GFF '26 Days 1-3
The new year's rolled around, and it is once again time for the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF). Apologies for the long lapse in posts, honestly, seasonal depression kicked in and the year-long ongoing burnout finally got to me. I'd been running on empty a good long while. Winter hols reinvigorated me though, so this should be me back, baby!
I attended GFF for my first time last year and ended up nabbing tickets in an almighty rush a couple weeks prior. I'd reminded myself I wanted to start getting back into the indie & world film scene, and needed to make good on my promise to myself. Prior to university, I remember going to & volunteering for a lot more small film festivals. Think a lot of that lost its lustre through the distractions of uni work, access to general releases from my job at Blockbuster and eventually my cinema card. But dang, I missed being able to critique new and upcoming cinema before it reached general release. So last year I headed out and posted mini reviews for each day up on my Bluesky: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. I hadn't got my blog sorted yet, so the mini-reviews were all that went out. Got my act together by the time of Edinburgh International Film Festival in the summer, so I'll be posting this year's reviews in a similar fashion to those: in blocks split over the two weekends I attended.
The nice thing about being a tad bit more prepared this year, was I could invite my friend Bunny who lives nearby, and we could go see some flicks together. It's nice to not always be alone at these sorta things, pretty fab to go grab coffee in between screenings and chat about what we've just seen.
Anyway, on with the reviews from the first weekend...
A slow but tense time slip film about the death of the fishing industry. Its folk aesthetic centres on community trauma & memory; the dichotomy between career & home life and ultimately the forgiveness of loved ones dragged into the emotional depths of a life-threatening career.
The Rose of Nevada returns to port after being lost at sea 30 years prior. There is no-one at her helm, but her old skipper soon returns to take her back to sea. With the depletion of fish stocks and the death of the small trawler trade, the fishing village has turned into a ghost town. The Rose is re-crewed by Liam, a drifter from London with no ties holding him back and Nick, a down-on-his-luck local barely managing to scrape by for his family. Over the course of one voyage, they slip back a generation to the time before the community faced the devastating loss of its young men to the sea. Will the sailors be able to reconcile that they may not be able to get back to their present? Can the life of a whole community hinge on the success of one vessel? And can the tragedy of the past be averted?
Some nice timey-wimey goodness, with a strong sense of hereth. As the director mentions, this is an untranslatable regional word evoking the longing for home and a strong sense of belonging. This movie's cinematography, using 90s era-appropriate filmstock, is more of a sensory feeling. It's not overly structured, doesn't try to over-explain anything, but slowly unravels in an emotionally cathartic journey. 4⭐
"Wolves"
This is a docudrama about the Norwegian Black Metal scene, drawing from real life stories and experiences. It studies the oft-overlooked role of women in the male-dominated band culture and dissects how the genre has flirted dangerously with fascist ideology.
Luana is a young woman whose cousin plays in a Black Metal band called WLVS (Wolves). She becomes fascinated then romantically involved with the new lead singer; a mysterious Polish lad named Wicktor. He hooks the band up with some gigs, which starts to draw in a dubious crowd. Nonetheless, she is entranced by his devil-may-care attitude, impressive singing voice and seemingly deep demeanour. Slowly WLVS is broken apart by the symbolism their new singer flaunts on his body and the company he keeps, with band members of colour particularly hurt by Wicktor's actions. Hiding a secret, Luana follows her partner to a midwinter gathering, hoping she can somehow make their relationship work. She is betrayed by the only other women in their new group of associates and Wicktor becomes dangerously possessive as the night descends into pagan ritual turned flagrant fascist rally.
A surprisingly high-octane drama, with rousing soundtrack and a real truth to its acting. 4⭐
A movie steeped in both an extreme longing for escapism and mourning for an innocence now lost.
A couple of young Swedish women: Laura and Alex are inter-railing/backpacking across Europe. They've been planning the trip for over two years and their plans are filled with exploration, new experiences and a fair bit of partying. Laura is engaged to get married soon after her return and the friends are determined to make the most of this freedom. One night changes it all when they go out partying and Laura heads home drunk with Lucas, another backpacker they meet. She wakes naked in his bed but cannot remember their sexual encounter the night. Afraid of her own infidelity, she initially dismisses missing memories as simply an element of her drunken state; believing everything was consensual and she just blacked-out. As their travels continue and truths are revealed, the lack of consent becomes more apparent, Laura's existing relationships become strained and her self-belief starts to unravel.
What starts off as an adventurous romp becomes harrowing quite fast as the audience are likely more aware of the night's implications than Laura herself. It feels like an important cautionary tale, but is also quite bleak and potentially triggering for anyone who has experienced rape whilst in an altered mental state. 3⭐
A post-heist thriller that is equally dark comedy, heart-breaking tale of family ties, thoughtful portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder and other neurodivergence, as well as being a liberating catharsis from trauma.
After a heist goes violently wrong, Anker instructs his neurodivergent brother Manfred to stash the stolen money before he's arrested. Manfred lives with their older sister Freya, but dutifully buries the loot at the old family home. On his release from jail 15 years later, Anker goes to meet his brother only to find Manfred is now living under the identity of dead Beatle, John Lennon. John, however, has no memory of where Manfred once buried the money. The brothers must return to their childhood home, and unearth forgotten traumas to try and break Manfred out of his Lennon alter. Three other psychiatric ward patients join them in an effort to put the Beatles back together, the house's new owners extoll philosophical oddity and life-threatening danger follows them from the criminal underworld.
Everything is extremely absurd, macabre and blood-drenched in deep-felt family loyalty. I laughed, I cried, I empathised deeply with these disaster lads. Not gonna lie, I freakin' LOVED this movie, and it will be a contender for one of my favourite films of the year! 5⭐
"Atropia"
A highly tongue-in-cheek comedy about life for the actors and military trainees in a Californian simulation war zone during the late Iraq war.
Roleplaying as a local in the Medina Wasl township of what the military refer to as 'The Box', Farouz is an aspiring Iraqi actress, trying to get hired in Hollywood before the war is over and auditions dry up. Though she believes that helping troops acclimatise to the cultural and climate challenges of the middle east may help improve cultural understanding, playing a role for the invaders of her homeland has distanced her from her family. Steadily falling for an ex-soldier hired to play an 'insurgent' in the simulation, Farouz and "Abu Dice" discuss the absurd and complex ways in which ties are created to a homeland, through both birthright and cultural adoption. Bittersweet attachment and forbidden love ensues in an overly dramatic fashion, only possible on the outskirts of Hollywood, but this remains an oddly amusing tale of heritage and heartbreak against the grim backdrop of forever-war.
The character's attitudes might be a bit grating at times, but everything is treated with a subtle sarcasm that makes the awkwardness of the military training camp setting strangely endearing (though the movie also serves to remind us by the end that these sorts of roleplaying camps still exist in the states; now repurposed as 'Russian' installations). I love the dark humour, dedication to the bit, and very much appreciate that the movie is written by actresses from middle eastern diaspora sharing their own people's experiences in a satirical way. 5⭐
"Erupcja"
A bright and thoughtful look at our recent generation's somewhat troubled philosophies around relationships, commitment and the meaning of connection.
Every time Bethany and Nel meet in Warsaw, a volcano erupts somewhere in the world and they are pulled together in a co-dependent fling that shakes up the quiet of their usual lives. Narrated rather disjointedly, the plot winds around a sensory spread of colour, hyperfocussed sound effects and an emotive soundtrack. It uses vivid colours, still moments of objects & places, and intense musical swathes in a scrap-book fashion between the story sequences. Though their existing relationships, both bi and gay are always put at risk or broken apart by these wild flings, Bethany and Nel have this inexorable magnetism in their shared moments that manages to transcend any element of normalcy in their day-to-day.
The key sentiment of why we create our own rituals in a world that lacks religious focus rings really true for me. Assigning connection through the coincidence of volcanic eruptions is akin to the control I once felt over tides and lakes as a child; nonsencical and arbitrary, but a way of defining the the 'rules' of the world between me and my friends. An attempt to assign meaning to essentially uncontrollable events, but without a structured philosophy of guidance. The film may have a very simple plot, but it is thought-provoking. 4⭐
"Jaripeo"
A moving documentary about queer rancheros in the Jaripeo; Mexican bull riding and horse rodeo shows. Framed in a series of interviews with queer fans and performers, it shows not only the elements that draw queer folk to this sport, but really interrogates the mindset of those involved and their experiences as a part of the community. The film tackles the pervasive issue of compulsory 'macho' masculinity and the damage this has caused in progressing queer rights over time. For a lot involved in this sport there are only the macho "men's men" and the hyper feminised and sissified "gays". This sharp delineation of gender roles does not allow for a middle ground of queerness, and transness is often merely "clowned" as part of the rodeo show.
The documentary's director, Efrain Mojica uses this to express the inate queer culture of rodeo, but also his own discomfort with the concept of "macho", as he feels he is more drawn to what lies between gender roles. The film is both a coming out to family and a statement of acceptance to a more open version of queerness that does not call for masculine shame and alienation from family and tradition. 4⭐
"Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie"
An incredibly silly but daring mockumentary about the Toronto duo "Nirvanna the Band" trying to get a show at local music hotspot, The Rivoli. A simple premise, originating in a sketch made in 2008 comes full circle in the overblown efforts undertaken by Matt and Jay in 2025. Though Nirvanna the Band have had a web series and TV show, and their humour is incredibly Toronto-focussed, the laughs in this movie are pretty universal - you shouldn't really need background to enjoy this, but being in a cinema with a whole bundle of fans "in-the-know" is quite the fun experience.
So much potential copyright infringement ensues as the lads nerdily sling pop culture references, perform truly audacious Jackass-worthy stunts and participate in a candid camera recreation of Back To The Future in the middle of Toronto. It is a wild ride which carefully prods the limits of socially acceptable humour. Sometimes it is just better to be daring and apologise later. Real dedication was shown in the combined use of footage actually taken in 08' and new footage made in '25; some created through pure SFX movie magic, and others some considerable forethought and advance-planning. The story does a good job of chronicling the stresses of being in a collaborative band project, the temptation of the call to fame and the depths of friendship... all in a grand romp across time! 4⭐
Probably the most contentious of the festival films I've seen so far. The story of a violent delinquent junkie kidnapped by an odd upper class family living in the midlands countryside. He's kept chained by the neck in their basement until he is able to reform his destructive ways and integrate as a member of their family.
I was honestly torn about how I felt on this one. On one hand, Tommy, our lead character starts out as an utter shit-stain of a person, deserving of a comeuppance. Startlingly, he has reformed drastically by the end of the film. In turn he also opens the eyes of his 'family' of reformers. He lets them see that it was something in their own home life that either killed or drove out their original elder son. The balance of both parties realising the hurt they'd done and going their separate ways would have been enough for me.
Yet the concluding sentiment of the movie feels too close to perpetuating the circle of abuse for my liking. The moment Tommy's girlfriend is brought into the picture and his instinct is to induct her into the suffering he's just undergone? Nah. It feels like it overwrites the lesson the family learnt entirely. I do agree that people can change, but the process here really matters, and we established that the family's approach was not healthy. There's no indicator the family won't go on being abusive of those under their care. Pushing brutal captivity as liberating in any way doesn't sit right with me. 3⭐
So far, a very promising batch of movies with a couple absolutely stellar pieces which might make it to my "Top 4 of the Year". Whilst a few bordered on controversial, I don't feel any of the movies so far have been a let-down. Plus, despite the comfort of GFT's Screen 3, I've not accidentally drifted off during any showings so far (as I unfortunately did last year). Even trekked across half the city to get to a couple screenings - down steep hills, across the Clyde and beneath the motorway bypass to get to the screens at the Odeon Luxe. Catching 'The Last Viking' there honestly made the long hike worthwhile. Catch you all in my next review post next week...
