Fantasia 2021 Curtain Raiser: This is What We're Watching, so You Should Watch Them Too

Josh's picks

The Feast (UK, Lee Haven Jones) Set in the idyllic Welsh countryside, Lee Haven Jones debut feature The Feast is a stunner of a film. A rare film shot entirely in the Welsh language, The Feast tackles greed, eco-terror, folk horror, and numerous other hot button issues without ever feeling preachy. It gets its razor sharp claws under your skin very slowly before violently ripping them through your flesh from the inside out, becoming one of the goriest (and prettiest) films of the year. Do not miss it.

The Great Yokai War: Guardians (Japan, Miike Takashi) What would Fantasia be without the latest from Japanese iconoclast Miike Takashi? This time, it's a long overdue sequel to his 2006 family fantasy, The Great Yokai war, The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Much in the spirit of the earlier films, Guardians takes a child's eye view as a young boy must help stop a potential disaster from destroying Tokyo with help from some new Yokai pals. Kid-friendly destruction, crazy creative monsters, and a ton of goofiness is bound to ensue. Good or bad (Miike is capable on extremes on both ends), The Great Yokai War: Guardians doesn't look like it'll be boring.

King Car (Brazil, Renata Pinheiro) I'm going to be honest here, I have very little idea what King Car is about, but it sounds fucking weird and that's enough to pique my interest. Renata Pinheiro's film is about a boy who can talk to cars, a revolutionary performance artist, and a sentient car of the future, and it looks awesome. I'm in.

The Sadness (Taiwan, Rob Jabbaz) After last year's TIFF splatterfest Get the Hell Out, I'm all in for Taiwanese gorefests, and Rob Jabbaz's The Sadness has definitely raised the eyebrows of the horror community since the first images and descriptions hit the web. When a pandemic of violence hits the island nation, it's every person for themselves as people's most violent inner whispers become shouts that turn Taiwan into a nightmare horrorscape. A couple on opposites sides of the city attempt to reunite, but they'll have to run the ultimate gauntlet to do it. Gory as hell, transgressive as hell, sign me the fuck up.

Coming Home in the Dark (New Zealand, James Ashcroft) There's bleak, and then there is BLEAK. James Ashcroft's Sundance surprise Coming Home in the Dark is definitely in the latter category. When a family is interrupted mid-holiday by a pair of scruffy looking hooligans, things quickly go very badly. Within the first ten minutes, Coming Home in the Dark makes is perfectly clear that it is not here to make you feel good, and with every passing moment is twists the knife a little further in what is one of the most harrowing film experiences of the last few years. If you though Wolf Creek was a rough watch, gird your loins, this one is those of us with guts of steel only.

Kurt's picks

Tin Can (Canada, Seth Smith) Seth Smith, Maritime Canada’s purveyor of the surreal and the sublime sea creature (Lowlife, The Crescent) is back with a post-apocalyptic prison picture. I love Smith’s approach to texture and tone of his films, and his own self-crafted electronic sound-scapes are magnificent in and of themselves. Here is he appears to be riffing on biological and psychological horror in the vein of our current pandemic-mindset.

Baby, Don’t Cry (USA, Jesse Dvorak) I am a sucker for the ‘runaway’ genre of indie drama, and Jesse Dvorak’s Seattle set Chinese immigrant tale appears, judging by its poster, to have a dollop of magical realism in the mix. It is also billed as a punk-rock rom-com, as penned by its lead actress Zita Bai. So I am curious what comes out of the blender here. There is so much potential.

Under The Open Sky (Japan, Nishikawa Miwa) A brilliant evening at the movies, director Nishikawa Miwa apprenticed under Kore-Eda Hirokazu, the maestro of a visually intimate, but emotionally savage, modern Japanese arthouse. She also evokes Ken Loach and Mike Leigh with her depiction of the working class and a downtrodden ensemble that gently swings into orbit around an ex-con, subtly played to a career high-point by Yakusho Koji. The prolific Japanese film star who possesses one of the great hang-dog resting facial expressions has hit over 100 acting credits, ranging from gonzo foodie classic Tampopo, to most of the creepy horror oeuvre of Kurosawa Kyoshi, to popular mainstream hits like Shall We Dance?, to Hollywood Oscar-Bait such as Babel, a Palm D'Or winner The Eel, to unclassifiable explosive punk-genre entry, The World of Kanako, and to big budget samurai & sword adventures from Miike Takashi. To say Yakusho has range is beyond understatement — and it is all on display in Under The Open Sky.

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched (Canada, Kier-La Janisse) A three plus hour plunge into the history and legacy of Folk Horror with author, film programmer, publisher, and all around genre aficionado Kier-La Janisse? I cannot think of many things I would rather be doing with my filmgoing time, than revisit, with fresh eyes, The Wicker Man, Witchfinder General, and Blood On Satan’s Claw, contrasted with modern entries The Witch, A Field In England and Midsommer. As a profound lover of this unique kind of horror film (existential and psychological crises abound), this documentary is a sizeable gift from the old gods.

Ida Red (USA, John Swab) A gritty crime soaked neo-western set in modern day Oklahoma with Melissa Leo, William Forsythe, Frank Grillo and Josh Harnett? Well hello there! I am all in for this kind of back-water, pickled-in-misery and violence kind of picture. We seriously do not get enough of them, unless you want long-form HBO style miniseries. And I really miss this kind of story treated in the cinema.

Coming Home In The Dark (New Zealand, James Ashcroft) Every breathless description of this New Zealand film debut employs the word tension. Set largely in a moving vehicle, are we looking at another road-classic like The Hitcher or Duel? Let’s hope so. Along side the word tension, suspense is also bandied about in the various festival catalogues and advanced reviews. Having enjoyed New Zealand cinema in all its forms over the decades, I think it is safe to say that bleak and psychologically unhinged (with a splash of morbid humour) is in the national cinematic character. I am looking forward to another peak into the shadows.

Funky Forest: The First Contact (Japan, Katsuhito Ishii) No plot description is possible. This film is a dream. This film is a dance party. This film is spear-headed by the director of The Taste of Tea and the animated sequences from Kill Bill Vol. 1. This film stars Tadanobu Asano, Susumu Terajima, and Rinko Kikuchi. This film will make you smile. This film will make you laugh. This film will make you high. For those of you not having the privilege of experiencing the full-on exuberant strangeness of Funky Forest: The First Contact. You are an empty vessel, waiting to be filled with triple-distilled joy. This is the quintessential “exuberantly strange” Japanese collage of surreal theatricality that Fantasia has always been known for: Laughing, singing, EXPERIENCING in the cinema. For its digital restoration, get as many people as you can in a virtual viewing party. HOME ROOM!

Izzy's picks

Catch the Fair One (USA, Josef Kubota Wladyka)

Hot off its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca, where it won both the Audience Award and Best Narrative Feature, as well as terrific reviews, Catch the Fair One now boasts its international premiere at Fantasia. It was directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-written by the director and its star, U.S. Boxing World Champion Kali Reis, in addition to being co-produced by some guy named Darren Arronofsky and Nomadland Oscar Winner Mollye Asher. Reis plays mixed-Indigenous ex-boxer going through tough times when she learns that her disappeared sister may still be not only alive, but caught in a sex-trafficking ring. From all counts, Catch the Fair One appears to be a searing revenge thriller that packs more than that punch, as well as a highly-crafted drama suitable for heavyweights.

Mad God (USA, Phil Tippett)

Mad God from Academy Award and BAFTA winner Phil Tippett looks appropriately kinetic, filled with visceral madness in its stop-motion goodness. I’d expect nothing more from the legend that’s worked on Star Wars, Starship Troopers, the original RoboCop, Jurassic Park, and many more watershed films. Thirty years in the making, Mad God will finally be unleashed via its North American premiere at Fantasia! I only wish we could all be in Montreal to see this stop-motion, war monster extravaganza on the big screen at Concordia amid one of the best festival crowds in the world.

From the press release, Mad God “can be viewed as if through the lens of Hieronymous Bosch crossed with Buster Keaton.” Sold.

Martyrs Lane (UK, Ruth Platt)

Fantasia 2021 is hosting the world premiere of this forthcoming Shudder film from British writer/director Ruth Platt (The Lesson, The Black Forest). Focusing on young girl Leah, Martyrs Lane appears to be about unresolved trauma and grief through the metaphor of a ghost child — who may or may not have good intentions. Leah forms a friendship with the ghost, who gives nightly tasks to the child in the form of games. But something tells me that this child’s play isn’t so friendly. As Fantasia Artistic Director Mitch Davis puts it: “A deeply personal vision channeled with phenomenal scripting, direction and performances, MARTYRS LANE is a ghost story that haunts, a heartbreaking fairy tale that whispers its truths in tears and blood.” Sounds like a terrific and bleak time!

The Righteous (Canada, Mark O’Brien)

Described as having elements of The Night of the Hunter and Teorema, the world premiere of Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a slow-burn horror film rooted by character in a black-and-white world. Occult horror is the subgenre here, as it takes place after a priest has left the church to start a family, only to experience the death of his child. It makes me wonder if there’s been some otherworldly vengeance being dealt upon this character, some kind of retribution for wrongdoing, or worse, a cover-up for atrocities the church has committed upon children and indigenous people — especially because the film takes place in Newfoundland. But having not seen the film yet, I can only guess. Here’s hoping there’s sociopolitical vengeance in the mix. Either way, The Righteous sounds intriguing.

Short Film Programs & Events

As a filmmaker and former festival programmer, I LOVE short films. They’re an amazing way to develop skills and proofs of concepts. Shorts are an ideal showcase for quick ideas and genre gutpunches. Every year at Fantasia, I look forward to seeing what the programming team has assembled, and this year, there are more than 200 short films! the incredible Born of Woman program, in addition to Small Gauge Trauma, DJXL5’s Zappin’ Party (this year it’s called DJXL5’s Miao Mix Zappin’ Party, and the International Science-Fiction Short Film Showcase. This year’s mix also includes Radical Spirits (folklore!) and Things That Go Bump in the East (“bite-sized Asian tales of the macbre!”), as well as others.

The cool thing about this year’s Fantasia events is that like last year, they’re not geo-blocked to Canada, and you can register for them as long as you have Internet access. In fact, registration is already open, so head over to Fantasia’s website. I look forward to all of the events, but am particularly stoked for: Haunting the National Consciousness: The Rise of Indigenous Horror, presented by Dr. Kali Simmons; Untold Horror Presents... Monsters Must Live! Moderated by Dave Alexander with Brian Yuzna, William Malone, and Richard Raaphorst; Grady Hendrix Live: Welcome to The Final Girl Support Group; The Transgressive Urge: Horror And The Taboo In The 21st Century; and of course, Phil Tippett: Masterclass & Lifetime Achievement Award.

Andrew's picks

Sweetie, You Won't Believe It (Kazakhstan, Ernar Nurgaliev) A little bird has told me that I ought not to miss the horror comedy Sweetie, You Won't Believe It from Kazakhstan. With a van packed with gear and sex dolls three friends head out of the city for a weekend of fishing. They witness the accidental murder of a victim by some local gangsters and are pursued by them, and a mysterious killer. I've been told that Sweetie is Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets The Hangover. That's good enough for me.

Don’t Say Its Name (Canada, Rueben Martell) What is more homegrown than indigenous made horror? Which is why we’re very much looking forward to Rueben Martell’s horror flick Don't Say Its Name. We love the idea of nature and the spirits that inhabit it striking back at those that would steal its resources. With three females taking the lead and representation of a culture underserved here at home and abroad we are at the cusp of a wave of indigenous led horror.

On The 3rd Day (Argentina, Daniel De la Vega), Ghosting Gloria (Uruguay, Mauro Sarser, Marcela Matta) There’s a handful of films from the LatAm region I’ll be checking out this year. I’ll be checking out On The 3rd Day from Argentina and Ghosting Gloria from Uruguay. These are two very different movies, one a straight up scare fest from Argentina, the other a sex-positive ghost story from Uruguay. Perhaps they are polar opposites on the horror spectrum but I believe that it is my sacred duty to support Latin American cinema whenever I can so I'm going into both of these films with as little knowledge about either of them as possible. Also, I think back to another scary little movie from Argentina and what it did to the Fantasia audience a couple years ago. Is On The 3rd Day this year's Atterados?

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Japan, Yamaguchi Junta) This year's contender for feel good movie of the year, it's hard to fathom that this clever and silly time loop comedy was born out of an acting workshop. The premise is so simple yet Yamaguchi and his team pull it off with such aplomb. The despondent owner of a cafe heads upstairs to his apartment to find himself on the screen in his room, from two minutes into the future. He makes himself keep the loop going and when his friends show up they realize what they have is a Droste Effect machine. Hurdles will arrive but in that satisfying and understated way by which Japanese comedies can carry themselves you're hooked from first minutes until the very end.