Traditionally, Friday marks the end of the working week for much of the world, to which we say: "Bah!" Here at Screen Anarchy, Friday marks the beginning of renewed cinematic opportunities to feast on genre goodness from all parts of the world, including Switzerland, aka the heart of Europe, aka the home of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival.
Today marks encore screenings of excellent films, including Alex van Warmerdam's sly and brilliant No. 10, the fiery brilliance of Ashkal, the darkly comic Dual, the Thai monster flick Leio, and the Japanese gangster flick Bad City, which we've all reviewed -- look for links below the gallery -- and are recommended, among others.
In the gallery below, we consider three films that we haven't yet seen, but which all sound quite good and right up our alley of genre interest. Click through to read more and watch the official videos.
The Assistant
Screens this afternoon at 14:00. Visit the official festival page to learn more
Malaysian director Adrian Teh began by making comedies before making a couple horror thrillers and then enjoyed great success with his patriotic military adventure Paskal and the family-themed martial-arts drama Wira, which I wrote about back in 2020. His newest films looks to focus mostly on fighting, breaking bones, spilling blood, and sneering bad guys.
Per the festival, here's the synopsis: "Zafik is a young father who is wrongfully sent to prison. When he gets out, he discovers his family has tragically disappeared. Driven by the need to uncover the truth, he soon joins forces with Feroz, his late wife’s cousin.
"After Wira (2019), Adrian Teh solidifies his place among the new masters of action with this intense thriller filled to the brim with cinema and stylised fights. But beware! In this story, appearances can be deceiving."
Check out the trailer below, which includes a nice surprise in its final moments.
Babysitter
Screens this afternoon at 14:30. Visit the official festival page to learn more.
Canadian actress Monia Chokri (Falcon Lake, which is screened this week at Neuchâtel), directs her second feature film, described as a "zany feminist comedy."
The official synopsis goes a bit further: "Following a sexist joke that went viral, Cédric, who recently became a father, is suspended by his employer. His wife Nadine decides to cut her maternity leave short. The arrival of a new, charming babysitter is going to turn their lives upside down.
"A cutting and funny lampoon with a ton of style, Monia Chokri’s Babysitter tackles male chauvinism without any caricature or complacency. Brilliant!"
The director co-stars with Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Patrick Hivon. Have a look at the trailer below.
Miracle: Letters to the President
Screens today at 16:45. Visit the official festival page to learn more.
Director Lee Jang-Hoon helmed Be With You back in 2018, which was reviewed by our own Pierce Conran, who felt it may have been "a touch too manufactured to take a place right alongside the modern romantic classics of Korean cinema, but it rises above the majority of heart-tuggers the industry has put forward for much of the past decade." Now for his new film, the director has made a comedy that looks back in time, per the official synopsis:
"South Korea in the 80s. With the help of a bubbly classmate, a young math genius starts sending letters to the president in the hopes of having a train station built in his village, where accidents occur often.
Get the tissues ready, this ode to community and mutual aid isn’t going to leave you anytime soon! With superb characters and surreal moments, this rom-com will move you at every turn."
Perhaps Friday is a good day to fall in love and/or have a cry. Will you find it charming or cloying? Watch the trailer for a hint.
Visit the official festival page to learn more about today's programming.