Reviews - Page 151

93Queen (USA, 85 minutes) Dir: Paula Eiselt Programme: World Showcase (World Premiere)   Movies about underdogs fighting for their rightful place have built-in appeal. 93Queen expertly takes you into trials and tribulations, victories and reversals right out of a narrative film. The film is about Hasidic women who want to set up an all female emergency ambulance service in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, a neighbourhood the film refers to as a “self-contained bubble” of ultra-orthodox Jewish life. The story’s antagonist is, of course, the stern Hasidic patriarchy that insists women belong in the home cooking and taking care of children. The

The Guardians (Canada, 104 minutes) Dir: Billie Mintz Programme: Canadian Spectrum. (World Premiere)   State-appointed guardianship in Nevada has become an issue in elder abuse. Numerous cases of guardianship have cropped up, where older people are threatened to comply, and, once in custody, are forced to obey strict rules, which ensure their incarceration. In The Guardians, victims discuss their stories. We hear of people who were told if they did not leave their homes they would be arrested or sent to psychiatric facilities; who were told they could not speak languages other than English lest they be capable of expressing

King Lear (Russia, 56 minutes) Dir: Denis Klebleev Programme: Artscapes. (International Premiere)   Retired actor Viktor Rotin wants to play King Lear. At 86, he’s finally the right age, and he has the passion. In Denis Klebeev’s documentary, we watch as Rotin meditates upon this beloved play, and what he perceives to be his destined role. But as the film unfolds, the actor’s interests become increasingly enigmatic. Rotin has a drive to play Shakespeare and he has evident skill. He slips in and out of monologues seamlessly, something which is only natural given his obsession. It’s not just that Rotin

The Strange Sound of Happiness (Italy/Germany, 89 min.) Dir. Diego Pascal Panarello Programme: The Changing Face of Europe (North American Premiere) Some say the happiest sound is the noise of children’s laughter. Happiness could be the sound of birds chirping or waves crashing upon the beach. Others, the 1%, might say the clang of the stock market bell puts a smile on their faces. Director Diego Pascal Panarello, on the other hand, finds life-changing serenity in the twang of a marranzanu. The instrument, also known as a khomus and a Jew’s harp, is an old tool that unleashes a remarkable

More Human than Human (Netherlands, USA, Belgium, 79 min.) Dir: Tommy Pallotta, Femke Wolting Programme: Special Presentations. (International Premiere)   Tommy Pallotta, a Richard Linklater collaborator who worked on Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, and co-director Femke Wolting open their doc about artificial intelligence with montages of robots like monstrous Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still, cute R2-D2 and C-3PO, and tragic Roy in Blade Runner. The clips set up the film’s various takes on Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). The machines might be harmless friends, or potential fiends that could eventually destroy us. Near the end of the