AFI Fest Spotlight: I'm Your Woman
I covered AFI Fest's Opening Night film “I'm Your Woman,” starring Rachel Brosnahan, for The Film Experience. Head over there to read my review.
Monday, October 19, 2020
I covered AFI Fest's Opening Night film “I'm Your Woman,” starring Rachel Brosnahan, for The Film Experience. Head over there to read my review.
AFI Fest Spotlight: 76 Days
76 Days
Directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous
Festival Information
The entire world has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. There are still many questions about how the virus can be spread and how it affects different people. What many do know, however, is that the virus originated in Wuhan, China. The city, which underwent a 76-day lockdown beginning in January, has been widely vilified as the cause of the international pandemic. This documentary offers a vivid and unflinching look at what it actually meant for a local hospital to deal with an outbreak of this scale.
There is no narration to introduce this film, which opens as nurses covered completely in protective gear struggle to manage the influx of new patients in the hospital. There are multiple moments when they go to open the door to the outside, where crowds have gathered, ready to push their way in, unhappy to wait for bureaucracy to allow them to be treated. From the other side, nurses plead with their future patients to understand how overrun they are and promise that they will in time admit everyone. There are few breaks for any of the staff, and they take on an extraordinary responsibility in caring for those unable to have any family members or loved ones by their side.
The mere fact that this film exists is incredible, and many viewers will surely wonder how it could have been filmed in a Communist country like China. Those questions are never addressed in a film that is fully free of any commentary or analysis and instead brings its audience fully into an impressively organized operation. The hospital staff is well-prepared for something they’ve never had to encounter before, and it’s affecting to see how they go beyond what might be expected of them, keeping phones and other personal items in clearly-labeled bags in the hopes that they might be able to return them to next of kin once the outbreak subsides. This response feels distinctly human even though we see so little of each person featured because of just how much protective equipment covers their bodies.
Spending time with sick patients in a hospital might be too much for some audiences right now, which is understandable. This film’s title covers the period of Wuhan’s lockdown, the end of which indicates that the city made it out of its worst period. Seeing the dedication and resilience with which these people care for their patients, including one particularly argumentative grandfather not content to sit by himself in his room, is inspiring, and helps to make this global crisis feel universal. To see the way medical professionals give so much of themselves when they’re already asked to do an extraordinary amount of extra work is affirming, and the kind of positivity that I would imagine is needed by so many right now.
B+
AFI Fest Spotlight: Really Love
Really Love
Directed by Angel Kristi Williams
Festival Information
There are moments when people come into each other’s lives that can be extraordinarily influential and enduring. A chance meeting may occur when those involved are least expecting it, and when other factors in their lives leave them either open or closed to the idea of beginning a relationship. The mystery and excitement that comes at the start of a romance may not last, especially if what either party is sharing with the other isn’t actually their authentic self. The gradual fade of that façade can prove destructive to a relationship in its infancy.
Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe) is an up-and-coming painter eager to capture success, and a conversation at a friend’s show with a gallery manager (Uzo Aduba) gives him hope that it may soon happen for him. His attention is not fully on his work as he also can’t stop thinking about Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing), a law student who he meets first at a showing and then again through friends. Their chemistry is obvious, and they begin spending a great deal of time together. As Stevie pursues her career aspirations, Isaiah’s mind returns to his work, demonstrating to Stevie that she may never be his first priority.
This film presents its central romance in an unassuming way, with Isaiah spotting Stevie from across the room and chatting her up without much expectation of anything more to come from it. When they meet again, it’s as if they’re old friends who have another chance to see each other, picking up from the brief introductions to move towards something concrete. Isaiah is a passionate person, and he conveys much of that energy towards Stevie, who is considerably less abstract about the way that she approaches the work she does and the way she lives her life. Those worldviews may indeed be incompatible, but it doesn’t change the strength of the emotions they feel for each other.
This film feels most emphatic because of its two leads. Siriboe’s energy makes Isaiah come alive, transmitting the creativity he expresses through his paintings to the way that he interacts with others, particularly the woman he sets his sights on at the gallery. Wong-Loi-Sing gives Stevie confidence and an appropriate sense of trepidation to tackle the world with caution, with her barriers down just enough to let someone else in. They anchor the feature directorial debut from Angel Kristi Williams that feels like a truthful and rightfully complicated portrait of how deep feelings truly manifest even when not everything is perfectly aligned.
B+
Sunday, October 18, 2020
NewFest Spotlight: Cowboys
I wrote about the film “Cowboys,” starring Steve Zahn, for The Film Experience. Head over there to read my review.
NewFest Spotlight: White Lie
White Lie
Directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas
Ticket Information
It’s easy to get caught up in the fallout that comes from one simple untruth. Saying or asserting something that isn’t quite correct is often done without much forethought, and certainly without a plan for the implications that it might have should it be taken as more impactful or serious than it was intended to be. Keeping up appearances and maintaining a misperception can be complicated, and a mistake along the way is entirely possible. There comes a point at which going back can no longer be done, and trying to turn something that was never real into history is an arduous and usually insurmountable task.
Katie (Kacey Rohl) is a star at her college, known as a sympathetic student standing up to cancer. She has a great relationship with her girlfriend Jennifer (Amber Anderson), and is warmly accepted by Jennifer’s family. But when Katie needs to come up with medical forms to document her illness for a grant, her confidence begins to falter since she isn’t actually sick. Going to her estranged father (Martin Donovan) for money to pay off an unscrupulous doctor proves to be a grave mistake, as he sees right through her, intent on exposing her façade. Katie scrambles to forge the paperwork she needs before her entire life comes crumbling down around her.
The festival’s description of this film as a “heart-racing lesbian character-study-turned-thriller” piqued my interest and motivated me to watch it. Interestingly, Katie’s identity as a lesbian is the most authentic and unfabricated thing about her. She faces no adversity during the film as a result of her sexual orientation, and Jennifer is entirely supportive of her at every turn. Katie has gotten herself in over her head in large part because she didn’t trust the right people, and therefore she can’t possibly depend on someone who doesn’t actually understand who she is.
It’s precisely that sense of panic and the dread that comes with realizing that she never thought the truth could come out that keeps this film going. Rohl captures her frantic sensibility, keeping herself focused enough not to do anything especially stupid but too committed to the lie to see a way out. Anderson is a great foil, someone who has such passion for her partner that audiences know will eventually erode once she even begins to doubt the veracity of one of the keystone points of their relationship. This film never quite reaches the point of truly becoming a thriller, but it should keep viewers on the edge of their seats, conflicted about whether to root for a protagonist who has dug her own grave.
B+
NewFest Spotlight: Welcome to the USA
Welcome to the USA
Directed by Assel Aushakimova
Ticket Information
Leaving one’s home for a place that is allegedly better is not an easy process. There is no guarantee that things will indeed be quite as formidable as they have been made out to be, and moving also means a departure from what is normal and familiar. Even if what has become standard is painful and problematic, there are still elements that will be absent from a person’s new life and which, no matter how hard they try, they may never be able to get back. Taking that step assumes a risk that the end will not necessarily be worth the means.
Aliya (Saltanat Nauruz) is elated to discover that she has won the Green Card lottery and the chance to move to the fabled United States of America. As a lesbian who is not religious, Aliya must keep much of her lifestyle in Kazakhstan a secret. Yet as she prepares for her likely departure, she realizes that she enjoys a relatively comfortable existence filled with great friends and numerous romantic partners. She also examines her fortunes in comparison to those of her sister, whose husband has found a second wife and fails to recognize – or care about – the impact it has had on her feelings of self-worth and happiness.
Opening with this film with Aliya receiving her good news is an interesting narrative choice, one that finds her struggling to verbalize the life-changing information she has learned to anyone close to her and contemplating whether it’s a step she should really take. As she hears radio pronouncements of the glory of the communist Kazakh president and digests her brother-in-law’s opinion of her as parroted by her niece, Aliya sees the appeal of living in a free country. But she realizes that starting over won’t help to fix her own commitment issues, and that she will be leaving behind people that she loves and who she may need just as much as they need her.
Nauruz seems very comfortable in Aliya’s skin, expressing herself through simple pleasures in her own home or smoking in public. She understands how she must live her life but also refuses to conform to what is expected of her, even by her mother or her sister. This feature film debut from writer-director Assel Aushakimova is a sensitive, engrossing drama that engages with complex concepts and the contradictory elements of the life she leads and the one she might soon have. It feels honest and enlivening at the same time, a narrow window into a foreign country where America truly is a dream may will likely never see.
B+
Saturday, October 17, 2020
NewFest Spotlight: Forgotten Roads
Forgotten Roads
Directed by Nicol Ruiz Benavides
Ticket Information
It’s rare to find a film with an older woman as its protagonist, and it’s even rarer that the story centered around her won’t depend on a younger character and her relationship with them. The notion that a senior citizen could be appealing enough to audiences to anchor a film isn’t widely accepted, and therefore it’s particularly refreshing to find the instances where that’s precisely the case. Unsurprisingly, these atypical projects are especially interesting since they spotlight a segment of the population that is often written off by many as less relevant than younger generations.
Claudina (Rosa Ramirez) is a seventy-year-old woman in Chile who moves from the countryside following the death of her husband to move in with her daughter, Alejandra (Gabriela Arancibia). The rapport she has with Alejandra is less than warm, though she loves seeing her grandson Cristóbal (Cristóbal Ruiz). Her lackluster outlook on life changes when she meets her new neighbor Elsa (Romana Satt). Despite the fact that Elsa is married, the two begin a romantic relationship that makes Claudina feel truly alive. Their romance blossoms in a quiet town that tends toward the traditional aside from its intense preoccupation with UFO sightings.
This film is quite slow despite its brief seventy-one-minute runtime, in no hurry to have Claudina find herself as she adjusts to a new living experience and life without a partner. But it comes alive as Claudina rediscovers the passion that she has not felt for a long time, something that Elsa triggers for her and feeds into with her recognition of Claudina for the person that she is. Since the town is small and hardly anonymous, Claudina’s actions, however private they may seem, are not guaranteed to stay that way, presenting yet another obstacle to her happiness since her daughter does not want to feel judged for the choices Claudina makes for her own life.
Ramirez and Satt deliver tender performances that help to give this film its poignant and accessible feel. The incorporation of the town-wide obsession with extraterrestrial life serves as an odd addition, though the frequent flashes of light that come at unexpected moments each night serve as an opportunity for Claudina to reexamine her reality, suddenly illuminated when she isn’t expecting it and ready to return to normal almost right away with no definitive proof of what may have transpired. This film feels a bit like an extended version of that dreamlike state, an imagined existence for Claudina that has the chance to become real so long after she had ever hoped to forge her own path in life. It’s not always riveting, but it is a decent and worthwhile story.
B
NewFest Spotlight: Cicada
Cicada
Directed by Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare
Ticket Information
A theme that’s been explored in a number of many NewFest selections is the disparate experiences of people involved in romantic relationships regarding the public perception of their sexuality. If one person has come out to family or friends, they may be less reticent to appear intimate while others are around, whereas someone who has not yet done that may be particularly secretive or careful so that there is no risk of anyone finding out before they are comfortable sharing that with others. There is much that goes into the decision to share a personal part of a person’s identity with those closest to them, and such a monumental move shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Ben (Matthew Fifer) is a bisexual man living in New York City. He navigates hookups and relationships during the hot summer, connecting occasionally in a meaningful way with the many people he meets. Things are different when Sam (Sheldon D. Brown) comes along. He is still finding himself and dealing with deep scars from his past and present that involve his sexuality and the color of his skin. Ben falls for him but finds a barrier in their relationship as Sam processes what he needs and feels in a way that Ben can never really understand.
This film is a contemplative, quiet exploration of intimacy. Ben in particular almost fades into the background in every room that he is in, indicating enthusiasm for his company but not matching that with actual energy. Sam, in stark contrast, is much more vibrant and buoyant, but that inviting exterior masks a pain protected by walls that Sam is not eager to let down, even when Ben wants to be let in to truly know his partner. Their shared experiences are limited, and the ways in which their paths diverge make their outlooks on the world and the possibilities it offers distinctly incongruent.
This film is a personal project based on the lives of both Fifer and Brown, which adds a level of involvement and investment that shows through in their heartfelt and authentic performances. There is no showboating for the camera or over-dramatization of scenes or moments, and instead this film feels like a series of conversations in which the audience is merely present rather than watching. A supporting turn from Cobie Smulders as a wholly inappropriate therapist give this film a dark comic edge also felt in some of its lighter and more awkward moments. Ultimately, however, this is a drama about two people trying to forge a connection who may just not be fated to be together the passion they feel for each other.
B+
Movie with Abe: Lupin III: The First
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Released October 18, 2020 (Fathom Events and Theaters)
The notion of a “gentleman thief” is an interesting contradiction, one that implies that breaking the law is acceptable and maybe even charming if done with the proper degree of politeness and style. The image of a criminal is typically less refined and sophisticated, and those who make a name for themselves by choosing to steal can be seen as almost intellectual in their pursuits. That’s certainly the case for Lupin III, a character created in 1967 by the Japanese artist Monkey Punch, who returns for his latest adventure, presented for the first time in CGI.
In the 1960s, Lupin shows up at an auction to extract the Bresson Diary, a book sought by many parties, including his casual nemesis Fujiko and a young woman named Laetitia, who is working to make her grandfather happy. On the run from Inspector Zenigata, who is always eager to arrest him, Lupin finds himself teaming up with those he never expected to so that he can stop the efforts of Nazis seeking to establish permanent dominance over the rest of the world.
This character originally appeared in a manga series and has been adapted many times, including by the Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki. He’s best described as a cocky, enthusiastic troublemaker who is only slightly less concerned with getting the credit than he is having a good time pulling each of his daring escapades off. This film is described as a standalone installment, and this reviewer, who hadn’t encountered Lupin in any form before, didn’t feel especially lost, meeting the protagonist as if this had been his first appearance on screen.
This film’s particular focus makes it feel like Indiana Jones mixed with “Up,” featuring villains who wouldn’t even pretend that their intentions are anything but evil and heroes that rarely follow even law and rule in their pursuit of whatever looks like justice. This film certainly isn’t made for children, even if its content is presented in a format that makes the nefarious aims of its bad guys feel less serious and world-ending than they actually are. The animation is visually striking and the action sequences are vivid and engaging. This film, which comes to the United States from distributor GKIDS and begins its theatrical run with a two-night Fathom Events premiere, is an enthralling immersion in a world that’s often predictable and expected but still serves as superb entertainment.
B+
Friday, October 16, 2020
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 Theaters and VOD: S#!&house
New to Theaters and Virtual Cinema: Martin Eden
New to Theaters: Honest Thief
New to Netflix: The Trial of the Chicago 7
New to Hulu: The Painted Bird
NewFest Spotlight: Three Very Jewish Movies
I’m delighted to be covering a number of selections from the 32nd Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, NewFest. The festival runs October 16th-27th, 2020, and films are available to watch anywhere in the United States during that time.
Many of the films at NewFest highlight minority groups other than the LGBTQ+ community, which offer informative portraits about diverse experiences. As a Jewish film critic, I’m always on the lookout for projects that feature Jewish characters that are more than just broad stereotypes and invoke casual knowledge that isn’t entirely accurate. I was pleased therefore to find three films at this year’s festival that all feature a Hebrew word in their titles and coincidentally all deal with rituals related to death. Each is intriguing and bizarre in its own way, but it felt appropriate to tackle them together.
“Minyan” is set in 1980s Brooklyn and follows David (Samuel H. Levine), an unenthusiastic yeshiva student who agrees to be one of the ten men for a minyan so that his grandfather (Ron Rifkin) can move into a prime apartment that has just become available. His grandfather is aware of his lack of passion for religion, and David has a completely separately existence from the one dominated by his Russian parents when he goes to bars and parties to meet men, including a bartender (Alex Hurt).
“Shiva Baby” finds Danielle (also Sennott) attending a shiva with her parents (Polly Draper and Fred Melamed) and unexpectedly running into the sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) she just slept with that morning, who is both married and has a baby. As she fends off comments about her weight and her career from other shiva attendees and runs into her high school girlfriend (Molly Gordon), Danielle quickly starts to panic as two distinctly separate parts of her life collide in an irreversible way.
“Tahara” and “Shiva Baby,” on the other hand, both run closer to eighty minutes, remaining in or right outside one building for the entire time. “Tahara” makes use of social media imagery, Claymation, and subtitles during silent conversations conducted only with expressions and head movements to enliven Hannah’s droning experience and Carrie’s unexpected awakening. “Shiva Baby” has a score that sounds most like a horror movie, bringing to life Danielle’s sense of being trapped in an inescapable situation between the bagels and being outed as someone’s mistress. Both are creative in their approaches to stories that feel far more vivid and engaging because audiences are stuck in this synagogue and shiva house with these characters.
None of these films are particularly recommended for viewing by the whole family (or in a synagogue), due mainly to explicit content expressed both visually and in language. Part of the purpose of NewFest is to give voice to diverse storytellers and normalize their experiences, and their representation in film to make them less objectionable or startling. As a film, “Minyan” is probably the most standard of these three, while “Tahara” and “Shiva Baby” are decidedly more experimental and strange. They each offer something interesting and deserve to be seen, likely by an audience completely unprepared for what to expect.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Movie with Abe: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Directed by Aaron Sorkin
Released October 16, 2020 (Netflix)
History has a lot to tell us about the present. Examining documented events through a new lens can be both informative and disturbing, since in many cases what may have been perceived as a corrected facet of society reveals itself to be very much still existent. Injustice in criminal courts and discrimination in the justice system remain rampant today as they were in the era of segregation, and political parties remain committed to achieving their agendas regardless of who might be marginalized along the way. This dramatization of an infamous trial from the late 1960s feels extraordinarily relevant in this moment.
Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is brought in by U.S. Attorney Tom Foran (J.C. MacKenzie) to try eight defendants accused of conspiracy and starting riots in Chicago in the summer of 1968. Among them, Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) are Yippies, and their countercultural conduct stands in opposition to the more polished appearances of intellectual Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) and suit-wearing pacifist David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch). Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), the co-founder of the Black Panther Party, is looped in with the rest despite a short visit to Chicago and the absence of his lawyer, who requires emergency surgery. As their attorneys William Kunstler (Mark Rylance) and Leonard Weinglass (Ben Shenkman) try the case, the disdain for all the defendants and their lawyers is continuously clear from the haughty and unforgiving Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella).
This is a relatively well-known chapter of American history that was dramatized in “Chicago 10,” an animated documentary from 2008 that includes the lawyers in its count as part of the activist team. This film, in different iterations, has been in development since that time, and its manifestation in this form was well worth the wait. Writer-director Aaron Sorkin makes excellent use of his patented fast-talking scripts to convey a wealth of information in a tremendously engaging format. Historical analysis indicates that certain characters and events have been questionably altered for dramatic purposes, though those changes don’t make it a weaker film in its own right. Flashbacks used to reveal the activities of this group are neatly folded into this film’s rhythm, thoroughly involving for the entirety of its 129-minute runtime, which could have been much longer and still been riveting.
A film like this offers a tremendous opportunity for talent, and none of the actors disappoint. It’s actually difficult to pinpoint a standout since even the more minor players that appear on screen for only a scene or two are terrific. Sacha Baron Cohen is particularly formidable as defendant Hoffman, just as skilled as this film in balancing entertaining humor and moving drama. Abdul-Mateen and Redmayne offer powerful pictures of resistance and values, while Langella conveys Judge Hoffman’s despicable nature without making him seem cartoonish. This film will be seen by most audiences at home on Netflix, and despite the fact that it can be paused, it’s unlikely that anyone will choose to look away when this film’s content and presentation are equally captivating.
A-
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Movie with Abe: S#!&house
Directed by Cooper Raiff
Released October 16, 2020 (VOD and Theaters)
College presents a chance for many to reinvent themselves and forge a new identity free from high school cliques and remembered behavior from many years earlier. Popularity isn’t nearly as key since students come from different places and can share with others selected pieces of their histories and personalities. It is not, however, a universally positive experience, since some miss the comforts of being at home and with family, finding little company in a strange place and a lack of stable activity that require specific buy-in. For those people, college is still memorable, but it may be seen as more of a challenge than an opportunity.
Alex (Cooper Raiff) is a freshman who has very little in common with his roommate Sam (Logan Miller). Attending a party at the notorious Shithouse ends up making him feel even more isolated and alone. His perspective changes completely when he’s given the opportunity to spend time with Maggie (Dylan Gelula), his RA who is bored and just wants a companion for the night. The next morning, Alex has to confront the vast difference between his expectations for what that means for their day-to-day relationship and the reality of what Maggie wants.
This film is an entertaining presentation of the college experience, the one that pertains to those trying to fit in at the party rather than throw it. It’s not as if Alex puts in much effort, but his dejected attitude makes what he does do all the more refreshing and entertaining. His humorous response to Maggie’s less-than-subtle advances emphasizes the fact that things are indeed done differently in college, which gives him every right to call her out for not knowing his name as it gives her to choose to spend her time however she desires. It won’t be relatable for all, but there’s fantastic truth present in Alex as a typically awkward freshman desperate to find his place but not willing to do much to make it happen.
This film represents an astounding debut for Raiff both in front of and behind the camera. I had the chance to chat with Raiff about shooting the film that would then become this one with the help of Jay Duplass and why he had to go with this title. You can watch that conversation below. This film was supposed to premiere at SXSW back in March, and it managed to win a grand jury prize even after the festival was cancelled. Now, months later, premiering during quarantine may make its already appealing and clever plot feel even more entertaining and wonderful.
B+
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Movie with Abe: Honest Thief
Directed by Mark Williams
Released October 16, 2020 (Theaters)
There are actors who are cast in a number of similar roles and, at a point, audiences come to expect that they will see them that way. Part of that has to do with being typecast and offered certain parts, but actors do feed into the idea by delivering a consistent and, to a degree, predictable portrayal. Liam Neeson is one such performer, who has become a dependable action star since anchoring the first “Taken” film in 2009. The words “Liam Neeson thriller” are a likely draw for a particular audience, and they know exactly what’s in store based on that description.
Tom (Liam Neeson) moves to Boston and meets Annie (Kate Walsh), who works at the storage facility where he rents a unit. After falling for her, Tom decides that he must confess that he is the In-and-Out Bandit, a bank robber who has never been caught, and turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence. Unfortunately for him, the agents who arrive, Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos), decide to steal the money and try to silence him. Determined to protect Annie and make the agents pay for their betrayal, Tom sets out to exact revenge while a good-natured agent, Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan), continues investigating the case.
It’s obvious why Neeson was chosen for this part, and Tom seems to possess the same kind of training that previous characters of Neeson’s have, even if that’s not part of his backstory. Tom’s hand-to-hand combat skills can be explained by his military background, but his assertion that he hasn’t spent any of the millions he stole doesn’t track with his ability to easily afford getaway vehicles and countless technical materials. The film’s plot holes aren’t overly problematic because this is actually a relatively simplistic film that posits that Tom is not a bad guy and just wants to take responsibility for his actions for the sake of love.
This film smartly doesn’t try to make itself much grander than what it wants to be, opting not for excessive stunts or conspiracy theories and instead spotlighting people who are motivated by clear desires. Nivens and Hall are eager to get rich regardless of who gets hurts – even if there is disagreement between the two about how far they’ll go – while Meyers is a straight arrow without much enthusiasm. Thanks to Walsh, Annie is fiery and memorable, eager to be relevant to the story, and Neeson is doing exactly what he’s paid to do, play a version of his cinematic persona who feels real enough since we’ve met him so many times before. This film is throwaway entertainment, but still manages to be watchable and relatively enthralling.
C+
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Movie with Abe: Martin Eden
Directed by Pietro Marcello
Released October 16, 2020 (Virtual Cinemas and Theaters)
There is a humility that often comes with anonymity, a version of impostor syndrome that exists when someone has yet to receive affirmation that the work they are doing is indeed valid or good. A person striving for success is likely to be genuine and honest in that pursuit because they want to prove themselves to be capable of being recognized as intelligent or extraordinary. If that time does come, a person’s level of modesty is put to the test since acclaim and respect can also give way to a loss of values and an erasure of what life was like before anyone knew their name.
Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli) is an affable aspiring writer who, through an act of selfless support for a man in distress, meets the wealthy and educated Elena (Jessica Cressy). She takes a liking to him and helps him to learn the basics of grammar so that his work, which is continually rejected by publishers, can be truly great. Martin’s fortunes force him to take odd jobs to support himself as he continues to write and improve. As his work begins to be embraced, Martin is swayed by new attitudes and unexpected political passions that cause his worldview and interaction with the people in it to be irreversibly altered.
This Italian film is actually adapted from the 1909 novel of the same name by Jack London, transposed from its American location to the European country across the ocean. Its setting adds considerably to the story, which finds Martin walking alongside the water, through piazzas, and towards elegance he hasn’t encountered before throughout the film. It has a vivid and authentic look that helps to keep attention on its protagonist and his pursuits through the world, encountering inspiration along the way that shapes both what he does and what he writes. Billed as a “sweeping romantic epic,” this film does feel like a journey of self-exploration and growth for its title character.
Marinelli was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival last year, a worthwhile honor that recognizes a committed turn that shows Martin’s progression from eager student to disgruntled revolutionary. This marks only the second narrative feature from director Pietro Marcello, an established Italian documentarian who handles these characters and their stories sensitively and strongly. This film runs just over two hours and covers a good deal of material in that time, immersing viewers in a visually appealing and thoroughly-composed biography of a fictional man representative of many from any given place or time.
B+
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Movie with Abe: Driving While Black
Directed by Gretchen Sorin and Ric Burns
Released October 13 (PBS)
I remember when, during college, I first heard the term “driving while black,” used jokingly by a white friend from North Carolina in reference to the experience of her Black friend from home. Because of the color of my skin, I cannot possibly ever understand the notion of being at risk of profiling by police and being pulled over simply due to my appearance. A news clip from decades ago featured in this film finds a reporter explaining that viewers have heard of “driving under the influence” but not this other cause for a stop, one that unfortunately happens all the time and is now, fortunately, been talked about and exposed more openly.
This documentary traces the history of Black people in America and the way in which they were consistently discriminated against in one form or another since their arrival as prisoners and forced laborers on slave ships. The history of the end of slavery and the transition into segregation is covered, as well as the emergence of a police force based on an existing system of slavecatchers. The mobility of Black people is central to the film’s timeline, from sundown towns to the Green Book to migrations north that consistently demonstrate an inequality that today manifests itself most violently and visibly in discrimination and police brutality.
This film’s title refers to the broader notion of what it has been like to drive while Black rather than the still-existent phenomenon of Black drivers being pulled over without legitimate cause and facing potentially dire consequences for minor infractions, which is conveyed mostly through graphic footage of traffic stops within only the film’s final twenty minutes. Instead, its roots in a system of white supremacy become clear as the disparity between the experiences of white and Black people moving throughout the United States at any point in history is explored.
This documentary offers incredible insight and little positivity since it shows just how short a distance this country has come from its inception to its current state, where reforms and efforts at equality have simply resulted in a new incarnation of the same despicable behavior. Assembled together in this manner, it seems hard to imagine anyone watching and not gaining a greater understanding of how this issue has been pervasive and how difficult it would be to fully dismantle. It may be unpleasant, but this film should be essential viewing for anyone learning about the history of a country that has yet to acknowledge quite how much work there is left to do.
B+
Friday, October 9, 2020
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 Theaters: A Rainy Day in New York
New to VOD: Save Yourselves, Ms. White Light
New to DVD: Valley Girl, I Used to Go Here
New to Netflix: The 40-Year-Old Version
New to HBO Max: Charm City Kings
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Movie with Abe: A Rainy Day in New York
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Movie with Abe: Charm City Kings
Charm City Kings
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto
Released October 8, 2020 (HBO Max)
There are certain status symbols that can come to define a culture. Children grow up seeing those they envy carrying themselves in a particular way and spending their time devoted to attaining what matters most. They likely will not understand what it means to actually have it, and a pursuit of what they believe counts as success may bring with it additional consequences and result in the sidelining of other equally important efforts. Being told that what role models or celebrities have isn’t worth the trouble rarely produces effective results, and often leads only to a greater desire for it.
Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) is fourteen years old and mourning the death of his all-star brother Stro, who rode with the Midnight Clique, a local group of dirt-bike enthusiasts in Baltimore. He dreams about the future with his friends Lamont (Donielle T. Hansley Jr.) and Sweartagawd (Kezii Curtis), and sets his sights on a new arrival to the neighborhood, Nicki (Chandler DuPont). His mother (Teyonah Parris) is determined to subvert his interest in riding, as is Detective Rivers (William Catlett), who serves as a mentor of sorts to Mouse. When he meets one of his idols, the recently-paroled Blax (Meek Mill), Mouse is enthralled by the idea of working on bikes and in time earning his own, knowing full well the dangers of the world in which he wants to live.
This film is an immersive, beautiful portrait of Baltimore and a community where the vehicle you ride and the energy with which you ride it means everything to its members. Mouse watches videos of his brother not just to remember him but also to idolize his moves, hoping one day to be like him while his mother desperately works, in the limited time she has to spend with Mouse and his younger sister, to deter him from going down the same path. All of the teenage and adult characters here are magnificently complex, far more than stand-ins for law and criminality. Blax in particular insists on hard work and commitment from his new protégé and tries hard to protect him from the elements he knows may truly get Mouse into trouble.
I had the incredible opportunity to speak with director Angel Manuel Soto and star Jahi Di’Allo Winston earlier this week, and you can watch each of the two five-minute conversations below this post. Launching at the Sundance Film Festival in January ahead of a planned April theatrical release from Sony Pictures Classics turned into a reimagined premiere on HBO Max this Thursday, which both Soto and Winston see as a chance for people to see the film and for it to reach those in places like Puerto Rico and Baltimore. This film is marvelously shot with rich, intimate performances, and it presents a story that is genuine and heartfelt. Though it might be even more powerful and resounding if seen in a theater, its availability to watch at home still offers a rewarding experience brimming with talent on the screen and behind it.
B+
Friday, October 2, 2020
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 Virtual Cinemas: The Keeper
New to VOD: Eternal Beauty
New to DVD: Desert One, The Bay of Silence
New to Netflix: Fargo, Gran Torino, Her, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Stranger than Fiction
New to Amazon: The Glorias, The Departed, The Pianist
New to Amazon and Hulu: Joe, Mud, Raging Bull
New to Hulu: A Beautiful Mind, Judy and Punch
New to Showtime: Kingdom of Silence
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