My ADIFF 2017

Every Irish cinephiles' favourite time of the year came round again, the Dublin Film Festival in February. This year I decided to finally go mad and get full use out of my season ticket by heading to see 27 films.

Thankfuly, again, I wasn't faced with a film that was absolutely awful, so hats off for that and managed to see quite a few good ones, my top six listed below:
The Age of Shadows - dir. Jee-woon Kim ★★★★½
Korean period action thriller from the director of The Good, The Bad and the Weird about a police chief getting wrapped up in a deadly game of cat and mouse between Resistance fighters and the occupying Japanese powers. Full of great set pieces and performances and the two hours plus zips along
In Loco Parentis - dir. Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane ★★★★½
A funny and absorbing documentary following the daily goings-on in a primary age boarding school, Headfort in Kells, in particular two teachers, John and Amanda Leyden.
Get Out (Surprise Film) - dir. Jordan Peele ★★★★½
Jordan Peele, of Key and Peele, writes and directs this Blumhouse horror about a black man going to meet his white girlfriend's family. Sharp, scary and very funny
After the Storm - dir. Hirokazu Koreeda ★★★★
The tale of a once famous author who pretends he's researching for a book at a private detective agency, however it soon becomes clear he's using his skills to spy on his ex-wife and son who he wants to reconnect with. Subtle but with characters that feel real and you care for.
Mindhorn - dir. Sean Foley ★★★★
Julian Barrett stars as Richard Thorncroft, a washed up actor who once played a famous fictional TV detective and is asked to help track down a serial killer obsessed with the show. Hilarious and manages to be funny for the full duration, which is no meant feat.
The Rehearsal - dir. Alison Maclean ★★★★
From the director of Jesus' Son, comes a story about Stanley, a New Zealand teenager who lands a spot in a coveted drama school, things become complicated when he begins to use real life inspirations for his performances. Kerry Fox is excellent as the teacher.

Ratings for all 27 films I watched here My ADIFF 2017 – Ranked