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Posted Film Festivals

Sundance: John and the Hole

John (Charlie Shotwell) has his family trapped in a hole. Why? Because he’s tired of being a kid and craves the freedom adults have. And his family simply gets in the way. So one by one he drugs his dad Brad (Michael C. Hall), his mom Anna (Jennifer Ehle) and his sister Laurie (Taissa Farmiga) and drags them to an abandoned cement foundation on the property. The hole is deep enough to prevent the family members from climbing out and secluded enough that no one will hear their screams for help. John occasionally visits them to leave them food, water and some other items. Otherwise he’s content with having the family mansion, car and bank account all to himself. Just how long will John be able to keep this up before something happens?

DIrected by Pascual Sisto and written by Nicolás Giacobone, John and the Hole is an enthralling thriller that offers plenty of suspense. The biggest disconnect for me was feeling sympathy for the characters. This is clearly a rich white family who enjoys a lot of privilege. I might have felt more connected had the story been about relatable characters. However, maybe that was the intent. Maybe the audience was meant to enjoy seeing these characters tormented.

John and the Hole is a captivating feature debut by director Pascual Sisto and I would recommend it for its slow build and unique concept.

John and the Hole premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival as part of their U.S. Dramatic Competition.

Update: John and the Hole releases in theaters and  on digital on August 6th.

Posted Film Festivals

Sundance: Mass

Years after their tragic loss, Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) are ready to confront the parents of their young son’s killer. Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd) agree to meet the two in a private room at an Episcopalian church. Everything has been set up so they can have a safe space to confront the situation head on. What Jay and Gail want is to learn more about the villain they have come to paint as true evil in their minds. They’re frustrated when Richard and Linda don’t have ready answers for their probing questions. As their conversation unfolds, we learn more about the circumstances of the tragedy, the history of the troubled boy turned killer and how both couples have handled their very different types of mourning.

Mass is Fran Kranz’ writing and directorial debut. It’s a gripping drama that takes on the difficult job of exploring both sides of this kind of tragedy which unfortunately is now a regular part of American society. The film locks its audience in a confined space so they can fully experience the tension as it builds. The majority of the action happens in the one room. And while the dialogue driven drama works to some extent I wish flashback scenes were incorporated. Mass would make for a great stage play but it underutilized film as a visual medium. With that said, I believe  we’ll see more films like this in the future as quarantine, lockdowns and social distancing will put pressure on filmmakers to tell stories with small casts.

Mass premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

UPDATE: Mass hits theaters October 2021.

Posted Female Filmmakers

Sundance: The Blazing World

Loosely inspired by  Margaret Cavendish’s novel, The Blazing World examines the long-term effects of trauma through a psychedelic lens. Margaret (Carlson Young), her mother Alice (Vinessa Shaw) and father Tom (Dermot Mulroney), are haunted by the early death of Margaret’s twin sister Elizabeth. Each deals with the trauma in their own self-destructive way. Margaret is suicidal and enters a dark place in her mind where she is followed by a mysterious man, Lained (Udo Kier), who lures her into an alternate world, a visualization of her trauma, where she must face multiple challenges in order to survive.

The Blazing World is an impressive directorial debut by actress Carlson Young who stars in the film and co-wrote the script with Pierce Brown. It’s a visual masterpiece and even if you are not sure what’s going on in the plot you’ll be dazzled by the intense and colorful imagery. The set design, color schemes and costumes are pure eye candy.  I particularly enjoyed Udo Kier’s performance as the creepy Lained. 

Some have criticized the film because how it approaches female trauma and its many film references. Trauma is unique to each individual and will not fill a mold based off of societal expectations. Also I really loved how this film seemed to be inspired by cinema. According to Young the film is heavily inspired by German Horror. I found references to Fritz Lang’s Destiny which really piqued my interest.

The Blazing World premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival as part of their Next series.

Posted Documentaries

Sundance: Bring Your Own Brigade

Wildfires have long ravaged California but 2018 was a particularly bad year. That was when the deadly Camp Fire spread quickly through Paradise, California, causing many residents to flee for their lives. The wildfire engulfed houses, burned vehicles, and killed 85 residents. Those who survived endured the trauma that came with escaping the rapidly encroaching flames. Other fires, including one in Malibu, destroyed homes leaving devastation in their wake. While fingers might point to climate change and gender reveal parties as the root cause, there are many factors involved both natural and man-made. 

British director Lucy Walker offers a harrowing look at the 2018 California wildfires by examining the events of that year and the people affected by the disasters in her new documentary Bring Your Own Brigade. Perhaps the most eye-opening aspect of the documentary was how it uncovers the history of the wildfires and how they’ve progressively gotten worse over time. It’s not quite what you expect. The film  features interviews with residents of Paradise and Malibu, first responders, and various experts. It unfolds in an organic way which at times can feel disjointed. Essentially we’re following  the director as her curiosity about the California wildfires takes her on a journey of discovery.

In comparing this film with the Netflix documentary Fire in Paradise (2019), Bring Your Own Brigade offers much more in the way of context and background information to both enlighten and terrify its audience.

Bring Your Own Brigade premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

Posted Female Filmmakers

Sundance: Pleasure

The idea of making money from pleasure is an intoxicating one. Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel), has traveled from her home in Sweden to Los Angeles, to do just that. She aspires to break into the lucrative porn industry. Newcomers are embraced quickly with their first porn shoot which is packaged and sold as an enticing first experience video. But once that cherry has been popped, it’s more difficult to climb the ranks. Bella has the looks, the body but soon discovers that’s not enough. She’s timid, awkward and reluctant to do more advanced techniques. But she’s also got drive. She wants he top talent agent, the lucrative shoots, the best hair and makeup and the chance to climb to the top. Along the way she discovers how abusive her work really is and in order to make it she needs to not only take that abuse but to give it as well.

Directed by Ninja Thyberg, Pleasure is an expansion of her short film by the same name, Pleasure (2013), which premiered at Cannes and also screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Every industry is toxic in one way or another but the porn industry has a cycle of abuse that can be particularly damaging. Thyberg adeptly explores this in her film and casts a critical eye on how the industry treats young women. Kappel offers the viewer a sense of unease that fits with her character.

Pleasure is rooted in realism. There is plenty of nudity and borderline pornographic scenes. Many of the actors are actually porn stars and real porn genres and brand names are used throughout.

I recommend Rashida Jones’ Hot Girls Wanted, a breakout documentary that premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and is available to watch on Netflix. Pleasure is almost like a fictionalized version of Jones’ film.

Pleasure premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival as part of their World Cinema Dramatic Competition.

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