Imagine – The content might be muddled but the film is visually stunning.

Well, so much for the best laid plans. 

Hoping to cover a swag more films than last year, your humble reviewer’s schedule was disrupted by two unavoidable business trips to Sydney, which derailed matters. Ah, well.

Still, another good time was had. Here are some titles that eluded the review net.

Sanatorium – Across the water from a city where Russian ordnance regularly land, an assortment of mostly elderly Ukrainian citizens, try to enjoy the environs of a health and wellness centre, quietly hoping their quest for solitude and inner peace is not disrupted by a drone strike. Unobtrusive, impressionistic direction marks this as one of the more diverting documentaries about civilian life during wartime.

It Ends – Four friends driving a car along a road cutting through a remote woodland find they are on a road with no end. Making matters slightly worse are the hordes of crazies lying wait in the brush who try swamping the car each time they stop. The heated conversations between the four are great as they try figuring out if they’re dead, in Hell or just having a bad dream. An excellent example from the US of how far you can push an intriguing concept on a low budget. The quartet of thoroughly convincing performances help seal the deal.

Imagine – Featuring cascades of visually beautiful animation, this audacious, highly eccentric Australian feature explores identity, consciousness and all manner of abstract topics. Feeling like a case of too much content, not enough form, what was screened was rough indeed, so it was hard to determine if this was an unpolished gem or a massive, gorgeous-looking folly. In a post-screening Q&A director Tyson Yunkaporta confirmed the film was still to be polished, with scenes he wanted out still in there. Very keen to see how this one plays out.

Zombucha! – An out-of-work middle-class couple hit on a new source of untaxable income when they begin producing vats of kombucha with the aid of a stolen batch that has become sentient. A dire attempt at a horror comedy, it’s neither and again raises the pressing question as to how it is that in 2025 Australia is still producing films this awful. Another example of a local film that loses the audience in the opening reel, the film is an infuriating, unfocused mess and drew a very tepid response from the audience, which included cast and crew. In the post-screening Q&A, director Claudia Dzienny said the film was looking to get a release in 2026. Should that happen, odds are it won’t run a week. It’s that bad.

With a corner of the schedule showcasing local genre films, such as Kiah Roache-Turner’s Beast of War, it was sad that Luke Sparke’s dinosaurs-vs-soldiers soiree Primitive War wasn’t able to secure a berth due to timing. Unfortunately, according to Sparke, the film wasn’t finished in time to be selected. A pity. Would have been fun for Melbourne to match the swish Sydney premiere with a MIFF bash.

Kudos again to the magnificent MIFF volunteers. Friendly, informative and willing to help out ancient, techno-illiterate journalists with how to use the MIFF website properly. They have the patience of angels and greet even the stupidest questions with smiles and a courteous manner.

Here’s to next year.

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