Israel Film Center Festival Spotlight: Love Trilogy: Chained

I’m pleased to be covering the 8th Annual Israel Film Center Festival at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, which is running virtually June 7th-14th.

Love Trilogy: Chained
Directed by Yaron Shani
Available June 7 – June 14

Improper conduct by those in positions of authority is not a new subject, but it’s one that’s trending heavily at the moment, taking up an appropriately large space for the first time in a very important way. The #metoo movement has enabled those who were taken advantage of and bullied by executives and others who sought to exert their power to force people to do things they were uncomfortable with to have a voice, and Black Lives Matter has taken on an increased relevance following the brutal killing of yet another black man by a white police officer using excessive force. Looking at situations where what happened isn’t as clear cut can be a complicated and treacherous endeavor, but also a worthwhile one.

Rashi (Eran Naim) has been a police officer for sixteen years, and has come to expect most of what he sees on the job. A routine search he conducts on kids he believes are making trouble in the park is turned into something much bigger when one of their influential parents accuses him of sexual assault. Rashi finds himself in a compromised position, distanced from his wife Avigail (Stav Almagor) and her daughter Yasmin (Stav Patay) as he remains steadfast about his innocence and his refusal to even consider that he might have done anything wrong.

This film, the second in director Yaron Shani’s trilogy (of which this reviewer has seen only this film), premiered at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival. The timing of this digital screening comes as conversations about what police can and can’t do are extremely charged. This focus, however, is entirely on the officer, whose conduct we see fully and can judge before, much to his surprise, it is reported as something else. What’s most fascinating about this portrait is how it shows a man so unconcerned with what others think about him or would allege that he did that his attitude is almost enough for anyone to convict him.

While there are elements of this scenario which are universal, this is a distinctly Israeli film. The internal affairs agents who interrogate Rashi are direct and abrasive even before he gives them cause to do so, and his anger about even being questioned boils over into a defiant and deliberately uncooperative posture. Even if what he did was unacceptable, Rashi would never admit it, in part because of his culture and in part because of his masculinity. Naim, who in real life worked as a police detective for fifteen years, deservedly took home an Israeli Oscar for his genuine and affecting turn, anchoring a difficult and intensely thought-provoking film about falling into mindsets and an inability to be open to new perspectives.

B+

Israel Film Center Festival Spotlight: Mossad

I’m pleased to be covering the 8th Annual Israel Film Center Festival at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, which is running virtually June 7th-14th.

Mossad
Directed by Alon Gur Arye
Available June 7 – June 14

The more popular a movie or series is, the more likely it is to be parodied. That which is positively embraced by the masses ends up being ripe for mockery, even if it’s simply a way for people to have fun with a concept that, when presented dramatically, works pretty well. There is also plenty about real life that can be turned into comedy, particularly if certain rumors and suppositions exist and can be fleshed out into more absurd cinematic representations. The results are rarely free of stupidity, but if approached in the right way, they have the capability to be quite funny.

Guy (Tsahi Halevi) is an agent with the Mossad who, along with his colleague Aaron (Tal Friedman), is stripped of his rank after a mission to rescue his boss Shuki (Dvir Benedek) goes awry. When he is unable to find purpose in his everyday civilian life, Guy is approached by Sharon (Adi Himelbloy), the wife of a kidnapped executive (Jack Sattelberg), to help get him back from his abductors. Guy teams with a CIA agent sent to aid the search, Linda (Efrat Dor), who has trouble getting the Mossad to take her seriously, as they battle idiotic behavior exhibited by both the good guys and the bad guys.

This film opens by grounding itself as a send-up of the James Bond movies that is distinctly Israeli, with its signature agent realizing he doesn’t have his gun and making the Israeli hand gesture for “just a second.” Guy immediately seeks out the more challenging options in each situation, refusing the help of a local woman who claims to know a shortcut to his imprisoned boss and instead insisting that he would rather go through the bad guys than around them. Like “Blazing Saddles” and other parodies, this film isn’t concerned with breaking the fourth wall and inserting humorous devices like having a character climb under the framing of the scene or literally pushing play on the musical soundtrack that serves as the score.

This isn’t necessarily an intelligent movie, but it’s one that’s enjoyable and clearly most interested in providing a fun experience. There aren’t many comedic moments left unexploited, and every character, including the clearly smarter American agent, is an equal target. This cast is having a blast, and though the film’s plot tends towards the truly inane as the film goes on, Halevi, who stars in “Fauda,” and Dor, a recent addition to “The Flash,” give each scene their all. As a disarming distraction from more serious realities and as a parody of so many over-the-top action flicks, this film serves its purpose.

B

Israel Film Center Festival Spotlight: Peaches and Cream

I’m pleased to be covering the 8th Annual Israel Film Center Festival at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, which is running virtually June 7th-14th.

Peaches and Cream
Directed by Gur Bentwich
Available June 6 – June 7

Filmmakers are usually interesting subjects, because of that old expression that art imitates life. While many directors choose topics and stories that don’t relate at all to their own experiences, it’s likely that a good deal of what they’ve gone through and seen in life affects what they portray on screen, and at the very least it informs their perspective and what ideas they express. Not every film is a success, and it’s also possible to interpret what a hit is given expectations and the intention of a project. Unsurprisingly, how a work is received can have a strong effect on its creator.

Zuri (Gur Bentwich) attends the opening night screening of his new film with his girlfriend and editor Inbal (Maya Kenig). Disappointed by the size of the audience and lackluster reception, he gets into a cab and, finding little support from Inbal, determines that he is sick and must go straight to the hospital. What ensues is a seemingly neverending night, particularly for the haggard cabbie, Micho (Dover Koshashvili), who just wants to get paid as his passenger sends him all around town, encountering an old friend (Alon Aboutboul), a young social media star (Hadas Ben Aroya), and his powerful producer (Tzahi Grad) as he searches for affirmation that his movie means something.

Bentwich serves as writer, director, and star, burying Zuri under a thick, unkempt beard and dressing him in a hooded yellow sweatshirt that Inbal points out makes him seem like he’s living in a completely different place and makes him look much older than he actually is. In contrast, he’s shown in a much more presentable manner through flashes to an undefined time where he sits alone on a private jet, headed to a major event with a flight attendant doting on him as he edits the footage of much of what plays out on screen. That device feels like a commentary on how it might be nice to edit life the way artists construct movies, well aware that the lowest points of a person’s life are often the most inherently cinematic.

This movie feels a bit like a frantic fever dream, with Micho serving as a stand-in for the audience to realize just how unlikely it is that he’ll ever see the money on the increasing meter since Zuri doesn’t actually know how to find what he’s looking for. It’s entirely engaging, even if it’s hard to know where it will lead. Koshashvili and Ben Aroya deservedly took home Israeli Oscars for their performances, while Bentwich picked up nominations for his direction and writing but not his lead turn, which is decent but, smartly, not what the film depends on to push ahead. It’s a head trip that says plenty about what it means to invest yourself so much in something that it takes over your life, presented in a creative and entertaining way.

B+

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to VOD: Judy and Punch, And Then We Danced, Parkland Rising, Tommaso
New to DVD: Working Man, Beanpole, Robert the Bruce, Abe
New to Netflix: Lady Bird, The Disaster Artist, Mirai, The Silence of the Lambs, The Help, E.T., West Side Story
New to Amazon and Hulu: Fair Game
New to Hulu: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Shirley, Dave, The American President, Thelma and Louise, Up in the Air
Also: 5 Films To Watch About Systemic Racism

Movie with Abe: Tommaso

Tommaso
Directed by Abel Ferrera
Released June 5, 2020

A strong protagonist is key to any good film. It’s very possible that the person at the center of a story is more interesting than the events that surround them. Supporting players can steal scenes and even stand out enough to earn sequels or other future spotlights, which are sometimes set in new places and may feature limited references to the original project. A worthwhile character, however, isn’t necessarily enough to sustain a film, particularly if whatever transformation they go through isn’t matched by an equally compelling narrative shaped around them.

Tommaso (Willem Dafoe) is an eccentric American filmmaker living in Rome with his younger wife, Nikki (Cristina Chiriac), and their three-year-old daughter Deedee (Anna Ferrara). Tommaso splits his time between experimenting with other artists and attending addiction support groups, where he has an audience he can regale with lavish tales of his past escapades and unrealized ideas. Alcohol and drugs are not Tommaso’s only vices, as he frequently lashes out in bouts of extreme anger, contrasted by his gentler interactions with his Italian teacher and tender moments with his daughter. The line between what’s in his head and what he’s actually experiencing is blurred as one surreal interaction leads into the next.

This film is an intimate affair for writer-director Abel Ferrara, known for films from the 1990s like “Bad Lieutenant” and “The Funeral.” Similar to Federico Fellini and “8 ½,” Bob Fosse and “All That Jazz,” and Pedro Almodovar and “Pain and Glory,” Ferrera crafts a loosely autobiographical film with his first narrative feature since 2014’s “Pasolini,” also starring his frequent collaborator Dafoe. His real-life wife Chiriac and their daughter Anna play the two people closest to Tommaso, injecting even more familiar authenticity into this character study, one that investigates what truly defines this wild and passionate auteur.

Dafoe is a formidable performer, one who has impressed recently with superb performances each of the past few years in “The Florida Project,” “At Eternity’s Gate,” and “The Lighthouse.” As with his portrayal of Vincent Van Gogh in Julian Schnabel’s seemingly aimless portrait of the artist, Dafoe latches on to what’s most vivid and fascinating about Tommaso in a film that can’t seem to figure that out. Its uncertain timeline is less problematic than its lack of concern with picking an involving trajectory. Though its closing scene conjures up memories of “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” the taste this film leaves most strongly is one reminiscent of the less grounded elements of “The Great Beauty,” grasping at greatness but settling instead for a fading impression of brilliance.

C+

5 Films To Watch About Systemic Racism

The brutal, senseless killing of yet another black man by a white police officer is, sadly, not a new issue. The nationwide conversation about what we can do to combat this and change society is so important. There are many things that everyone can do to educate themselves on how to recognize privilege and root out racism. Here are five films (of many) that helped me to broaden my perspective and show me what I didn’t and still can’t fully understand because I am a white person in America.

13th

This documentary from director Ava DuVernay, who also made the vitally important limited series “When They See Us” and film “Selma,” charts how the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery and set up mass incarceration as a new form of that same institution. It’s equally informative and disturbing. Available on Netflix.

Blindspotting

This lyrical film looks at the different experiences two childhood best friends from Oakland, one black and one white, have when it comes to law enforcement and police brutality. Co-writers Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal frame their story through an occasionally comic lens that gets deadly serious at unexpected moments, mimicking the instability of real life for those who know that they might be killed for no reason at any time. Available on HBO Go and HBO Max.

If Beale Street Could Talk

This beautiful film is set in the 1970s, but what it showcases is not merely a relic of the past. Director Barry Jenkins, who also made the incredible Oscar-winning film “Moonlight,” adapts James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, which focuses on thin, flawed evidence used to arrest and accuse a black man of a crime, and the inability of those charged with serving justice to consider letting him go even when faced with staggering proof of his innocence. Available on Hulu.

Just Mercy

This very recent film spotlights Bryan Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan, and the Equal Justice Initiative, a center started by the lawyer in Montgomery, Alabama to provide representation to those wrongly convicted and particularly those on death row. As unsettling and horrifying as the circumstances leading to the arrest and unfair treatment of Jamie Foxx’s inmate Johnny D. is the way that a power-hungry guard forces Bryan to be strip-searched when he comes to speak with his client. Currently available for free on Amazon Prime and Google Play.

Monsters and Men

This layered film examines the system from multiples angles, through the eyes of a black cop who himself is often pulled over by white colleagues for no reason, a young man arrested after filming and posting a clearly racially-biased police interrogation, and a black teenager motivated to do something after witnessing what is going on around him. It portrays the complexities of identity and how those who don’t fit neatly in a box are often manipulated for destructive purposes by others with malignant aims. Available on Hulu.

This is by no means an exhaustive list – can you recommend other films people watch to learn more about systemic racism?

Movie with Abe: Parkland Rising

Parkland Rising
Directed by Cheryl Horner
Released June 5, 2020

There are issues that persist in society throughout history, coming into the news loudly at times and then fading from view after a certain amount of time passes. It often takes a personal experience to spur someone who was previously indifferent to action, or to make it so that they cannot turn away and move on once the majority of the public does. There are many things that shape and inspire people in this way, and to those who feel the pain caused by it most, it will always be something that is crucially and vitally important to keep talking about and amplifying.

When a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14th, 2018, killing seventeen people, the lives of those who were there and survived changed forever. Spurred to action, a group of students and grieving parents made it their mission to advocate for gun control and law reform to prevent tragic mass shootings like the one they experienced from happening again. Focused on news conferences and cross-country tours instead of summer camps and college applications, these young activists want to make their voices heard, fighting a culture that they believe values the second amendment rights of gun owners more than the lives of innocent people.

This is one of several documentary projects following the efforts of those from Parkland to create change in the wake of trauma, including “After Parkland.” This film focuses on the continued need for these activists to break down the difference between advocating for common sense gun safety laws and taking away guns from all owners, including some of their own families. Encounters with angry protesters who simply want to silence them are powerful and disturbing, and there is an important message about the prevalence of purposeful disinformation that is created to confuse and delegitimize a cause. It’s astounding to see what people are perfectly willing to do and say even when they know that those actions or opinions can be linked back to them.

This film is making its live streaming premiere tonight before beginning virtual screenings this Friday. It’s a time when school shootings are no longer in the news in large part because schools have mostly been closed as a result of another national crisis. Even more recently, another commonplace occurrence that can be prevented if people want to do the work to combat it has taken on the attention of most – the killing by police of yet another black person – making the timing of this film’s release feel less than immediately relevant. But its strong message of solidarity is one that effectively endures, as evidenced by the comments those speaking most loudly on behalf of these campaigners for change are making now about police brutality in the United States. Understanding the privilege they have and the megaphone they can use, they are choosing this moment to rally around another cause, fully aware that the only way to truly effect change is to fight not just for what feels most personal.

B+

Movie with Abe: Working Man

Working Man
Directed by Robert Jury
Released March 27, 2020

People work for a living, to bring home money to provide for their families and themselves. Many would be happy to spend all their time relaxing if they had sufficient funds to live comfortably and not work regularly. There are those, however, for whom the act of going to work and punching a clock is absolutely crucial to their daily routine and mental stability, and who feel lost when, after many years of steady employment, that’s suddenly no longer there. Even if that comes at a natural point when retirement should occur, life just isn’t the same anymore, and adjustment to a new normal is extremely difficult.

Allery (Peter Gerety) goes in to his last day of work when his factory is closed, staying well past the half day everyone else works so that he can put in his usual hours. The next morning, he gets up, makes his lunch, and walks over to the empty factory, managing to enter the building and return to his station. He repeats this process each day, buying his own supplies to keep the machines and grounds clean, until he is discovered by his former employer. His neighbor and coworker Walter (Billy Brown) sees something in him and sets out to help him continue this off-book activity, much to the chagrin of Allery’s wife, Iola (Talia Shire), who can’t seem to get her husband to communicate what he’s feeling.

This film is about having a sense of purpose, something that extends to most of the residents of the Rust Belt town where Allery lives. Only he acts on it because he’s lost any taste for socializing, saying few words since the tragic death of his adult son. Others notice Allery and wonder whether he’s forgotten that his job no longer exists or that no one’s paying him to be there, failing to see that going to work and doing what he’s always done is what defines him. Walter, a recent transplant to the town where almost everyone has lived their entire lives, sees a dedication he admires in Allery, and Iola just wants her husband to know that they could have the chance to be happy together, if he just expressed that he wanted that.

Gerety is a veteran actor who is known most recently for his television roles in “Sneaky Pete” and “Ray Donovan.” Here, he displays a reserved, solitary attitude, one that comes through most strongly when he’s at work focused on his task, stopping and restarting work precisely on schedule. Brown, a familiar face from “How to Get Away with Murder,” and Shire, the Oscar-nominated star of films like “Rocky” and “The Godfather Part II,” complement his performance nicely as the two people who strive to understand him best. This is a simple, quiet film with an effective original score by David Gonzalez that drives its story. As many find themselves unexpectedly out of work or, at the very least, no longer going into work, this film’s impending DVD release and availability on streaming outlets makes it feel even more relevant and poignant.

B+

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to VOD: Military Wives
New to DVD: Midnight Family, Redemption, Incitement, Wildlife
New to Netflix: Uncut Gems

10 Mesmerizing Musical Scores from the Last 10 Years

Welcome to this week’s Movies With Abe recommendations list! Two weeks ago, I spotlighted 25 Fantastic Foreign Films You Should Watch at Home Now, and last week was 10 Terrific Movies You’ve Never Heard Of (And Where to Stream Them For Free). Now, I’m looking not at films themselves but at their music. Here are some amazing scores that I always remember with a standout sample track embedded from YouTube. Happy listening!

*Note: I was disappointed when making this list to find that my final ten didn’t include any scores by female composers. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Oscar-winning work on “Joker” is a definite runner-up. From before this time range, I’d highly recommend the work of composers such as Rachel Portman (Never Let Me Go, The Duchess) and Anne Dudley (American History X).

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin)

The stunning filmmaker debut from Benh Zeitlin is pure magic, and this score – which he co-wrote with Romer – matches the tone of the film perfectly and serves to really make it what it is. Their work together on Zeitlin’s follow-up film, “Wendy” which was just released this year, is also truly wonderful.

First Man (Justin Hurwitz)

After his film-defining, Oscar-winning work on “La La Land,” Hurwitz reteamed with director Damien Chazelle to travel into space, capturing the unbelievable excitement and monumental impact of the trip.

Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)

Films set in the vastness of outer space are prone to terrific music, and Zimmer’s exceptional work here is one of the best examples. After collaborating previously with Christopher Nolan on films including “Inception,” Zimmer wrote this tremendous score that contrasts formidably with the silence of space to convey its unimaginable scope.

Shame (Harry Escott)

This marvelous score serves as a way of adding drama and anticipation to the antics of its protagonist, whose difficulty containing his sex addiction fuels this entire film. Moments that wouldn’t otherwise carry so much weight are enhanced considerably by this magnificent musical expression of an internal struggle.

Tangerines (Niaz Diasamidze)

It’s very possible that music in foreign language films is harder to identify (though “The Lives of Others,” “A Very Long Engagement,” and “Amelie” immediately come to mind), but I haven’t been able to forget the simple but stirring score since I first heard it, an effective and fitting ode to the conflict that exists within one home in this excellent Estonian film.

Rush (Hans Zimmer)

The only composer on this list twice is here this time for his equally triumphant and muted melody for the thrill that comes from being on the racetrack and the knowledge that there are other things that matter more in life. Marco Beltrami’s terrific theme for “Ford v Ferrari” is also strong, but this one goes a step further to make it a complicated and haunting driving force.

Moonrise Kingdom (Alexandre Desplat)

This is one incredible soundtrack that plays almost entirely throughout the film and directs its buoyant action with its upbeat notes and its self-awareness of its role as orchestrator of events. I’m still bitter that Desplat won his first Oscar for his subsequent collaboration with director Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” making this his only film with Anderson that inexplicably didn’t result in a nomination.

The Congress (Max Richter)

This track immediately conjures up the transformative nature of what this movie entails for its characters (and its narrative), digitizing an imprint of an actress so that her likeness can be used forever without having to worry about age or effort. This soundtrack to an uneven film is still a worthy follow-up to Richter’s masterful work in his first collaborationwith director Ari Folman, “Waltz with Bashir,” and his often-used beautiful “On the Nature of Daylight.”

A Most Violent Year (Alex Ebert)

This powerful anthem conveys some of its film’s grandeur, navigating its main character’s struggle between the allure of wealth and success and the purity of remaining a good businessman. Its starkness matches the effective cinematography and pacing of this underrated film. See also: Ebert’s Golden-Globe winning score from the previous year for “All Is Lost.”

Fast Color (Rob Simonsen)

The most recent entry on this list is a score that works in tandem with visuals to display the awe-inspiring nature of its protagonist’s powers, telling a story with sight and sound that supersedes any dialogue the film has. It’s a wondrous suite that energizes and astounds.

For more movie recommendations, visit MoviesWithAbe.com and subscribe to the movieswithabe YouTube channel.

Movie with Abe: Military Wives

Military Wives
Directed by Peter Cattaneo
Released May 22, 2020

Being in the military is an extraordinary commitment, one that takes people away from their families and sends them into places from which they may not return. Their time serving creates bonds that those who haven’t experienced it can’t possibly understand, and it may transform them in unrecognizable ways, if and when they return home safely. There is also an effect on those who know full well that their loved ones are constantly in harm’s way, and they need a support system both to help them cope with the absence of someone and to give them a community.

Lisa (Sharon Horgan) is the official representative for a group of British wives whose husbands have deployed to Afghanistan, taking over from Kate (Kristin Scott Thomas). Unimpressed by Lisa’s lack of action and belief that socializing will suffice to keep them busy, Kate refuses to give up the spotlight, and encourages them to choose an activity. When the group decides on singing to fill their time, Lisa and Kate clash over leadership, slowly steering a disorganized bunch of occasionally enthusiastic participants from a cringe-worthy chorus to a far more driven and presentable team ready and eager to sing in front of a large audience.

This film is inspired by the true story of the women who actually formed the Military Wives Choirs, and this dramatization does a great job of framing it in a comedic context. Setting it up as a rivalry between Kate’s traditional tendencies and Lisa’s more lackadaisical attitude is a strong recipe for an entertaining ride, one which features some solid singing in a somewhat expected narrative. These characters are effective stand-ins for a variety of audiences who can relate to the experiences and relationships portrayed on screen.

Horgan is an actress best known for her TV work on shows like “Catastrophe,” and here she points on a moderately serious front as Lisa, who would rather let things happen then force them. She’s well-paired with Thomas, a veteran actress known for much more dramatic work but also capable of excellent comedy, as in her Emmy-nominated guest appearance on “Fleabag.” The rest of the ensemble fits in nicely, and director Peter Cattaneo, a filmmaker whose sparse resume includes “The Full Monty,” skillfully guides them to create a product that is enjoyable without being too silly. This is a heartwarming and enjoyable film that feels just right as a tribute to those who remain at home and find unique ways to contribute to morale.

B+

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to VOD: Buffaloed
New to Virtual Cinema: American Trial: The Eric Garner Story
New to DVD: Olympic Dreams, Downhill, Driveways, South Mountain
New to Netflix: United 93, Trumbo, Public Enemies
New to Amazon and Hulu: Rocketman
New to Hulu: Premature
New to Disney Plus: Fantastic Mr. Fox

10 Terrific Movies You’ve Never Heard Of (And Where to Stream Them For Free)

Welcome to this week’s Movies With Abe recommendations list! Last week, I spotlighted 25 Fantastic Foreign Films You Should Watch at Home Now, and now it’s time for a look at ten films I really liked that never took off and that aren’t likely known to you. Best of all, they’re all available for free on select streaming services (as of May 2020). This is a great chance to get to know these superb titles – happy watching!

Forev
This delightful gem features Noël Wells from “Master of None” embarking on a spur-of-the-moment relationship and road trip with her next door neighbor, which is a wild and fully involving ride. Available on Amazon Prime with ads and on Tubi.

Coherence
In the realm of movies that deal with unexplained events and the eerie effects they have on people, this one does a superb job of subtly building suspense and an unnerving sense that reality is not what it seems. Available free on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Vudu, and Crackle.

The City of Your Final Destination
This strong character piece, the most recent directorial effort from Oscar winner James Ivory, is led by Anthony Hopkins and Laura Linney and features a standout turn by Hiroyuki Sanda from “Westworld.” Why it didn’t make a splash is a real mystery and a shame. Available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Crackle.

Ms. Purple
Los Angeles feels like a truly foreign place in the world this movie creates, where its protagonist juggles taking care of her father and working at a karaoke bar. It’s a wondrous and surreal experience featuring fine acting and gorgeous cinematography and music. Available on Hulu.

Night Comes On
Actress Jordana Spiro steps behind the camera to make this intimate and extraordinary portrait of two young girls, one fresh out of prison and the other living in foster care, navigating complicated relationships with the father who killed their mother. Available on Amazon Prime.

Concussion
Not to be confused with the football movie starring Will Smith, this 2013 film finds Robin Weigert as a woman who abandons her comfortable, normal life to become a female prostitute after suffering a blow to the head. It’s a surprising and multi-faceted story that delivers on a premise that could have gone awry. Available on Netflix.

Princess Cyd
This wonderful film features exceptional performances from Jessie Pinnick and Rebecca Spence as a teenager and her aunt, respectively, who spend time living together and learn a lot about themselves in the process. Available on Hulu.

Romantics Anonymous
This unassuming French film is a lovely tale of people who should be together but are plagued by too much anxiety to be able to realize it. The ensemble is great and the film is a real treat. Available on Amazon Prime with ads and on Tubi and Vudu.

First Snow
This was one of the first films I saw during college in New York City with a limited release small enough to have a representative from the film there after the showing to ask my opinion. Guy Pearce and William Fichtner contribute to a nuanced and foreboding tale of destiny. Available on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

Handsome Harry
The cast in this film is simply extraordinary, led by Jamey Sheridan from “Homeland” as a man trying to piece together complex memories from his time as Marine. Steve Buscemi, John Savage, Aidan Quinn, Titus Welliver, and Campbell Scott are all excellent. Available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Vudu.

For more movie recommendations, visit www.MoviesWithAbe.com and subscribe to the movieswithabe YouTube channel.

Movie with Abe: The Social Ones

The Social Ones
Directed by Laura Kosann
Released March 3, 2020

We live in an age of social media. People often learn about major events in the lives of those they know casually by reading about them online, and even close friends or family may end up seeing big news posted before they get a personal phone call or text about it. Online platforms aren’t just for important developments, and, particularly in times of quarantining and isolating at home, users turn to their apps to pass the time. The ritual act of scrolling and liking can become almost robotic, and when you really look at what the content generating so much traffic is, the lack of actual substance is astounding.

Mia (Laura Kosann) and Ava (Danielle Kosann) are sisters who work at the National Influencer magazine, which highlights social media stars with astronomically high follower counts. As they prepare for a major issue that will bring together some of the biggest stars, they assess how to balance their priorities and what it is they want people want to see. As each influencer is profiled, a social media therapist (Stephanie March) helps several of them confront their issues, and one Snapchat star (Colton Ryan) undergoes a crisis of conscience that causes him to revert back to a pre-technology form of existence.

This film is a mockumentary that aims to highlight the ridiculousness of these stand-ins for real-life influencers who, when given the chance to answer questions about what it is that they put out into the world, reveal the absence of any depth or real meaning. There’s also a great deal of humor to be found here, with the failure of internet celebrity to enable people to communicate properly in real life becoming painfully clear when one can only speak one-word answers or deliver a reply that lasts sixty seconds, a length dictated by their typical platform limits. Investigations into troll factories and attempts to unpack what those who live vicariously through their own online personas are amusing and even border on legitimately enlightening.

The best part of this film is that many of its jokes won’t go over as well with a younger audience that, like these onscreen characters, has only ever heard fabled stories of flashcards and floppy disks. The concept of a nostalgia disorder that causes influencers to seek out the last Blockbuster, buy DVD players, or put up band posters from the 1990s will most delight those at the intersection of generations who understand these references and still grasp the current reality of the dominance of social media in everyday life. Mia and Ava, played by real-life sisters and filmmakers Laura and Danielle Kossan, initially seem like stand-ins for the audience profiling the absurdity of all this. As the film progresses, however, it becomes clear that this film’s target audience has in part bought in to this digital culture, though they need to take a step back and roll their eyes at themselves every once in a while, which this film offers a great opportunity to do.

B+

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to VOD: Alice, Blood and Money
New to DVD: Lost Transmissions, The Traitor, The Call of the Wild
New to Netflix: District 9
New to Amazon: Seberg
New to Disney Plus: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

25 Fantastic Foreign Films You Should Watch at Home Now

Movie theaters are closed and people are spending more time in their homes. It’s a perfect time to explore some exceptional recent cinema that is readily available. This list is not for those who fear subtitles, but anyone who embraces the chance to experience the best of what the international film industry has to offer. This is not a comprehensive ranking, merely 25 films that I still remember strongly, all from the past twenty years. There are also a few included already on this list, all from Israel, that shouldn’t be missed. Every one of the films below is available to rent for just a few dollars on Amazon Prime, and most can also be rented on other platforms including YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, and iTunes (as of May 2020). Get ready for some truly quality cinema – click on each film title to read my full review.

In a Better World (Denmark)
This Oscar-winning film from director Susanne Bier explores how two young boys receive values from the very different examples set by their fathers. It’s a stunning, searing portrait of humanity that’s as compelling visually as it is thematically.

Waltz with Bashir (Israel)
This animated documentary film is fascinating in its format alone, but its content is equally astounding, as writer-director Ari Folman probes his own memories of what he saw and did in wartime and hasn’t come to terms with since that time.

Wild Tales (Argentina)
This series of unconnected segments is indeed wild, focusing on people unable to suppress their anger. Each part spotlights uncontrollably volatile individuals losing their patience with the world with such a marvelously precise lens.

The Lives of Others (Germany)
This exceptionally-titled drama centers on a man charged with surveilling others who develops an affinity for those he is watching, gleaning tremendous depth from unspoken moments and creating an entrancing thriller that doesn’t need large-scale action to drive it.

Broken Embraces (Spain)
A number of films from famed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar could have been on this list, including “Volver,” “Julieta,” “The Skin I Live In,” and “Talk to Her.” But this underappreciated wonder deserves special mention for its formidable use of frequent muse Penelope Cruz in a vividly interesting narrative that is gorgeously decorated.

Dogtooth (Greece)
Before he broke through to American audiences with “The Lobster” and “The Favourite,” director Yorgos Lanthimos crafted this mind-bending portrait of parents who deliberately educate their children incorrectly to exert disturbing control over their lives.

Headhunters (Norway)
This comedy-turned-thriller about an unconventional criminal is riveting from start to finish, constantly uncovering a new surprise and keeping its audience in suspense. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from “Game of Thrones” also makes a strong villain.

A Very Long Engagement (France)
This gorgeous follow-up to the equally brilliant “Amélie” from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet stars Audrey Tautou as a woman who refuses to accept that her fiancé has been killed in war. It’s a lovely story enhanced by wondrous visuals and music.

Tangerines (Estonia)
This moving film makes a metaphor literal with a man who takes in two injured men on opposite sides of a war and insists that they cannot kill each other while in his house. It’s a quiet, sincere film anchored by a haunting score.

Of Gods and Men (France)
This profile of monks in Algeria in the 1990s interacting with their surrounding Muslim community and hostile forces unwelcoming to outside religious influence is a powerful look at faith and perseverance grounded in heartfelt performances.

Land of Mine (Denmark)
Another film with a bitingly fitting title, this drama follows German prisoners of war in the aftermath of World War II forced to search Danish beaches for mines planted by their fellow soldiers and serves as a searing and insightful examination of the fragility of life.

The Insult (Lebanon)
This film tackles a clash of cultures between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee and evolves into an indictment of hatred and the way prejudices pull us apart, transforming simple arguments into large-scale rivalries.

My Life as a Zucchini (France)
This seventy-minute stop-motion animated film is not for children but about children, setting itself in an orphanage and confronting issues such as abuse and negligence. It’s not for the easily unsettled, but it’s a formidable and mesmerizing approach to a difficult concept.

A Separation (Iran)
Best described as a gripping non-thriller, this film opens with a woman seeking a divorce in Iran but turns into so much more than that, honing in on a culture that doesn’t value equality and civil rights with complex characters and astounding performances.

After the Wedding (Denmark)
Recently remade in the United States with Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams starring, this far superior original features a devastating revelation that forces a man to confront what matters in his life and his responsibilities to those he doesn’t know.

Micmacs (France)
From director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose “A Very Long Engagement” appears earlier on this list, comes a film that abandons just one star to feature a fabulous ensemble of people having fun working to take down those who have mistreated others, decorated as usual with eye-popping colors and lavish visuals.

In Between (Israel)
This stylish film about three young Palestinian women insightfully navigates the complex differences that exist between them and in their society, fashioning strong characters in an involving and meaningful story.

A Christmas Tale (France)
This creative and delightful film defines the buoyant nature of French cinema with a superb cast including Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Devos, and Mathieu Amalric and a fanciful framing that makes its story inherently more fascinating than it might otherwise be.

Burning (South Korea)
One year before “Parasite” became the first foreign to win Best Picture – and to represent South Korea at the Oscars – this quiet, haunting film also looked at the secret lives people don’t display to others, presenting a mystery man whose seemingly devious actions are shrouded in intrigue.

Tell No One (France)
Conspiracy thrillers may be commonplace these days, but this sleek film has exactly the right pace to keep its audience fixated on the plot and all of its twists and turns as it slowly unravels and transforms into something unexpected.

The Secret in their Eyes (Argentina)
This contemplative film is one that makes excellent use of multiple time periods to weave its narrative together, presenting clues and crucial events at different moments to underscore their importance and meaning.

A Prophet (France)
Prison is a familiar setting for films, and this affecting drama probes the way in which those with limited criminal history or inclinations become criminals as a result of their incarceration, touching on cultural identity and the naivety of youth along the way.

The White Ribbon (Germany)
This unsettling picture of a rural village on the eve of World War I investigates the reason people are suspicious of each other and the impulses towards evil some feel, presented in stark black-and-white to emphasize its disturbing nature.

City of God (Brazil)
The original foreign film that broke through at the Oscars back in 2002 is a dazzling, sun-kissed glorification of the slums of Rio and the conflicts that emerge between achieving power and garnering true satisfaction.

Blue is the Warmest Color (France)
This three-hour NC-17 drama courted controversy for its excessive sex scenes, but there’s so much more to this passionate breakdown of an intimate relationship that portrays the power of attraction and the allure of the unknown.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy these films! For more recommendations and reviews, visit MoviesWithAbe.com.

Movie with Abe: Blood and Money

Blood and Money
Directed by John Barr
Released May 15, 2020

Many people start to panic when they realize they’re trapped somewhere in a place that feels too constricting and claustrophobic, and that there may be no way to escape. The opposite can also be true – that when such a vast, open space exists that makes determining where it ends and something else begins almost impossible, someone can be overwhelmed and become distraught about the possibility of surviving. Insert villainous elements and the allure of claiming a large cash prize into a place with few places to hide, and anyone involved is bound to be in for a tense experience.

Jim (Tom Berenger) is a retired veteran living in North Maine who has his routine. He frequents the same restaurant and talks to the same waitress, and spends a good deal of his time hunting. One day, his uneventful life gets a whole lot more interesting when he comes across a wounded woman next to a large amount of money. After she dies, he learns that a recent robbery nearby went awry, and that her accomplices are likely still out there and looking for what he’s taken from their hiding place. Facing his own deteriorating health, Jim must stay one step ahead of the criminals who will stop at nothing to get their money.

This film’s title itemizes the things that transform its protagonist’s tranquil existence into a fight for survival. Jim is presented as someone who has mastered the art of keeping to himself, not necessarily antisocial but having been through enough to decide how he wants to spend his time. His relationship with the only people he cares about – his family – isn’t exactly warm, and he lives in an area where, as the opening cards note, there are no towns or paved roads. Living an anonymous life presents its advantages, but also means that, if there are people after him, he has no one on his side but himself.

Berenger is an actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in “Platoon” and his Emmy-winning turn in the miniseries “Hatfields and McCoys.” This is a very solitary performance, one that mostly finds him traipsing through the snowy woods and squinting into the whiteness as he searches the landscape for his pursuers or takes aim with a gun. It’s an effective portrayal given what the role demands, and this film delivers on its premise, following a lonely man on a dangerous journey with the potential to either transform his legacy or end his life.

B-

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to VOD: Mother’s Little Helpers, Driveways, Valley Girl, Hope Gap, How to Build a Girl, Arkansas, Clementine

New to DVD: The Jesus Rolls, Greed