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Review by Sean Boelman  A scene from THE WHISTLERS, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Vlad Cioplea. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, The Whistlers is a new Romanian crime comedy with a unique narrative structure. Thanks to a creative premise, the film manages to overcome its convoluted plot to be a mostly entertaining and intriguing entry into a familiar and overstuffed genre. The movie follows a policeman who works as a mafia informant, allowing him to play both sides of the law. However, the more interesting aspect of the story involves the protagonist learning the whistling language of the Canary Islands (the original-language title of the film is La Gomera, after the island on which the movie is set) as a means of communicating with his criminal accomplices in code. The main story of the film is relatively generic, but Porumboiu tells it in an extremely unorthodox and nonlinear way. The structure of the movie is almost reminiscent of Pulp Fiction in that there are individual segments exploring different characters and plot elements, although it is much less effective. Unfortunately, this format will be largely unapproachable for mainstream audiences and will only lead to unnecessary confusion. That said, this does also allow the film to keep moving at a constant pace. If nothing else, audiences will have their head continuing to spin trying to put everything together. There is never a boring moment in the movie, as viewers have to keep their attention solely on the screen to keep up with the mystery.  A scene from THE WHISTLERS, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Vlad Cioplea. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. The character development in the film is also a bit disappointing. Although the comedic edge that the movie has implies that this is going to be a tongue-in-cheek riff of genre tropes, it isn’t quite self-aware enough to be effective in this regard. For example, the main female character of the film is a pretty traditional femme fatale with very little done to give her a substantial arc.
That said, all of the actors do a very good job. The leads, Vlad Ivanov and Catrinel Marlon, have great chemistry together. The movie works best in the introduction before the additional levels of storytelling come into play, but this relationship is an effective and constant force for the entirety of the film. On a technical level, Porumboiu’s movie is very strong, with an emphasis put on aesthetics. The cinematography is often gorgeous, creating an excellent contrast between the rough and gritty settings of urban Romania and the beautiful and picturesque scenery of the Canary Islands. The film’s use of sound is also quite good, the bird songs that inspired the whistling language often serving as a background. The Whistlers has a very strong premise and some phenomenal execution, but the narrative structure keeps the movie from being as successful as it could have been. Still, the film is worth watching if only because of Porumboiu’s level of ambition. The Whistlers is now playing in theaters. Rating: 3.5/5
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Review by Sean Boelman  From filmmaker Rotimi Rainwater (Sugar) comes the personal new documentary Lost in America, taking a look at the youth homelesness crisis that currently plagues america. However, despite an abundance of good intentions, the ethical concerns and poor execution of the movie hold it back. The film follows Rainwater as he travels across the country interviewing homeless youth and other figures involved in the epidemic. Because Rainwater himself was homeless for a portion of his life (there is even a segment of the movie dedicated to his own story), he obviously has a very strong connection to this film. That said, this strong connection only extends so far. Arguably the biggest weakness of the movie is that it tries to incorporate too many subjects. Because the film hops between so many different perspectives, it becomes difficult to become attached to any of the characters on an individual level. Although some of the interviews are very moving, they never come together into an emotionally fulfilling whole. Some of the subjects are more compelling than others, and Rainwater seems to recognize that. There are a few of the interviewees that the movie revisits multiple times over the course of its runtime, and without a doubt, those are the ones that have the most compelling tales. Rainwater likely would have been better off getting rid of some of the less intriguing portions of the film.  That said, the movie also has quite a few ethical issues, as is the case with any documentary centered around this topic. With Rainwater already intruding on their lives, one would think that he could also intervene. For example, there is a scene in which a young woman eats a can of beans for dinner, explaining how this is the type of meal she gets to eat. Rainwater easily could have provided her with a full meal, but allowed this to proceed for the camera’s sake.
Additionally, the interviews don’t always add to the content of the film. Some high-profile interviewees in the movie include Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, and Jon Bon Jovi. Although it is understandable why Rainwater chose to interview them (they all have a connection to the issue at hand), it feels like a plea to find a famous face to put in the film. Other people could have communicated the same information more effectively. On a technical level, the movie is shot in a very basic way that is designed to manipulate the audience into feeling an emotional reaction. Rainwater doesn’t seem to realize that the stories are powerful enough on their own, forcing gimmicky cinematography and an overwhelming score to create forced emotion. Lost in America was made to bring light to a significant issue, but it doesn’t go about it in the right way. Still, by being one of the first films that explores the subject with some level of depth, it could prompt some more effective discussion. Lost in America is now in theaters. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Sean Boelman  Tuppence Middleton as “Abby” in Albert Shin’s Disappearance at Clifton Hill. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release. Co-written and directed by Albert Shin (In Her Place), Disappearance at Clifton Hill is a stylish new neo-noir mystery. However, despite some interesting ideas found at the story’s core, the film too often plays out like a wannabe David Lynch picture, and this lack of originality often drags it down. The movie follows a young woman as she returns to her hometown, becoming obsessed with a cold case — a disappearance she witnessed when she was a child. For the most part, the film follows a very conventional path and this is what makes it so disappointing. There are so many points in which the plot seems to be pointing in a unique direction only to redirect in a more obvious way. Part of the movie’s problem is that Shin and co-writer James Schultz don’t seem to have mastered the pace for which they are so obviously aiming. Lynch is a filmmaker known for telling stories that are meandering and contemplative, and often weird and random. Although their attempts are obvious, Shin and Schultz never strike that balance in telling a cinematic story and crafting the wandering mystery. Additionally, the character development in the movie is somewhat lackluster. The film depends on the very common trope of the protagonist questioning herself, and while this can create a sense of paranoia if done correctly, it instead forms a distance between the viewer and the character. Shin and Schultz simply don’t make the character approachable enough for the movie to be effective.  Tuppence Middleton as “Abby” in Albert Shin’s Disappearance at Clifton Hill. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release. That said, Tuppence Middleton is absolutely wonderful in her leading role. She takes a lackluster script and breathes some noticeable life into it, giving the film a much-needed momentum. Many of the movie’s best moments cash in on Middleton’s talents, allowing her to flex her full emotional range and command the screen.
Shin also owes a lot to Lynch in a visual sense here too. The imagery, often drenched in muted colors, is frequently hypnotic and sometimes disturbing. The result is an overall feeling of dreaminess that is often disorienting (in a good way). While it would have been nice to see Shin do something unique to make the film more his own, mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery. The movie’s soundtrack is also very unique. There are some interesting choices in music throughout that run counter to the narrative being shown on screen. This helps artificially create the suspense that the narrative is so desperately lacking, satisfying the bare minimum needed for the audience to not check out of the film. Although there are a lot of good things happening in the movie, Disappearance at Clifton Hill simply feels too unoriginal to be particularly memorable. Still, this feels like more of a misstep than a total failure for Shin. Disappearance at Clifton Hill hits theaters and VOD on February 28. Rating: 3/5 Review by Sean Boelman  Co-written and directed by Matthew Pope, Blood on Her Name is a new drama-thriller with an intriguing premise. However, although Pope eventually manages to stick the ending, it takes far too long for the film to get moving for it to be anything more than a bunch of good ideas in a smattering of great scenes. The movie follows a young woman as her conscious weighs on her following an accidental killing, causing her to return the body to the victim’s family and sending her life into a tailspin. Unlike what one would expect, the film starts immediately after the killing, throwing the audience right into the action along with the protagonist. In so doing, Pope and co-writer Don M. Thompson allow the audience to question themselves. After this abrupt beginning, the movie slows down to a much weaker pace, and while there are still some very good things happening throughout, none is as shocking and effective as the killer way in which kicks off. Ultimately, Pope and Thompson set the bar too high for original decisions, as the rest of the film is a disappointingly run-of-the-mill thriller. Yet even though this introduction creates some really interesting subtext, it creates some distance between the character and the audience. If the movie seemed to be taking a morally ambiguous stance towards the character, this would have worked well, but there are scenes in which it is obvious that the audience is supposed to be rooting for her.  Eventually, it becomes clear that the film is far less concerned with the ethics of the situation than the way in which the protagonist is emotionally affected by her actions. Although this does help the movie stand out, since it is hard to connect with the character, it isn’t quite able to drive home all of the themes that it seemingly hopes to explore.
Bethany Anne Lind gives a powerful performance in her leading role, playing the character with nuance. There are multiple scenes that require her to be vulnerable, particularly in the final act, and she shines in these parts of the film. Will Patton is also impressive in his supporting turn, although he is significantly underused. On a technical level, Pope is obviously competent and knows what he is doing, although the conscious visual style of the movie doesn’t always work. The film obviously wants to be gritty, and the cinematography, production design, and editing all create a sense of discomfort. However, at times, Pope does come across like he is trying too hard to elicit this mood and the movie falls flat as a result. Blood on Her Name shows that Matthew Pope has some interesting ideas in play, but he doesn’t seem to know where to focus his attention to bring out the best in the script. It’s watchable, but more often than not, it feels like it could have been more. Blood on Her Name hits theaters and VOD on February 28. Rating: 3/5 Review by Sean Boelman  Anya Taylor-Joy stars as "Emma Woodhouse" in director Autumn de Wilde’s EMMA., a Focus Features release. Credit : Focus Features. Courtesy of Box Hill Films. The newest adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Autumn de Wilde’s Emma. is likely the most true-to-form version of the story to grace the screen yet. Having the perfect Austenian wit, this is an absolute treat to watch, particularly if one can revel in the absurdity of the humor and beauty of the execution. The film tells the classic story of an entitled young woman who plays matchmaker to her friends, only to find herself caught in the complex web of relationships of her own design. In the translation to the screen, writer Eleanor Catton takes surprisingly few liberties from the iconic source material. As a result, the movie holds few surprises, but also feels undeniably authentic. One of the main things that sets de Wilde and Catton’s vision apart from other adaptations of the novel is that it makes no attempt to present itself as mainstream. Other big-screen versions are admittedly much tighter and audience-friendly, but Catton seems much more concerned with maintaining the pre-existing rhythm of Austen’s writing. Because of this, the film is unlikely to be everyone’s cup of tea, but will almost certainly be appreciated by fans of classic literature. Catton’s dialogue is also perfectly on-the-nose in terms of capturing the wit and charm of the source material. Plenty of quips are sprinkled throughout every scene and will have some audience members rolling in their seats in laughter. Additionally, de Wilde does a great job of incorporating some visual gags into the movie, particularly in relation to the character of Mr. Woodhouse.  Anya Taylor-Joy stars as "Emma Woodhouse" in director Autumn de Wilde’s EMMA., a Focus Features release. Credit : Focus Features. Courtesy of Box Hill Films. As with any version of this story, the character development in this film is quite strong. The eponymous protagonist has a very interesting arc, brought to life wonderfully by a phenomenal performance from Anya Taylor-Joy. With a great deal of nuance, Taylor-Joy makes the movie not only a ton of fun to watch, but also extremely affecting on an emotional level.
In addition to Taylor-Joy, the film’s cast is rounded out with some excellent supporting performers. Myra McFaden’s performance as Mrs. Bates is spot-on, capturing the charming yet sometimes annoying ditziness of the role to a tee, and it is nice getting to see Bill Nighy doing more upscale roles again as Mr. Woodhouse. Other highlights include Mia Goth, Josh O’Connor, Johnny Flynn, and Tanya Reynolds. That said, it is on a visual level that the movie impresses the most. The production design and costuming are truly exquisite. The visual style of the film is so vibrant and lively that it is almost impossible not to admire the level of artistry that is on display. Furthermore, the score by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge, although a bit overbearing at times, is just as gorgeous and complex as the visuals. Emma. is ultimately a very satisfying version of a well-known story. Thanks to a faithful translation of the source material with the talent behind and in front of the camera to pull it off, this is an adaptation that like won’t be beat. Emma. is now playing in theaters. Rating: 4.5/5 |