paced, and atmospheric thriller Night Moves by acclaimed American indie director Kelly Reichardt at the Paramount. I am always intrigued by her films; especially the ways in which they increasingly twist cinematic genres (western, suspense, mumblecore) in order to speak toward the manifold problematic aspects of contemporary society. In this film, environmental activism of the sort treated in the formidable documentary If a Tree Falls on the Earth Liberation Front gets a sharply critical take, along with glimpses of eco-fundamentalist idealism, new age materialism, recreational camping, and organic farming. Night Moves features a great trio of actors (Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard) with strong cameos and support (Alia Shawkat, James LeGros). There’s a terrific interview with the director on the Tribeca Film Festival site: “The shit the BPs of the world are doing is way more radical than anything in the movie—but you know, that’s all legal. So there’s all these different levels of what’s radical. I think the film is asking, if their actions are not the right response to the state of things, what is?”

NZIFF: Nick Cave: 20,000 Days on Earth

Artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard (of whom I am a big fan) have made a very stylised, visually compelling, and thoroughly watchable film on musician Nick Cave, which was screened last night at the New Zealand International Film Festival. It’s been called a “pseudo-documentary” and indeed it is highly staged, beautifully shot, and if improvised, draws a great deal on Cave’s writings, notes, and friendships with such people as his longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, who at times almost steals the film, as when he recounts witnessing the erratic performative antics of Jerry Lee Lewis and Nina Simone. If Cave seems to almost camp up his persona (would one expect any less?) he is also insightful, articulate, and utterly romantic when discussing his artistic goals: “It’s about what lies beneath the surface of reality, like the humps of a sea monster. The goal in music and performing is to tempt that monster to the surface.”