Joseph Cross’ directorial debut Summer Night offers us a glimpse of young adults as they navigate life, love and friendships. All of the characters are at a crossroads in their lives and their situations vary by degree. News of a surprise pregnancy, a mugging, a first date, a love triangle, a break-up and other events lead up to the big music show where all the characters convene. They’re all connected to each other in some way. The film offers a slice of life view into their world and while there are multiple characters, each with their own distinct story line, the viewer won’t feel overwhelmed. We don’t need to get to know them any better than we do nor does the story pretend to offer more than it does. This is just one night filled with booze, pot, music and plenty of romance.
Summer Night offers a lighthearted drama with comedic moments and is a great vehicle for its up-and-coming young talent. The most notable of the bunch is singer/actress Victoria Justice who plays Harmony, a punk beauty who goes on a date with Jameson (Ellar Coltrane) only to find out he still harbors feelings for Corin (Elena Kampouris). She’s not in the film all too much but her scenes are a high point. I always was impressed with Ella Hunt and Callan McAuliffe who play Dana and Taylor respectively. These two have a sweet and tender romance that is really the heart of the film.
This is a personal pet peeve of mine but I hate that the women are all dressed up and presentable and the guys look like they’re overdue for a shower and in desperate need of some clean clothes. A partricularly egregious example of this is the character Jameson. He has greasy, unkempt hair and dresses in the shabbiest of outfits to go on a first date. How is that supposed to make a good impression? I didn’t see why Harmony and Corin were even remotely attracted to him. This just perpetuates the stereotype that it’s okay for guys to look however they want but women have to always look their best.
Summer Night is directed by Joseph Cross and written by Jordan Jolliff. It’s distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and is available to watch on VOD.
The first slate of Gala Presentations and Special Presentations for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival were announced yesterday. I’m thrilled to be going back to TIFF this year as press. I’ll be covering the festival on this site as well as with DVD Netflix, Cine Suffragette, on my social media and beyond.
I learned so much from the last TIFF and I know better how to navigate this next festival. My focus this year will be on female directed and female focused films, Spanish-language films (and foreign cinema in general), LGBTQ themed films and a few big releases thrown in for good measure. The Gala Presentations will be in high demand and thus the most difficult to get access to. I’ll be very selective when it comes to those. The full list of TIFF films will be announced on August 20th and from there I’ll curate my final list.
In the meantime, here are my top 10 picks from the first slate of announced films. It was difficult to narrow it down to 10 so I can’t even imagine what it will be like to come up with some semblance of a schedule when all the films are announced. This is an impressive line-up!
Gala Presentations
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Courtesy of TIFF
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – World Premiere
dir. Marielle Heller and starring Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers.
I was perfectly content with Morgan Neville’s doc Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and didn’t necessarily think I needed a Mister Rogers biopic. But Hollywood loves a good biopic! Mister Rogers was and still remains a very powerful figure in my life and I’m incredibly curious what story it has to tell and how he’ll be portrayed. I think his story is in very capable hands with director Marielle Heller whose film Can You Ever Forgive Me? was one of my favorites from last year’s TIFF.
Joker – Courtesy of TIFF
Joker– North American Premiere
dir. Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix
I wasn’t even remotely interested in a new Joker movie UNTIL I saw that trailer. Damn. I love that the film takes a deep dive into the character’s origin story and the psychology behind why he became the Joker. I enjoy Todd Phillips’ work and Joaquin Phoenix is an excellent actor and I’ll watch anything he’s in. I predict this film will be a hot ticket at TIFF. I’ll have to be realistic about my chances of getting in.
Other Gala Presentations
Abominable – dir. Jill Culton – World Premiere
American Woman – dir Semi Chellas – Canadian Premiere
Blackbird – dir. Roger Michelle – World Premiere
Clemency – dir. Chinonye Chukwu – International Premiere
Ford v. Ferrari – dir. James Mangold – Canadian Premiere
The Goldfinch – dir. John Crowley – World Premiere
Harriet – dir. Kasi Lemmons – World Premiere
Hustlers – dir. Lorene Scafaria – World Premiere
Just Mercy – dir. Destin Daniel Cretton – World Premiere
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band – dir. Daniel Roher – World Premiere (Opening Night)
Ordinary Love – dir. Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn – World Premiere
Radioactive – dir. Marjane Satrapi – World Premiere (Closing Night)
The Sky is Pink – dir. Shonali Bose – World Premiere
The Song of Names – dir. Francois Girard – World Premiere
True History of the Kelly Gang – dir. Justin Kurzel – World Premiere
Western Stars – dir. Thom Zimny, Bruce Springsteen – World Premiere
Special Presentations
Ema – Courtesy of TIFF
Ema – North American Premiere
dir Pablo Larrain and starring Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal
There’s very little information about this film besides a basic description of the plot. However, I’m already excited about the potential for this film. This Chilean film follows Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) as she “sets out on a risky quest to reset her life” after a terrible accident.
Greed – Courtesy of TIFF
Greed – World Premiere
dir. Michael Winterbottom and starring Steve Coogan, Isla Fisher
I adore Michael Winterbottom and had such a fun time attending the premiere of The Wedding Guest at last year’s TIFF. Greed stars Steve Coogan as a fast-fashion mogul who throws a lavish party that is overthrown by nearby refugees. There’s a lot of potential here for both absurdity and serious social commentary.
A Herdade – Courtesy of TIFF
A Herdade – North American Premiere
dir. Tiago Guedes
You may be surprised to discover that this is my #1 pick for TIFF. I’ll clear my schedule just to get into a screening. Portuguese films are rare and getting access to them is very difficult. I’m half Portuguese, fluent in the language and fascinated by Portugal’s cultural history. This film follows a wealthy family in mid-20th century Portugal and according to the description offers a look at the political, economic and social history of the country. SOLD!
Judy – Courtesy of TIFF
Judy – Canadian Premiere
dir. Rupert Goold and starring Renee Zellweger
I’ll be covering Judy for my classic film blog Out of the Past. I’m not as big a Judy Garland fan as some of my fellow classic film buffs are and not as precious about how she’s portrayed. There’s been some backlash from the community about this film but I’d like to see it before jumping to conclusions. I’m just hoping Judy offers an honest portrayal of a complicated woman rather than just another salacious biopic.
Knives Out – Courtesy of TIFF
Knives Out – World Premiere
dir. Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, etc.
You really can’t go wrong with a star-studded murder mystery. It pretty much sells itself. Craig plays the lead detective and Plummer is the murder victim. I’m expecting a whip smart mystery with an eccentric cast of characters. Just watch the trailer and tell me you’re not immediately hooked.
The Personal History of David Copperfield – World Premiere
dir. Armando Iannucci and starring Dev Patel, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, etc.
A new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel has Dev Patel playing David Copperfield and I am here for this. I love period pieces and classic novel adaptations and while I have a love-hate relationship with Dickens I’m eager to see what this new spin with a POC protagonist has to offer.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire – Canadian Premiere
dir. Celine Sciamma and starring Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami
Set in 18th century Brittany, this French film tells the story of an artist who is hired to paint a portrait of a would-be-bride and the two women develop a romantic relationship. This ticks off a lot of boxes for me. Female-focused, female-directed, foreign and LGBTQ! I just hope it doesn’t break my heart.
While at War – World Premiere
dir. Alejandro Amenabar and starring Karra Elejalde, Eduard Fernández, Santi Prego
This Argentine-Spanish film is set in the early days of the Spanish Civil War as dictator Francisco Franco comes into power. The story focuses on writer Miguel de Unamuno and his rebellion against El Generalisimo. I was impressed with the trailer I’m particularly interested in stories about political persecution, rebellion and repression so this is right up my alley.
Other Special Presentations
Bad Education – dir Cory Finley – World Premiere
Coming Home – dir. Wayne Wang – World Premiere
Dolemite Is My Name – dir Craig Brewer – World Premiere
Endings, Beginnings – dir. Drake Doremus – World Premiere
Frankie – dir. Ira Sachs – North American Premiere
The Friend – dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite – World Premiere
Guest of Honor – dir. Atom Egoyan – North American Premiere
Heroic Losers– dir. Sebastien Borensztein – International Premiere
Honey Boy – dir. Alma Har’el – International Premiere
Hope Gap – dir. William Nicholson – World Premiere
How to Build a Girl – dir. Coky Giedroyc – World Premiere
I Am Woman – dir. Unjoo Moon – World Premiere
Jojo Rabbit – dir. Taika Waititi – World Premiere
La Belle Epoque – dir. Nicolas Bedos – North American Premiere
The Laundromat – dir. Steven Soderbergh – North American Premiere
The Lighthouse – dir. Robert Eggers – North American Premiere
Marriage – dir. Noah Baumbach – Canadian Premiere
Military Wives – dir. Peter Cattaneo – World Premiere
Motherless Brooklyn – dir. Edward Norton – International Premiere
No. 7 Cherry Lane – dir. Yonfan – North American Premiere
The Other Lamb – dir. Malgorzata Szumowska – World Premiere
Pain and Glory – dir. Pedro Almodovar – Canadian Premiere
The Painted Bird – dir. Vaclav Marhoul – North American Premiere
Parasite – dir. Bong Joon-ho – Canadian Premiere
Pelican Blood – dir. Katrin Gebbe – North American Premiere
The Report – dir. Scott Z. Burns – International Premiere
Saturday Fiction – dir. Lou Ye – North American Premiere
The Two Popes – dir. Fernando Meirelles – Canadian Premiere
Uncut Gems – dir. Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie – International Premiere
Weathering With You – dir. Makoto Shinkai – North American Premiere
Check out the full list of offerings on the TIFF website.
Queering the Script is a new documentary written and directed by Gabrielle Zilkha that explores the effect television has on queer women and vice versa. This is a community that has long been craving representation on screen. From the early days of the internet, queer women have been flocking to message boards to discuss subtext. Online they shared ideas and stories and imagined their favorite TV characters in romantic relationships that otherwise wouldn’t have happened on screen. As the internet evolved and queer female characters became more prevalent on TV, the community got bigger, stronger and more outspoken. The fandom became a force to be reckoned with. This community channeled their energy into all sorts of creative outlets including cosplay, fan art, fan fiction, etc. They traveled to festivals and conventions where they were able to meet their favorite celebrities and bond (and fall in love!) with other queer women. This gave birth to Clexacon, the largest fandom event for LGBTQ+ women and allies.
One of the biggest takeaways from Queering the Script is how queer women have been a driving force in entertainment. They have been outspoken about visibility and representation and this has had a direct effect on storylines and relationships between characters. This has lead to more queer characters on screen. However, there has been an adverse affect of the increase in queer female characters in television. Between 2015 and 2017, over 60 of these characters were killed off. Queer characters are not often the lead protagonists thus easier to kill off and this trend, referred to by the community as Bury Your Gays, had a devastating effect.
Various experts, mostly queer female journalists from a variety of outlets but also fans and TV writers, are interviewed in the documentary. Shows discussed include:
The 100
Black Lightning
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Carmilla
Ellen
Glee
Jane the Virgin
The L Word
One Day at a Time
Orange is the New Black
Orphan Black
Person of Interest
Riverdale
Supergirl
Wynonna Earp
Xena: Warrior Princess
Queering the Script is an enlightening documentary that shines a much needed spotlight on queer representation. It tackles all sorts of subjects and doesn’t shy away from dealing with hot button issues like body image and racial diversity.
Queering the Script is currently part of Outfest 2019.
It all started with a green handbag left behind in a subway car. Innocent enough. Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) spots the abandoned bag and looks through its contents finding the ID for one Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert) of Brooklyn. The Boston native has just moved to New York City after the devastating loss of her mother. Taking pity on the bag’s owner, she finds Greta, a lonely French widower and piano teacher who is very grateful to be reunited with her bag. The two become fast friends. Frances finds a mother figure in Greta and Greta dotes on Frances like she would her daughter who is away in Paris. Frances’ roommate Erica (Maika Monroe) thinks this is all a little suspicious but Frances shrugs it off as another of her roommate’s quirks. That is until one evening when Frances visits Greta, she discovers a cupboard full of green handbags, each with the name and phone number of other women. The realization of what she’s gotten into washes over Frances but it’s far too late. Greta begins to stalk Frances and the cat and mouse chase that ensues only intensifies the more Frances tries to escape Greta’s snare.
“The crazier they are the harder they cling.”
Greta is a psychological thriller that taps into the innate fear of intimacy gone wrong. The vulnerability of letting someone into your private world already exposes us to potential hurt. Frances is already in a weakened emotional state after the loss of her mother and her move to a new city. Her friend, the worldly Erica tries to be her support system but Frances has serious mommy issues that Erica can’t help her with. Relationships between women, whether romantic, familial or platonic, are a different beast and this film explores that on a surface level but could have gone much deeper into the psychology of those bonds. The relationship between Frances and Erica borders on the romantic and I wish it had explored that potential not necessarily for curiosity’s sake but as a potential threat to both Frances’ emotional wellbeing and fuel for Greta’s psychosis. Erica was only slightly at risk and even though she’s not our main focus, having her be in significant danger would have turned up the tension several notches.
With that said, the film is incredibly tense and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was emotionally invested in Frances and what became of her and Moritz and Huppert play off each other beautifully. Huppert as Greta is absolutely terrifying. Greta is a great villain but we don’t know much about her. We get little hints about her background but the audience doesn’t get much insight into her game and her other victims. While Greta was written by two men and directed by a man, Neil Jordan, it didn’t fall into the usual trappings of a male POV and I was grateful that it wasn’t a man who comes to a woman’s rescue. In fact the men in the film are fairly useless (for example, Stephen Rea plays an investigator who is no match for Greta) and the woman have to support themselves and each other. The film had potential. By not taking a deep dive into the psychology of the characters it just remains in the shallow end leaving viewers wanting more.
As a DVD Nation Director, I earn rewards from DVD Netflix. You can rent Greta on DVD.com
“For a cop things are black or white. In the middle there’s nothing.”
The year is 1975. In a small province of Argentina, a group of people are quietly emptying a house of its most valuable possessions. It’s rumored that the family who lived there were the targets of a government raid and have since fled the country. This introduction tells us what we need to know about mid-1970s Argentina and the government corruption that endangers its own people.
Claudio (Dario Grandinetti) is a town counselor and lawyer. A tense confrontation with a stranger, later known as El Hippie (Diego Cremonesi), at a restaurant escalates and ends in tragedy. Claudio leaves this unfortunate event behind him and transitions back to his normal life with his wife Susana (Andrea Frigerio) and teenage daughter Paula (Laura Grandinetti). Corruption lurks around every corner as friends go missing. After arranging an underhanded deal with his friend Vivas (Claudio Martinez Bel) to buy the aforementioned house, Claudio discovers the true identity of El Hippie and that Vivas has hired former cop turned celebrity detective Sinclair (Alfredo Castro) to investigate. It’s only a matter of time for things to unravel for Claudio as Sinclair zeroes in on what really happened.
Written and directed by Benjamin Naishtat, Rojo is a moody and atmospheric drama that explores how government corruption enables the worst in human behavior. I found this film deeply unsettling. Right from the very beginning I got a sense of dread. As though danger were lurking at every corner. Why is the camera so still? Why is it looking at this house for so long? Is the house going to explode? It didn’t but that was the palpable tension that made me so engrossed in the film.
Rojo means red in Spanish and the film utilizes the color in many ways. The most interesting use of the color comes from the scene when a solar eclipse casts a red glow. This is a pivotal point in the film as detective Sinclair has just entered Claudio’s life, stirring the pot and making Claudio very uncomfortable. Claudio and his wife escape to the beach where they witness the eclipse and this moment the beginning of an end of sorts.
Naishtat was inspired to make Rojo from his fascination with the 1970s and “the symbolic burden” the political persecution and exile of the Argentine people had on future generations. The overall theme of a greater evil threatening the personal freedoms of citizens is compelling and universal but really gives the viewers a sense of one of the darkest times in Argentina’s history.
Rojo opens in New York City at Quad Cinema and the Film at Lincoln Center on Friday and in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal on July 19th.
