Review by Sean Boelman

In 2024, Sundance again offered a hybrid edition of the festival, with in-person screenings and festivities happening at the festival’s home in Park City, Utah, and nearby Salt Lake City, with select films available online across the United States.

We at disappointment media again got the opportunity to cover Sundance remotely. Here are some of the films we saw as part of this year’s lineup.

The French drama àma Gloria debuted in last year’s Cannes Semaine de la Critique before making its way to Park City. Filmmaker Marie Amachoukeli does a great job of tenderly exploring this unorthodox love between a 6-year-old girl and the nanny who essentially raised her. Although it’s a bit one-note, both thematically and emotionally, a brisk 86-minute runtime and great performances from Louise Mauroy-Panzani and Ilça Moreno Zego allow it to be consistently impactful.

Filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz’s previous documentary exploring the intricacies of the Filipino political system, A Thousand Cuts, was widely acclaimed. Yet while that film took a compelling, investigative journalism-focused approach, her follow-up, And So It Begins, assumes the form of a more straightforward fly-on-the-wall campaign doc. Although the campaign of candidate Leni Robredo makes for a compelling story that opens the door to numerous questions, some of the most intriguing aspects of the film are not what was intended. Viewers might find themselves more interested in the unique mechanics of Robredo’s campaign than Robredo’s message, which feels counterintuitive to the film that Diaz was trying to make.

Winning not just the Audience Award in the US Documentary Competition at Sundance but also the overall Festival Favorite award, it’s understandable why the documentary Daughters connected with audiences so well. It’s a crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking story of a group of inmates given the opportunity to connect with their children through a “Daddy-Daughter dance.” Some moments are thoroughly devastating, exposing systemic injustices that many other films have tried and failed to explore. 

Titus Kaphar’s Exhibiting Forgiveness is a visually stunning film, although it would be shocking if it were any less, considering the story revolves around an artist. In the movie, André Holland plays an artist who is unexpectedly visited by his estranged father, who hopes to reconcile. Holland shines — as does James Earl Jelks, who plays his father — but this story feels too slow and familiar to make much of an impact. Still, there are some incredible moments here, and Kaphar infuses the film with an ineffable sense of humanity. It will be intriguing to see what the filmmaker does next.

Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw already explored and celebrated the weird world of Italian truffle hunters. Their latest film turns the camera to the traditions of Argentine cowboys known as “gauchos.” Anyone who saw The Truffle Hunters will be unsurprised to learn that the cinematography of Gaucho Gaucho is utterly spellbinding, with the choice to shoot in black and white allowing it to be particularly gorgeous. However, even beyond the surface beauty of the documentary, there’s a deep inner beauty thanks to the humanistic perspective Dweck and Kershaw take in exploring this community.

India Donaldson’s directorial debut, Good One, is incredibly confident, and even if it doesn’t always work, you have to admire how deliberate it is. Following a teenager who goes on a camping trip with her father and his best friend, the film is a ticking time bomb, leading to a result that is visible from a mile away. Still, even though we know what the film is going to say from moment one, its message resonates thanks to incredible performances — especially from newcomer Lily Collias.

The story of activist (and now Colombian Vice President) Francia Márquez is a fascinating story deserving of the documentary treatment, but Juan Mejia Botero’s Igualada doesn’t quite do its extraordinary subject justice. The title refers to a derogatory term levied against Marquez during her bid for office that she reclaimed as part of her campaign. When Botero explores this backlash alongside Marquez, the documentary is utterly engrossing. However, the film too often falls back onto traditional biographical beats for it to make much of a lasting impact. In other words, this is yet another Sundance documentary carried by the strength of its subject.

The Haitian crime comedy Kidnapping Inc. has some intriguing elements, but they don’t congeal into anything particularly satisfying. Following two down-on-their-luck kidnappers who become unwittingly entangled in a political conspiracy, the plot somehow feels overly simplistic yet also far too convoluted. It’s not very funny either, nor does the political satire pack much of a bite. Nevertheless, the film’s never boring — it’s so manic that it won’t let you get bored — and the final act, even if it feels entirely unearned, does leave you thinking.

Dawn Porter is an incredible documentary filmmaker, so it’s massively disappointing that Luther: Never Too Much is almost completely a dud. The filmmaking on display is competent across the board, and there’s lots of great music and interviews. Yet the angle with which it approaches its subject’s story is frankly disrespectful to his legacy. Luther Vandross was an incredible talent, but this documentary focuses far too much on his struggles with weight — even despite including archive interviews in which he asked the media not to linger on or define him by his weight. There are so many more things this film leaves unexplored to focus on that thread.

Stephen T. Maing and Brett Story’s documentary Union tells an essential story: the plight of Amazon workers fighting for the right to unionize. Maing and Story take an exposé-style approach, showing not only the methods that the Amazon Labor Union is using to fight for workers’ rights but also the unethical union-busting practices of the biggest company in the world. The film is equal parts inspiring and infuriating, but at a certain point, one has to wonder if this film will only reach people who already agree with its message.

The social satire Veni Vidi Vici desperately wants to be a riff on the themes of The Most Dangerous Game in a Michael Haneke style. However, it can’t pull it off because it lacks the wit, sharpness, or depravity to achieve that tone. The result is a film that’s simply dull and annoying. It is a shame that this isn’t more interesting, as the cinematography is gorgeous to behold, and there are some interesting performances, but it’s just genuinely unpleasant to watch.

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18-28 in-person in Park City, UT and online from January 25-28.

By Sean Boelman

By Sean Boelman and Tatiana Miranda

​NewFest is known as one of the premier LGBTQIA+ film festivals in the United States, and this year's lineup — for its 35th edition — was particularly strong, filled with high-profile awards contenders with queer themes or by queer filmmakers. Equally exciting, though, are the indies and international films by up-and-coming voices in the queer cinema community.

We at disappointment media were glad to have again covered this year's edition of NewFest. Here are some quick thoughts on a few of the films we were able to see as part of this year's festival.

Review by Sean Boelman

Mauricio Calderón Rico's All the Fires is a visually stunning film, with the imagery and atmosphere doing a lot of the heavy lifting to keep the viewer enthralled in the story. The film follows a teenage pyromaniac who begins to question his sexuality, and just as it may seem, the film arguably bites off more than it can chew. Although there are some great individual pieces at play here narratively, they never quite cohere into something as riveting as one might hope. It's definitely a slow burn (pun intended), but the gorgeous cinematography — making extensive use of firelight — is enough to make this drama mostly transfixing.

Review by Sean Boelman

The Argentine film Almamula (known in English as Carnal Sins) is a horror-esque fantasy that uses its folkloric premise to create a fascinating exploration of the queer identity. Following a teen boy who must come to terms with his sexuality, as he learns of a local legend of a creature that takes the sexually impure, it's clear where the symbolism and metaphors of this film are heading, but Juan Sebastián Torales's script nonetheless uses these images and concepts effectively to explore his characters and themes. As the feature debut of Torales, Almamula shows tons of potential — even if it doesn't always deliver in its own right.

​Review by Tatiana Miranda

Based on the award-winning book by Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen is an eerie drama filled with subtle queer undertones and captivating performances. The film stars Thomasin McKenzie in the titular role and Anne Hathaway as Eileen's coworker and potential friend, Rebecca. Set in 1964 Massachusetts, it watches like an imitation of a Hitchcock film. Although some of the more off-putting aspects of the plot and Eileen's character don't penetrate as harshly as they do in the source material, the film still excels in keeping the audience on their toes and questioning the morals of the main characters. Aesthetically delightful, Eileen is sure to find a cult classic status among fans of thrillers and psychosexual dramas.

Review by Sean Boelman

There are not enough queer stories featuring people of color protagonists, and for that alone, Jason Karman's Golden Delicious deserves some merit. However, the script by Gorrman Lee is severely lacking, with an inconsistent approach to its themes, which makes it hard to buy into the film despite its heart undeniably being in the right place. The dialogue is nearly insufferable in how out-of-touch it feels, with several lines standing out as things that teenagers would absolutely never say. That being said, if there's one thing clear from watching this, it's that young actor Cardi Wong has a bright future ahead of him — if only he can find a script that allows him to better use his talents.

Review by Sean Boelman

Not to be confused with the cult classic 1980s vampire movie, or the characters from Peter Pan, Zeno Graton's The Lost Boys is a conventional, albeit mostly powerful film following a group of teenagers at a youth correctional facility. It's surprising how seamlessly the script by Graton, along with Clara Bourreau and Maarten Loix, balances its various themes — sexual identity, race, and rehabilitation — all under the central thematic umbrella of freedom. However, perhaps the biggest highlight of the film is the lead performance by young actor Khalil Gharbia, who brings an extraordinary amount of empathy to the role.

Review by Sean Boelman

Paul B. Preciado's Orlando, My Political Biography is simply an incredible feat of filmmaking. Combining a loose adaptation of the themes and ideas of Virginia Woolf's eponymous groundbreaking and incendiary novel with a series of personal stories from an all-trans and non-binary ensemble, the film is a beautiful and profound ode to the strength of the LGBTQIA+ community in the face of massive adversity. Preciado's unorthodox style is captivating, resulting in an experience that manages to devastate and inspire in turn. This truly is one of the best documentaries of the year.

Review by Sean Boelman

Queen of New York should be a fascinating documentary, as it follows the campaign of Marti Cummings — the non-binary drag performer who made history as the first non-binary candidate to run for the New York City Council — and for the most part, it is. However, in the final 30 minutes of the film, it unfairly turns into a hit piece against Cummings's Latino opponent. A lot of accusations are thrown around and not explored in much depth. The result will leave a sour taste in many viewers' mouths. After all, Cummings's campaign was about giving a voice to the voiceless — so why is the film pitting underrepresented voices against one another, rather than suggesting minority communities come together to lift each other up.

Review by Sean Boelman

​V.T. Nayani's This Place tells the story of two young women from different cultures forced to confront their own identities while they grow closer together. What is frustrating about the film is that there is a legitimately great message and compelling story, but it is dragged down by cringe-worthy dialogue and less than impressive performances. Despite leads Devery Jacobs and Priya Guns' great chemistry together, their line delivery is so stilted that it's hard to take them seriously — although as much of the fault here can be blamed on the script as the performances. Still, the film will win viewers over by the end with its charming exploration of intersectionality.

The 2023 edition of NewFest runs October 12-24 in New York City.

By Sean Boelman

Like so many regional festivals this year, the Chicago International Film Festival has an unusually stacked lineup, with plenty of excellent films encoring from the various fall festivals — as well as a few premieres that audiences will get to see for the first time in Chicago. From high-profile and buzzy awards contenders to hidden indie gems, there are plenty of great flicks to see at this year’s CIFF.

We at disappointment media are excited to be covering this year’s Chicago International Film Festival from afar, catching up on some of the films we missed elsewhere on the festival circuit, as well as checking out some of the exciting premieres playing in the Windy City

Be sure to keep an eye on this page, as we will be updating it with more thoughts on films playing at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival as we see more movies.

Second Update: 10/22/2023

R.J. Daniel Hanna’s Hard Miles is the type of indie crowd-pleaser that the festival circuit was meant to discover. The film is based on the inspiring true story of a social worker at a youth prison who assembles a peloton of young convicts and takes them on a 1000+ mile ride to teach them a lesson about perseverance and hopefully encourage them to find themselves. Although the beats the film hits are a bit predictable and sentimental, there's no denying that the film pulls on the heartstrings at the right times. Matthew Modine has also never been better than he was in this leading role, which is equal parts empathetic and uplifting.

Like the many Ukraine-focused documentaries that have appeared on the festival circuit in the nearly two years since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, In the Rearview is certainly not an easy watch — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it. Maciek Hamela’s documentary is essential viewing, and part of what makes it work so well is its simple conceit. The film follows the passengers of a vehicle that is being used to transport civilians seeking refuge out of the country. Although the camera occasionally does leave the vehicle, most of the time, the film is presented as if it were looking in the rearview mirror of the car. The result is an experience that is subtly harrowing and quietly powerful.

First Update: 10/19/2023

North American Premiere

Mika Gustafson’s Paradise Is Burning debuted at this year’s Venice Film Festival before making its North American premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival. Although the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel with regards to its genre, this story of a group of three tight-knit sisters who face separation by child services due to an absent mother is absolutely heartbreaking. All three young actresses — Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Assad, and Safira Mossberg — are fantastic in their roles, but what makes this stand out from other poverty-centric narratives is Gustafson’s incredibly empathetic approach to the narrative that focuses less on the trauma of their situation than the connection that draws them together.

It’s impossible to deny the artistry or the anger of Roger Ross Williams’s documentary Stamped From the Beginning, based on the book of the same name by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. The film is an exploration of the misinformation that has been used to fuel racist ideology for generations, and it is unafraid to challenge some of the institutions and figures that have been revered throughout American history. Although the film clearly struggles with condensing an entire book’s worth of material into a runtime under 90 minutes, kinetic editing and powerful messaging keep the film entirely engaging and completely affecting.

Original Post: 10/12/2023

U.S. Premiere

The documentary Alien Island tells one hell of a story: a group of radio operators in Chile in the 1980s amidst the military dictatorship think they have discovered an extraterrestrial race who has taken up residence on a nearby island. When the film is able to connect the stranger than fiction story to the political undercurrents happening in its societal context, it is utterly fantastic. The film also boasts some of the most impressive reenactment sequences of the year, shot in the black-and-white aesthetic of a Twilight Zone episode or the type of sci-fi movie that would feel at home in a drive-in theater. Like many UFO-centric docs, the nuttiness does become a bit overwhelming at times, but the genuinely interesting story keeps this one engaging.

U.S. Premiere

Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s feature debut Banel & Adama was recently announced as the Senegalese submission for the Best International Film Oscar. While the film is certainly gorgeous thanks to excellent cinematography by Amine Berrada, it feels somewhat bland on a narrative level. The film’s story of a couple of star-crossed lovers who face the disapproval of their community is overly familiar. While the performances by Khady Mane and Mamadou Diallo are solid, and the film is very authentic with its love story, the film doesn’t add anything particularly new or perceptive to its well-worn beats.

French master François Ozon’s latest film, The Crime Is Mine, is arguably his most mainstream film in quite a while, and unfortunately, it lacks the emotional heft of his recent output. However, even those looking for a diverting caper might find themselves thoroughly disappointed by this tonal mess of a comedy. Following an actress who is accused of murdering a producer and then acquitted, only for a new witness to come to light, it’s clear that this is meant to be a reversal of its genre. Which genre the film reverses is hard to identify, though. It starts as a period murder mystery, then becomes a courtroom drama, before finally settling as a film industry farce. It’s altogether too much, even in the hands of a filmmaker as talented as Ozon. Not even a rousing third act turn by the legendary Isabelle Huppert can salvage this would-be romp.

Tatiana Huezo’s documentary The Echo is undoubtedly one of the most visually stunning documentaries you’ll see this year. In fact, this verité portrait of a matriarchal community in rural Mexico is shot so cinematically, and its story told with such an eye for character, that it’s easy to forget what you are watching is a documentary and not an engrossing coming-of-age tale. Huezo’s tender lens stands out within the genre of documentary filmmaking thanks to its refusal to other-ize its subjects’ traditions and practices. The result is a film that feels deeply humanistic, even if it is on the slight side.

Bas Devos’s Here, which premiered at Berlinale earlier this year to great acclaim, shares a lot in common with another film that has gotten more attention on the festival circuit — Fallen Leaves. Both are unorthodox, gentle love stories following two people from seemingly opposite lifestyles, finding themselves inexplicably drawn together by fate. The result, particularly with Here, is a romance that is undeniably lovely to watch, offering some profound observations on the power of connection. And, as one of the duo in Devos’s film is a byrologist, the story lends itself to some stunning 16mm nature cinematography. For those looking for a reprieve from some of the heavier selections in this year’s fest, Here is the way to go.

Cinephiles often joke that Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo makes the same movie over and over again since there are so many similarities in their characters, themes, and quaint, dialogue-driven narratives. Although one of his two 2023 films, In Water, doesn’t defy expectations in a narrative sense, it does take an ambitious swing formally — and it doesn’t totally pay off. Following a trio of friends who wander around an island to which they have traveled to make a film together, the most distinctive aspect of the film is that it is intentionally out-of-focus for a majority of its runtime, making most of the images look blurry. While the conceit is intriguing, the execution is unfortunately often grating.

For much of its first third, Paris Zarcilla’s Raging Grace resembles last year’s Nanny — another anxiety-inducing social horror film that used its story to comment on the immigration crisis in the United States. However, in the second act, the film takes an unexpected turn, resulting in one of the wildest hours of genre cinema you’ll see all year. Max Eigenmann’s performance as the Filipina immigrant caretaker who uncovers a dark secret long buried by the family she works for heralds a breakout waiting to happen, thanks to her simply captivating screen presence. While the cinematography, editing, and score are all a bit obvious at times, the script is more than sharp enough to keep viewers utterly gripped to the screen.

The 2023 Chicago International Film Festival runs October 11-22.

By Sean Boelman

For its 59th edition, the Chicago International Film Festival is bringing Chicago moviegoers a lineup that is nothing short of stacked. Thanks to a focus on indie productions, the festival has still been able to attract plenty of A-list talent to present their movies despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike (many films have secured an interim agreement).

From some of the most anticipated awards contenders of the fall, hot off of their festival debuts, to Chicago-based productions that will undeniably be of interest to homegrown audiences, there’s no shortage of great films to see at this year’s festival. Here are a few recommendations of movies we think you should check out:

CIFF has always had a focus on showcasing international cinema, including many films that have been submitted by their respective countries for the Best International Feature Oscar. Kaouther Ben Hania’s latest movie, Four Daughters, is her second to represent her country of Tunisia in the awards race, and this blend of documentary and drama is absolutely fascinating and often harrowing. Although the film feels a bit too convoluted for its story for much of its first hour, it quickly becomes clear that there are more sinister forces afoot, and when they do take over, the result is crushing.

Tatiana Huezo’s documentary The Echo is another fascinating documentary about a matriarchy, but on the opposite side of the world, taking place in a rural village in Mexico. The hero of this film is undeniably its cinematography, which is exquisite and beautiful. However, it is also impressive how much Huezo is able to get viewers invested into the characters’ lives, allowing the movie to play out like a real-life coming-of-age tale.

Bas Devos’s Here is a restrained, quiet film, but it’s quite successful as a lovely little romance. Following a construction worker and a byrologist who form an unexpected connection after a chance encounter, it’s a rumination on connection, but it never feels the need to wax poetic in a way that feels pretentious. Instead, we simply spend time with these characters — and in some gorgeous environments captured with stunning 16mm cinematography, no less — making this an utterly splendid watch.

Raging Grace won the jury prize in the narrative competition at this year’s SXSW, and given how rare of an accomplishment it is for a genre movie to take home a top award like that, it should be immediately intriguing. While the first act of the film is compelling, the last two-thirds of Paris Zarcilla’s debut go off the rails in a way that will have you on the edge of your seat, and maybe even screaming at the screen in disbelief and anticipation.

Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams is not just one of the best animated movies of the year, but one of the best movies of the year, period. Based on the graphic novel by Chicago-born artist Sarah Varon (who will be in attendance for the festival screening), the film follows an anthropomorphic dog who purchases a robot to be his best friend. Completely without dialogue, the movie nonetheless manages to be undeniably moving — and just as adorable as you could possibly hope.

The 2023 Chicago International Film Festival runs October 11-22, 2023.