Tag: Festival 2021

For nearly all of America’s history, sexual encounters have been labeled as taboo in the media and are obsolete from the majority of Hollywood films today. From a Western perspective, Paris, 13th District is so refreshing as it never shies away from the fact that humans are sexual beings that crave to be desired. The […]

After a near century of cinema villainizing the cheating woman, Antoine Barraud’s Madeleine Collins is part of a new wave of films that seek recontextualize the age old trope. We initially find Judith (Virginie Efira) struggling to maintain her double life; one with her two boys and famous conductor husband, Melvil (Bruno Salomone), and the […]

Amnesic romances have been explored plenty in the comedy realm, from Overboard (the 1987 original and the 2018 remake) to 50 First Dates. However, it’s incredibly rare to see such a subdued and dramatic take on the trope like is depicted in Nobody Has To Know. When Phil (Bouli Lanners) a farm worker in Scotland […]

Despite the passionate lovemaking between Paul (Josh O’Connor) and Jane (Odessa Young) during their sordid affair in Post WW1 Britain, Mothering Sunday fails to expose their vulnerabilities. The romance that holds a vice grip on Paul and Jane’s lives feels like nothing more than a period equivalent of a friends with benefits situation. Helen Scott’s […]

There may be nothing more full of warmth and care than that of a mother. In Péter Kerekes’ gripping feature, 107 Mothers, this immense power of love is put up against one of the most unrelenting forces in the world: The prison system. Every tender act of motherhood is depicted as cold and clinical, from […]

Mayor Pete follows in the same vein as political underdog documentaries Knock Down the House and Weiner. However, director Jesse Moss’ latest feature lacks the plucky spirit of those films. Mayor Pete‘s more laid-back pacing as it follows South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential run reflects the candidate’s own personality. But the relatively calm […]

Competition and family tensions run high in Fawzia Mirza’s delightful Muslim-LGBTQ holiday short film, The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night. When Noor brings home her Puerto Rican girlfriend, Luz, for the annual game night, the Syed family’s traditions will be challenged as they learn to accept Luz into their clan. Even despite its 12 […]

There is no doubt that Ingmar Bergman was one of the most talented individuals to ever work in the film industry. From Persona to The Seventh Seal to Scenes From a Marriage, Bergman’s work is still discussed and analyzed today. Yet Bergman Island ponders the divergence and distortion between art and artist and how the […]