The Streamer’s Guide To The 2019 New York Film Festival: What Non-Festgoers Can Watch At Home
By Marshall Shaffer/Sept. 27, 2019 7:00 am EST
In my six years of attending the New York Film Festival, I’ve grown increasingly appreciative of the unique position its organizers have carved out in the fall festival landscape. Ideally timed between the premiere frenzy of late August/early September and the mad dash for awards of November and December, NYFF keeps its focus solely on the films and their creators. For 17 days, the newly-branded Film at Lincoln Center invites New Yorkers to partake in a manageable, curated slate of favorites from across the global festival circuit. The 2019 edition of NYFF casts a particularly wide net, too — apart from the festival’s three big Friday night galas, the Main Slate features only one English-language feature.
But if you’re not going to be in New York to see these films, why not use the time to catch up on the back catalogues of the directors in the NYFF selection? This year’s Main Slate features both emerging international voices and widely recognized masters alike, presenting a unique opportunity to broaden your cinematic horizons. Below are ten films playing at the festival (some of which I’ve been fortunate enough to see prior to NYFF’s official kickoff) and ten films you can watch to prepare yourself from the comfort of your own home.
A Girl Missing
Since its founding, NYFF has programmed great Japanese cinema – their inaugural festival included Yasujiro Ozu! It’s always a good sign to be knighted by the selection committee, and that’s the case now for Koji Fukada. A Girl Missing marks his sixth feature film, and it sounds like quite the follow-up to his international breakthrough, Harmonium. It centers around a middle-aged nurse, Ichiko, who finds herself caught up in the media firestorm surrounding the disappearance of a young daughter in the family for whom she cares. I’ve limited myself to knowing just the logline because the beauty of Fukada’s work lies in watching just how quickly one decision or one event can ripple outwards and cause waves elsewhere.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: Out of all the films I watched in preparation for this piece, none of them affected me quite as profoundly as Koji Fukada’s last film, Harmonium. This story of how a quiet, unassuming nuclear family in Japan watches their life slowly come apart from taking mercy on an estranged friend fallen from grace simply wrecked me. If you can handle something that deals with fairly grim subject matter, you owe it to yourself to watch this film. It’s like Hirokazu Kore-eda meets Asghar Farhadi. (Available for free to subscribers of Hoopla and Kanopy.)
The Moneychanger
South American cinema often gets short shrift on the festival circuit, but NYFF delivers this year with a selection from a country that rarely registers in international cinema: Uruguay. I’m curious to dive deeper into their national cinema through Federico Verioj’s The Moneychanger, a decade-spanning tale of a crafty money launderer in Uruguay taking advantage of the country’s sluggish economy. Other South American films display a real unbridled honesty when dealing with sordid elements of their histories, and I hope that The Moneychanger follows the same pattern.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: Veiroj is nothing if not ruthlessly economical with his runtimes, a feature that endears him to a busy writer like myself. His 2015 feature The Apostate runs a slender 80 minutes, but it never feels rushed or short on action. The story of a Uruguayan man determined to expunge his baptismal records from the Catholic Church grapples with spirituality honestly, yet Veiroj also makes plenty of space for wry, ironic humor. It’s an odd work tonally, but the film proves quite fulfilling. And if you don’t agree, at least you didn’t waste much of your life watching it! (Available to stream for free on Netflix.)
Parasite
#BongHive, assemble! South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s masterful Parasite has taken Cannes, Telluride, and Toronto by storm and is now making its final grand stop on the festival tour at NYFF. While cinephiles and genre fans have long recognized Bong’s prodigious storytelling prowess, Parasite represents a real chance for him to claim the status of internationally recognized master — and perhaps even make a mainstream breakthrough. Experience this venal, twisting social satire as blankly as possible. The less you know, the more it will gob-smack you.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: You might have seen it a few years ago, but given the way Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer revolves around similar themes of economic inequality, it’s worth a rewatch before Parasite opens. A recent second encounter with the film reminded me just how great Bong is at directing pulse-pounding action sequences and conveying complicated class dynamics through clever concepts. He knows how to weaponize Chris Evans’ star-power in a way that perhaps only Rian Johnson understands (as shown by Knives Out). Also, Tilda Swinton’s gonzo performance in Snowpiercer deserves more love and attention – that’s all. (Available to stream for free to subscribers of Netflix.)
The Whistlers
The likelihood of a breakthrough from a director of the austere national filmmaking movement known as the Romanian New Wave is, admittedly, slim. But in such a world where it would happen, the director most likely to do so would be Corneliu Poromboiu. He’s back at NYFF with The Whistlers, his most overtly genre-aligned film to date. It’s a raucous caper involving a crooked police officer willing to learn a secret “whistling” language in order to gain access to a drug dealer’s treasure. While not without its bumps, the film is raucous fun that points to exciting things ahead for this playful filmmaker.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: The Whistlers isn’t Poromboiu’s first treasure hunt. His prior narrative feature, The Treasure, also centers around a quest for hidden riches. Yet instead of using that as pretext for action and intrigue, Porumboiu digs in (pun fully intended) to the wry sparring dynamics between the three men dedicated to uncovering the bounty – and what their quest reveals about the past and present of Romania. In retrospect, it looks like a very clear indication that the director was charting a clear course towards a genre trajectory. (Available to stream for free to subscribers of Hulu.)The New York Film Festival runs Friday, September 27 through Sunday, October 13 at Lincoln Center in New York City.
The Streamer’s Guide To The 2019 New York Film Festival: What Non-Festgoers Can Watch At Home
By Marshall Shaffer/Sept. 27, 2019 7:00 am EST
In my six years of attending the New York Film Festival, I’ve grown increasingly appreciative of the unique position its organizers have carved out in the fall festival landscape. Ideally timed between the premiere frenzy of late August/early September and the mad dash for awards of November and December, NYFF keeps its focus solely on the films and their creators. For 17 days, the newly-branded Film at Lincoln Center invites New Yorkers to partake in a manageable, curated slate of favorites from across the global festival circuit. The 2019 edition of NYFF casts a particularly wide net, too — apart from the festival’s three big Friday night galas, the Main Slate features only one English-language feature.
But if you’re not going to be in New York to see these films, why not use the time to catch up on the back catalogues of the directors in the NYFF selection? This year’s Main Slate features both emerging international voices and widely recognized masters alike, presenting a unique opportunity to broaden your cinematic horizons. Below are ten films playing at the festival (some of which I’ve been fortunate enough to see prior to NYFF’s official kickoff) and ten films you can watch to prepare yourself from the comfort of your own home.
But if you’re not going to be in New York to see these films, why not use the time to catch up on the back catalogues of the directors in the NYFF selection? This year’s Main Slate features both emerging international voices and widely recognized masters alike, presenting a unique opportunity to broaden your cinematic horizons. Below are ten films playing at the festival (some of which I’ve been fortunate enough to see prior to NYFF’s official kickoff) and ten films you can watch to prepare yourself from the comfort of your own home.
Marriage Story (Centerpiece)
Beanpole
First Cow
A Girl Missing
Since its founding, NYFF has programmed great Japanese cinema – their inaugural festival included Yasujiro Ozu! It’s always a good sign to be knighted by the selection committee, and that’s the case now for Koji Fukada. A Girl Missing marks his sixth feature film, and it sounds like quite the follow-up to his international breakthrough, Harmonium. It centers around a middle-aged nurse, Ichiko, who finds herself caught up in the media firestorm surrounding the disappearance of a young daughter in the family for whom she cares. I’ve limited myself to knowing just the logline because the beauty of Fukada’s work lies in watching just how quickly one decision or one event can ripple outwards and cause waves elsewhere.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: Out of all the films I watched in preparation for this piece, none of them affected me quite as profoundly as Koji Fukada’s last film, Harmonium. This story of how a quiet, unassuming nuclear family in Japan watches their life slowly come apart from taking mercy on an estranged friend fallen from grace simply wrecked me. If you can handle something that deals with fairly grim subject matter, you owe it to yourself to watch this film. It’s like Hirokazu Kore-eda meets Asghar Farhadi. (Available for free to subscribers of Hoopla and Kanopy.)
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: Out of all the films I watched in preparation for this piece, none of them affected me quite as profoundly as Koji Fukada’s last film, Harmonium. This story of how a quiet, unassuming nuclear family in Japan watches their life slowly come apart from taking mercy on an estranged friend fallen from grace simply wrecked me. If you can handle something that deals with fairly grim subject matter, you owe it to yourself to watch this film. It’s like Hirokazu Kore-eda meets Asghar Farhadi. (Available for free to subscribers of Hoopla and Kanopy.)
The Moneychanger
South American cinema often gets short shrift on the festival circuit, but NYFF delivers this year with a selection from a country that rarely registers in international cinema: Uruguay. I’m curious to dive deeper into their national cinema through Federico Verioj’s The Moneychanger, a decade-spanning tale of a crafty money launderer in Uruguay taking advantage of the country’s sluggish economy. Other South American films display a real unbridled honesty when dealing with sordid elements of their histories, and I hope that The Moneychanger follows the same pattern.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: Veiroj is nothing if not ruthlessly economical with his runtimes, a feature that endears him to a busy writer like myself. His 2015 feature The Apostate runs a slender 80 minutes, but it never feels rushed or short on action. The story of a Uruguayan man determined to expunge his baptismal records from the Catholic Church grapples with spirituality honestly, yet Veiroj also makes plenty of space for wry, ironic humor. It’s an odd work tonally, but the film proves quite fulfilling. And if you don’t agree, at least you didn’t waste much of your life watching it! (Available to stream for free on Netflix.)
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: Veiroj is nothing if not ruthlessly economical with his runtimes, a feature that endears him to a busy writer like myself. His 2015 feature The Apostate runs a slender 80 minutes, but it never feels rushed or short on action. The story of a Uruguayan man determined to expunge his baptismal records from the Catholic Church grapples with spirituality honestly, yet Veiroj also makes plenty of space for wry, ironic humor. It’s an odd work tonally, but the film proves quite fulfilling. And if you don’t agree, at least you didn’t waste much of your life watching it! (Available to stream for free on Netflix.)
Pain and Glory
Parasite
#BongHive, assemble! South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s masterful Parasite has taken Cannes, Telluride, and Toronto by storm and is now making its final grand stop on the festival tour at NYFF. While cinephiles and genre fans have long recognized Bong’s prodigious storytelling prowess, Parasite represents a real chance for him to claim the status of internationally recognized master — and perhaps even make a mainstream breakthrough. Experience this venal, twisting social satire as blankly as possible. The less you know, the more it will gob-smack you.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: You might have seen it a few years ago, but given the way Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer revolves around similar themes of economic inequality, it’s worth a rewatch before Parasite opens. A recent second encounter with the film reminded me just how great Bong is at directing pulse-pounding action sequences and conveying complicated class dynamics through clever concepts. He knows how to weaponize Chris Evans’ star-power in a way that perhaps only Rian Johnson understands (as shown by Knives Out). Also, Tilda Swinton’s gonzo performance in Snowpiercer deserves more love and attention – that’s all. (Available to stream for free to subscribers of Netflix.)
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: You might have seen it a few years ago, but given the way Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer revolves around similar themes of economic inequality, it’s worth a rewatch before Parasite opens. A recent second encounter with the film reminded me just how great Bong is at directing pulse-pounding action sequences and conveying complicated class dynamics through clever concepts. He knows how to weaponize Chris Evans’ star-power in a way that perhaps only Rian Johnson understands (as shown by Knives Out). Also, Tilda Swinton’s gonzo performance in Snowpiercer deserves more love and attention – that’s all. (Available to stream for free to subscribers of Netflix.)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Film Comment Presents)
Synonyms
The Whistlers
The likelihood of a breakthrough from a director of the austere national filmmaking movement known as the Romanian New Wave is, admittedly, slim. But in such a world where it would happen, the director most likely to do so would be Corneliu Poromboiu. He’s back at NYFF with The Whistlers, his most overtly genre-aligned film to date. It’s a raucous caper involving a crooked police officer willing to learn a secret “whistling” language in order to gain access to a drug dealer’s treasure. While not without its bumps, the film is raucous fun that points to exciting things ahead for this playful filmmaker.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: The Whistlers isn’t Poromboiu’s first treasure hunt. His prior narrative feature, The Treasure, also centers around a quest for hidden riches. Yet instead of using that as pretext for action and intrigue, Porumboiu digs in (pun fully intended) to the wry sparring dynamics between the three men dedicated to uncovering the bounty – and what their quest reveals about the past and present of Romania. In retrospect, it looks like a very clear indication that the director was charting a clear course towards a genre trajectory. (Available to stream for free to subscribers of Hulu.)The New York Film Festival runs Friday, September 27 through Sunday, October 13 at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Can’t make it to NYFF? Watch this at home: The Whistlers isn’t Poromboiu’s first treasure hunt. His prior narrative feature, The Treasure, also centers around a quest for hidden riches. Yet instead of using that as pretext for action and intrigue, Porumboiu digs in (pun fully intended) to the wry sparring dynamics between the three men dedicated to uncovering the bounty – and what their quest reveals about the past and present of Romania. In retrospect, it looks like a very clear indication that the director was charting a clear course towards a genre trajectory. (Available to stream for free to subscribers of Hulu.)The New York Film Festival runs Friday, September 27 through Sunday, October 13 at Lincoln Center in New York City.
