With an anime adaption recently premiering on Netflix, My Happy Marriage feels better suited for an episodic format than feature-length film(s). It’s not a knock on the film, but there’s too much story to tell in a feature-length time. It’s not just the romantic and mystery storylines that take up most of the runtime. Instead, it’s the jam-packed and detailed lore that occupies this world. Ayuko Tsukahara assumes that her audience is already familiar with the source material. As a result, if you’re going into the movie blind like me, you might get lost in some details that would make the whole thing more coherent. It’s certainly not the first story to skip all of the exposition, but it’s one of the few where it might’ve been necessary. 

As Long As We Both Shall Live is an emotionally satisfying and visually stunning live-action adaptation of Akumi Agitogi’s My Happy Marriage.

Thankfully, a human story at the heart of the film allows for some tender and emotional moments. Miyo is a tragic character as she’s gone through a life of abuse and isolation. In other words, she’s Cinderella. Mio Imada is terrific throughout the film, as her character arc allows her to go through a myriad of emotions. You constantly root for her, and when she finds happiness with Kiyoka, you shed happy tears for it. At the same time, she has a palpable chemistry with her co-star Ren Meguro. Meguro makes for a fine leading man and romantic partner. He has a gravitas that overlaps with his demure smiles and insecure gazes. Some of the film’s biggest highlights are watching the love story blossom progressively throughout the movie.

Overall, As Long As We Both Shall Live is an emotionally satisfying and visually stunning live-action adaptation of Akumi Agitogi’s My Happy Marriage. The romantic drama features commanding, relatable performances from both Imada and Meguro. I want a sequel because I want to see Imada and Meguro continue their story and expand on the world that Tsukahara built.

Rating: 3.5/5 atoms

For more Fantasia International Film Festival reviews, click here.

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As a result, Deep Sea is unlike anything you’ve seen before. The animation utilizes every color imaginable with breathtaking, vibrant, and kaleidoscopic sequences. Many of the film’s underwater sequences resemble an animated version of Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” painting. Not to mention, many colors are constantly swirling, like watercolor paintings in these scenes—adding more color as some things swim past. All in all, the extraordinary animation sets it apart from other animated films because it feels like a brilliant, one-of-a-kind dive into pure imagination with an homage to Studio Ghibli at its core.

 Deep Sea is unlike anything you’ve seen before, but its visual artistry is offset by its lackluster narrative.

Unfortunately, the narrative elements can’t keep up with the visual flairs of the film. Sadly, its lackluster narrative is offset by what it accomplishes with its visual artistry. Shenxiu is undeveloped, and as a result, her arc gets lost in the chaos. Nanhe, on the other hand, is a much more exciting character in the film. The movie constantly loses steam because you aren’t attached to her as you should be. Nevertheless, the moving and heart-wrenching third act delivers a powerful emotional mark that makes you look back at the film in a new light. Xiaopeng’s themes about child neglect and depression provide a great message about receiving help and having someone with you to defeat the darkness.

Even with such an innovative and original style, it’s hard to forgive Deep Sea for its narrative shortcomings. Still, Deep Sea is another example that animation is not just for kids. As Guillermo del Toro said, “Animation is a medium, not a genre- nor an interest for kids & families only.”

Rating: 3/5 atoms

For more Fantasia International Film Festival reviews, click here.

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A majority of that comes from the cats in the movie. Mad Cats follows Taka (Sho Mineo), a lazy freeloader who does little to improve his living situation. When a mysterious package arrives at his trailer, it sends him on a quest to find and rescue his brother, who disappeared years after saving a kitten. Along the way, he teams up with Takezo (Yuya Matsuura), a homeless man who reluctantly joins the group, and Ayane (Ayane), an enigmatic human cat who wants to protect them. Together, they must unearth the truth about their bizarre situation and prevent a group of human feline assassins from retrieving the forbidden Egyptian catnip that they stole. 

The entire cat plotline throughout the film is just completely absurd. The Catnip of Bastet, the movie’s MacGuffin, is a wooden box containing catnip that grants any cat that bites it extraordinary powers. Moreover, it’s not that they’re cats, but they’re cats in human form. Thankfully, this isn’t Tom Hooper’s Cats, but seeing humans act like cats while being the world’s most dangerous killers makes zero sense whatsoever—even with the explanation of the Catnip of Bastet. 

Mad Cats is a movie you’ll either love or hate. The movie is absurd, the story is outrageous, and its silliness is off-the-charts.

Not to mention that the film is tonally confused on whether or not it was to be a horror movie, action/comedy, or both. The movie has some horror elements, such as the film’s beginning. However, we don’t see these elements again until later in the movie. Most of Mad Cats focuses on the bumbling antics of Taka and Takezo. These comical features are inconsistent as well. There’s a fine line between being funny and annoying, and the movie repeatedly jumps rope with that line. Sho Mineo and Yuya Matsuura give the film a sense of lightheartedness, but sometimes their performances feel forced.

On the other hand, the action aspect of the film is excellent. The movie’s hand-to-hand combat, weapons play, and gunplay are fluid and dynamic, and the women are as badass as they come. They make these fight sequences look effortless, and Shintaro Teramoto’s cinematography frames every move equally effortlessly.

Overall, Mad Cats is a movie you’ll either love or hate. The movie is absurd, the story is outrageous, and its silliness is off-the-charts. Mad Cats isn’t a film I would watch again, but it might be right up your alley. After all, my tolerance level for weird movies is decent, but if yours is high, chances are you will dig this lighthearted action extravaganza.

Rating: 2.5/5 atoms

For more Fantasia International Film Festival reviews, click here.

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The fundamental idea of River sees the characters returning to their initial positions every two minutes on the dot and then having them react with the knowledge of everything from the previous time loops. It’s like Groundhog Day, but instead of a day, you get two minutes, and everyone remembers what happened during the last loop. Although the loop concept starts to teeter towards getting old at the beginning, once it settles down, you begin to enjoy the hilarity of the misadventures of those stuck in the loop.

The interactions are played mainly for comedy here; we have everything from the silly (Sugiyama spends most of his time in a towel with shampoo in his hair because his initial position was in the bath) to the sweet, as embodied by Mikoto’s relationship with Taku. Everyone has a reason for being at the inn, with each person connecting to the film’s central theme.

River is a superb time loop comedy that’ll warm your heart like a bottle of sake.

Where some films would take the theme of moving forward in life and moving on in a more dramatic and tragic direction, River believes in wholesomeness that warms the soul like a warm blanket on a cold wintry night. The film’s carefree attitude and coolness under pressure make River a one-of-a-kind flick. Yamaguchi delivers the film’s central themes about feeling stuck in place versus not fearing the future without heaping the terrifying weight of universal dread upon the audience.

Everything comes together into something utterly beautiful and soothing. Numerous moments pop up throughout, which keep viewers and characters unsure of what to expect. Smaller beats bring big laughs or captivating reveals as characters struggle with their predicaments—from minor things like a shampooed head that can’t get rinsed or forever eating rice to more significant concerns such as failing businesses, questions of mortality, and the uncertainties of love.

Overall, River is a superb time loop comedy that’ll warm your heart like a bottle of sake. Junta Yamaguchi and Makoto Ueda have told stories that have expanded our definitions of time-loop films, made us laugh a lot, and warmed our hearts. They’re the definitive masters of the micro time-loop flicks.

Rating: 4/5 atoms

For more Fantasia International Film Festival reviews, click here.

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In short, everyone involved didn’t mean for The Star Wars Holiday Special’s cheesy and wacky on purpose. It was just a perfect storm of how the variety shows were like back then, hiring people unfamiliar with Star Wars (but perfect to create a variety show) and lacking direction. It makes a compelling case that the special is not merely an absurd piece of television. It’s simply an example of a radically different time in the history of Star Wars. Co-directors Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak didn’t make this documentary to point fingers at anyone. A Disturbance in the Force is more of an affectionate documentary. No one speaking on the documentary pretends that the Holiday Special is high art. Still, every person speaking in the documentary is telling their truth from the heart.

There’s plenty in A Disturbance in the Force that will satisfy casual and hardcore fans alike. And maybe, just maybe, we can appreciate the absurdity that is The Star Wars Holiday Special.

The documentary does a great job of taking viewers through the ins and outs of the production. Still, the documentary has an essential message in addition to providing information. Coon and Kozak also want to teach audiences that you can’t measure failure for the rest of your life. A Disturbance in the Force attempts to show that you should embrace your failures and not deny their existence. Aside from our mistakes being a powerful learning tool, the documentary highlights that people’s perspectives change, including how they interpret things. Over forty years later, everything from South Park and The Big Bang Theory to The Mandalorian and Guardians of the Galaxy references the Holiday Special. Despite the special’s outlandish nature, some people love it and consider it an integral part of their childhood.

Overall, A Disturbance in the Force is a documentary that informs and teaches. Most diehard fans may learn something new while watching the documentary. If nothing else, it teaches that there’s something to learn from one’s failures, including joy. There’s plenty in A Disturbance in the Force that will satisfy casual and hardcore fans alike. And maybe, just maybe, we can appreciate the absurdity that is The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Rating: 4/5 atoms

For more Fantasia International Film Festival reviews, click here.

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Check out the full list of award winners for Fantasia’s 27th edition below including the jury’s thoughts on select titles:

Cheval Noir Competition – Feature Films

The jury, presided over by David Hewlett (actor, director, screenwriter), and comprised of Brenda Lieberman (producer, Calgary Underground festival director), Jourdain Searles (writer, critic, programmer, comedian), Virginie Sélavy (writer, film scholar), and Gary Sherman (director, screenwriter, producer) awarded the following prizes:

Best Feature: RED ROOMS AKA LES CHAMBRES ROUGES (Québec, d. Pascal Plante)

In a statement, the jury commented, “The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. The jury was unanimously convinced that Les chambres rouges masterfully accomplished that goal.”

Best Director: Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping (FEMME, United Kingdom)

Best Screenplay: Pascal Plante (LES CHAMBRES ROUGES, Québec, d. Pascal Plante)

Best Score (The Sandro Forte Award): Dominique Plante (LES CHAMBRES ROUGES, Québec, d. Pascal Plante)

Best Cinematography: Zelda Adams & John Adams (WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS, United States, d. Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser)

Outstanding Performance: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (FEMME, United Kingdom, d. Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping)

Outstanding Performance Award: Juliette Gariépy (LES CHAMBRES ROUGES, Québec, d. Pascal Plante)

Special Mention: VINCENT DOIT MOURIR (France, d. Stéphan Castang)

In a statement, the jury said, “strikingly original take on the zombie genre and for the way it potently resonates with the climate of simmering violence and social disintegration of our times.”

New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature – Debut Films

The New Flesh Jury, presided over by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead (directors, screenwriters, actors, co-founders of Rustic Films), and comprised of Sarah Bolger (actor), David Lawson Jr. (producer, co-founder of Rustic Films) Sara Neidorf (musician, director and co-found of Final Girls Berlin Film Festival), and Angie Power (publicist) awarded the following prizes:

Best First Feature: STAY ONLINE (Ukraine, d. Yeva Strelnikova)

The jury called the film “a brilliant display of courage and raw talent that showcases how you can fight violence with art”

Special Jury Mention: TIGER STRIPES (Malaysia,Taiwan, France, Germany, d. Amanda Nell Eu)

Special Jury Mention: THE ABANDONED (Taiwan, d. Tseng Ying-Ting)

International Short Film Competition

The Short Film Jury, presided over by Laura Moss (director, screenwriter), and comprised of Maya Korn (producer), Justine T. McLellan (writer, professor, podcast producer), Nick Romano (creative executive) and Jerome Sable (director, screenwriter, composer) awarded the following prizes:

Best Short Film: BOLD EAGLE (Philippines, dir. Whammy Alcazaren)

The jury praised the film calling it, “the rare species of short film that seizes you, the viewer, like its prey.”

Best Director: Jacob Chase (MR. BLUR, USA)

Best Screenplay: David Winstone (THE NORBELTO METHOD, UK, dir. David Winstone)

Outstanding Performance: Silvana Mihai (THE TASTER, Germany, dir. Sophia Bierend)

Outstanding Performance: Lim Hyojin (SHOULDER, South Korea, dir. Kim Jaehyung)

Special Mention: SWEET JUICES (Australia, dir. Im Sejon, Will Suen)

Best Score: Matthias Dewilde (POPPY’S SATURN, Belgium, dir. Nicole Tegelaar)

Best Cinematography: Julien Ramirez Hernan (TRANSLYVANIE, France, dir. Rodrigue Huart)

Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation

The Axis Jury, presided over by Nadim Zaidi (digital matte painter) and comprised of Arizona O’Neill (illustrator, filmmaker) and Aki Takabatake (founder and CEO of Momo Films inc.) awarded the following prizes:

Best Feature Film: THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (Japan, d. Takehiko Inoue)

In a statement, the jury stated they called the film, “A gem of a film through and through that enriches an already existing franchise, while at the same time remaining open to viewers who never have never seen or read any of the previous, existing material.”

Special Jury Mention: SAND LAND (Japan, d. Toshihisa Yokoshima)

Best Short Film – Gold: A KIND OF TESTAMENT (France, d. Stephen Vuillemin)

The jury called the film, “breathtaking and haunting.”

Best Short Film – Silver: ARCHITECT A (South Korea, d. Lee Jonghoon)

Best Short Film – Bronze: RECORD. PLAY. STOP. (India, d. Neeraj Bhattacharjee)

AQCC-Camera Lucida

The AQCC-Camera Lucida Jury, comprised of Marc-Antoine Lévesque (Co-founder of the Laboratoire de contenus La Marquise, director of programming for Association Cinémaniak), Mathieu Li-Goyette (critic/editor-in-chief of Panorama-cinéma) and Guillaume Potvin (Critic/programmer) awarded the AQCC-Camera Lucida Award to IRLANDE CAHIER BLEU (Québec, dir. Olivier Godin), they selected the title, which they praised for the “artisanal and independent creative spirit that emerges from it.”

Special Jury Mention: HOME INVASION (United Kingdom, dir. Graeme Arnfield)

About Fantasia

Tickets are available for the 27th edition of The Fantasia International Film Festival at Concordia University’s box office (1455 Maisonneuve Boulevard West) and on the Ticketpro network.

The festival is held at four different venues: the Hall Cinema, the J.A. DeSeve Cinema with select screenings at the Cinema du Musée, and Cinémathèque québécoise.

The festival ends on August 9, 2023 with the Audience Award announcement as the closer.

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Unlike Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman, explaining what happens in this film is challenging since there’s no buildup. It puts you right into the action, accelerates rapidly, and never looks back. So, if you are a fan or know about the source material, you are already ahead of the pack. Unfortunately, if you’re new to the franchise, it will be hard for the rest of the audience to understand the story from the get-go. You might pick up some things here and there, but the filmmakers made this strictly for those familiar with the source material.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to enjoy the movie. Shin Kamen Rider is a highly entertaining homage that infuses Hideaki’s style and thoughtful themes into the mix. Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion will progressively notice the similarities between Takeshi Hongo and Evangelion’s Ikari Shinji. Both deeply flawed characters do things selfishly because they think they are doing the right thing. The internal struggle with his protagonist is a concept that Hideaki Anno has made a career on for a few decades now.

Shin Kamen Rider is an entertaining and intentionally campy film that is a loving and respectful tribute to the classic television show.

Yet, much like the show itself, the film is as campy as it gets. The music, sound effects, and tokusatsu style are a touching homage to the original Kamen Rider series from the 70s. Hideaki Anno created a film that celebrates the character more than modernizing what fans have seen before. It is an homage and a love letter to the fans and creators of the show. The director’s love for the source material is bleeding from the screen as it comes from the heart.

Unfortunately, that tribute comes at a price. The Japanese filmmaker has to cram the lore and explanation of the Kamen Riders into already jam-packed scenes. In addition, they divide the film between unloading one plot exposition and then later going into a fight scene. That isn’t bad; you’d expect such an arrangement from these types of movies. The problem lies with the new audiences—they won’t be invested in the characters. Also, their personalities are weak and lack proper development in their respective arcs.

Overall, Shin Kamen Rider is an entertaining and intentionally campy film that is a loving and respectful tribute to the classic television show. Unfortunately, newcomers may find the movie overwhelming with the lack of setup. However, the film might serve as a welcoming gateway into learning more about source material after you finish watching. After all, Kamen Rider is the older sibling to a franchise you might know (and love): Power Rangers.

Rating: 4/5 atoms

For more Fantasia International Film Festival reviews, click here.

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The White Storm: Heaven or Hell (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong cinema has built a reputation for creating some of the best crime dramas in cinematic history. Herman Yau’s The White Storm: Heaven or Hell is the latest crime drama to come out of Hong Kong and stars some legendary actors from the country: Aaron Kwok, Louis Koo, and Ching Wan Lau. Fantasia Film Festival describes the film as having a “non-stop barrage of truly jaw-dropping gunfight action,” we won’t have it any other way.

Shin Kamen Rider (Japan)

Writer/director Hideaki Anno has made a name for himself recently with his Shin series of reimagined tokusatsu icons. It began with the excellent Shin Godzilla (2016) and continued with the not-as-good Shin Ultraman in 2022. This time, Hideaki Anno is adapting another popular tokusatsu television series, Kamen Rider. If that name sounds familiar, Kamen Rider is the older brother of Super Sentai. Super Sentai would later be adapted to American television as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. So, to see Hideaki adapt this series is a must-watch for any Japanese pop culture and cinema fan.

The Roundup: No Way Out (South Korea)

The Roundup was one of my favorite films from the Fantasia Film Festival last year. Don Lee (Train to Busan, Eternals) returns as Sergeant Ma Seok-do to wreak police justice and havoc in the most entertaining way possible. This time, Sergeant Ma has “a host of adversaries to contend with, including a Japanese assassin wielding a katana with surgical efficiency, our hero will be doing plenty of interior redecoration, using hapless gangsters!” I can’t wait to check out the next chapter!

A Disturbance in the Force (USA)

If you’re a Star Wars fan, chances are you’ve heard of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special that aired on CBS in 1978. It was criticized by critics, audiences, and Star Wars fans alike when it aired. Needless to say, since then, it has gained a kind of cult following. A Disturbance in the Force is a documentary that explains what went wrong with the Holiday Special. As a Star Wars fan, I can’t wait to see how this disaster happened.

The Abandoned (Taiwan)

One of my favorite discoveries from the festival was Detention, which came from Taiwan. Since then, I have tried to catch a film from there whenever I cover the festival. This year Tseng Ying-Ting’s The Abandoned caught my eye. Although the trailer is not the best, it was the description on Fantasia’s website that ultimately grabbed me.

“Co-written and directed by decorated filmmaker Tseng Ying-Ting, this slow-burn mystery uncovers a pernicious truth about Taiwan’s considerable Southeast Asian migrant worker population. Historically marginalized and even demonized despite their crucial contributions to the country’s economy and social fabric, these men and women (an estimated 50,000 of which are undocumented) consequently became easy victims to predators and exploiters of all kinds. Through the eyes of its beautifully complex protagonist, THE ABANDONED provides insight on this tragic human issue, while also weaving a powerful ode to courage and empathy.“

While those are my top films to check out, here are a few others that you may want to check out as well:

• Tokyo Revengers 2 Part 1 & 2
• In My Mother’s Skin
• Devils
• My Worst Neighbor
• The Night Owl

If you want to check out the rest of this year’s festival program, click here.

Fantasia Film Festival runs from July 20th to August 9th.

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