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Posted Film Reviews

A Kid (Le fils de Jean)

Matthieu (Pierre Deladonchamps) just received the call that his father died. The father he never met. The father he didn’t even really knew existed. The father he couldn’t meet in life but now must get to know in death. His mother always told him that Matthieu was the result of a one-night stand. But the affair was much more complicated than that.

Matthieu travels from France to Quebec for the funeral and there he meets his uncle Pierre (Gabriel Arcand). Pierre is the only other person who knew of Matthieu’s existence. And now it’s his job to introduce him to a family that wasn’t expecting him. Matthieu meets his brothers Ben (Pierre-Yves Cardinal) and Sam (Patrick Hivon)—two headstrong men who are at each other’s throats and totally disinterested in their new brother. He then meets Bettina (Catherine De Lean) is the estranged sister-in-law who develops a fondness for Matthieu. And then there is Angie (Marie-Therese Fortin). The wife who was completely unaware her husband had an affair in the first place but who sees Matthieu as the solution to alleviating some familial tensions.

What complicates matters is that there is no body. Matthieu’s father went on a fishing trip with Pierre and disappeared. The men all travel to the lake on a recovery mission. Ben and Sam want to find the body in order to secure their inheritance. Pierre just wants to put his brother to rest. And Matthieu is caught in the middle of it all.

Directed by Philippe Lioret and based on the novel by Jean-Paul Dubois, Le fils de Jean is a poignant family drama about self-discovery and navigating complicated family dynamics. While the circumstances are particularly unusual, anyone who has either felt like an outsider in their own family or has experienced any type of familial revelation will empathize with Matthieu’s plight. I’m not fully versed in the lingering tensions between the French and the Quebecois but viewers will get a little sense of that here. I was particularly taken with Gabriel Arcand’s performance as the family’s emotional anchor. Deladonchamps’s performance is perhaps a little too subdued but he seems to gain more traction with the movie’s heartfelt ending.

Posted Film Reviews

Kinds of Kindness

Few are bold enough, or capable enough, to excel in making the kind of film that is genuinely weird but still manages to have widespread appeal. Yorgos Lanthimos is one of those filmmakers. He continues his reign as the master of the twisted fable with his new movie Kinds of Kindness. 

This trio of Ovidian-like fables puts various characters in scenarios in which their social interactions are viewed through an absurdist lens. Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Mamoudou Athie, Joe Alwyn and Yorgos Stefanakos (who plays the title RMF, a perpetually tragic figure) all play different characters in each story.

In the first story, a man, whose everyday life is controlled by his boss, tries to break free but is unable to come to terms with the fact that his new found freedom also means losing social acceptance. The second story is an interesting take on an old classic movie trope—wife lost at sea returns and causes chaos for her husband (i.e. My Favorite Wife and Move Over, Darling). The third story follows a cult member who is looking for an oracle-type who has a natural ability to revive the dead. Each of the three stories examines social themes like authority, power, familial sacrifice, purity/sexuality, etc. Overall, the film is a study of the absurdity of social interactions especially when they’re stripped of social norms or logic.

Kinds of Kindness was co-written by Lanthimos and his frequent collaborator Efthimis Filippou who also worked on Dogtooth, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This film feels very much in the Greco-Roman tradition of storytelling. I couldn’t help but think of Ovid’s The Metamorphoses.

Lanthimos’ Poor Things felt very much like a follow up to Dogtooth—both explore the danger of carnal knowledge matched with a  mind deprived of worldly knowledge. Kinds of Kindness feels like a follow-up to The Killing of a Sacred Deer— an unrelenting fable about revenge. Both have the same brutality and absurdity that truly shines and makes the audience feel rewarded for their discomfort. Kinds of Kindness has much more humor however and while some won’t want to return to The Killing of a Sacred Deer, they will want to rewatch Kinds of Kindness.

In addition to the classic movie trope of the wife lost at sea, I found connections to Ingmar Bergman’s films (pregnancy loss and abortion) and Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness (absurdity and social commentary in three parts).

Kinds of Kindness had a lot to offer. Close up shots in which parts of the body obscured make for some stunning imagery. Disruptive sound is used to great effect including the off-key playing of a piano, often times just the banging of one single key, or the use of a cell phone ringing followed by static as used in the second story. In the last of the three stories, an editing technique is used that cuts away to another shot before the audience feels ready to move on to a new visual. Plemons, Stone, Qualley, Chau, Dafoe, Athie make for a solid cast and I hope they’ll all continue to collaborate with Lanthimos. I just hope that Hunter Schafer will be considered for a bigger part in a future film.

The 2 hour and 45 minute time frame might be a drag for some. While watching it in a theater is ideal, the movie’s episodic style can make for three enjoyable movies at around an hour each.

Kinds of Kindness is delightfully twisted. A must-see for lovers of the absurd.

Posted Film Reviews

Thelma

It’s been two years since her husband passed away and Thelma Post (June Squibb) is adjusting to her new reality. She’s 93 years old and fiercely independent. While Thelma spends most of her days home alone ,she keeps in frequent contact with her grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger) and her daughter Gail (Parker Posey). One day she gets a call from Daniel. He’s in jail and needs her to mail $10,000 in cash to a PO Box address. As Thelma is digging through her hidden stashes of cash,  she’s also trying to reach both Daniel and Gail on her cell phone. Before they can get to her to tell her it was all a scam—an AI voice call mimicking her grandson to extort her out of money—the cash is gone. But Thelma won’t let things slide. She’s going to get her money back.

Even though Daniel, Gail and son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg) do everything to stop her, Thelma is on a quest. She enlists the help of her good friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) who reluctantly lets her use his electric-powered, two-seat scooter. Thelma and Ben hit the road (and the sidewalks!) to find the scammers. As they navigate their way through various neighborhoods, they reconnect with old friends, avoid familial intervention. This is as much as a recovery mission as it is a journey of self-discovery.  What will happen if they come face-to-face with the  people who dared to scam Thelma?

Richard Roundtree and June Squibb in THELMA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Richard Roundtree and June Squibb in THELMA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Thelma (2024) is a wild ride. It is one of the most entertaining and emotionally satisfying movies to come out in recent years. The film is bolstered by the dynamic screen presence of leading lady June Squibb and a beautiful swan song performance by the late Richard Roundtree.  

Director and writer Josh Margolin—who based the story off of his own grandmother, the real Thelma Post—offers a truly astounding intergenerational story with plenty of moments of tension and humor that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The film captures generational neurosis  at every level—the Gen Z grandson, the Gen X parents and the Silent Generation grandmother and best friend. Everyone thinks they know what’s best for Thelma and try to influence her. But her story is very much about her quest to come to that decision on her own.

In an interview Margolin said that his intention was to not have the audience laugh AT Thelma but rather to laugh WITH her. He absolutely accomplishes this. In no way do we pity Thelma. Instead, we rally with her and champion her on her Odysseus-like quest. 

I recently watched David Lynch’s film The Straight Story (1999) which is also based on a true story and about an elderly protagonist (Richard Farnsworth) on a journey riding  John Deere lawn tractor over 200 miles to spend time with his ailing brother (Harry Dean Stanton). Both films do a beautiful job demonstrating that elder actors can still command the screen and carry a story that can engage anyone at any age. Thelma and The Straight Story would make for a beautiful double bill and I’m very grateful that both films exist in the world.

Thelma is distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

Posted Female Filmmakers

Cora Bora

“I think the problem is you’re not so good at reading situations.”

Cora (Megan Stalter) is awkward as hell. Ever since she left behind her life in Portland, Oregon and moved to Los Angeles to make it as a solo musician, she can’t seem to do anything right. Her open relationship with her girlfriend Justine (Jojo T. Gibbs) is suffering. When she’s not performing terrible sets, much to her frustrated talent agent’s dismay, she’s smoking pot, going to random parties and hooking up with strangers. It seems like every interaction she has with another human being is going to be a painful experience. Cora, or Cora Bora as her parents like to call her, heads back to Portland to attend Justine’s party. But really she’s trying to sabotage Justine’s new relationship with Riley (Ayden Mayeri). Along the way she meets another musician (Manny Jacinto). He’s a caring young man who sees beyond her awkwardness to the cool cat Cora that she used to be.

Written by Rhianon Jones and directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, Cora Bora is a deliciously self-deprecating comedy about a young woman at a crossroads in her life. There is a plot twist later on in the movie that explains why Cora is on this downward spiral. It’s supposed to be an a-ha! moment in the film. However, it would have been more effective if the montage at the beginning of the movie—that depicts Cora playing with her band— led into an emotionally powerful intro that would have endeared the viewer more to Cora and her plight. Having the revelation so late in the story keeps the viewer from cheering Cora on to her eventual reemergence. With that said, it also has the effect of keeping the viewer guessing. We’re another stranger in the story, trying to make sense of this beguiling character whose unlikable until she’s not. Megan Stalter really nails it with her performance as Cora. The awkwardness is done to great effect but never over done. Manny Jacinto, Ayden Mayeri and Jojo T. Gibbs are all really fantastic as the young people navigating the treacherous waters of Cora’s life.

While some of the situations are seemingly implausible, Cora Bora does feel a realistic depiction of younger millennial/Gen Z-er navigating their new adult life. Recommended for anyone looking for a fresh new comedy with a healthy dose of angst.

Posted Documentaries

Museum Town (2019)

“Building MASS MoCA from the ground up consumed the next 28 years of my life. Those of us who took part in its evolution know that we experienced something rare. I’ve moved on from the museum, but I knew I had to finish writing the story I’d started nearly three decades ago.

It was simply too big, too beautiful, too improbable to leave untold.”

Director Jennifer Trainer

When The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) was conceived it was a revolutionary idea. Instead of fitting the mold of what was expected for an art museum, the team behind MASS MoCA sought out a space beyond the confines of a metropolitan center. Presenting contemporary art—which already breaks many rules on its own—in a larger space and in an area you wouldn’t expect meant limitless possibilities but also an uphill battle just to get the project started. MASS MoCA opened in 1999 in the former Sprague Electric factory in North Adams, MA. This small New England city used to be a thriving hub of factories but like many other cities in America felt the economic after effects when many of these factories closed in the 1980s. MASS MoCA took over a large campus of building complete with bridges and moats and 100k square feet of gallery space. They believed in a light touch; keeping the integrity of the buildings and maintaining their historic dignity while also making each building a functional gallery space. MASS MoCA transformed North Adams into an artist’s community and remains one of the largest spaces for contemporary art in the world.

On the 20th anniversary of MASS MoCA, the documentary Museum Town (2019) tells the fascinating story of the museum’s conception, development and present day work all in the scope of the people who made it happen and the community it exists in. The documentary was directed by Jennifer Trainer, a journalist who in the mid 1980s covered the story of MASS MoCA’s conception and soon became part of its development, Museum (2019). It includes narration by Meryl Streep as well as various talking heads, including local politicians, museum curators and a volunteer who had worked for over 40 years at Sprague and continued to dedicated herself to the campus that had meant so much to her. I was particularly interested in how the film followed the exhibition of artist Nick Cave known for his mixed media art which includes sculptures, found objects and performance art. We get insight into what it takes to plan and install a large scale contemporary art exhibit.

Museum Town beautifully captures a community in transition and a space that offers limitless possibilities for displaying contemporary art in its many forms. It will have you booking your trip to North Adams for a visit.

Museum Town (2019) is available on DVD from Kino Lorber. Thank you to Kino for sending me a copy for review.

The documentary is also currently available to stream on Kanopy and the Kino Film Collection.

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