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Review by Sean Boelman
Edgar Allan Poe is without a doubt one of the most acclaimed American horror authors of all time, hence why there has been so much media created about his life. Raven’s Hollow is the newest film about the author, trying to split the difference between a biopic and the type of story he would write himself and failing in the process.
The movie follows the famous poet and author as a fresh West Point cadet, as he and four other cadets discover a gruesome murder and set out to investigate in a local isolated community which may have some sinister secrets bubbling below the surface. We already got the “Poe as a detective” movie a decade ago in the unfairly maligned John Cusack film The Raven, and Raven’s Hollow isn’t an improvement. The central mystery of the story isn’t particularly entertaining, which is where the issues with the movie begin. There isn’t a whole lot of action in the film, with a few scares spread throughout, but most of the story takes the form of interrogations and conversations with residents of this mysterious village. It quickly starts to become boring. However, the most frustrating thing about the movie is its dialogue. Hatton’s script attempts to be poetic and needlessly dense. There are also an excessive amount of Poe references that come across more as pandering than substantial. It’s the type of movie that a middle schooler who is just discovering Poe’s work for the first time might find to be the coolest thing in the world, but for most viewers, it will simply be frustrating. 
Although this is clearly an independent film that doesn’t have a considerable budget, it does a decent enough job with its periodization. The costuming and sets look much better than one would expect. Many indie period pieces have costumes that look like they are straight out of a high school theater production, but this movie does a good enough job of transporting the audience back to 19th century New England.
That said, Hatton struggles to create an atmosphere and scares that are sufficiently unsettling. Poe’s style is certainly very gothic and macabre, but this film goes too overboard with it in a way that is aesthetically unappealing. Rather than being dark and brooding, the movie primarily just feels gray and bland. Some of the imagery in the film can be quite striking, but the CGI suffers from the low budget. The opening scene of the movie is a good indicator of what the rest of the film offers: a series of images that don’t quite go together and aren’t exactly good, but are just well-done enough not to be forgettable. Raven’s Hollow struggles from figuring out whether it’s for casual audiences or those who already appreciate Poe’s work, and as a result, it ends up being largely unsatisfying. Somehow, it feels like it is both pandering to Poe fans and embarrassingly simplistic in its understanding of the writer’s work, making it worth skipping. Raven’s Hollow streams on Shudder beginning September 22. Rating: 2/5
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[TIFF 2022] PROJECT WOLF HUNTING -- A Bloody Action-Horror Mashup That Overstays Its Welcome9/17/2022
Review by Alan French
Image courtesy of TIFF.
Few countries embrace genre filmmaking like South Korea. Directors hailing from the small nation surprise on the biggest stages. Kim Hongsun becomes the latest prodigy of note, with Project Wolf Hunting placing his work front-and-center for Western audiences. This freight train styles itself after the Bruckheimer/Bay collaborations, with the gore of Resident Evil and Friday the 13th. A bloody but fun experience, Project Wolf Hunting struggles to maintain momentum thanks to overly long exposition that harpoons it from becoming an instant midnight classic.
During a prisoner transfer of convicts from the Philippines to Busan, a bomb goes off at an airport. The government resorts to putting its most dangerous criminals and crime lords on a ship. With the worst of the worst chained up, it would only be a matter of time until the dam breaks. As the convicts take control of the ship, an unexpected evil awakens from the depths. Much of Project Wolf Hunting thrives on its commitment to practical effects and actual gore. Once the first prisoners escape, Kim’s bloodlust cannot be satiated. The audience gets desensitized within minutes as Project Wolf Hunting establishes itself as one the goriest movies of the last twenty years. Leading the way as Jong-un, Seo In-guk has an absolute ball tearing into the meaty material. Tatted out and disrespectful of everyone he meets, Seo plays the sociopath with a giddiness that strikes a nerve. However, not all convicts are so quick to violence. Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) attempts to quell the madness, even when confronted by members of the police and the criminal syndicate. He simply wants to serve his time, making him a perfect reluctant protagonist in the vein of Nic Cage’s Cameron Poe. Jang plays the straight man, providing the audience some stability as Project Wolf Hunting becomes a blood-soaked Under Siege with a monster lurking. 
Image courtesy of TIFF.
The effects work feels genuinely stunning. Blood spurts hit walls across the room while brain matter spews from the skulls of unfortunate fodder. Few horror flicks have one creative kill, let alone dozens of them. The slasher elements emerge during the film's second half, and once our monster creeps its way into the frame, we have to wonder which characters will make it to the end.
Early in Project Wolf Hunting, Kim spends the time to introduce and differentiate at least two dozen actors. At various points, the survivors and criminals swap allegiances. When you think you’ve found a rooting interest, that character becomes the victim of a throat rip. Kim’s ability to make you care about each character outshines the American slasher trope of introducing characters solely to see them die. Instead, Project Wolf Hunting feels like the kind of simulation that yields different results each time you run it. The characters are that fleshed out. However, this becomes a double-edged sword. The narrative overstays its welcome by spending so much time on the backstories of so many characters. We do not get into the meat of the story until an hour of its two-hour runtime. Additionally, more twists and turns are left in store for our audience. The amount of narration and exposition bogs us down, undermining the more unique elements of the film. While Kim may direct the heck out of kills and practical effects, he needs to work on his pacing. Project Wolf Hunting will certainly not be for everyone. Those who love Resident Evil, ship-takeovers, or a gore-fest have found your next screening. Keep an eye on Kim, who is poised to make a full-blown midnight classic. Unfortunately, pacing issues prevent Project Wolf Hunting from becoming that breakthrough. Project Wolf Hunting screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8-18. Rating: 3/5 [TIFF 2022] WILL-O'-THE-WISP -- João Pedro Rodrigues’ Experimental Musical Brings Sexy Back9/17/2022
Review by Alan French
In the fall of 1968, an American musical named Hair became a symbol of the counterculture. After a successful debut off-Broadway, the musical draped (and sometimes undraped) in hippie clothing became a lightning rod for controversy. Nevertheless, Hair’s success left a mark on pop culture for decades. Director João Pedro Rodrigues hopes his new musical, Will-o’-the-Wisp, can make a similar mark. Cloaked in millennial anxiety about climate change, Will-o’-the-Wisp embraces an experimental structure to highlight its unique perspective.
In 2069, the King Alfredo of Portugal (Joel Branco) lies dying. As the world wonders what comes next, we flashback to his younger years in 2017. His father tries to teach him geopolitical ideas that will one day help him rule. Instead, wildfires and Greta Thunberg convinced the young Alfredo (Mauro Costa) to become a firefighter. He soon enters a world that allows his passions and sexuality to define his world. At only 67 minutes, Rodrigues keeps his film moving like a freight train. From the word go, Will-o’-the-Wisp wastes no time with subtlety. The movie even forgets to drop its title, which eventually comes around the 20-minute mark. While it utilizes performances akin to Spanish melodrama, the Portuguese director plays with form. A character breaks the fourth wall and delivers a monologue in English straight into the camera. The world stops, and as the camera zooms out, the corners of the soundstage become part of the visual storytelling. The film brings meta elements of the medium into the text, and Rodrigues forces the audience to acknowledge the discomfort. 
The film also embraces a far more progressive attitude toward sex than expected. Rodrigues inputs an extended showcase of erotic visual gags that become double entendres for sexual positions. Exceptionally sexual ballet routines complement the songs and continue to build on the film's political themes. Some sequences are far more explicit than one is likely to see outside the world of pornography, but the overt visuals are part of the film’s strange optimism. After all, if humanity makes it to a functioning 2069, maybe our lifestyles and actions will save the planet.
The performances throughout the film rarely drew too much attention. Actress Claudia Jardim and actor André Cabral stand out once we reach the fire station. While Cabral casts an alluring spell over the film, Jardim excels as its comic relief. Their performances lift the film's second act, and their absence is palpable once they leave. They are keyed into what Rodrigues and the film require, allowing their commitment to carry us home. Again, Rodrigues seems focused on relaying his message. Once he shows greater control over the messages of his films, Rodrigues seems destined to make a masterpiece. The visual skill is undeniable. Hopefully, his next feature will not feel the need to hit you with a mallet to get its point across. Will-o'-the-Wisp screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8 to 18. Rating: 4/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe. Credit: Netflix © 2022.
Everyone should know who Norma Jean (aka Marilyn Monroe) is by now. She was a pin-up model and Hollywood starlet for years before her untimely demise in 1962. She symbolized everything considered beautiful during her time in the limelight. Women wanted to be like her, and men wanted to be with her. She is what everyone during this era wished they could be perfect, or that is what they thought she was. That was only on the outside. On the inside, she was tormented by pain and riddled with grief. She was a damaged woman, no matter how you looked at her. Blonde, the biopic about her life, doesn't pull any punches.
The film picks up her life as a child with an abusive alcoholic mother, Gladys (Julianne Nicholson). She was put into an orphanage and learned how to fend for herself at a young age. This helped her find work as a pin-up model, which parlayed her into a career in the movies. At this point in the film, Ana De Armas plays Marilyn Monroe. She becomes a big star with the help of Daryl F. Zanuck. This was when all the men started to be interested in her as a potential wife. Some were Joe Dimaggio (Bobby Cannavale) and Arthur Miller (Adrien Brody). She was never truly happy with anyone, though, including herself. She even had a fling with the President at the time John F. Kennedy. The movie uses a few different styles to tell a story about this woman going through a lot of pain and suffering. Sometimes it's in color, and other times it's in black and white. Usually, her public life as a starlet and celebrity is presented in black and white, and her personal life is shown in color. These two aspects are two distinctly different sides of her personality: the one she chooses to show to the public and the one she hides because she is unhappy with it. She doesn't make good decisions in her personal life, especially regarding men. Filmmaker Andrew Dominick also wrote the screenplay, so he has a way to depict this woman by showing how vulnerable she is on the inside and how glamorous she is on the outside. In a way, this is like a Jekyll and Hyde situation. The script had to show how the public perceived her and how she perceived herself. This is the crux of this film and this woman in a nutshell. The style was like the outside veneer of a used car with a new paint job. All glossy on the outside while being dirty and beat up on the inside. This story showed the warts and all look at this woman's life; it wasn't pretty like she was. 
Bobby Cannavale as The Ex-Athlete & Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe. Credit: Netflix © 2022.
There were choices made as far as camera angles and various uses of symbolism within the lens of the film that were a bit off-putting. These were meant to show the trauma and difficulty she had as a child or the suffocation she felt as an adult. Water played a considerable part in these moments of the film. She is often shown drowning or trying to end her life. This was because she felt she could do nothing about her life and her lack of control in her relationships and the public eye. This isn't a PG version of her life. I wish we had gotten other biopics that chose this direction to tell their stories. I would much rather see a truer depiction of someone's life than a glossy inaccurate version. If people are turned off by the life a celebrity, musician, or athlete had, it is a better selection of who this person truly is.
Ana De Armas gives an awards-worthy performance as this gorgeous woman hurt by everything in her personal life but adored and revered by the masses in her life as a celebrity. She puts herself through so much as this character. There were many scenes where she cried and was in visual pain for the art. And that is a true dedication as far as I'm concerned. The physical abuse she takes from her various husbands was brutal to watch at times. She gives it all in this role and definitely should be considered in the running for Best Actress this year at the Academy Awards. She has turned into one of the best actresses working today. She can literally do it all, from comedy to action, and as in this film, drama is no problem at all for her. Blonde isn't your typical biopic. It has some stylistic ways the director Dominick uses to tell the story of this tragic yet beautiful woman. The contrast of the black and white scenes with the color scenes was a masterful decision. It showed the dichotomy of this woman's life: the two distinct sides she's living with. The cinematography and many other craft departments on this film were on point and delivered a great look at this world she lived and worked in. De Armas was the glue for this film. She brought it all together in the end. Without this performance, all the stylistic decisions and camera tricks wouldn't have worked. She is a star; if this film didn't show that, none would. Finally, we have gotten a biopic that deserves to be talked about. Please, Hollywood, we need more like this one with a filmmaker who takes chances and hits them out of the park. Blonde hits theaters on September 16 and Netflix on September 28. Rating: 4.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Jon Hamm might have made a name for himself with his dramatic work, but he has a comedic side that he has gotten to flex more often. Confess, Fletch promises to be a starring vehicle for Hamm, but due to a botched, under-the-radar release and it largely coming up short, it may not be the franchise-starter it wanted to be.
Based on the second novel in Gregory Mcdonald’s book series, the film follows Los Angeles reporter Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher as he sets out to clear his name while he becomes the prime suspect in a case involving several murders and a bunch of stolen art. While it’s nice to see the Fletch character on screen again, it’s in service of a movie that’s not all that spectacular. This reboot is picking up a legacy that has spanned ten novels and two movies. Although Fletch might not be a literary classic character on the level of something like James Bond, there is still a decent level of fandom surrounding the character. As such, Hamm had some pretty big shoes to fill. Hamm is obviously a very different actor from Chevy Chase, and he brings his own unique spin to the character. While Chase went goofy and over-the-top with the role, making it feel almost like a parody of the archetype, Hamm plays it more straight. Confess, Fletch feels like a more standard detective picture, albeit one with a slight comedic edge. 
That said, the film’s attempts at humor often fall flat. Part of the issue is that the movie can’t seem to decide what side of the political spectrum it falls on. There are lots of anti-cop jokes, but then there’s also a character played by John Slattery that says conservative bullshit from time to time, and not in a way that plays as satirical.
The film also struggles from lacking a compelling mystery at its core. The beats are ones that any fan of the genre should recognize: the ne'er-do-well investigator finds themselves a suspect in a case, and they have to find out who the killer really was to clear their name. And this story about stolen art and murders isn’t all that interesting. Motolla fails at giving the movie any sort of stylistic energy either. It plays like a very standard studio comedy, which for a film that plays with the tropes of the genre, it’s disappointing to see something that is so conventional and bland. There either needed to be more high-stakes action sequences or better physical comedy to make this work. Confess, Fletch isn’t unwatchable, but given the property that it’s based on, it should have been more than a merely passable studio comedy. Jon Hamm’s interpretation of the character is interesting, so hopefully we get the chance to see him again as the character — just investigating a better mystery. Confess, Fletch is now in theaters and on VOD. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Adam Donato  Mia Goth. Credit: Christopher Moss. A24 released a horror film earlier this year titled X. During the production, they were forced to quarantine due to the pandemic. With this time, they conceived a prequel script around the poster character for the movie X. Since small horror movies are so easy and quick to produce, Pearl graces the big screen about a half year after X was released. Ti West is back to direct with Mia Goth starring as the elderly woman from the original. Set back in 1918, Pearl is stuck on her family farm and longs for stardom. Prequels are usually associated with big franchises like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Does this horror story have what it takes to carry momentum from the first movie? The best idea hatched in the making of this movie was to let Mia Goth spread her wings. Not only does this movie provide her for a more meaty performance, but this time around she’s credited as a writer and executive producer. She’s moving up in this world and the movie is all the better for it. Her performance is one of the best female leads in a genre film this year. Here, we really get to get inside the mind of the villain from the first movie and see what motivated her to go the lengths she goes to in the first one. Goth is so vulnerable in this movie, spit and all. Especially since the first movie is so raunchy, it’s nice to see them not lean into her sex appeal. That aspect of the character is present, but this role was not designed to build up a new sex icon. There’s many moments in this movie where she is gross or creepy. Goth puts it all out there and that’s where this movie shines above the first one.  Mia Goth. Credit: Christopher Moss. There’s much less of an emphasis on the slasher genre here. Don’t get it twisted, there’s still plenty of kills to go around, but that’s not the point of this one as opposed to X, which is more of a straight-up slasher. This story is more of a character piece. Her mental stability (or lack thereof) and striving to accomplish her dreams is what drives this picture. A standout moment is a monologue that lasts a good five minutes where Goth lets it all out. The kills are satisfying as well. Just like the first movie, there’s a specific kill that they keep teasing and it’s so over the top that it works. This world is so stylized with the attire and the saturation of the colors, especially in contrast with the first movie. This is probably done to show the contrast in world view of Pearl from this movie to X. There’s a lot of good stuff in here. In a year that has been so bountiful in horror hits, Pearl deserves to be recognized.
September is a riskier time of year for movies, where every weekend a few movies are thrown at the wall to see what sticks. Pearl stands above the field in this regard. Hopefully word of mouth and the announcement of a third movie in the series are enough to allow this horror flick to go toe to toe with the likes of last week’s hit, Barbarian. A ton of credit to Ti West for such an ambitious attempt at a horror trilogy, but in regards to this prequel installment, Pearl owes it all to Mia Goth. Jenna Ortega may have gotten all the roses for the first movie, but Goth’s performance here sets her apart. Make sure to check out X and Pearl this Halloween season as there is plenty of horror to go around. Pearl is now playing in theaters. Rating: 3/5 Review by Tatiana Miranda  If Patti Smith has her novel, Just Kids, and the Beatles have A Hard Day's Night, then David Bowie has Brett Morgen's latest documentary Moonage Daydream. While Bowie wasn't alive during the creation of this documentary, his pensive voice and imaginative perception are at the forefront. Consisting of archived interviews and live performances from various points during Bowie's career, Moonage Daydream is more of a creative interpretation of Bowie rather than a detailed account of his life. Morgen's ode to Bowie's many personas and various exploits, whether in music or otherwise, comes from around five million pieces of archived material from the Bowie estate. With these previously unseen pieces of footage, Morgen spent years crafting the perfect rockumentary, one that gives voice to the star at hand yet also takes creative liberties that only the director can be thanked for. While watching Moonage Daydream, it's not unlikely to see bouncing heads or the fingers of the audience tapping to the rhythm of some of Bowie's most iconic songs. This is precisely what Morgen intended, as he stated, before even beginning production, that he came up with a new genre called the "IMAX music experience," where the films are "anything but biographical, allowing the audience to have an experience with an artist." Morgen's own words are probably the best to describe what Moonage Daydream is, as it is not a typical documentary filled with talking head interviews and grainy footage but instead a collage of culture, color, and Bowie's enigmatic world.  Interspliced between several clips of cultural artifacts (such as popular movie scenes) and kaleidoscopic pops of colors seemingly dancing to the beat of Bowie's songs are the expected television interviews and grainy concert footage. Yet Morgen doesn't just leave these clips the way they were initially filmed. Instead, he overlays Bowie's live lyricism with videos of screaming fans at concerts during the height of his career. His carefully thought-out editing and audio mixing come together like one of Bowie's dance routines while on stage, meaning that everything has its purpose and correlates in a wild and inexplicable manner.
Moonage Daydream doesn't attempt to share anything new about the world-renowned musician. Instead, it honors his creativity and represents the role it has had and will likely continue to have in the cultural eye. As Morgen states, "it's Bowie in quotations." Moonage Daydream is a film displaying one perception of Bowie, which is the most that any director can ever do, as he was notoriously deliberate in the way he presented himself, routinely taking on different personas and consistently acting upon them. Even though Moonage Daydream isn't necessarily a linear overview of Bowie's inspirations and creations, it is a cinematic experience that any creative—or even the everyday person—should experience. Beyond the captivating visuals and catchy tunes is the underlying message that life is short, but creativity lasts forever. Moonage Daydream comes to theaters on IMAX September 16th. Rating: 5/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Thandiwe Newton as “Sandra Guidry” in Julian Higgins’ GOD’S COUNTRY. Courtesy of GC Film, LLC. An IFC Films release.
There haven't been a lot of films or television shows about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but that doesn't mean there haven't been people trying to make them or writing about the biggest natural disaster in American history. Based on James Lee Burke's short story Winter Light, God's Country is a story of a woman following the life she left behind after Hurricane Katrina starring Thandiwe Newton.
Sandra (Thandiwe Newton) is a woman who has gone through her mother's death, but she tries to move forward with her life as a Professor. When she sees two hunters trespassing on her land, she confronts them. This causes a battle of wills where things don't go very well for her. She gets the local authorities (Jeremy Bobb) involved, but it does no good. No matter what course of action she takes, it doesn't work. She's a woman on the outside of a place that doesn't accept her. Newton gives a nuanced and reserved performance for most of the film, considering what she is going through with this community. She is ostracized in it, and that causes her to be unnerved and make rash decisions she wouldn't have otherwise made in her previous life as a beat cop in New Orleans. Her instincts have left her wanting. As a policeman, you are taught to be aware of your surroundings and the people. She has forgotten this because of the strange community she now finds herself in. She doesn't have any real help, no matter who she turns to. 
Joris Jarsky as “Nathan” and Thandiwe Newton as “Sandra Guidry” in Julian Higgins’ GOD’S COUNTRY.
This film shows a side of America we don't want people to see: a shameful, ugly side where our citizen's biases and prejudices are out front and in your face. The filmmaker, Julian Higgins, isn't afraid to give the viewers a look at the stark reality of how a huge portion of this country thinks. They feel they should be able to do and go where they want, and nobody should say anything about it, even if they are trespassing on someone's property. The fact remains that we haven't changed much as a society.
The film takes place in a northwestern area of the country, which is pretty cold and snowy. These conditions play into the attitude of the characters Newton has to deal with. This is like a perfect dichotomy with her life back east. She was a valued member of the community there, and here she gets the cold shoulder in more ways than one. This area is a perfect place for a story like this to be set in. Many of these types of people are set in their ways in these remote mountainous areas. God's Country shows a look at the American West we, as a people, should be ashamed of. That's just one area in our country that has prejudices about certain races. Newton, not usually known for these small character studies, gives a very good performance as this woman caught in an unlikely situation that escalates out of control. Higgins sets the film in an area of the country that perfectly plays into the story and the characters. This isn't an easy watch, but it's worth it if you give it a chance. God's Country is now playing in theaters. Rating: 3/5
Review by Alan French
Image Courtesy of TIFF.
Since the release of Stranger Things, the coming-of-age paranormal story has come back into vogue. While the 1980s were filled with Fright Nights, Monster Squads, and Goonies, the 1990s and 2000s were all but barren. The return of the subgenre certainly offers a lot for moviegoers who are looking to feel teen melodrama blended with light horror themes. In the case of Falcon Lake, we are unable to embrace either side fully. With a messy structure and an odd reliance on a paranormal tale, this coming-of-age story does little to satisfy fans of either form.
Directed by Charlotte Le Bon, Falcon Lake follows two teens looking to enjoy their summer. Bastien (Joseph Engel) serves as our gateway into the community. His parents bring him to the titular lake for the summer, and we observe most of the story through his eyes. Shortly after arriving, Bastien meets Chloé (Sara Montpetit). The two may be the same age, but Chloé draws the attention of the older boys on vacation. Bastien and Chloé’s relationship develops in the shadow of the summer, and haunting stories of ghosts on the lake. The blending of two genres creates natural obstacles to overcome. In Falcon Lake’s case, the teen coming-of-age angst makes it difficult to buy into other aspects of the film. However, there seems to be a lack of commitment from Le Bon and the writing team to bring out the supernatural elements of the narrative. This may stem from the graphic novel Une Soeur, written by Bastien Vives. That story focuses far more on the sexual awakening between its two protagonists, and Falcon Lake follows suit. However, introducing the ghost and metaphysical aspects of the story also requires some payoff. In this version, that story falls short. Le Bon certainly tries to tie in the paranormal in interesting ways. While much of the film draws its visual language from the graphic novel (including shots and situations straight from the book), there are some departures. Early in the film, we’re introduced to Chloé via silhouette, but as our protagonist sleeps. The image bears more resemblance to The Ring or Satan’s Slave than to a typical teen introduction. When we return to the room in the morning, the silhouette is gone, leading to a temporary sequence where the audience begins to question what it saw. Sadly, there is not enough ambiguity in these scenes to increase the tension. 
The teen coming-of-age story offers most of the memorable moments. As Chloé proves more adventurous than Bastien, he attempts to step outside of his comfort zone. These sequences are relatable, especially when he receives comparisons to the other boys in town. Both his age and affection level seem more in line with Chloé’s wishes, yet the other boys circle them both like sharks. There’s an uneasiness in that tension, opening the audience to worry about Chloé even when she’s not on screen. To say she’s a flirt may be an understatement, but she also never promises or owes him anything.
Le Bon intends to make Chloé a manic pixie dream girl with agency. While this helps make Chloé a more realized character, it also invites frustrations with Bastien. It becomes obvious that he is a typical teenage boy, more obsessed with his own reputation for scoring with girls than telling the truth. Whether he means to or not, he puts Chloé in a difficult position with her friends, all because of his own inadequacies. We’ve seen stories like this unfold, and that begins to make Falcon Lake feel less original as a result. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with Falcon Lake, there are few moments of pure entertainment as well. The teen elements do not hit as personally as one would hope, and the paranormal subplot feels more like a bad twist to wrap around the tale. With some additional pacing issues and shallow side characters, we are left with a slightly substandard teen drama. Falcon Lake screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8-18. Rating: 2/5
Review by Alan French
Image Courtesy of TIFF.
When the United States assassinated Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, much of the world cheered. Infamous for his war crimes, Soleimani’s death struck a blow to extremist efforts in the region. However, Iran promised retaliation for the intrusion against their sovereignty. Many feared this action might begin World War III. However, after Iran launched a missile and shot down a civilian plane, tensions seemed to dissipate for the time being. That flight was Ukrainian Air 752, which carried 176 passengers. For Hamed Esmaeilion, the death of his wife and daughter launched him on a path to find justice. The film 752 Is Not a Number channels that grief into a document of pain and sadness.
Documentarian Babak Payami uses 752 Is Not a Number to follow Esmaeillion to Iran and back. Throughout 752, Payami focuses on a man devastated by loss and searching for purpose. After it becomes apparent that those responsible are still at large, Esmaeillion begins to pursue justice on the international stage. COVID infection rates climb. Esmaeillion’s activities become the focus of the Iranian government. For a small author living in Canada, Esmaeillion approaches his fight with unwavering conviction. Without consistent pressure from those who lost family to the crash, there would be no resolution possible. The footage from Iran depicts the plane crash in upsetting detail. We observe images of the wreckage and Esmaeillion’s personal photographs, creating an uneasy juxtaposition. Payami never forgets that the victims of this act were not soldiers but innocent men, women, and children. Even as the conspiracy surrounding the event grows in scope, this central truth stands over the story. These are horrifying moments, and Esmaeillion’s actions are heroic. Payami assembles 752 Is Not a Number from dozens of sources. As he pulls apart the issues, he allows us to acknowledge the scale of coverup. Payami and Esmaeillion lay out the crimes one at a time, which adds tension to the movement for justice. 752 frames itself as a journalistic document. It also serves as a statement of intent, laying out clear lines that the families will not cross. 
Image Courtesy of TIFF.
752 faces two issues throughout the film. First, Payami's choice to utilize voiceover narration almost undermines the entire film. He was present for some of the real moments of tension, which makes his presence important in telling the story. However, the footage speaks for itself. The narration inadvertently undermines the raw power of this footage.
Second, the film’s pacing issues also become a problem. There are moments where 752 plods to a halt while the subjects talk in circles. Then, a grand reveal occurs at a pivotal moment, and we are off to the races. Rather than give the audience context, we are on a plane flying across the world in a matter of minutes. This breakneck pace undermines the slower, more personal moments of the film. We are caught between a portrait of grief and hard journalism, and Payami cannot marry the two stories. The story of Ukrainian Air 752 should not be forgotten anytime soon. But, thanks to 752 is Not a Number, it will not be. A stunning portrayal of bravery, grief, and the search for truth becomes something more in 2022. The actions here are genuinely heroic, and the resulting film will be hard to forget. 752 Is Not a Number screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8-18. Rating: 3.5/5 |