Swordplay, shotguns, single shot, surreal and surfeit
Every perfectly composed picture tells a story in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s transfixing take on the wuxia action genre, set in the 9th century. Shu Qi’s title killer is a princess, skilled at swordplay but capable of mercy. Abducted as a child by an exiled nun (Zhou Yun) and schooled in lethal justice, the princess must perform a vigilante act with serious family implications.
This Cannes 2015 director’s prize winner is resplendent with masterful mise-en-scène and images you won’t soon forget, captured by Mark Lee Ping Bin’s luminous lens. Lethal intent is at hand, but Taiwanese master Hou’s kinetic yet serene approach to martial arts is like watching a fastmoving river. It’s less about the plot and body count and more about contemplating a story rich in symbols and multiple meanings. Peter Howell
Post-Civil War as postapocalyptic mayhem is the grim backdrop for this female-led Southern thriller by Harry Brown director Daniel Barber.
Circa 1865, and the Confederacy has fallen, along with much of the social order. Southern farm sisters Augusta (Brit Marling) and Louise (Hailee Steinfeld), along with their loyal but forthright slave Mad (Muna Otaru), must take up arms to defend themselves against two rogue Union Army scouts (Sam Worthington and Kyle Soller). The men are murderous rapists, seeking any and all spoils of war.
The scattershot story doesn’t fully serve this stellar cast, as the drama often flags. But when it connects, the tension is almost unbearable. Peter Howell
It’s incredible that director Sebastian Schipper was able to shoot a film of more than two hours in one take, apparently after three failed attempts.
It would be gimmicky if the film was lousy, but it isn’t. Rather, Victoria is suspenseful and engagingly subversive, creating a surreal sense of anything goes that takes place in the wee hours before dawn. It’s also a romance of sorts as Victoria (Laia Costa), a recent arrival to Berlin from Spain, is drawn to ne’er-do well Sonne (Frederick Lau), who reluctantly involves her in a criminal enterprise. The performances are great as the sinewy plot goes from darkly absurd to dangerous. Bruce DeMara
Multidisciplinary artist and occasional filmmaker Laurie Anderson presents a highly personal film teeming with her ideas about a wide range of subjects, including grief and loss, art, memory and the paranoia of modern existence, all seen through the prism of Anderson’s life experience and Buddhist beliefs.
It’s a thinker’s film that draws on Anderson’s many skills as an artist, musician, animator and narrator as it ostensibly explores her attachment to her deceased dog Lolabelle, but goes far beyond. It’s dreamlike and deliberately abstruse, rather like visual poetry that requires viewers to reflect upon and draw their own interpretations. It’s a fascinating exercise. Bruce DeMara
Boston writer-director Mark Phinney’s Fat opens with a disturbingly honest scene that shows how difficult it is for naked, 300-plus-pound Ken (an excellent Mel Rodriguez of Panic Room and The Watch), to even get out of bed.
Inspired by Phinney’s own food addiction, Ken binges on the sly, struggling with shame amid anger, frustration and paranoia. He half-heartedly tries to overcome the obstacles he’s put in place that all but guarantee he remains fat and miserable.
Documentary-like in execution, Fat doesn’t hold back as Ken reveals both his body and the most intimate details of his life. Then he meets more size-accepting Audrey (Ashley Lauren), happy how she is but also contemplating weight-loss surgery. Linda Barnard