Category Archives: Drama

Passing

Passing                 4 stars

In 2021 one of the most sought-after tickets at Sundance was for the movie Passing. I couldn’t get one then but recently saw this offering written and directed by the actress Rebecca Hall (The Prestige, Vicki Christina Barcelona, The Town). The name of the movie comes from the practice of light skinned Black Americans passing as white to escape discrimination. This first effort of Hall’s tells of the relationship between two former classmates, two young Black women who meet by chance one day after twelve years at an upscale hotel dining hall in New York. It is the 1920’s so Jim Crow is very alive in this setting. Irene (Tessa Thompson (the Creed movies and the Avengers movies)) is light skinned so can be mistaken for being white, though that is not her intention. The other, Clare (Ruth Negga (Loving)), blonde and appearing to be white, gets Irene’s (Rene) attention and introduces herself. Rene finds out that Clare now has a white husband and a daughter and that the husband (Alexander Skarsgärd) has no clue that Clare is actually part black. (He also has severely racist views!) Rene lives in a nice Harlem brownstone and is married to a black man (André Holland) who is a doctor. They have two sons and a live-in maid. After some time, Clare works her way into Rene’s life saying she misses her old life. Rene lives comfortably, volunteering for the Negro League, attending balls and tea dances and associating with a white novelist (Bill Camp). All of this is very intriguing to Clare who recklessly finds a way to join in the fun. Clare even flirts with Rene’s husband who insists that he doesn’t care for her. It is clear that Rene is uncomfortable with Clare’s actions but puts up with the behavior for the sake of being civil. While Clare is the one who is pretending and playing with fire, the movie is really about Rene’s reaction to this new presence. Rene has a comfortable life but is forced to face the presence of racism that brought these circumstances to reality. Both actresses are superb in their roles with Thompson getting credit for an emotionally subdued performance. The feeling of the story is aided by the black and white filming, the old fashioned 4:3 aspect ratio and a great jazz score accompanying the film. I recommend it as a drama that will make you think.

The Banshees of Inisherin

The Banshees of Inisherin            5 stars

One has only to look at the credits of writer/director Martin McDonagh that include In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to know that we must be in for a great story in the movie The Banshees of Inisherin and he certainly does not disappoint. This is a simple story about a friendship between two friends that ends and turns into something tragic. It is one that has been brewing in McDonagh’s mind going back decades. The two friends, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Padraic (Colin Farrell) live on an isolated island off the coast of Ireland and have shared conversations over a pint for many years when Colm suddenly wants nothing to do with his friend anymore because as he puts it, “I just don’t like ya no more.” The poor dull Padraic has no idea what it is that he could have said or done to upset Colm and is determined to make things right again. His smart sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and the local lovable dimwit Dominic (Barry Keoghan of The Killing of a Sacred Deer) also get involved in the conflict all to no avail. Colm is just as determined to avoid Padraic because he doesn’t want to waste his time on more meaningless chatter, and ultimately issues an ultimatum to show just how serious he is. The setting of the story in 1923 during the Irish Civil War is also significant as it serves to show just how dire the situation has become. The movie is described as a comedy which is true because there is plenty of witty and amusing dialogue between the two great actors as well as among the other actors. And there is plenty of use of the word “feck” in many contexts. But the movie is also a very serious drama in which the director manages to gradually raise the level of tension to the point where things are about to explode. Neither character can be labeled as the bad guy here but that doesn’t mean that things can’t get very tragic. This is actually the second time the pair of Gleeson and Farrell have worked with McDonagh to great success, the first being In Bruges back in 2008. Based on what I have seen The Banshees of Inisherin should be considered a strong contender for Best Picture of the Year. You should not miss it.

The Vast of Night

The Vast of Night              4 ½ stars

I first heard of The Vast of Night in the early days of the pandemic and finally saw it recently. This is a very low budget science fiction thriller set in a 1950’s small town in New Mexico. Two nerdy teenagers, Everett (Jake Horowitz) and Fay (Sierra McCormick) are not interested in the night’s high school basketball game, preferring to spend the evening talking about their technical pursuits like recording conversations on Fay’s new tape recorder and going to their night jobs as a radio DJ for Everett and a switchboard operator for Fay. But this is a night unlike any other when they hear strange sounds over the telephone and learn of bizarre reports of something in the sky. Things are slow through the first half hour of the movie but pick up as the pair track down older people who have stories from their past about strange happenings involving government UFO projects and disappearances of people. The film pays homage to some of the science fiction movies of the 50’s and uses some interesting techniques like filming with a camera soaring through windows and through the streets of the town. McCormick performs magnificently in one scene where she works the switchboard for what seems like ten minutes gradually picking up clues from callers that something is amiss. The scene is done in one continuous take. The film really picks up the pace in the final twenty minutes as the two get closer to the truth about what could be an alien invasion. This is the first movie made by Andrew Patterson who filmed it in Texas on a shoestring and came up with something that is truly original.

The Fabelmans

The Fabelmans                 4 ½ stars

Steven Spielberg brings his magic to filmmaking once again, this time in a personal way in The Fabelmans. This is the movie of this season that I have been waiting for. Based largely on Spielberg’s own experiences of learning to love making movies when he was a child, the film follows the childhood of Sammi Fabelman starting with his parents taking him to a showing of The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952. Sammi starts to film an electric train set using his dad’s 8mm camera and in doing so finds his passion. He is strongly encouraged to pursue his interests by a loving mother, Mitzi (Michelle Williams) who gave up a career as a concert pianist to be a suburban housewife. His father Burt (Paul Dano) is a computer genius in the days when computers were in their infancy. Burt is a committed family man devoted to his wife and children, but doesn’t quite understand Sammi’s obsession with making movies. He often refers to it as a hobby. Sammi may not understand it that well himself; that is until Mitzi’s uncle Boris (a wild-haired Judd Hirsch) shows up one day and tells him how his love of art will tear him apart! Then there is no stopping Sammi as he puts together stories on film using his local boy scout troop to make movies about the Wild West and World War II (his Daddy’s war). But the film is about more than Sammi’s love for movies though. At the core of it, it is about his family and about his mother’s love for him and their family. It is also about Sammi coming to realize that his parents are people too and that they come with all the imperfections of people. He must learn to love them in spite of all their faults, which I believe is the main message that Spielberg is telling us. Look for Spielberg’s personal look at moviemaking to make a run for a Best Picture Oscar and for another nomination for Michelle Williams for her portrayal of the mother. You should not miss seeing this one in the theaters where it is currently playing.

The Persian Version

The Persian Version  4 1/2 stars

The Persian Version has to be one of the funniest comedy-dramas at the festival.  It is the story of an Iranian-American family in New York City as told by daughter Leila who has seven brothers.  The story begins with the family gathering when the father has to have a heart transplant.  The movie is about the difference in cultures between the US and Iran and how the characters have to adapt to it. It spans a time from the sixties up to near the present.  As far as the story itself,  it is an amusing way of showing the conflict between mother and daughter,  done brilliantly by actors Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor. There are many funny moments including times when the main characters directly address the camera.  Despite their differences we see how mother and daughter are both determined to do things their way and to survive in a foreign culture.  The Persian Version won the Audience Award for US Dramatic and is one of the favorites among fans.

Animalia

Animalia 3 1/2 stars

Animalia is an unusual science fiction story set in Morocco about some strange happenings that lead to an alien presence that affects the natural world and humans.  Itto is very pregnant and is to be left alone in the family’s opulent mansion while husband,  Amine is away on business.  A state of emergency is declared because of odd weather happenings and Itto is forced to evacuate with some help from the local peasants, but the locals resent her expensive trappings and she is stranded in a village far from her husband. There she sees animals that behave strangely. We never actually see the aliens.  We only see the effect they have on people as those affected become blissful and content giving us the feeling that the world is about to change.  The movie is hopeful,  but exposes the distinction in people based on class differences.  The filmmaker,  Sofia Alaoui is French-Moroccan and previously made the sci-fi short,  So What If The Goats Die which I saw at a previous Sundance. The French title is Parmi Nous which means Among Us. Animalia won the Special Jury Award: Creative Vision. 

Fairyland

Fairyland 4 1/2 stars

Based on the memoir of writer Alysia Abbot, Fairyland follows the life of young Alysia and her father Steve after the sudden loss of Alysia’s mother.  It’s the seventies and the pair move to San Francisco, move into a cheap apartment where Steve develops his writing skills and starts to date men.  The story is told mainly from the child’s perspective and shows how she has to learn to cope with a father who is absent more than he should be. Eventually,  the eighties come and with it the AIDS epidemic which impacts the small family in painful ways.  The success of the movie is helped greatly by the acting skills of Scoot McNairy as Steve and Emilia Jones as the teenage Alysia. It’s a meaningful drama that shows the joy and pain of a father daughter relationship. 

Fancy Dance

Fancy Dance  4 stars

In the US Dramatic category is Fancy Dance,  a fictional account of a missing native American woman and her family’s search for answers that mirrors all too well the reality of Native Americans on reservations.  Jax (Lily Gladstone) is caring for her 13 year old niece Roki since Roki’s mother disappeared weeks earlier.  The police seem to be making little progress in solving the case so Jax takes it upon herself to start asking questions,  taking Roki with her and risking losing her to her father’s custody (Shea Whigham). The movie is a mystery drama that brings focus to the real problem of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic in this country. 

Chanshi

Chanshi,   4 1/2 stars

A category that was recently added to Sundance is the Indie Episodics. These are typically short series that are intended for TV audiences,  the producers of which are hoping will be picked up by some network. I picked Chanshi, a very amusing comedy series written by and starring Aleeza Chanowitz. Chanshi is a Jewish young woman from Brooklyn who is engaged to a young Jewish man that she does not know well.  Everything should be going well for her.  But the first episode starts with Chanshi traveling to Israel to surprise her best friend who is getting married soon.  It seems that Chanshi’s dream is to have sex with lots of Israeli men,  but not only that,  with men who are soldiers.  So she is basically a train wreck who could destroy her own life while being very disruptive to all those around her as well.  The character is very engaging and funny and involved in some interesting story lines bringing in other characters who can’t help being attracted to her and wanting to straighten her out.  Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the Q&A. I hope this one finds a way to a wider audience. 

Mami Wata

Mami  Wata.   4 stars

From the country of Nigeria comes the movie Mami Wata by C. J. “Fiery” Obasi. This is a story taking place in a fictional African village called Iyi where the old traditional ways are still observed,  but the influence of Western culture is pressuring the people with its promises of development and technology.  Mami Wata is an all powerful water diety that protects the people,  but can only be reached through the Intermediary,  Mama Efe. Mama has two daughters,  one of which,  Zinwe is to be Mama’s successor as Intermediary.  Then a mysterious visitor arrives who is a rebel deserter from a nearby wartorn country and will change everything in this small village.  The movie depicts the struggle between a traditional matriarchal culture and modern militants common in African societies.  The production is relatively simple and is done in black and white.  The language is some combination of an African dialect mixed with English.  Subtitles are provided. The story is full of deceit, treachery, intrigue and murder, all the elements of a Shakespearean tragedy making it fascinating and emotional as the conclusion is reached.  I am hoping to see it chosen as one of the award winners this weekend.