MIFF 2017

Get excited for this year's Melbourne International Film Festival! With a huge range of films and other events taking over Melbourne, film lovers and cinema goers will find something to whet their appetite.

Take a look through SWITCH's reviews and start putting together your must-see list! We'll be updating this page daily as new reviews come to hand, so check back throughout the festival for new reviews.

ROLLER DREAMS

The retro roots of roller skating

What starts as a nostalgic look back at a joyous time and place that transformed lives and a humble beach quickly becomes a sad tale of racism.

SPOOR

A dark thriller with bite

It’s a particularly twisted film, growing from a defenceless wolf cub into a vicious, vengeant creature. Back an animal in a corner, and it will fight back. ‘Spoor’ strikes with all its might.

INSYRIATED

Escaping war within a personal prison

For a film that exists inside such a small setting, 'Insyriated' is a big film. As disturbing as it may be, it's remarkably powerful and a strong piece of work from director/writer Philippe Van Leeuw.

AFTERIMAGE

Reality askew

For viewers and those inspired by Strzeminski and Wadja's work, this film serves as a lasting afterimage of their artistic legacy.

LIBERATION DAY

The hills of North Korea are alive with the sound of music

‘Liberation Day’ is a revelatory experience, a truly captivating documentary about a part of our world rarely seen, and the Westerners who tried to bring in a touch of nonconformity.

WAITING FOR GIRAFFES

A tall order for an impossible zoo

Despite the hardship, the team persevere with their goals, and it’s hard not to want them to succeed. By the end, you’ll be rooting for them too - and amazed at the impossible zoo they have forged.

PACMEN

The rise and fall of Ben Carson

As Donald Trump is wont to say, "America does not like losers," and Walker mines comedy gold with ‘PACmen’ by illustrating why Ben Carson was exactly that.

BRIGSBY BEAR

Paws-itively pure, authentic joy

It’s so beautifully nuanced and performed that it’s not until you leave the cinema with a huge grin on your face that the film’s layers start to reveal themselves in the most warming way.

PATTI CAKE$

Off track

The best thing here is Danielle Macdonald, who has the presence and charisma to pull off her white female rapper character. Still, the formulaic material has been executed more impressively.

NEWTON

Dark political comedy a winning formula

A fine example of a political satire. Its black humour comes with meaningful messages, and sheds light on issues which trouble India. For a positive reaction, ‘Newton’ is definitely a winning formula.

POP AYE

Not your normal road trip movie

'Pop Aye' offers a glimpse inside the true Thailand, with an endearing story about a man and his elephant trying to find their place in the world.

PHANTOM BOY

An affecting animation full of warmth

There's a great warmth to the film, with the animation splashed with bright colours and a wealth of humour. 'Phantom Boy' will give you shivers, but in the best possible way.

78/52

A blow-by-blow account of 'Psycho's' shower scene

‘78/52’ starts out by looking at the climate that produced ‘Psycho’, Hitchcock’s motivation for making it, and continues until it reaches those iconic few minutes that changed the course of cinema.

THAT'S NOT ME

A marvel of indie ingenuity

‘That’s Not Me’ is a marvel of indie ingenuity, with dollops of charm and confident direction. Shot over nine months for $60k, this film looks and sounds like a million bucks.

SPOOKERS

A real horror show

‘Spookers’ interweaves a lot of different stories into one entertaining piece, but it’s not the horror that truly fascinates - it’s the people.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL

A gloriously violent film

'Blade of the Immortal' is a thrilling, complex and hugely fun action film. If this is the standard of Takashi Miike 100 films into his career as a director, I hope he gets to make 100 more.

ELLIPSIS

Fails to come full circle

This improvised film is clearly the workings of an actor trying to separate himself from his career in front of the camera. 'Ellipsis' has its charms, but is neither original nor the best of its kind.

THE BELKO EXPERIMENT

Outcome: dull and forgettable

This film exists simply to cash-in on James Gunn’s current success via one of his old, discarded ideas. Unoriginal and rather boring, the script should have remained lodged beneath Gunn’s couch.

THE VOID

Filled with gory, stylish horror

‘The Void’ is an impressive production not just for an indie film, but for a modern horror movie in a category crowded with high-budget slop.

MAUDIE

A gentle and loving portrait of a inspiring artist

It’s hard not to be charmed by ‘Maudie’. Sally Hawkins is radiant as Maud, and her work in this film will hopefully continue to build her reputation. Aisling Walsh has crafted a gem with this film.

GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

A miraculous and deeply beautiful film

'God's Own Country' is a miracle of a film, a quiet masterpiece that holds you enraptured from beginning to end by its beauty and its humanity.

JUNGLE

A true story told poorly

Though the cast is charismatic and eager, and the story is astonishing, this is a disappointingly limp affair. While it tells the tale with clarity, it forgets to be a film in the process.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

Beautiful beyond description

Luca Guadagnino has made a film of enormous humanity, a statement on the nature of love that sends shockwaves through you, especially with the powerhouse performance from Timothée Chalamet.

GOOD TIME

A scuzzy and propulsive odyssey

It is exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure, but the underlying humanism of the Safdies’ dark and unflinching world view means that buried underneathis a jittery, frantically beating heart.

REVOLUTION OF SOUND. TANGERINE DREAM

A salute to the 80s synth maestros

While ‘Revolution of Sound. Tangerine Dream’ is less engaging than it could have been, it is still fascinating viewing, particularly for film and music buffs.

A QUIET DREAM

A quirky, beautiful urban comedy

Some mild touches of fantasy contribute to a mood of dreamy melancholy in this quirky, bittersweet and rather beautiful urban comedy.

A LIFE IN WAVES

An essential look at an electronic music innovator

‘A Life in Waves’ continues Whitcomb’s admirable quest to shine a light on the untold stories of inspirational women who blazed a trail. This is an essential documentary for fans of electronic music.

JUPITER'S MOON

Defies gravity

It's an overwhelming experience that's remarkable, nuanced and elegant. This is film as both art and entertainment melded together, fascinating and unparalleled in its story and storytelling methods.

THE BUTTERFLY TREE

A gorgeous slice of Aussie cinema

Priscilla Cameron has crafted an emotional, stylised and slightly fantastical story about three people's relationship with love, loss and each other.

THE SQUARE

A dazzling piece of cinematic invention

'The Square' is a masterful piece of cinema, preposterously funny and endlessly strange, culminating in moments of genuine awe.

THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER

Revenge most bizarre

This is another indulgently outlandish offering from a director unafraid to cross lines and toy with taboos. The film is slick, smart and self-assured - the best kind of barbarous cinema.

FACES PLACES

The empathy engine

Reinforcing the ability of art and artists to form connections and provide windows into the lives of people who are just like us, and also not at all, this is a moving tribute to the act of creation.

VOYAGE OF TIME: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE

Malick's vision of life itself

There were moments that took my breath away, images that spoke very deeply to our connection with the natural world. This is the chance to celebrate Terrence Malick's skill as a visual storyteller.

HAPPY END

Michael Haneke's puzzling social allegory

This puzzle-box doesn't make it easy for you, and like many of Michael Haneke's films, your response will likely be complex. He wants you to be provoked, pushed and bamboozled by it.

HELLO, GOODBYE

Emotional, watchable

While the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel, if you are seeking a simple story that is elegantly told, imminently watchable, and may require a box of tissues to catch some excess eye moisture.

TOKYO IDOLS

J-pop obsessions and fandom

A few unanswered questions aside, ‘Tokyo Idols’ is a very strange, amusing, and uncomfortable look into a particularly odd facet of modern Japanese culture.

IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD

A heartbreaking and beautiful animated film

Katabuchi’s previous anime films are better known in the West among anime nerds - but the incredibly moving and sobering ‘In This Corner of the World’ should be the film to change that.

THE CHALLENGE

An epic struggle against drowsiness

As amazing as everything looks and sounds, ‘The Challenge’ is quite boring. Most scenes are long and dreamy, but they also tend to be repetitive and boy, do they drag on.

THE ORNITHOLOGIST

Let madness take flight

‘The Ornithologist’ is about losing yourself in the wild, only to find yourself. Venturing down twisting pathways, it drags us on a preposterous adventure through the darkest parts of the mind.