The 29th Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) is over, and Dee, Clif, and I are very slowly making our way back to reality. We saw twenty-seven movies in nine days, and yes, dear blogging friends, that is a lot of movies to see in that amount of time. By the end, my creaky knees and legs were not happy at all, and I’m thinking of cutting back next year.

But there were so many good movies I probably wouldn’t have seen anywhere else. I had planned to post my top five, but instead it will be my top six, and I could easily include ten. Yet again, I am so grateful to have a film festival of this caliber in Waterville, Maine, population 16,000. When I mentioned this to a filmmaker I met, she was astounded that such a small community would be able to host such a terrific film festival.

Before I list my favorites from the film festival, here are some scenes from our first day at MIFF 29.

Right from the start, there was popcorn,

and old friends to catch up with.

Drinks after a day of movies,

and a beautiful sky.

Then, back to the car, with Maine Film Center aglow,

and the Arts sign lighting the way.

Many thanks to the staff and volunteers who make this film festival possible. They illustrate in a beautiful way how art and creativity can thrive even in small communities.

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My Top Six Movies, Listed in Alphabetical Order, from MIFF 29

Comparsa

This documentary follows two sisters, Lesli and Lupe, as they help organize a comparsa, a street performance, to honor forty-one girls who died in a fire in a so-called “Safe Home” run by the state. Set in a Guatemalan barrio, the film illustrates how the girls and women in that community are never safe from violence and death. Comparsa also shows how art — astonishing body painting, giant puppets, music — can be used not only to protest injustice but also to heal and build community. Comparsa moved me deeply.

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Hen

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from those who want to kill and eat her, humans and animals alike. In György Pálfi’s unique film Hen, the story is told from the hen’s perspective as she escapes an industrial farm, encounters a fox, survives being captured by a dog, and overcomes other misadventures in her quest to lay eggs and raise a family. Clucking all the way, the hen is never anthropomorphized. She is always a hen, at times hapless and at other times clever. This astonishing movie was made using real hens with nary a hint of CGI. (In the ending credits, viewers are also assured that no animals were harmed.) From the jump, my sympathies were with the hen on her perilous journey. It also made me consider whether it is enough to be a vegetarian.

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Mallory’s Ghost

One of the great pleasures of MIFF is that they show films made by young directors who are just starting out. (Three of the films in my top six fit this category.) While Arabella Oz, the writer, director, and lead actor, might have made a few other films, she is clearly young enough to be at the beginning of her career. Mallory’s Ghost is set (and filmed) in Maine in a beautiful old house by the sea. Mallory and her boyfriend Sam have come to visit the enigmatic Lorna, Sam’s former writing professor. Sam hopes to kick-start his writing, and Mallory seems to be along just for the ride. Except she isn’t. She harbors ambitions of her own, and with reminders of Sam’s ex-girlfriend Louise everywhere in the house, Mallory becomes unreasonably jealous of the glamorous, talented ex who seems to be everything she is not. Mallory becomes convinced that Louise’s ghost is haunting her, even though Louise is still very much alive. However, the movie takes an unexpected twist that I will not reveal. The only thing I want to add is that Mallory’s Ghost illustrates that there are different kinds of hauntings, and I found this one to be touching and true. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a trailer for this movie.

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Still Ohio

Right now, horror is big in this country, and it’s not hard to see why. The United States provides plenty of horrors to inspire artists young and old. Still Ohio, Kaylin Allhouse’s debut feature film, centers on college sophomore Ana, who decides to transfer from Boston College to Tulane University so that she can be with her boyfriend, Doug. We never see Doug. We only hear his unenthusiastic voice when Ana calls him. Nevertheless, Doug arranges Ana’s ride to Tulane with three rowdy friends who are not ideal traveling companions. It doesn’t take Ana long to decide the trip is going to be a long one. As it turns out, the journey becomes longer than Ana could have imagined as the four get caught in a time loop that takes them over and over again to the same creepy gas station, which becomes more and more decrepit each time they stop. It is up to Ana to decide how to break free from the time loop, and in the process, there is a fair amount of blood and mayhem. However, even though I tend to be a squeamish viewer, the violence wasn’t too much for me. Again, unfortunately, I couldn’t find a trailer for this movie.

 

Union County

This movie features another young writer/director, Adam Meeks, but this movie couldn’t be more different from Mallory’s Ghost and Still Ohio. Union County is grounded in everyday life as it focuses on Cody (beautifully played by Will Poulter) and his journey toward sobriety. My friend Joel noted that Union County felt like a documentary, and I could see his point. The movie features real people dealing with addiction, and some of the scenes take place in what looks like a real courtroom. But this is a narrative film, and the actor Will Poulter holds Union County as he not only struggles with addiction but also with the guilt he feels for introducing his brother Jack to drugs. Union County is a spare, minimalist film that is nevertheless full of emotion.  By the end, I was teary-eyed watching a scene where Cody has “a long, dark night of the soul.” Does he emerge victorious? No spoilers here. Watch this gem of a movie and find out for yourself.

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Whispers in the Woods

The last movie really is a documentary, but an unconventional one filled with beauty and a reverence for nature as grand-père, père, and fils take to the woods in France. The père, filmmaker Vincent Munier, records the three-generational journey into the forests of the Vosges. Grand-père Michel, a sort of Jacques Cousteau of the woods, taught his son Vincent how to be patient, how to look and listen and be still. Now, they are teaching Vincent’s son Simon the same lesson. All through the film, I kept thinking what a lucky boy Simon was to have such mentors. In addition, Whispers in the Woods is full of stunning photography and the sounds of the forest’s denizens. The poetic narration is a gentle reminder to love and cherish the wild places on Earth, places that are under threat from not only human development but also from the climate crisis.

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I hope these brief descriptions of six of the twenty-seven movies I saw at the film festival give readers some idea of the variety MIFF offers. In all likelihood, many of these films will not be coming to a cinema near you, but in time most should be available through a streaming service.