Well, it's been a weird SIFF for me this year. Not sure why writing reviews has been more of a chore than a pleasure, but such is life I suppose.

Here are some quick recommendations for the final day. They're barely even pico reviews, but there ya go.

Poupoupidou - Definitely one of my favorite films of the festival. The trailer is amazing and won me over in a heartbeat. I feared that the movie would not live up to its promise, but it did. An author unexpectedly discovers inspiration in the most unlikely of places when a local celebrity turns up dead, an apparent suicide but with mysterious overtones. As he delves into her life, which runs a surreal parallel to that of Marilyn Monroe, he finds himself falling for a woman he never even met. A fanciful, charming, funny, tragic, and quirky sort of thriller, a story told in reverse, a mystery to be unfolded, all in a brutally cold and snowy part of France. I loved it.

Today - Neptune - 1:30

The Poll Diaries - his has been brought back for one of the TBA slots and I HIGHLY recommend it. Set during the eve of WWI on the border of Germany, Russia and Estonia, a young girl returns home with her mother’s corpse and a two-headed fetus in a jar for her father. That right there sets the stage for the strange, bizarre, and dysfunctional story that is to follow. The cinematography and setting is astonishing and stunning, the story dark and strange, and the whole film from start to finish is fascinating, suspenseful, and captivating. One of the best films of the festival, hands down.

Today - Pacific Place - 9:30