Film Difficulty 3

To help you ease your way into our world, we have devised a the film difficulty ranking system to rate the difficulty of each film reviewed on our site. The easiest to watch films (the Rom-Coms and Superhero flicks that you watch anyway) will have a rating of 1. Foreign language films automatically add one point, as do black and white films, and films with strange and hard to follow plots. Welcome to Film Difficulty 3.

Film Difficulty Ranking 3: More of a challenge for those familiar with foreign films. Level 3 is like a mix between an intriguing European mime artist and your most interesting and demanding school teacher.

If you’ve mastered these films, move onto Film Difficulty Ranking 4.

Honeygiver Among the Dogs – How Society Creates a Witch

Honeygiver among the dogs Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you’re looking for a misty mystery built around the reputation of an attractive independent woman in Bhutan you’ve come to the right place. You’ll join a policeman sent to a small town in the mountains to uncover a murder mystery. The main suspect? A ‘flirtatious demoness’ who is said to possess magical powers. Honeygiver Among the Dogs promises dreams, eerie music, tranquil landscape, and a mystical plot which keeps you guessing.

From: Bhutan, Asia
Watch: Trailer, JustWatch
Trailer: White Sun, Spoor, Golden Kingdom

White Shadow – Life as an Albino in Africa

White Shadow Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Maybe you’ve heard about persecution against people with albinism in Tanzania and other parts of Africa. Witch doctors believe their body parts will grant their customers prosperity so they’ve butchered some people with albinism for their magical powers. It’s pretty horrific. White Shadow follows one teenager with albinism as he tries to escape persecution and live a normal life.

From: Tanzania, Africa
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon, Kanopy
Next: War Witch, Beasts of No Nation, I Am Not a Witch

If Only – International Competition – SBIFF

In If Only, Alma and her older brothers are sent to Rome to spend New Years skiing with their dad. Life with him is a world apart from their mother. He’s a disorganised failing scriptwriter with a young partner whilst their mother is a converted orthodox Christian with a strict husband. Instead of skiing, which is just a front to show his ex wife he is a success, he takes them to his friend’s beach house.

By the beach, the kids make friends with some of the locals whilst their father and his younger partner argue, make love, and write. They are your typical dysfunctional family.

Nothing much happens in If Only which feels for the most part like your typical light hearted Italian art house film. As a result, it’s quite hard to describe. However, it succeeds because of the performances of Alma, her dad and his partner.

Alma, the 8 year old daughter, has the benefit of the narrative voice, which she uses to comically picture her dreams of reuniting her mother and father. She’s the naive one – always blissfully unaware of her fathers current relationship with his partner and her and her brothers. Her rose tinted glasses make this a heart warming disfuncional family film rather than a more depressing one.

Her dad plays the stereotypical Italian dad. He’s all over the place and always emotional. One second he’s writing and angry at anyone who disturbs him, the next he’s a loving dad that’s present but will disappear in another second. His partner plays a free loving, spontaneous woman that doesn’t shy away from anything. However she’s always the one in control vs. Alma’s dad.

The other two brothers don’t offer too much, apart from two events which the director uses to help bring the film to a close.

Ultimately, If Only is a nice coming of age Italian art house film featuring a dysfunctional family. It’s a light and enjoyable watch. However, outside of the three characters, there isn’t much to distinguish it from other films in the genre.

The 10th Victim (Italy)

The 10th Victim Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Yes! There is a film which is a combination of Austin Powers and The Hunger Games. It’s called The 10th Victim and it was made in Italy in the 1960s. You may be thinking: “how does it work?” My answer is: don’t worry about it, the dystopian world that director Elio Petri creates is worth your time. It’s colours, setting, and subtle critiques of modern society make this film one of the most unique films and one that you should watch.

Why Watch The 10th Victim?

To watch the Italian 60s equivalent to the Hunger Games
This dystopia is complete with brothels, minimalist furniture and fashion, artificial insemination centres, and no old people!
It features Marcello Mastroianni from La Dolce Vita and Ursula Andress (the first Bond girl)
To find out more about ‘The Big Hunt’ – “Hitler would have become a member”

The Breakdown

The 10th Victim starts with a gun shootout between a man and a woman in an abandoned warehouse. As they are firing at each other, a narrator pauses the action to explain what is going on. The man and woman are members of ‘The Big Hunt’, a game where one plays 5 times as a hunter and 5 times as a victim. As a hunter, you are given a target to kill. However, as a victim, you must try and find out who your hunter is and kill them before they kill you. The one who comes out alive after 10 rounds is honoured and given $1million. Would you become a member?

The ‘Big Hunt theory’ is advertised throughout the film with it’s many slogans. Here’s some of the best:

“If you are suicidal, the big hunt has a special place for you”
“An Enemy a day keeps the doctor away”
“Hitler would have become a member”

The whole event was thought up as an outlet for violence (an idea also shown in The Most Dangerous Game based on the Spartan Crypteia event).

In The 10th Victim the violence is limited to those who choose to take part in the big hunt. Taking part is a quick way to find fame as the best killers are constantly stalked by paparazzi and dominate the news. These killers are the equivalent of today’s celebrity. They relish the spotlight, support the biggest brands, and always have to look good for the camera. This is one of the strangest, memorable critiques of capitalism on film.

Conclusion

Elio Petri’s The 10th Victim is a pop-culture blast. The world he creates is unlike anything you’ve seen, with bright colours, minimalistic architecture, and one-tone clothing. The wacky soundtrack confirms that Elio Petri’s tongue was firmly in his cheek when he was making this film. The cheesiness and laughs are all part of the satire that makes fun of consumerism, corporations, and celebrity culture. What a strange but awesome film!

Nofinofy – Life as a Barber in Contemporary Madagascar

Nofinofy Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you’re looking for a Madagascan film which documents a barber over the course of a few years, Nofinofy is the film for you. It’s mostly a humble slice-of-life movie that depicts the everyday nature of Romeo’s profession. But as one of Romeo’s friends mentions, his job is an honorable one; every day customers entrust him with their heads. But more than that, his customers also loan him their ears. Throughout each haircut, he gives his young customers unsolicited pieces of advice to help them through life, and for his older customers, he’s allowed to converse as he might to old friends, which gives him temporary relief from the burdens the government imposes on his barber shop. His dream of owning his own shop is repeatedly delayed by a city council that forces him to relocate every couple of months. His ever-moving barber shop mirrors the ever-changing city governments.

From: Madagascar, Africa
Watch: Trailer, Mubi
Next: Na China, Boxing Libreville, Inland Sea