Skip to content

CategoryForeign Film

Posted BIPOC

Tinā

“What’s a parent without their kids?”

Mareta (Anapela Polataivao) is grieving the loss of her daughter who tragically lost her life during the Christchurch, New Zealand quakes of 2011. Unsure what her future holds for her now, Mareta receives help from Sio (Beulah Koale) who helps her file for unemployment. When that runs out, his next step is to help her land an interview for a teaching position at an elite school attended mostly by Pākehās (non-Polynesian New Zealanders). Mareta is an imposing woman with a heart of gold. She dons her native Samoan garb, standing out from the rest of the teachers at the school, and is affectionately called Tinā (Samoan term for mother). Mareta soon bonds with Sophie (Antonia Robinson), a talented young singer who is dealing with an alcoholic mother and the physical and emotional scars from a terrible accident. Their mutual interest in music eventually sparks an idea. Mareta will lead the school’s very first choir. It’s a rough start but once the students learn to appreciate Mareta’s tough love approach the choir becomes something extraordinary. As the choir group prepare for a singing competition, looming villains and tragic news threaten the disrupt the beautiful harmony.

Directed by Miki Magasiva, Tinā film hits all the right notes and deserves to be up there with feel good stories about teachers like Dead Poets Society (1989) and Radical (2023). It will send you on an emotional rollercoaster and by the end you’ll find yourself sobbing into a fistful of tissues. While the story is rather sentimental and almost veers towards cloying, it ultimately finds a balance especially when punctuated with its musical sequences. I really enjoyed the performance by Polataivao who gives her character a sense of mystery and charm.

Tinā is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Tinā is distributed by Rialto and hits theaters in select markets (Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam) August 29th and nationwide on September 5th.

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.

Still from the film The Miracle Club
Posted Film Reviews

The Miracle Club

It’s 1967 in Ballygar, a community in Dublin, where three friends of three different generations gather to mourn the death of one of their own. Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates) and Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) soon come face to face with the friend’s daughter, Chrissie (Laura Linney), who fled Ballygar for the United States and hasn’t been back in nearly four decades. When the church wins a contest for a pilgrimage to Lourdes, Lily, Eileen, Dolly and Chrissie travel to the holy site. Each of the women must confront their individual problems and help each other while searching for the miracle that can possibly change their lives for the better.

Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, The Miracle Club is a heartfelt story about societal expectations when it comes to relationships and life choices.

The film has a gentle message of acceptance as the characters try to connect with Dolly’s non-verbal autistic child. Despite the title and the characters’ journey, the film isn’t all that religious. The pilgrimage to Lourdes seems more like a cultural milestone than an event sprung from any sort of religious fervor. This movie will appeal to both Catholics and non-Catholics who are seeking tender story delivered without a heavy hand.

The four leads shine and Smith, Bates and Linney in particular continue to prove their star power. We need to continue to embrace stories about older women and intergenerational relationships. This film is one example about how these stories can be told and told well.

The Miracle Club reminded me of two movies in particular. The story line about an exiled woman returning to her small town after a big scandal drove her away reminded me of The Dressmaker (2015) starring Kate Winslet. If you’re interested in a more dramatic piece about the Sanctuary of Our Lady Lourdes pilgrimage site, I highly recommend Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner’s excellent film Lourdes (2009) starring Sylvie Testud. If you want to learn more about that film, check out the article I wrote about Lourdes for the Turner Classic Movies website.

The Miracle Club is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

Posted BIPOC

Sundance: Cassandro

Saúl (Gael García Bernal) is a gay wrestler who performs for his local lucha libre matches. Wanting to evolve from his typical role as a El Topo, he develops the persona of Cassandro, a flamboyant “exótico” whose feminine energy taunts his more macho luchador opponents in the ring. Exóticos usually elicit boos from the audience and ultimately lose the match. But Cassandro wants to change that. As Saúl/Cassandro works with a new trainer on his skills, he grapples with his relationship with his in-the-closet boyfriend, his distant and homophobic father and his ailing mother.

Directed by Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro is based on the true story of wrestler Saúl Armendáriz, known as the Liberace of lucha libre. Gael García Bernal delivers one of the most spirited performances I’ve ever seen. He truly embodies this character, giving Saúl gravitas and Cassandro verve. The film conveys a strong message of acceptance and joy in individual expression. This one will be a crowd pleaser for sure.

Cassandro premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Cassandro premieres on Amazon Prime September 22nd.

Posted BIPOC

Sundance: Radical

This crowd pleaser will have viewers reaching for the tissues. Directed by Christopher Zalla,  Radical is based on the true story of Sergio Juárez Correa, a teacher from Matamoros, Mexico who made a huge impact on the sixth grade students at Jose Urbina Elementary School. Eugenio Derbez stars as Sergio, a newcomer to the area who has a “radical” teaching methodology. When he takes over the sixth grade class of an impoverished school, he throws all the rules out the window. His unconventional methods spark the curiosity of kids who were otherwise expected to drop out of school within the next few years.

The movie spotlights three kids in particular. Nico is being groomed to become part of the local drug cartel. But he soon takes an interest in science, especially in boats, and hopes he can stay in school a bit longer to avoid a life of crime. Lupe is the oldest sibling of four and the expectation is that she help her parents with the care of her youngest. She is really interested in philosophy, especially the work of John Stuart Mill, but her intellectual journey puts her at odds with her family’s expectations. Sergio’s top student is Paloma, a bright young mind with an interest in aerospace engineering. She shows a lot of potential but is beholden to her responsibility as the sole caretaker of her sick father.

Eugenio Derbez really shines as the Sergio. He conveys a great sense of empathy and caring that demonstrates the impact a good teacher can have on students. The film as a whole really celebrates education. It also offers a sobering revelation that potential does not necessarily guarantee opportunity. 

I could see Radical movie being the next CODA. However, given the limited appeal of foreign-language movies—Radical is in Spanish—I worry that not enough people will watch this terrific film. Radical is a bit on the longer side and could use some trimming. The ending is both awe-inspiring and heart-breaking. My hope is that this reaches a broader audience and that this will help the school get the resources it needs.

Radical premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

JustWatch.com