| Chicago Film Festival 2009 Main Competition Jury: Jacqueline Bisset (president), Shohreh Aghdashloo, Duane Byrge, Pablo Cruz, Bruce Sheridan |
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| Golden Hugo: | Mississippi Damned, USA, dir. Tina Mabry |
| Special Jury Prize: | Fish Tank, UK, dir. Andrea Arnold |
| Best Director: | Vincere, Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio |
| Best Actress: | Vincere, Giovanna Mezzogiorno |
| Best Actor: | Vincere, Filippo Timi |
| Best Supporting Actress: | Mississippi Damned, Jossie Harris Thacker |
| Best Supporting Actor: | Fish Tank, Michael Fassbender |
| Best Screenplay: | Mississippi Damned, Tina Mabry |
| Best Cinematography: | Vincere, Daniele Cipri |
| Best Production Design: | Hipsters, Vladimir Gudilin |
| DocuFest Competition*: | Cooking History, Slovakia, dir. Péter Kerekes |
| New Directors Competition*: | Gigante, Uruguay, dir. Adrián Biniez |
| Audience Choice Award**: | Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, USA, dir. Lee Daniels |
| * These two awards are determined by separately constituted juries | |
| ** Voted by the public, and announced later than the other awards | |
Films I Saw at CIFF:Leaving aside competition films I saw elsewhere, and usually later
Ranked in order of preference
My Golden Hugo
Raging Sun, Raging Sky B+ (Mexico, dir. Julián Hernández) - Could have been patience-taxing in length, repetitions, inscrutability, and flattened affect, but I was wholly seduced; thrillingly highwire
Mother B+ (South Korea, dir. Bong Joon-ho) - As in many Korean peers, piecemeal structure is problem and thrilling gift; for every bald patch, a staggering surprise
Fish Tank B+ (UK, dir. Andrea Arnold) - Arnold gets such charge from images, actors, sounds; even when this one lapses or wanders, she brings it back with kick
The Maid B+ (Chile, dir. Sebastián Silva) - Hard to miss that the ensemble is one of year's best, but writerly and directorial acumen impresses to; more layers than it admits upfront
My Neighbor, My Killer B+ (USA/France/Rwanda, dir. Anne Aghion) - What extraordinary doc lacks in finesse and structure it nails in emotional candor and eyewitness value (full review)
Mary and Max B+ (Australia, dir. Adam Elliot) - First half has the devilish cheek and loopy humor of punch-drunk Calvin and Hobbes; amounts to less than it sets up, but a delicious ride (full review)
Mississippi Damned B+ (USA, dir. Tina Mabry) - Strong sense of communal and cinematic texture, compassionate but firm, keeps film disciplined and affecting even as laments pile up
Face B (France/Taiwan, dir. Tsai Ming-liang) - Early, uncut sequence with exploding sink might be year's funniest gag; odd to hat-tip all of his own films, but a good, weird time anyway
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire B (USA, dir. Lee Daniels) - Film flaunts Mo'Nique and adventurous direction, despite flaws of both; Sidibe and school scenes actually stronger, and sum adds up mightily (full review)
Accomplices B (Switzerland, dir. Frédéric Mermoud) - A perfect festival surprise, handling two-track plot with rare ease; well-acted, well-told within a conventional form (full review)
About Elly B (Iran, dir. Asghar Farhadi) - I'm avoiding overt parallels to preserve a surprise worth preserving; script cheats a little, but fresh, disarming film turns memorably tense
Police, Adjective B (Romania, dir. Corneliu Porumboiu) - Less smart than Porumboiu's first, yet this one's cockier about it; still, some welcome humor, very dry, and YouTube setpiece delights
Red Riding: 1974 B– (UK, dir. Julian Jarrold) - Doubt I'll proceed; self-important air despite mid-grade plotting, and distractingly smudgy photography
Nymph B– (Thailand, dir. Pen-ek Ratanaruang) - I might've seen the wrong films, but this director eludes me; some creepy sounds and images, impressive 360° pans, but it's all been done
Effi Briest B– (Germany, dir. Hermine Huntgeburth) - Kind of mid-grade period drama where you sometimes think, "This has more going on than just costumes," but then all you remember is costumes
Backyard C+ (Mexico, dir. Carlos Carrera) - One of those movies where cops tape all their files to a wall and stare till they Get It. Generic script, visuals, but heart in right place
Air Doll C (Japan, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda) - Not without craft, but patience-taxing and vapidly sentimental; much prefer Gondry's Tokyo! segment where real girl turns into furniture (full review)
The Eclipse C– (Ireland, dir. Conor McPherson) - Not without its brooding chills and can't fault the leads, but adds up to precious little, and Quinn's embarrassing (full review)
Give Me Your Hand C– (France, dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent) - An exercise in morose vapidity, built entiely around blank handsomeness of twin-brother stars, minus any courage of eroticizing conviction (full review)
Coffin Rock C– (Australia, dir. Rupert Glasson) - Actress takes laudable stab at taking knockoff thriller seriously, but story beats clank, co-lead overdoes it; whole exercise feels empty
A Single Man D+ (USA, dir. Tom Ford) - Obvious, lumpen swipes from other films that embarrass this one; all concepts, no finesse; Hoult grievous; Firth OK but sandbagged by script
Vincere D+ (Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio) - I confess low tolerance for high-gloss Italian bathos, but nothing sustains the wailing, opportunistic spectacles
Lovely, Still D (USA, dir. Nik Fackler) - Congrats to the first-timer and his diligent stars, who finally got a release. But it's still a dire miscalculation. (full review)
Films from the Main Competition:
Listed alphabetically • Graded titles reviewed above
About Elly B (Iran, dir. Asghar Farhadi)
Air Doll C (Japan, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)
Backyard C+ (Mexico, dir. Carlos Carrera)
The Be All and End All (UK, dir. Bruce Webb)
Case Unknown (Poland, dir. Feliks Falk)
Face B (France/Taiwan, dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
Fish Tank B+ (UK, dir. Andrea Arnold)
Hidden Diary (France, dir. Julie Lopes-Curval)
Hipsters (Russia, dir. Valery Todorovsky)
Looking for Eric (UK, dir. Ken Loach)
Love & Savagery (Canada/Ireland, dir. John N. Smith)
Mississippi Damned B+ (USA, dir. Tina Mabry)
Prank (Hungary, dir. Péter Gárdos)
Ricky (France, dir. François Ozon)
Vincere D+ (Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio)
Films from the New Directors Competition:
Listed alphabetically • Graded titles reviewed above
Accomplices (Partners) B (France/Switzerland, dir. Frédéric Mermoud)
Berlin 36 (Germany, dir. Kaspar Heidelbach)
Daniel & Ana (Mexico, dir. Michel Franco)
Eastern Plays (Bulgaria/Sweden, dir. Karmen Kalev)
Eye of the Storm (Brazil/Portugal, dir. Eduardo Valente)
Eyes Wide Open (Israel/Germany, dir. Haim Tabakman)
Gigante (Uruguay, dir. Adrián Biniez)
Lost Times (Hungary, dir. Áron Mátyássy)
Made in China (USA, dir. Judi Krant)
Northless (Mexico, dir. Rigoberto Pérezcano)
Police, Adjective B (Romania, dir. Corneliu Porumboiu)
Who's Afraid of the Wolf? (the Czech Republic, dir. Maria Pocházková)
Films from Outrageous (Queer Program):
Listed alphabetically • Graded titles reviewed above
Eyes Wide Open (Israel/Germany, dir. Haim Tabakman)
A Frozen Flower (South Korea, dir. Yoo Ha)
Give Me Your Hand C– (France, dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent)
Raging Sun, Raging Sky B+ (Mexico, dir. Julián Hernández)
The 'Thank You' Girls (the Philippines, dir. Charliebebs Gohetia)
A Woman's Way (Greece, dir. Panos H. Koutras)
Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing films were Motherhood (USA, Dieckmann), Precious (USA, Daniels), and The Young Victoria (UK, Vallée), respectively
Special and Gala Presentations include Antichrist (Denmark/Germany, von Trier), Astro Boy (USA/Hong Kong, Bowers), An Education (UK, Scherfig), The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (USA, Markell), Lovely, Still (USA, Fackler), The Messenger (USA, Moverman), Persécution (France, Chéreau), Red Cliff (China, Woo), and The Yellow Handkerchief (USA, Prasad)