Sundance with Abe: How It Ends
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Showing posts with label Sundance 2021. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sundance 2021. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Sundance with Abe: Land
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Sundance with Abe: Misha and the Wolves
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Sam Hobkinson
World Cinema Documentary Competition
There is an understandable tendency to treat emotional material with sensitivity. Finding out that someone has been through an extraordinary ordeal usually compels a degree of respect, one that seeks to honor the depth of what another person has shared and, in many cases, recognizes the impossibility of truly relating to it. Putting blind faith in someone’s account of their experiences may be the right thing to do in almost all cases, but it also trusts that they are accurately representing what has happened to them and have no ulterior motives.
Misha Defonseca came forward on Holocaust Remembrance Day to share her story with her synagogue in Massachusetts. When her parents were deported in Belgium, she was sent to live with a non-Jewish couple but soon ran away to try to find her real family. Her experience living in the woods with wolves compelled publisher Jane Daniel to convince Misha to write a book about what happened to her. A dispute over royalty expectations led Jane to look more into everything Misha had told her, prompting an in-depth, international research operation that revealed Misha’s story to be less than authentic.
This film is stylized as an investigative thriller, introducing new characters as it goes who add a dimension to the layers that this film adds has new information is revealed. It really is riveting, and the way it is structured mimics the manner in which events actually unfolded as those closest to Misha became increasingly aware of what things no longer added up. The subjects interviewed are passionate and honest, communicating their perception of how things went and should be seen, bringing in their own worldviews and feelings on the players in this story.
It’s possible to see this film as dangerous because it exposes an abuse and appropriation of other people’s very real experiences, and the idea that what Misha writes is a fabrication could cast doubt on the authenticity of other Holocaust survivors’ lives is indeed concerning. Yet this film is indeed retelling something that did happen, which is the gradual unraveling of something everyone easily believed, and its approach feels responsible and properly-motivated. Audiences may seek more definitive answers than this film is able to provide about true motivations and other complicating factors, but it merely assembles the many startling pieces in a way that highlights its most outlandish moments and compiles them in a well-paced and involving sequence.
B+
Sundance with Abe: Prisoners of the Ghostland
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Sion Sono
Premieres
There are many ways in which a person might feel like a prisoner. Being literally confined somewhere without the ability to leave fits the strictest definition, but there are also situations in which someone may feel trapped by their circumstances and unable to escape their fate, regardless of what choices they make. Conjuring up the resolve to break free of a destructive cycle is the first step in taking a stand, though that may not be enough to combat the oppressive weight of a lack of freedom.
A bank robber (Nicolas Cage) is arrested following a deadly heist with many casualties. He is released by the Governor (Bill Moseley), who puts him in a specially-designed suit outfitted with explosives designed to control his charge’s behavior and keep him in line. His mission: to find and rescue his adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella), who must speak her name into the suit to prevent its self-destruction after five days. As he searches for her, the hero discovers mythical elements of Samurai Town and the collective inability of its residents to leave the mysterious place.
This film would probably be best suited for the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival if it wasn’t considered a premiere. In some senses, it’s an incredible head trip, one that isn’t designed to make sense but instead to focus an insatiable curiosity about its characters and the place they are inhabiting. Alternatively, it’s a metaphor for how people feel lost in societal systems and unable to remove themselves from unfortunate expectations set by powerful people with no regard for their wellbeing. It’s also possible there’s none of that embedded in this film and that it’s merely an ambitious and uncategorizable piece of genre-hybrid entertainment.
After winning Oscars and taking on challenging dramatic and comedic roles early in his career, Cage has become somewhat of an action-horror legend, embodying the most maniacal and unhinged characters because that’s what audiences love to see. While that’s initially the appearance of who he is here, it turns out to be one of his more sedated and controlled turns, with just enough yelling and yelping to keep fans happy. This film is a work of art, particularly when it comes to its set pieces and costumes, though, like many revered paintings and other celebrated pieces, it may be completely lost on some audiences. Its allure isn’t quite matched by its delivery, but there’s something deeply interesting embedded within a film that’s not quite as dark and twisted as it thinks it is.
B
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Sundance with Abe: Pleasure
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Ninja Thyberg
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
The adult film industry produces a lot of content, and though many mainstream film audiences may not want to admit their familiarity with it, statistics suggest that it’s very widely viewed. It’s an area that has been explored many times in films and television series, seeking to bring the experience to curious filmgoers of those seeking fame and fortune in a business that often forces them to do things they are not at all comfortable. Blurring the lines between showcasing characters doing explicit acts and having the actors simulate that same material can happen, leading some to terming the resulting product essentially pornography in itself.
Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) comes to Los Angeles from Sweden, eager for her first day on the job. What she experiences is incredible kindness and gentleness from nearly every person she works with, often in truly stark contrast to the violent nature of the scene that she is about to film or have just finished shooting. Her desire to become well-known leads her to consider rougher work, pushing her boundaries and exposing her to the hard truths of what it takes to succeed.
This film is inarguably graphic, and the disclaimer noting that, unlike most Sundance films this year, this one is in no way suitable for audiences under eighteen, isn’t quite sufficient. Its not entirely necessary imagery even just in its first ten minutes will surely be off-putting enough for some to stop watching, and it doesn’t exactly get better from there. Fortunately, it’s not all merely a parade of simulated sex, with a recognizable narrative that fleshes out Bella as a character trying to determine what her limits are in pursuit of something she believes will make her happy. That’s not to dismiss this film’s entirely uncensored nature but to clarify that a story does exist in between all those moments.
What’s less definitive is the responsibility of the message being communicated here. The notion that the more vicious and invasive a scene is, the nicer and more comforting the male actors and directors will be is likely wishful thinking since the balance of power in those moments surely leads in real life to considerable abuse. While this film does boast a strong cast, which includes Kappel in her very impressive feature film debut, the narrative, which becomes even darker and more unpleasant as the film goes on, feels problematic at worst and misdirected at best.
B-
Sundance with Abe: First Date
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp
NEXT
People are often nervous before going on a date, and for good reason. It’s important to make the right first impression, and getting to a second date usually requires the first one going well. In many cases, it’s not a good fit, but it’s also true that circumstances may align to sway things in a certain direction. A series of unfortunate coincidences has the potential to derail even the best of intentions, and such unexpected obstacles often sound like made-up excuses that might knock points off an otherwise promising score.
Mike (Tyson Brown) gets pressured by his best friend Brett (Josh Fesler) to call his crush, Kelsey (Shelby Duclos) and ask her out. When she agrees to get together that night, Mike panics because his parents have taken the car and he can’t pick her up. His decision to buy an old car from the talkative Dennis (Scott E. Noble) proves to be a tremendous mistake when he first gets pulled over by two police officers (Nicole Berry and Samuel Ademola) and then learns that the contents of the car are very much wanted by a group of bickering criminals led by The Captain (Jesse Janzen).
This film presents a chronicle of worst-case scenarios where Mike just can’t make it to pick Kelsey up on time. The stakes of that missed opportunity are considerably lower than the tremendously real danger Mike faces at the hands of criminals who don’t care if he lives and just want to reclaim their product. Fortunately, this film makes what could have been a lackluster crime-comedy storyline into something truly terrific, imbuing each character with a real personality. Mike may well be the least interesting player in his own story, in part because every single person he encounters brings their own baggage and shares it with the audience in a hilarious and wonderful way.
The entire cast here is superb, led by Brown as a relatably awkward protagonist in way over his head. There’s no wasted role, and it’s great to see such formidable talent used, no matter the size of their parts. Ryan Quinn Adams is particularly fantastic as one of the bumbling criminals, and Duclos does a formidable job of making Kelsey much more memorable and individualistic than the character she’s playing might typically be in other films. Its plot often tends towards the absurd but never goes too far, and this wild ride is refreshingly creative and marvelously entertaining.
B+
Sundance with Abe: Mayday
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Karen Cinorre
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Many people dream of escaping their lives, desperate to get away from the banality or misery of their everyday experiences. While there are ways that people can change their circumstances, it’s not usually possible to literally travel to another place where things are radically different and the world looks nothing like the one left behind. Such solutions are rarely permanent, and it’s not easy to put aside all doubt about the authenticity of this new reality and the likelihood that it will eventually cease to be a sufficient remedy.
Ana (Grace Van Patten) is treated cruelly by her unforgiving boss on the day of a major job. When she opens an oven, she finds herself in a completely unrecognizable world. Marsha (Mia Goth) is the fierce leader of a group of women that includes Gert (Soko) and Bea (Havana Rose Liu), and the foursome spend each day putting out distress signals on the radio to trap the military men aboard ships in dangerous storms, after which they are hunted and killed by the women. Though the nature of their ongoing war is not defined, Ana understands her new purpose, loyal to her new commander yet haunted by splintered memories of her past life.
This is a film that doesn’t provide answers to explain its mysterious developments, instead inviting the audience along to learn as Ana does. She turns out to be a natural shot and quickly learns how to perfect her radio voice to ensure that anyone on the other end takes the bait. The lack of clarity and murkiness of the central conflict make it feel like a game, but one that Ana must play, even if she does not understand the true consequences and whether this place is a dream or something much more real.
Part of the appeal of this film is not really knowing what’s going on and being drawn in by that mystery. It’s reminiscent of another recent entry from Sundance, “Paradise Hills,” where characters seem aware that all is not right but can’t precisely identify what it is that is wrong. There’s a minimalism to the filmmaking style that is complemented well by its costumes and scenery, and that only heightens the effect that this unknown place has on its characters. The actresses embed themselves into their characters, and this film delivers many intriguing and lasting moments that, put together, add up to a mesmerizing if not entirely satisfying whole.
B
Sundance with Abe: Wild Indian
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
People shouldn’t necessarily be judged by their actions as children since they learn from the model of their parents and other adults in their lives and haven’t had the chance to grow into who they are. Maturity may bring a revised perspective, one that reveals mistakes made and offers the opportunity for learning based on what they’ve done. Some moments may be extremely formative in shaping the course of someone’s life, and while it may be possible to redirect a trajectory, not every step is within a person’s control and can have irreversible consequences.
Makwa (Phoenix Wilson) is bullied at school, frequently beaten at home, and has only one friend, Ted-O (Julian Gopal). When Makwa kills another classmate in the woods and expresses no emotion about it, the two cover it up and tell no one. Years later, Makwa (Michael Greyeyes) is a successful businessman now known as Michael who lives with his wife (Kate Bosworth) in a very fancy home. Ted-O (Chaske Spencer) has been in prison for years, and emerges with tattoos all over his face and neck prepared to make amends for what he has done, inspired to do things right and to salvage what’s left of his life.
This is a film that has a lot to do with the Anishinaabe heritage that Makwa and Ted-O share that influences how many people see them. Makwa’s work colleague Jerry (Jesse Eisenberg) is particularly aware of the few pieces of his identity that he chooses to share, careful as he is about how he acknowledges that. Makwa, now Michael, doesn’t want to be defined or restricted by his cultural identity or physical appearance, a luxury that Ted-O can’t afford since his job prospects are limited due to his criminal record and a very different track than his former best friend’s.
This is a dark, uninviting film, one that presents two unalike characters who stemmed from similar experiences and navigated extremely divergent paths. Makwa is cold and unfriendly, so obsessed with maintaining a façade that there’s no depth or sincerity to the relationships he forms. Ted-O, on the other hand, is far more sympathetic, even if he has few prospects. The performances are solid here, but the film, like Makwa, is gruff and difficult to penetrate, far too grounded in its own grimness to tell a truly compelling or accessible story.
B-
Monday, February 1, 2021
Sundance with Abe: Prime Time
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Jakub Piatek
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Broadcasting your voice to a public audience has always been a complicated and uncertain process, one that can work tremendously well but may just as easily fail completely. Many who become celebrities share stories of starting at the bottom of the food chain, working the least glamorous and most thankless jobs in order to be noticed and promoted after they have proven themselves. There are those who seek to skip that often lengthy and arduous process, determined to be seen and heard without waiting for an unknown period of time. In today’s technological age, it’s much easier to cut to the front of the line, but it’s just as easy to be quickly forgotten.
On New Year’s Eve in 1999, everyone is talking about what’s going to happen in the new millennium. As Mira (Magdalena Poplawska) announces the winner of a new car to the audience watching her show, Sebastian (Bartosz Bielenia) interrupts the broadcast with a gun and a hostage, security guard Grzegorz (Andrzej Klak). Sebastian demands to know who is in the control room, where producer Laura (Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik) is being coached by two negotiators (Cezary Kosinski and Monika Frajczyk) with different strategies for reaching the man who won’t reveal his motivations other than the chance to say his piece to the camera.
This film’s premise is relatively simple, and its intrigue comes from how all of its characters respond to the tense situation. Mira has only just arrived, typically late and nearly replaced by a stand-in, and she has little patience for the uninvited guest, even after he brandishes his weapon and makes it clear how serious he is. Sebastian is evidently intelligent and knows what questions to ask to make sure that he is not being manipulated, and the negotiators say their signature lines to keep him calm and ensure that no one gets hurt. Sebastian is unwilling to share much about himself but seems surprisingly concerned with the wellbeing of the people he is holding at gunpoint.
This is a taut and thoroughly engaging film, remaining with the characters for the entirety of its runtime, switching between Sebastian and his gradually improving rapport with Mira and Grzegorz and the group of law enforcement and network personnel trying to figure out how to keep everyone safe. Its pacing is strong and enthralling, and its recreation of its very specific time period with costumes and looks is spot-on. All of its performances are terrific, particularly the lead turn by Bielenia, a breakout from last year’s “Corpus Christi,” which indicates the rich, layered nature of both his character and this unexpectedly energizing and involving film.
B+
Sundance with Abe: Strawberry Mansion
Strawberry Mansion
Directed by Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney
NEXT
It’s hard to know what dreams mean. The scenes people experience while they are sleeping may be entirely confusing and unrealistic, but that doesn’t stop some from trying to interpret and assign significance to them. It is easy to find connections between something in a dream and a subsequent real-life event, and those links have the ability both to mystify and comfort those who believe. In religious texts and science fiction stories, dreams can be very influential, and there are those who, given the opportunity, would infiltrate and manipulate what people’s minds show them while they are unconscious to serve their own purposes.
James (Kentucker Audley) works as a dream auditor, surveying recorded dreams on behalf of the government so that they can be taxed appropriately. When he arrives at the home of Arabella (Penny Fuller), he finds a wealth of material, all kept on old VHS tapes, and begins to immerse himself in the bizarre sequences he sees. He soon discovers an alluring mystery and becomes entranced by the young Bella (Grace Glowicki), learning unexpected truths about the work he does and its nefarious purposes as he is further embedded within her sprawling, wildly creative mind.
This film opens with James seated in his own dream in a room with items that are all vibrantly red, the only true indicator that this moment is likely not actually happening. The whole of this film is an unapologetically strange and dizzying experience, with the banal conversation that occurs between James and his all-too-willing hostess almost too normal, in stark contrast with the perplexing complexity of the dreams he visits. It’s difficult to decipher even before signs of trouble emerge, and trying to fully understand what is supposed to be going on is a foolish endeavor.
There is something deeply captivating at play here, and even if most of what happens doesn’t make organic sense, there’s a wondrousness and beauty to all of it that is hard to ignore. The presentation of the scenes is purposely stark and discolored, painting a future several decades from now that looks and feels more like the recent past than the technologically-advanced worlds typically portrayed in cinema. This film requires a deliberate immersion into the incomprehensible, one that doesn’t necessarily provide many answers to the plethora of questions the film asks, but for those willing to take the plunge, it’s a fascinating if undeniably peculiar ride.
B
Sundance with Abe: Mass
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Sundance with Abe: Together Together
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Nicole Beckwith
U.S. Dramatic Competition
There is no longer only one way to define a family, and the possibilities continue to expand with new ideas and more widely-accepted concepts. What people decide to do may not be what they expected or follow a particular plan, but no one can predict what will happen in their futures. Those who are tired of waiting to find the perfect partner and realize that they don’t need someone else to start a family may pursue options to secure their ability to parent, intent on getting started even if the circumstances aren’t entirely ideal and they’re not sure exactly what it is that they’ll need to do.
Matt (Ed Helms) is forty-five and has decided to have a baby. He has plenty of money and needs a surrogate. He selects Anna (Patti Harrison), a twenty-six-year-old in it for the chance to make a bit of cash and to earn herself some good karma. They set boundaries about how they will interact, divisions that begin to crumble as Matt’s good-natured overbearing personality causes Anna to gradually open up, ditching her signature sarcasm and antiestablishment attitude in favor of a genuine embrace of the man whose baby she is carrying.
This premise may sound familiar, and in a sense there isn’t all that much that’s new about it. Both Matt and Anna are single, and it seems all but guaranteed that, over the course of the film, they’ll become close. It’s the conversations that come up throughout about why they shouldn’t be a couple and where their opinions about the world and the baby in particular diverge that distinguish it. They both understand that they are entering into a business arrangement, though neither of them can fully anticipate what that means and how that will change both of them.
Helms, a comedic actor best known for “The Office” and “The Hangover,” gives a purposefully awkward and delicate performance as a man with many resources but lacking the ability to control everything. Opposite him, Harrison is terrific, challenging the simplest statements with a look or retort. Together, they’re a fantastic pair, both very funny and dramatically watchable. Even if this film isn’t a remarkably creative or fresh story, it tells the one it does feature so well, with great music and sharp editing to make each moment feel necessary and important. It’s a charming and very pleasant film that delivers solidly on its relatively familiar premise.
B+
Sundance with Abe: Marvelous and the Black Hole
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Kate Tsang
Premieres
It’s fair to expect children to act out after experiencing a loss. They may feel a sense that they have been robbed of something their peers get to have, and might shift to rebellious behavior to make their unhappiness and disappointment heard. Parents and guardians can respond in a number of ways, providing support and encouragement while also trying to keep them on the right path. Not all strategies will be successful, and, to ensure that one significant change doesn’t completely derail any progress they might achieve in the future, they may be forced to turn to more desperate and corrective options.
Sammy (Miya Cech) is not making great choices. After the death of her mother, the thirteen-year-old, who feels overly controlled at home by her older sister Patricia (Kannon) and her father Angus (Leonardo Nam), frequently gets herself into trouble. Faced with the prospect of being sent to a boot camp meant to scare her straight, she puts little effort into a last-ditch alternative summer class. Instead, she meets Margot (Rhea Perlman), a charismatic magician, feigning interest in that career as an excuse for skipping class. Despite initially mocking Margot, she soon becomes intrigued by the art she practices and drawn in by the idea of learning more about it.
This film has a great style to it, opening with imaginative illustrations that represent the frustration Sammy feels with having to accept her life, particularly her father’s new girlfriend, Marianne (Paulina Lule), who she imagines sawing in half as part of a trick that involves no illusions. Whenever the boot camp is mentioned, Sammy flashes to archive footage of military training and other miserable scenarios. There is something about the flair of performing magic that entrances her, even though it at first seems like a petty activity that can delight only young, gullible children.
Cech is a spirited performer, infusing Sammy with such negative energy that makes her transformation into someone who does finally care about something more than complaining about everything delightful to watch. Perlman, an established screen veteran, is an endearing mentor, someone who never asked for a protégé but is happy to steer someone she sees as misguided or lost towards something that can be meaningful. Nam and Kannon complement a strong film that’s warm, entertaining, and funny, full of creativity and just the right amount of oddity to make it work.
B+
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Sundance with Abe: On the Count of Three
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Sundance with Abe: Jockey
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Sundance with Abe: Passing
Passing
Directed by Rebecca Hall
Premieres
There is an element of bigotry and discrimination that comes from recognizing that someone else belongs to a group that could be defined as other. Not knowing someone’s religion or heritage, for instance, might result in a shift in treatment when that aspect of who they are is revealed. It’s not nearly as easy to hide the color of a person’s skin, but there is a willful ignorance that many who hate for baseless reasons show for something that should be equally obvious and unimportant. Not being seen as a member of a particular group may invite the open sharing of sentiments that would be seen as unacceptable and derogatory if their identity was more apparent.
Irene (Tessa Thompson) lives in Harlem in the 1920s with her successful doctor husband, Brian (André Holland), and two children. She gets an unexpected flashback to her past when she runs into Clare (Ruth Negga) in a hotel tearoom. Their ability to pass as white due to their lighter skin becomes a point of contention when Irene meets Clare’s husband John (Alexander Skarsgård), an unapologetic racist who has no idea his wife is actually Black. Despite Irene’s feelings, Clare becomes a regular fixture in her life, challenging the way that she engages with her family and her world.
This is an adaptation of the 1929 novel by Nella Larsen that marks actress Rebecca Hall’s debut as writer and director. Shot in black-and-white, the stylistic choices help to make this film’s story and message even stronger. There is a gorgeous vibrancy to every scene, with vivid costumes and set decorations that highlight the luxury that both Irene and Clare experience, even though they’re told by some that they shouldn’t have access to any of it. There are also layers of complexity within the narrative, including Irene’s efforts to shield her children from the harsh truths she knows all too well about the world, which Brian believes they should be exposed to even at a young age.
The two performances at the center of this film are emphatic and feel very strongly grounded in fitting its period setting. Thompson plays Irene as bold and unwilling to put aside her beliefs and opinions for the sake of others, while Negga, an Oscar nominee several years ago for another formidable race-related turn in “Loving,” brings a dramatic flair to every line Clare utters, intent on maintaining the persona she’s built for herself. This story has a different relevance today than it did when the novel was first written, but its content is still important and brought to the screen in a very meaningful, worthwhile, and beautiful way.
B+
Sundance with Abe: At the Ready
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Maisie Crow
U.S. Documentary Competition
It’s a difficult moment in American history for law enforcement as the subject of defunding the police in the wake of continued systemic racism and brutality towards people of color has become a very prominently-debated topic. There are strong opinions both for and against it, and it’s a matter of great controversy given the belief many have that law and order need to be maintained in some way. That’s especially true when it comes to immigration and the border between Mexico and the United States, an issue that’s even more relevant in cities that are located very close to the intersecting boundaries of those two countries.
This documentary follows students at Horizon High School in El Paso, Texas, where classes in law enforcement are offered and a popular after-school club is all about criminal justice. Teachers prepare students for careers that will find them working within the community and ensuring stability and the rule of law just ten miles away from the Mexican border. The energy of the school and the club is often at odds with the heritage of many of the students, who come from households that don’t always have fond attitudes towards the professions they are enthusiastically considering.
This film zeroes in on one of the complexities of the major conversations about policing and immigration, which is the participation and role of those who identify as members of the minorities that are so frequently mistreated as enforcers of governmental and legal policies. The two shouldn’t stand in conflict with each other, but it’s evidently not that simple, and this film intelligently and sensitively probes the nuanced coexistence of the pride these teenagers feel training for a future they believe in and the loyalty they harbor towards their community and culture.
This is, at its heart, a look at the formation of young minds and the varying influences that shape them. Nothing feels manufactured here, with an authenticity to the sentiments everyone shares. The educators who have spent years working in these careers firmly feel that recruiting talent from the next generation is the most important work they could be doing, and those considering this future aren’t making their choices lightly, but because it means everything to them. There is nothing reductive or broad about this film, which puts faith in individual perspectives and the validity of these opinions and actions because they spark passion and excitement after thoughtful consideration. To apply their conclusions to the general population might be unwise, but there is great power and worth to this insightful and informative sampling.
B+
Sundance with Abe: In the Earth
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Premieres
One of the key elements of dystopian movies, and a good deal of science fiction in general, is the emptiness of once-populated areas. Protagonists are often seen traversing or wandering large spaces, whether they’re abandoned neighborhoods or vast forests, rarely encountering other people but well aware that they could happen upon dangerous, unpredictable elements at any moment. Whatever the threat was that felled humanity may be less severe and problematic than the way in which those who have survived have now adapted for their own survival.
Dr. Martin Lowery (Joel Fry) crosses through a quarantine checkpoint in search of Dr. Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires) and a test site that might provide some answers to the virus that is afflicting the world. He is guided by park scout Alma (Ellora Torchia), who quickly demonstrates her resilience in the forest, though neither of them are prepared for an attack that leaves them worn-down and without shoes. When they meet Zach (Reece Shearsmith), a mysterious man living within the forest, they debate whether to trust him, a decision that has vicious consequence as his fanaticism is gradually revealed.
This film comes from writer-director Ben Wheatley, best known for horror films that this reviewer has largely avoided. The two films from his resumé I have screened are “High-Rise,” a dizzying satire about class systems, and “Down Terrace,” a clever and biting look at criminality. This entry zeroes in on a select few characters who have much more stimulation from the seemingly endless nature of the woods around them and the sounds they hear than from any intellectual conversation. But existing in the world in a solitary way only goes so far, and encountering those whose sanity has been challenged by their experiences and outlook can be vicious and horrifying.
The way that this film slowly wanders into unknown territory and unravels the terrors lurking within that forest is reminiscent of “Annihilation,” and Martin and Alma are equally unprepared for what they will find as that crew was. There are also elements of “Embrace of the Serpent,” particularly the deep belief in cultural mythology and the significance people have in the greater order of things. Those seeking a deep psychological dive into the harrowing and haunting may find this dizzying, psychedelic experience satisfying, but its storytelling approach feels purposefully disjointed, serving to disorient audiences as much as to intrigue them. Descending its dark, violent path isn’t all that appealing, and this gruesome head trip is more agonizing and baffling than anything else.
C+
Saturday, January 30, 2021
Sundance with Abe: Superior
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Erin Vassilopoulos
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Identical twins share more than just the same face. Though those who know them well and spend a good deal of time with them can easily tell them apart, the way that they move and behave may not be distinguishable to more distant acquaintances and strangers. Different lifestyles and major decisions can drive them far apart and make them unrecognizable in every way except for physically, which is also not a guarantee with athletic and hairstyling choices, among other factors. Coming back together after many years of separation is sure to highlight the ways in which they are no longer the same while reminding them both of their intricate connection.
Vivian (Ani Mesa) lives a relatively boring life with her lackluster husband Michael (Jake Hoffman) in upstate New York. She is surprised by the sudden arrival of her twin sister Marian (Alessandra Mesa), who she has not seen in years. Running from her own demons, Marian embraces the opportunity to reconnect with Vivian, who is deeply curious about what her sister has been doing all of these years. Their reunion represents a calm of sorts for Marian’s chaotic lifestyle and a reinvigoration of Vivian’s as elements of both interact to bring them back to a point of closeness they haven’t felt in a long time.
This film has a very particular and moody style to it. Shot on 16mm, it feels timeless in a way that’s only made identifiable by the sight of certain vehicles and technology that can be used to place it. There is a foreboding tone that ensures that Marian can’t actually escape her dangerous associations, and that even the most seemingly docile moments, like those set in an ice cream shop, shouldn’t be seen as safe. Every setting feels appropriately bare and sparsely-populated, allowing these characters to express themselves and feel comfortable sharing a part of who they are with audiences through their movements and actions.
Director Erin Vassilopoulos’ follow-up to her 2015 short of the same name, which casts Ani and Alessandra in the same roles six years later, is a very worthwhile and intriguing endeavor. Both actresses are magnificent, offering up hints about their personalities and motivations through the little that they do so and the way they interact both with each other and with the men in their lives. The dark road traveled by the narrative may not be completely fulfilling, but it’s an extremely interesting, involving, and stylized exploration of identity and kinship.
B+
Sundance with Abe: Ma Belle, My Beauty
I’m thrilled to be covering the Sundance Film Festival for the eighth time. This year, I’m not in Park City, Utah, but watching films virtually and reviewing them as soon as I can.
Directed by Marion Hill
NEXT
There is a reason that the end of many romantic relationships also means the end of any relationship between the parties. Whether they knew each other before they became involved or not, the idea of going from being incredibly close and sharing everything to a state of platonic friendship is difficult for some and impossible for many. Time may permit the easing of tensions and allow for wounds that may have been too fresh to be healed and turned into something else, but starting over with different expectations is rarely easy, and can often lead to renewed problems.
Bertie (Idella Johnson) and Fred (Lucien Guignard) live together in southern France. Their semi-stable lives are uprooted when Lane (Hannah Pepper), who was previously the third member of their polyamorous relationship in New Orleans, shows up. Bertie, who is attempting a jazz career, is particularly shaken since she was the object of both Fred and Lane’s affection, and Lane’s casual attitude, which includes a new fling with Noa (Sivan Noam Shimon), doesn’t sit well at all, prompting considerable jealousy, anger, and resentment.
This film smartly begins in France after this functional threesome has ended its arrangement, and the depth of Lane’s connection to Bertie is only gradually revealed after she appears. Much is communicated merely through looks and body language, and the moments of passion feel genuine and intense. The surrounding setting adds to the mood, highlighting the way in which Bertie feels unfulfilled and how Lane’s sudden arrival startles her, reminding her of happier times in which she felt more like herself, distinctly and comfortably aware of where and who she was.
This film is focused most strongly on these four characters, all of whom contribute to an involving and very watchable narrative. Guignard and Shimon play their parts appropriately, seemingly aware that Fred and Noa are never going to be the primary focus of their partner’s attention, even if they care deeply for them. Pepper is casual and direct, sharing Lane’s feelings openly and presenting her attitude without fear that she’ll be told she’s wrong. Johnson delivers the film’s best performance, attacking Bertie’s anxieties and intricacies with an unfiltered freshness that radiates throughout the film. Its dialogue-free scenes that allow the strength of the connections between its characters to show are its most resilient, creating an enduring portrait of the lasting pull of sincere romance.
B+
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