BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019

Across 11 days, the Brisbane International Film Festival celebrates contemporary international and Australian screen culture with new release features and documentaries, shorts programs and retrospectives, alongside screenings with live music, conversations, panel discussions and more.

Running from the 3rd to the 13th October, BIFF showcases a huge selection of films ahead of their theatrical releases - so check out the reviews below from the SWITCH team, and check back throughout the festival as we add even more!

MONOS

A hypnagogic mix of teen angst and warfare

This film is a mood, an aesthetic, an idea; a sensory cinematic experience more than a story.

THE SOUVENIR

A flawed but fascinating act of autobiography

There’s no doubt that we’re witnessing something deeply personal, and some moments are shattering in their honesty, while other aspects seem to lack an objective understanding for its viewers.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

A perfect film on the language of desire

This is a rare and precious film, breathtaking in its craft and intensely honest in its passions, and one of the best films of this or any year. This is great, great cinema.

PAIN AND GLORY

Pedro Almodóvar delivers a rhapsodic masterwork

A portrait of an artist entering the last act of their lives, looking back at what they have created and the battlefield left in their wake, and facing the fear of never creating again.

MATTHIAS AND MAXIME

A magical film on the complexity of friendship and love

This is a tender love story beautifully told, made with such love and care, sincerity and grace, showcasing everything that makes Xavier Dolan such an arresting filmmaker.

YOUNG AHMED

A disappointment from a world of talent

There's just an inherent "something" missing here that could be blamed on a number of factors, all of which stem from behind the camera.

THE DAY SHALL COME

A hilarious take on a flawed system

While never takes its scathing satire to its limits, it’s an enjoyable romp that’s sure to divide audiences as much as it makes them laugh.

THE MIRACLE OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

A time capsule of dying languages and civilisations

The film looks at the cultures whose story ‘The Little Prince’ belongs to, and offers a time capsule of their dying languages and civilisations.

MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

Three Men and a Xenomorph

A comprehensive look at the three men who created 'Alien' and the influences which bled together into a masterpiece.

JUDY & PUNCH

A dark fairytale from a fresh Australian voice

Part fairytale and part black comedy, the film is a period story with a message that’s vital to current society. Writer and director Mirrah Foulkes is an exciting young Australian storyteller.

TITO AND THE BIRDS

A flight of imagination

With a script that is as richly textured as the artwork, ‘Tito and the Birds’ is a moving and human story that boasts a big heart and reminds us that we aren’t alone in the troubles we face.

THE DEAD DON'T DIE

A zombie comedy that's anything but grave

A luxuriously paced, wittily gory zombie comedy, it’s part social commentary, part homage to cinema, and all ridiculous. You’d be dead right to want to check it out.

VARDA BY AGNÈS

The final film of a French New Wave legend

It allows the audience to watch a legend of cinema take stock of her life's work and share some last bits of wisdom.

THE THIRD WIFE

Artistic, painful and beautiful

May’s story as a pregnant 14-year-old bride is handled with such grace and delicacy - it’s an intoxicating, heart-wrenching experience.

IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS

An eye-opening tale of struggling Indigenous youth

The documentary excels in never sensationalising any aspect of Dujuan's story for dramatic effect; simply capturing Dujuan's daily life is enough to make blood boil and tears fall.

DARK PLACE

An unsettling Indigenous horror anthology

Running at a lean 75 minutes and offering a bounty of gore, atmosphere and thought-provoking stories, it's a rare horror anthology that moves from strength to strength and never overstays its welcome.

CHAINED FOR LIFE

The aesthetics of acting

An amusing, cunningly structured meta-commentary on filmmaking and cinematic ideals of beauty, the film is also an inside joke with a generosity of heart and humour.

SLAM

A gripping urban mystery

Darkly elegant cinematography, expert utilisation of colour and excellent performances by the two leads ensure ‘Slam’ is never less than compelling and through-provoking viewing.