TIFF 2013: Sunshine On Leith (Very Good)

I've been a big fan of The Proclaimers' music for some time, so when I spotted Sunshine on Leith in the TIFF programme, it was an obvious pick. The film is based on a successful musical stage production, and includes numerous Proclaimers songs, some very familiar (I Would Walk 500 Miles) and some new to me (OK, so I'm a big fan of one album, and hadn't explored their other work...)

It's a story about finding, losing and struggling to hold on to love, with a wee bit of Scottish nationalism thrown in for good measure. There are enough sub-plots to make it all interesting and some of them are dark, but in general it's a light little affair. The energy and passion with which The Proclaimers infuse their music comes across loud and clear through strong performances by the entire cast. And the beautiful city of Edinburgh shines as a wonderful backdrop. I was reminded that it has been 5 years since I visited Scotland, and it brought back vivid memories of how beautify the country is.

The audience in the theatre for this world premiere must have been almost entirely Proclaimers fans of Scottish descent; they ate up every bit of the film, from the twins' early cameo to the final flash-mob-style musical number (yes, number: guess which song). 

The director, screenwriter, much of the cast and The Proclaimers took the stage for Q&A after the film. Most of the questions were about how they adapted the stage production to the screen, but the last was memorable: "Do you feel it's wrong to have a Scottish story end on a happy note?". The director didn't.

TIFF 2013: Beyond The Edge (Pretty Good)

Beyond The Edge is an historical perspective of the first successful ascent of Everest, on the occasion of the 60-year anniversary of the feat. It combines archival footage (audio and video) with new footage shot in 3D, with actors playing the roles of Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay and others. It shows the massive effort behind the British expedition of 1953 (hundreds of sherpas and porters, and a core climbing crew of about 15) made the final push possible. It also conveyed the pressure they were under to succeed, as others had come close, and it looked like the peak was ready to be conquered, even as medical experts of the day were uncertain if the human body could survive long in the "death zone" above 28,000 feet.

I have read several books about Everest, and seen a few films, so the subject matter was quite familiar to me. Those have mainly been about modern attempts on the peak, and the chaos that comes with too many expeditions going up at once, and leaving their detritus behind (including the bodies of those who failed). This film showed what things were like in 1953, with the primitive equipment used at the time, and (in part thanks to modern film technology that allowed the cinematographer to eliminate extra bodies on the mountain digitally) the loneliness of two men finishing the ascent together. It also captured the added adventure of attempting something that had never been done before, and which not all were certain was even possible. The sense of danger was clearly communicated, the visuals were stunning, and the historical context was interesting.

TIFF 2013: Giraffida (Pretty Good)

Giraffada is set in the West Bank, with frequent shots of the security wall reminding us of the stress the people there are living under. This is a story about a boy whose father is a vet at the local zoo, and his love for the giraffes there. The peaceful life of the animals in the zoo - despite their captivity, is in contrast to the life of the Palestinians, always reminded that the Israelis hold the upper hand.

When one of the giraffes dies from hitting its head, after being startled by gunfire and rockets one night, the other giraffe stops eating, as does the boy.

This is a nice, touching story of a boy trying to hang on to the one thing that keeps him sane in an insane living situation. I've seen several takes on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. this isn't the best, but it's a novel approach and it's cute, while still showing us what life is like in the West Bank.

There was a short Q&A after the film, with the director, producer and lead actress up on stage. One interesting question was whether bringing attention to the plight of the real zoo that inspired this story is an inappropriate distraction from the larger issues. The director disagreed, saying there had been lots of other films about the conflict, and if this film helps the zoo, and helps people see that that is part of life there, he's happy about that.