Movie | Buried Treasure | Director | Best Performance in a Leading Role |
Best Performance in a Supporting Role |Best Breakout Performance |
Original Screenplay | Adapted Screenplay | Music in a Film | Sound Design |
Editing | Cinematography | Production Design | Ensemble Cast | Documentary
Bird ![Dp]o Not Expect Too Much from the end of the World](https://chlotrudis.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/donotexpectmovie-300x169.jpg)
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World 
Evil Does Not Exist 
His Three Daughters – In a cramped apartment in the Bronx, three daughters care for their father in his last days. With its formal speech, monologues, and restrained reactions, His Three Daughters has a Chekhovian vibe for most of its runtime. The well-cast actors make a great ensemble, with Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen as the dying dad’s biological daughters, and Natasha Lyonne as their rough-edged step-sister. The characters’ spines (dramatically speaking) clash, not only because of grief, but because of their history together. A study in the distance between who we want to be and how we appear to others. –djy
Perfect Days – In this unexpected late-career triumph from veteran filmmaker Wim Wenders, Hirayama ( a superb Kōji Yakusho), is a gentle, beatific but wonderfully human and flawed man who cleans Tokyo public toilets for a living. This might be the closest Wenders has come to successfully making “slow cinema” with scene after scene of Hirayama methodically doing his work with pauses for bicycling, picking up paperbacks from his favorite bookstore, and listening to music on cassette tapes while driving all over the city. Perfect Days is a deceptively simple character study that also gives an outsider a vivid sense of what Tokyo is really like. –ck
Sing Sing – I approached Sing Sing with a little trepidation, knowing only that it was based on a an actual prison program where incarcerated men used theater as part of their rehabilitation. I worried that it would be a bit formulaic nd Hollywood-structured. Yet director Greg Kwedar deftly sidesteps these issues to create a moving, yet raw and true story of redemption. It helps that the screenplay for Sing Sing was written by Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and John “Divine G” Whitfield the real people portrayed by Colman Domingo, and Maclin himself in the film. In addition, nearly all of the ensemble of characters in the acting troupe are played by the actual inmates they are representing. This gives this powerful film an authenticity and freshness that lifts it to beautifully satisfying heights. –mrc
Here
National Anthem 
Red Rooms 
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed – In her feature debut, writer/director Joanna Arnow also stars as Ann, an office worker in her early 30s whose sex life consists of a series of BDSM relationships where she is the submissive participant. The peculiar way the often-naked Arnow views the world will inevitably seem off-putting to some but enchanting to others for how she finds the humor in a plethora of absurdities and indignities without taking herself too seriously or losing focus of what makes them seem so real. As an added bonus, her parents are seamlessly played by Arnow’s own and she gifts them some of the film’s best and most hilarious dialogue. –ck
With Love and a Major Organ – With Love and a Major Organ is a wildly imaginative and deeply heartfelt exploration of love, technology, and what it means to truly feel. Blending whimsical surrealism with sharp social commentary, the film crafts a world where hearts can literally be given away—sometimes with unexpected consequences. Its bold storytelling, striking visuals, and emotionally resonant performances make for a cinematic experience that is as quirky as it is profoundly moving. This is a film that beats with originality, reminding us all of the messy, beautiful chaos of being human. –br
Andrea Arnold for Bird – With Bird, Andrea Arnold brings elements of her previous films, including Fish Tank, American Honey, and yes, even Cow to tell a story about you young teen-aged girl living a rough life in the estates in England, with a father, who wasn’t much older than she is currently when he had his first child. Weaving together the harsh realities of growing up in this environment, with a surprising element of what we are calling “magical environmentalism” Arnold creates something unique, powerful and hard-hitting that elevates her latest film to exciting heights. –mrc
Radu Jude for
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi for Evil Does Not Exist – What started as a request from composer/musician Eiko Ishibashi to apply a visual component for a series of concerts inspired director Hamaguchi to make this feature film, Evil Does Not Exist, the second collaboration with Ishibashi following his award-winning DRIVE MY CAR. Hamaguchi’s opening visuals, camera pointed at the sky capturing bare branches in a winter forest are both stark and beautiful, and the deliberate pacing, immersion into the natural world and the dissonance between the residents of this bucolic yet untamed wilderness and the city folk who want to build a glamping site weave together with elegance and humor. And then there’s that ending. Wow. –mrc
Annie Baker for Janet Planet – Annie Baker’s directorial debut is a deeply personal and intimate film, marked by patient, quiet direction that lets moments linger and take on new meaning. With the sharp eye of an acclaimed playwright, Baker captures the essence of western Massachusetts, bringing both its people and landscapes to vivid life. The film’s introspective nature allows its characters to unfold subtly, with a grounded and emotionally rich approach. It’s a striking debut from a skilled storyteller, and it’s hard not to be excited for whatever comes next. — cf
Wim Wenders for Perfect Days – Wim Wenders brings his unique voice to Perfect Days, crafting a quietly mesmerizing film that captures the beauty in the mundane. Like his semi-protégé Jim Jarmusch in Paterson, Wenders’ choice to tell the story of a man navigating the small, often overlooked moments of daily life feels deeply personal and even urgent. Wenders carefully complements his signature deliberate pacing with music to impressively explore the rhythms of existence. Perfect Days stands as an instant classic in the world of slow cinema, where every detail matters and silence speaks volumes. — cf
Bertrand Bonello for The Beast – Bertrand Bonello crafts a mesmerizing, genre-defying vision in The Beast, seamlessly weaving sci-fi, romance, and psychological horror into a haunting meditation on fate and identity. His masterful direction bends time and reality, creating a cinematic experience that is as unsettling as it is deeply poetic. With stunning visuals, bold narrative choices, and an unrelenting emotional core, Bonello cements his place as one of the most daring auteurs of modern cinema. The Beast is a testament to his fearless storytelling and singular artistic vision. –br
Ilinca Manolache for the role of Angela Raducani / Bobita in Do Not Expect Too Much from the Rest of the World – As Angela, a feisty Romanian gig hustler ever on the go in Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Ilinca Manolache, delivers a performance that feels pulled from an early Almodovar or classic Fellini romp. Every facet of the foul-mouthed Angela, full of vim and palpable vigor, and quite muscular and confident in the way she defines her womanhood and place in society, feels lived in, amped-up, and all in. The most outrageous stretch are on the dime transformations into Angela’s TikTok evil alter-ego, a bald, bushy-browed incel named Bobiţă who boasts of sexual conquests and bro-bonding fuck-all. It’s a cementing turn that brings Jude’s society skewering script to its most wicked, fullest. Along with Mickey Madison’s bravura turn in Anora, Manolache gives the most pop-off-the-screen performance by an actress this year – Angela and Anora could easily team up and rule the world, and given where we’re heading, that would likely be a good thing. –tm
Koji Yakusho for the role of Hirayama in Perfect Days – It’s great to see Yakusho receiving a second Trudy Nomination in a leading role seventeen years after his first, for the film, Shall We Dance? Stepping into the role of a solitary man who cleans toilets for the city of Tokyo, Koji Yakusho is nothing short of sublime, using the routines that his characters relies on to give struture to his day, and a face that’s so expressive that it captures joy, wonder, concern, sadness… sometimes all in the span of minutes. When Hirayama gazes up at the trees, taking pictures rather randomly, is confounded by the sudden appearance of his teenage niece, or transfixed by his young co-worker’s girlfriend listening to a cassette by Patti Smith from the 70’s, Yakusho effortlessly brings a moving and complicated story to his expression that no words could better express. –mrc
Colman Domingo for the role of John Divine G Whitfield in Sing Sing – 
Léa Seydoux for the role of Gabrielle Monnier in The Beast – Léa Seydoux delivers a mesmerizing and deeply haunting performance in The Beast, effortlessly navigating the film’s shifting timelines and emotional depths. With remarkable subtlety, she conveys both vulnerability and quiet strength, anchoring the film’s exploration of fate, love, and fear with breathtaking nuance. Her ability to embody multiple versions of her character with such precision and intensity is a testament to her extraordinary range. –br
Barry Keoghan for the role of Bug in Bird – Bug is a challenging character to play. When we first meet this young, impetuous man, we don’t yet understand that he is our protagonist’s father. His behavior mraks him as barely much more than a reckless child himself. Then we find out that he has another child, and older son that he had when he was fourteen! Yet somehow, Barry Keoghan manages to make Bug not only sympathetic, but shows how hard he is actually trying to be a mature, responsible parent. The lives these characters inhabit, that writer/director Andrea Arnold has created, are brought so fully to life by the talented actors she brings to the table. In the past few years, Keoghan seems to be showing us that he can do nearly anything — and he’s not afraid to try. To say that Chlotrudis-pal, writer/director Wiebke von Carolsfeld, discovered Keoghan might be a bit of a stretch, but she certainly helped show his stuff when she cast him in her second film, Stay. Despite his flashy, over-the-top performance in 2023’s Saltburn, for me, it’s more exciting to see him tackle a heartfelt, more three-dimensional role as he does in Bird. –mrc
Franz Rogowski for the role of Bird in Bird – A past nominee for his role in Great Freedom, Franz Rogowski delivers a captivating performance in Bird, showcasing his trademark physicality in a nuanced balance between whimsy and pain. Playing a complex character caught in a personal struggle, Rogowski’s quiet intensity is impossible to look away from. His character, though often light-hearted and free-spirited, carries an emotional weight that he conveys effortlessly through his body language and subtle expressions. — cf
Jessica Harper for the role of Norma in Nightbitch – In what might be called a cameo, veteran actor Harper plays Norma the librarian. She’s a rare source of empathy and wisdom for Mother, whose anger at her domestic role is rising to a dangerous pitch. First Norma matter-of-factly pulls just the right book off the shelf for Mother—a book she claims later not to recognize. Later, she entertains Son with playful roughhousing, growling like a dog. Is Norma in on the secret transformation of “Nightbitch” or not? We’ll never know.
Dolly De Leon for the role of Rita in Ghostlight – Community theater troupe leader Rita first appears in Ghostlight as a potential antagonist as she irritably complains to construction worker Dan (Keith Kupferer) about the noise he’s making outside their rehearsal. However, there’s a glint of compassion in de Leon’s eye as she recognizes the potential this unlikely man could bring to her production. The bond they develop feels unforced and alive thanks to both actors’ performances with de Leon nearly unrecognizable from her other recent turns as a yacht crew member in Triangle of Sadness or a by-the-rules convert to Judaism in Between the Temples. –ck
Clarence Maclin for the role of Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing – 
Eve Lindley for the role of Sky in National Anthem –
Nykiya Adams for the role of Bailey in Bird – 12-year-old Bailey, the heroine of Andrea Arnold’s brash, searching, dreamlike Bird is initially clothed in a hoodie that renders the character nearly androgynous until she removes the hood. As a girl with a father (played by Barry Keoghan) who himself was barely a teenager at her birth, Bailey’s grown up in an unconventional environment; it follows that the actress playing her should be unusual as well. For a debut performance, Nykiya Adams resembles few other actors her age but commands one’s attention instantly, displaying a natural charisma that feels fresh, genuine and compelling. Given that BIRD is primarily viewed through her own eyes, that’s no small task. –ck
Ilinca Manolache for the role of Angela Raducani / Bobita in Do Not Expect Too Much from the Rest of the World – As Angela, a feisty Romanian gig hustler ever on the go in Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Ilinca Manolache, delivers a performance that feels pulled from an early Almodovar or classic Fellini romp. Every facet of the foul-mouthed Angela, full of vim and palpable vigor, and quite muscular and confident in the way she defines her womanhood and place in society, feels lived in, amped-up, and all in. The most outrageous stretch are on the dime transformations into Angela’s TikTok evil alter-ego, a bald, bushy-browed incel named Bobiţă who boasts of sexual conquests and bro-bonding fuck-all. It’s a cementing turn that brings Jude’s society skewering script to its most wicked, fullest. Along with Mickey Madison’s bravura turn in Anora, Manolache gives the most pop-off-the-screen performance by an actress this year – Angela and Anora could easily team up and rule the world, and given where we’re heading, that would likely be a good thing. –tm
Lily Collias for the role of Sam in Good One – GoodOne director, India Donaldson auditioned dozens of actors for the role of Sam before asking her teenaged daughter if she knew anyone? This yielded the arrival of Lily Collias who with no film acting experience whatsoever, embodied the role of Sam, a young woman transitioning from high school to college and adding the experience of what it means to be a woman in a man’s world to the gentle wisdom of her youth. Donaldson wisely spends a lot of time just shooting Collias’ face, and frankly that’s almost all you need to tell this amazing story. Open and authentic, Collias, like Yakusho above, reveals more with a look then the words she speaks. Her every action and movement seems deliberate, to create a character and tell a story. It will be very interesting to see where she goes next. –mrc
Mia McKenna Bruce for the role of Tara in How to Have Sex – Mia McKenna-Bruce’s performance in How to Have Sex is a raw, deeply moving and captures the complexities of youth, desire, and consent with impressive nuance. Her portrayal of Tara manages to reveal someone who is both vulnerable and powerful, bringing an emotional depth that the role requires to be such a success. The result is a monument to self-discovery.–br
Zoe Ziegler for the role of Lacey in Janet Planet – For the role of the precocious pre-teen, Lacy, in Annie Baker’s Janet Planet, an actor was needed that could convey Baker’s dry sense of humor, a preternatural maturity of a daughter who sometimes feels like she is parenting her mother, and an ability to work with a first-time director with a sense of timing that would strain the viewer’s comfort to the breaking point. First-time actor Zoey Ziegler and self-confessed introvert from Selbeyville, Delaware fit the bill perfectly. Ziegler uses her expressive young face to convey her thoughts, and instead of talking, she listens and observes the behaviors of everyone around her, which are two vital qualities needed to portray Lacy. Ziegler self-taped an audition that impressed Baker enough for a meeting, and she got the part. Ziegler and her co-star Julianne Nicholson, portray a mother-daughter dynamic that is funny, painful, and universal all at once. We can only hope that Ziegler continues on in this new career. –mrc
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point – It’s not surprising that so many actors wanted to work with filmmaker Tyler Taormina following his delightfully strange feature debut Ham on Rye; how else to explain Michael Cera and Gregg Turkington as somewhat hapless cops? Still, the heart of this tale of a Long Island family gathering on the titular holiday is the family itself, a cornucopia of New York-based actors ranging from the venerable (Ben Schenkman) to more obscure (Chris Lazzaro) to mostly staged-based (Maria Dizzia) and even a few nepo babies (a Scorsese and a Spielberg!) Everyone gives it their all, and in return, Taormina gives each of them some time to shine. –ck
Club Zero –
Ghostlight –
His Three Daughters – It would have been so easy for the three amazing actors in His Three Daughters, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, to deftly portray the stereotypes their characters appear to embody as they are introduced. Fortunately, the script gives them a lot to work with, and this cast is supremely talented, allowing them to bring to life a character that is representative of three very different personalities. Coon does a stunning job taking sometimes dense dialog and making it seem natural, Olsen shifts from family caretaker to whimsical hippie-chick effortlessly, and in a bravura performance, Lyonne brings a buried depth to a truly complex character who superficially comes across as the perpetually high wise-ass. The three talented actors bounce off each other beautifully and add so much richness and beauty to this excellent family drama. –mrc
Kneecap –
Sing Sing –
Evil Does Not Exist, screenplay by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Eiko Ishibashi –
His Three Daughters, screenplay by Azazel Jacobs – His Three Daughters feels like it could’ve been a play, as the three title characters (played by Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen) gather in their childhood apartment during their dying father’s last days. Still, it gradually evolves from a pretty ordinary setup to something unexpected and deep but not without lightness or lyricism or even a little magical realism towards the conclusion. The lack of multiple locations (apart from an occasional scene in the building’s courtyard) also adds to both the intimacy and growing confinement the sisters experience as old conflicts resurface and leave them all seeking catharsis. –ck
I Saw the TV Glow, screenplay by Jane Schoenbrun – Like her first film WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR, Jane Schoenbrun’s I SAW THE TV GLOW deals with themes of loneliness and alienation. Owen, a suburban teenager (Justice Smith) who feels like an outsider among his peers finally meets Maddy, a friend he can relate to (Jack Haven), and she introduces him to a TV show that portrays a parallel but very different reality to his own. It’s a form of escapism and comfort, a distraction from drab routines and struggles, like internet conspiracy theories and lore were to the teen in Scheonbrun’s debut film. But the “glow” is a purple-pink metaphor also, of identity not yet claimed, and choices not made, paths not yet taken. As lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, Owen finds he can no longer use TV to escape to a world of comfort, and the ensuing epiphany and breakdown is bombastic, gutting, and utterly relatable. –pa
Egoist
Nickel Boys, screenplay by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, based on the novel by Colson Whitehead –
Robot Dreams, screenplay by screenplay by Pablo Berger, based on the graphic novel by Sarah Varon – Robot Dreams weaves a poignant and beautifully crafted story without a single word of dialogue, proving that great screenwriting transcends language. Through masterful visual storytelling, the film captures the depth of friendship, loss, and resilience with heartwarming simplicity. Every scene is meticulously structured, evoking deep emotion through subtle gestures and rich animation. This is a testament to the power of storytelling at its most pure and profound. –br
Sing Sing, screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, John “Divine G” Whitfield and Clarence Maclin, based on the works of John H. Richardson and Brent Buell –
Sometimes I Think About Dying, screenplay by Kevin Armento, Stefanie Abel Horowitz, and Katy Wright-Mead, based on the play by Kevin Armento –
The Beast, screenplay by Betrand Bonello, Benjamin Charbit, Guillaume Bréaud, based on the short story “The Beast in the Jungle” by Henry James
Kneecap, Jeanette Rehnstrom and Gary Welch, Music Supervisors – Kneecap‘s music is as bold and energetic as the film itself. The mix of punk, rap, traditional Irish sounds, and (of course) Irish language creates a soundtrack that perfectly complements the raw, rebellious spirit of the characters and their world. The music doesn’t just accompany the action but drives the narrative’s emotional intensity. With some stand-out bangers, it’ll make you want to dig into the band’s discography (or at least give a nod of respect when you encounter a fan in the wild). — cf
Perfect Days, Milena Fessmann, Music Superivsor – Wim Wenders crafts a dreamy slice of life threaded with just enough lofty existential energy, by way of a kind, hard working man who appreciates every day simply for what it brings. Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) enjoys his life’s simple routines, and his love of vintage American rock and roll (the titular song nods to Lou Reed) is the curious but vivid soundtrack of his days. Driving while listening to cassettes (the analog format is crucial here: it is simple, physical, intentional, like Hirayama’s routines), he brings us along to witness life as he experiences it: a balance of seeming drudgery and magical awareness, discovering and also curating moments of beauty and pleasure. His lack of ambition is a refreshing approach to character-building, but of course Wenders makes sure there is depth and complexity in the journey, and the music, full of the pathos of generations of people who came of age with it, accompanies that journey. Patti Smith’s poetic rage, the Animals’ dark bluesy swagger, Nina Simone’s impassioned, pain-inflected optimism, Van Morrison’s light-hearted summer love anthem. These songs, deeply familiar to many viewers, allow us to enter this story by way of an aural roadmap, well-honed muscle-memory, a path we think we know, until we stumble and have to look around, listen, and see precisely where we are, in this moment. –pa
Sometimes I Think About Dying, Cheryl Wang, Music Coordinator –
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat 
I Saw the TV Glow, 
Robot Dreams, Fabiola Ordoyo, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer, Supervising Sound Editor – This animated feature adapted from a graphic novel tells of a fractured friendship between a Dog and a Robot (no other names are given and/or needed). Its whimsy and warmth are sharpened by real emotional stakes and conflict, offering up a fun-house mirror version of the world where animals and machinery are able to form deep, venerable connections. Also, it manages to convey all that without any words or narration, just visual cues greatly enhanced by non-diegetic sounds ranging from non-human voices and environmental textures (a whooshing wind, steps on hot concrete) to a recurring pop song that resonates more with each appearance. –ck
The Beast, Nicolas Cantin, Sound Engineer –
Joe Bini, Bird –
Catalin Cristutiu, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World 
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Azusa Yamazaki, Evil Does Not Exist –
Chris Gill and Julian Ulrichs, Kneecap –
Anita Roth, The Beast – 
Cevahir Sahin and Kürsat Üresin, About Dry Grasses – Set primarily through the long winter in a small village in the mountains of Turkey, the photography in About Dry Grasses reflects the snowy expanses, both stunning beautiful and supremely harsh, and the cozy, candlelit interiors were long-winded conversations about politics, relationships, and the desire for a different life are all fodder to pass the time. Even more literally, the protagonist of this tale, a cynical school teacher whose sole source of optimism is a young high school student who may or may not have the promise to change the world, has a hobby of taking photographic portraits of the residents of the town. The imagery of this portraits adds so much to the story of these people, even without context or story. Cinematographers Sahin and Üresin capture the landscape from a distant, tiny figures trudging across vast expanses of snow to emphasize the sheer physical effort it takes to get to work each day. As always a film by Nuri Bilge Ceylon is filled with visual splendor along with its deep rumination and insightful character examination. –mrc
Robbie Ryan, Bird 
Yoshio Kitagawa, Evil Does Not Exist – An opening lengthy tracking low-angle shot peering up at a seemingly endless parade of treetops surely sets the tone for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s leisurely paced, visually stunning and enigmatic follow-up to his breakthrough film Drive My Car. Set mostly in a remote, forest-heavy community in Japan, the film’s camerawork both represents the environment as foreboding and severe to all outsiders while also almost effortlessly giving in to its stark but undeniable beauty. One immediately sees why a corporation wants to build a glamorous camping site there and also exactly why its natives should be so alarmed at such a prospect. –ck
Franz Lustig, Perfect Days –
Josée Deshaie, 
Maxine Carlier, Bird –
Beck Rainford, Club Zero – 
Jessica Knapp, Hundreds of Beavers – The production design of Hundreds of Beavers is a dazzling feat of creativity, transforming a snowy wilderness into a surreal, handcrafted world of slapstick adventure that has all the flair of a would-be live-action version of Warner Brothers “Looney Tunes” or “Merrie Melodies. Every methodically-designed set, costume, and prop enhances the film’s playful, silent-era-inspired aesthetic, immersing audiences in its richly detailed, visually inventive landscape. With boundless imagination and masterful craftsmanship, the film brings its larger-than-life, folklore-infused world to life. Hundreds of Beavers is a testament to the magic of practical effects and bold, visionary design. –br
Anthony Gasparro, Kinds of Kindness –
Mikael Varhelyi, Mother, Couch – Mother has plunked herself down on a couch in a furniture store and refuses to get up. While all three of Mother’s adult children (and a few staff people) are on hand to broker the crisis, it’s youngest son David who descends into something like madness, trapped in family dysfunction, childhood memories, and dreamlike metaphors. The store, aptly named “Oakbeds,” hosts a maze of fully furnished rooms (dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens) with homey 1950s decor. The Kafkaesque elements of the story come to the fore as characters pop out of odd places, and the couch becomes a ship on stormy seas. Production designer Varhelyi and Art Director Emilia Spirito deserve kudos for their collaboration with director Niclas Larsson’s surreal vision. Larrson said, “I looked at so many couches.” –djy
Katia Wyszkop, The Beast – Loosely adapted from a Henry James novella, The Beast pairs Gabrielle (Lea Seydoux) with Louis (George MacKay) across three time periods: 1904 France, 2014 Los Angeles and a near-future heavily shaped by artificial intelligence. Each period has its own highly distinct visual sensibility, rich with details that disable any confusion as to when the action is occurring (and also such unforgettable settings as a doll factory or an upscale, state-of-the-art sterile mansion.) Additionally, Gabrielle and Louis cross paths at a way station in guise of a dance club that offer just as lovingly rendered nods (The sets! The costumes!) to the 1960s, 70s and 80s. –ck
Chasing Chasing Amy – 
It’s Only Life After All –
Pictures of Ghosts – Kleber Mendonça Filho’s (Bacarau) essay film both celebrates and scrutinizes his coastal hometown of Recife, Brazil. Abetted by his own narration, it is a marvel of editing as the present day often mirrors and occasionally contrasts with archival footage he and his family shot of his home, the cinemas he once worked in as a projectionist and other imagery of Recife throughout the past five decades from a cornucopia of sources. He sustains an intoxicating vibe all the way to a playful, metaphysical finale that not only re-emphasizes the meaning of the film’s title but also comes to life with a needle drop for the ages. –ck
Sugarcane – This documentary directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, reveals the painful and despicable truths of what happened in the Canadian Indian residential school system many decades ago. The focus is on an investigation into the Saint Joseph’s Residential School, following the lives of 3 different individuals involved. While their lives are intertwined in certain ways, they each have different viewpoints and agendas. The film is expertly edited together to tell a compelling story that will undoubtedly raise outrage and strong emotions, with quite a few shocking revelations and reckonings along the way. Sugarcane also documents the touching and powerful moments regarding the elders passing on their experiences, stories and pain to the younger generation. A younger generation who will surely have more strength, energy and mental/emotional fortitude to ensure history is not forgotten or erased. A generation who will fight for more than just an apology, in the form of restitution and recognition that this can never happen again. “I’m sorry, Bye Bye” is just not enough. You have to see it to believe it! –jb
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin –
Union documents the two-year struggle by union organizers at Staten Island’s Amazon warehouse. Related from the organizers’ point of view, UNION is compelling from perspectives both personal and political. Tension remains high throughout as motivations are questioned and internal debates create stress on dedicated organizers. Covertly filmed footage adds to the suspense, and the vastness of the warehouse contrasts with the grassroots work done by individuals. A film that speaks to current issues: the union won certification in 2022, yet the corporate giant continues to refuse to negotiate a contract. –djy
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World-A film by Romanian director Radu Jude is a black comedy set in Bucharest, about a gofer named Angela who tours the troubled heart and soul of her country. The movie intertwines and explores the modern gig economy, contemporary internet image-making, cinema’s past, corporate capitalism and the juxtaposition between life under Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communism and that in the current EU era. The main story about Angela (adeptly played by a Gaga-esque Ilinca Manolache) is filmed in black and white, with exception of Angela’s foul mouthed misogynistic alter ego podcaster character Bobita, who pops into color whenever he arrives during Angela’s breaks. There’s a pushy, borderline abrasive aspect to how Jude strings out Angela’s time behind the wheel forcing the viewer to share in her tedium. The movie is overflowing with ideas about history, capitalism, cinema, representation, but it also tests the viewer’s patience before amply rewarding it. –jb
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed – In her feature debut, writer/director Joanna Arnow also stars as Ann, an office worker in her early 30s whose sex life consists of a series of BDSM relationships where she is the submissive participant. The peculiar way the often-naked Arnow views the world will inevitably seem off-putting to some but enchanting to others for how she finds the humor in a plethora of absurdities and indignities without taking herself too seriously or losing focus of what makes them seem so real. As an added bonus, her parents are seamlessly played by Arnow’s own and she gifts them some of the film’s best and most hilarious dialogue. –ck
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
Humanist Vampire Seeks Consenting Suicidal Person – With a title as delightfully twisted as Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, you know you’re in for something special—and this film delivers in the most darkly charming way possible. Blending morbid humor with unexpected tenderness, it sinks its teeth into the vampire genre and drains it of every cliché, leaving behind something refreshingly original. The result? A bloodsucking good time that’s as heartwarming as it is hilariously macabre—proving that even the undead have a conscience. –br
Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds
The Seed of the Sacred Fig