“Do I Exist?”: The Unbearable Blankness of Being in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Bright Future Jared Rapfogel July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival More comprehensible than the prolific Kurosawa's previous efforts, this story of an unlikely friendship between a hopeless youth, an older man and a jellyfish is still unconventional and moving.
The New American Old West: Bruno Dumont’s Twentynine Palms Darren Hughes July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival A newly-available sports utility vehicle, a new socio-political context and a new set of cinematic references inform Dumont's examination of masculine authority, human miscommunication and the Californian desert.
The Missing: An Interview with Lee Kang-sheng Volker Hummel July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Muse and principal actor in the cinema of Tsai Ming-liang, Lee discusses his experience behind the camera and the theme of loss which permeates his directorial debut.
Histoire de Marie et Julien: Jacques Rivette’s Material Ghost Story Michael J. Anderson July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Part erotic ghost story, part reflexive commentary on filmic form and narrative, Rivette's latest opus may be his most personal yet.
The Road Well Travelled: Coffee and Cigarettes Michael Joshua Rowin July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Hipster posturing yields diminishing returns in this disappointing anthology from Jim Jarmusch.
A Divine Tragedy: Kim Ki-duk Searches for Redemption in The Samaritan Girl Acquarello July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Acquarello probes the link between transactions, transformative encounters and transcendence in Kim's tenth film.
Border Zones: The Films of Ulrich Seidl Mattias Frey July 2004 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival Tracing the many subjects and styles of the “staged reality” of Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl, Frey concludes with a look at his latest film, Jesus, You Know.
