Atabai
Someone is told at one point in ATABAI that “sadness is good for poets” – Niki Karimi’s film is full of sadness but has many skilled poets both in front of and behind the camera.
Category Archives: Festival Coverage
France
Held together by Seydoux’s graceful and subtle performance, Bruno Dumont’s FRANCE slips between France’s confidence and doubt, often within the same scene, letting these conflicts linger.
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG is set in the vast open plains of the American West in the 1920s, but its psychological atmosphere is claustrophobic in many ways. The suffocating presence of a hostile relative, the stifling effect of suppressed desire, and overbearing masculinity are all brought to bear on the characters.
Petite Maman
With captivating central performances from two talented young actors and a crisp autumnal palate, PETITE MAMAN develops a deep emotional resonance that stays with you much longer than its 72-minute runtime.
The Souvenir: Part II
THE SOUVENIR: PART II continues Joanna Hogg’s semi-autobiographical journey of a young woman at film school in England. This new entry develops on the first film’s themes to capture the essence of both artistic escape and being young in an England of repressed emotions.
Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest
CANNON ARM AND THE ARCADE QUEST manages to beautifully demonstrate the value of friends and community in helping someone overcome grief and achieve their ambitions in the face of long odds.
Interview with Laura Samani on Small Body
Image Source: London Film Festival Set in the early 1900s in Northern Italy, Laura Samani’s debut feature SMALL BODY (Piccolo Corpo), follows the journey of a woman, Agata (Celeste Cescutti), as she gives birth to a stillborn baby, who is then condemned to limbo. In her coastal village, one of the locals mentions a ‘breathing … Continue reading Interview with Laura Samani on Small Body
Passing
PASSING’s sumptuousness frequently tips toward a visual and auditory fussiness that distracts from the flow between and within scenes and the contemporary echoes of Nella Larsen’s source novella.
Bantú Mama
BANTÚ MAMA is a film that never entirely gives its audience the complete picture painted in the mind of its characters. However, by allowing relationships to develop without over-laden dialogue and instead relying on the team’s visual craft and acting skills to sketch out this story, the film sets a touching and engaging tale in … Continue reading Bantú Mama
When I Consume You
Perry Blackshear’s WHEN I CONSUME YOU leads its viewership down a winding tunnel of despair and depravity – making the horrors bubbling under the surface expected but still unrelentingly devastating.