Director Mahamat Saleh Haroun spends no time establishing the main draw of Grigris‘ title character; in the opening moments we see the young, disabled dancer (played by non-professional Souleymane Démé) busting some moves on the dance floor to a rapturous audience. It’s a captivating sight, watching Démé writhe around the club while using his paralyzed leg to pull off some truly impressive moves. It’s a highly entertaining and original moment, but one of the only ones throughout the film.

Grigris is Souleymane’s stage name (Démé used his real name in the film), and during the day he spends time helping out his mother and stepfather. Tragedy hits when Souleymane’s stepdad falls severely ill, and the only way to save him is to pay 700,000 francs. This causes Souleymane to ask for work from Moussa (Cyril Guei), a local businessman who smuggles petrol. Souleymane gets hired on as a driver, but when he steals some money to pay for his stepfather’s treatments it gets him in some serious trouble. At the same time Souleymane is falling in love with Mimi (Anaïs Monory), an aspiring model who resorts to selling her body in order to make ends meet.

It’s a storyline that wouldn’t exactly feel out of place in a film by the Dardennes (or a lot of other European arthouse fare), but its familiarity is what undoes Grigris. Haroun’s simple, slow-paced form of storytelling only drags out the clichéd proceedings. In A Screaming Man Haroun had an immensely compelling father/son relationship at the heart of his film; here, we only get the relationship between Souleymane and Mimi, which is severely lacking. Démé is a talented and charismatic person, but he looks like he’s out of his depth when it comes to the thriller plotline. Anaïs, also making her film debut here, is gorgeous but her role can’t resonate beyond its “hooker with a heart of gold” archetype.

The way that Grigris and Mimi both use their bodies as a means of escape from their surroundings (him through dancing, her through modelling) only to use them in corrupt ways as a means for survival is a fascinating idea Haroun flirts with early into Grigris, but as the story takes darker turns that concept is mostly abandoned. The same goes for Souleymane’s dancing, which is shoved to the background once him and Mimi go on the run from Moussa. It’s somewhat confusing that Haroun would take his actor’s greatest strength and use it sparingly, but not as baffling as what he does in the final act. The film morphs into an anti-thriller when it shifts locations to a small village before taking a surprisingly feminist turn towards the end. It’s an unexpected moment, but it’s one that doesn’t gel with anything that came before it.

Despite its shortcomings, Grigris still has many things working in its favour. The cinematography by Antoine Héberlé is gorgeous, lending a vibrant quality to the film’s locations, and Haroun has a knack for boiling stories down to their essential qualities that would make other filmmakers jealous. If the script wasn’t so lacking in characterization (a good example: Grigris’ mother and stepfather vanish from the film when their conflict wraps up, making their presence as nothing but plot devices even more obvious) and freshness it might have been more affective. Instead it’s a minor work, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

From Febuary 6-20, SF Indiefest will be celebrating 16 years of independent film goodness with a stacked program of indie films of all kinds, from docs, to comedies, to horror flicks, to dramas, to shorts…and the list goes on. The lineup is super exciting: for fans of independent film (you guys), this is going to be freaking Disneyland. Plus, to get to talk to up-and-coming filmmakers before they hit it big is indie cred in the bank. The films will play at the Roxie and Brava theaters in San Francisco, and at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland.

This year’s theme is “Sweet Sixteen”, and keeping with the tradition of “keeping the festival festive”, there will be a slew of off-the-wall parties and events to keep you busy: an opening night party, a Roller Disco Party, the Bad Art Gallery (awesome), a Pub Quiz, an Anti Valentine’s Day 80’s Power Ballad Sing-along, the famous annual Big Lebowski Party (featuring a 35mm screening of the film and a costume contest), and more. It’s a great time (I had a blast last year), and the parties give the festival a more quirky, fun, inviting atmosphere than any other film fest in the Bay Area. For more info, visit sfindie.com

This is my personal favorite festival of the year, and we at Way Too Indie obviously have a close connection with the films being showcased. Stay tuned for comprehensive coverage, including reviews, interviews, photos, videos, and more. If you live in or around the Bay Area, I hope to see you there!

Here are 5 films we’re looking forward to (though there are plenty more):

I Hate Myself : )

This subversive documentary by filmmaker Joanna Arnow should please fans of Girls and docs alike. Centering on Arnow’s relationship with her racially provocative, instigative boyfriend, the film features exceedingly intimate, hard-to-watch footage of the couple (both emotional and sexual) that will make you cringe and squirm in your seat, guaranteed. Themes of femininity, sexuality, dysfunctional love, and racism pervade, making the film a catalyst for rich post-screening conversation. The film has been garnering a lot of buzz on the festival circuit, and it’s heading into San Francisco with a lot of momentum. Arnow will be in attendance at the festival along with her “naked” co-editor Max Karson, who bares all in the doc. It’s said he may appear “in costume”, whatever that means…

Screens at New Parkway 2/11 7pm, Roxie 2/14 7pm, 2/18 7pm

A Field in England

At last year’s festival, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers was one of the strangest (in a good way) films that played, and his entry this year, A Field in England, looks to be just as darkly bizarre. Set in the English civil war, the film follows a group of starving soldiers fleeing from battle. They fall under the control of a sadistic necromancer who induces them into a state of wild hysteria. I’m a big fan of strange cinematic mindfucks (The Legend of Kaspar Hauser, which played at last year’s Indiefest, was one of my favorites), and Wheatley’s film looks to scratch that itch. Shot in grimy black and white, it’s praised by Martin Scorsese as being a “stunning cinematic experience”. If Scorsese’s endorsement isn’t enough to whet your appetite, I don’t know what is.

Screens at Roxie 2/8 7pm, 2/9 1215pm

 The Congress

Based on a sci-fi novel by Stanislaw Lem, The Congress stars Robin Wright as herself in a version of the future where actors can sell their digital likeness to movie studios for them to use in any way they see fit (depending on contract stipulations, of course). She’ll be gracing the silver screen for all eternity, forever young, and she gets a hefty payday, but as she grows older the ugly ramifications of signing away her likeness begin to surface. Waltz With Bashir director Ari Folman utilizes both live-action and animated techniques to tell his story, with a trippy, psychedelic animated middle section that’s sure to blow a mind or two. The Congress will open up the festival this Thursday at the Brava theater, and should set the tone for the festival nicely with its reality-bending style.

Screens at Brava 2/6 7pm

Blue Ruin

Jeremy Saulnier’s outrageous horror-comedy Murder Party played at SF Indiefest in 2007, and after a long directorial hiatus he returns to the festival with Blue Ruin. The film Dwight (Macon Blair), an unassuming bum who lives in his car, as he seeks to avenge the death of his parents by tracking down their recently-released-from-prison killer. It won the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes and kept the buzz buzzing at Sundance. Blair’s performance has been garnering universal acclaim as well. It’s great when you find the rare genre piece crafted with an artful sensibility (You’re Next), and Blue Ruin looks to be a violent, thrilling piece of indie filmmaking. The film will close out the festival.

Screens at Roxie 2/9 7pm, 2/20 915pm

Proxy

Zack Parker’s Proxy harbors some of the most unsettling, look-through-your-fingers movie moments I’ve seen in years, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a must-see for festival attendees, if only to share the shock of these devilish images with a room full of people. Collective gasps, moans, screams, and theater walk-outs are almost a guarantee, and honestly, there are few festival experiences more enjoyable than watching a crowd of people pushed to their limits by a movie. The film opens with  a pregnant woman, Esther Woodhouse, being brutally attacked in an alleyway. The film only gets darker and more disturbing as she seeks mental help at a support group and descends into a world of sexual obsession as she befriends a woman who may be just as fucked-in-the-head as she is. The film, which features indie darling Joe Swanberg in a supporting role, is best suited for those with an appetite for unadulterated sadism and gore.

Screens at Roxie 2/16 915pm, 2/20 7pm