And Then We Danced
Swedish-Georgian drama about Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani), a young dancer training in the National Georgian Ensemble in Tblisi, whose world is shaken by the arrival of a handsome new dancer, Irakli (Bachi Valishvili). As far as gay love stories go, this is honestly rather basic and familiar — but the way that writer-director Levan Akin tells it is positively heart-stopping. So fascinating to witness a slice of gay life in such a conservative, deeply homophobic society; the production reportedly needed to hire bodyguards while shooting due to death threats — this is revolutionary cinema, folks. And the dancing! I dare you to name another film that so reverently documents the exquisite visuals and sounds of Georgian dance. It’s truly a sight to behold — and D.P. Lisabi Fridell's sweeping camera captures every nuance from every angle. Be dazzled too by her use of long tracking shots and unexpected framing; she provides so much of this film’s magic. So does Gelbakhiani, in his acting debut, who delivers one of the year’s most stunning performances. Akin shoots him like an old-Hollywood movie star — the worship of his beautiful face, capturing him both in glam closeups and long takes that show off his emotional depth, vulnerability, and dynamite dancing skills. Great chemistry between the two male leads — their love scenes are romantic and red-hot without being explicit. Another instant-classic gay romance to treasure.
Grade: A-
Buffaloed
Indie comedy about Peg (Zoey Deutch), a young woman who has hustled since she was a child as a means of raising money in the hopes of escaping once and for all from the dead-end grimness that is her hometown of Buffalo, NY. After her most recent scam lands her a couple of years in prison, she decides to channel her power of persuasion as a debt collector — only to find herself in a war with her fiercest competitor (Jai Courtney). Deutch, also a producer, a confident and charismatic movie star — you root for Peg even though she’s a thoroughly unlikeable person. Supporting characters rather one-note, but still funny and distinct, particularly Lusia Strus as Frances, an aging prostitute Peg befriends in prison who becomes one of her top collectors. Director Tanya Wexler (Hysteria) borrows her aesthetic from late-’90s indie cinema — the hip-hop montages from Requiem for a Dream, the sardonic voice-over narration and direct addresses to the camera from Election. A genuinely funny, slightly-above-average comedy — and also a horrific public service announcement about the American debt-collecting industry.
Grade: B-
Burden
Biopic about Mike Burden (Garrett Hedlund), a Ku Klux Klan member in rural South Carolina in the 1990s who, with the help of a local reverend (Forest Whitaker), leaves the Klan behind and begins to make amends for the hate he’s perpetuated. Strong performance by Hedlund, who locates the inner life of a man who’s neither smart nor educated, managing to make Mike complex and interesting — but I’m not sold on the physicality he commits so thoroughly to, lurching around as if an extra on The Walking Dead. Another generous, lived-in performance by the chameleonic Andrea Riseborough as Mike’s girlfriend Judy, though the film doesn’t do a good enough job of establishing why she’s into him — he’s racist and violent and has poor personal hygiene... what’s the appeal? This man is not exactly a catch. Other characters unfortunately veer into caricature territory. Whitaker appealing but over the top, exactly what you’d expect from a Southern reverend in a cartoon. The villains fare even worse — Tom Wilkinson’s Tom Griffin, the leader of the local KKK affiliate and Mike’s original mentor, is one of cinema’s worst written and performed villains in a while. He exudes capital-E Evil in every line delivery. He doesn’t have a mustache, but you’d better believe that he’d be twirling it if he did. This movie means well, and it’s rousing and quite engaging, but what first-time filmmaker Andrew Heckler has made here is a TV movie that you’d have watched with your parents on a Sunday evening when you were younger.
Grade: C+
Clifton Hill
Tuppence Middleton (Netflix’s Sense8) as a troubled young woman with a history of compulsive lying who returns to her hometown of Niagara Falls and becomes consumed by memories of a kidnapping she witnessed as a child. David Cronenberg (!) in a major supporting role as the local historian who may be the only person capable of helping her solve the mystery. Filmmaker Albert Shin tells an atmospheric, engrossing story full of well-developed and interesting characters. Middleton so great in an emotionally and psychologically complex role; her unreliability as a narrator adds enjoyable texture to the storytelling here. Great performances in general throughout the cast, especially from the actors in the margins creating micro-characters that will stay with you long after the credits roll — Marie-Josée Croze as an emotionally unstable magician, Elizabeth Saunders as one monster of a lady named Bev Mole, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos as Bev’s wheelchair-bound husband wracked by guilt for a long-ago misdeed. D.P. Catherine Lutes contributes beautiful, noir-ish visuals that revel in the Niagara Falls of the locals — that seediness and gloom that exist just blocks away from the flashy theme-park excitement of the titular street. This is a must-see film that will disturb you, enthrall you, and occupy your thoughts for days as you try to unravel its twists and surprises.
Grade: B+
Come to Daddy
Elijah Wood as Norval, a thirty-something man invited to visit the estranged father he hasn’t seen since he was 5. What he finds when he arrives is freaking WILD. Delightfully unpredictable; first-time director Ant Timpson revels in its bonkers WTF-is-going-on tone. Shot and edited as if it were a horror movie. Wood so good as an underachieving, privileged hipster who gets a horrifying crash course in growing up. Supremely weird performance by Stephen McHattie as the man Norval barely recognizes — McHattie plays this role as if he’s an alien attempting half-successfully to behave as he thinks a human might. Killer sound design! Surprising depth for such a gasp-inducing thriller — Norval has dreamed of/feared a reunion with his dad for his entire life... this movie imagines his worst fears coming true. Do not read anything else about this movie. Just go in blind, and enjoy the ride.
Grade: B+
Corpus Christi
Oscar-nominated Polish drama about Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia), a young man in Warsaw who is released from juvenile detention and sent to a job in a sawmill in a remote community. Having found Jesus while incarcerated, Daniel longs to enroll in seminary school, though his criminal record will prevent that from ever happening — but one quick lie upon arrival in the small town, and Daniel is instantly its new priest. Enormously moving story being told here: a fundamentally broken young man finds himself leading a fundamentally broken community that has suffered a huge tragedy, and he clears a path for all of them, himself included, to start healing. Bielenia mesmerizing, his deceptively passive face cannot conceal the depth of passion and feeling in his eyes. A grim, grey film filled with pain and trauma that manages to be one of the most hopeful, soulful films of the year.
Grade: B+
Emma.
New adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, from debut filmmaker Autumn de Wilde. Lead actress Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) emerging as one of our most exciting and versatile new movie stars — she’s mesmerizing as the well-meaning but vain Emma Woodhouse, as aggravating as she is hilarious. MVPs, though, are Mia Goth as Harriet Smith (who wears her profound kindness and vulnerability on her expressive face) and Miranda Hart as the chatty Miss Bates (whose confidence is shattered by Emma in a moment of cruel arrogance) — both actresses deliver funny, emotionally deep, fully three-dimensional characters that you will adore. Gorgeous sets by Kave Quinn (The Woman in Black, Far from the Madding Crowd) and use of locations. Stunning costumes as well by Oscar-winner Alexandra Byrne, so beautiful and colourful — you’ll want to try each garment on and spin around in glee at the visual splendour you’re offering. Use of bright yellow in Emma’s dresses particularly delicious; how often does a 19th-century period piece splash such vibrant colours across the frame? You know what to expect when you sit down to watch a movie like this, and this one delivers handsomely.
Grade: B
Goldie
Indie drama about 18-year-old Goldie, who dreams of being a music video dancer and lives with her mom and two young sisters in a shelter in New York City. When Mom is arrested and sent to prison, Goldie takes her sisters and runs away from the Child Protective Services agents who would place the younger two in foster care. Strong debut performance by fashion model Slick Woods, who brings a gritty realism to this role that feels authentic. Woods understands that Goldie has star quality but is not an especially talented dancer, and that subtext adds to the tragedy running through this film. Unfortunately, however, the editing frequently undermines the film’s impact. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson has worked on Vice News Tonight (and Vice itself is the production company of this film), and that particular style is readily apparent here: frequent flourishes of animation — and one gimmicky montage sequence in particular, in which Goldie is hiding in the aisles of the department store she’s just been fired from while trying to evade security — suggest a broad comedy, not the urban tragedy this is attempting to be. The supporting characters, especially the various men Goldie turns to for help throughout the film, are also rather underdeveloped. Memorable costume design by Miyako Bellizzi (Uncut Gems), whose work does as much to establish Goldie as a three-dimensional human as Woods’s performance or Dutch writer-director Sam de Jong’s script; Goldie repeatedly fantasizes about serving her video-girl realness, and watching her assemble her dream outfit piece by piece is surprisingly affecting.
Grade: B-
Greed
Steve Coogan as the fictional billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie, who attempts to remedy his tarnished public image by throwing himself a huge 60th birthday party on Mykonos. Writer-director Michael Winterbottom’s satire about the emptiness and casual cruelty of extreme wealth is funny and engaging (and infuriating), with a breezy, non-linear timeline that gradually reveals how McCreadie has built up to this degree of hubris. Coogan cocky and appropriately despicable, though essentially playing just the one note throughout — not the most complex character you’ve ever seen. Shirley Henderson best in show as McCreadie’s fierce mother, bringing both humour and fire to her portrayal of the woman responsible for such a ruthless man. Henderson (actually one month younger than the actor playing her son) wears some of the most convincing old-age makeup in some time during present-day scenes; this film will surely not be an Oscar contender this winter, but its makeup and hairstyling certainly deserve consideration. Great visual effects as well, bringing to life a lion that McCreadie intends to fight, gladiator-style, at his party. Not everything works in this film, especially the Oedipus Rex parallels that it tries so hard to make. Winterbottom’s conflation of the Greek and Roman Empires is quite muddy as well. Still, despite its lack of depth and evident flaws, this remains an entertaining and ultimately thought-provoking film.
Grade: B-
I Was at Home, But...
German art film from writer-director Angela Schanelec (also the editor and sole producer), who presents this as a cryptic puzzle waiting to be deciphered. Begins as the story of a teenage boy who returns home after disappearing for a week, as his mother and teachers navigate the toll his unexplained absence has taken on their lives. ...I think? Schanelec also spends significant amounts of time following lead character Astrid (the mother of the boy who’s returned home) as she tracks down and deals with the purchase of a used bicycle that doesn’t work as advertised. There’s also an extended centerpiece scene featuring Astrid chatting with a filmmaker friend and ripping his latest film to shreds. What all of these moments add up to is open to interpretation. Schanelec favours elliptical editing and storytelling here, as if she’s excised two-thirds of the film’s scenes, forcing the spectator to try to make sense of what remains. To her credit, though, this is compelling work that is never dull. Great work from lead actress Maren Eggert as a mother caught in an emotional spiral — the scene of her children attempting to comfort her even as she angrily rejects them is enormously moving. Not sure that I found this film rewarding overall, but I did appreciate confronting its challenges and experiencing the impressions of its individual moments.
Grade: B-
Just One More Kiss
Ultra-indie American drama about Abigail (Faleena Hopkins) who, six months into grieving the death of her husband Max (Patrick Zeller) following a car accident, begins to see his ghost. As she figures out that she can talk with him but not touch him, she begins to wonder if she needs to move on from him after all. A passion project for Hopkins, who serves as first-time writer, director, producer, and editor here, in addition to playing the lead role. It all rests on her shoulders... and honestly there’s some room for improvement. This comes across as a student film at times, from the occasionally clunky dialogue to the overreliance on slo-mo and sentimental music. But this movie is so big-hearted that I’m not mad. You root for Hopkins in the way that you root for a friend who’s made a dream come true. Notice the line in the end credits dedicated “to the ex-boyfriend who told me I couldn’t” — well, yaaaaaaaas, girl, you did it! I know a thing or two about hustling to make your dream a reality, and the important thing to focus on is how beautiful and genuinely moving this film is, despite its flaws and occasional cheese factor. The performances are strong — these feel like real people with real lives — and the message about love and grief and healing is touching without being overly preachy or religious. Zeller is a charismatic hunk who deserves to be a bigger star. Hopkins is a talented artist with an unconventional voice — may she have more opportunities to tell stories and hone her craft.
Grade: B-
The Lodge
A wintry vacation at a remote family cottage, miles away from the closest neighbour. A step-mom, Grace (Riley Keough), who was once the sole survivor of a doomsday suicide cult headed by her father. A cruel prank that severs the fragile cord connecting Grace to her sanity. This movie is terrifying, featuring characters whose fear and hopelessness are viscerally real — and profoundly disturbing. A world in which horror does not come from any exterior threat, but from interior decay. Keough (American Honey) delivers one of the most committed and haunting performances of the year; madness as calm, logical, reasonable — she’s an instant addition to the horror-actressing hall of fame. Believable kids too: Jaeden Martell (It, Knives Out) and relative newcomer Lia McHugh are smart and manipulative and damaged, but still youthfully cruel and emotionally immature. Staggering cinematography by Yorgos Lanthimos’s go-to D.P. Thimios Bakatakis — the bleak snowy emptiness outside is overwhelming, the dreamlike confusion inside surreal. Superb production design by Sylvain Lemaitre as well; you will totally believe that this lodge is all alone in the world, the last remaining dregs of humanity fighting their final battle within its walls. And talk about finding the horror and dread in a simple staircase! An atmospheric tour-de-force by Austrian filmmakers Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy), in their English-language debut. A new horror classic — watch this immediately!
Grade: A-
Olympic Dreams
Romantic comedy set and shot entirely in the Olympic Village at PyeongChang, about a young skiier (Alexi Pappas) who connects with a volunteer dentist (Nick Kroll) following her disappointing performance at the Games. Narratively speaking, this is honestly quite formulaic; however, the novelty of its setting makes it feel very special. Kroll, known primarily as a TV comedy clown, so tender and vulnerable here as a good man at a low point in his life. But Pappas, an actual Olympic athlete, is something of a revelation — she exudes genuine loneliness in a way that hit me unexpectedly hard. This performance is definitely going to stay with me; she brings an unusual darkness to a seemingly typical rom-com role — Pappas has one hell of a promising acting career ahead of her. Very intimate film with a tiny crew (Kroll and Pappas share writing and producing credit with director/D.P. Jeremy Teicher, who is also Pappas’s husband), and the film benefits from having such a personal, streamlined vision. Oh, and Olympic hunk Gus Kenworthy makes his very endearing film debut, playing himself. If you’re into rom-coms, you’ll surely enjoy this a lot.
Grade: B
Ordinary Love
A year in the life of a 60-something married couple in England, Joan (Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread) and Tom (Liam Neeson), who are thrown out of their comfortable routine when Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer. Great chemistry between Manville and Neeson, who paint a believable portrait of a loving couple who have been together for decades — the familiarity, the mundanity, the companionship, the inside jokes, the lifetime of shared joys and tragedies. Especially fun to see Neeson out of action-hero mode and playing a real human man again. Screenwriter Owen McCafferty is a celebrated Northern Irish playwright, and indeed this plays more as theatre than as cinema. Directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn (Good Vibrations) favour a minimalist aesthetic — point the camera and let the actors act. As the title suggests, this film is about unremarkable people living seemingly unremarkable lives, but their Everyman relatability makes this story particularly moving; love, beauty, and humanity exist in every moment of our lives, and we would do well to notice them and cherish them. Not formally or narratively groundbreaking, but always emotionally satisfying and well worth your time.
Grade: B
Portrait of a Lady on Fire*
Gorgeous drama from filmmaker Céline Sciamma (Girlhood) about a young painter in 18th-century France (Noémie Merlant) hired to paint the wedding portrait of noblewoman Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), only for the two women to fall in love. Great performances across the board from the nearly all-female cast — especially from Haenel, as a young woman trapped in a life she doesn’t want during an era especially unkind to women, whose eyes reveal a staggering depth of pain and resignation before gradually beginning to burn with passion and desire. Luàna Bajrami also very strong as Sophie, a young servant who becomes something of a little sister to the two women. Memorable costume design by Dorothée Guiraud — all those pre-Revolution silhouettes and pops of colour. The biggest story here, though, is the absolutely stunning cinematography by Claire Mathon (Atlantics), who makes each frame of this film as beautiful as a painting. Such a gut-wrenching thematic gambit by Sciamma — a love story about a painter tasked with completing the very painting that will inevitably lead to the destruction of said love story, and so Sciamma ensures her film looks like a series of paintings come to life — and it absolutely succeeds. Extended final shot evokes Call Me by Your Name — so haunting, heartbreaking.
Grade: A-
*Oscar-qualifying run in 2019
Premature
Indie romance/coming-of-age drama about Ayanna (Zora Howard), a young woman in Harlem who finds love and adult responsibilities the summer before moving away to college. Story feels familiar, but director Rashaad Ernesto Green (Gun Hill Road) treats this with such care and authenticity that it becomes something very special. Ayanna’s rapport with her girlfriends feels particularly real, as if Green secretly followed an actual group of friends through the streets, parks, and subways of New York City. Great chemistry too between Howard and Joshua Boone as her love interest Isaiah. Howard (also the co-writer and associate producer) is the real deal, a movie star in the making. Lovely cinematography by Laura Valladao, who captures the lazy, hazy days and long nights of summer in New York.
Grade: B
Ride Your Wave
“There you are, out on the water. I can see your smiling face reflect back at me.” One viewing of Masaaki Yuasa’s new supernatural-romance/surfing anime film, and this song will be haunting your dreams for weeks to come. Serving as a sort of incantation in the film that connects Yuasa’s young lovers, this song (entitled “Brand New Story”) is repeatedly sung on screen for what feels like a full 1/3 of the film’s running time. It’s catchy as hell and very endearing, very much like the charming film that features it. Hinako is a student and surfer who crosses paths with Minato, a young firefighter. She teaches him to surf, they fall in love, and he tragically dies early in the film. However, Hinako soon discovers that she can summon his ghost by singing the aforementioned song. Can she live happily ever after with the incorporeal ghost of her dead love, or should she find a way to move on while treasuring his memory? (Yes, this is somehow the exact premise of Faleena Hopkins’s Just One More Kiss, a film that improbably was released in theatres on the very same day as this one. What are the chances?) Yuasa (the series Devilman: Crybaby) is an engaging storyteller who fills his film with unexpected use of colour and ravishing visuals — that yellow sea, that jaw-dropper of a climax featuring a skyscraper tsunami (you’ve got to see it to believe it). The love story itself borders on cheese, but Yuasa is an imaginative animator, and you’ll really enjoy this.
Grade: B
Saint Frances
Wonderful American indie about Bridget (Kelly O’Sullivan), an underachieving 34-year-old who takes a job as the summertime nanny to the daughter of an affluent lesbian couple, all while dealing with her own unwanted pregnancy. Terrific performances throughout, especially by O’Sullivan (also the screenwriter), so strong as a messy, lost, often unlikeable woman who nevertheless resonates as someone completely real and familiar. Charin Alvarez digs deep as Maya, one half of the couple Bridget works for, portraying a new mom frozen by post-partum depression. Max Lipchitz so lovable as the charming and kind and sexy dream boyfriend that Bridget won’t commit to. But the revelation here is the astonishing Ramona Edith-Williams as six-year-old Frances, giving one of the all-time great child performances — she’s somehow bratty, funny, mature, and stunningly insightful all at once. Every character in this film makes an impression, which is so rare. Refreshingly un-Hollywood as well, with so many story and character elements that would horrify a studio executive — long, frank, non-judgmental discussions about abortion and periods. First-time director Alex Thompson gets excellent performances from his actors, even if his aesthetic style remains underbaked; his film is formally indistinguishable from the average indie comedy. O’Sullivan's screenplay, though, is one of the very best of the year.
Grade: B+
A Simple Wedding
Formulaic romantic comedy done very well. Obstacles are familiar, but these are not the characters you’d expect to see in this genre — she (Tara Grammy) is Nousha, the daughter of Persian immigrants in the U.S. who’s hunting for a nice Persian husband to please her parents, but isn’t big on playing the proper conservative daughter; he (Christopher O’Shea) is Alex, a sexually fluid bohemian artist. Antics ensue as you’d expect. Grammy and O’Shea have excellent chemistry, and both bring depth and complexity to their roles. Actresses playing the respective mothers shine as well: Rita Wilson, at her sassiest, who unexpectedly emerges as the lead of her own love story, and Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog), blessed with one of cinema’s absolute best voices, proving to be as adept at comedy as she is at intense drama. This is a wedding-oriented rom-com, so don’t expect anything deep here, but the surface pleasures are plentiful. First-time filmmaker Sara Zandieh delivers a funny and charming night at the movies.
Grade: B
Straight Up
Todd (James Sweeney) is a 20-something gay man living with OCD in Los Angeles who decides that his life might be easier if he were to start dating a woman. Rory (Katie Findlay) is an aspiring actress haunted by past trauma who is quite content to begin a relationship with a sweet, funny man who has no sexual attraction to her. I cannot overstate how wonderful this film is. This is a tiny film that barely got released, but make no mistake: Sweeney is one of the biggest stories of the year. He is this film’s writer, director, producer, and lead actor — and it’s his first credited feature film. So talented, and with such a singular voice. A movie where characters debate the accuracy of Alanis Morissette’s definition of “ironic”. A loving homage to Gilmore Girls (via both the female lead’s name and the rapid-fire comic dialogue throughout), and by extension to the screwball comedies of Old Hollywood. Impressively cinematic for a romantic comedy — Sweeney (assisted by the great work of D.P. Greg Cotten and editor Keith Funkhouser) establishes himself as a visually surprising and formally inventive new filmmaker. Findlay, meanwhile, a recognizable face from TV (AMC’s The Killing, ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder), has never been given material this rich — and she digs deep. One of the must-see films of the year.
Grade: B+
Those Who Remained
Hungary, several years after the end of World War II. Aldo (Károly Hajduk), a forty-something doctor, develops a strong emotional bond with Klára (Abigél Szöke), his teenage patient. As the only people in their respective families to survive the concentration camps, the two find themselves turning to each other for affection and healing. Though this premise suggests lurid, Lolita-esque scandal, director/co-writer Barnabás Tóth keeps their relationship (almost) totally innocent — but that doesn't stop scowling townspeople from looking at them in suspicion. A handsomely crafted and lovely story about two people helping each other overcome trauma — and, at a mere 83 minutes, a deliciously brisk time commitment — but honestly I found this rather forgettable.
Grade: B-
Vitalina Varela
A woman from Cape Verde named Vitalina Varela (Vitalina Varela, playing a fictionalized version of herself) travels to Lisbon to reunite with the husband she hasn’t seen in 25 years — only to arrive three days after his funeral. Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa typically casts non-professional actors and writes stories based on their lives (Varela also appeared in a minor role in Costa’s previous film Horse Money), and here he spends an unhurried two-hour runtime following Vitalina as she quietly explores the Cape Verdean community in Lisbon, learning about her husband’s misdeeds and secret other life. What little dialogue the film contains (and it’s very minimal) tends to be whispered and existential in nature. I was engrossed for a while — but the film lost me about halfway through. The real story here, though, is the spectacular cinematography by Leonardo Simões, who lights every frame of this as if it were a Renaissance painting — stunning tableaux, breathtaking use of high-contrast light and darkness. This film is so visually resplendent that I’m honestly eager to watch it again just to soak in the unrivaled beauty of its images. I have a feeling that I’ll appreciate its themes and ideas more upon a second viewing as well. This is a must-see for cinephiles.
Grade: B-
Wendy
Benh Zeitlin returns eight years after his Best Picture-nominated debut film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, with this modern-day adaptation of the Peter Pan story. Only two features in, and already Zeitlin has an auteurial aesthetic that is recognizably his. Like Beasts, this was shot on location with a non-professional cast, but here the results are decidedly mixed. Deeply felt, emotional performance by Devin France as Wendy, who carries this film squarely on her shoulders, her captivating face illuminating the inner life of a preteen girl terrified of spending her life stuck in her dead-end rural town in Louisiana. Gage and Gavin Naquin great as well as Wendy’s twin brothers, Douglas and John, as wild as they are vulnerable — and both able to portray many different shades of grief. But yikes: young Yashua Mack, who plays Peter, is unfortunately dreadful, so monotone and wooden, and nearly causes the entire film to collapse around him. I don’t blame him so much, as this failure is primarily Zeitlin’s and his casting team’s, who discovered Mack in a tiny Rastafarian community in Antigua. As with Beasts, though, this film is just stunning to see and hear. D.P. Sturla Brandth Grøvlen performs magic with her camera, whether framing actors in painterly tableaux amidst the most desolate and beautiful landscapes imaginable or enthusiastically diving with them below the surface of the ocean. Truly some of the most inspired hair and makeup work of the year as well, along with visual effects more impressive than you’d find in most big-budget blockbusters. Memorable music composed by Zeitlin with Dan Romer, whose previous collaboration on Beasts produced one of the all-time great film scores. I can’t shake the feeling, however, that — as much as the breathtaking visuals and epic score suggest deep and meaningful revelations about the nature of childhood — there’s not that much ultimately being said here. The storytelling might not always work, but this is ambitious, audacious filmmaking that you should certainly make time for.
Grade: B-
The Whistlers
Romanian heist drama about a corrupt cop working both sides of the law to help a convicted drug dealer escape from prison, using a local whistling language he is taught in the Canary Islands. Romanian cinema has been experiencing a celebrated New Wave for the past decade or so, but this is somehow the first Romanian film I’ve ever seen... and it’s honestly pretty empty. Writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective) forgoes thematic depth here to focus on the simple pleasures of a twisty narrative and thriller aesthetic, but it just didn’t work for me. It’s one of those movies where it’s difficult to understand who is working for whom, and who is being double-crossed and why — and the whole thing just left me cold. Not to mention that there is not a single character to care about here. Lead actors Vlad Ivanov and Catrinel Marlon spend the entire film stone-faced and emotionless; granted, this neutrality is crucial to their espionage, but it sure doesn’t result in engrossing performances. Gorgeous visuals, though — in addition to Bucharest, Porumboiu shot this on location in the Canary Islands and Singapore. Not a bad film, but also not an essential one.
Grade: C
You Go to My Head
She (Delfine Bafort) barely survives a deadly car accident in the desert, then wakes up with post-traumatic amnesia. He (Svetozar Cvetkovic) rescues her from the wreckage and coaxes her back to health; charmed by her beauty, he lies that they are married and tells her many made-up stories about the life they’ve led together. When her memories start to return, he worries that he’s about to lose the fantasy of the life he’s always wanted. Can these two crazy kids make it work? To his credit, director/producer/co-writer Dimitri de Clercq tells a story far less disturbing than the premise would lead you to expect. In Hollywood, this would be a cringe-inducing rom-com; in de Clercq’s hands, it’s ultimately a spare but heartfelt romance about the choices we make to exert control over our own happiness, about lighting a flame to our old lives and starting anew, about finding love in a hopeless place. Strong performances — we’re given scarcely any back story about who these two people were prior to their meeting, yet both actors create nuanced, believably human characters. And, yes, this movie is 100% weird. There’s the impossible-to-place cultural identity of it all — de Clecq and Bafort are Belgian; Cvetkovic is Serbian; shooting took place in the Moroccan desert; what little dialogue the film has is largely in English. D.P. Stijn Grupping also shoots every frame as if capturing an alien landscape, the most familiar domestic spaces rendered otherworldly. It helps that the film is primarily shot on location in an avant-garde architectural house outside Marrakesh (owned, in fact, by de Clercq himself). The way Grupping photographs the swimming pool, particularly the way Bafort’s body merges with the water, is about as stunningly beautiful and creepily unfamiliar as Scarlett Johansson in that black void in Under the Skin. Hard to find, but so worth tracking down — its power over me only grows the more that time passes.
Grade: B+
Young Ahmed
Latest from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, about a teenage Muslim boy in Belgium who is radicalized by his imam and decides to murder his schoolteacher, whom the imam is convinced is an “apostate”. The Dardennes are superstars in European cinema — every film they’ve made for the past 20 years has premiered in competition at Cannes — but this is somehow the first film of theirs I’ve seen. This film is positively infuriating and engrossing and often stressful, but... in 2020, are the Dardennes the best people to be telling stories about religious fanaticism in the Muslim community? Lead actor Idir Ben Addi, in his film debut, by turns astonishing in his conviction and wooden, spending much of the film looking down at his shoes and mumbling his lines expressionlessly. There’s a gripping story to be told here, but the Dardennes fail to make Ahmed a complex character: he’s already radicalized when the film starts and experiences no character development to speak of — as written and performed, Ahmed seems to be just a sociopath who doesn’t understand human behaviour. This movie is ultimately more a portrait of an Evil Child than a story of fanaticism.
Grade: C+
