Three Noteworthy Films From the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival
The Fantasia International Film Festival is one of the most important genre film fests in the world, according to well-respected storytellers like Quentin Tarantino, James Gunn, and Guillermo del Toro, just to name a precious few. Held in Montreal, this years-in-the-running genre film showcase has been the launching pad for many a great horror filmmaker.
Fantasia 2023 just wrapped up, and as expected, festival programmers offered up a rich genre film lineup comprised of titles from all around the world. While I wasn’t able to make the trip out to Canada to attend in person, I was fortunate enough to cover remotely.
For your reading pleasure, here are three of my favorite titles from this world-renowned festival;
MAD CATS
Weird was in at Fantasia 2023 but I certainly don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Case in point, the odd but endearing comedy/road movie/action movie/bromance/fantasy that is “Mad Cats.” As expected by that brief description, this is a film that almost defies description because it literally switches tones on a dime and I really loved that about it. At the heart of this joyful oddity from writer/director Reiki Tsuno is Taka, a man who teams with a newfound buddy and a mysterious young woman who doesn’t have a whole lot to say in an effort to set out on a journey to find his missing brother. Along the way, this trio finds themselves engaged in one strange scenario after the next. “Mad Cats” is as endearing and sweet as it is zany and strange and it has pretty great fight choreography to boot. What’s more, if you’re a cat lover, you’re likely to look at your feline friends in an entirely new light after watching this wild ride of a movie.
MOTHERLAND
Not everything at Fantasia 2023 was of the horror variety. Take, for instance, the stunning stop-motion animated family-centric fantasy, “Mother Land.” This beautiful Korean import comes to us from writer/director Jaebeom Park and while it is very much influenced by the iconic team that is Rankin and Bass (who in their right mind doesn’t love “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”?), it also has a bit of a Hayao Miyazaki vibe going, too. This magical film finds Krisha, a young member of the Yates tribe, making the journey across frozen Siberia’s icy tundra to the end of the Northern land in an effort to find a cure for her sickly mother. The stop-motion animation is fantastic here but what really elevates this fantasy adventure film is the wonderful vocal work. There are certainly some adult themes at play in this movie but nothing kids can’t handle. An enchanting film with real warmth and a grand sense of adventure. I greatly look forward to seeing this one again.
WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS
Set in the Depression era, “Where the Devil Roams” follows a family of sideshow performers as they travel from town to town while on a dying carnival circuit. Seven (played by John Adams) suffers from PTSD brought on by the war while his slightly uneducated but altogether loving soul mate Maggie (played by Toby Poser) is prone to erratic and murderously impulsive behavior. Meanwhile, young Eve (played by Zelda Adams) is an angelic mute whose love of photography and singing is only rivaled by her love for her family. It is clear that she is the glue that holds this particular family together. Made by a creative (and thrifty) family of filmmakers collectively known as the Adams Family (aka, John, Toby, Zelda, and Lulu), “Where the Devil Roams” emerges as a striking slice of artsy low-budget horror from the same creative team that unleased 2021’s outstanding “Hellbender” upon the world. That said, this film is an entirely different animal. While it offers elements of “Nightmare Alley,” “Road to Perdition” and the works of John Steinbeck (most notably, “Of Mice and Men” and “The Grapes of Wrath”), it’s still very much its own thing. Ultimately, “Where the Devil Roams” is an unpredictable story of a family sticking together even when it appears as if they might be falling apart and it all culminates in an ending that is sure to get horror fans talking long after they’ve left the theater. “Where the Devil Roams” is being distributed by Yellow Veil Pictures” and it’s expected to stream on Tubi later this year. With any luck, it’ll make an appearance at HorrorFest International Film Festival right here in St. George this October. Check it out…If you dare!
Honorable Mention;
A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
A winning and altogether affectionate documentary about the origins of the black sheep of the “Star Wars” universe. I am, of course, referring to “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”
THE BECOMERS
An undeniably quirky and fittingly weird tale about a body-snatching alien who teams with a partner on Earth in an effort to acquire the American dream. Zach Clark’s sci-fi comedy serves as an entertaining throwback to underappreciated 80s gems like “Repo Man” and “Liquid Sky.”
