MIFF: Six films you must see

The Melbourne International Film Festival is fast approaching, kicking off on Thursday, 3 August. Sifting through the multitude of cinematic gems in the absolute juggernaut of a program may be daunting to some, while others may take delight in narrowing down a shortlist of niche and bohemian picks. For those that suffer from FOMO, Milk Bar Mag names the top six films you must check out at MIFF. 

Golden Exits 

Starring our very own Emily Browning, the excellent Jason Schwartzman, and Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz, Golden Exits is made of all sorts of win. Directed by Alex Ross Perry and shot in gorgeous 16mm cinematography, Golden Exits is backed by a mellow atmospheric score. The compelling drama looks at two families living in Brooklyn and the tension that escalates upon the arrival of a young ingénue. It’s an interesting take on the unspoken unhappiness people live with – and the ways they deal, avoid, or accept it. 

The Killing of a Sacred Deer 

Following on from acclaimed hit, The Lobster, is Yorgos Lanthimos’ next masterpiece: The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Starring the tremendously talented Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman (both of whom starred in 2017’s The Beguiled) as Steven and Anna, an upper-middle class married couple. Their pleasant lives are turned upside down when Steven’s strange, but intense friendship with a teenage boy (Barry Keoghan) takes a sinister turn, and the respected cardiologist is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice.

Ingrid Goes West

Fans of Aubrey Plaza need to jump on board and go west. The deeply uncomfortable, weird yet incredibly hilarious film by Sundance award-winning director Matt Spicer stars Plaza in the title role of Ingrid, a moody, unhinged loner with zero social life outside of social media. Obsessed by the three I’s – internet, Instagram, influencers – Ingrid decides to reinvent herself and head to Los Angeles to integrate herself into her idol’s life. Ingrid Goes West is part black comedy, part psychological drama and successfully captures our obsession with creating an augmented reality, where digital popularity equals success. #California 

Girl Unbound

Girl Unbound tells the story of Maria Toorpakai – a squash superstar that represented Pakistan on the global stage – who spent her childhood growing up in the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan. In a place where women’s rights were severely restricted and warfare was imminent, Maria posed as a boy in order to play sport. When her ruse was uncovered, she was forced to flee to Canada. Undeterred by death threats and cultural oppression, this tense and eye-opening doco charts Toorpakai’s return to her homeland and examines the danger people face when they dare to be different.

Loving Vincent

After the unprecedented buzz around the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria, it’s only natural that Loving Vincent – the world’s first feature-length painted animation – makes the cut. It took 62 000 oil paintings, Chris O’Dowd (The I.T. Crowd) and a hand-written letter by Van Gogh himself to create a noir-like detective film that transcends the medium. 

Jungle

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Yossi Ghinsberg in Wolf Creek director Greg McLean’s retelling of the bestselling real-life story of survival in the Bolivian rainforest. Set in the early 1980s, Israeli backpacker Ghinsberg and his two friends – Marcus Stamm, a Swiss teacher, and Kevin Gale, American photographer – set off on the adventure of a lifetime, only to experience a nightmare from hell. Jungle is a terrifying and gripping film and one that will have people talking.