As a fourth-year University of Iowa student, I’ve attended FilmScene’s Refocus Film Festival every year since it was revived in 2022. Each year, I’ve attended more and more events until this weekend, when I stacked my schedule with films and conversations until I felt comfortable writing a listicle-length article.
“Zodiac Killer Project”
Other than the opening night premiere of “Train Dreams,” followed by a delightful celebration at the Chauncey building, “Zodiac Killer Project” was my first true festival event. I caught the movie at the Pedestrian Mall and stuck around for a Q&A with the director, Charlie Shackleton.
The film is a failed adaptation of Lyndon E. Lafferty’s book, “The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: The Silenced Badge.” Shackleton’s original plan to make a straight-up, true crime documentary fell through after losing the rights to the book. Instead, he narrates the film as it exists in his mind.
I found this essayistic film incredibly funny, and seeing it with a packed crowd made the jokes land all the better. Shackleton’s dry British humor had everyone hooting and hollering, with jokes that took a couple of seconds to register before the audience erupted.
Aside from being a hilarious story about an unbelievable investigation spanning decades into one former detective’s crackpot theory about a Zodiac Killer suspect, the film is also a formally electrifying exercise.
Without talking head interviews or the typical trappings of a Netflix-style documentary, Shackleton places his narration over gorgeously filmed location scouting footage. Spliced between gorgeous images are moments of evocative b-roll, like bullet casings falling to the ground in slow motion or an overhead lamp dauntily swaying over an interview room, to mock the true crime formula.
Shackleton’s film ends up being equal parts funny and a thoughtful rumination on the genre, and why audiences are so drawn to the sensationalism. I rounded out the night by grabbing drinks with fellow festivalgoers at the Unfocus afterparty hosted by Green House Iowa City.
Night and Day
Patrick O’Connor’s installation was on display at the Chauncey building throughout the weekend. Two 16mm projectors were set up on opposite sides of a tarp hanging in the center of the room, displaying a remix of Ian Bennet’s 2024 installation, “We Always Come Here.”
Featuring sound bites and ambient footage of Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall, the installation was a stunning tribute to Iowa City’s rich film history. Reels of film stretched across the space from the projector to the tarp, expanding the scale of the piece significantly.
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The low hum of the film stock passing through the projectors set the hushed, reverent tone of the room, making it feel more like an introspective museum piece than an experimental film. My brief time taking in the installation between films made me yearn to see a movie projected on film again. Nudge nudge, FilmScene.
“Videoheaven”
A three-hour documentary about the rise and fall of video stores may not sound like the most exciting way to spend an afternoon, but when it’s crafted by Alex Ross Perry, it becomes one of the most relaxing hangout films I’ve seen in a theater. Honestly, I wish it were longer.
I adore much of Ross Perry’s work and hold quite a bit of nostalgia for going to my local Family Video every Friday as a kid, so this was among my most anticipated of the festival. Narrated by Maya Hawke, the film is composed entirely of movie clips and video store advertisements.
Once again, this nonfiction film feels more like an essay film than a traditional documentary, but I felt so riveted by the drama behind the video store industry and Perry’s voice within the edit that I remained locked in.
Admittedly, much of the joy in this movie comes from recognizing the clips as they pop up. I perked up in my seat during the five-minute segment about Brian De Palma, and when a full “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” scene played. “Videoheaven” is a great hangout film.
“No Other Choice”
Park Chan-wook has been deploying the most creative scene transitions and overlaid shots in his films for decades, and this trend continues in his latest film, “No Other Choice.” Adapted from Donald Westlake’s novel, “The Ax,” the film follows a corporate paper mill worker who takes drastic measures to confront his competition after being laid off for over a year.
When his family loses respect for him, they are forced to make budget cuts, and he feels emasculated. You Man-soo resorts to slapstick schemes and murderous plotting to secure a good job in the paper industry.
“No Other Choice” is an intense, funny, and shocking experience, made all the more involving in a sold-out FilmScene theater and preceded by an eloquent introduction from long-time Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips.
The film’s propulsive plotting, tongue-in-cheek shot compositions, and imposing sound design make it a must-see. Chan-wook’s films have always been at least loosely interested in masculinity, but “No Other Choice” places his usual thematic interests in the present day, AI-obsessed post-capitalist hellscape of corporate competition.
Every year, Refocus delivers unique and consistently interesting films in Iowa City, and I can’t wait to watch it continue to grow.