{"id":55689,"date":"2026-09-28T13:04:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/?p=55689"},"modified":"2026-09-28T13:04:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:04:42","slug":"haifa-international-film-festival-all-the-lovers-in-the-night-sundays-ink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/?p=55689","title":{"rendered":"Haifa International Film Festival: All the Lovers in the Night\/Sundays\/INK"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s still time to see these films at the Haifa International Film Festival<\/a>:<\/p>\n

All the Lovers in the Night<\/h4>\n
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All the Lovers in the Night\/Photo courtesy of PR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Graceful and restrained, Yukiko Sode\u2019s All the Lovers in the Night<\/em>, based on the eponymous novel by Mieko Kawakami, reveals itself slowly as it follows its reticent protagonist Fuyuko (Yukino Kishii), a freelance proofreader who leads a quiet life in Tokyo. Finding wonder in small moments, as when Fuyuko takes up a pencil sharpened to a precise point, marking the errors in a manuscript with delicate lines. An intriguing aspect of the film is the intermittent narration of Fuyuko\u2019s inner thoughts by a male voice (Tori Matsuzaka), which opens with a poetic meditation on the beauty of the night. \u00a0The film is also sparked with subtle humor, as when a group of proofreaders hang out together at a restaurant, the conversation reflecting their very niche perspective.<\/p>\n

Kishii delivers a powerful performance as Fuyuko, conveying as much with her gaze and body language as she does in words, which she uses sparingly. Fuyuko has one friend, the boisterous, extroverted Hijiri (Misato Morita) who insists on drawing her out of her shell. Morita brings a comic energy as a foil to Fuyuko\u2019s almost silent presence, yet their relationship is more complex than what is immediately apparent. Sitting together at a bar, Hijiri asks Fuyuko what she does when she\u2019s not working, but Fuyuko doesn\u2019t appear to have a life beyond proofreading. Yet there is a strong sense that she has a desire for more.<\/p>\n

Chance leads to an encounter with Mitsutsuka (Tadanobu Asano), a slightly older physics teacher who is almost as reserved as Fuyuko. She assumes agency in moving the relationship forward \u2013 perhaps the first time she has done so. It\u2019s a small move, so small it might pass unnoticed \u2013 she suggests that they exchange contact information. The two begin to meet regularly at a coffee shop, talking about physics and light. There is a sense of wonder in Fuyuko\u2019s musings on light, and a warmth in Mitsutsuka\u2019s responses that infuses the film with radiance.<\/p>\n

One gradually learns more about Fuyuko, her issues, her struggles, her desires, and something of her past, yet much remains sealed. The narrative does not follow a predictable path, and that is much of its allure. Instead, there are meandering paths, and luminous moments.<\/p>\n

Next Screening: Tuesday, September 29th<\/p>\n

Sundays<\/h4>\n
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Sundays\/Photo courtesy of PR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Written and directed by Ala\u00fada Ruiz de Az\u00faa, Sundays<\/em> is a compelling film that explores belief, family relationships, and cultural norms. 17-year-old Ainara (Blanca Soroa) returns from a retreat with her class at the Betinas convent, with a desire to return for a longer stay to explore the possibility of becoming a nun. Although her family is Catholic \u2013 Ainara attends a Catholic school \u2013 there is a sense that for some family members attending church is more of a social norm as opposed to stemming from inner faith. Ainara\u2019s father I\u00f1aki (Miguel Garc\u00e9s) cannot comprehend why she would want to do such a thing and refuses to give his permission. So Ainara turns to her aunt, Maite (Patricia L\u00f3pez Arnaiz). While I\u00f1aki appears to be more of a pragmatist, his sister Maite believes just as intensely that God does not exist, as Ainara believes that he does.<\/p>\n

The intersection between complex family dynamics and differences of belief is at the heart of the film. Ainara\u2019s mother is dead, and her father has a new girlfriend, Est\u00edbaliz (Leire Zuazua), raising the possibility that Ainara seeks the assurance of God\u2019s love to fill the void left by her mother\u2019s death. She is also still a teenage girl who has crushes on boys and on the bus home from the retreat, listens and sings along with her friend Izaskun (Mar\u00eda Rodr\u00edguez Maribona Delgado) to a song with the lyrics: \u201cshe\u2019s quiet but sexually bold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blanca Soroa delivers an outstanding performance, conveying the depth of faith and conviction that coexists along with the turbulent feelings of youth, as well as the moments of excitement and pleasure. When she seeks out Maite\u2019s help to convince her father, confessing her desire to take the first step in her \u201cdiscernment\u201d \u2013 the process of learning what God asks of her, her aunt is clearly shocked and attempts to be supportive, while trying to gently sway her niece. Patricia L\u00f3pez Arnaiz portrays the complex character of Maite, as she struggles with her personal problems \u2013 the growing distance from her husband and anger at I\u00f1aki over financial issues, while desperately trying to save her niece from what she believes would be a tragic mistake.<\/p>\n

Next screening: Wednesday, September 30th<\/p>\n

INK<\/h4>\n
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INK\/Photo courtesy of PR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In INK,<\/em> director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) brings his signature energy \u2013 along with the talented creative team of James Graham (screenplay), Alwin H. K\u00fcchler (cinematography) and Fin Oates (editing) \u2013 to the exciting story of Rupert Murdoch\u2019s acquisition of The Sun in 1969, and his often-fiery relationship with its editor Larry Lamb, as the latter steers the tabloid\u2019s rise in popularity. Jack O\u2019Connell imbues Lamb\u2019s character with the drive of a self-made man, as he confronts Murdoch (an impressive Guy Pearce) time and again. The opening scene at Rules restaurant, as Murdoch tries (and succeeds) in wooing Lamb away from his job at the Daily Mirror, is dazzling with its slanted camera angles, sharp cuts and fleeting shifts to other scenes, and images that extend beyond the frame, setting the frenetic tone for the film, and embodying the sensationalist feel of a tabloid. It\u2019s a fast-paced, riveting look at journalism and media, raising ethical questions along the way.<\/p>\n

Next screening: Saturday, October 3rd<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s still time to see these films at the Haifa International Film Festival: All the Lovers in the Night Graceful and restrained, Yukiko Sode\u2019s All the Lovers in the Night, based on the eponymous novel by Mieko Kawakami, reveals itself slowly as it follows its reticent protagonist Fuyuko (Yukino Kishii), a freelance proofreader who leads […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":55692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[100,96,203],"class_list":["post-55689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-festival","tag-film","tag-haifa-international-film-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55689"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55693,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55689\/revisions\/55693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.midnighteast.com\/mag\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}