OIAF Review: Girlfriends of Father excavates shared trauma within dizzying sci-fi trappings
I'm a big fan of going into a movie blind. It's fun to just jump in, not knowing what to expect, and being truly in the palm of the filmmakers' hands, right where they want you, with no prior knowledge or idea or expectation. For whatever reason, before hitting play on Xi Chen's Girlfriends of Father , one of the features playing in competition at OIAF this year, I decided to read the little blurb on the Vimeo page. I'm glad I did, because I think this is a movie that you need to have some context for going in. It is a really strange ride, occasionally hard to follow even with an idea of the plot, and often a barrage on the senses. It's a movie that would benefit from repeat viewings, though it's not one I would be particularly keen to revisit. So yeah, before you watch it, read up on it. Find an interview, a synopsis, a review. Read this review, sure, but if you want to know what happens in this movie, I also still kind of do. This may be my least informati...
