TIFF 2012 Review: MUSHROOMING Delivers Wry Laughs
Aadu has just had a very bad day. And he's about to have an even worse one. A middle aged, nondescript politician, Aadu's advisors have decided his image needs a facelift. He needs to be fun. Thus, a stop on popular gameshow Hop And Jump is what's in order. Having survived that ordeal - and dreading the return visit for the second round - Aadu has decided a quiet trip to the country is what's needed. A trip to pick mushrooms with his wife is what's in order. A bit of seclusion. But in this day and age, seclusion is hard to come by.
First there's the rock star, Zak, who his wife offers a ride at a remote gas station. And then their planned picking spot is overrun by tourists. And then he receives a phone call from a reporter wondering why, exactly, he billed a family trip to Machu Picchu back to the taxpayers. Clearly, more seclusion is required. They must go deeper into the forest. Where they promptly get lost.
Estonia's Toomas Hussar delivers a wry comedy with his debut feature, Mushrooming, a film that starts as a seemingly tame character-based comedy before slowly ramping up to ever-increasing levels of black comedy and social satire. Hussar pokes (mostly) gentle fun at politics, fame in general and pervasive media culture, running his trio of heroes (?) through a night in the wild that they are nowhere close to equipped to endure.
A veteran actor, Hussar clearly brings a focus on performance and character to the screen, drawing strong performances from his entire cast. By starting from a point seemingly familiar and mundane, Hussar is able to create an instantly familiar and believable world, a move that allows him to crank up the levels of absurdity so gradually that you almost don't realize quite how silly things are getting until they have long since gotten there. It's an approach that makes Mushrooming somewhat unique amongst its satiric peers, the anger and the barbed humor that marks most such efforts being replaced by an almost jovial sense of inevitability, a good natured 'Here we go again.'
A very strong debut from a promising director, we can only hope that we will hear from Hussar again soon.
First there's the rock star, Zak, who his wife offers a ride at a remote gas station. And then their planned picking spot is overrun by tourists. And then he receives a phone call from a reporter wondering why, exactly, he billed a family trip to Machu Picchu back to the taxpayers. Clearly, more seclusion is required. They must go deeper into the forest. Where they promptly get lost.
Estonia's Toomas Hussar delivers a wry comedy with his debut feature, Mushrooming, a film that starts as a seemingly tame character-based comedy before slowly ramping up to ever-increasing levels of black comedy and social satire. Hussar pokes (mostly) gentle fun at politics, fame in general and pervasive media culture, running his trio of heroes (?) through a night in the wild that they are nowhere close to equipped to endure.
A veteran actor, Hussar clearly brings a focus on performance and character to the screen, drawing strong performances from his entire cast. By starting from a point seemingly familiar and mundane, Hussar is able to create an instantly familiar and believable world, a move that allows him to crank up the levels of absurdity so gradually that you almost don't realize quite how silly things are getting until they have long since gotten there. It's an approach that makes Mushrooming somewhat unique amongst its satiric peers, the anger and the barbed humor that marks most such efforts being replaced by an almost jovial sense of inevitability, a good natured 'Here we go again.'
A very strong debut from a promising director, we can only hope that we will hear from Hussar again soon.
Mushrooming
Director(s)
- Toomas Hussar
Writer(s)
- Toomas Hussar
Cast
- Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr.
- Volli Käro
- Mari-Liis Lill
- Markus Luik
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