Review by Sean Boelman
One of the biggest acquisitions before Sundance even began was when Searchlight and Hulu picked up Fresh from the midnight section. A fun and wild ride, Mimi Cave’s film is the type of film that is best experienced without knowing anything going in, but it’s attempts at subversiveness are sometimes a bit too much for its own good.
The film follows a young woman who, after finding herself frustrated with modern dating, meets a handsome and charming man and enters into a relationship with him that might be too good to be true. Ultimately, the film does use its unexpected twists as a bit of a crutch, and so while they are effective, it doesn’t have the substance to back up the gimmick. The film definitely is a lot of fun to watch. Even though the first act isn’t as intense as the remaining two thirds, it still sets up that fun atmosphere. It strikes a great balance between the humor and dread, which will make the viewer laugh with a feeling of discomfort for a majority of the runtime. There are some interesting things to be said in the film about modern dating and the commoditization of women’s bodies. Yet even though both themes are connected, it feels like the film is trying to juggle too many ideas. There is a lot of dialogue that is really on-the-nose, although the script is quite witty.
The character development in the film is solid but it devolves into archetypes by the end of the film. It is easy to get behind the protagonist, and her love interest is written in a slyly charming way. However, it is the dynamic between the two characters that really drives the narrative forward.
Sebastian Stan gives the performance of his career in his role, and he single-handedly carries the film. Yes, there are a lot of solid things happening around him, but he is the only element of the film that nears greatness. Daisy Edgar-Jones is also good, but she is frequently overshadowed by Stan. The film also has a killer aesthetic. For it being Cave’s directorial debut, the film is surprisingly confident in its style. It’s a sleek film, and while the subject would typically lend itself to something campy, Cave avoids that pitfall. Instead, the inspired soundtrack and great cinematography by Pawel Pogorzeiski give the film a stylish feel. Fresh has a strong concept, a good performance, and solid visuals working for it, but these elements don’t always come together. It’s not a bad time by any means, but it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential. Fresh screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually January 20-30. Rating: 3/5
0 Comments
Review by Sean Boelman
As his follow-up to The Art of Self-Defense, Riley Stearns has made another pitch-black deadpan comedy, albeit with an even more ambitious concept. Dryly hilarious and delivering on its insane concept, the coldness of Dual may be off-putting to some, but will resonate with those who get on its idiosyncratic wavelength.
The film follows a woman who, after discovering that she has a terminal illness, gets herself cloned only to miraculously recover, and then must fight her clone in a duel to the death to decide which one of them gets to continue living. It’s a wild, sci-fi premise, but the thing about Stearns’s film is that it doesn’t feel too futuristic or exaggerated. In line with the title, there is a bit of a duality in the film between the comedic and action-oriented portions. There’s definitely a dark, twisted sense of humor to the entire project, but there are some portions in which the film just embraces its zaniness, and those are some of the best parts. But Stearns also does a good job of building suspense, setting the stage for what is to come. The film’s commentary may not be as profound as that of Stearns’s previous films, but there are still some really compelling things going on in the script. The observations that the film has on connecting with one another and oneself may not be the most original or profound, but they still have quite an impact. One of the most impressive things about Stearns’s script is how he is able to build these two central protagonists so well. He does a phenomenal job of writing them in a way that feels close enough to be connected, yet still entirely distinct from one another. And the viewer will sympathize with both of them equally, which allows the film to have even more of an impact. Karen Gillan isn’t known for having the most emotional nuance in her performance, but she is a perfect match for Riley Stearns. The director’s characteristically dry style matches with the fact that Gillan’s delivery is typically flat. As a result, the performance feels much more complex than it may have even been intended. And despite the fact that the premise is very much science fiction, the film doesn’t feel all that futuristic. It’s a very restrained film within the genre, with much of the film’s creativity coming out in terms of the script and the opening scene. It’s not as action-packed as one might expect with the premise, but the action it does have is very effective (and funny). Dual is exactly what fans of Riley Stearns’s last movie are hoping for. It’s the same style of humor, but at a slightly larger scale and perhaps a bit more subtlety with the way it explores its themes. Dual screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 20-30. Rating; 5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Chase Joynt’s feature debut No Ordinary Man debuted at TIFF in 2020, and explored the issue of trans history through the context of modern interpretation of trans identity. And while his second feature Framing Agnes is similar in context and form, it is even more compelling in its approach.
The film follows the experiences of six subjects from the UCLA gender clinic in the 1950s, many of whose stories have previously been untold. It’s a really interesting way of connecting some of these stories that are already historically significant with those that should be as well as the experiences of trans individuals today. To tell these stories, Joynt sets up a series of reenactments in the form of talk show interviews. And while this does give these portions of the movie a very scripted feel, they feel very genuine, and the talking head interviews are so authentic and intimate that it hardly distracts from the topic at hand. The film does a very good job of making the audience empathize with these case studies even though many of them have to this point gone down in anonymity in LGBTQ history. Although Joynt clearly wants to explore how these stories were representative of the trans community as a whole, he is also interested in them as individuals, which really helps the movie to connect even more deeply. However, the arguably more interesting angle that the film offers is that of the actors who are portraying these historical figures in the reenactments. Joynt interviews them after their reenactments, and they discuss the ways in which they relate to the experiences of the person they portrayed. It gives the movie an even more personal touch. The issue of trans healthcare is something that is definitely very important and timely, especially given that there have been some significant political controversies to arise recently. Joynt explores the topic in a way that is genuinely enlightening and insightful, yet without feeling like it is overtly political in nature. There is also some interesting commentary here about the way in which the media tends to otherize the trans experience. A portion of the film discusses how talk shows like the ones emulated by the reenactments took advantage of trans trauma for the sake of entertainment, which is something that really needs to be called out. Framing Agnes definitely feels like an evolution of Chase Joynt’s style after his already impressive feature debut. It’s a really interesting approach to documentary filmmaking that offers a necessary look at LGBTQ history. Framing Agnes screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 20-30. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Festival midnight sections are generally most known for horror and camp, but every festival tends to have that one film that is more a twisted thriller than anything. The Danish movie Speak No Evil fills that niche this year, a simple but demented film that gets its message across in a brutally direct way.
The movie follows a Danish family who befriends a dutch family on vacation and later travels to their remote cabin for a seemingly idyllic getaway, only to discover that the people they are staying with might not be who they thought they were. It’s not a very original premise by any means, but the way director Christian Tafdrup executes it is shocking and effective. Ultimately, much of the film is spent building up to the final act, which delivers on the violent catharsis that the Sundance trigger warning promises. Yet even though the first hour of the movie is extremely tame (especially for midnight section standards), there’s this palpable sense of tension about the whole thing. The film is about as subtle as a jackhammer with its messaging, but it’s not too horribly distracting. The way in which writers Christian and Mads Tafdrup explore Danish-Dutch relations is quite interesting, and not a topic that is frequently explored in movies that make it to a global scale. On the other hand, the messages about human nature aren’t as intriguing.
Perhaps the thing that allows the Tafdrups’ script to work so well is that it gets us invested in the characters early on. The first thirty minutes trap the viewer with a false sense of security by playing like a hangout film before things start to seem a bit off. And when things start to go south, viewers will find their imaginations exaggerating things because of their previous notions.
Of course, great character work is nothing without a talented ensemble bringing the roles to life, and all four lead actors are exceptional. Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fredja van Huêt, and Karina Smulders all have tremendous chemistry with one another, but it is van Huêt who is likely to have the most lingering impact with his slyly sinister performance. The movie is also absolutely gorgeous in a visual sense. There are a lot of really beautifully composed shots, even when there is some really horrifying brutality involved. This creates an interesting feeling of discomfort and builds that atmosphere of uneasiness which is so central to the film’s success. The substance in Speak No Evil is minimal, and what it does have to say is said very clearly, but it’s a very well-crafted movie for what it is. In terms of festival midnight movies meant to be taken seriously, it ranks pretty highly. Speak No Evil screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 20-30. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
It can be a difficult line to toy when a film takes a devastation real-life event and uses it as the background for a movie that explores its greater context. With Klondike, Marynaa Er Gorbach does so wonderfully, using tragedy to spin a crushing tale of loss and struggle in a time of international crisis.
The film follows a family living near the border of Russia and Ukraine as the threat of armed conflict draws ever nearer and the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 incident happens in their village. Although the focus of the movie is more on the conflict that caused the incident and the toll that this hostility takes on this family, using this catastrophe as an adjacent plot point taps into viewers’ memories to create an affecting mood. This is a slow drama, lingering on the ways in which this family’s life is slowly falling apart, but it’s a ticking time bomb. It’s clear that it is only a matter of time before everything explodes, yet even though you know what is coming, it’s still horribly depressing when it does actually happen. This isn’t the type of film that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. However, the movie does struggle with being slightly vague in terms of what it wants to say. It’s clearly exploring how the characters are torn between what they believe in politically and what they have to do for their own safety, and the film does deserve points for not being heavy-handed with it. Still, the occasional meandering does cause Gorbach’s script to lose track of what it is trying to do at times.
The way in which these characters are written is very precise and does an excellent job of getting the audience to connect with their story. The first scene of the movie is one of the most effective and impactful, and immediately gets us invested. And even though what we are watching may seem mundane, it still resonates quite deeply.
Oxana Cherkashyna’s performance will go down as one of the most impressive of the festival. What she is able to accomplish from an emotional standpoint using only the most basic of mannerisms is thoroughly impressive. And the final moments of the film are just haunting, largely thanks to what she does with the role. This is a very bleak movie, both visually and formally, but Gorbach does so in a way that is not oppressive. There are lots of wide shots of wreckage and devastating destruction, juxtaposed against close shots of these people trying to hold onto one another. It’s hard to call something so centered tragedy gorgeous, but that is what Gorbach has done. Klondike is perhaps a bit too thin, but it will have a profound, lasting impact on the viewer despite its simplicity. It starts off with a bang before drawing you in and slowly sucking your soul out in a harrowing finale. Klondike screened at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 20-30. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Documentaries often use archive footage as a method of supplementing their storytelling, but there are some which instead exclusively feature those materials. Sierra Pettengill’s Riotsville, USA is one such documentary, and even though it is based on the past, its message is still eerily prescient and affecting.
The film explores a training ground on a U.S. military base in the 1960s to help law enforcement train to respond to the riots and protests happening in the era. It’s a story that just gets crazier and crazier as it unfolds. It’s just absurd to think that someone, somewhere along the line thought that this was something that should be done. With what has transpired in the world over the past couple years in terms of racially-charged police brutality, this is an absolutely harrowing watch. It’s disheartening to see how the government has changed very little over more than fifty years, as they still have such a ridiculous response to anything that remotely threatens them. There is almost a sense of humor to be found in the movie because of the absurdity of what we are seeing take place on screen. Viewers will be laughing uncomfortably as they watch soldiers “simulating” the rioters by smashing windows or carrying fridges out of facade storefronts in a way that absolutely no one acts in real life.
However, Pettengill contrasts this with the starkly violent images of what the police and military are training to do to these supposed “offenders”. The film leaves much to the imagination — as this is a training simulation, the intensity is toned down by a bit — but it’s not hard to fill in the gaps with memories of the real brutality that people of color have experienced then and in years since.
If the archive footage does have one significant limitation, it is the fact that it doesn’t really have an individual subject (or subjects) with whom the audience can identify. Rather, the audience connects with the overall movement. And while that doesn’t make the movie any less powerful, it does cause the film to be even more dependent on the viewer’s political leanings. Then, in the last act, it begins to explore an instance in which the police and National Guard put into practice the training from these military base simulations — the 1968 riot in Miami. It’s a great way of setting the context for what the audience just saw, and hammering home the emotional impact. Riotsville, USA takes a look at an unexpected topic and ties it into modern issues in a way that is genuinely affecting. It’s a documentary that will leave audiences with a feeling of disgust, but also with their eyes opened to the truth of the world as it is right now. Riotsville, USA screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 20-30. Rating: 4.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
The Day One slot at Sundance is always a prestigious place for a film to premiere, often the debut of a star-studded new movie that is sure to be the talk of the town. This year’s selection, When You Finish Saving the World, is only going to make a splash because of how disappointing of a directorial debut it is for Jesse Eisenberg.
The film follows a mother and son who, struggling with their relationship, as they attempt to find surrogates for each other. Eisenberg is known for his performances that are cold yet somehow charismatic, and while this movie definitely has the expected distant feeling, it has none of the charm to go with it. Eisenberg’s characters in the film are horribly annoying people. And while it is apparent that the audience is intended to feel some sort of frustration towards them, they are also seemingly supposed to be endearing, and that is not the case. They are people who think that they’re good people, but are actually just horribly self-centered. One of the chief problems with the movie is that the characters have no real arc. Although they end up at a different place emotionally than where they began in the film, the audience doesn’t get to see much of that change. And so while the audience may sympathize with the characters’ desire to connect with others, the fact that they’re just going through the motions is aggravating. Julianne Moore tries her best with the role, and while her performance isn’t bad — it’s hard for someone as talented as her to not be good, even when the movie around her isn’t — it doesn’t rank among her best work. Finn Wolfhard, on the other hand, is just terrible. Admittedly, the casting is on-point because of how annoying he actually is, but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant to watch. However, the single worst thing about the film is how it’s almost hypocritical in nature. We’re watching a fake-woke white boy get called out for his bullshit… but in a movie made by a fake-woke white boy? It’s a script that screams of its creator’s self-awareness without offering any insight beyond the obvious. In terms of execution, the film is competent, but there’s no real style beyond the music. Visually, it’s very muted in a way that doesn’t even make it feel quirky. The songs performed by Wolfhard’s character do give the movie a bit of distinction, but his not-too-soothing singing voice prevents them from leaving any impact. When You Finish Saving the World genuinely feels like a chore to get through, and it’s sad given the level of talent involved. Ultimately, we probably shouldn’t have expected anything less from the directorial debut of an actor whose defining characteristic is his idiosyncrasy, but it’s a disappointment nevertheless. When You Finish Saving the World screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 20-30. Rating: 2/5
Review by Sean Boelman
For his sophomore feature, Carey Williams (R#J) directs a feature-length adaptation of his short Emergency, which played at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2018. The film definitely shows some promise, but ultimately, it is likely to be the type of movie that gets its praise more for what it is trying to be than what it actually is.
The film follows a group of college students who are faced with a dilemma when they are faced with an emergency and must decide whether or not to call the police. In terms of short-to-feature adaptations, this one does a good job of taking its simple, short-friendly premise and expanding it in a way that sustains the tension. Without a doubt, the thing about this movie that most lends itself to recommendation is the subject matter. It deals with issues of race and frat culture, and while it isn’t particularly subtle about these themes, the way in which writer KD Davila handles them is going to be palatable to the younger audience that is ultimately who need to have this discussion the most. However, there are other, substantial issues with the script. The film bills itself as a comedic thriller that uses humor to approach these difficult topics. However, in attempting to “soften the blow”, the movie also loses a lot of its punch. It would have been much more impactful had it been a race-against-the-clock thriller.
In fact, the portions of the film which lean more into the comedic side aren’t particularly memorable. They are the same type of jokes we have heard time and time again in other teen movies like this. However, those sections which are more serious and higher-stakes are genuinely intense and riveting. It’s the whiplash of going back and forth between the two that is frustrating.
Davila does a solid job of building a nice rapport between the main characters that will allow the audience to buy into their friendship, even if their individual stories are a bit bland. However, there is a secondary group of characters with whom we are also supposed to sympathize, and they are underdeveloped to the point where we aren’t rooting for them even though we should. The highlight of the cast is Donald Watkins, whose leading performance is charismatic and does a great job of grounding the movie emotionally. RJ Cyler attempts to steal the show, but Watkins refuses to let him do so, making sure that the focus is squarely on him. And Sabrina Carpenter is just… there? She ultimately doesn’t do a whole lot in this film. Emergency will definitely have its fair share of fans, especially among the younger crowd, but it’s such a mixed bag that it doesn’t entirely work. It feels more like a debut than a sophomore feature, which is troubling when Williams’s debut was met with a muted response. Emergency screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 20-30. Rating: 2.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
It can sometimes take a lot of time for a film to reach audiences after it is completed, but it doesn’t often take eight years for a big-budget fantasy movie starring an A-lister to hit theaters. And surprisingly enough, The King’s Daughter isn’t all that bad — it’s just an enormously forgettable fable.
The film follows a king who, in search of immortality, finds and captures a mermaid with the intent of torturing her to harness her life force, and his daughter, who discovers the creature and wishes to set it free. The King’s story is ultimately more compelling than that of his daughter’s, although it is also far more conventional. One of the biggest issues with the movie is that it can’t seem to figure out who its target audience really is. It has the feeling of fairytale-like whimsy that would imply it was made with a family audience in mind, but everything about the film is so formal that younger viewers will likely find themselves bored. There are also some weird asides in the movie. One of the major subplots in the film introduces a love interest for the protagonist, turning it into a romance of sorts. And then there is a slightly faith-based angle involving the King having a spiritual crisis, but that’s not especially surprising given the fact that the movie is directed by Sean McNamara (of Soul Surfer fame).
The character development in the film is very generic. King Louis XIV is a pretty generic tyrannical ruler who must gain a heart over the course of the movie, and his daughter is the idyllic youngster who teaches him the lesson. Most frustrating, though, is the fact that there is no real development of the mermaid beyond the purpose she serves in the story.
Kaya Scodelario plays the lead role as if she is confident that this is going to be the one that lets her break out, and it’s pretty hilarious to watch given the fact that she’s had at least three or four more of those since. Pierce Brosnan gets to ham it up in his role and that’s a fun thing to watch even if it isn’t among his more memorable roles. And Bingbing Fan is absolutely wasted. When the film was initially delayed, one of the reasons given was to work on the visual effects, and those improvements (if any were even made) are pretty difficult to identify. That said, the movie otherwise looks pretty solid. The production design and costuming are colorful and lend a fanciful quality to the film. The King’s Daughter didn’t quite deserve to sit on the shelf for the length of time it did, but it’s not going to leave viewers particularly impressed either. Ultimately, it’s cashing in on the lack of new product right now to get theatrical play, and it may get a few eyes because of it. The King’s Daughter hits theaters on January 21. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Aimee Long’s A Shot Through the Wall is the type of the film that would have set the internet on fire had it come out in 2020, and while it still addresses important issues, it’s ever so slightly less topical now and almost feels like a step back. It’s a morally complex movie, and clearly a product of its time, but there’s no way of knowing how well it is going to age.
The film follows an Asian-American police officer who finds himself at the center of controversy when he accidentally shoots an unarmed, innocent Black man. The situation which Long establishes is a lot less grey than many of the situations which have happened in real life, which almost invalidates what it is trying to say. It’s very easy to misread what Long has made as copaganda, and while to an extent, it’s really hammering in the argument of “not all cops are bad”, it’s overall heart is in the right place. Unlike some of the other movies that have come out about the topic, the focus of this one is in calling out the broken system that caused these issues in the first place. The first question that comes to mind is whether or not it is uncomfortable watching a film that hopes to make you sympathize with someone who has committed such a horrible accident, and the answer is absolutely. That said, this is a movie that is clearly meant to challenge the viewer, and so it accomplishes its goal in that regard.
Kenny Leu’s performance is a big part of what makes the film work. He plays it in a way that is subtle and not overbearing despite the fact that the script deals with some pretty intense stuff in an occasionally melodramatic way. Tzi Ma, Lynn Chen, and Fiona Fu are all good in the supporting cast, even if their roles are small.
This is the type of movie that knows exactly why it exists, so it accomplishes its point and calls it a day. It clocks in at only ninety minutes, and while there are a lot of time jumps in the film, and yet it hits all of the essential emotional beats. And the ending feels perfectly timed, a very natural conclusion to everything that came before. It’s definitely clear that this is a lower-budget independent production, but it doesn’t really need to be particularly flashy. It’s a talky, intimate drama, and so it makes sense that all of the technical aspects like the score and cinematography would be done in a less noticeable and potentially distracting way as to have the audience focusing in on the right place. A Shot Through the Wall is interesting in how it examines the topic at its core, but in trying to provoke thought, it ends up also being slightly misguided. It’s not the absolute misfire that a movie with this premise should have been, but it’s not without its flaws. A Shot Through Wall hits theaters and VOD on January 20. Rating: 3.5/5 |
Archives
April 2024
Authors
All
|