In Darkness We Fall is a Spanish found footage horror which follows a group of 5 Spanish friends who become trapped in a cave system whilst camping along the coast of an isolated island. Given the limited opportunities afforded by the set-up it works quite well, but like Beneath yesterday, it somehow misses the claustrophobia that one would expect from a "trapped down a hole" film.
These final hours This may turn out to be my favourite film of the festival. From Australia it follows a man trying to reach his girlfriend in the final hours before the end of the world. This is a film that packs a strong emotional punch - the second film this week to bring a tear to my eyes.
R100 I am convinced that the Japanese are completely different from the rest of the world. They certainly have a special genius for strange and bizarre films. I am not sure what the film is really about, but I know I liked it and I would very much like to see it again. Soon.
The closing film is Life After Beth which I already saw back in July at Fantasia and have the chance to watch again at Grimmfest in a couple of weeks.
So thats it for Fantasy Film Fest for another year. The programme was very strong. Of the 61 films on offer I have now seen 44 (although only 27 in the past week) and of those there is only one I wouldn't rush to see again. The move from Cinemaxx Dammtor to the Savoy Filmtheater was largely successful, the Savoy has to be one of the most comfortable cinemas I have ever visited. The front row seats all fold down into sunbeds! The only downside is the 12 day schedule necessitated by the Savoy's single screen. Still this has the advantage that there is no "left nut, right nut" decisions to be made when choosing between films on different screens. Hopefully they will start on a Wednesday next year so that the programme runs over two weekends instead of one, I really can't justify taking two full weeks of work.
The Hamburg international film festival opens in a couple of weeks, but I haven't found much of interest in the programme, and it clashes with Grimmfest in any case. So, apart from my visit at the beginning of December for the Morricone concert, thats it for Hamburg until Fantasy Film nights in March next year.
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