Kierston Drier

Film Review: WHAT IF?…. (Hungary, Romance)

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Hot with wit and hitting the ground running, WHAT IF…? Is a romantic drama from Hungary directed by Balazs Juszt. It follows a long-parted couple who now meet to pick up their children from dance class. The children they have with other people. The first part of their tale is the world where they recount what might have been- a romance they shared that died too soon, paths that parted too early and the fleeting promise of the world they could have had together. Sexy, witty and filled with sparkling dialogue the two dance the dance of lovers who knew each other once upon a time. The second half, however, shows what the world would be like for them had they stayed together. In this reality, their relationship is no less passionate, but it is ten times darker and more filled with tension. These are the lovers who have had their young love eroded away by a year after year of unaddressed problems.

WHAT IF is a story about never knowing the truth- but instead seeing the polar extremes of possibilities- the world of what might have been at odds with the world that was never meant to be. So what is the world are lovers really live in? What is their happy medium? That, is for the audience to decide.

Gripping, sensual and full to bursting with palpable emotion, WHAT IF…? Is a strong and engaging film. Spectacular performances make this film a powerhouse to watch.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 ROMANCE Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

WHAT IF…?, 14min., Hungary, Romance/Drama
Directed by Balazs Juszt

When it comes to relationships, everyone has a story. Whether it’s the one that is, the one that could have been or the one that never was meant to be – one thing is for certain: we can only tell after the fact, and then it’s too late. Then we’re left to wonder, what if…?

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: VIOLET AND JUNE (Romance)

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VIOLET AND JUNE, a six minute Canadian Rom-Com from director Linnea  Ritland, is a delightful and charming in every way a Rom-Com should be. Endlessly popping with color and fun, the tone falls somewhere between the more lighthearted moments in Juno and the more whimsical moments of any great Wes Anderson piece.

Violet is in love. And all the wonderful oh-so-familiar romantic feelings that come along with being in love plague her. Except she is in love with her best friend June. Who has a boyfriend and is otherwise totally unaware of Violet’s affections. Doom, despair and melancholy will follow Violet as she falls into the vibrant and artistic world of her mind’s’ eye, and wrestles with her feelings.

VIOLET AND JUNE is a sweet, simple and utterly adorable comedy about coming out and coming of age. A playful and wonderful romp into the world young love.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 ROMANCE Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

VIOLET AND JUNE, 6min., Canada, Romance/Comedy
Directed by Linnea RitlandViolet & June is a short film about falling in love, the terror of being alive in a cold heartless universe, and butts.

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Film Review: BE THE ONE, Switzerland, Crime/Music Video

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A five minute  experimental music video from Switzerland, BE THE ONE is a strongly visual and deeply gritty crime-centric piece. Two charismatic robbers enter a strip club to do a deal and must face a host of equally rough-and-tumble archetypes along the way.

Powerfully cinematic with its style and approach, this music video boasts a high production value and strong artistic license. Laced with nuance, it is worth watching twice to catch the small details that pull the piece together. As with many music videos, the cinematic story itself is highly dependant on the musical component, but the visual work in BE THE ONE compliments the musical score extremely well.  A strong, emotional musical piece paired with strong emotional visuals makes a powerful experimental film that is satisfying on many levels. A rollercoaster joy ride of bad-boy wish-fulfillment, BE THE ONE is an escapist fantasy.  

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

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BE THE ONE, 5min., Switzerland, Crime/Music Video
Directed by Remo Fritzsche Two charismatic robbers face a variety of strong stereotypes and a major twist while attempting to obtain a mysterious bag from their adversaries.

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Film Review: DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, UK, Documentary/War

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Riveting, impactful, emotional and honest, DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY is hard-hitting and compelling look at the international crisis affected refugees in the middle east. Directed by filmmaker Henrik Friis, this film is a brave look at the front lines of the international conflict happening in our world.

In an age flooded with news and information, it is easy to get lost in the conflicts of others and it is hard to resist the urge to pull the blinds from conflicts that do not affect us. Until, that is, we realize that we are all connected.

A bold statement on poverty, humanity and staying awake and informed, DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY is a call-to-action, and an appeal to lend out our hands to other humans in need. A strong piece to be seen, well done to Henrik Friis.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, 4min., UK, Documentary/War
Directed by Henrik Friis After travelling to the frontlines of Iraq and the border of Syria for the past several years documenting the war against ISIS, ‘Dear International Community’ is a short video documenting the hundreds of encounters we’ve had across Europe and Iraq.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: OUR WONDERFUL NATURE, Germany, Animation

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Like staring at a big bowl of candy, this film offers joy, delight and enthusiasm. OUR WONDERFUL NATURE is a three minute German animation in a mock-documentary style about the ravenous and foolhardy cameleon.

Brimming with physical comedy, polished images and laugh-out-loud moments, OUR WONDERFUL NATURE is packed with lush humour and frame-by-frame comedy. A film to engage and delight every viewer, this piece is like eating a huge slice of cake! Thankfully for the viewer, our eyes aren’t going to be too big for our stomach- the same can’t be said for our dear Chameleon.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

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OUR WONDERFUL NATURE, 3min., Germany, Animation
Directed by Tomer EshedThe feeding habits of the common cameleon as never seen before.

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Film Review: THE WAVES, UK, Animation

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A bright and unique animation, this four minute UK film brought to us by director Oscar Lewis tells a deeply moving story. An artist retells his childhood memories through simple and vibrants animations- softened and slightly surreal, the way distant memories often feel. Poetic and interpretive in nature, the film appeals to a love of high contrast. On one hand, the bright, youthful images dance carefree in the minds of the viewers- on the other hand, the adult recounting these memories seems to hint at a darkness that lurks within him- sometime after these early memories, sometime before his current point.

Laced with occasionally ominous undertones, but still managing to captures the purity and innocence of youth THE WAVES is a love letter to childhood. It is a short film that carefully wraps up memory and tucks it safely away from the harsh realities of adulthood. A deep and compelling animated film.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

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THE WAVES, 4min., UK, Animation
Directed by Oscar LewisAn artist returns to his work after suffering a mental breakdown.

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Film Review: 21ST CENTURY HERMIT, UK, Documentary

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The story of a woman who felt the calling to God since childhood, 21ST CENTURY HERMIT tells the true story of the life of one woman seeking solace and fulfillment through religious sacrifice. Following her through “a-day-in-the-life-of” format, we hear Sister Rachel Denton’s story and her vow to life as a religious hermit. This powerful three minute UK documentary directed by Neil Hall shows us that a happy life is not measured by materials, or conventional success- but measured by the fulfillment of the human heart. When Sister Rachel confesses her recent diagnosis with a terrifying illness, she sets out to make a proverbial bucket list- only to discover so many of her goals and dreams are already being accomplished.

For a film so short and simple, it is racked with depth and emotion. A heartfelt piece indeed.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

21ST CENTURY HERMIT, 3min., UK, Documentary 
Directed by Neil HallSister Rachel Denton has vowed to spend the rest of her life living as a consecrated hermit in the Catholic faith. A hermit is a person who chooses to live alone, with the intention of finding God. Rarely leaving her house, she lives a life of prayer and solitude. However, she uses the internet and social media to share her experience and distance herself from physically interacting with society.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: THE FLOW, Belgium, Adventure

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THE FLOW a sharp, poignant and beautifully sweeping film coming from Belgium tells the story of a young man whose car breaks down in the middle of a deserted road. Under director Jelle Bleyenbregh, this film has an awe-inspiring quality to it, full to bursting with cinematic moments.

The film has no dialogue, but no lack of story. In a slender three minutes our hero hits his major conflict with his car and must face the great wild elements to get to civilization. But what starts out as working against the elements turns into a journey of finding harmony within them.

A gorgeous film with incredible music and wonderful composition, it encapsulates the reminder that in the vast scheme of things, we are all very small. But it is deeper than that- THE FLOW is a story about how, sometimes we must get lost to find ourselves.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

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THE FLOW, 3min., Belgium, Adventure
Directed by Jelle BleyenberghWhen the car of a young man breaks down, his feet take him on a journey that might surpass his destination.

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Film Review: MAMMA, Italy, Crime/Thriller

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MAMMA, a frighteningly real and terrifyingly visceral Italian film from director Gonzalo Coteio, tells the story of woman in a shop who falls victim to a robbing. The result is a strong and horrifying scene of a woman caught in a dangerous life-threatening situation with no knowledge of what is going on or how she can save herself.

There is a clear stylistic choice in this film to not use subtitles for the communication between the assailants. While it may strike some viewers as difficult- the choice is a brilliant one. It creates a hyper-real sense of terror and confusion and makes the viewer relate to the woman being attacked. She can’t understand the language of the assailants, so neither can the viewers. The result is to be utterly entrenched in the scene, and to be forced to face the harsh fear of the situation along with our heroine, not outside of it as an external viewer.

The twist in MAMMA is buried in the title, but there is humanity to be found in even the most horrible situations. For reasons we don’t find out until the end of the piece, our heroine in spared certain death. To find out though, you must watch the wild and intense ride that is MAMMA.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

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MAMMA, 5min., Italy, Crime/Thriller
Directed by Gonzalo Cotelo A young woman finds herself trapped in the middle of a gang turf war when she witnesses a cold blooded murder.

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Film Review: MARTINA, OH MARTINA, Spain, Romance/Drama 

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Oh to be young and feel the feelings of life for the first time!  MARTINA, OH MARTINA is a story about such times. Martina is a young, quirky girl with her first crush. As that crush entices her, then fails to reciprocate, the world- or, rather, her world, begins to come to a cataclysmic end. A giant meteor is heading for the earth and life as we know it is about to end.

Or at least it is for Martina.

The beautiful thing about this twelve minute quirky-romance-comedy coming to us from director Fatima Martin, is how beautiful it captures the passion of youth. Our sweet, lovable and relatable heroine, Martina, so perfectly encapsulates the familiar feeling of early unrequited love. Not only that, but she also creates a relatable voice for that unique feeling that, without reciprocation for said love, the world will surely come to an end.

Smartly witty, disarmingly charming and boasting excellent casting in choice for Martina, MARTINA, OH MARTINA is the story of adolescence come to life. A  coming-of-age film that delivers on thought, feeling and whimsy, and worth every frame.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

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MARTINA, OH MARTINA, 12min., Spain, Romance/Drama 
Directed by Fatima MartinSandwich: roll or slices of bread with a layer of meat, cheese, or other food between them. Typical or characteristic of those of romantic nature, sensitive to acts of love and destined to die crushed by a big fat comet.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!