Everything Is Fine (2008)

'In Search of a Midnight Kiss' Alex Holdridge, 2008 Alex Holdridge's whimsical breakthrough film shows that independent American cinema is still in good hands. Young hands, but hands that are better suited to capture today's society. In Search of a Midnight Kiss is set up like many similar indie films of late, where two people meet and fall for one another to the familiar beat of a cityscape backdrop. In this case it is New Year's eve that provides suitable levels of lovelorn desperation, enough to convince one young man to place a personal ad on the internet and watch his failed love life blossom. 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Everything is Fine' Yves Christian Fournier, 2008 In a year positively bulging with the work of Gus Van Sant it is somewhat bewildering to find an unrelated film that channels his work. Set and shot upon the greyish landscapes of Québec, Canada, Tout est Parfait tells the story of an ordinary suburban teen and his grief after the suicide of several close friends. It is an angled look at teenage angst, one that has been unavoidably amplified thanks to the central character's grievance and the actions of those around him in reaction to this. 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'A Complete History of My Sexual Failures' Chris Waitt, 2008 A documentary of the more personal kind, Chris Waitt's quest to discover exactly why he is lost in love and sex gave me perhaps the most giggles of any movie this year. A Complete History of My Sexual Failures feigns stark reality but is obviously scripted in many places, yet this doesn't stop the film from being utterly hilarious at points. Only someone with such boundless experience and thus confidence when it comes to women could ever make something so downright narcissistic. 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'The Headless Woman' Lucrecia Martel, 2008 A film that alienated critics worldwide upon release though could well be considered as Lucrecia Martel's most personal effort to date. It concerns a single woman and her guilt-ridden plight, experienced after she hits something on the highway but doesn't stop her car to investigate. Slow and dream-like, the film follows and observes this headless woman until the truth is finally outed. It is a portrait of self-destruction, subtly used to comment unwaveringly on the increasing gap between classes in Argentina today. 7/10