Un film pour des révolutionnaires

So I've been going to see some good stuff at the Vancouver International Film Fest this season.

First, a disappointment. I had such high hopes for the Miike Takashi film - Big Bang Love, Juvenile A. The last Miike film I saw, Gozu, was my favourite film that year. One of the strangest and most surreal films I've ever seen, actually. This new one is more art-house, much slower, and more than anything just not exploring themes that matter to me (what kind of man do you want to be?). Not a huge surprise, as it was billed as a homo-erotic prison flick. Meh.

But we went to see a film Saturday that was excellent. Renaissance (or visit le site officiel in French) is an animated film noir set in 2054 Paris. It explores themes of mortality, corporate ownership, politics, individual freedom etc. But the visuals... sigh. Mmmmmm.





It was graphically gorgeous. All black and white in really high contrast. Done using rotoscoping/motion capture (a la Waking Life), it is so architectural, moody and noir. Beautiful. It almost gave Fei a seizure it was so high contrast, but hey, she took one for the team.

Not only that, but how many films highlight design in such a prominent way? Even the website walks you through the design process for the elements/logos/graphics used. This attention to detail (they even had Citroen invent a new car for the film) really creates an integrated and believable future reality. Well played, Christian Volckman, well played.


Studies for the Avalon Logo


Further studies for the Avalon Logo


Avalon Logo as seen in film


Studies for alcohol bottles in film