Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 0 cats
Director: Deanté Gray
Starring: Ezekiel Ajeigbe | Francis C. Edemobi | Jamal R. Averett | Lex Bethea | Raél Ba
Val says: “‘Jeff said ‘This just wasn’t ready for TIFF,’ and I think I couldn’t say it better. A trio of musicians recon with their deadly choices as they spend a (excruciatingly long) few hours in a hotel room preparing
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Marie Clements
Starring: Alyssa Wapanatâhk | Amber Midthunder | Cara Jade Myers | Evan Adams | Gary Farmer | Gil Bellows
Michael says: “This strong tale of racial injustice takes place in the 1970’s, following the lives of three young women, sisters are were separated as children, each following different paths in Los Angeles after a relocation program in the 50’s
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Arthur Harari
Starring: Léa Seydoux | Lilith Grasmug | Niels Schneider | Radu Jude | Valérie Dréville
Michael says: “Arthur Harari, screenwriter for ANATOMY OF A FALL, has directed a film adapted from a graphic novel written by he and his brother Lucas, aptly called THE UNKNOWN. A science fiction tale only as a premise, the film explores
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Ione Hernández
Starring: Aritz Kortabarria | Carlota Keiko | Elena Anaya | Emma Suárez | León Martínez
Michael says: “Spanish films SISTERS (HERMANAS), written and directed by Ione Hernández, was a competently-made film with a screenplay that lacked the needed emotional impact to make it really succeed. Two sisters, Chelo and Marta, bring their families together to
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Rating: 1.5 cats
Director: David Turpin
Starring: Christina Hendricks | Éanna Hardwicke | Jack Wolffe | Jessica Reynolds | Rupert Everett
Michael says: “David Turpin’s turgid debut was not for me. More of a tone poem than a film, it was bewildering as to why this AIDS story that embraces every trope and slows its pacing down to the most sluggish
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Marie Kreutzer
Starring: Catherine Deneuve | Jella Haase | Laurence Rupp | Léa Seydoux | Sylvester Groth
Michael says: “Marie Kreutzer’s GENTLE MONSTER could have been a great film, but by tackling a very difficult subject with a procedurally straight-forward tone undercuts some of the emotion. Still, there was a lot to like about this film about
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Kim Bartley
Starring: Barry Keoghan | Carla Tous | Eileen Walsh | Justin Daniels Anene | Lewis Brophy
Michael says: “Moving, optimistic portrait of a young Irish man turning after 18 after living his childhood in foster care after being separated from his younger brother and his social worker. Danny falls into a bit of trouble after hardships
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Ulrike Tony Vahl
Starring: Clemens Schick | Frida-Lovisa Hamann | Jella Haase | Lukas Miko | Martin Wuttke
Val says: “Tony Vahl’s first feature is a dark, disturbing, gorgeous triumph. She explains that when she was young, her grandmother told her about people from villages around East Germany that ‘went into the water’ right as Germany was about
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Kamila Andini
Starring: Arya Saloka | Christine Hakim | Hana Malsn | Hargi Sundari | Iswadi Pratama | Putri Marino
Michael says: “Both bold, and retro, with a modern twist, writer/director Kamila Andini takes a classic western revenge tale and modernizes it from a feminist point of view and tosses in a dash of mysticism and otherworldliness. Led by a
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Rating: 3.9 cats
Director: Cody Fern
Starring: Dianne Weist | Naomi Watts | Odessa A'zion | Sarah Paulson | Toby Wallace
Michael says: “Fern Cody’s CLOSING NIGHT is a difficult film. It’s also a tear-jerker, and a laugh-out-loud experience. When celebrated stage and film actress Sandra Vale (a tightly wound Sarah Paulson), takes the Broadway stage in ‘Mother Courage and her
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Bertil Nilsson
Starring: Ed White | Joshua Griffin | Lincoln Conway | Reece King | Tega Alexander
Michael says: “Boldy, experimental narrative about a queer, neurodivergent young man’s experiences moving through life. The film is broken up into segments, where Robin tries different roles in life to see how he can fit in as a man. The
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Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Omar E. Ospina Giraldo
Starring: Amanda Maldonado | Carlos Fernández | Jesus David Reyes | José David Sierra | Jose Sandoval
Val says: “Giraldo’s debut film is a quiet meditation on a series of horrific massacres precipitated by political unrest in Colombia in the 1990s. The horror and violence occurs offscreen, and the audience is left to sit with the children
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Rating: 5 cats
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Starring: Keerthy Suresh | Ramachandran Durairaj | Rishikanth | Sananth | Soundararaja
Val says: “I can’t say enough about DOROTHY. I actually can’t because the midway point features a huge spoiler which will ruin your experience of the film if I reveal it. I can tell you that it defies genres and
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Rating: 3.7 cats
Director: Benjamín Naishtat
Starring: Esteban Bigliardi | Esteban Lamothe | Joaquin Bonadeo | Lali Espósito | Marcelo Subiotto
Val says: “A stunning combination of film noir and the graduate, set in a the political unrest of 50’s Argentina. In a small town south of the capital, a man returns from prison and we are launched into a time-hopping
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Arie Esiri | Chuko Esiri
Starring: Ayo Edeberi | Danny Sapani | David Oyelowo | Nikki Amuka-Bird | Sophie Okonedo
Val says: “Yes to a sumptuous production, vibrant celebration of Nigeria’s diverse landscape, lickable cinematography, gorgeous cast and award-worthy hair, makeup and costume. I very much enjoyed the subtelty and yet undeniable juxtaposition of the privelaged lives of our main
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Rating: 3 cats
Director: Kris Rey
Starring: Caleb Hearon | Holmes | Jaboukie Young-White | Jacki Weaver | Zooey Deschanel
Michael says: “My biggest disappointment so far, TRASH MOUNTAIN was a good movie, but I was hoping for something great. When Gavin’s father dies, he must leave his queer community in Chicago to return to rural Missouri to help his
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Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Mina Shum
Starring: Helen Dang | Isabella Wei | Manny Fernandez | Ming-Na Wen | Tzi Ma
Michael says: “Feel good film about trophy wives from Hong Kong living in America. Yin, played by Isabelle Wei, is fairly newly married to a wealthy IT guru, BT, whose job takes him to Hong Kong for lengthy stints. Her
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Rating: 4 cats
Director: Niki Byrne
Starring: Chase Infiniti | Christopher Briney | Gillian Anderson | Jason Isaacs | Nina Hoss
Michael says: “Niki Bryne’s THE JULIA SET is a success because of the terrific cast and phenomenal performances, in an important film that sometimes comes across heavy-handed and preachy. Chase Infiniti shines as Julia a freshman in college invited to
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Rating: 5 cats
Director: Sharon Kleinberg
Starring: Hector Kotsifakis | Mayra Batalla | Mercedes Hernández | Oustin León | Ruth Ramos
Michael says: “This was a huge surprise, as I was dubious about it before the screening, fearing it might be a little sensationalistic.. Writer/director Sharon Kleinberg has made a beautiful film about a trans man in Mexico City who becomes
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Director: Amalie Næsby Fick
Starring: Asta Kamma August | August Mjelva-Aaen | Julian Brix | Sidse Babett Knudsen | Sofie Gråbøl | Viktor Garrison
Michael says: “Sidse Babett Knudsen (‘Borgen’, LIMBO, CLUB ZERO) leads a cast of fierce, conflicted women and teens in Amalie Næsby Fick’s debut feature our of Denmark, WHAT LIES BETWEEN US. Those familiar with Kate Bush may know the song,
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