Los Conductos (2019) NDNF 2020

Pinky shoots a night watchman and then drives off into the night. He holds up in a t-shirt factory and ponders his past in a group that viewed themselves as chosen.

A great visual sense  gives way to a sense of tedium as  not a whole hell of a lot happens around Pinky. Yes things pick up in the second half but the long held shots of Pinky, of silk screening, of driving and other things begins to tire one out making this a long haul even at 70 minutes.

Honestly I loved the look of the film. There are some incredible shots and sequences but outside of that there simply isn't enough to sustain the brief run time.

That said I look forward to what director Camilo Restrepo does next.

The Fever (2019) NDNF 2020

Not long after a widowed security guard's daughter informs him that she is going to  move her medical practice to a different city he contracts a mysterious illness. Tests prove inconclusive and he drifts back to his home in the rain forest to look for a cure.

A slice of life film that ponders the clash of cultures between those that leave their homes in the country and move to the city.  Working best for me as a slice of life film that shows us what life is like for those in the situations depicted. For me the addition of the mysterious illness adds a layer of pretension that isn't needed. Most of the themes it raises are already in play and we don't need to have our attention focused on them.

Regardless of my quibbles the film is beautiful to look at and recommended for images if nothing else.

The Killing of Two Lovers (2020) NDNF 2020

 David is separated from his wife. Things have gone south between them and they are trying to work it out by stepping away for a while. The trouble is she's taken up with a new guy and it is killing him inside.

This heavy drama  begins with David standing over the sleeping form of his wife and her lover.  He doesn't kill them but flees into to the early morning. Its a move that grabs your attention  and makes you want to see where this is going to go. It goes into a character study of one man dealing with his world coming apart. 

Writer/director and editor Robert Machoian has made a low key and very visceral film. We are with David for the entire time and as such we feel what he does. We only knows what he does and as a result we have trouble sorting out what is really going on. In some ways it's on odd cinematic experience since we have been trained over time to expect to see more than just the POV of one character. It's a bold move that mostly pays off.

As good and as visceral as much of the film I'm still not certain to what degree I like the film. There is a moment at the end where the film kind of slipped away from me. There is a moment where the camera steps away from David and takes a wider view and I'm not certain it works. A shot before it would probably have been a better final image. Ultimately its a quibble, but it is also the moment where the film slipped and I couldn't be certain where to put it.

Quibbles aside there is some great storytelling here and I recommend THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS 

Brief thoughts on Giraffe (2019) NDNF 2020

As a tunnel between Europe and Scandinavia is being prepared to be built, a ethnologist wanders around meeting various people in the town that is going to be altered by the tunnel. As she charts their lives and the places that will b lost or changed forever we get to know the people. She also falls in love with a younger man.

Some good time with some interesting people kind of washed over me without making much of an impression. You can partly blame that on the fact that I'm not sure what I'm ultimately supposed to get out of the film other than pondering the ever changing nature of existence. Outside of recording the lives of the characters it didn't seem particularly meaningful to me. Its not bad but nothing deep enough to touch my heart and soul.

You can also blame my lack of deep thoughts on the film in that in covering this year's New Directors New Films there are several similar films with similar ideas. The notions of a changing world and forced migrations were covered in other films that touched me more. This is not a knock at the film, which I will revisit down the road, but more a danger that occurs in festivals such as NDNF which tend to program a lot of films of a type.

Ultimately my quibbles aside this is worth a look if you are interested.

Red Moon Tide (2020)NDNF 2020

RED MOON TIDE is a kind of existential Avant Garde horror film from Lois Patino whose Coast of Death was a highlight of the 2013 NYFF.

Diver Rubio’s boat has sunk. He has disappeared but we can still hear him. When he disappeared evil sound overcame his village leaving the people are immobile in the landscape. While they don’t move we hear their thoughts we hear their thoughts. What of an ominous rock that has appeared on the coast? Is there a monster? And what are the three witches who have appeared up to?

You’ll have to work it out for yourself as this is more mood piece than straight forward narrative. Patino is not interested in telling a “story” but in creating a head space and a mood. If you click with this film you will go into the dream realm and travel to someplace else.

Decidedly not for all tastes, Patino’s film is told in perfect single shots, some moving some static. It could be considered slow or even immobile. Some people are going to dig the mix of sound and eye popping images, while others are going to fall asleep. Patino’s earlier film Coast of Death was a similar affair and when it played the New York Film Festival it was in the Avant Garde sidebar because most audiences would probably walked out. Red Moon Tide is similar. You have to go in prepared to gorgeous images, little dialog and obtuse storytelling. There are no answers except those we chose to come up with.

I loved this film a great deal. I will be haunted by it for years to come (I have several press stills saved to my desk top)- your mileage may vary

RE MOON TIDE plays at New Directors New Films. For more information and tickets go here.

Atlantis (2020) NDNF 2020

Valentyn Vasyanovych’s ATLANTIS is set in 2025 a year after Ukraine’s war with Russia. Things are not good. The former soldiers are all suffering from un treated PTSD. When the factory he is working in closes one former soldier takes a job delivering clean water. Traveling through the country side he comes to the aid of a young woman who is part of a group traveling the countryside digging up mass graves in order to identify the dead. The soldier begins to help her and the group and slowly finds a way back to life.

One of the best films at this years New Director’s New Films Atlantis is a masterpiece. Shot largely in long single takes that allow things to play out in uninterrupted moments this film puts us in a place in time that haunts us and stays with us. Vasyanovych’s use of the long takes result in moments that echo Michael Radford’s of 1984, as well as the work of Bela Tarr, and Peter Greenaway but it is something greater. Vasyanovych’s work is more human, more real and less staged with the result that we connect more deeply.

Sitting and writing up this film several days after seeing the film I find I am haunted by images in the film, the heatvision opening, the fall, the wrecked apartments, the autopsy, the sex. Part of the reason that I am haunted is that the images are great to look at, but at the same time those and other moments pulled me into the film. It connected me to the film and put me into this world. It made me ponder my connection to the world, to the people in it and what the future holds.

I am beyond words. I need to see this film again because I need to find the words to truly do the film justice.

Go see this film. Go see it in a theater where the larger than life image and sound can work it’s magic.

Wow.

ATLANTIS plays  at New Directors New Films. For more information go here.

Shepherdess and the Seven Songs (2020) NDNF 2020

Laila, a beautiful young woman is given in marriage to young man who could lift a certain stone. Wary of her husband, who she sees as little more than one of her sheep, she goes with him to his village where she is hit upon by two police officers who lust after her. Finding her husband, less than useless, she must decide for herself what to do.

Based on folk tales and the the life of the Kashmiri mystic Lalleshwari who wandered off into the wilderness to get away from the intrusion of men and whose refrain opens the film, SHEPHERDESS... is hauntingly beautiful film. Told in a series of perfectly framed shots with an often haunting score this may be one of the most beautiful films I've seen in 2020. Every image is worthy of framing.  It is a film that constantly delights the eye.

I am not quite sure how much of the film works beyond that.  Part of the problem is that the story has been overtly fashioned into meditation on the plight of region of Kashmir which has been the source of a fighting between India and Pakistan. Its not that there is anything wrong in being about the conflict, rather it is a tad too overt for my tastes. Don't get me wrong I do like the the underlying tale of the struggle of a young woman trying to find her place in the world she lives in. I adore the fieriness of Laila and her refusal to let things decided for her. I'm just not certain that the film needs the politics

New Directors New Films 2020 Starts Wednesday

Wednesday the annual New Director New Films starts and it runs through December 20th.  The festival was supposed to run last spring but a couple days into the press screenings the festival was postponed as Covid closed the world down.  However the festival was not to be denied and it has come back to life and the now virtual event is hitting  for 12 days of cinematic madness. Okay this is New Directors New Films so it won’t be too crazy but it will have a lot of great films. The festival this year has some great films in it and you should prepare yourself for some really wonderful viewing experiences. 

One thing you should be aware of, is since the festival has moved over pretty much intact from the spring, some of the films have played other festivals. Time and tide didn’t allow for the films to wait to première so you may have seen some of the films elsewhere. If you haven’t seen some of the previously screened films here is your chance to catch up with them since films like BABYTEETH, COLLECTIVE and MOLE AGENT are some kick ass films you want to see.(My reviews below)

As for the rest of the selections, pick a few and graze.  I recommend pretty much everything I’ve seen. While some films like ATLANTIS or RED MOON may loose a little bit by not getting to see their visuals on a huge screen, they are still kick ass films.

MOLE AGENT 
COLLECTIVE
BOYS STATE
BABYTEETH

I have also seen TWO OF US which is France's entry for the Oscars. I am restricted in how much I can say about the film, they asked reviews the February release. I can say that you'll want to see this film. Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier give two of the year's best performances as two older women who have been in a loving relationship for decades without their families ever knowing. From the opening moments to the final fade out these two women create a love that bleeds off the screen and into your heart. It will move you to tears in all the right ways. Trust me on this these two ladies give an acting masterclass.  Highly recommended.

Reviews started appearing earlier today with a repost of a piece on the excellent IDENTIFYING FEATURES which I saw at Sundance and will run through the fest.

For more information on the films and details how to watch go here

Identifying Features NDNF 2020

This is a repost of my Sundance Film Festival Review.

A mother's son leaves home to cross into America. He disappears and she goes off to find him. A long the way she meets a young man heading home to his mother after being deported from the US.

This magnificent and haunting film has vexed me since I saw it the first time (I have seen it several times now).  It is not that I have nothing to say about the film, rather how do I talk about what a special and magical film this is? I want to somehow express the awe and wonder that I felt the first time when I simply sighed at the wonder of it all.

The problem with writing on the film, in discussing the  twists and turns of the plot is that it doesn't do the whole package justice. I can talk about the plot but it doesn't explain how the acting and the music and the shot choices not only make the film real but something more than that. In it's way the film is a kind of mythic tale of everyday life. Director Fernanda Valadez has fashioned a story that not only gets under our skin but reveals a greater truth about the world today.

This truly is filmmaking and storytelling at the highest level- so much so that instead of reviewing IDENTIFYING FEATURES I simply want to press a ticket in to all you hands and say "just watch this"

One of the best films  of 2020

IDENTIFYING FEATURES plays NDNF . For more information and tickets go here

Boys State (2020) DOC NYC 2020

A look at the annual gathering of young men at the Boy's State conference which brings them together in a mck state election in order to teach them how the political process works.

This is a good look at the how future generations of politicians are taught how things work. Focusing on the Boys' State held in Texas, the film introduces us to several young men who in a few year might be in the running for state or federal office. In many ways it's a hopeful experience since we learn that there are genuinely a number of people out there who care about tomorrow. On the other hand we do see that some of the boys will do anything to win, with one boy describing the eventual winner as a perfect politician but not meaning it as a compliment.

To be honest I liked this film but I didn't love it. I know that the current presidential election effected my feelings for the film in that I am so tired of politics that the last thing I needed was two hours of concentrated politicking, even if it was for something that didn't have potentially dire consequences.  I'm sure many people are going to feel similarly, which is kind of sad since I'm certain away from the current shrill real world political scene BOYS STATE could be enjoyed for what it is which is an excellent look at the political engine.

Recommended for those who aren't tired of politics.

BOYS STATE is also the opening night film of this years New Directors New Films  

Nasir (2020) WE ARE ONE FILM FEST 2020

Time and the flow of history has made this probably the most important film at the We Are One Festival. 

This story of a day in the life, that becomes a soul crushing look at intolerance (this is not a happy film) is exactly the sort of art that reflects what is going on in the world and in America at this very moment. Though set in India this is a story that could be in most places in America.

This review was written for the New Directors New Films Festival that was supposed to happen a couple of months back. With that festival in limbo I had this review banked until We Are One  scheduled it. A couple weeks back I simply changed the notion about which festival and posted it.

That said in view of current events in America had I been viewing the film now I suspect that my take on the film would be slightly different. I know current events would have altered what I wrote from seeing it just as a film on intolerance into something that connected more to history. Saw what you will sometimes when and in what context we see the film affects our thoughts about it. Current events have had me thinking about this film much more than seeing it cold did.

To that end this is the review I wrote for New Directors. I have not altered it because I have not seen the film in three months and there is currently no way I can see it until the film plays at We Are One (the link I had expired 3 months ago and the festival is not making films available in advance becaus it is a free streaming fest). While I probably should have waited to post my thoughts to see how current events alter the viewing of the film, you need to know that this film exists and that it is now required viewing. 

To that end here is my three month old review of NASIR

A day in the life of a Muslim shop keeper in a city that is largely Hindu in India. We watch as he goes through his daily routine, writes poetry for his wife and suffers the quiet indignities of existence and of being a minority.

Stunningly beautiful film is the true definition of an art film. Long beautifully composited images take our breath away and run counter point to some of the ugliness of the world. This is a film where every image is worthy of hanging in a museum. Shot in a Academy ration the narrow aspect forces us to truly focus on what we are seeing and what the people on screen are experiencing. We simply can not look away which makes the final turns all the more devastating.

Whether you like the film or not will be determined by the fact that the film is very deliberately paced. Events play out in seeming real time. This isn’t true since the film only runs 79 minutes but it often feels like things are taking much longer. This is not a knock against the film, rather statement that with in this compact package director Arun Karthick has made a film that feels as expansive as a whole day.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves thoughtful deliberate art films.

NASIR plays the WE ARE ONE FILM FEST  starting June 6. For more information and info on how to watch go here.

A very short piece on Monster God (2019) We Are One Film Festival 2020

I saw MONSTER GOD several months ago. It was originally supposed to play NYC's New Directors New Films which is in many ways the most art house, in the good and bad ways, of any festival that plays New York City each year. The films are very much of a type and with very rare exceptions never really vary travel from the art house to the mainstream. There is nothing wrong with that and every year I find some real gems but it also means that every year that I will see a few films that wash over me and don't make much of an impression beyond the visuals.

MONSTER GOD is a painfully beautiful short film about kids, cows and an ever present power station.

What it means is anyone's guess...

Then again I really don't care because the images in it are so stunning that I want to take every shot and hang it on my wall.

A beautiful poser.

MONSTER GOD plays the We Are One Fest starting tomorrow. For more information and a link to where you can watch it go here.