Review by Caitlin Stratton
Collecting cinephiles from across the city, the 37th Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF) concluded this weekend on October 1 after 11 days. With the showing of over 100 films, the fitting theme of this year was ‘It’s a Marathon’.
And marathon it was: I personally watched over 20 films at different venues across the city. I dedicated a lot of time to viewing as many films as possible, as I had the all-access pass ($199). However, you could also purchase a 6-pack of tickets ($75) or single tickets to other films ($15-20) if you did not intend on going every day.
EIFF’s format transitioned this year from being held exclusively at Landmark Cinemas in downtown Edmonton to playing at four theatres – The Telus World of Science, The Garneau Theatre, The Art Gallery of Alberta, and the Stanley A. Milner Library. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing more of the city while I attended the screenings this year.
For those who have never attended a film festival, it is quite a different experience to a regular movie showing. The films are often underground, independent films that will not be widely accessible outside of the festival, so you can see some less popular (but amazing) films. As well, there are often Q&A’s following screenings with members of the cast and crew that enlighten the audience about their creative process and share hidden details in their films. The audience is made up of people from all walks of life, which I especially noticed this year as the festival’s age range was more widespread. In previous years, I have noticed fewer people from my age range (early 20s), but I feel that this year was better attended by people from all age groups.
As it is a film festival, my focus was primarily on the films, and on my three favourites from this year: Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Teacher’s Lounge, in the order in which the festival presented them. There may be spoilers ahead if you are unfamiliar with the films , so read on with caution.
Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life
directed by Dan Covert
Cooper Cole Gallery
Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life is a documentary feature about an artist and graphic designer, Geoff McFetridge, that explores his artistic process and family life. McFetridge shares his love for the craft through a discussion about life in the film, interlaced with animations of his work. His voice narrates most of the film, with additional support from his friends and family being interviewed.
I found Covert’s approach to the documentary captivating as he focused on many aspects of McFetridge’s life, rather than just his art. I also really liked the decision to animate many of McFetridge’s drawings to tie scenes together as it allowed me to see more of his art while he talked about the stories behind it. I came to find that I was familiar with a lot of McFetridge’s work, despite not knowing his name before the film. You may recognize his designs for Apple Watch backgrounds or his collaborations with brands like Oreo.
Cooper Cole Gallery
This screening took place at the Stanley A. Milner Library in the Muttart Theatre on a Saturday evening. While the theatre is very clean and comfortable to sit in, some of the rows near the back are hard to see the screen from as the angle of the seats places someone’s head in front of your view. I recommend sitting more towards the front for a better complete view. The theatre was accessible via stairs or an elevator in the library lobby. There is no concession for sale, but the festival provided Halloween candy as a free snack. This screening was about half full and the audience seemed to be more of an older crowd. They were lively during the Q&A with director Covert following the film.
Listening to Covert was a great addition to the film, especially as he spoke on his conception which aided in making its impact more enjoyable for me. Covert talked about how he initially set out to film McFetridge’s artistic process and shed light on his art. However, as the filming process began to include many clips of McFetridge talking about his approach to life and his family, the film became more of a focus on his character rather than just his work. Though his life does contribute greatly to his work, it was enthralling to be able to witness both aspects. I enjoyed that Covert talked about how his creative process is ever-changing.
Covert mentioned there is no current option for accessing the film after the festival, but he hopes to have it available for streaming somewhere soon.
Anatomy of a Fall
directed by Justine Triet
This French-language film follows the fictional trial of a woman accused of killing her husband. This film is also the 2023 Palme d’Or winner from the Cannes Film Festival. The trial centres around their relationship and her young son becomes involved in trying to figure out what happened to his father.
I was entranced by Triet’s choice of storyline as she began the film by showing the husband dying and chronologically continued through the discovery of his body and subsequent trial. As a viewer, I felt like I was a part of a jury, trying to figure out what happened based on what I saw, as we never see the exact moment that the man falls and dies (either by murder or suicide, which is the basis of the trial). I particularly enjoyed the performance of the son Daniel, played by Milo Machado-Graner, who has not starred in many feature films before. He was effective at grabbing my emotions and had a memorable presence on screen. I really enjoyed the use of his piano playing in building the film score as the eerie classical music defined key moments in the film.
This screening took place at the Garneau Theatre on a Sunday afternoon. The theatre has many different seating options and I found that all seats offered a clear view of the screen. The lower seating leans back quite far which irritated me when the people in front of me laid back, but the upper-level seats do not do this. The theatre is accessible via the front doors with stairs leading up to the seats, and there is a wheelchair entrance accessible if you contact the theatre in advance. There is a large concession area with snacks, drinks, and a bar. I could not resist some popcorn and a pop for the show. This screening was very full, about three-quarters of the theatre was occupied, and audiences were of all ages. Many seemed to have knowledge of the film as discussion before it started centred around anticipation, likely due to its winning of the Palme d’Or.
The film will be in regular theatres starting on October 20 in Canada.
The Teacher’s Lounge directed by Ilker Çatak:
This German-language film follows the story of a new teacher (Ms. Nowak) whose school is experiencing a series of thefts from teachers’ wallets. When other teachers begin accusing Ms. Nowak’s students, she steps up to try and solve the mystery by recording video footage inside the teacher’s lounge. Though this breach of privacy turns attention away from her students, further consequences evolve as parents, teachers, and students become invested in her accusation. I enjoyed the narrative as it progressed in ways I never expected, especially as more and more people started becoming involved in the accusations made by Ms. Nowak. The film did not seem to reveal much of where it was headed; I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next.
I also really enjoyed the lead performance by Leonie Benesch. I have never seen her on screen before, but she has many credits to her name. I enjoyed the way she shared emotions, and I was constantly tearing up as she underwent the emotional journey featured in the film. She had a presence on screen that developed very well as the film progressed. She has also been awarded the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the German Film Awards for this film, which is a testament to her abilities.
This screening also took place at the Garneau Theatre on a Thursday evening. The screening was about half full and seemed to have an older crowd. I enjoyed popcorn and candy from the concession during this film.
The film is currently finishing its festival run and is not set to play in Canadian theatres or on any streaming services yet.
As the festival came to a close this year, I was left feeling fulfilled. The marathon of films allowed me to witness new stories I would have never sought out otherwise. The three mentioned here only touch the iceberg of what EIFF has to offer and it was very difficult to choose my three favourites. Some honourable mentions that I recommend you check out are Monster, Suze, Hey Viktor!, and The Pot-Au-Feu. I can’t wait to see what the 38th Edmonton International Film Festival has to offer.
37th Edmonton International Film Festival
September 21 to October 1, 2023
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