Close to You
Close to You is stark with vulnerability, living within the vacuum of anxiety from the personal perspective of a trans man.
Mongrel Media
Kneecap
By: Trevor Chartrand Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap takes a fresh take on music biopics – a welcome approach to an otherwise tired genre. Unapologetically grimy and raw, music is the beating heart of this surprising and enticing gem. The movie chronicles the dramaticized origin of Kneecap, the titular hip-hop band from Northern Ireland. Comprised of Irish rappers Naoise Ó Cairealláin (stage name: Móglaí Bap), Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh (Mo Chara) and their mixer JJ Ó…
Daddio
Daddio looks like an effortless movie, which is its greatest strength. Some of this credit can be offered to its central stars, The High Note’s Dakota Johnson and Milk Academy Award winner Sean Penn, who are both working at the top of their games. But, it’s writer/director Christy Hall who deserves to be praised for her impeccably controlled feature film debut.
We Grown Now
We Grown Now tells a singular story that could very well speak for many families who grew up in Chicago’s now-demolished Cabrini-Green housing development. And with impoverished minorities still feeling the struggle of finding a regular routine, writer/director Minhal Baig (One Night) has made a 90s period film that certainly holds a mirror up to contemporary society.
Wicked Little Letters
The scandal at the centre of Britain’s dark comedy Wicked Little Letters – mail addressed from an anonymous source that uses risqué language – seems petty in comparison to the waves of crime procedurals at-home audiences educate themselves on weekly. But as naïve as the crime may appear to be, the controversy spoke to the times and ignited much needed awareness around inequality.
They Shot the Piano Player
They Shot the Piano Player is an animated docdrama that, ultimately, failed to connect with me. But, to credit filmmakers Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba (co-directors of the Oscar-nominated animated film Chico & Rita), the movie’s efforts are certainly not wasted.
The Animal Kingdom
By: Trevor Chartrand Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom is a modern-day fairy tale. A compelling and imaginative film that combines fantastical whimsy with an ominous, satiric edge.
The Peasants
With The Peasants, filmmakers DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman return to a similar animation style that previously earned them an Academy Award nomination for 2017’s Loving Vincent. Loving Vincent was a tribute to artist Vincent van Gogh, both in spirit and in visual flare. The Peasants adapts Wladyslaw Reymont’s novel of the same name, and channels the artistry of various painters from the 19th and 20th century. While I can’t confidently comment on how faithful…
The Promised Land
The Promised Land presents itself as an epic period drama about a former soldier, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen of Casino Royale and Another Round), dedicating his remaining lifetime to mend a troubled Danish heath and build a settlement. The challenges he faces include the environmental barrenness of the land, outsiders who doubt Kahlen’s ambitions, and the breaching interruptions by selfish and wealthy Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg).