Tribeca with Abe: Ultrasound

For my final Tribeca coverage, I got to interview actresses Breeda Wool and Chelsea Lopez and director Rob Schroeder about their film “Ultrasound,” for Cinema Daily US. Watch the conversation below!

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: F9: The Fast Saga, Werewolves Within, I Carry You With Me
New to DVD: The Man Who Sold His Skin, Nobody, Georgetown
Israel Film Center Festival: Asia, Here We Are, Honeymood, Kiss Me Kosher, Sublet

Israel Film Center Festival Spotlight: Here We Are

Here We Are
Directed by Nir Bergman
Screening Information

Not every person faces the world with the same skillsets and abilities. There is an array of social prowess that ranges widely from those who thrive in public settings to those who retreat back within themselves when they are surrounded by even one unfamiliar face. There are different ways that people can cope with social anxiety, and in some cases, it may not be possible to do much other than to try to avoid such situations. Having someone who understands those cues and can help set a friend or loved one up for success can be critical, though they sometimes may overshadow the potential for growth or development that could be better fostered away from their watchful eye.

Aharon (Shai Avivi) is a father devoted exclusively to his autistic son Uri (Noam Imber). His careful routine and knowledge of what causes Uri stress has enabled them to craft a working dynamic, one that involves great effort on Aharon’s part but also satisfaction because he knows that Uri can function within it. When Uri’s mother arranges for him to move into a group home, Aharon is resistant, and even after he agrees to take him there, decides that he’s still the best person to be able to take care of his son and spirits him away on an adventure to an unknown destination that just involves the two of them continuing to stay together.

This film is just as much about who Uri is and how he goes through the world as it is about his father, who can’t see all the sacrifices he has made for his son as anything other than normal. Even when everyone else in his life tells him that he needs to let go and give Uri a chance to be on his own, he holds on to the instances that, in his mind, prove that he must be by his side at all times, and that only he knows what’s best for his son. It’s a powerful story of love and attachment, a relationship that has become far too dependent on both sides, with Aharon needing to be Uri’s guide and guardian in order to give his own life purpose and direction.

This film took home four Ophir Awards, Israel’s equivalent of the Oscars, including prizes for Avivi and Imber, who are the grounding constants that make this film very relatable. Its script includes humorous moments and rich supporting characters, and most of all, it succeeds in showcasing the delight Aharon gets from seeing how, whether through his preparation or not, Uri is adjusting to what life could be like without him. It’s a heartwarming film that is both entertaining and emphatic, conveying who its characters really are in a compelling and endearing way.

B+

Israel Film Center Festival Spotlight: Kiss Me Kosher

Kiss Me Kosher
Directed by Shirel Peleg
Screening Information

Meeting a partner’s parents for the first time is often a stressful experience for many reasons. Even under the best of circumstances, there can still be issues to overcome, especially something that has already been dealt with by a couple but might be reopened when family members come into the picture. A true connection between two people might be enough to weather the potential conflicts that emerge, but they can also do serious damage to that bond. Two partners from completely different worlds can still find happiness, but it’s often a rocky and difficult road to get there.

German Maria Müller (Luise Wolfram) arrives in Israel to see her girlfriend Shira Shalev (Moran Rosenblatt) and accidentally proposes to her, a decision she hadn’t yet arrived at for a relatively young relationship. Shira being a lesbian isn’t an issue for her family, which includes her videographer brother Liam (Eyal Shikratzi), soldier sister Ella (Aviv Pinkas), overbearing mother Ora (Irit Kaplan), and American father Ron (John Carroll Lynch), but the fact that Luise is German poses a bigger problem, particularly with her Holocaust survivor grandmother Berta (Rivka Michaeli), who is involved in a controversial flirtatious romance of her own with an Arab neighbor, Ibrahim (Salim Dau).

This film, originally released as “Kiss Me Before It Blows Up,” is a comedy above all else, heightening its scenarios so that the odds are really stacked against Shira and Maria at all times. Within moments of arriving, Maria meets the first of a revolving door of Shira’s omnipresent exes, and Liam’s eagerness to make a documentary about their love highlights unfortunate truths that are better not said. Luise’s wholehearted attempts to learn Hebrew and blend in with her newfound culture aren’t always received well, and Shira is far more casual about the noteworthiness of their differences that might serve as an impediment to their strength as a couple.

This film is full of fun performances, led by Rosenblatt, a familiar face from “Wedding Doll” and “Red Cow,” and Wolfram, who certainly stands out from the rest of the cast physically but matches them in talent. Kaplan and Michaeli are particularly entertaining in supporting roles, and Dau, recently seen in “Oslo,” is an endearing delight. There are moments in which this film ventures too far into absurdity, particularly in its portrayal of Ron, who speaks absolutely no Hebrew and doesn’t feel at all fleshed out as a character, and the eagerness with which people spew half-considered reductive statements. But, overall, it’s enjoyable and a perfectly decent and memorable piece of entertainment.

B

Movie with Abe: F9: The Fast Saga

F9: The Fast Saga
Directed by Justin Lin
Released June 25, 2021

One of the key aspects of a franchise is dependability. Like diners at a chain restaurant, audiences want to know what they’re getting before they buy a ticket, and that, even if it’s nothing new or revolutionary, it’s worth another trip to the theater. When a movie series arrives at its ninth installment, when its title is shortened enough to only include one word of its original’s moniker, it’s hard to imagine that audiences don’t know just what it is that they’re signing up for and expect to see. To think that a ninth film could be just as entertaining and enthralling as any that came before it is a stretch, but this blockbuster sequel delivers tremendously.

Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) have settled into domestic life far from the chaos of the world that brought them together, but they can’t sit on the sidelines when Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) show up looking for their help in tracking down a missing Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). An international adventure ensures, bringing back old enemies and other ghosts, including Jakob (John Cena), Dom’s estranged brother, and Cipher (Charlize Theron), along with a new power-hungry villain, Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen).

Plot details almost don’t matter in this movie, because audiences show up for the car racing and the action. This film adds an equally alluring and absurd new device, which is electromagnets that each member of the team uses frequently to catch their pursuers and targets off-guard by jolting any metal on or near them across the road or room. It’s a fun concept that becomes even more frequent as the film progresses, and even if it might not make all that much sense, that’s never been the idea here. Those eagerly awaiting a handful of gravity-contradicting stunts will also not be disappointed.

After two decades of movies, this franchise knows what audience expectations are and is fully aware of how to take it to literal and figurative new heights, never skipping a beat and providing constant entertainment along the way. Any downtime is brief and fleeting, and the oversentimentality that comes off as corny serves sufficiently to fill the gap between action sequences that are startling and seemingly impossible. There isn’t even time to process the craziness of certain twists or plot developments since this film just goes there and fully delivers. The cast includes plenty of comic relief and some truly enjoyable dynamics. Two hours and twenty-five minutes has never gone by so quickly, and while it’s satisfying enough in its own right, it absolutely makes an argument for more and more of this superbly successful formula.

B+

Tribeca with Abe: 7 Days

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

7 Days
Directed by Roshan Sethi
Viewpoints – Screening Information

Many cultures facilitate arranged marriages as a way of matching up those that families believe will be good for each other. This tends to have a negative connotation since the assumption is that the betrothed have no say in who they will marry, and a chance at modern happiness may be missed in favor of the preservation of what some see as an antiquated tradition. In some cases, one member of a potential couple may be all for the existing system, while the other is absolutely not in favor of it. In drama, the result is usually miserable, but in comedy, it can be gold.

On March 20th, 2020, just as the pandemic is beginning, Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan) meet and go on a date set up by their parents. Ravi has a clear idea of what he wants from his future wife, and Rita seems like the perfect match. But when Ravi’s car rental gets cancelled and he’s forced to stay with Rita, he quickly discovers that she’s nothing like the perfect Indian-American woman she pretends to be. Forced to spend time together in close quarters, two initially very incompatible people slowly build a friendship that confronts their differences and embraces their similarities.

This is, like so many others, a film that takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that’s merely a subplot that serves as the catalytic event for these two to have no choice but to get to know each other. Many opportunities for humor about masks or protocols are avoided in favor of the truly worthwhile moments, and there’s more than enough comedy to be milked simply from the way the two of them interact with each other and the world.

Soni and Viswanathan have worked together before, playing two of the only intelligent characters on TBS’ anthology series “Miracle Workers,” and it’s great fun to see them take on completely different roles here. Their performances are purposefully subdued so that their personalities come alive, and it’s remarkably entertaining to listen to their banter. This film starts with stereotypes but doesn’t stop there, and both Ravi and Rita feel like they could really exist. Its plot could follow any number of predictable trajectories, but at every turn, the script, co-written by Soni and debut director Roshan Sethi, instead chooses to enhance its content with enticing and immensely entertaining developments. This film is funny and heartwarming, a fantastic ode to love under the unlikeliest of circumstances.

B+

Interview with Abe: Jena Malone

As part of my Tribeca coverage, it was great to be able to speak with actress Jena Malone about playing a complicated mother in “Lorelei.” Check out my great conversation with her at Cinema Daily US.

Tribeca with Abe: The God Committee

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

The God Committee
Directed by Austin Stark
2020 Official Selection – Screening Information

Organ donation is a process that, in many cases, takes one loss of life that has already happened and turns it into an opportunity to prolong another life. It can be a rewarding and truly transformative act, and so many people benefit from the receipt of a desperately-needed component. But there are also limitations and complications that make the use of a particular organ for one intended recipient more complicated, including the geographical possibility of utilizing it in time and the physical condition of the new host. Another important factor, depending on available information, may be whether the recipient’s historical behavior makes them likely to misuse that which they have been given and ultimately lead to its rejection.

Dr. Andre Boxer (Kelsey Grammer) is a respected doctor at a New York City hospital who also serves on its heart transplant committee, which is run by Dr. Valerie Gilroy (Janeane Garofalo). On the first day that she is selected to join the committee, Dr. Jordan Taylor (Julia Stiles) faces a complex case, where a powerful and influential man (Dan Hedaya) has offered a large donation to the hospital, alleging that it is not contingent on his son being selected for an available heart following an accident. Father Dunbar (Colman Domingo) sits with the committee as a supposedly neutral representative of the would-be donor as they deliberate over what the right choice is.

This film is based on the play of the same name by Mark St. Germain. Its theatrical roots speak to the inherently dramatic nature of people sitting in a room and discussing the value of someone’s life as it compares to another and based on factors that they can’t know are entirely true. As a film, it’s not as clearly compelling, especially because it jumps back and forth frequently between moments in time, including several years in the future after whatever consequential decision comes at the end of the film has already been made. It’s a device that doesn’t aid the storytelling but instead distracts from it, diluting the urgency and distracting audiences by pushing them to guess what may have happened rather than remain intently focused on it.

While both Grammer and Stiles are skilled actors who have, in the past, delivered strong performances as characters with questionable morals, neither of them are memorable in these parts. There isn’t enough character development to make them as interesting as that which they are discussing, and the addition of charismatic scene-stealers like Garofalo and Domingo doesn’t help much since they’re just as unexplored. This is a case where a television series with the opportunity to actually flesh out its protagonists and invest in them as much as in the drama they face might have been a better fit, since the premise is intriguing but not satisfyingly investigated here.

B-

Tribeca with Abe: The Death of My Two Fathers

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

The Death of My Two Fathers
Directed by Sol Guy
Viewpoints – Screening Information

It isn’t always possible to get to know someone after they’re gone. Children of any age are often left with unanswered questions when they lose a parent, whether it’s something of extreme consequence that they never knew or only later learned, or something far less significant, like a subject of preference they didn’t think to discuss. In rare cases, there is an archive available that allows for the living to establish a new connection with the deceased, hearing directly from them in a way that will likely speak much louder and more emphatically upon review than it would have at the time of its creation.

Sol Guy is a father of two who lost his own father to kidney cancer two decades ago. He knows that his father, William, recorded six VHS tapes recounting the many experiences he had in his own life so that his children would know who he was. Twenty years later, Sol is finally ready to watch them, and to do so with his own family, which leads to the examination of his own life. Along the way, he also explores how he relates to his mother, his stepfather, and the family members he either fell out of touch with or didn’t even know existed.

This is a highly contemplative film, one that invites audiences along for a trip inspired by curiosity and tinged with pain and longing. As he addresses the camera, William is straightforward and open, but there’s no opportunity for Sol to talk to him and ask him follow-up questions, or comment on how something he says makes him feel. Instead, that’s saved for his reflections to a new camera that are part of this film, a deeply meaningful and heartwarming process of documenting how he responds to what his father did, creating a new version of that as he does so.

This film is reminiscent in many ways of last year’s “Time” in part because of the format on which much of it is filmed, but also in the nostalgia for a different path that serves as the catalyst for its compilation. Sol knows that he cannot control or change the events that happened which resulted in his father making the tapes and no longer being in his life when he was fifteen, and this is his best and only hope of getting to know him now and transmitting his legacy to his grandchildren. It’s an extraordinary and personal journey, one that speaks to the universality of loss and the individuality of this one man.

B+

Interview with Abe: Essie Davis

As part of my Tribeca coverage, it was great to be able to speak with actress Essie Davis about her powerhouse turn in “The Justice of Bunny King.” Check out my great conversation with her at Cinema Daily US. Read my review of the film here.

Tribeca with Abe: Roadrunner

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

The documentary “Roadrunner” presents a fascinating window into the life of chef Anthony Bourdain. I reviewed the film for Cinema Daily US - head over there to read my review.

Tribeca with Abe: The Price of Freedom

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

The Price of Freedom
Directed by Judd Ehrlich
Spotlight Documentary – Screening Information

It’s unlikely that there is anyone living in the United States without a stance on gun control. Those who believe it is too easy for someone to get a gun without being properly vetted and see the horrifyingly high number of mass shootings that occur every year tend to be in favor of creating obstacles and checks to ensure that only certain people can even own guns, while those who see other causes such as mental illness or inadequate security champion their rights to bear arms and not to have the government tell them what they can and can’t carry. This documentary takes a distinct and unyielding position on the issue but does so with a surprising amount of access to both sides of the debate.

The main focus here is on the National Rifle Association, which over the course of the past few decades has taken an increasingly offensive stance on ensuring that their membership stands in the way of any attempts to pass legislation that would make it more difficult for anyone to acquire a gun. The roots of the “good guy with a gun” concept are explored, as is the relationship that presidents like Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump have had with the gun lobby as it has transformed into an even bigger beast intent on defending its constituents’ alleged rights to be armed as they see fit.

This is absolutely a hot-button issue that will only continue to intensify as minimal action is taken on the government level to create any lasting change. Parents who lost children in school shootings in Sandy Hook and Parkland, names that are all too instantly recognizable to most Americans, convey their devastation that what they have experienced will happen to other parents because nothing is being done, and footage of an Obama press conference shows him vividly angry that his reform efforts were blocked by Republicans in Congress. It’s easy to understand the damage that can be caused by the widespread availability of weaponry and the complete lack of appropriate vetting of potential owners.

While that may be true for the average liberal voter, who is likely to be the audience of this film, that’s certainly not how everyone in the country feels. This film smartly enlists NRA representatives and other conservatives who likely see their participation as a platform to broadcast their defense of their civil liberties and freedoms. Yet this film doesn’t enable their opinions to be anything other than context for the way in which the NRA has systematically campaigned to ensure that guns will not be restricted. It’s both fascinating and infuriating, and it’s effective because even those who speak about their contrary viewpoints don’t try to hide or mask what they’re doing. This is an extremely uphill battle, and for it to be won, this film should be seen by as many people as possible to understand what is meant by the tasteless and unfeeling expression “the price of freedom.”

B+

Tribeca with Abe: Werewolves Within

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

Werewolves Within
Directed by Josh Ruben
Spotlight Narrative - Screening Information

The concept of a werewolf is one of a layered villain, someone who may not know the threat that they pose since they transform from man to beast at night, likely unable to control their actions and the destruction they might yield as a result. The fact that it’s not easy to identify who might be a werewolf or to prove that a suspect is in fact guilty of that dual identity can put townspeople on edge, rushing to vilify those who may not be liked and to stop them before they can wreak havoc. It’s a subject particularly well-suited to horror, but also effective in a more comedic parody setting.

Overeager park ranger Finn (Sam Richardson) transfers to a new post and meets mailwoman Cecily (Milana Vayntrub), who clues him in to the eccentric personalities in town. When a storm hits and a dog is found dead, the locals begin to turn on each other. Stuck inside an inn, everyone is a suspect, and emotions run high as each person feeds into their own preconceived notions about the others and jumps to conclusions that tend to be woefully incorrect.

This adaptation of a popular VR game makes for a great movie, immediately establishing itself as winning thanks to the humorous banter that builds between Finn and Cecily. Richardson and Vayntrub are both talents equally capable of cracking jokes and playing the straight man, and they’re surrounded by a truly terrific ensemble. Among the cast are Michaela Watkins, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtin, Cheyenne Jackson, Harvey Guillén, Sarah Burns, and Glenn Fleshler, all of whom contribute tremendously to the wild insanity of this film.

In a film and television world that’s all too populated by werewolves and zombies, this film doesn’t reinvent the genre but does manage to breathe fresh life into it by keeping audiences engaged with a decently involving mystery and plenty of comedy along the way. In this struggle for survival, it’s fun to see that those who are likely most equipped to make it out alive are able to confront and acknowledge the absurdity of their situation and how focused others remain on ridiculous and important things in the face of certain grisly death. If most of the characters in a movie are going to die anyway, isn’t it more fun if they get to make fun of each other along the way? This entertaining ride certainly makes a strong case for yes.

B+

Tribeca with Abe: Building a Bridge

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

Building a Bridge
Directed by Evan Mascagni and Shannon Post
Viewpoints – Screening Information

There is a feeling many people have that the faith they were raised in is incompatible with who they are, and that to attempt a return to religion won’t be successful because they are not welcome. There is good reason for this given that biblical texts tend to be discriminatory and outdated, and while modern interpretations cast a wider and more inviting net, traditional readings are often quite exclusionary. This notion can be incredibly painful for members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been told over and over that there is no place for them within Christianity – or other religions, for that matter – and find open-minded preachers and churches to be all too rare.

Father James Martin is an exception to the rule, a man whose devoutness drove him to make a controversial decision to endorse extending the hand of friendship to the LGBTQ+ community. His book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity was not received well by many of his peers, but the choice to meet people where they are and accept them has made a huge difference to the many who were cast aside by parents and communities because of their identities.

This documentary has an affable, energetic protagonist, one fully aware of the uphill battle he faces to confront a powerful and vocal group within the church that calls him a heretic and seeks to discredit him for what they see as blasphemous teachings. He supports Pope Francis’ example of not judging LGBTQ+ people who seek to have a relationship with Christianity, and continues with his mission despite all the naysayers who say that all he stands for is incongruent with a true religion vision.

This film showcases the outreach by Father Martin, but also allows those who fight fervently against what he stands for to speak. The way that their opinions are presented and expressed doesn’t overshadow his work or threaten to give them a platform that could encourage audiences that perhaps this is a two-sided issue where their opinion could be regarded as anywhere near as valid or acceptable as Father Martin’s. His ability to respond and hold fast to his beliefs that bringing in any member of the community who wants to be a part of it is only made stronger by their lack of desire to consider what he says or does. At some point in the future, this story should be so common that this documentary need not exist, but for now, it’s an important and spirited message that change like this absolutely must be happening.

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 Theaters: A Crime on the Bayou, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, 12 Mighty Orphans, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
New to DVD: Eat Wheaties, Voyagers, French Exit
New to Hulu: The Outside Story, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson

Video Review: The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

I was thrilled to be able to participate in a video review with fellow critic Matthew Schuchman for Cinema Daily US as part of the site's Above the Line vs Below the Line series. Check out our discussion of the film “The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard,” now playing in theaters, below:

Tribeca with Abe: Queen of Glory

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

Queen of Glory
Directed by Nana Mensah
US Narrative Competition – Screening Information

The bond a child has with their parent isn’t consistent across all relationships. Those raised with kindness may in turn distribute that to the world, though not everyone responds well to nurturing and love. But there are also dynamics that aren’t necessarily negative or volatile but do come with their degree of baggage, and it’s often not until something serious happens and creates a breakdown of normal activities that the true strength and endurance of a connection is tested. In some cases, that may only begin to be explored after a parent’s death.

Sarah (Nana Mensah) is a scientist and doctoral student at Columbia University who is set on leaving New York City to move to Ohio with her married boyfriend, who is constantly telling her that he’s ready to separate from his wife. Her plans are disrupted when her mother dies, and she is the one who needs to plan the funeral as her father, who lives in Ghana, arrives to pay his respects and leave all the work to her. She also learns that she has inherited the Christian bookstore in the Bronx that her mother owned, which introduces her to Pitt (Meeko), the ex-con who reveres her mother and keeps up the store.

This film depicts Sarah as an assimilated American woman who hasn’t spent much time in the Ghanaian culture that meant a great deal to her mother and whose traditions dictate what the funeral must look like. She receives considerable input and instruction from members of her extended family and the Ghanaian-American community, and also interacts with a Russian friend and her family whose customs and bedside manner look very different. Sarah isn’t any one thing, and the circumstances in which she finds herself force to her to have many identities at once, none of which seem to go together and find a common support system, certainly not from her hapless and noncommittal boyfriend.

Mensah makes her debut behind the camera as writer and director of her first feature, immersing herself in this character’s world and conveying her experience in an accessible and relatable manner. While there are elements of her culture that are unique and distinct, and on full display in a positive and meaningful way during this film, there is also a universality to what she goes through, which is the reconciliation of heritage and secularism for someone who doesn’t feel as if she’s rebelled against her upbringing but also has chosen to engage with at her own comfort. It’s a film that touches on familial relationships and individuality, weaving an engaging narrative with a rich, dynamic character as its center.

B+

Tribeca with Abe: With/In

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

With/In Vol 1 and Vol 2
Various Directors
Movies Plus – Screening Information

The pandemic has had an incredible effect on every industry, and that’s absolutely true of film and television, which in most cases had to shut down production for more than a year. While that has produced many delays of highly-anticipated projects and put actors and crew members out of work, it has also given birth to an unexpected creativity. Those with energy, ideas, and even a little bit of technology have been able make media that speaks to what’s brewing in their minds and showcases just some of what they’ve been experiencing during an increased period of time away from others.

This is a two-volume anthology collection comprised of shorts written and directed by actors and filmmakers. The subjects and styles vary greatly, though they all make distinct reference to what’s happening in the world around them and how things are definitely not normal. Among the standouts are a comedy about a one-night stand that turns into bathroom quarantine, two children driven crazy by their father’s obsession over strangers touching his fence, and two friends checking in virtually with each other every week.

What’s most fun about these shorts and differentiates them from some of the other pandemic filmmaking that’s emerged is that they mostly include families. It’s a delight to recognize married actors, like Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Marvel and Bill Camp, Morgan Spector and Rebecca Hall, Debra Winger and Arliss Howard, and Julianne Nicholson and Jonathan Cake, playing together on screen. When they include their children, the enjoyment level is only increased, and it’s nice to see that increased time together has only led to enhanced cooperation and productivity, at least in the finished product.

Like any anthology, the overall quality hinges on the strength of each specific short. The first volume includes just four films and runs 73 minutes, while the second includes nine and lasts 123 minutes. There isn’t any consistency to the lengths or themes, which makes for an uneven experience but one that has its high points. There are also performers who are clearly talented, like Carla Gugino and Adrianne Palicki, in truly strange and odd segments. Some take advantage of pandemic trends and turn them into waking nightmares, be it a loss of connectivity or an overindulgence in sourdough. The result is ultimately intriguing and occasionally involving, but it might have been more resounding with more purposeful structure and sequencing.

B

Tribeca with Abe: The Novice

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

The Novice
Directed by Lauren Hadaway
US Narrative Competition – Screening Information

Competitive sports can drive people to extraordinary lengths as they do everything in their power to excel, pushing themselves to dangerous limits in pursuit of success. Motivations for being the best can vary, and may be influenced by the experiences people have had growing up at home or in an educational or social setting. They can also be driven by a dependence on scholarship or fame as their only pathway to a prosperous future, and the decisions made as a result of such pressure can be disastrous and irreversible.

Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman) begins her freshman year at college and joins the rowing team. Though she has no training, she is determined to become the top performer, meticulously training and working herself to the bone to beat out any of her fellow novices. Working harder than even her coach (Jonathan Cherry) advises, Alex closes herself off from the rest of the world to focus on winning, revealing a tremendous passion and resilience that will allow her to put everything else, including a burgeoning relationship with her TA, Dani (Dilone), second to triumphing over anyone who would dare stand in her way.

This film showcases the dark side of the pressure to succeed that inflicts so much pain and misery on those who work too hard and end up hurting themselves in the process. Part of that comes from the treatment of newcomers that often turns into harassment and hazing, which can only further deepen a need to show proof of talent and an ability to “toughen up” when pushed and tormented. Added to the way that Alex cannot accept anything short of perfection, it makes for a very volatile recipe that threatens not only Alex’s livelihood but that of those around her who may be adversely affected by her reckless choices.

Fuhrman, whose breakout role in “Orphan” came at a very young age, is formidable in this part, completely conveying the isolating passion that Alex feels and how she simply isn’t able to turn off that part of her, unwilling to listen to anyone who tells her that she’s done enough or that she’s going too far. Her performance alone is sufficient as a reason to see this film, which feeds off her energy and takes audiences on an involving, chilling ride that, like Alex, doesn’t let up even when it feels like it’s getting to be too much. It’s both a cautionary tale and a strong character study, one that travels a disturbing path in a film that feels both larger-than-life and all too realistic.

B+

Tribeca with Abe: All My Friends Hate Me

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections virtually from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs June 9th-20th.

All My Friends Hate Me
Directed by Andrew Gaynord
International Narrative Competition – Screening Information

It’s often nice to reconnect with old friends after a period of time spent apart. The reason for a gap in get-togethers may be purely due to uncontrollable life factors like geography, work, and building a family, and reunions can be sweet opportunities to bask in nostalgia and remember the good old times. But people do inevitably change over the course of any period of time, and reencountering one another can be awkward if worldviews and interests no longer add up, and if some have matured while others have remained the same.

Pete (Tom Stourton) is going away for his birthday to celebrate with his friends from university who he hasn’t seen in a number of years. His girlfriend Sonia (Charly Clive) is coming to join them, but the festivities begin with just Pete and his former classmates gathered together at the large country home of his buddy George (Joshua McGuire). The unexpected presence of someone Pete doesn’t know, Harry (Dustin Demri-Burns), puts Pete on edge when he starts to believe that Harry has it out for him, first making jokes at his expense and then contributing greatly to a growing sense Pete has that something is very wrong.

This film is billed as a horror-comedy, and that’s because it presents a situation which at first seems perfectly harmless. Pete is getting to see those he likes a lot for the first time in ages, but of course he’s doing it at a giant mansion with many mysterious rooms that takes him plenty of time to find on his solo trip out there. Where the terror – or at least the very unsettling mood – seeps in is in Pete’s increasing isolation, inviting only the audience along for his frightening descent into madness, made to seem like he is the one who is seeing or assuming things when, as this film’s title suggests, all his friends don’t appear to like him very much at all.

Even if this wasn’t a psychological horror movie, it would be one that succeeds well at capturing the discomfort of not being seen. Pete’s friends plan activities for him that reflect a complete lack of understanding of what he would want to do, and then blame him when he doesn’t seem excited or grateful enough that they’ve been lavishly orchestrated. That element of the film should be most relatable to audiences, and the unnerving journey it takes culminates in a clever finish that only further cements the loneliness Pete feels that the audience gets to experience through him. It’s not an easy ride, but one that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.

B