Bubble & Squeak. Directed by Evan Twohy
Bubble & Squeak is a quirky, Wes Anderson-style comedy that will not work for everyone. We follow Declan (Himesh Patel) and Delores (Sarah Goldberg) on their honeymoon as they are accused of smuggling cabbages into a country where the vegetable is illegal. What follows in a 90-minute long chase across the country side as the couple’s marriage is put to the test as they encounter fellow smugglers, families, government agents and numerous traps. This concept is absurd and falls in line with filmmakers such as Wes Anderson and Yorgos Lanthimos, however it does somewhat fail to understand what makes those filmmakers so great. It felt like the film relied on strangeness of its setting to make-up for the paper thin narrative meant to deconstruct Declan and Delores marriage. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself while watching this film, and I especially loved the performances from the ensemble cast. But the strangeness of the film did eventually wore me down. I believe first time director Evan Twohy shows promise in his directorial debut, but it is clear that he has much to learn.
My Rating: B-
Omaha. Directed by Stephen Cole Webley
The moment you thought events affecting this family couldn’t get any worse, it decides to punch you in the gut while you are lying down. We follow nine-going-on-ten-year-old Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and six-year-old Charlie (Wyatt Solis), as they are taken on a spontaneous trip cross country by their father (John Magaro), after their mother dies. Told from the point of view of Ella, Omaha unfolds like a slow-burn mystery where we are forced to piece-together the reasons for this unexpected road trip. And what follows is a tragic tale of the reality of the American Dream. The key to Omaha’s success are the performances from the familial trio. John Magaro, gives a beautiful restrained performance that captures the sadness, shame, and helplessness his character faces, as he is forced to make an impossible choice that will not only scar him, but his children forever. While Molly Bell Wright stands out with her heartbreaking performance that captures the beautiful wonder of being 9-years-old but also the perception that begins to form at that age, when you realize that not everything is right at home. Even though, Omaha is a bit emotionally manipulative and the accusation of poverty porn can be pointed out, Cole Webley makes a remarkable debut that will make you cry your heart out by the films end.
My Rating: B+
The Things You Kill. Directed by Alireza Khatami
While watching Alireza Khatami’s The Things you Kill made me appreciate how sane my family is. We follow Ali (Ekin Koc), after he returns home from America to find that his family as changed for the worse. His father is still abusive and his mother health has turned for the worse. Soon he finds out that he is infertile, and it is news that he cannot break to his wife. He is burden by the in-action in his life as he slowly spirals down a path of depression. This depression that is acceleration after his mother dies from a suspicious death and after he meets Reza (Erkan Kolcak Kostendil) where all of his internal demons begin showing their faces. Many of compared The Things You Kill to the works David Lynch, and it is hard not to see why. What starts off as a conventional family drama soon turns into a surreal nightmare shrouded by grief, anger, and emasculate shame. This surrealist nature, will leave some areas of the story a bit muddled and confusing, but it is a fascinating nightmare, none the less. Make sure to keep The Things You Kill on your watchlist.
My Rating: B
Atropia. Directed by Hailey Gates
I am not going to lie, these mock villages meant to acclimate soldiers to the violence and cultures of the war they are about to be deployed sounds like a fun time. Hailey Gates divisive, Atropia, takes place in one of these mock villages built in the wake of 9/11. We follow Fayruz (Alia Shawkat, who is a delight here), an aspiring and ambitious actress, during her days in “The Box”, a simulated Iraqi war zone. This “war zone” is filled with every stereotype and every American soldier is as clueless as you can image can imagine, with Fayruz is stuck in the middle of this culture war. She wants to be a Hollywood actress but she also deeply cares about the share community within The Box. That changes when she meets an American Soldier, playing a violence insurrectionist dubbed Abu Dice (Callum Turner who is as charismatic as always). What follows is a chaotic, satirical love story about American perception of the Middle East and the Iraqi War. Does all of it work? No, it’s satire is a bit muddled at points and feels like it becomes the very thing it was meant to mock. But is it still an enthralling story about complexities of the America’s war on Iraq? Yes, as the setting and characters make for a fascinating breakdown of that complicated war. Overall, an interesting watch.
My Rating: B
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, deli que no soy malo), Directed by Joel Alfonso Vargas
Mad Bills to Pay (Or Destiny, deli que no soy malo), is microbudget filmmaking at its finest. First-time director, Joel Alfonso Vargas, has a remarkable sense of confidence in his directorial debut. He knows the film he wants to make and he executes it to near perfection. We follow Rico (beautifully played by Joan Collado), a 19-year-old man-child, who spends his days selling nutcracker drinks and bathing on the beach. However, his life is turned upside down when he knocks up 16-year-old, Destiny (Destiny Checo, who gives a charged but restraint performances). However, instead of reevaluating his life to provide for his baby and Destiny, he continues to act like a child, and it doesn’t take long for tensions to rise within Rico, and his family’s claustrophobic apartment. Using the close walls of the apartments or the tight conditions of a subway, Vargas creates a haunting atmosphere of self-destruction and fear of when life moves too quickly. It is a beautiful, and intimate portrait of the uncertainties of life and a worthy winner the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the NEXT category.
My Rating: A
East of Wall. Directed by Kate Beecroft
East of Wall is a film that blurs the lines between narrative fiction and docu-fiction. Outside of a few establish actors like Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle, who are both wonderful, everyone in this film is playing a fictionalize version of themselves through their daily lives. We follow Tabatha Zimiga, as herself, a horse rancher who makes a living selling horses on social media with her daughter, Porshia (who also plays herself), and her found family of children who have found a home with Tabatha. However, the ranch has been hit with financial strains and law enforcement and child protective services are breathing down their necks. Despite having established actors to help push into fictionalized narrative, East of Wall is Tabatha’s story. Her story is grounded with intimate realism that very few films are able to capture. Its authentic filmmaking that few filmmakers have captured. A perfect film that represents what Sundance used to be.
My Rating: B
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