Winners at this year’s Sundance Film Festival have been announced and NANNY wins top honours taking the U.S. Grand Jury Prize. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary went to THE EXILES.
Audience Awards went to last-minute Festival addition NAVALNY, which centers on Russia’s jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny for U.S. Documentary. It also won the Festival Favourite Award.
Cooper Raiff‘s CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH took the U.S. Dramatic Award. The latter starring Raiff and Dakota Johnson, just sold for $15 million to Apple TV+.
Co-Canadian production FRAMING AGNES picked-up two awards, the Audience Award: NEXT and the NEXT Innovator Award.
Complete list of Winners:
GRAND JURY PRIZES
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Nikyatu Jusu for Nanny / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Nikyatu Jusu, Producers: Nikkia Moulterie, Daniela Taplin Lundberg) — Aisha is an undocumented nanny working for a privileged couple in New York City. As she prepares for the arrival of the son she left behind in Senegal, a violent supernatural presence invades her reality, threatening the American dream she is painstakingly piecing together. Cast: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Ben Klein and Violet Columbus for The Exiles / U.S.A. (Directors: Ben Klein, Violet Columbus, Producers: Maria Chiu, Ben Klein, Violet Columbus) — Documentarian Christine Choy tracks down three exiled dissidents from the Tiananmen Square massacre, in order to find closure on an abandoned film she began shooting with Renee Tajima-Peña in 1989.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Alejandro Loayza Grisi for Utama / Bolivia/Uruguay/France (Director and Screenwriter: Alejandro Loayza Grisi, Producers: Santiago Loayza Grisi, Federico Moreira, Marcos Loayza, Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre) — In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily life for years. When an uncommon long drought threatens their entire way of life, Virginio and his wife Sisa face the dilemma of resisting or being defeated by the environment and time itself. Cast: Jose Calcina, Luisa Quispe, Santos Choque.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Shaunak Sen for All That Breathes / India, U.K. (Director and Producer: Shaunak Sen, Producers: Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer) — Against the darkening backdrop of Delhi’s apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protect one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the Black Kite.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was awarded to Navalny / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Roher, Producers: Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris) — Shot as the story unfolded, a fly-on-the-wall documentary thriller about anti-authoritarian Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Recovering in Berlin after nearly being poisoned to death with the nerve agent Novichok, Navalny makes shocking discoveries about his assassination attempt and bravely decides to return home – whatever the consequences.
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was awarded to Cha Cha Real Smooth / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Cooper Raiff, Producers: Dakota Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig, Jessica Switch, Cooper Raiff) — A directionless college graduate embarks on a relationship with a young mom and her teenage daughter while learning the boundaries of his new bar mitzvah party-starting gig. Cast: Dakota Johnson, Cooper Raiff, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic was awarded to Girl Picture / Finland (Director: Alli Haapasalo, Screenwriters: Ilona Ahti, Daniela Hakulinen, Producers: Leila Lyytikäinen, Elina Pohjola) — Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö are girls at the cusp of womanhood, trying to draw their own contours. In three consecutive Fridays two of them experience the earth moving effects of falling in love, while the third goes on a quest to find something she’s never experienced before: pleasure. Cast: Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Linnea Leino.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary was awarded to The Territory / Brazil/Denmark/United States (Director: Alex Pritz, Producers: Will N. Miller, Sigrid Dyekjær, Lizzie Gillett, Anonymous) — When a network of Brazilian farmers seizes a protected area of the Amazon rainforest, a young Indigenous leader and his mentor must fight back in defense of the land and an uncontacted group living deep within the forest.
The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to Framing Agnes / Canada, U.S.A. (Director: Chase Joynt, Producers: Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt) — After discovering case files from a 1950s gender clinic, a cast of transgender actors turn a talk show inside out to confront the legacy of a young trans woman forced to choose between honesty and access.
FESTIVAL FAVORITE AWARD
Selected by audience votes from the 84 features screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the Festival Favorite Award was presented to Navalny / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Roher, Producers: Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris) — Shot as the story unfolded, a fly-on-the-wall documentary thriller about anti-authoritarian Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Recovering in Berlin after nearly being poisoned to death with the nerve agent Novichok, Navalny makes shocking discoveries about his assassination attempt and bravely decides to return home – whatever the consequences.
JURY AWARDS FOR DIRECTING, SCREENWRITING & EDITING
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Reid Davenport for I Didn’t See You There / U.S.A. (Director: Reid Davenport, Producer: Keith Wilson) — Spurred by the spectacle of a circus tent that goes up outside his Oakland apartment, a disabled filmmaker launches into an unflinching meditation on freakdom, (in)visibility, and the pursuit of individual agency.
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Jamie Dack for Palm Trees and Power Lines / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jamie Dack, Screenwriter: Audrey Findlay, Producers: Leah Chen Baker, Jamie Dack) — Seventeen-year-old Lea spends her summer aimlessly tanning with her best friend, tiptoeing around her fragile mother, and getting stoned with a group of boys from school. This monotony is disrupted by an encounter with Tom, a man twice her age, who promises an alternative to Lea’s unsatisfying adolescent life. Cast: Lily McInerny, Jonathan Tucker, Gretchen Mol.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Simon Lereng Wilmont for A House Made Of Splinters / Denmark (Director: Simon Lereng Wilmont, Producer: Monica Hellström) — In Eastern Ukraine, follow the daily life of children and staff in a special kind of home: an institution for children who have been removed from their homes while awaiting court custody decisions. Staff do their best to make the time children have there safe and supportive.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Maryna Er Gorbach for KLONDIKE / Ukraine/Turkey (Director and Screenwriter: Maryna Er Gorbach, Producers: Maryna Er Gorbach, Mehmet Bahadir Er, Sviatoslav BulakovskyI) — The story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Russia – Ukraine during the start of war. Irka refuses to leave her house even as the village gets captured by armed forces. Shortly after they find themselves at the center of an air crash catastrophe on July 17, 2014. Cast: Oxana Cherkashyna, Sergey Shadrin, Oleg Scherbina, Oleg Shevchuk, Artur Aramyan, Evgenij Efremov.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to K.D. Dávila for Emergency / U.S.A. (Director: Carey Williams, Screenwriter: KD Davila, Producers: Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner, John Fischer) — Ready for a night of partying, a group of Black and Latino college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unusual emergency. Cast: RJ Cyler, Donald Watkins, Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter.
The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput for Fire Of Love / U.S.A. (Director: Sara Dosa, Producers: Shane Boris, Ina Fichman, Sara Dosa) — Intrepid scientists and lovers Katia & Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded. A doomed love triangle between Katia, Maurice and volcanoes, told through their archival footage.
SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision was presented to Bradley Rust Gray for blood / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Bradley Rust Gray, Producers: David Urrutia, Bradley Rust Gray, So Yong Kim, Elika Portnoy, Alex Orlovsky, Jonathon Komack Martin) — After the death of her husband, a young woman travels to Japan where she finds solace in an old friend. But when comforting turns to affection, she realizes she must give herself permission before she can fall in love again. Cast: Carla Juri, Takashi Ueno, Gustaf Skarsgård, Futaba Okazaki, Issey Ogata.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast was presented to John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington, and Michael K Williams for 892 / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Abi Damaris Corbin, Screenwriter: Kwame Kwei-Armah, Producers: Ashley Levinson, Salman Al-Rashid, Sam Frohman, Kevin Turen, Mackenzie Fargo) — When Brian Brown-Easley’s disability check fails to materialize from Veterans Affairs, he finds himself on the brink of homelessness and breaking his daughter’s heart. No other options, he walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and says “I’ve got a bomb.“ Cast: John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, Selenis Leyva.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change was presented to Aftershock / / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee) — Following the preventable deaths of their partners due to childbirth complications, two bereaved fathers galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises of our time – the U.S. maternal health crisis.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision was presented to Descendant / U.S.A. (Director: Margaret Brown, Producers: Essie Chambers, Kyle Martin) — Clotilda, the last known ship carrying enslaved Africans to the United States, arrived in Alabama 40 years after African slave trading became a capital offense. It was promptly burned, and its existence denied. After a century shrouded in secrecy and speculation, descendants of the Clotilda’s survivors are reclaiming their story.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft was presented to The Territory / Brazil/Denmark/United States (Director: Alex Pritz, Producers: Will N. Miller, Sigrid Dyekjær, Lizzie Gillett, Anonymous) — When a network of Brazilian farmers seizes a protected area of the Amazon rainforest, a young Indigenous leader and his mentor must fight back in defense of the land and an uncontacted group living deep within the forest.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Excellence In Verité Filmmaking was presented to Midwives / Myanmar (Director: Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, Producers: Bob Moore, Ulla Lehman, Mila Aung-Thwin, Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing) — Two midwives work side-by-side in a makeshift clinic in Myanmar.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit was presented for Leonor Will Never Die / Philippines (Director and Screenwriter: Martika Ramirez Escobar, Producers: Monster Jimenez, Mario Cornejo) — Fiction and reality blur when Leonor, a retired filmmaker, falls into a coma after a television lands on her head, compelling her to become the action hero of her unfinished screenplay. Cast: Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting was presented to Teresa Sánchez for Dos Estaciones / Mexico (Director and Screenwriter: Juan Pablo González, Screenwriters: Ana Isabel Fernández, Ilana Coleman, Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Ilana Coleman, Bruna Haddad, Makena Buchanan) — In the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory. Cast: Teresa Sánchez, Tatín Vera, Rafaela Fuentes, Manuel García-Rulfo.
NEXT INNOVATOR AWARD PRESENTED BY ADOBE
The NEXT Innovator Award presented by Adobe was presented to Chase Joynt for Framing Agnes / Canada, U.S.A. (Director: Chase Joynt, Producers: Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt) — After discovering case files from a 1950s gender clinic, a cast of transgender actors turn a talk show inside out to confront the legacy of a young trans woman forced to choose between honesty and access.
SHORT FILM AWARDS PRESENTED BY XRM Media
Jury prizes for short filmmaking were awarded to:
The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to The Headhunter’s Daughter / Philippines (Director and Screenwriter: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Producer: Hannah Schierbeek) — Leaving her family behind, Lynn traverses the harrowing roads of the Cordilleran highlands to try her luck in the city as a country singer. Cast: Ammin Acha-ur.
The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to Walter Thompson-Hernández for IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández, Producer: Stuart McIntyre) — Lil’ Ant is obsessed with Pegasus, the Greek mythological character, since first learning about him at school in Watts, California. He begins to notice imaginary airplane people around his home, and yearns to fly with them. Cast: Anthony Harris Jr.
The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to Dania Bdeir for Warsha / France/Lebanon (Director and Screenwriter: Dania Bdeir, Producer: Coralie Dias) — A Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut volunteers to cover a shift on one of the most dangerous cranes, where he is able to find his freedom. Cast: Khansa.
The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to Samir Karahoda for Displaced / Kosovo (Director and Screenwriter: Samir Karahoda, Producer: Eroll Bilibani) — In postwar Kosovo, driven to keep their beloved sport table tennis alive, two local players wander from one obscure location to another carrying with them their club’s only possession: their tables.
The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to Joe Hsieh for Night Bus / Taiwan (Director and Screenwriter: Joe Hsieh, Producers: Wan Lin Lee, Joe Hsieh, Joe Chan) — On a late-night bus, a panicked scream shatters the night’s calm. A necklace is stolen, followed by a tragic and fatal road accident. The series of intriguing events that follows reveal love, hatred, and vengeance. Cast: Shu Fang Chen, Ming Hsiu Tsai, Yu Fang Lee, Shing Ming Wang, Shang Sing Guo, Pi Li Yeh.
A Short Film Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast was presented to Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro, and Lorre Motta for A wild patience has taken me here / Brazil (Director and Screenwriter: Érica Sarmet, Producers: Lívia Perez, Silvia Sobral, Érica Sarmet) — Tired of loneliness, a middle aged motorcyclist goes to a lesbian party for the first time. There she meets four young queers who share their home and affections. An encounter of generations, a tribute to those who brought us here. Cast: Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro, Lorre Motta.
A Short Film Special Jury Award: Screenwriting was awarded to Sara Driver for Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver / United States (Directors: Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster, Screenwriter: Sara Driver) — In 1982, the completion of Jim Jarmusch’s sophomore film, Stranger Than Paradise, hinged on producer Sara Driver’s willingness and ability to smuggle one of the world’s rarest and most controversial films across the Atlantic Ocean.
EARLIER SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS
The 2022 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, presented to an outstanding feature film about science or technology, was presented to After Yang. The filmmakers received a $20,000 cash award from Sundance Institute with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction went to Su Kim for Free Chol Soo Lee (U.S. Documentary Competition).
The Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction went to Amanda Marshall God’s Country (Premieres).
The Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction went to Toby Shimin, and the Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction went to Dody Dorn.
The Sundance Institute | NHK Award went to Hasan Hadi for his film The President’s Cake.
While it felt the latter part of 2021 was rather hectic on the release side for films, it certainly was a memorable, although sometimes chaotic year in Cinema. As we saw several films which should’ve surfaced in 2020, banked for our enjoyment on the big screen this year, it makes it even more challenging to narrow down our favourites. Truly, the Films that made the cut in 2021 truly were outstanding as they had to shine amongst a quality slate of releases.
Though it seems we’re making one step forward and two steps back in making it through this Pandemic, we were so happy to have been able to be back in theatres once again and enjoy a hybrid version of the Toronto International Film Festival. For that we are grateful and we look forward to sitting in a theatre once again, full capacity with popcorn and drink in-hand, even if not yet.
Team Mr. Will break down their favourite releases of 2021 for us and as always, it is an exciting and eclectic mix. Films like CODA, ROADRUNNER, NINE DAYS, C’MON C’MON and MASS might not be on all Critics’ Top Tens, but they fared well among the Team and found a home with us. If you’re still deciding what to see or are on the fence about, let us help you out!
So grateful for this amazing family of Writers and their esteemed opinions and hard work delivering for us year-round.
I think Cinema is at its best when it entertains, increases empathy and enlighten us. The films in my Top Ten check those boxes for me. However, 2021 is filled with impactful Cinema and my list could easily be 20! Other films I love are Awards Season favourites King Richard, Belfast & Spencer. This list was made before viewing A Hero, Parallel Mothers & Cyrano.
The Worst Person in the World & Petite Maman would be below but they release in 2022. Keep an eye out for them!
Top Ten Narratives (in alphabetical order):
C’mon C’mon
CODA
Drive My Car
Judas & the Black Messiah
The Lost Daughter
Nine Days
Passing
The Power of the Dog
tick, tick… BOOM!
West Side Story
Fav Docs (in alphabetical order):
Flee
Summer of Soul
Writing With Fire
In a near-tie for my favorite this year: two Documentaries attempting to process recent history. Life in a Day revisits the original 2010 experiment, sourcing thousands of hours of amateur footage from across the world shot on a single day in 2020 that might as well represent the era. Spike Lee‘s NYC Epicenters–a four part miniseries available on Crave–looks at every major New York disaster since 9/11 up to the present moment with absolutely crushing clarity. Sidenote: Netflix‘s ‘Turning Point‘ gives 9/11 some much-needed context as the inciting incident in a much broader tragedy for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bo Burnham’s Inside grapples with our collective quarantine routine, and though I have misgivings about how accurate it is to Burnham‘s real experience of the pandemic–dropping it a bit further down the list–I cannot deny the singular power of his music to bring meaning to our perpetually sealed-off lives. In third–and the first narrative on the list–The Last Duel failed to connect with the Box Office but succeeded in keeping me locked at a 70° angle as I untangled the all-too-familiar cycle of assault, denial, and public scorn told from three distinct perspectives, brought together by a relentless, titular duel more explosive than anything Ridley Scott has ever yelled at a journalist. Dune could not be less connected to our present, so it was nice to become ensnared in its deadly world with the most well-integrated Visual Effects I’ve ever seen. Roadrunner and C’mon C’mon are both stories of Documentarians who live their work. For Joaquin Phoenix, it’s a spiritually healing act. For Anthony Bourdain, it’s a bit more complicated. Spencer synthesized Diana‘s tragedy into a devastating weekend of pheasant hunting, pea soup and Jazz. Sidenote: ‘Diana the Musical‘ is worth a Netflix skim for a horrific glimpse into yet another way of defining her story. The Green Knight revitalized title cards–along with reflections on destiny and death. And Annette finally put an end to our cultural obsession with selfish toxic male stars–j/k!
2021 was the year I capitulated, when it came to the Movies. I firmly believed that they HAD to be seen on a big screen to even be considered worthy candidates to make my personal “Best” list. To me, VOD always stood for movies that studios deemed unworthy of a theatrical release and streaming services were like HBO: good stuff but, like HBO movies, should not be considered Oscar-worthy. My feelings came crashing down when I saw my first movie in a darkened theatre when we were finally allowed to do so. It was the Documentary “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain”. It was also the 107th movie I had watched this year. The final nail in the coffin was when I was given the choice to see “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” in the theatre or to stream it and I chose the latter.
Whittling down the 288 titles I watched in 2021 to my Top Ten was no easy task! And apologies to the movies I haven’t seen yet (The Lost Daughter, Drive My Car, A Hero, Parallel Mothers and The Green Knight) that could have made the list and those that I could not squeeze-in (Annette, Flee, Belfast, Being the Ricardos, Don’t Look Up, In the Heights and Passing).
What a mess 2021 has been, we thought we couldn’t possibly still be in this god damn pandemic anymore but here we are. Thankfully, even through the endless, and I mean ENDLESS delays we got some content this year that was absolutely incredible. Only one movie on this Top Ten list only played the festival circuit, and I cannot stress enough that it must be viewed when it comes out. Everything on this list deserves its placing, and if you haven’t seen some of these picks, please please please go and see it to warm your Cinephile heart. I present to you my top 10 of 2021. May 2022 bring forward some other excellent Cinema!
Alone With You Green KnightNote: at the time of publication I have not seen Drive My Car, or Parallel Mothers.
Happy New Year everyone, and Bon Cinema!
Were we wrong thinking 2021 would be better than 2020? While it was not nearly as much of a dumpster fire, there is still so much wrong and so few lessons learned. I loved being able to experience movies in a theatre again, yet am depressed at how few people turned up for anything that did not involve Marvel characters (though I did enjoy some of those ones too). Fingers crossed we can lose the increasingly annoying “Exclusively in Theatres” rhetoric at some point in 2022. All of that said, I was able to experience a whole world of titles at digital festivals and likely saw more movies this year alone than I have in previous years (or at least compared to all the years I have tracked on Letterboxd!). So it was not all doom and gloom.
Here is a look at my ranked Top 10 list of titles that had a profound effect on me, inspiring my creativity endlessly in a year where I felt so little, followed by alphabetical lists of 2020 films I could not see until 2021 and a few festival favourites waiting for proper release.
2020 Favourites That Were Available This Year
Minari
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Saint Maud
Unreleased Festival Favourites
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
Catch the Fair One
The Fallout
Petite Maman
Sundown
Three things we always look for in a great film. One, it has to take us on a real journey and there’s gotta be something at stake that’s meaningful. It doesn’t matter how big the stakes are. It is the Director and Actors’ jobs to make it feel like the journey they are going on matters. Two, we love it when an Actor transforms and we laud bravado in a performance. Three, we want to feel something when we walk away from a film. These Films meet all the criteria for me. Whether it be Kristen Stewart’s transcendent performance as Diana in Spencer which we’re still obsessed with, or what it means for a father to go for broke because he believes so much in his daughters in King Richard, or films like Zola and Red Rocket which pushed the envelope giving us a glimpse into the lives of Sex Workers, my eyes were opened and sometimes welled-up from some of the masterful work I saw in my Top Ten.
Don’t forget to check-out highlights from our 2021 Star Sightings in Toronto here!
1. SpencerTo another amazing year in Film ahead! Thank you for continuing to join us!
Team Mr. Will
By Mr. Will Wong
The legacy of WEST SIDE STORY is undeniable. With six TONY Awards and an Academy Award win for Best Picture, following-up on its celebrated 1961 predecessor some 60 years later is a tall ask.
Steven Spielberg takes the reins in the upcoming 2021 retelling of the Film, with a Script by Tony Kushner. This latest rendition takes us back to 1957 New York City as we are placed in the middle of a war between feuding teenage street gangs, and also a compelling story of young love.
Our Justin Waldman had the pleasure of sitting-in on the global press conference for WEST SIDE STORY. In attendance were:
Steven Spielberg – Director
Rita Moreno – “Valentina” and Producer
Tony Kushner – Screenwriter
Rachel Zegler – Maria
Ansel Elgort – Tony
Ariana DeBose – Anita
David Alvarez – Bernardo
Mike Faist – Riff
Brian d’Arcy James – Officer Krupke
Josh Andres Rivera – Chino
Corey Stoll – Lieutenant Schrank
Steven Spielberg talks about getting the legendary late Stephen Sondheim onboard after bumping into each other at the White House receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The iconic Composer/Lyricist had passed away late November.
Spielberg : “Steve (Sondheim) was very involved in commenting about Tony‘s Script. Tony had a very open dialogue with Steve on the Script going from one draft to the next. Where Steve got really involved, which was the best place for his involvement, was when we did the pre-records with all the Vocal Artists. Steve was there for three weeks, five days a week sitting right beside me in the recording studio. It was an honour.”.
Spielberg admits to having known all the lyrics as kid to West Side Story. He comments what it was like working on the Film from rehearsals to filming.
Spielberg: “You know something? I did jump out of my chair and did dance with the Cast, singing off-key and dancing like a I had three left feet, during rehearsal. We had four and a half months of intense rehearsals, both in the City and in Brooklyn at this place called Dumbo. And Rita (Moreno) was there too. Rita was dancing with the Cast. We were so compelled to get up on our feet because there was so much life in the air of song and dance and genius Choreography by Justin Peck. When I filmed the Movie, I would just tap my feet as I was too focused on what images we were capturing. This was the most delightful family affair I’ve had since E.T. In E.T., I felt like I was a dad to all those kids and I wasn’t a dad then. It made me want to be a dad and my first child was born three years after I directed E.T. This was the next time I had that kind of a feeling that I was a part of a very diverse family. I was not at the center of the family, but was a part of the family.”.
Rita Moreno who originated the on-screen role of Anita in the 1961 version of this Film for which she won an Academy Award, plays the newly-created role of Valentina, intended as a cameo. She talks about passing the torch, being a part of the new Film.
Moreno: “It wasn’t easy. I mean I’m not gonna say I wasn’t envious. That would be just a bloody lie. I wished I could be that young again and do it again. Then I got this beautifully-written card from this man, and you don’t say things that easily. I don’t care what they say, I love every scene I’m in. Therefore, I love what I’m doing. And it was difficult, it was absolutely creepy to do that one scene I did with Anita (Ariana DeBose) in the Film and it was strange for her and even more difficult for me. I kept looking at her and had the toughest time getting into the scene because what I was really doing was saving Anita‘s life, because these boys were about to possibly rape her. I had to put a stop to it. It was very strange.”.
Tony Kushner is asked whether or not he considered setting this Film in modern day.
Kushner: “We never discussed transposing it because there’s nothing dated about the Score. It’s lively and great and it feels of any moment and I’m convinced for all time. Whenever you hear that Music, you’re going to feel as though it’s happening just right now. There’s nothing quaint or old-fashioned about it. Sondheim who is one of the greatest Lyricists and Composers, is a master at a kind of specificity that is certainly timeless in the sense his insights into the way people think and feel are never gonna get dated.”.
Brian d’Arcy James and Corey Stoll playing the authority in West Side Story. Both comment on their characters, which still are a very much a part of the discussion today on race relations in America.
Stoll: “Tony Kushner‘s Script is such an incredible addition to telling this story. The understanding of race and of ethnicity and of language that he brings to it, it’s more about these systemic forces and how power instills itself on a community, as opposed to ‘That person is a racist! That’s the bad person and we’re good in relation to that.”. It’s about power and how those in power hold onto it. I represent the authority trying to hold that line, and taking away someone’s language is something you do when trying to instill that power. I had the fewest days on-set and some had been working months before I showed up. I am the closest thing to an audience coming in. I’ve never been on a set like this. Maybe it’s because I come from Downtown Theatre where everyone’s very sullen and I’ve never been in a Musical. Everyone was having so much fun and I’ve never seen this!”.
James: “I felt the same way literally on the outside standing and watching this incredible array of ability and talent and enthusiasm and joy and spirit. After every take, a throng of like 40 dancers would run over to the monitor and watch the scene and go ‘Hurray! That was great!’. To me, that is the lifeblood of this Film. The spirit of this Film is captured by the fact that everybody is so in love with the fact they got to do it.”.
Rachel Zegler makes her big screen debut as Maria and talks about New York being a character in the Film, plus also her preparation process for this role of a lifetime.
Zegler: “It’s a character. New York became a character. The morning after the balcony scene, it’s just shot after shot of New York in the morning. And even if you’re not familiar with 1957 New York, even if you’re just familiar with New York right now, it embraces that so well. And I think the Film became a love letter to New York, not only because of how stunning it is visually, but because of the context Tony Kushner gave it in the Script, understanding the political climate as well. It was really cool stepping onto Adam Stockhausen‘s 1957 set and feeling transported, and I think we were all really able to incorporate it into our performances as well because it’s so immersive”.
The Cast are asked about using the Film’s source material, and balancing staying true to it, with making it their own. DeBose who plays Anita, and is getting a lot of early Awards Season buzz, comments on this, as do Zegler, Elgort and Alvarez.
Zegler: “I made the choice not to. The comparisons are eminent so when I got the part, I was like whether they like it or not, they’re gonna compare, so I’m just gonna distance myself as much as I can.”.
“The Music you have to listen to, to study and understand, but it was retaught to us in a brand new way by Jeanine Tesori, conducted by David Newman of the New York Philharmonic, so I think we were all able to look at it with a fresh perspective inherently through our leadership. I don’t think it was necessarily encouraged to watch or not watch the Film, but Tony Kushner did recommend we look at Romeo & Juliet and its text.”.
Elgort: “No I haven’t seen the Movie since I was a kid but I used to love it, especially the Prologue. I’ve always been told as an Actor not to look at someone else’s performance because you’re supposed to pull it out. But I will say Steven Spielberg obviously loves the source material and it very much is based off of that source material and then reimagined the way that Art is supposed to be.”.
Ariana: “I am well-versed in the Movie, but I did not revisit it. I saw it when I was seven or eight and it was ingrained in my mind. I just let the knowledge of it live with me even though I did not seek it out.
Alvarez: “I definitely didn’t see it. I mean I saw it when I was young, but I didn’t want to see it because I didn’t want my idea of Bernardo to change because of the Movie. But I did look at Romeo & Juliet.”.
20th Century Studios Canada release WEST SIDE STORY December 10, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Studios Canada)
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the 2021 Reel Asian International Film Festival, takes place between November 10-19, 2021 with the theme being “HERE FOR THE BIGGER PICTURE“. Canada’s only pan-Asian Film Festival, will be available almost Canada-wide, a majority of it being virtual this year.
Martin Edralin‘s ISLANDS is set to kick things off as the Opening Night film! The Film premiered at SXSW 2021! Edralin and cast members will be in attendance too for a Q&A in-person.
The festival is proud to celebrate Governor General award-winning artist Ali Kazimi this year as the Canadian Spotlight Artist, with a focus on three of his feature-length documentaries. Continuous Journey, Random Acts of Legacy, and Shooting Indians look at intersectional community building and notions of history and friendship. Kazimi’s works, in addition to the live-streamed Canadian Spotlight Artist Talk alongside photographer Jeffrey Thomas, will be viewable on the Reel Asian website. The Canadian Spotlight Artist was produced in collaboration with imagineNATIVE and SAVAC.
An overview of this year’s Programmes at the 2021 Reel Asian International Film Festival.
Reel Asian X (RA:X) – Absence|Presence
Absence|Presence is a series of panel conversations, screenings and workshops reintroducing Desh Pardesh to Reel Asian’s audiences and community. Desh Pardesh was a multidisciplinary arts and culture festival that engaged with political issues of South Asia and its diasporas through a multi-day festival and conference, taking place in Toronto every year from the late 1980s until 2001. The festival programmed works and conversations about feminism, class, sexuality, access, disability, race, caste, imperialism, and capitalism, centering on the voices and experiences of underrepresented and marginalized voices within the South Asian diaspora. Absence|Presence seeks to honour and remember the histories of radical arts and culture spaces like Desh that paved the way for numerous queer diasporic art collectives and programs in the city, including SAVAC. From 2013 – 2017, SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) worked on an oral history project aimed at collecting the stories of the organizers, artists, participants and community activists behind the festival.
FEATURES
The features programme represents the filmmaking community as a whole and spotlights the breadth of talent from master storytellers to first-time feature makers. This programme gives audiences a chance to settle in with a familiar voice or discover a new filmmaking perspective. They will be transported to different worlds through a variety of genres, including from experimental to environmental docs to political and fictional tales of family, self, home, community, and culture.
Thoughtfully examining family and loneliness while retaining an undercurrent of levity, Islands tells the story of Joshua, a shy middle-aged Filipino immigrant, who has lived in the comfort of his parents’ home his entire life. As their health declines, he longs for a partner, terrified of being alone after they pass.
In Frederik Hana and Marius Lunde’s Codename: Nagasaki, the two friends weave together a genre-bending cinematic search for answers in this unique, and captivating documentary. Another documentary being featured this year is Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust, Ann Kaneko’s account of generations of women coming together to defend their land and water. The award-winning drama Drifting will screen for the first time in Canada at this year’s festival. Writer/director Jun Li shows audiences a grittier side of Hong Kong, a marked contrast to the often glamorized version portrayed in film. In Chen Yu-hsun’s My Missing Valentine, audiences are whisked into the life of a young woman who lives life a step ahead of everyone else. Her whirlwind ways finally catch up to her when she wakes up to realize she has mysteriously missed an entire day … one that may hold the key to true love. Already a festival favourite across the world, Debbie Lum’s Try Harder! is a documentary set within San Francisco’s most competitive high school, where students vie for admission into elite universities. In Mari Walker’s thoughtful and compelling film See You Then, two people reconnect a decade after breaking up, one of them having transitioned. In Three Sisters from Lee Seung-won, the title characters gather in their hometown for their father’s birthday, but their little brother’s abnormal behaviour brings to light some things they’d all rather stay hidden. Junta Yamaguchi’s film Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a fantastical tale about a cafe owner who discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future. The documentary This Stained Dawn is a riveting account of the preparation behind the multi-city Aurat March (Women’s March) in Pakistan. Canadian filmmaker Anam Abbas follows the organizers of the march as they negotiate a deeply surveilled, paranoia-inducing, and often physically violent space in the hopes of spurring a revolution. A former Scripps Spelling Bee champion must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother in Sujata Day’s Definition, Please. Pallavi Paul’s The Blind Rabbit is a mid-length experimental film touching on police brutality in Delhi, India, that will be sure to spark engaged discussion. A product of Telefilm’s prestigious Talent Fund, Emilie Serri’s Damascus Dreams is a documentary that is at once very personal while also touching on universal themes of homeland and identity. Muzzamer Rahman’s Hail, Driver, is the story of Aman, who after the death of his father decides to become an illegal e-hailing driver in Kuala Lumpur. Written and directed by KEFF, the film Taipei Suicide Story is a gripping tale of human connection that takes place over the course of one night in Taipei. The South Korean Digital Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro: The Real-World Guide to Set Up and Workflow from visionary director Hong Seong-yoon successfully combines horror, comedy, and romance into a truly unique cinematic experience.
Anchoring the features programme are two films spotlighting Hawaii, Waikiki (Christopher Kahunahana) and I Was a Simple Man (Christopher Makoto Yogi), both examples of a new wave of important narrative works currently emerging from the Aloha State. These ambitious and groundbreaking films both show important Native Hawaiian and local Asian perspectives on Hawaii that they know and love; a place that had too often has its stories told by outsiders.
SHORTS
This year’s Shorts programming includes films from notable directors including Jess X. Snow, Albert Shin, and Fawzia Mirza, amongst many others.
Midnight Snack: Delectably genre-bending, this programme serves up a seven-course meal that will surely leave you questioning whether you were even hungry to begin with.
Feel The Beat: Sing along to this collection of short films featuring characters who find themselves confronting systemic, structural, and personal challenges, all while defying conventional narratives and reconstructing alternative possibilities of storytelling
In The Moment: How does one trace lineages and map origins? Derailing form and convention, each of these films pave new pathways of understanding by reconceptualizing the relations between pasts, presents, and futures.
Familycore: Amid the abundance of narratives revolving around kin, this presentation of shorts brings refreshing and surprising takes into the un/intentional family-centric storytelling landscape, offering room for possibilities and reimaginings.
Ecologies of Place: Carefully set and intentionally crafted, the site-specificity of these short films recognize the role of place as a character integral to offering layered understandings of self, community, and purpose.
Sites of Affect: Recognizing the in/tangible ways feelings and relations can influence one’s actions, these six films tenderly hold the complexities of characters, places, and memories that are more than enough just as they are.
S-Express Myanmar: Guest-programmed by Thaiddhi in partnership with the Minikino S-Express Short Film Program Exchange, this collection of short films showcases young and new voices of independent filmmakers from Myanmar amid the sociopolitical changes of the country.
Unsung Voices: Four fearless emerging filmmakers embarked on a summer-long filmmaking journey online. We’re proud to present their world premiere here, in the landmark 10th edition of Reel Asian’s filmmaking program.
REEL IDEAS
This year’s Reel Ideas conference is named “Here in The Future Past,” and wishes to ground in the present moment, looking backward and forward simultaneously through the abundant energy of the community in the now. Gathering industry professionals, filmmakers, performers, media artists, programmers, and curators, this conference reflects on how our present dialogue, work, and stories will form the foundations of memory, genealogy, and history for the future. Some of the most dynamic thought leaders in North America will be participating including, V.T. Nayani, Sagan Yee, Catherine Hernandez, JP Larocque, Khanh Tudo, and many more. This year’s sessions include (re) Rites of Passage: Asian Canada in Motion Anthology Editors’ Table Talk, Animating Place into Character, Telling “Asian” Stories, The Function of Festival in Crises II, Narrative in Other Mediums, For New Kids on The Block, and Sustainable Storytelling Careers.
CANADIAN SPOTLIGHT ARTIST
Ali Kazimi is Reel Asian’s Canadian Artist Spotlight in 2021. Appropriately for our 25th festival, the documentary filmmaker, media artist, activist, author, and educator has been a fixture in the Asian Canadian community, and we celebrate his over three decades of vital contributions to Canadian media. In 2019, Kazimi became the first Indo Canadian to receive the Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in Visual and Media Arts award winner. His documentary and media-arts work deals with race, social justice, migration, and memory, and emphasizes essential connections across racialized communities, between personal and public, through past and present.
Born, raised, and educated in India, Kazimi came to Canada to study film production at York University in 1983. Two decades later, after receiving over two dozen awards and honours as an independent filmmaker, Kazimi returned to York, where he is currently an associate professor in the cinema and media arts department.
Reel Asian is pleased to offer a sampling of Kazimi’s seminal documentary films, as well as a suite of talks that will give greater insight into his process, and a viewing of excerpts from new works in progress.
Inspired by his films’ spirit of friendship and collaboration, Reel Asian is presenting Kazimi’s work with our friends and neighbours imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival, and South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SAVAC).
Wee Asian
Wee Asian is a collection of shorts filled with imagination, possibility, and nuance that will surely resonate with audiences of all ages.
This year’s Wee Asian short film lineup includes:
The Good, The Bad, The Dokkaebi
Old Dog
Your Hand in Mine
Perfect Restaurant
Sorry for the Inconvenience
Story of a Beginning
Winning in America
Polar Bear Bears Boredom
Living with Viola
Back for a second year, join the Wee Asian Arts Channel for sweet and simple pre-recorded arts activities led by a lineup of talented local artists including Rosena Fung, En Lai Mah, Natalie Mark, Basil AlZeri, and Joanna Delos Reyes.
Public tickets will be priced at $9.49 and are on sale beginning October 20, 2021 at reelasian.com.
FANTASIA 2021 is set to kick-off August 5, 2021, with a special screening of James Gunn‘s THE SUICIDE SQUAD kicking everything off on August 4th. This year marks the Festival’s 25th anniversary and closing the Festival will be Takashi Miike‘s THE GREAT YOKAI WAR – GUARDIANS on August 25th, receiving its international premiere.
Some other high-profile titles, retrospectives and conversations that comprise this year’s Festival:
WHAT JOSIAH SAW
In director Vincent Grashaw’s Southern Gothic nightmare WHAT JOSIAH SAW, an estranged family grapples with the sins of the past… yanking the skeletons right out of their closet, kicking and screaming all the way! The superlative cast includes Robert Patrick, Nick Stahl, Kelli Garner, Tony Hale, Scott Haze and Jake Weber. It’s this year’s THE DARK AND THE WICKED. WORLD PREMIERE.
THE DEVIL’S DEAL
In his first picture since the Cannes selection THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL, Lee Won-tae returns with the masterfully directed THE DEVIL’S DEAL. What starts as a critical political satire escalates into a white-hot thriller in which corruption, insider trading, and organized crime run the show. Leading a fabulous cast, actor Cho Jin-woong (ME AND ME) delivers one of the best performances of his career, portraying with disarming naturalism the multiple facets of an ambitious and tortured politician, as endearing as he is loathsome, whose life literally depends on his election. With its immersive score, captivating plot, and clever twists, THE DEVIL’S DEAL is a must-see. WORLD PREMIERE.
BULL
A feared gang enforcer (Neil Maskell, KILL LIST), vanished for ten years, returns to hunt the mobsters he once ran with in BULL, the ferocious British revenge thriller from BAFTA-winner Paul Andrew Williams (LONDON TO BRIGHTON). A brutal and subversive work that frequently plays out like a horror film, stunningly executed and grounded by well-scripted characters, with a cast that includes Tamzin Outhwaite (EASTENDERS) and David Hayman (TABOO, SID AND NANCY) in a frightening turn that ranks with the strongest of British mobster portrayals. WORLD PREMIERE.
TOKYO REVENGERS
Takemichi may just have a chance to change the future – if he can survive his own past! A jawbreaking, juvenile delinquent street fight royale combined with a high-stakes time travel thriller and dashes of adolescent angst and romantic comedy, TOKYO REVENGERS is the live-action feature adaptation of Ken Wakui’s enormously popular award-winning manga of the same name. Director Tsutomu Hanabusa (KAKEGURUI 1 and 2, also at Fantasia this year) succeeds mightily at adapting this complex science-fiction story; amid a barrage of bloody, brutal hoodlum battles, he still finds room for the sweetness of first love. INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE.
GLASSHOUSE
A memory-shredding neurochemical permeates the atmosphere like airborne dementia, but safe within an airtight glasshouse a family preserves their past through rituals of collective memory. Sensual and savage, GLASSHOUSE weaves aspects of dystopian science fiction with notes of folk horror and perverse, brooding, Gothic melodrama to craft a taught existential tale that ultimately explores the importance of storytelling and memory. It’s a stunning feature debut from South African filmmaker Kelsey Egan, starring Adrienne Pearce, Jessica Alexander, Anja Taljaard, and Hilton Pelser. WORLD PREMIERE.
FOLLOW THE LIGHT
Freshly arrived from Tokyo to a fading village in the Japanese countryside, Akira becomes fascinated with an isolated girl who is obsessed with a crop circle in her grandfather’s fields. This multi-layered, sci-fi coming-of-age story by first-time director Yoichi Narita is a true gem with a dazzling narrative. The majestic, rich cinematography, which highlights the magnificent rural landscapes, and judicious use of music recall Shunji Iwai’s masterpiece ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU. FOLLOW THE LIGHT will leave a lasting impression with its soft visual splendour and sensitive storytelling. WORLD PREMIERE.
IDA RED
Midwest filmmaker John Swab (LET ME MAKE YOU A MARTYR) returns to Fantasia with IDA RED, a propulsive, gripping, crime thriller that escalates his career to the big leagues. Cast-as-criminals Josh Hartnett, Frank Grillo, and Melissa Leo (as a modern Ma Barker) have never been better. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
THE SADNESS
In an alternate version of Taiwan, a rapidly spreading pandemic suddenly mutates into a rabies-like affliction, and the infected find themselves unable to control their id. A nightmare vision steeped in unspeakably upsetting moments of violence, Rob Jabbaz’s THE SADNESS plays like a return to the no-holds-barred shock sensibilities of ’90s Hong Kong Category III films. Electrified with an existential fear that punches spikes of panic energy straight into your nervous system, and told with incredible style, THE SADNESS is a force to be reckoned with. Fantasia is proud to be bringing this extreme horror rollercoaster to North American shores, hot off its bow at Locarno. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
THE DEER KING
Following its world premiere at Annecy, and ahead of theatrical release in Japan, comes the highly anticipated THE DEER KING, co-directed by anime veterans Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji. Based on the books by bestselling Japanese fantasy author Nahoko Uehashi, the epic saga of the legendary warrior Broken Antler Van comes to life with the peerless standards of quality we expect from the studios of Production I.G (GHOST IN THE SHELL, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION). Elegant and exacting design and animation seamlessly pair with Uehashi’s sturdy world-building and compelling conflicts to create a transporting animated otherworldly tale. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
DON’T SAY ITS NAME
When an environmental activist is called back to the world of the living after a suspicious accident takes her life, an ancient spirit is reborn outside a small northern town. With a wealth of Indigenous talent both in front of and behind the camera, DON’T SAY ITS NAME, the eerie feature debut from director/co-writer Rueben Martell, builds its chills with compellingly real characters and strong performances from Madison Walsh (SOMETHING UNDONE), Sera-Lys McArthur (OUTLANDER), Samuel Marty (GODLESS), Carla Fox, and Julian Black-Antelope (HOLD THE DARK). WORLD PREMIERE.
GRAND BLUE DREAMING
Stuck in a surreal, nudist loop somewhere between GROUNDHOG DAY and MEMENTO, two young men end up trapped in a scuba diving club full of muscular party animals and pretty girls with a temper. Based on a popular manga series, GRAND BLUE DREAMING, by Tsutomu Hanabusa (TOKYO REVENGERS), is as weird as it is hilarious. Astonishingly fast-paced and loaded with politically incorrect humour, this wild comedy also finds moments of calmness with beautiful and relaxing underwater shots. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
THE DEEP HOUSE
Two daredevil Youtubers with a passion for abandoned urban edifices film themselves as they take a deep dive into the bottom of a lake where there lies a mysterious house with a sinister past. Award-winning French genre maestros Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (INSIDE, KANDISHA) display numerous filmic skills with this intelligent found footage style feature. The immersive darkness, the floating strangeness, THE DEEP HOUSE takes us down and further down, from mere unfamiliar discomfort to absolute and unfathomable terror. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
MIDNIGHT
A wave of murders hits the city and, lurking in the shadows, a killer has just identified his new prey – a deaf woman. South Korea has become the go-to source for fans of dark, intense, unpredictable thrillers that deliver cutthroat tension, and Kwon Oh-seung’s debut feature MIDNIGHT follows in this tradition. A breathless tale boasting hallucinatory sound design that relishes in testing the nerves of even the most seasoned viewers. CANADIAN PREMIERE.
PERRY BLACKSHEAR
A brother and sister face off against a mysterious force responsible for years of devastating misfortunes in WHEN I CONSUME YOU, a haunting new work from award-winning indie filmmaker Perry Blackshear. Reuniting with Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andrews, and Margaret Ying Drake, the core acting trio of his previous films THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE and THE SIREN, Blackshear and his team dole out powerful blows of tragedy, devastation, and personal struggle while a demonic figure looms just out of focus, yellow eyes burning in the background. WORLD PREMIERE.
SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG
A sifu hardens his students with “Exercise” in Sammo Hung’s evocation of childhood. Ann Hui stages a stirring tribute to Hong Kong educators in “Headmaster.” Patrick Tam Kar-Ming depicts the emigration of Hong Kongers by way of an impressionistic love story, “Tender is the Night.” Master action choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping addresses generational divides in the 90s with “Homecoming.” Johnnie To details the city’s capitalistic hustle in “Bonanza.” The expanding harbour opens the floodgates of memory in Ringo Lam’s posthumous film “Astray,” and the decade to come is evoked by Tsui Hark’s futuristic, tongue-in-cheek closer “Conversation in Depth.” An exceptional omnibus comes to us at a crucial time in Hong Kong history, SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG reunites seven legendary Hong Kong directors for a heartfelt project composed of personal, resonant stories. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
CATCH THE FAIR ONE
A mixed Indigenous ex-boxer infiltrates the sex trafficking world in search of her missing sister in this ferocious thriller propelled by a commanding performance from WBA Super Lightweight Champion Kali “K.O. Mequinonoag” Reis. Pulverizing with fury and grief, CATCH THE FAIR ONE is the culmination of a four-year collaboration with director Josef Kubota Wladyka (MANOS SUCIAS), who co-wrote with his star. As much a hard-hitting revenge thriller as it is a personal interpretation of true crimes, the film addresses North America’s horrific crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women with urgency. Co-produced by Darren Aronofsky and 2021 Oscar-winner Mollye Asher (NOMADLAND) and winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE.
ON THE 3RD DAY
The latest from Argentinean director Daniel de la Vega (WHITE COFFIN) and production house Del Toro Films (South America’s answer to Hammer Studios), ON THE 3RD DAY follows an anguished mother (Mariana Anghileri) trying to find her missing son, and the missing memory of what happened on the night of a terrible car accident. INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE.
THE NIGHT HOUSE
From director David Bruckner (THE RITUAL, THE SIGNAL) comes THE NIGHT HOUSE. Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth (Rebecca Hall) is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tries as best she can to keep it together – but then nightmares come. Disturbing visions of a presence in the house calling to her, beckoning her with a ghostly allure. Against the advice of her friends, she begins digging into her husband’s belongings, yearning for answers. What she finds are secrets both strange and disturbing – a mystery she’s determined to unravel. THE NIGHT HOUSE stars Rebecca Hall (GODZILLA VS. KONG), Sarah Goldberg (Barry, Elementary), Vondie Curtis Hall (DIE HARD 2, EVE’S BAYOU), Evan Jonigkeit (Togetherish, Sweetbitter), and Stacy Martin (VOX LUX, NYMPHOMANIAC). CANADIAN PREMIERE.
MIDNIGHT IN A PERFECT WORLD
Near-future Manila is now a “perfect” world; the powerful forces keep it so, thoroughly hidden from view yet pressing down subconsciously and oppressively on the citizens. With rumoured blackouts happening around the city past midnight, the only refuge becomes government-sanctioned “safe houses” scattered around Manila. While many believe them to be a hoax, the truth of what they cover up may be something far worse. Taking its title from a DJ Shadow cut, and unfolding with an air of Philip K. Dickian strangeness, Dodo Dayao’s (VIOLATOR) long-awaited sophomore effort MIDNIGHT IN A PERFECT WORLD is, like his previous film, a uniquely savvy and nightmarish trip befitting the world’s ongoing dystopian situation, and one that cements Dayao’s unique voice in independent Filipino cinema. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
THE CAMERA LUCIDA section adds this final title to its competition, along with the following selection of short and medium-length films: AQUATIC BIRD (China – Dir. Zhang Nan); BORN PISCES (Japan – Dir. Yoko Yamanaka); DEATH VALLEY (United States – Dir. Grace Sloan); DOUBLE HELIX (China – Dir. Qiu Sheng); NOSES ON THE RUN (South Korea – Dir. Kim Boram) and TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY (Taiwan – Dir. KEFF).
BABY, DON’T CRY!
Step aside John Hughes and relinquish your crown because coming-of-age, teen romance will never quite be the same after BABY, DON’T CRY! Directed by Jesse Dvorak and written, designed, and starring Zita Bai, this astoundingly unique and harrowingly sincere film follows Baby, a Chinese immigrant in suburban Seattle, as she makes sense of her troubled home life and outsider existence through her indie DIY films and animalistic visions of the world. When she meets Fox (Vas Provatakis), a Skid Row punk with questionable decision-making skills, a whirlwind of intensity, ferocity, and sexuality engulfs the pair. Teetering between Baby’s fantastical visions and Fox’s raw punk rock ethos the two dive into this powder keg romance headfirst with no-holds-barred. WORLD PREMIERE.
FRANK & ZED
Are you ready for an orgy of blood? FRANK & ZED, one of the year’s goriest films, promises just that. In this bloodthirsty, bone-crunching, and strangely heartwarming movie, an odd-couple monster-duo Frank and Zed, a Frankenstein-type monster and his brain-eating companion, attempt to survive a medieval curse that has befallen a small village. And did we mention they’re all puppets? A true DIY passion project, conceived and made over 6 years, director Jesse Blanchard seizes an opportunity born from limitation to create an irresistible crowd-pleaser that embodies the resilience of thriving underground cinema. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY
Welcome to GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY, the strange, melodic, and haunting feature debut of Theodore Schaefer. After having her identity stolen, Diana (Annie Parisse) goes on a surreal road trip with her son’s pregnant girlfriend, Marlene (Gus Birney), to find the perpetrators. Shot on pastel-toned 16mm, the film’s dreamy quality lulls you into its unusual atmosphere. As the lines between waking and dreaming life fade, the movie blends its ironic sense of humour with a unique blend of American surrealism that explores kitsch and performance to unearth a deep sense of alienation and loneliness. WORLD PREMIERE.
DR. CALIGARI
In 1989, Stephen Sayadian, aka Rinse Dream, released one of the most iconic and fantastical works in American exploitation cinema. For the first time since its release, thanks to a new restoration, it will finally find its audience and retroactively be appreciated as the Underground masterpiece that it is. Bizarre, stunning, goofy, and unsettling, DR. CALIGARI embraces the avant-garde in its exquisite and hilarious exploitation of America’s repressed libido. As the film’s title might suggest, the feature is a loose remake of the German expressionist classic, centered on Mrs. Van Houten, a woman who seems to be losing touch with reality, and her treatment under Dr. Caligari, who diagnoses her with a “disease of the libido.”
DR. CALIGARI
In honour of the restoration of his seminal underground classic DR. CALIGARI, Stephen Sayadian will sit down and discuss his career; past, present, and future. The multi-talented artist got his start as the creative director for Larry Flynt Publications, designed some of the most iconic film posters of the 1980s (including DRESSED TO KILL, THE FUNHOUSE and THE FOG), and directed some of the most eye-popping and transgressive films of the era. Working under the pseudonym Rinse Dream, Sayadian’s films, including CAFÉ FLESH and NIGHTDREAMS II & III) blurred the line between smut and art. Working in both hard and softcore porn, his surreal films were consistently marked by a dark sense of humour, incredible production design, and hallucinatory imagery. For the first time at Fantasia, Sayadian will regale our audiences with the stories and legends from his incredible career and tease what might come next.
A virtual gallery of some of Sayadian’s best work will also be presented during the festival for amateur and veteran fans of his art. Presented in collaboration with BBAM! Gallery.
DEAR HACKER
Alice’s webcam’s red light flashes. A hacker, a ghost, a god? She decides to expose the identity of the invader. DEAR HACKER, Alice Lenay’s debut documentary, is a patchwork of video calls that come together as a metaphysical reflection. Alice gleefully jumps down the rabbit hole and navigates the infinite universe of the web – our minds’ web – and our interconnectedness at a time when we’ve never been so distant. With her witty observations and sagacious imagination, Lenay writes a visual letter in the form of this film telling a story of perception, reality, and society. The loading circle spirals out, but Alice keeps going. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
ALIEN ON STAGE
A high-spirited group of British bus drivers set their minds to launching a homemade stage play adaptation of Ridley Scott’s ALIEN in Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer’s debut documentary ALIEN ON STAGE. With a Christopher Guest-esque charisma that particularly recalls his community theatre classic WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, the film follows the ups and downs of the delightfully DIY production, with its second-hand costumes and cardboard sets, and the charming crew determined to make it succeed. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ
A fiercely moving tribute to one of the most recognizable and unconventional figures in punk history, POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ celebrates the life and legacy of Poly Styrene, famous frontwoman of X-Ray Spex and poster child for the UK’s Riot Grrrl and Afropunk movements. Featuring previously unseen archival footage and a succession of eloquent diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Ruth Negga and co-directed by the icon’s own daughter, Celeste Bell, and seasoned documentarian Paul Sng. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
LOST BOYS
Following the successful release of his breakthrough documentary REINDEERSPOTTING: ESCAPE FROM SANTALAND (2010), Finnish filmmaker Joonas Neuvonen, along with his friend Antti and the film’s star, Jani, traveled to Southeast Asia or a celebratory trip… Which ended tragically when Jani was found dead and Antti went missing. Co-directed by their longtime collaborator Sadri Centinkaya, LOST BOYS chronicles Neuvonen’s return to Bangkok and Phnom Penh, into an even deeper hellscape of drugs, prostitution, and wandering souls, as he seeks out the truth behind his friends’ demise while picking up the pieces of his own imperfect life. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
THE 12 DAY TALE OF THE MONSTER THAT DIED IN 8
For its 25th anniversary, Fantasia is proud to honour writer, director and video artist Shunji Iwai with a Career Achievement Award and play host to a special masterclass led by the esteemed filmmaker. His latest film, THE 12 DAY TALE OF THE MONSTER THAT DIED IN 8, previously announced as part of the Camera Lucida slate – designed as a relief film for the Japanese film industry during the COVID-19 pandemic – perfectly captures the all-too-online moment in which we find ourselves. This is only the latest example of Iwai’s preternatural talent for capturing and sublimating the unspoken feelings that accompany pivotal moments in life, such as the end of elementary school, the beginning of university, the uncertainty of married life, or turn-of-the-millennium teen angst. He expertly communicates what it means to live in increasingly interconnected times, integrating the language of message boards, dating apps, and handwritten love letters into his work. A chronicler of changing hearts and changing times, Iwai’s filmography stands as one of the most unique and influential in all of Japanese cinema
Also screening as part of this tribute: FIREWORKS, SHOULD WE SEE IT FROM THE SIDE OR THE BOTTOM? (1995), APRIL STORY (1997), ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (2001).
A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR STOP-MOTION TITAN PHIL TIPPETT
From the original STAR WARS trilogy to the millennial TWILIGHT SAGA, on top of ROBOCOP, JURASSIC PARK and STARSHIP TROOPERS, Phil Tippett’s inventive, innovative, iconic stop-motion creations have become universally familiar elements of our collective imagination. Fantasia is proud to honour the director and visual effects master with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 for his original vision and his contributions to the advancement of the craft.
This proud moment coincides with the long-awaited completion of Tippett’s personal masterwork— thirty years in the making, MAD GOD sees its North American Premiere at Fantasia this summer. Equal parts harrowing and hilarious, it’s a perpetual motion machine of biomechanical malevolence, a Dantean descent into the depths of Tippett’s imagination that cements him as an artist of the highest order.
Accompanying MAD GOD is the world premiere of the documentary short WORSE THAN THE DEMON, an intimate and insightful profile by the subject’s daughter, Maya Tippett. Fantasia will present Tippett with his Lifetime Achievement Award by way of a virtual ceremony, followed by a masterclass exploring the deeper roots of his art.
ADDITIONAL THIRD WAVE TITLES
COMING HOME IN THE DARK
New Zealand – Dir. James Ashcroft
This extraordinary neo-noir is a blisteringly tense road movie into hell that plays like a home-invasion thriller set largely in a moving car. Based on the 1995 short story by award-winning New Zealand author Owen Marshall, described by David Hill as “one of the most harrowing narratives in our literature.” Official Selection: Sundance 2021, Calgary Underground Film Festival 2021. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
THE FEAST
UK – Dir. Lee Haven Jones
Shot entirely in the Welsh language and crafted with intelligence and cruelty, THE FEAST plays like a modern fairy tale for greed-fueled end-times. It’s a striking feature debut from BAFTA-winning director Lee Haven Jones (35 DAYS, DOCTOR WHO) dripping with atmosphere, this grotesque shocker is a standout in cinema’s current folk horror revival. Official Selection: SXSW 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE.
FIGHTER
South Korea – Dir. Jéro Yun
Life is a constant struggle for Jina, a North Korean refugee, but she finds her path in boxing. Director Jéro Yun judiciously uses close-up shots highlighting the glances and silences that say much more than words, thanks to near-surgical editing, displaying a transcendent presence by actress Lim Seong-mi. Official Selection: Berlinale 2021, Busan International Film Festival 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE
HAND ROLLED CIGARETTE
Hong Kong, Dir. Chan Kin-Long
Triad intrigue involving turtles, smuggled drugs, and instant noodles in the underbelly of neon HK in this refreshing film noir action that recently won the White Mulberry Award for best debut feature at the Udine Far East Film Festival. CANADIAN PREMIERE
JOSEE
South Korea – Dir. Kim Jeong-kwan
After an incident that leaves her electric wheelchair disabled, Josée is rescued by Young-seok, who she then brings in to discover her unique imaginary world. A beautiful, moving, charming, and visually polished film by Kim Jeong-kwan faithfully adapted from the popular novel Josee, the Tiger and the Fish. Official Selection: Busan International Film Festival 2021.
ONE SECOND CHAMPION
Hong Kong – Dir. Chiu Sin-Hang
With the power to see one second into the future, loser Chow becomes a winner in the ring. It’s ROCKY with a high concept and loaded with more humor and high-pressure fun— Hong Kong style, from one of the directors of Fantasia 2017’s VAMPIRE CLEANUP DEPARTMENT. Official Selection: Udine Far East Film Festival 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE.
OPÉRATION LUCHADOR
Québec – dir. Alain Vézina
Mexican wrestler L’Ange Doré is back, and he’s confronting the dark designs of the Third Reich. Film teacher and documentarian Alain Vézina (LES SOEURS DE NAGASAKI, 2018) embraces the mockumentary genre wholeheartedly with his latest joyous delirium. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE.
SEOBOK
South Korea – Dir. Lee Yong-joo
A former secret service agent (GongYoo, TRAIN TO BUSAN) struggling with a brain tumor must return to duty for a mission of the utmost importance: protecting Seobok (Park Bo-gum, COIN LOCKER GIRL), the first human clone who has unnatural powers. Few mainstream films integrate ethical reflection with breathtaking, high-octane entertainment to this incredible extent. CANADIAN PREMIERE.
SWEETIE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT
Kazakhstan – Dir. Yernar Nurgaliyev
Seasoned Kazakh comedy director Yernar Nurgaliyev plunges into horror-comedy for the first time, serving us a fresh, dynamic mix of genres while spicing it with Kazakh flair in this award-winning film. Imagine TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE meets THE HANGOVER. CANADIAN PREMIERE.
UNDER THE OPEN SKY
Japan – Dir. Miwa Nishikawa
A former driver for the yakuza has just spent 13 years behind bars. Determined to reintegrate into society, he discovers a hostile and changing Japan that he struggles to recognize. Miwa Nishikawa’s (THE LONG EXCUSE) gripping UNDER THE OPEN SKY features Koji Yakusho (TOKYO SONATA) in one of his most moving roles. Official Selection: TIFF 2020. QUEBEC PREMIERE.
WILD MEN
Denmark – Dir. Thomas Daneskov
Armed only with a bow and an ensemble of animal skins, Martin (Rasmus Bjerg, ALL FOR ONE) sets off into the forest in a misguided attempt to overcome his midlife crisis. A chance meeting with a fugitive named Musa (Zaki Youssef, SONS OF DENMARK) leads to a twisted trip through the fjords with police, drug runners, and Martin’s family not far behind. Those who have any doubt that the funniest movies being made today come from Denmark need not look any further. Official Selection: Tribeca 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE.
FANTASIA RETRO PRESENTS A PACK OF RESTORATION PREMIERES
In addition to the aforementioned restoration of Stephen Sayadian’s DR. CALIGARI (1989), Fantasia is proud to announce the following classics, resurrected in stunning new transfers.
UZUMAKI
Japan, 2000 – Dir. Higuchinsky
Higuchinsky’s elusive adaptation of Junji Ito’s cult classic UZUMAKI (SPIRAL) returns to Fantasia after 20 years, screening in a brand new 4K restoration. Decadently stylized and as beguiling as ever – practically dripping with blue-grey grime and oozing slime – the film stands out for its cosmic horror stylings and the ways it comes closest to the haunted tape at the centre of RINGU. The film itself now appears to us as cursed – full of shifty details and disturbing artefacts – as it unfolds with an almost experimental slice-of-life logic. One of the more peculiar films in the J-horror canon. World Premiere of Toei’s new 4K restoration.
TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (La noche del terror ciego)
Spain, 1972 – Dir. Amando de Ossorio
One of the most gloriously mythical, highly original zombie films ever made bursts from the grave, fully uncut in a striking new restoration from Synapse Films scanned from the original camera negative. The film re-envisions medieval Catholic military order the Templar Knights as satanic monks living under an occult curse, forced to walk the earth as eyeless undead in need of human flesh. In an imaginative twist, given their blindness, they are able to track the living by listening for their heartbeats.
World Premiere of Synapse Films’ new restoration.
MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN (Il mulino delle donne di pietra)
Italy, 1960 – Dir. Giorgio Ferroni
The first Italian horror produced in colour, Ferroni’s landmark Italian Gothic boasts an impressive saturated signature, a style which was later picked up by Mario Bava when he made BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964). As a result, much like the later features by Bava, the film stands out stylistically for its bold painterly qualities, in this case layered in gorgeous, dark, fairy tale artifice. Picking up the baton from Gothic romance-tinged mad science films, such as HOUSE OF WAX (1953), MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN takes the staple ‘woman-into-wax’ trope into unconventional territory with strange experiments, weird vampirism, and the dead coming back to life. World Premiere of Arrow Video’s new restoration.
THE UNKNOWN MAN OF SHANDIGOR (L’Inconnu de Shandigor)
Switzerland, 1967 – Dir. Jean-Louis Roy
This long-lost mid-1960s Cold War super-spy thriller is a marvelous and surreal hall of mirrors– part DR. STRANGELOVE, part ALPHAVILLE– with sly nods to British TV shows like THE AVENGERS and DOCTOR WHO. All mod sunglasses and bizarre architecture (including Antoni Gaudi’s famed La Pedrera/Casa Mila), the long-unavailable SHANDIGOR has been beautifully restored by the Cinematheque Suisse. Starring Marie-France Boyer, Daniel Emilfork, Howard Vernon, and Serge Gainsbourg! North American Premiere of a new 4K restoration by the Cinematheque Suisse. Presented by Deaf Crocodile Films.
FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT
Japan, 2005 Dirs. Katsuhito Ishii, Hajime Ishimine, Shunichiro Miki
If you look at them just right, the most mundane elements of daily life can seem utterly bizarre. That’s the lunatic logic behind 2005’s fan-favourite cult classic FUNKY FOREST; a sprawling omnibus of the obvious and the oddball, the casual and the completely insane. Collaborating with hotshot advertisement directors Hajime Ishimine and Shinichiro Miki, director Katsuhito Ishii set them loose to confuse you, amuse you, repulse you, excite you, and just plain freak you out. World Premiere of Error 4444’s new HD restoration.
THE WARPED FOREST
Japan, 2011 – Dir. Shunichiro Miki
We’re not out of the woods yet! Witness the wonders of time-warping and dream-tinkering! Giggle at bellybutton sex and pornographic fruit snacks! Squirm when the local baker sneaks out for an illicit encounter with a furry little nipple-sucker and so much more. Shunichiro Miki flies solo on THE WARPED FOREST, an essential, long unavailable, work in the millennial new wave of radical, hallucinogenic Japanese comedies that blend deadpan humour, delirious dream logic, creeping paranoia and empathic, easygoing optimism into the strangest of cinematic brews. North American Premiere of Error 4444’s new HD restoration.
JURIES AND COMPETITIONS
Fantasia is pleased to announce the 2021 Cheval Noir competition titles:
ALL THE MOONS – Spain / France, Dir. Igor Legarreta
THE DEVIL’S DEAL – South Korea, Dir. Lee Won-tae
HELLBENDER – USA, Dirs. Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams
GHOSTING GLORIA – Uruguay, Dirs. Marcela Matta, Mauro Sarser
THE GREAT YOKAI WAR – GUARDIANS – Japan, Dir. Takashi Miike
HOTEL POSEIDON – Belgium, Dir. Stef Lernous
INDEMNITY – South Africa, Dir. Travis Taute
LOVE, LIFE AND GOLDFISH – Japan, Dir. Yukinori Makabe
MARTYRS LANE – UK, Dir. Ruth Platt
REMAIN IN TWILIGHT – Japan, Dir. Daigo Matsui
THE RIGHTEOUS – Canada, Dir. Mark O’Brien
TOKYO REVENGERS – Japan, Dir. Tsutomu Hanabusa
VOICE OF SILENCE – South Korea, Dir. Hong Eui-jeong
WONDERFUL PARADISE – Japan, Dir. Masashi Yamamoto
The following industry professionals make up the Fantasia 2021 juries:
CHEVAL NOIR COMPETITION
Agnieszka Smoczyńska (Jury President) – Poland – Director, Screenwriter
Kambole Campbell – UK – Writer, Critic
Paula Devonshire – Canada – Producer
Mónica García Massagué – Spain – Author, Professor, General Manager of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival
Simon Rumley – UK – Director, Author
NEW FLESH COMPETITION FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE
Kim Newman (Jury President) – UK – Author, Critic, Broadcaster
Jill Gevargizian – USA – Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Gigi Saul Guerrero – Mexico – Director, Screenwriter
Brian O’Malley – Ireland – Director, Screenwriter
Myriam Sassine – Lebanon – Producer, Co-Founder of the Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Co-Jury Presidents) – Belgium – Directors, Screenwriters
Prano Bailey-Bond – UK – Director, Screenwriter
Yfke van Berckelaer – Netherlands – Director, Screenwriter
Faye Jackson – Scotland – Director, Screenwriter
AQCC CAMERA LUCIDA COMPETITION
Jean-Marie Lanlo – Canada – Critic, Publisher
Martin Gignac – Canada – Critic
Claire Valade – Canada – Critic
AXIS ANIMATION COMPETITION
Hefang Wei (Jury President) – France – Director, Artistic Director, Co-founder of Weilaï Productions
Ashkan Rahgozar – Iran – Director, Writer, Founder and CEO of Hoorakhsh Studios
Kalp Sanghvi – India – Director, Writer, Co-founder of Ghost Animation Collective
PANELS AND SPECIAL EVENTS, ACCESSIBLE WORLDWIDE
While Fantasia 2021’s films are geo-blocked to Canadian audiences, all of the festival’s panels and special events are free and accessible worldwide, allowing these unique experiences to be enjoyed by fans on every corner of the Earth.
In addition to the aforementioned artist talks by Shunji Iwai, Stephen Sayadian, and Phil Tippett, Fantasia is pleased to announce the following special events.
Presented in association with WarnerMedia
HAUNTING THE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS: THE RISE OF INDIGENOUS HORROR
Saturday, August 7 – 4PM EDT
Presentation by Dr. Kali Simmons
In the article “The Rise of Indigenous Horror,” Haudenosaunee writer Alicia Elliott notes that, “…many non-Indigenous horror writers depict situations that Indigenous people have already weathered.” The recent exposure of genocidal violence against Indigenous children within the “residential school” programs which operated in Canada and the United States stresses the truth of this observation even more.
In this lecture, expanded from work presented at the Miskatonic Institute for Horror Studies, film scholar Dr. Kali Simmons will analyze the ways that horror has been deployed in the service of settler-colonialism as well as the ways Indigenous writers, actors, and filmmakers speak back to these troubling stories.
SOUTH AFRICA SCREAMS: VOICES FROM THE NEW WAVE OF S.A. GENRE CINEMA
Sunday, August 8 – 2PM EDT
With panelists Nosipho Dumisa (NUMBER 37), Kelsey Egan (GLASSHOUSE), Bradley Joshua (Producer, Gambit Films, BLOOD & WATER), Ryan Kruger (FRIED BARRY), Michael Matthews (FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES), and Travis Taute (INDEMNITY); Moderated by Todd Brown (XYZ Films)
In recent years, South Africa has lit up the international cinema world with inspired and sophisticated genre film reworkings that frequently win awards and leave audiences breathless. Fantasia has proudly showcased— and in some cases, launched— many of these works. This year, Fantasia will be World Premiering not one but two South African works, Travis Taute’s INDEMNITY and Kelsey Egan’s GLASSHOUSE. To celebrate, the festival will be presenting a special roundtable discussion between some of the leading talents in S.A.’s new wave. Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear insights and production stories from some of the country’s most exciting artists, brought together for what’s sure to be an unforgettable time.
KONVERSATION: TAKAYUKI HIRAO MEETS PASCAL-ALEX VINCENT
Monday, August 9 – 5PM EDT
Interpreter: Zen Nakamura
With SATOSHI KON, THE ILLUSIONIST, French documentarian Pascal-Alex Vincent demonstrates the profound effect that the late master, in whose honour Fantasia’s animation award is named, had on anime and indeed cinema worldwide. Japanese animator Takayuki Hirao, director of POMPO: THE CINÉPHILE, can attest to it firsthand, having spent his formative years working under Kon on MILLENNIUM ACTRESS and PARANOIA AGENT. Kon’s legacy is the starting point of a discussion between the two directors. In English and Japanese with verbal translation.
Untold Horror presents…
MONSTERS MUST LIVE!
Friday, August 13 – 5PM EDT
With panelists Brian Yuzna, William Malone and Richard Raaphorst; Moderated by Dave Alexander
Filmmakers Brian Yuzna (RE-ANIMATOR series, SOCIETY), William Malone (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, MASTERS OF HORROR) and Richard Raaphorst (FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY) discuss their unmade monster movies and the ongoing, often maddening, occasionally hilarious quest to bring some of the coolest creature features to life. Hosted by Untold Horror author and former Rue Morgue editor-in-chief Dave Alexander, Monsters Must Live! proves that when it comes to the film biz, some of the most incredible creations don’t actually exist onscreen.
GRADY HENDRIX LIVE: WELCOME TO THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP
Sunday, August 15 – 5PM EDT
Bestselling author Grady Hendrix (Paperbacks from Hell, My Best Friend’s Exorcism) welcomes you to a very special support group, so have a seat, coffee’s in the back, and remember there’s no cross-talk. Then prepare yourself for a guided tour of the history of murder books, because ever since the invention of the printing press we’ve been using it to tell stories about killing each other, from bizarro 19th century Jack the Ripper fan fiction, through Psycho, the industry-changing success of Silence of the Lambs, all leading up to today. Along the way you’ll encounter astrological assassins, the female authors who wrote serial killer books first, and primal hamster trauma as together we try to figure out what it means that so much of publishing is about selling murder for fun.
Presented in association with WarnerMedia
A DIFFERENT MONSTER: BLACK WOMEN AND THE MONSTROUS
Saturday, August 21 – 4PM EDT
Presentation by Carolyn Mauricette
From Sarah Baartman to Grace Jones, Black women are often thought of as exotic creatures and grossly misunderstood, or, like Frankenstein’s monster, they have been put in a category where they are feared and disliked, with observers quick to vilify or dismiss. Yet, in horror, characters who are supernatural beings or “monsters” are actually an embodiment of Black women’s strength and perseverance. We’ll look at some of the most interesting characters— whether vampires, witches, or supernatural beings— and see how even in their otherness, and within problematic representation, they have power and agency and represent the vulnerability and strength Black women have possessed through the ages.
THE TRANSGRESSIVE URGE: HORROR AND THE TABOO IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Sunday, August 22 – 5PM EDT
With panelists Stephen R. Bissette (Cartoonist, Author, Critic), David Kerekes (Headpress Books), David J. Schow (Writer), John Skipp (Writer, Director), Christina Ward (Feral House), Billy Martin (Writer) and Douglas E. Winter (Writer / Critic); Moderated by Heather Buckley
One of the functions of horror film and fiction has been the unflinching exploration of the forbidden, the underground, and the taboo. In the 1980s and 1990s horror experienced a surge of wild energy, and a backlash against it. While certain restrictions have loosened, and more permissive venues for content have emerged in the years since, practitioners of the genre now face other pressures and penalties, potentially higher than before. In a society with ready online access to just about every kind of content, including eyewitness cameras capturing the most terrible of crimes, how has the cultural sense of the taboo, and the role of horror in breaking them, changed? Join us for a discussion about the evolution of this explicit mode of expression as art, exploitation, and rebellion.
TURBO KID: FROM FILM TO VIDEO GAME / TURBO KID : DU FILM AU JEU VIDÉO
Tuesday, August 24 – 2PM EDT
With panelists RKSS (François Simard, Anouk Whissel, Yoann-Karl Whissel), Anne-Marie Gélinas and Benoit Beaulieu (EMA Films), a member of composing duo Le Matos, and key figures from Outerminds (Rémi Lavoie, Odile Prouveur, Guiz DePessemier) and Vibe Avenue; Moderated by Marc Lamothe and Justin Langlois
Born out of Frontières, Fantasia’s international co-production market, and launched at Sundance, the worldwide cult sensation that is TURBO KID immediately put RKSS, its gifted trio of Québécois filmmakers (François Simard, Anouk Whissel, Yoann-Karl Whissel), on radars across the universe. A video game was the logical follow-up! Like the film, it promises to be an homage to the post-apocalyptic works of the ‘80s with cartoonish gore and a heartfelt story while channelling beloved vintage video games. Celebrated Montreal video game studio Outerminds are working closely with RKSS and EMA Films, producers of the original film, to devise a game that will honour the essence of the breakout hit, with synth-wave band Le Matos returning to compose a brand-new soundtrack while VIBE Avenue provides sound design.
Grab your gnome stick and join us for a bilingual (French and English language) panel discussion with the core creators of both the film and its adaptation to explore TURBO KID’s journey into gameplay.
For more on Fantasia 2021 including tickets, click here.
Taking place June 3-13, 2021, the Toronto Jewish Film Festival is back again this year virtually with lots of great selection including Centerpiece Film LUNE, as well as Opening Film SHELTER and Closing Film THE SPECIALS.
Our George Kozera (Twitter: @PartyG) had the joy of previewing some selections from this year’s Festival and shares his thoughts with us on them.
Based on writer/director Leo Khasin’s life growing up Jewish in Berlin, THE UN-WORD explores, brilliantly at that, the sensitive subjects of racism and multiculturalism. What starts off sounding like a set-up of a bad joke – an Iranian, a Palestinian and a Jewish student get into a fight – segues into a movie overflowing with insight, sensitivity and comedy with a balance as profound as the metaphorical scales of justice. When the parents of Max, the Jewish student who bit the ear off the Palestinian who constantly bullied him in and outside of class, attend a hastily scheduled meeting at the school with his teacher, the principal and the superintendent, we can’t help but notice the subtle context of comments made by the adults that could be deemed racist. As THE UN-WORD unfolds and many backstories are revealed, it remains difficult to not be affected by the racial discrimination occurring and misinformation taken for truth. But, in strokes of cinematic genius, Khasin infuses the Movie with comedy so funny, I was consistently laughing out loud which, like Garbo, I rarely do!
In addition to the letter-perfect performances from everyone in the Cast, this movie addresses every elephant in the room with intelligence and perspective. Whereas it is never easy to hear someone say that “The Diary of Anne Frank” is a fictional hoax, it is also infuriating to hear an elderly German person spew “the Arabs are today’s Jews”. It all culminates with a seething dialogue from an adult Iranian woman of all the injustices she experiences daily.
THE UN-WORD will dazzle you. It’s a must-see.
Before World War II, the thriving Warsaw district of Muranow housed over 200,000 Jewish residents and when Germany occupied Poland during the war, it became the Warsaw Ghetto with many of the inhabitants sent to the Treblinka death camp. The Nazis completely destroyed the area with the exception of one building used by the SS and a church where they stored all the treasures they had stolen. After WWII, it was technically impossible to rebuild the neighbourhood without removing three stories of debris, so they built over it, using bricks made of the rubble and human bones. In essence, Muranow exists atop a cemetery.
The Documentary MURANOW is an endlessly fascinating account of the city, its history and, especially, life there now. Many current residents unabashedly believe ghosts still live in the new buildings; one apartment dweller even named his ghostly roommate Rachel. Whereas personally I am highly skeptical of these metaphorical beings, events that occur defy logical explanations. However, this is more than just a Documentary focused on the undead. Many interviews are conducted with a diverse group of people: Scholars, Historians, Artists, Writers, Residents andBusiness Owners are but a few who talk about living in an area with such a tragic history.
MURANOW had me transfixed throughout its concise 70-minute screening time. Though saddened to see and hear that much of modern-day Poland is still rife with antisemitism and demonstrations that aren’t vastly different from the Trump rallies in recent history, the movie uplifts more than it criticizes. And even though I don’t believe in ghosts and zombies, if I ever meet Rachel, I’ll be on the next Uber to the airport.
TIGER WITHIN comes with an impressive pedigree. Montreal-born Director Rafal Zielinski’s résumé includes “Fun”, which made a huge impact at Sundance and is one of the best movies you’ve never heard of and Anne Hathaway’s big break occurred when she starred in Screenwriter Gina Wendkos’s “The Princess Diaries”. Add 20-time nominated and winner of 7 Emmy Awards, Ed Asner to the mix and you have a potential “can’t miss” movie.
Wearing her uniform consisting of ripped jeans, excessive black eyeliner, nose rings and a leather jacket with a painted swastika on the back, Casey (Margot Josefsohn) just doesn’t fit in with anyone at school. Life at home with her clueless mother and the violence-prone live-in boyfriend is no better, so all decide she should leave Ohio and live with her estranged father in Los Angeles. Upon arrival, Casey secretly overhears disparaging comments made about her by her new family unit and decides to go it alone in a new city, where she is quickly robbed of everything she owns. When she is found sleeping at a Jewish cemetery by 87 year-old Holocaust survivor Samuel (Asner), he treats her to a meal and a place to stay. TIGER WITHIN is all about the special bond these two lonely characters share.
There is much to admire as TIGER WITHIN unfolds with its tale of friendship between these unlikely people. Whereas the character of Casey can at times be abrasive, Josefsohn is up to task and gives an impressive performance. Asner rarely falters in any role and here, with his decades of acting experience, he beautifully fleshes out Samuel with gentle humour and insight. The strong message of healing, faith and forgiveness is executed flawlessly, but at times TIGER WITHIN feels a tad overwrought and heavy-handed. Minor quibbles aside, this movie shines and will tug at your heart. It is a wonderful escape, and that is why we see movies.
This year’s TJFF Opening Film is the world premiere of director Ron Chapman’s documentary SHELTER. It opens with a number of WW2 survivors talking about the religious persecution and atrocities they experienced in Europe, revealing scars that never fully healed, and with expert use of archival footage, I defy anyone watching not to be emotionally shattered. Once they emigrated to Toronto, it became apparent to many that it was a multicultural city where the newcomers focused on two things: employment and a home. Unable to find work due to the city’s then rampant antisemitism, many Jewish families tapped into their entrepreneurial spirits by first buying then renovating and flipping houses, then by starting construction companies and building high rise apartments, dwellings rarely seen outside of Toronto.
Alongside interviews and archival footage, Chapman also employs recreations of events using actors to further the story. I personally have never been a fan of documentary recreations as I feel they detract and I start to focus on ridiculous details like the haircuts on the men the actors are portraying are more modern-day Ryan Gosling than they are Montgomery Clift. However, the achieve the effect and enhance SHELTER admirably.
I found it fascinating that many of these real estate moguls felt that going into business and potentially into bankruptcy was nothing when compared to what they went through during wartime Europe. Through determination and self-education, in addition to luck and chutzpah, 75% of all rental units in Toronto were conceived and built by Jewish entrepreneurs. What an amazing accomplishment that SHELTER features splendidly
Aviva Armour-Ostroff is an established, award-winning Actress and highly respected in the Toronto theatrical community. Not only is she the star of LUNE, she co-directed, co- produced and co-wrote it. She plays Miriam, a single mother to her teenage daughter Eliza (Chloe Van Landschoot). Set in Toronto in 1994, Eliza is preparing her audition to be accepted to a prestigious dance school in Montreal. Miriam, a South African-born Jew, is determined to return to her homeland to partake and vote in the election of the just-freed Nelson Mandela. Miriam is also Bipolar and when she’s on her meds, she is high-functioning, articulate, charming and fascinating to such a degree that Eliza’s boyfriend Mike (Vlad Alexis) is mesmerized by her completely. It is when Miriam is off her medications, as she is throughout most of this Movie’s length, LUNE spirals downwards.
Stage Acting is vastly different from Screen Acting. In theatre, one must effectively project their movements and voice to reach the last row and this describes Armour-Ostroff’s performance. It’s bombastic. It’s over-the-top. It’s twitchy body parts flailing akimbo and a borderline Carol Burnett parody of Norma Desmond, made even more jarring by the subtle naturalistic and genuinely-endearing performances from Van Landschoot and Alexis.
I am utterly convinced that deep in the heart and soul of LUNE, there is a great movie. I only wish it were as brilliantly-executed and emotive as Eliza’s dance composition that interpreted the world of those suffering from Bipolar Disorder with dignity and without melodrama.
In the pantheon of memorable movies that feature mother/daughter relationships in the forefront (Terms of Endearment, Postcards from the Edge, Lady Bird and even Freaky Friday), one must add ASIA, the feature debut from Writer/Director Ruthy Pribar, and a winner of three awards at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, to the list.
Asia (Alena Yiv) recently moved to Jerusalem from Russia where she works as a nurse. In her mid-30s, she has a teenaged daughter Vika (Shira Haas) who, at first glance can be perceived to be rebellious with a contentious relationship with her mother. We quickly learn that Vika has a degenerative motor skills disease that accounts for her sullen nature and tries to undermine the constant overprotection from Asia. Whereas Vika enjoys hanging out with a skateboarding crowd and swig from Vodka bottles with her bestie, what she really wants is a boyfriend before her physical condition worsens. Asia is more gregarious, flirting with bartenders after work and happy in her “Friends with Benefits” relationship with a doctor. As Vika weakens and requires more fulltime attention, Asia asks the handsome, young hospital intern Gabi (Tamir Mula) if he was available to help out.
ASIA excels on multiple levels. The script is concise, intimate and grounded in reality. The performances from Alena Yiv and Shira Haas (who recently won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in “Unorthodox”) exceed expectations. Together they achieve greatness with delicacy and strength. Moreover, these exceptional actresses stand back and let the supporting cast shine during their moments. Lastly, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. I strongly suggest you have tissues readily available because ASIA will put you through the wringer. It is an outstanding cinematic achievement.
Inspired by true events, this year’s Closing Film THE SPECIALS (HORS NORMES en français) is a powerful and evocative movie made by two Filmmakers at the top of their game. Bruno (Vincent Cassel) is a Jewish man who runs a government unlicensed shelter that houses and cares for teenaged and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder that have been, sadly, turned away from other institution. Malik (Reda Kateb) is Muslim and his company trains young adults from deprived areas to become caregivers. Though both men have different “management styles – Bruno is always hopefully optimistic whereas Malik can be brutal with group of students – they are equally dedicated and indefatigable. In the skilled hands of the Writers/Directors Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, a difficult subject matter is presented with grace and humour. Idyllic scenes of the caretakers and their cares at an ice-skating rink or at a horse farm are as potent as ones featuring runaway patients.
The ordinarily intense Vincent Cassel not only shows a softer side in his acting repertoire (who knew he could smile?), it is his best role in years. As much as Bruno excels with those in his care, he is awkward around women and his success rate with “chiddoukh” (blind dates) is pathetically dismal. Reda Kateb (“A Prophet”) radiates power and compassion. As Dylan, the newest recruit to become a caregiver, Bryan Mialourdama impresses. Whereas THE SPECIALS never sugarcoats the obstacles those with autism experience and there are moments that are emotionally strong, it is also uplifting and hopeful.
Much like Toledano and Nakache’s “The Intouchables”, it is impossible not to become affected by what THE SPECIALS so astonishingly presents.
Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon are a popular Israeli Comedy duo and in their second feature film together, FORGIVENESS, (as Writers, Directors and Leads) they explore the Buddy/Caper Action genre. After serving three years in jail for getting caught in a bungled bank heist, Shaul returns home, on the Jewish side of the Gaza Strip, to try refresh his relationship with his wife and teenaged daughter. Met in front of the prison by his criminal conspirator, Nissan, who managed to escape with the money stolen but not get apprehended by the police. Now a Hassidic Jew, Nissan seeks forgiveness from Shaul for the time he spent in jail while they both try to recover the money buried somewhere along the border.
FORGIVENESS is pure, unadulterated 100% Sitcom in set-ups and execution. From gangsters that feel they morally can’t murder anyone during Yom Kippur, to horses having a bowel movement in safe rooms during red alerts, breaking into a vault while stoned on hashish and explosions galore, this Movie tells its story in breakneck speed. The chemistry between Shaul and Nissan is strong and there’s enough relationship drama to not make FORGIVENESS strictly slapstick. Whether the gags land successfully is all up to the viewer.
More on the Festival and how to get tickets here.
(Photo/video credit: TJFF)
By Mr. Will Wong
Hong Kong’s official entry at the 93rd Academy Awards is BETTER DAYS, from Director Derek Tsang, son of screen legend/TVB Executive Eric Tsang, whose film Soul Mate went on to which much acclaim in his native Hong Kong a few years back. This compelling Adaptation of Young Adult Novel In His Youth, In Her Beauty, tackles the timely issue of bulling and makes a splash in doing so.
The story centers on Chen Nian (acclaimed young Actress Zhou Dongyu) who is on the verge finishing high school and taking her college admissions exams, which could decide her fate and land her a brighter future than the lack of privilege she’s faced her entire life with her mom. One of her classmates commits suicide one day during class and it is learned she was being bullied by her schoolmates. Chen Nian is next in line and crosses paths with a thug named Liu Beishan (newcomer Jackson Yee) who protects her from her bullies, led by Queen Bee Wei Lai (Zhou Ye). Things then escalate romantically between Liu Beishan and Chen Nian who develop a strong attachment to one another, and also violently in the back-and-forth between Chen Nian and her bullies. As exams near, Chen Nian finds herself in trouble as she and Liu Beishan find themselves prime suspects for a crime that could land them in prison for the rest of their lives.
BETTER DAYS is phenomenal storytelling. Despite the Film’s 135 minute run time, we found ourselves drawn-in right from the start and enthralled up to the finish. Tsang masterfully balances the Films’ prominent tones: romance, suspense and in all of this, successfully delivers an education and message about the perils of bullying and what is being done today in China about it. The Film captures the spirit of what it means to be a young person in China today, the pressures they face, in addition to the pressures of the National College Entrance Examination at the center of it all. While much of the Film is gray-hued, there is a warmth that resonates in the power of youth and the love the Film’s two hero and heroine share.
It is impossible not to be affected by Lead Actress Zhou Dongyu‘s sublime performance. She embodies weakness and strength but always unmistakably is Chen Nian. As she gazes across a classroom of students she is teaching English to, we can see a whole composite of her character and her history on her face, and wonder what she is thinking. We are always rooting for her and at times the odds feel as if they are too great to overcome. Chen Nian is unforgettable.
You can rent or buy BETTER DAYS now on YouTube here.
We’re in lockdown and there has been no shortage of new releases to occupy our time with. See some of the Films, Series and Movies that we think you might be interested in February!
Lee Daniels (Precious) directs and produces this compelling Montreal-filmed Biopic about legendary Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday, based on the Novel Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari. The story follows the FBI, led by Harry Anslinger (Garrett Hedlund), and their pursuit of Holiday (Andra Day) on drug charges in their war against drugs. This was seen as an attack on Holiday in preventing her from performing live one of her signature songs “Strange Fruit” which talks to the Black community being lynched, reflecting the American government in a poor light. The Film makes no mistake about its portrayal of Holiday and her demons, tracing back to her childhood where she was forced into prostitution, to her many failed relationships and also her dependency on drugs. Daniels offers us the sympathy that Holiday got posthumously and the Film’s greatest treat is Day who embodies Holiday‘s spirit whether she is singing or taking us down her troubled path. Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight) plays Jimmy Fletcher, America’s first black federal agent tasked with investigating Holiday, but also falling for her and her him. While the Film could have been told a bit more concisely exploring failed romances, ultimately its examination of the Black community being targeted unjustly by the justice system is where it leads us to and sadly something happening in the ’40s still rings true today. THE UNITED STATES vs. BILLIE HOLIDAY arrives on Hulu February 26, 2021 and it is no coincidence it was scheduled around Awards Season.
Lance Oppenheim debuted this first Feature at Sundance 2020 to acclaim and if Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) signing-on to produce this Documentary is any indication, he’s headed to bright places – pardon the pun. This Film is set in a sunny Florida retirement community called The Villages, dubbed a “Disneyland for Retirees”, or as one of its subjects calls it, “a waiting room to heaven”. The community is constructed to help remind its residents of a happier time in their lives and most of them appear happy on the surface, we do meet a few subjects in the Film who take us a layer deeper. We meet a couple dealing with the husband’s drug use, which lands him in legal trouble; and a widow looking for romance; and a man looking for a wealthy older women to take care of him. Oppenheim despite being a young, emerging Filmmaker is able to get his subjects to trust him and open-up a very personal level about some harsher realities these seniors are living through. Perhaps this shiny, happy community isn’t necessarily the nirvana it’s painted out to be. This is a fascinating meditation about life and love at a stage which often isn’t explored in Film. MK2 | MILE END release SOME KIND OF HEAVEN Friday, February 12, 2021 in theatres and on virtual cinema.
Okay, while we admit we’re a bit spoiled by the production values and next-level costumes on the American version of this Series, the UK is now onto Season 2 of the fan favourite Series, calling BBC its home on the other side of the Atlantic. And to be honest, we are enjoying this spinoff! Among the challenges this season the Queens are tasked with, is a mock Musical called RATS – imagine a rodent-filled version of CATS – and while there is a bit of cattiness to be found among the contestants, they admittedly are a little less argumentative on this version of the Series. These Queens are quirky and campy and love some of the Celebrity Guest Judges they’ve brought on this season including Elizabeth Hurley and Graham Norton! New episodes arrives Thursday on Crave.
We initially were on the fence about this Series. I mean what could Selena Gomez teach us about cooking? But after giving this a chance, we actually loved it. Each week we follow this global Pop superstar as she learns under some of America’s top chefs. All this is recorded from her home and during the Pandemic. We share more of our thoughts on this Series here. New episodes arrive Thursdays on Crave with the HBO add-on.
Initially when I saw the Trailer for this I expected it maybe to be a bit safe, but this Vancouver-filmed Series starring Katherine Heigl as TV Personality Tully Hart and Sarah Chalke as Kate Mularkey, her best friend is actually great and has a bit of grit to it. Tully is the pretty, successful one who has no problem getting male attention, while Kate is recently-separated and looking to get back into the work force. Lacking confidence, Tully helps Kate land a job at work but as the Series progresses, we learn about their past through younger versions of themselves, played well by Ali Skovby (Tully) and Roan Curtis (Kate) . Tully, though she appears to have everything, has a lot of underlying sadness and is holding some deep secrets. And gradually, we see Kate come out of her shell after heartbreak, while dealing with some challenges with her teen daughter. Love the nostalgic throwback Soundtrack and references to the ’80s, which adds to the mood. This is one-part BFF Comedy, one-part Drama (complete with love triangle) about how we are shaped by our pasts. FIREFLY LANE arrives on Netflix Wednesday, February 3, 2021.
Simon Stone (The Daughter) directs this Drama which takes place at the onset of World War II. Edith Perry (Carey Mulligan) is a widow who hires Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to excavate large burial mounds on her property. Much to Basil‘s surprise, he finds what is a ship of national importance. Catching wind of this, an Archaeologist from Cambridge, Charles Phillips (Ken Stott) takes over the dig by order of the government, leaving Edith in a battle to maintain her rights to decide the fate of the find since it is on her property. Her fears are that the find will be placed in the British Museum and with an impending war, it could fall into wrongful hands. While grappling with her declining health, Edith must ensure that Basil gets due credit for his discovery and that the treasure is given its due honour. Stone does a wonderful job drawing us into this story, a slow-burning but engaging look at the process and people involved in preserving and protecting what is now known as the most impressive medieval grave to be discovered in Europe. Carey is superb whether it be asserting Edith or as a mother protecting her son from hurt as she faces her own mortality, and Fiennes is easy to root of in his humble display of Basil. THE DIG streams now on Netflix.
Jude Weng makes her Feature directorial debut here and gets beautiful Hawaii to work with as a backdrop in telling this story of two siblings, Pili (Kea Peahu) and Ioane (Alex Aiono), brought from New York City to Oahu by their mother (Kelly Hu) to take care of their grandfather (Branscombe Richmond) who faces the risk of losing the home he built. While the kids resent being there, it isn’t long before they find things to love. Ioane falls for a local girl in Hana (Lindsay Watson), while Pili finds a journal which eludes to there being a valuable treasure hidden within the island’s dangerous caves. Buddy Casper (Owen Vaccaro) joins them on this adventure where they learn themselves just how beautiful Hawaii and its culture are, but most of all, Pili and Ioane learn the importance of family after having felt distant from their mother in their time in New York as she struggles to make ends meet. While the Film veers more to a younger audience, adults might find a bit of nostalgia as the Film feels a bit like a reimagination of The Goonies, further solidified by an appearance from Ke Huy Quan who starred in that classic. FINDING ‘OHANA streams now on Netflix.
TV and Radio Personality Wendy Williams has built a brand as an outspoken girl next door and Lifetime movie WENDY WILLIAMS: THE MOVIE documents her rise, struggles and betrayals. Darren Grant (Empire, Soundtrack) directs this chaotic recounting of some of the much-publicized drama Williams has gone through. The Movie doesn’t shy from matters like ex-husband Kevin Hunter (Morocco Omari) secretly having an affair and child with another woman; her battle with drug addiction; that time she collapsed live on air dressed as the Statue of Liberty; and also her difficulty conceiving a child. This is meant to illustrate Williams as someone strong, who has overcome adversity, but the chaotic energy that dominates the Film somehow detracts from this even despite star Ciera Payton‘s best efforts to channel Williams authentically. We were hoping for something that gave us more of Williams’ vulnerability and just how exactly she overcame adversity, but unfortunately we never quite get this as this Movie, which is executive produced by Williams, is more concerned with showing than telling. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining though! WENDY WILLIAMS: THE MOVIE airs on Lifetime. Check here for showtimes.
While the UK already has known about this Series, we’re just getting around to discovering the juiciness that is FLACK. The idea is original in this Anna Paquin-produced series, which also has her int he starring role as Robyn, an American Publicist who relocated to London. We are a part of her world which never has a dull moment as she navigates her famous clients’ lives, cleaning-up their sometimes catastrophic messes. We also meet those around her, including her no-nonsense boss Caroline (the brilliant Sophie Okonedo), her icy best friend and co-worker Eve (Lydia Wilson) and an intern Melody (Rebecca Benson). The Series also explores her relationship with her sister Ruth (Genevieve Anderson) as they both grieve the loss of their mother. Robyn also is dealing with her own vices and we see her power over others and also some of the destruction she causes, all while professionally helping others maintain their images. At only six episodes, we only wish there were more for us to savour. There isn’t one weak link in this Cast, some phenomenal performances take these shocking storylines and make them believable and enthralling. Season One of FLACK is available now on Amazon Prime Video.
Julia Hart co-writers and directs this fantastic flick produced by and starring Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). The ’70s-set story centers on Jean (Brosnahan), a young woman who suddenly becomes a mother and is whisked away from the life she knows, to be on the run after her husband Eddie (Bill Heck) betrays his partners-in-crime. A mysterious man named Cal (Arinzé Kene) takes her away but we realize that those in search of her husband, also are in pursuit of her. Much of the Film’s first two acts are suspenseful and engrossing, with the final act taking a different turn as some long-burning questions are uncovered and Jean begins to find her own voice. Clocking-in at over two hours, I’M YOUR WOMAN takes us on a dangerous and dark ride and we’re glad we were aboard. Brosnahan as always is superb and luckily we can enjoy this at home at Amazon Prime Video now!
This Documentary answers at long last why Britney Spears still is stuck in a Conservatorship with her father Jamie controlling her finances still, despite being long over her meltdown. The New York Times explore in great detail the lead-up to Spears‘ need to have her father take control over her affairs, tracing the beginning of her celebrity up to her troubled past where she almost lost it all. She has been very cryptic on the matter with puzzling Social Media posts which read like a cry for help. In spite of this, we see her informed fans step-up with the #FreeBritney movement, demanding the Pop icon be able to decide her own fate, turning her finances over to Bessemer Trust according to Spears‘ wishes. And she refuses to work rightfully until the matter is resolved. The Film by Samantha Stark interviews subjects who were close to her and those who adore her, piecing together possibly how Spears might feel despite her not formally being involved with the project. This is a must-watch for fans of Spears and Pop Culture, giving us a layer of depth in a matter which has been trivialized far too often.
Some of our recent reviews including THE LITTLE THINGS, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, PALMER, JIU JITSU, PENGUIN BLOOM, MALCOLM & MARIE, THE WHITE TIGER, WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS and more here.
Coming later this month on Netflix is the highly-intriguing CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL which explores the Los Angeles Hotel’s history of horror, including the death of a Vancouver woman. We’re shaking.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix/Hulu/Crave)
With both the Holidays and Awards Season approaching, December can be a joyous time indeed for us with a big slate of new releases to surface. Here’s some of our recommendations across various screening platforms, including some theatrical releases!
Clea Duvall co-writes and directs this Holiday Rom-Com with a fresh take on expanding the idea the type of relationships the genre includes. Kristen Stewart stars as Abby, who is ready to propose to her live-in girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) as they get ready to spend the Holidays at the latter’s home for the first time. There is one hitch, Harper still hasn’t officially come out to them yet despite telling Abby she did, and that it went well. The daughter of a politician, image is everything for her family and this keeps holding her back from being her true self and matters get confused as former flames resurface in the visit which make the couple question their commitment to one another.
While ultimately meant to be heartwarming, tonally Duvall goes to heavier places as the couple gets pulled apart and its message is something the world needs a bit more of, hence its release is timely. Stewart has a knack for bringing her characters a ton of history and her Abby feels truly lived-in, while Davis spends much of the Film embattled in Harper‘s fears and in the shadow of her rival sister Sloane (Alison Brie). Canada’s Dan Levy delivers some much-needed comedic relief as Abby‘s confidante John and we wish the Film had even more of that. That being said, this is a Holiday story which many will identify with and feel seen by. And who knows, Stewart just might win over even more new fans here!
eOne Films release HAPPIEST SEASON Digitally and On-Demand Friday, November 26, 2020. It arrives on Amazon Prime Video Thursday, December 10, 2020.
We knew very little until only recently about this latest effort from Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones’s Baby) and now we can’t imagine life before it. Right in time for the Holidays comes this whimsical and fantastical Comedy which centers on Eleanor (Jillian Bell) who is out to prove to the world that Fairy Godmothers are needed. She finds a letter written by Mackenzie (Isla Fisher) when she was 10-years-old, only to realize now that she has grown into a widowed, 40-year-old single mother of two, stuck in a job at a newsroom with a miserable boss. Needless to say, she’s given-up a little on the “happily ever after” she dreamed of as a girl. Eleanor, whether Mackenzie wants it or not, is here to grant her wish but we wonder if Eleanor ever be more than just a Tooth Fairy with this challenging task ahead!
Bell is an absolute joy, hitting what is a sweet spot in her career after last year’s acclaimed Brittany Runs a Marathon. She brings a Will Ferrell-Elf-esque enthusiasm and curiosity to the world which is infectious. Fisher also is a pleasure to watch as she channels Mackenzie‘s cynicism in a way many of us see the world right now. Maguire manages to craft a magical experience which lifts the spirits, yet balancing what it means to expand our definition of what happily ever after means and who it involves in our lives and we’re here for this.
GODMOTHERED arrives on Disney+ Friday, December 4, 2020.
Prior to his passing, Screenwriter and father of David, Jack Fincher, had completed a Script for MANK, based the life of Herman J. Mankiewicz, also a Screenwriter.After many years in incubation as a passion project, the Film finally got made by the younger Fincher. The Film recounts its titular character’s well-documented fight to get credit for co-writing what would go on to be one of the greatest films ever made, CITIZEN KANE.Mank (Gary Oldman), who prior had been brought aboard to help as a Script Doctor on The Wizard of Oz – without credit – isn’t particularly a likable type. He’s an alcoholic, a gambling addict and in fact, others call his wife “Poor Sarah” (Tuppence Middleton). Mank’s outspoken in his political beliefs and his support of Democrat Upton Sinclair, who is viewed by powerful Hollywood types as a Socialist. This puts him at odds with the powers that be. He’s tasked with helping co-write CITIZEN KANE, which Orson Welles (Tom Burke) produced, starred, directed and co-wrote. From here, we see a heated battle between Welles and the unpopular Mank as the latter fights to secure himself a credit on the eventual masterpiece. More so, we see how the battles within his own life found their place in CITIZEN KANE – his alcoholism, going against the machine and career sabotage. Mank had nothing to left to lose, refusing to go down without a fight. And we’re here for it.
While the Film might not be for everyone, it is a must-watch for true Cinephiles and those obsessed with the history of Cinema. Fincher‘s direction and some of the performances are meticulously-faithful to the period. Carrying almost all of the weight is Oldman who transforms completely and he mesmerizes in the manner of passersby staring at a car crash on a highway. We are concerned for and empathetic of the driver in the wreckage. Amanda Seyfried plays actress Marion Davies, whom Mank befriends. She is the mistress of William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), a media mogul and backer of MGM who inspires the character Susan Alexander, albeit an untalented entertainer and second wife of the titular character in CITIZEN KANE. Seyfried is so committed, poised and sweet that what Mank does feels like a huge betrayal.
This certainly is a Film which Awards Season was made for and just may replicate the Oscars success which CITIZEN KANE achieved. MANK arrives on Netflix Friday, December 4, 2020.
Fan of Pickering’s Shawn Mendes will revel in delight at this Documentary by veteran Music Video Director Grant Singer. The Singer-Songwriter rapidly has shot to stardom and makes his first foray into the world of Film with recent collaborations with TIFF and now this companion to his upcoming fourth Disc, WONDER coming early December. The Film gives us an intimate (literally we go right into the shower with him) look at his daily life, which really presents him as someone who is level-headed and taking his fame into stride. In one scene he is driving around downtown and a man asks him roll-down his window to give his daughter a video shoutout. We learn about Mendes‘ creative process writing material for the new Album and he goes back to older, soulful influences this time around and one thing I found particularly interesting is to protect his voice from the rigours of touring, he takes vocal rests finding alternate ways to communicate on rest days. While nothing earth-shattering is revealed here really, it is an essential watch for fans or those who appreciate his Music and believe me, there are many! SHAWN MENDES: IN WONDER arrives on Netflix Tuesday, November 24, 2020.
Riz Ahmed delivers a career-best performance in Darius Marder‘s SOUND OF METAL,which after a run on the Festival circuit, including TIFF ’19 gets its debut at long last. Ahmed plays Drummer Ruben Stone whose hearing rapidly is deteriorating and after battling heroine addiction for years, he now is sober. While resisting help from the Deaf Community, the Film centers itself on his humbling journey accepting help, with the urging of his bandmate girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke). Ruben is his own enemy in many regards and at the core of SOUND OF METAL which while being set in the chaotic world of screamy Death Growls, is something heartfelt and a meaningful coming-of-age.
Ahmed and Cooke disappear completely into Ruben and Lou and their transformations are sympathetic and affecting. A bit of a slow-burn but a rewarding watch.
Pacific Northwest Pictures release SOUND OF METAL in theatres Friday, November 20, 2020 and it arrives on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. and it is available digitally and on-demand in Canada Friday, December 4, 2020.
Don’t forget to read our Chat with Ahmed here.
Anna Sewell’s BLACK BEAUTY is a love story that captures the bond between human and animal so beautifully that it should come as no surprise that it still stands the test of time some 143 years after it was written. Ashley Avis, formerly a competitive Equestrian, takes the reins on Disney+‘s adaptation of the story for a new audience. Along with this heartfelt timeless tale, we get updated messaging and more inclusion in casting.
This version centers on Jo Green (Mackenzie Foy), who is sent to live with her Uncle John (Iain Glen). While she is reluctant to warm-up to him, she does strike a bond with his filly (narrated by Kate Winslet) a wild Mustang who is acquired to be broken-in and sold. The horse changes Jo‘s life forever, helping her find herself but circumstances separate the two and we wonder if they ever will reunite again as she is treated like a commodity, changing hands multiple times.
Foy as always is great and she is fascinating to see develop into a dramatic actress and while we appreciate how the Film treats animal rights with the right delicateness and sympathy it deserves, ultimately it is paced in a way where things happen a couple beats too quickly, without fleshing-out key characters and their involvement with the Plot. And at times, the dialogue feels perhaps too simplistic even though we appreciate that the Film caters to a young audience. That being said, Winslet’s narration tugs on all the right heartstrings and you do feel something for her and her beloved friend, Jo.
BLACK BEAUTY arrives on Disney+ Friday, November 27, 2020.
If there’s anyone who knows the spirit of nostalgia, it’s Director Chris Columbus who has brought us classics like Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone (1 and 2), Mrs. Doubtfire and a litany of others. He directs and co-writes the sequel to 2018’s popular The Christmas Chronicles and while the first Film was very enjoyable, this installment has a wondrous, fantastical element to it that truly captures the joy of the Holidays.
Back again are Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy (Judah Lewis) as they find themselves spending Christmas on a resort with their mom Claire (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), her new boyfriend Bob (Tyrese) and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno). Kate is faced with the fear of her deceased father being forgotten and wishes to escape and together with Jack, they find themselves transported off to the North Pole with Santa (Kurt Russell) and Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn), where the elves have gone out of control. One elf gone rogue, Belsnickel (Julian Dennison) threatens to ruin Christmas forever with the potential of a world without a Santa Claus. It is up to Kate and Jack to help save Christmas and also, will Kate get her long-awaited wish of finally getting to see her father?
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES: PART TWO is none short of the boisterous, sparkly fun we’re totally here for. The Film belongs entirely to Camp and Russell who both are fantastic and Hawn is a welcome addition to the Franchise, a perfect warm and nurturing Mrs. Claus. Hijinx aside, the Film hits all the right notes emotionally, feeling exactly like a Holiday film should! We wouldn’t be surprised if this got several viewings this Holiday season. Streaming now on Netflix.
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Academy Award-winning Director Steven McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Shame, Widows), but he’s back with an innovating new Mini-Series of five Films centering on the West Indian-immigrant experience in London in the ’60s and ’70s. While the subject matter is timely, with #BlackLivesMatter being at the forefront of discussion this past year, McQueen’s storytelling is timeless as we are transported right into the era.
The first Film in the Series, Mangrove, is about nine black activists arrest for inciting a riot after police had targeted a restaurant of the same name in Notting Hill. In a fight for their rights and the rights of the future generation, the group choose to represent themselves in court. What plays out is an intense court battle featuring some truly compelling performances from Shaun Parkes (Doctor Who), Malachi Kirby (Black Mirror) and Letitia Wright (Black Panther). McQueen masterfully examines racial hatred from both sides of the argument and this is a fantastic start to the Series.
The second Film, Lovers Rock is a sensual Romance set within a party where we meet Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) who sneaks out of her bedroom at night, and Franklyn (Michael Ward). The lighting is gorgeous and we are swept away into their looming love affair. McQueen has a masterful way of transporting us into the moment through music and the scenes just breathe beautifully as the songs play. While most of the story is set within the party itself, he paints a picture of the world these characters are living in at the time when we get brief glimpses of how unsafe things can get just stepping away from that safety net.
The remainder of the films arrive December 4, 2020 on Amazon Prime Video.
Throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, Selena became the queen of Tejano music. Managed by her father and supported by her siblings in her band, this tight-knit family went from performing at weddings, while living on the road to Selena becoming one of the most successful Latin artists of all time. That is, before she was murdered in 1995 at the age of 23, by the manager of her boutiques. This happened tragically, just as she was set to launch internationally with her debut English album.
The detail-obsessed Series is crafted heavily with the input of the Quintanilla family so what we get here are ten quick-moving episodes that recount the family’s struggles from having very little, but were ignited by an undying commitment and belief in themselves. Rather than being entirely focused on Selena, we get the story from all sides of the family and we truly feel the tension between them in how tightly-knit they were. Fantastic performances from our lead Christian Serratos (The Walking Dead) and Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives). Even at the end of the ten episodes the complete story isn’t told, cleverly leaving room for a second season. A must-watch for fans and intriguing enough to win over new fans who aren’t familiar with Selena‘s legacy.
SELENA: THE SERIES streams Friday, December 4, 2020 on Netflix.
Based on a true story that happened right here in Toronto, ALL MY LIFE recounts the tale of a young couple, Solomon (Harry Shum Jr.) and Jennifer (Jessica Rothe). The couple whom after receiving tragic news, still forge ahead with plans to have a fairy tale wedding with the help of their friends who help them raise the funds to make it happen.
Marc Meyers (My Friend Dahmer) directs this tale which at times tugs on the heartstrings, but in moving along rapidly, misses the opportunity to delve deep into the couple’s love and their struggles during Solomon’s health battles which could’ve made this a bit more impactful, giving us more to root for. A solid performance from Rothe (Happy Death Day) in the lead role, though we wish a bit more room was given for the talented Supporting Cast which includes Jay Pharaoh (Saturday Night Live), Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) and Mario Cantone (Sex and the City). There is definitely an audience for a Film like this.
ALL MY LIFE opens in theatres Friday, December 4, 2020. Please ensure you observe COVID-19 protocols if seeing this in theatres.
Based on the premise that 2020 has been… not so great, the Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey is here to help save Christmas. Joining her on this 45-minute adventure is an understandably starstruck Billy Eichner as Santa‘s Assistant, with a story narrated by Tiffany Haddish. Several famous friends join Carey including Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson on a new rendition of Oh Santa!, which stands a chance at being a successor to modern classic All I Want for Christmas is You! The Peanuts Gang also make an appearance as do the likes of Snoop Dogg and long-time collaborator Jermaine Dupri. While festive and well-being including a touching rendition of Silent Night, the Special’s emotional high note is its Encore, where Carey delivers an extra festive Aspen-set performance of her biggest Holiday smash and her twins Moroccan and Monroe even come on out to support their Mom! We live for this and even if another Carey Holiday Special doesn’t come for a while, this one will do on-rotation! Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special streams now on Apple TV+.
While it’ll be a while till we see Season Two of HBO‘s Euphoria, two special Holiday episodes of the acclaimed Series are amidst us, to tie us over. Director/Writer Sam Levinson goes deep as we ponder the Holidays with Rue (a recent Emmy-winning Zendaya) and her friend Ali (Colman Domingo) where they question their existence and what it means to cope with addiction, sobriety and some of the destructive things they had done in their lives to the ones who love them. Rue is coping with Jules (Hunter Schafer) leaving her, which leads her on a downward spiral again. Phenomenal, intimate performances in what feels like it could’ve been a stage production. A reminder that the Holidays aren’t a happy time for everyone. The first special episode is available to stream now on Crave with the HBO add-on, with the second arriving January 2021.
You know how much we love our baking shows and we’re so delighted SUGAR RUSH is back for a second season with its Christmas edition. Lots of exciting and exhilarating baking challenges here in this second season where contestants are challenged with tasks like making creations inspired by Christmas Carols, the North Pole, Advent Calendars, Peanuts and more. The finished products as always look to-die-for and we wish we could taste everything too! Celebrity guests include Chris Bosh, Abigail Breslin, Jordin Sparks, among others! Adore this. Season 2 is streaming now.
We’re told Bollywood is different from Hollywood in that Bollywood stars maintain much more mystique than many of those stars those in Hollywood who have embraced oversharing on Social Media. This new Series comprised of eight episodes, takes us right inside the worlds of Neelam Kothari Soni, Maheep Kapoor, Seema Khan and Bhavana Pandey, whom are longtime best friends and among Bollywood’s elite. With a Kardashians-like view, we get a glimpse into their glamorous, although they consider it mundane, lives. All isn’t always rosy as passions too flare at times as these friends too have unresolved issues that get brought to the table. Don’t know much about the world of Bollywood? Don’t worry, they explain these relationships well and drama knows no cultural boundaries. Maheep is the loud, assertive one. Neelam is a former Actress pondering relaunching her career. Seema is all about protecting her family even though we understand her husband isn’t always around. Bhavna plays Devil’s Advocate which can be problematic when a friend wants her support. Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Lives is streaming now on Netflix.
This six-part Mini-Series directed by Susanne Bier and and written by David E. Kelley, is adapted from the Novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The Undoing centers on a privileged family, Jonathan (Hugh Grant), Grace (Nicole Kidman) and their son Henry (Noah Jupe) who are impacted in the aftermath of a woman’s death. With Jonathan standing accused of murder, Grace is left to put together the pieces how her husband could have been done this. The story masterfully twists and turns as we no longer know what to believe and who is reliable right up to the gripping conclusion.
Phenomenal work as expected from Kidman who is forced to dig deep and find the truth, leaning on her father Franklin (a strong performance by Donald Sutherland) for guidance. Jupe is coming into his own as a fine Actor with a goodheartedness that makes it all the more unbelievable that such a grounded family could be dealing with something so awful. Grant is the biggest surprise here and while we’re used to seeing him in Holiday movies around this time of year. Looking back, it all makes perfect sense.
THE UNDOING streams now on Crave with the HBO add-on.
Better known as “The Woman Who Dressed America” at the height of J.Crew‘s popularity, the retailer’s former President Jenna Lyons is a fashion icon in her own right. Since her time with J.Crew had ended, she’s been a bit more on the quiet side, but she’s back as she makes her foray into Home Design and Beauty. She’s looking to add to her Team and goes on a search for the next Associate as fresh new talent have a chance to prove they have what it takes to work with her on this eight-episode Series. What is interesting is that the finalists must work against unconventional conditions as the competition is halted amidst the Pandemic and picks-up again, forcing Lyons to alter her course. We love the assured way in which she speaks and mentors, which comes with a gentle grace and assuredness. The Series gets intimate as was also learn about her life and her own challenges. STYLISH WITH JENNA LYONS is available to stream now on Crave with the HBO add-on.
Cassie (Kaley Cuoco) is a flight attendant coping with Alcoholism, living her life recklessly between stop-offs. On a flight to Bangkok, she meets a handsome stranger in Alex (Michiel Huisman) and after an enchanting, alcohol-fueled night out, she wakes-up to find him dead in the bed beside her. As she runs away from the situation, trying to stay under the radar, she must confront her past, her addiction and relationships, and gets to know Alex better as he surfaces as an apparition to her. The Series has a chaotic energy to it which keeps things fun and lively, and Cuoco is a perfect casting choice. Also Girls’ Zosia Mamet surfaces as Cassie‘s delightfully-funny lawyer/best friend Annie. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT streams on Crave with HBO add-on, new episodes weekly.
By Mr. Will Wong
Based on J.D. Vance’s Memoir of the same name, Ron Howard‘s latest effort HILLBILLY ELEGY brings together a phenomenal Ensemble Cast to tell the Author/Capitalist’s inspiring story of overcoming the odds to thrive in life despite a troubled past.
The Film centers on Vance played both by Gabriel Basso (adult) and Owen Asztalos (young), whom is taken-in by his grandmother (Glenn Close) after his mother Bev (Amy Adams) is unfit to care for him. Bev is battling substance addiction and goes through a series of failed relationships, often physically and verbally abusing Gabriel and his sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett). Vance gives us a glimpse of how the culture of the Appalachians while economically-depressed, seems to promote a vicious cycle of underachieving and struggle.
HILLBILLY ELEGY belongs entirely to a pair of performances by Academy Award nominees Close and Adams, who both disappear entirely into their roles. They will be among those in discussion this Awards Season. Close is tough as nails, clear to her grandson that she doesn’t care about being liked by him. It is her instilling of this in him, along with her tough love that pushes him to rise above for a fighting chance in life. Adams is frightening in Bev‘s erratic manner, alternating between manic and sober, a performance which gives us more range than we’ve ever seen in her outstanding body of work. Howard effectively paints a backdrop where we feel at any time Vance is dangerously-close to becoming like his own mother or any of his peers.
While tough to watch at times, HILLBILLY ELEGY possesses a spirit of cathartic inspiration that we need right now that we can be thankful of the adversities we face as vehicles in moving us along to where we are destined to be in life.
HILLBILLY ELEGY arrives on Netflix Friday, November 24, 2020.
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