Whether or not you will enjoy Eden is contingent on whether you care to see an almost beat-by-beat retelling of Lord of the Flies. The only notable difference between the two stories is that the refugees in Eden are frightened adults instead of frightened children; and the cast isn’t entirely male. Now, while the film doesn’t bring anything particularly new or groundbreaking to the table, director Shyam Madiraju manages to keep high entertainment value with some truly surprising moments.

After competing in an international competition, a professional soccer team ventures back to the United States on the company plane. However, on the way home the plane crashes into the ocean, killing many of the passengers. Those who survive the initial contact find refuge on a nearby island, but with limited resources, they begin to worry that they won’t be able to escape the island before their inevitable deaths. Slim (Nate Parker), the good-hearted team captain, urges everyone to stay calm and work collectively. But Andreas (Ethan Peck) makes his intentions known that he plans on surviving at all costs. Before long, the survivors split into two groups, and tensions quickly rise to violent levels as the opposing sides struggle to coexist.

While many of the characters may as well be unnamed goons—one-note and completely interchangeable with one another—there are a few unexpected moments of gut-punching drama among the opposing leaders. Thanks to a pair of solid performances from Parker and Peck, becoming emotionally invested is easy. When rescue becomes less and less likely, the stakes are raised, and it becomes immediately clear that nobody is safe in this harsh environment. Genre clichés aren’t avoided here, but there’s just enough subversion to keep viewers on their toes. Early on, it seems pretty obvious which characters are going to make it out alive and which ones are going to suffer horrible deaths. But after the formation of some unforeseen alliances, death begins to strike from all angles, and the body count rises in surprising fashion.

An unexpected love triangle between Slim, Andreas, and Elena (Jessica Lowndes)—one of their coach’s daughters—is anything but romantic, and ventures into risky territory later in the film. Eden is truly at its best when it’s subverting expectations. The discovery of a former military occupation on the island provides some mystery to the film’s setting, but nothing of note ever really comes of it. There are no monsters or cannibal tribes occupying the seemingly deserted island. The only evil to be found is humanity at its absolute worst.

Eden is a straightforward, by-the-numbers survival tale, but it is never boring and consistently engaging. There’s some pretty questionable CGI throughout—with the airplane crash sequence looking far too cartoonish and glossy—but the practical and makeup effects are morbidly realistic. From severed limbs to sliced-up flesh, the film features plenty of brutality, and is quite grim and unforgiving.

As with most tales of human survival, Eden does attempt to comment on the barbaric nature of humankind’s vicious desire to outlive one another. In typical fashion, those who keep their humanity are rewarded, while those who lose it are punished. You’ve probably seen a dozen films with a similar message, because there are seemingly hundreds of them out there. Eden’s stance on the issue isn’t particularly profound or thought-provoking, but Madiraju and screenwriter Mark Mavrothalasitis are anything but pretentious with their approach. Refusing to insult the audience’s intelligence, the filmmakers avoid a preachy tone, which is heavily beneficial given the nature of the film. Eden rarely attempts to be anything other than a suspenseful popcorn flick, and on that level, it succeeds.

It’s impossible not to bring up Daft Punk when talking about the uprising of French electronic dance music, but that’s not actually who Eden is about. French director Mia Hansen-Løve, whose previous work on Goodbye First Love captured the beauty and heartbreak of love, shot a film very close to her own heart, chronicling her brother’s aspirations of becoming a DJ. Pulsing beats, rave parties, glow sticks, cocaine, and yes, even a little Daft Punk, all contribute to his story.

Somewhere on a crowded dance floor lit up only by flashing disco lights and glow sticks is our protagonist Paul (Félix de Givry). In 1992 the rave scene in Paris is starting to gain a lot of traction and he wants to be the reason people line up for blocks outside of a club. Paul fits the stereotype of every creative genius–obsessing over every little beat in an unhealthy way. Eventually he forms a garage house duo with a close friend and starts going by the name Cheers.

Several years go by before the duo begin to make a name from themselves, Paul gets a small taste of living the “rock star” life; bypassing lines outside of clubs, getting comped free drinks at the bar, doing lines of cocaine, and being around lots of women. On several occasions Paul wakes up blurry eyed to a different girl in his bed. Unfortunately, Paul is missing out on one of the best perks of living a famous lifestyle, being financially successful. Crowds begin to crave the latest sound but the duo fail to expand from what they know and love.

While Eden spends most of its time detailing the French electronic-music boom in the 1990s, Mia Hansen-Løve gives time to what she seems to know best, relationships. Paul’s relationship are many and varied, from a foreign affair (played by the delightful Greta Gerwig) to a single mother who mistakenly thinks she’s sleeping with a celebrity. Despite a head-spinning rotation of women, Hansen-Løve focuses on the small yet memorable aspects of relationships, sexual rejection, public fights, and the awareness of personal growth that comes with entering into new relationships and reflecting on past ones.

Eden feels like a personal film for Mia Hansen-Løve. On one side it’s an accurate docudrama about EDM inspired by her brother’s heavy involvement in that scene, and on the other it’s a fleeting relationship saga. In the end, both are about letting go, but her attempt at combining these different concepts show their seams. Sticking to one concept might have played out better.

What adds to the confusion are strange artistic choices on Hansen-Løve’s behalf, including awkward overlays such as airplane fly-over maps, and voiceovers where the person talking hovers on-screen. Other style choices that don’t feel right are the occasional display of texts from Paul’s phone and a singular bit of animation in the beginning that is a bit out of place. Still, there are moments where the director’s filmmaking skills do shine, one such example being impressive long takes of large rave crowds. Despite the stimulating imagery, and heavy and constant thump of the hypnotic music played throughout the film, Eden fails to entrance.

Theatrical release in San Francisco and Toronto Friday June 26. Originally published as part of our TIFF 2014 coverage.

Inspired by the life of former DJ Sven Hansen-Løve, Eden is also a sprawling document of the origins of electronic music in France in the early ’90s. Directed by Hansen-Løve’s sister, Mia, the film wades through his journey as a DJ in a scene that spurned acts like Daft Punk (who make an appearance in the film). It’s an intoxicating story that moves at its own pace, and Hansen-Løve takes great care to create a sense of time’s ephemerality. The film stars Felix De Givry as the central character, Paul, and also stars Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne, Hugo Conzelmann and Greta Gerwig.

In conversation at this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, I spoke to Sven and Felix about their experience working on Eden and representing the roots of French electronic music on-screen.

Eden is out in San Francisco this Friday.

Something I found interesting is that the film, chronologically, ends around where we are now, in the present.
Felix: When I spoke about the film to Mia, she said she likes all her films to end in the present time.

Why is that?
Felix: To remember when she makes her film? I don’t know. I think it’s to feel the passage of time even more in the film. I think if she did a movie in the 1800s she wouldn’t end today, but she’s only been doing movies about modern times.

Sven: We end up in about 2014 because she wanted to put the Daft Punk “Within” in the movie. The story is mostly based on my souvenirs, my memories. Some of the things you see happened to me, but only up to 2011, actually. Not 2014. [laughs]

I heard that you were an aspiring teacher.
Sven: I’m doing some studies, and then I’m moving to Spain. Maybe I’ll be teaching French there.

So you stopped your literature studies way back when to be a DJ, and you’ve just now picked that back up?
Sven: Yeah, it’s true. When my sister decided to do the film I had already decided to do literature again. More or less, it relates to reality.

Let’s talk about the inception of the film. Were you and your sister looking for a way to collaborate on a project, or did this just kind of happen organically?
Sven: It was a few years ago. She wanted to do a film different from her previous ones, which she saw as a trilogy. She wanted to try a new direction. She asked me if I was interested. It was natural, but I wouldn’t say organic.

I was just a kid in the ’90s, so I had no idea about this subculture you guys cover in the film. How old were you in the ’90s, Felix?
Felix: I was born in ’91, so I was just a kid. Every movie about a generation either happens while it’s happening or twenty years later. It’s a new trend to do a biopic. It wasn’t as common in previous years of cinema.

Sven: This is the first film to really show this scene. Usually, biopics are about things that are way in the past, but this is pretty recent.

Felix, your career’s very young, but so far you’ve got a great resume going.
Felix: This is my first film. I had a very small part in Olivier Assayas’ film, Something in the Air. But this is the first real film I’ve done. I plan on being selective. That doesn’t mean a lot of projects will come to me, but I plan on not doing several movies a year. I’m not planning on being an actor the way most other actors are.

Sven: It’s not so easy to find good projects. There are not so many.

Felix: Right. And in order to be an actor there’s this vicious circle, that you have to do a lot of movies in order to be present in the media. It’s a vicious circle. I do a lot of other projects on the side, and if I do act in other films, which is something I want, it would only be in movies that feel essential to me. I would love to act in a Coen brothers film.

Is that a goal of yours?
Felix: Yeah. They’re the best [storytellers] these days. They jump between genres of film. Really fascinating.

If I was a first-time actor approaching Eden, like you did, I’d be really scared.
Felix: Yeah. It’s huge. The script was 170 pages or something. I read it at night and it was for two films, and it was even more fluid. It was a gigantic project.

Sven, Mia’s said that this movie was a way for you to move on from that period of your life.
Sven: Yeah, it was a sort of catharsis, from A to Z. I was invested in every aspect of the process. I was so into it that I didn’t have distance from it, but now I can see that it helped me.

Do you have a sense of pride in the fact that you’re representing in film this culture that hasn’t really been seen before?
Sven: I wouldn’t use the word “pride.” Giving something to people that they didn’t know before is interesting.

After acting in this movie, has your musical taste changed at all?

Felix: I do listen to more garage and house and deep house music. My taste is more contemporary; I have a label and I produce music. What’s funny is that I understand more now a certain scene that is very present today, the deep house and techno scene. I know the roots through the film. It helps me have a clear vision of music today. The film really traces the roots, and it’s really fascinating that it was really just a group of 200, 300 people who committed to this music at first in the early ’90s.

Sven: We actually had a lot of teenagers who saw the film come to see us. They’re so happy to discover all of this.

The movie’s all about details. What’s a small moment that was particularly true to life for you?
Sven: The Daft Punk scene where they try to get into the club. They told us that story, and it’s completely real.

Felix: It makes them more human. That’s what they liked about the movie.

Sven: There’s also the scene near the end where there’s the New Years Eve party on the boat and no one came. That happened. Nobody showed up.

Would you have agreed to do a film about your life with anyone but your sister?
Sven: No, I don’t think so.

Are there any plans to expand on this project? You said it was originally two films.

Sven: No. That time is over. [laughs]

Felix: There were scenes in Sweden that were in part 2 originally but were cut due to budget issues. There’s also a short film that’s about the same character.

Did you film chronologically?
Felix: No. In the apartment we shot all of the scenes with the three girlfriends over three days. It was really strange. The biggest challenge maybe were the sex scenes. We were supposed to shoot one in New York, but we went over budget and over time. We shot it three months later in Paris, so the pressure was on. It’s strange. There are many reasons why sex scenes are strange. One of the actresses was married to a guy who was working on the scene, so her husband was right there.

How do you feel about the state of music today?
Sven: I think it’s getting better, much better than in 2000. Music’s starting to sell again. Obviously CDs are over, but on the internet, things are moving.

Yes, it’s that time of year again. As the summer begins to wind down, cinephiles begin to flock to Canada as the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off another year. With almost 300 feature-length films playing over 11 days (along with over 100 shorts), for some people this is more of a marathon than a festival. And for film-obsessives like ourselves, it’s like being a kid in a candy store.

Now, we won’t lie: when we saw this year’s line-up we weren’t as excited as we were in the last few years, but there’s still a lot to watch. There aren’t as many films coming in with the levels of hype as 12 Years A Slave or Gravity, but that’s because it’s a different year. The Oscar race is wide open at this point, and a lot of films this year are wild cards rather than sure bets. Could it mean another out of nowhere discovery like Slumdog Millionaire or The Hurt Locker?

We got a bit of a head start on TIFF this year with our coverage at Cannes, so myself, our editor-in-chief Dustin and fellow WTI writer Nikola put our heads together and came up with our 15 most anticipated films at TIFF this year. We’ve got some new discoveries, films we couldn’t get to at Cannes, exciting follow-ups, legendary auteurs and more in our list, so take a look below to read what we picked and why. And if you happen to be in Toronto between September 4th and 14th, be sure to check out one of these movies at the festival.

Our 15 Most Anticipated Films of TIFF 2014

Bird People

I don’t know much about Bird People, and yet it’s something I’m dying to see this year at TIFF. Why? Well, back when Bird People premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard sidebar, it wasn’t on my radar. Then the reviews started coming in, with people comparing it to In the City of Sylvia. I adore that film, and even wrote about it for the site earlier this year. Anything similar to In the City of Sylvia will immediately pop up on my radar, and when critics also said the film has a major surprise that people should avoid finding out about before watching, I was sold. I haven’t read anything about Bird People since, and that mystery is largely why I’m making sure I watch it at TIFF. [C.J.]

Eden

I was completely enamored with Mia Hansen-Løve’s previous film Goobye First Love, which perfectly captured relationship quarrels. In her third feature film, Hansen-Løve recalls the rise of French electronic music that gained popularity in the 1990s. While EDM is at the heart of the story (and likely the soundtrack too), Eden also contains a relationship-observation vantage point we come to expect from Hansen-Løve. The other reason we’re excited for the film is it stars two indie darlings, Brady Corbet (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Simon Killer) and Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha, Lola Versus). This is one of those films that might not have a lot of attention before the festival, but could have people buzzing afterwards. [Dustin]

Goodnight Mommy

Before the official lineup for TIFF came out, some of the early rumors predicted Ulrich Seidl’s In the Basement to be at the festival. Being a huge fan of the director, I was saddened to learn the film would show in Venice instead. But Seidl will still have a part in this festival, credited as a producer of the bizarre looking Goodnight Mommy. The film is about two young twins who begin to question their mother’s identity when a cosmetic surgery leaves her buried beneath bandages. All cooped up in an isolated countryside home, the two boys become restless and out of control. It sounds equal parts absurd and nerve-wracking, a combination we don’t mind here at Way Too Indie. [Dustin]

Horse Money

Pedro Costa has scuffled around the arthouse circuit since the 80s, but it’s the Fontainhas trilogy (Ossos, In Vanda’s Room and Colossal Youth) and their subsequent Criterion packaging, that perked up people’s ears and opened up most cinephiles’ eyes on this Portuguese master’s mesmerizing works. This is cerebral, poetic cinema of the highest order, choreographed mise-en-scene fit to be framed and admired in the most respected of museums. Costa mostly focuses on the bottom-of-the-barrel lost souls in impoverished surroundings of his home country, and this year we will finally see his follow-up: Horse Money. The movie continues to follow Ventura, the main person of interest from Colossal Youth, as a revolution is bubbling. He’s already won Best Director at the Locarno Film Festival, which is a good sign as any that Horse Money is much of the same cinema magic as his indelible trilogy. [Nik]

It Follows

First making a splash at the Critics’ Week sidebar in Cannes, It Follows now makes it way over to North America for a midnight premiere. Writer/director David Robert Mitchell’s horror film deals with a 19-year-old girl receiving a sexually transmitted curse (yes, you read that right). Her curse is an entity taking the form of any person, an apparition only she can see, who begins slowly following her. When it catches up to her, she’ll die. She can outrun it, but it’ll always be following. Mitchell’s premise sounds like wondrously creepy fun, an American take on something that sounds like it came straight out of J-horror. Buzz has been building steadily on this one since May, and we can’t wait to check it out during TIFF. [C.J.]

The Keeping Room

Brit Marling is one of my favorite upcoming actors, so any film with her name attached to it instantly sparks my interest. In The Keeping Room, she and Hailee Steinfeld are sisters who must defend their farm during the end of the American Civil War. Fighting along their side is their family’s young slave (Muna Otaru) as two Yankee scouts aim to ravage their land and prosperity. The Keeping Room is based on a screenplay that ended up on the esteemed Black List back in 2012. And it’s easy to see why considering the powerful subject matter. This remarkable story touches on several important historical events; the Civil War, women’s rights, and slavery. American History films tend to sit well with Academy voters (Lincoln, 12 Years A Slavery), so don’t act too surprised if The Keeping Room ends up being an early Oscar candidate. [Dustin]

Luna

Admittedly this one might fly over many people’s heads, and with 143 World Premieres at TIFF this year, it feels like Dave McKean’s Luna is destined to be seen only by the major McKean fans. I count myself among this crowd, as many a night his art in comic books and graphic novels (particularly those written by Neil Gaiman,) kept me permanently stuck to the pages, jaw-dropped in a mixture of horror and awe. Check out Batman: Arkham Asylum written by Grant Morrison, or the covers of Gaiman’’s Sandman series, to get the idea. MirrorMask was McKean’s debut as a filmmaker, and it’s a visual feast with art direction as darkly intriguing as some of his best artwork on print. Luna’s trailer gives some cause for pause when it comes to the dialogue and performances, but there’s a taste of what the story will look like, as it surrounds the death of a child and the re-imagining of said child’s death through batshit fantastical scenarios. Sounds about right. Those of you following McKean will likely have been waiting for this one, but those who are yet to discover the man’s artistic prowess are strongly advised to take a leap of faith with Luna. [Nik]

Miss Julie

Everyone knows Liv Ullmann as one of Ingmar Bergman’s main muses during his peak years, since she’s helped make films like Persona, Shame, and Cries and Whispers some of the greatest from Bergman’s canon. But, she’s also pretty handy behind the camera as well. With the help of Bergman’s natural talent for scriptwriting, she’s directed Private Confessions and Faithless into compelling and potent chamber pieces. Now, after 14 years, Ullmann makes her comeback with a film adaptation of infamous Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Set in Ireland, starring on-fire Jessica Chastain and fired-up Colin Farrell, the film details the power struggle between a countess and her valet, wrought with sexual tension. Austere Swedish cinema, two wonderful actors (say what you want about Farrell, then watch any of his arthouse roles and you’ll see he’s pretty great), Ullmann directing a Strindberg play, gorgeous Irish landscapes. Is it possible for this movie to be anything but absolutely fantastic?  [Nik]

The New Girlfriend

Toronto absolutely adores François Ozon. And there’s no reason to blame them. The French auteur has shown fourteen of his films at the festival and his newest film The New Girlfriend marks his fifth in a row. Ozon tends to explore taboo topics and The New Girlfriend is no exception. A young woman (Anaïs Demoustier) discovers the husband (played by Romain Duris of Mood Indigo) of her late best friend enjoys cross dressing. Needless to say, we won’t be surprised if the lines are long at TIFF for this film. [Dustin]

Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler wasn’t even supposed to make my list. But after reading more about it and, especially, after watching the trailer, the movie skyrocketed into my must-see list at TIFF. Apologies to Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye To Language 3D which I’m sure is awesome. Gilroy’s film deals with the underground world of freelance crime journalism, and it stars Jake Gyllenhaal. Sounds like ol’ Dan stepped into a world designed by David Fincher, you say? Not so; Dan is the younger brother of Tony Gilroy, the director behind political super-thriller Michael Clayton and writer of the three original, adrenaline-injecting Bourne movies. Dan is a successful screenwriter in his own right, and now Nightcrawler is his directorial feature debut (he’s also the sole writer credited.) Sounds like he’s got more than enough pedigree and experience to tell a suspenseful crime story, and I for one am really excited. Just watch the trailer again, you’ll see what I mean. [Nik]

Phoenix

Personally speaking, all I needed to see were two names before deciding to put Phoenix high on my most-anticipated list: Christian Petzold and Nina Hoss. This pairing of director and actress might be one of the best ones in cinema right now. If you haven’t seen Barbara, their last collaboration, do yourself a favour and watch it as soon as possible to understand why Phoenix is one of TIFF’s more anticipated titles. Hoss plays Nelly, a Holocaust survivor undergoing facial reconstruction surgery after getting injured while imprisoned in a concentration camp. Nelly returns home after surgery searching for her husband, and in the process learns her husband might have been the one to hand her over to the Nazis. Petzold knows how to create brilliant drama, and with a plot like this it’s hard to think Petzold will go wrong here. Phoenix will have its World Premiere at TIFF, and we’re excited to be one of the first people to see it. [C.J.]

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

It’s finally happening you guys. Roy Andersson is back after seven long years, and his latest is getting its North American premiere at TIFF. After the news of no Inherent Vice softly devastated me, I practically jumped up like a bona fide film geek when I heard that the other Andersson (the extra s means he’s Swedish) will be coming to Toronto with A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence. Yep, still my favorite title of the year. I’m expecting the usual dose of existentialism and sandpaper-dry humor that made his Songs From The Second Floor (2000) and You, The Living (2007) such joys to watch. Though Andersson is mostly popular with reclusive cinephiles like myself, it’s nice to see that Pigeon has been garnering hype since it’s been on festival prediction lists for a few years now; hopefully this means more people will get to experience the bizarre, hilarious, and foppish world Roy Andersson so meticulously crafts with his distinctly angular, motionless camera style. Yum. [Nik]

Spring

While fellow writer Bernard Boo wasn’t a big fan of Resolution, I thought it was one of the best horror debuts in years. A smart, clever and refreshingly self-aware film, Resolution found a way to craft a compelling mystery while breaking down horror tropes and audience expectations – think of it as a cross between Cabin in the Woods and Funny Games, except with less finger-wagging and more creepiness. Spring is directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s follow-up, and it sounds like an interesting change of pace from their first film. After a young man’s (Lou Taylor Pucci) mother dies, he heads off to Europe and ends up falling in love with a woman while visiting Italy. Sounds romantic, but this is a horror film, and it looks like this mystery girl has some sort of dark secret. Colin Geddes, the programmer who selected Spring for TIFF, calls the film “Before Sunrise with a supernatural twist.” Maybe it’s just me, but that alone has me looking forward to Spring. [C.J.]

Tokyo Tribe

I’m an unabashed fan of Sion Sono all the way back to when I first saw Suicide Club. Last year at TIFF I reviewed Why Don’t You Play in Hell? and thought it was a fun time. Tokyo Tribe looks like Sono has, once again, outdone himself. The incredible trailer, incomprehensible and so batshit-crazy you can’t help but grin, looks like it’ll be an uber-violent story about gang warfare with hip-hop musical numbers thrown in for good measure. May sound crazy to you, but it’s par for the course in Sono’s off-kilter imagination. Tokyo Tribe opens Midnight Madness this year, and it’ll be one of the hottest tickets to get in that programme. Midnight Madness crowds love Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell? won the audience award for the programme last year), so if you can snag a ticket be sure to go. [C.J.]

While We’re Young

Noah Baumbach schmoozed Toronto audiences two years ago with his delightful indie comedy Frances Ha, so it’s no surprise a lot of attention surrounds his newest film While We’re Young. While the previous film focused on an free-spirited twenty-something dancer who was anything but mature, Bamubach’s latest focuses from a different perspective. Here a middle-aged couple (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) begin to question themselves after meeting a much younger and hip couple. Using New York City as his backdrop once again, Baumbach explores how relationships and ambitions can fade with age. If While We’re Young is even remotely as good as Frances Ha, we’ll be in for a real treat. [Dustin]

With 2013 all wrapped up, the beginning of 2014 will be the same as every other year. Like late August/early September, January is a dumping ground for studios. Usually the only things worth seeing this month (and for most of February) are the Globe/Oscar/etc. nominees that you haven’t caught up with. So why not spend this time looking back on 2013 and catching up with some of the more overlooked films of last year?

These films may not have made it on our Best Films of 2013 list, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth seeing. As enjoyable as it is to pick favourites of the year, there’s a downside that comes with it. 2013 was a great year for films, one filled with an embarrassment of riches, and reducing it down to a small number means that plenty of other wonderful films get excluded.

Below are just a small amount of films from last year that we think deserve to get some time in the spotlight. Before 2014 ramps up again, it’ll be worth your while to see these.

Blue Caprice

First-time director Alexandre Moors’ take on the Beltway Snipers in Blue Caprice is a more daring one compared to most true crime films. Rather than focus on a factual retelling of what happened leading up to, during and after the random shootings that plagued several states in 2002, Moors goes for the bigger questions: What exactly drives people to commit senseless acts of violence, and why do they do it? Isaiah Washington, playing the mastermind of the attacks, is terrifying while newcomer Tequan Richmond portrays a transformation into evil that’s just as scary. Moors’ takes a refined approach to the material, and when the film finally gets to the attacks every moment is overpowered with dread. What might be the most horrifying part of Blue Caprice is the fact that, by the end, we aren’t any closer to understanding why such violent acts happened. Trying to understand something so irrational is a fool’s errand. The only thing you can do is hope that you won’t be one of the unlucky ones caught in the crossfire.

Availability: Now available on DVD and streaming.

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

Ricky Jay is arguably the greatest sleight-of-hand artist alive, and his timeless showmanship and impeccable card-handling skills have made many wonder: “Who the hell taught him this stuff?” In Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, we delve into Jay’s superhero origin story, as he recalls his encounters and relationships with the master magicians who shaped him into the performer he is today. Jay’s unforgettable voice (which Rian Johnson utilized to great effect in The Brothers Bloom) almost justifies a watch in and of itself.

Availability: Currently on DVD. Also available to watch on iTunes, Redbox, Hulu Plus and Amazon.

Eden

Based on a true story, Eden’s title character is a teenage girl who is abducted and forced to become a sex worker. It sounds like the plot out of a European film, except this actually happened in Nevada during the mid-90s. Director Megan Griffiths creates a world where human life is given little to no value (Case in point: a subplot involving a sex worker jealous of Eden ends abruptly when the film cuts to her corpse getting tossed into a quarry). Eden knows that it’s a matter of time before she’s no longer useful as a sex worker, and with that fate hanging in the balance she strategizes to earn a role on the business end of things to ensure her survival. It’s truly harrowing material, made all the more disturbing by its basis in reality.

Availability: Currently on DVD, Netflix, Amazon and iTunes

Escape From Tomorrow

I will admit that the story behind Escape From Tomorrow is equally, if not more, fascinating than the film itself. One of the most talked about stories from Sundance last year was how first time filmmaker Randy Moore was able make a film inside Disney World without permission or raising suspicions from the park. The film was shot using guerrilla filmmaking techniques like using a consumer-looking camera (Canon EOS 5D) and communicating inside the park via phones. This production process alone warrants a documentary. The film is a surrealist expression of how the “happiest place on earth” is a living nightmare for a certain individual who witnesses cute cartoon characters transform into terrifying  ones. Escape From Tomorrow employs a neo-noir look by having the film in black and white, which also aids the horrifyingly dark look of the self-proclaimed paradise. Thankfully, Disney ultimately decided to ignore the film rather than seek damages, which at the very least would have delayed the film’s release. Be sure to watch this mind-bending fantasy horror film. It will be unlike anything you have seen before.

Availability: Currently available on VOD and all major streaming platforms. Will be out on home video this spring.

Hors Satan

Bruno Dumont’s Camille Claudel 1915 may have gotten a bigger reception this year, but earlier in 2013 his excellent Hors Satan finally saw a release in the States. In a small French town, a drifter appears and strikes up a friendship with a teenage girl in the village. Since this is a Dumont film, the friendship isn’t exactly an ordinary one; shortly after they meet, the drifter murders the girl’s abusive father, and it’s soon revealed that the stranger has supernatural powers. Other than the mention of Satan in the title, there are no overt references to religion in the film. We never know who this man is, what his purpose is or why he has special abilities. Dumont’s mysterious approach brings out a meditative quality to the film that highlights just how blurred the line can be between good and evil. Dumont’s oblique style will frustrate many (which it certainly did when it premiered at Cannes), but if you embrace the mystery it makes for one of 2013’s most fascinating films.

Availability: Currently unavailable, but readers across the pond can buy it on DVD. New Yorker Films distributed it in early 2013, but they haven’t revealed any information about a home video release.

The Last Time I Saw Macao

In Edgar Wright’s The World’s End (one of our favourite films of the year), the film’s characters head back to their childhood town only to discover that it’s been warped into something sinister. The Last Time I Saw Macao establishes a situation that’s similar but far more unsettling. What if you went back to where you grew up, and found out it completely vanished? The film’s main character was raised in Macao when it was owned by the Portuguese, and at the start of the movie he returns to his home town after receiving a call for help from an old friend. The story turns into an old-fashioned film noir (with plenty of references to classics of the genre, including Kiss Me Deadly), but The Last Time I Saw Macao is much more fascinating when its main character ruminates on how much things have changed since the colony changed ownership to China. The film’s style, where no faces are ever shown and the action plays out on the soundtrack, only accentuate the loss of identity that echoes throughout the entire film. The Last Time I Saw Macao is a rare kind of genre hybrid, where the deeper and more resonant subject matter are actually preferable to the genre elements.

Availability: Cinema Guild is distributing the film, and it might still be playing in some theatres across America. No news has been given about DVD or streaming availability.

The Legend of Kaspar Hauser

Director Davide Manuli’s The Legend of Kaspar Hauser is the strangest movie I saw in 2013, and it’s one I look back on fondly. Based LOOSELY (I mean, really, really loosely) on true events, the film follows a young boy (played by a not-so-young woman, Silvia Calderoni) as he washes up on the shores of an unnamed island in the Mediterranean. He’s picked up by the infamous Vincent Gallo, who proceeds to give the absolute nuttiest, off-the-wall performance of the year as the island sheriff. There are UFO’s involved, a lot of awesome, thumping electronic music, and it’s all shot in Bergman-esque black & white. It’s unapologetically nonsensical and bizarre, and I grew to adore it.

Availability: No word yet on when it will be available in the US.

Like Someone in Love

Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami’s enigmatic Like Someone in Love is set half the world away from his home country, in present-day Japan. Alluring and elusive in its storytelling, the film explores familiar Kiarostami themes like mistaken identity, authenticity, and companionship, through a more meditative lens than his last film, Certified Copy. His images are gorgeous as per usual, but here they’re richer and more colorful and evocative than ever before. It’s a humble, moving film that will seep into your skin and stay with you for days. The extended, stationary opening shot is an immediate jaw-dropper.

Availability: IFC released it last year, so a home video release is imminent. Don’t be surprised if you see it pop up in the Criterion Collection later on this year. UK readers can go pick up a Blu-Ray right now.

Midnight’s Children

A charming, resonant adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s novel, Midnight’s Children is a film that centers around the children born on the 15th of August 1947, otherwise known as Independence Day in India. A stunning piece of magical realism, the story tells of how each of these children have a special “power”, the strongest powers going to those born closest to midnight: Saleem and Shiva. As we follow their lives and hardships in the midst of newly independent India, we’re taken on a journey that has much more to do with politics than we might initially realise. With a cast whose talent extends to even the smallest roles, and beautifully surreal cinematography, director Deepa Mehta provides a unique insight into the lives of Indian children in a way that is heartfelt, but does not exoticize. Particularly thanks to Rushdie’s involvement as a co-screenwriter, it is easy to feel not only the characters of his novel coming to life, but indeed, the mystical quality of its history.

Availability: On DVD and a lot of popular digital rental outlets.

Paradise: Love

Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl created the undisputed best trilogy of 2013 with his Paradise films, a series that portrays the dark side of human desire to achieve paradise. The strongest film out of the three is the first installment, Paradise: Love, which stands perfectly well on its own. Capturing complex themes such as desire to find love, body image, human objectification, and racial exploitation, Paradise: Love is a powerful watch. If you have seen any of Seidl’s other films you know that he does not shy away from showing the ugly side of human nature and perhaps it is this uncensored exploration that makes his work so controversial, and subsequently limited in mass appeal. Of course, this makes distribution for the film a challenge. Therefore, a lot of people would not likely stumble upon this film without seeking it out. But do yourself a favor and watch one of the most powerful and underseen films of 2013.

Availability: On DVD and Netflix Instant. Also streaming on Amazon.

Passion

Brian De Palma’s return to filmmaking, and the genre that established him as a legendary director, expectedly has some issues. A remake of the French film Crime D’Amour, Passion is so unhinged that it’s hard to tell if De Palma is slyly winking at the audience or completely losing it. I personally take the former stance, as Passion is a hilariously insane film. Filled with dumb plot twists, schemes and hammy performances from Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace, Passion is De Palma gleefully making a mess and daring the audience to keep watching. Whether you like it or hate it, it’s nice to see De Palma being playful again.

Availability: Currently out on DVD & Blu-Ray. Available to rent from Redbox and Netflix. Available to stream/rent/buy online from iTunes, Amazon, Google and YouTube.

Shadow Dancer

Director James Marsh, well-known for his documentaries Man on Wire and Project Nim, also likes to make fictional films from time to time. Shadow Dancer takes place in Ireland during The Troubles. After a botched attempt at bombing a subway, Collette (Andrea Riseborough) is coerced by an MI6 agent (Clive Owen) to become an informant. Marsh seems to have lucked out with his cast here, as they all do terrific jobs elevating what could have easily been another standard espionage/crime thriller. A plot turn in the final act threatens to bring everything down, but a nice stinger of an ending helps keep things afloat. It’s a well-crafted thriller, and Marsh does an effective job showing how, on both sides of the law, trust is the hardest thing to find.

Availability: Available on DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes, Amazon, Redbox, Netflix Instant, and pretty much everywhere else.

Simon Killer

When I saw Simon Killer at last year’s SF Indiefest, I was immediately taken by its sludgy imagery, great performances, and uninviting atmosphere. Made by the folks behind Martha Marcy May Marlene (Antonio Campos directs) and starring Brady Corbet, the film follows the gradual unraveling of a young American man lost on the streets of Paris. Simon’s descent into madness unfolds at a patient, deliberate pace, and the horrors of his true nature creep up on you slowly before ripping your heart out.

Availability: Available on DVD, and currently streaming on Netflix. UK readers can grab the fantastic Blu-Ray set put together by Eureka and enjoy the creepiness in HD.

Sun Don’t Shine

Amy Seimetz made a big name for herself as an actress last year, but not as much notice was given to her directorial debut. Sun Don’t Shine focused on a couple (Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley) driving down to Florida for a few days, but not for a vacation. Sheil’s dead abusive husband is in the trunk, and the two of them are on their way to ditch the body and create an alibi for themselves. Seimetz’s decision to shoot in 16mm turns out to be essential to the film’s success. Every frame of the film oozes sweat, humidity and murkiness, which only heighten Sheil’s complete breakdown in the film. Sheil is a revelation here in a role that should hopefully help launch her career, and Seimetz (along with cinematographer Jay Keitel) shows an incredible handle of tone/mood for a first time filmmaker. Seimetz’s career may be taking off in front of the camera, but hopefully she’ll be able to make some time to return to the director’s chair again.

Availability: You can digitally rent or buy the film on Amazon or iTunes.

This is Martin Bonner

There’s a quiet, beautiful grace to This is Martin Bonner that immediately makes it stand apart from every other indie film released last year. The title character (Paul Eenhoorn) has just moved to Nevada after his divorce, working with recently released prisoners trying to integrate back in society. At the same time, Travis (Richmond Arquette) has just gotten out of prison and wants to re-connect with his daughter. Travis meets Martin briefly, but the two become more drawn to each other as they’re both men trying to respectively start over. Shot in a restrained, realistic style, This is Martin Bonner never resorts to cynicism or despair with its subject matter. Its two central characters, while trying to find their identity, are constantly looking forward rather than dwelling on their past. Director Chad Hartigan’s hopeful approach to the material, combined with the terrific cast and cinematography, come together to make this one of 2013’s quiet triumphs.

Availability: Currently on DVD and streaming on Netflix. Also available on iTunes and Amazon.

Toad Road

The urban legend goes like this: In York, Pennsylvania there’s a red gate leading into a forest. As you go through the gate and go deeper into the forest, you will come upon 6 other gates. As you pass through each gate your hold on reality begins to slip, and once you pass through the last one you go directly to hell. Director Jason Banker uses this urban legend from his hometown as inspiration for Toad Road, but don’t think that the film will be another run of the mill low-budget horror piece.

Banker casted a group of real-life friends, and most of Toad Road’s first half is comprised of real-life footage Banker took of his actors taking as many drugs as possible while engaging in plenty of debauchery. The blending of reality and fiction casts a compelling atmosphere around the film, and when parallels start being made between the urban legend and drug addiction it becomes clear that Banker is operating on a level above most modern-day horror filmmakers. What starts out as an utterly strange horror film turns into a brutally raw and unflinching look at aimless youth.

Availability: Currently on DVD, as well as available to digitally rent/buy on iTunes and Amazon.

The We and the I

After a mixed reception on the festival circuit, Michel Gondry’s The We and the I was given a very small release in the first half of 2013. It’s an unfortunate fate for what turned out to be the director’s best film since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Working with a group of inner city kids, Gondry has the entire film take place on a city bus taking a group of teens home on their last day of school. The film starts out obnoxious, with groups of kids preying on anyone they find worthy of ridicule. Move past the abrasive first act though, and Gondry’s message (along with the title’s meaning) begin to make sense. As more kids leave the bus, the remaining characters on the bus begin to open up and reveal their insecurities with each other. It’s an engrossing examination of the roles we play as a group versus how we behave as individuals. Gondry’s visual inventiveness is still here, but it’s probably not a coincidence that his most stripped-down film is also his strongest in years.

Availability: Currently on DVD, as well as available to digitally rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes

Welcome to Pine Hill

If you are looking for the most underrated indie film of 2013 than look no further than Welcome to Pine Hill. There is a good chance you have not heard of Keith Miller’s microbudget film, despite winning the jury prize for Best Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival (the smaller and more indie film festival in Park City). The story found within Welcome to Pine Hill is nothing new; a former drug dealer trying to turn a new leaf, reconciling his past after being diagnosed with cancer, and trying to escape racial stereotypes. But what makes the film stand out from the rest is how it handles these issues. Instead of trying to force-feed these topics the film approaches them with a sense of ease. The result is a film that is emotionally intimate and free of manipulation. Welcome to Pine Hill is the best indie film of 2013 that you haven’t seen yet.

Availability: Currently available to digitally buy on iTunes

What else?: We could honestly keep going if we could, but we had to stop somewhere. There’s the disorienting fishing boat docu Leviathan; Jem Cohen’s gorgeous Museum Hours; Asghar Farhadi’s riveting The Past; Rodney Ascher’s documentary on Shining obsessives  Room 237; Blackfish which has made some serious real-world impacts; Lake Bell’s original and hilarious comedy In A World; Intense political thriller The East; Grand Prix winner at Cannes Reality; Intense found-footage documentary Let The Fire Burn; Johnnie To’s terrific action film Drug War; Cristian Mungiu’s terrific Cannes winner Beyond the Hills; Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said; Andrew Bujalski’s crazy retro Computer Chess; Hannah Fidell’s A Teacher; Terence Nance’s imaginative and personal An Oversimplification of Her Beauty; And Rick Rowley’s Dirty Wars, a documentary that gives a terrifying glimpse into post-9/11 warfare.

Like we said at the top, 2013 was filled to the brim with great movies worth watching. If you ever find yourself feeling like there’s nothing to watch in the coming weeks or months, you won’t regret putting any of these films on and giving them a shot.

The Jury and Audience Award winners of the 2012 SXSW Film Festival have been announced. Taking the top honors are Gimme The Loot for Grand Jury Winner for Narrative Feature and Beware of Mr. Baker for Grand Jury Winner for Documentary Feature.

2012 SXSW Film Festival had a total of over 5,300 film submissions, which was nearly a 7% increase over last year (which held the previous record of 4,911). Of the 275 selected films there were 74 world premieres, 17 North American premieres and 11 U.S. premieres. There were close to 150 documentaries that were selected this year.

The entire list of 2012 SXSW Film Festival Award Winners:

Grand Jury Winner: Gimme The Loot
Director: Adam Leon

Special Jury Recognition for Performance:
Jamie Chung – Eden
Besedka Johnson – Starlet
Nico Stone – Booster

Grand Jury Winner: Beware of Mr. Baker
Director: Jay Bulger

Winner: Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths

Winner: Bay of All Saints
Director: Annie Eastman

Winner: The Chair
Director: Grainger David

Winner: CatCam
Director: Seth Keal

Winner: Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
Directors: Rebecca Sloan & Joseph Pelling

Winner: The Perfect Fit
Director: Tali Yankelevich

Winner: (notes on) biology
Director: Danny Madden

Winner: Battles, “My Machines”
Director: DANIELS

Winner: Spark
Director: Annie Silverstein

Winner: Boom
Director: Daniel Matyas & Brian Broder

Winner: Man & Gun
Designer: Justin Cox

Special Jury Recognition: Pitch Black Heist/em>
Designer: Andrew Cranston