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Review by Sean Boelman  Zombi Child, written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, is a new French fantasy-horror film rooted in the tradition of voodoo. Offering an interesting portrait of cultural identity under the guise of a relatively conventional coming-of-age tale, Bonello’s movie is a bit too muddled to be a home run, but mostly works nonetheless. The film features two storylines: one about a man who is brought back from the dead for labor on a Haitians sugar plantation, and the other about a young Haitian girl trying to fit in with her peers at a French school. Ultimately, the movie’s biggest issue is that it attempts to jump between these storylines too frequently, and while they are both compelling on their own, Bonello doesn’t tie them together in a satisfying way. The jumps between these two segments are frequently jarring, as they come at inconvenient times. Thankfully, the narrative structure in the film is made very clear in the beginning of the movie, and as a result, it is mostly easy to follow. Still, Bonello is asking a lot of the audience to sit through such frequently changing perspectives, and disappointingly, he isn’t entirely able to pull it off. Arguably the most frustrating thing about the narrative structure is that it wrecks the character development. Both of the storylines feature a protagonist with a compelling arc, but the narrative always seems to shift perspectives just as one starts to become very involving. The result feels anticlimactic and frustrating.  That said, the actors do a very good job in their roles and are able to bring out some of the emotion in the script that otherwise would have been buried by the structure of the film. Louise Labeque is particularly impressive as the troubled teen trying to fit into a world in which she seemingly does not belong.
There are a lot of interesting ideas in the script, but more often than not, it feels like Bonello threw everything he could on the page in the hope that something would stick. Some, such as the movie’s discussion of fascination with the ‘other’, are quite thought-provoking, but other themes, like the film’s statement about exploitation of labor, are relegated to the back burner. It is on a technical level that Bonello’s film is most accomplished. Bonello brings a very unique visual style to the movie, and it is admirably atmospheric. Although the film is visibly more focused on the drama portions, Bonello does a solid job of building the sense of dread to go along with those spookier sections. The intentions of Zombi Child are clearly on display, and while Bertrand Bonello’s movie is still very interesting, it feels a bit too messy and disorganized to fully resonate. Nevertheless, it is nice to see an important part of an underrepresented culture depicted on screen. Zombi Child is now playing in theaters. Rating: 3/5
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Review by Sean Boelman  Lynne Sachs with Ira Sachs in Film About a Father Who. An experimental autobiographical documentary from filmmaker Lynne Sachs, Film About a Father Who is an exploration of the meaning of family. Although Sachs has some very interesting things to say, and her personal lens shines through, these ideas don’t quite come together into a seamless whole. In the film, Sachs uses thirty-five years of footage shot across a variety of mediums and situations detailing the life of her father, a businessman from Park City, Utah, and his relationship with his family. Like any memoir, this movie is heavily dependent on the audience connecting with the film’s subject for the narrative to work, and because of Sachs’s obvious passion for the story she is telling, the movie is mostly effective. The most interesting thing about this film is the morally ambiguous way in which the filmmaker presents her father. Similar to any parent-child relationship, there are plenty of ups and downs, and Sachs does a good job of representing these realistically. Over the course of the movie, viewers will see Sachs as her opinion of her father shifts based on his actions in the moment. Ultimately, the film does feel like it starts to lose a bit of steam in the middle, but that is because of the extremely unorthodox narrative structure of the movie. While there is an arc in the film, it isn’t made particularly clear until the end, at which point everything will fall into place and the audience will see the end to which Sachs was building.  Ira Sachs, Sr. in Park City Utah. From FILM ABOUT A FATHER WHO (2020) by Lynne Sachs. The main idea that Sachs explores in her film is the obligation that a person has to their family. On one hand, this serves as a document as to who her father was, but the movie is even more effective when it is a complex examination of the role that her father played in her life. The other portions of the film are compelling, but feel a bit more commonplace.
Often it seems like Sachs intended the movie to be a much more emotional experience than it actually is. It is evident that making this film was an important part of Sachs’s own growth, as it allows her to put her feelings to words, but those emotions do not extend to the audience as they likely should. Unfortunately, this is caused by something that is also one of Sachs’s biggest strengths: her visual style. Sachs has an undeniable command of the craft, and she obviously knows how to tell a story in a visually impressive way. However, the fact that this film feels so aesthetically-driven distracts from some of the humanity that it contains. Lynne Sachs’s newest documentary Film About a Father Who has some very interesting parts, but it likely could have benefitted from another pass. Still, Sachs’s talent makes this a documentary worth seeing. Film About a Father Who debuted at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival which runs January 24-30 in Park City, UT. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Camden Ferrell  The Turning is a new horror movie that is a modern adaptation of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. This is a movie with rich source material that ultimately wastes its potential. It constantly squanders the abilities of its cast on an uninspired film that is devoid of any scares. This movie follows a newly appointed nanny as she cares for two orphaned children. However, she soon learns the kids and the house are not what they seem, and that they pose a sinister threat to herself. This is a premise that is really interesting and ripe for horror even if it feels very familiar. The main problem with this movie is how bland it feels from start to finish. The script is full of cliché dialogue that doesn’t develop its characters and is too focused on unnecessary and unimaginative exposition. Every character feels thin, plot points are hastily assembled, and there is an obvious lack of originality in the way it tells its story. One of the few arguably redeeming aspects of this movie is its performances. This movie is led by the typically stellar Mackenzie Davis (Tully). Even though she had really weak material, she definitely gives this role her full effort, and it makes the movie more engaging than it would have been otherwise. Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project) continues to prove she is a talented young actress who has a maturity beyond her years. Again, her material is weak, but she makes the creepily cute little girl character work fairly well. Finn Wolfhard (It) plays the second orphan, but his performance is incredibly forgettable, and I felt it didn’t really add anything to the final product.  It’s clear that this is a movie that was bogged down significantly by its content restrictions. Its PG-13 rating seems like a good idea for business reasons, but it feels far too safe as a result. It isn’t graphic, shocking, or scary, and it feels like a film that was tailor made for a mild tween audience.
There is an obvious attempt at trying to create a tense atmosphere, but it always falls flat. The soundscape isn’t eerie, the visuals aren’t frightening, and the execution is just really poor. Its jump scares aren’t effective, and there are moments that become laughably bad as the movie progresses. The movie also lacks a cohesive narrative. While it’s admittedly refreshing to see it take such creative risks with its structure and storytelling, the execution is completely off, and it doesn’t work the way it should have. It’ll leave many audience members dissatisfied, confused, and ultimately cheated. Again, it’s somewhat daring, but it was probably a better idea on paper. The Turning is a dull attempt at horror that feels painfully monotonous throughout. It recycles horror tropes and dialogue that are ineffective in telling its story or delivering thrills. Even if it may seem like a great movie to see with friends, it is not worth checking out in theaters this weekend. The Turning is now playing in theaters everywhere. Rating: 1/5 Review by Sean Boelman  One of the most bizarre (but also one of the most intriguing) films to be a part of the lineup of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the fantasy-romance Jumbo is the ambitious feature debut of writer-director Zoé Wittock. Unabashedly and unforgettably weird, this movie truly is one hell of a ride. Inspired by a true story, the film follows a young amusement park worker as she falls in love with the park’s new attraction — a tilt-a-whirl ride. Wittock takes this creative premise and runs with it, creating a surreal romantic comedy that is alternatingly hilarious and heartfelt. Even though the movie’s message is nothing revolutionary, Wittock’s film is so entertaining and compelling that it ultimately doesn’t matter. Unlike most movies with similarly ambitious premises, Jumbo has a very clear identity thanks to Wittock’s skilled juggling of the script’s multiple tones. While there is an absurdity to the film’s conflict, Wittock handles it in a way that is humorous but not ridiculous, making the movie feel surprisingly earnest. One of the film’s biggest strengths is its nuanced character development. Despite the fact that the plot is not something that will be directly empathetic to most viewers, Wittock does an excellent job of highlighting the emotion in the character’s arc and grounding an otherwise fantastical story.  The lead actress of the movie, Noémie Merlant, does a phenomenal job in the lead role. Having burst into the global spotlight with last year’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Merlant has established herself as a tremendous talent to watch. She brings so much emotion and humanity to her character in a way that elevates the role from being quirky to being quite charming.
Wittock also does an excellent job of building a very clear atmosphere for the film. Much of the movie is shot in a dreamlike way to transport the viewer into the fantasies of the protagonist. Wittock’s whimsical visual style goes a long way in making the film a lot more immersive and effective. On a technical level, Wittock’s movie is very accomplished, largely thanks to excellent cinematography from Thomas Buelens. The use of color in the film is brilliant, the carnival lights illuminating scenes in a way that successfully conveys mood. There is also something nostalgic and aesthetically appealing about this color scheme that helps it stand out. With Jumbo, filmmaker Zoé Wittock takes a wonderfully peculiar premise and infuses it with offbeat humor and a stunning visual style to deliver a captivating romantic fantasy. Visions like Wittock’s are what the movie industry so desperately needs right now. Jumbo debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 23 through February 2 in Park City, UT. Rating: 4.5/5 Review by Sean Boelman  Hoping to cash in on the nostalgia that many people hold for the golden days of commercialism, the new documentary Jasper Mall uses the eponymous shopping center as a symbol for the greater issues faced by the American economy. Using a simple but effective fly-on-the-wall approach, filmmakers Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb have delivered a portrait of commercialism that is both timely and compelling. The movie explores a year in the life of the Jasper Mall in Jasper, Alabama as the store owners try to make a living and the mall manager desperately tries to keep the doors open. For anyone who grew up going to their local mall, this story is undoubtedly going to strike an emotional chord as they reminisce about the days in which these behemoths were the dominant form of commercialism. On the surface, it seems like the death of the mall is a topic that isn’t particularly important, but there is more to this story than online shopping pushing brick-and-mortar retailers out of business. The film focuses heavily on the human element of these events — the people who depend on the mall for income and are struggling to stay afloat. With this, the movie is able to be even more resonant than one would expect. The film works quite well when it shows the plight of these small business owners, but it is even more effective when it is telling the tragic story of the mall manager. His story, even more so than all the others, stands out as particularly heartbreaking against the backdrop of rural America in a failing economy.  The movie jumps between the shop owners and the manager, but Thomason and Whitcomb wisely choose to use the latter as the primary focus of the film. As someone who is personally connected to the story yet also a relative outsider on the economic impact of the mall’s shuttering, he serves as the perfect representative for the audience to understand the filmmaker’s message.
Thomason and Whitcomb do an excellent job of making sure that all of the different parts of the movie come together. From a young customer that frequents the mall to an elderly florist on the verge of retirement, each person has their own story to tell, and the filmmakers curate them in a way as to allow a balanced look at this community. On a technical level, the film is quite strong. Although Thomason and Whitcomb shoot the movie in a relatively standard fly-on-the-wall style, they do it in a way that is thought-provoking and aesthetically-appealing. Arguably the most impressive thing about the film’s execution is how the filmmakers create such a wide feeling of emptiness and desolation that sets the tone of the movie. Making a profound social statement with a specific story, Jasper Mall is a captivating and necessary documentary. While some may dismiss this film because of its seemingly low-key subject, this is in reality a not-so-secret discussion of class in America. Jasper Mall debuted at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival which runs January 23-30 in Park City, UT. Rating: 5/5 |