Saturday, August 10, 2013

MIFF- Accelerator 2 and Good Vibrations

This is the last weekend of the Melbourne International Film Festival, and I spent the afternoon catching two different sessions.  The first was Accelerator 2 at the Kino, a compilation of short films from emerging directors in Australia and New Zealand.  Of the seven films shown there were two that really stood out.  One was Rebecca Peniston-Bird's Summer Suit about an epileptic girl who lives in a country town.  She spends the summer working at her father's service station while wearing one of her brother's brown suits as her uniform.  The other highlight, and my favorite short, was Jordan Prosser's Hungry Man about a homicidal tape worm that lives inside its host, Declan Greene, and talks him into eating things he wouldn't necessarily choose on his own.  A film noir with a warped sense of humor and a fair amount of blood, it received the best reaction and biggest laughs from the audience.

After a quick gelato break at Spring St Grocery I walked down to the Greater Union to line up for my second session of the afternoon, the Ireland/UK film Good Vibrations.  Set in 1970s Belfast during the Troubles, it follows record store owner Terri Hooley who ends up starting his own label and becoming the godfather of the city's punk scene.  While Hooley has a great enthusiasm and ear for music, his business sense is not as strong which affects his family and business partners at the end of the day.  The bands featured in the film were on Hooley's Good Vibrations label and the closing concert is a triumphant moment for the musicians and the Belfast punk scene.  Definitely check this film out if you get the chance.

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