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CategoryIndie Film

Posted Film Festivals

Fantasia Festival: Agnes

“Shall we go see about your poor lost lamb?”

When Sister Agnes (Hayley McFarland) is suddenly possessed by demons, the nuns at Santa Teresa look to Father Black (Ben Hall) and Father Benjamin (Jake Horowitz) for help. Sister Mary (Molly C. Quinn) witnesses the attempts at exorcism and something about the experience and an encounter she has with Agnes changes her. Mary sheds her nun’s habit and goes back to secular life. But is she ready for it?

Written by Mickey Reece, who also directed, and John Selvidge, Agnes is a modern take on the classic story of religious life and exorcism. It’s light on horror elements focusing more on the drama surrounding Sister Mary. The film feels disjointed at times and I couldn’t help but feel like titling the story Agnes is misleading. Agnes is merely a supporting player in what ends up being Mary’s story. Molly C. Quinn is brilliant as the lead. Her eyes express the character’s pain and she has this angelic countenance that makes her perfect for playing a religious neophyte and a lost soul. The film offers some really fantastic cinematography which adds to its decidedly modern feel. This would pair nicely with Agnes of God (1985) as a double bill.

Rita Scranton, Zandy Hartig, Cait Brasel, Mary Buss, Molly Quinn, Azrial Greene-Pina, Cheryl McConnell, and Rachel True as the Sisters of Santa Teresa 
Photographer: Stephan Sutor 

Agnes had its international premiere at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival.

Posted Female Filmmakers

Clairevoyant

Claire (Micaela Wittman) is having a quarter-life crisis.  After discovering her spiritual guru Tony Robbins and taking a Vinyasa Yoga Flow class, Claire finds herself on the path to enlightenment. And of course, she has to make a documentary about her journey. She hires cameraman Earl (Arthur De Larroche) to film her as she seeks wisdom from various spiritual guides. Claire is out of touch, tone deaf and downright delusional. She lives comfortable in a Beverly Hills home funded by her father and pretends to have some mysterious trauma that really doesn’t exist in her otherwise cushy and privileged life. After a series of disappointments, Claire is forced to face the truth about herself.

“I don’t want to be sad anymore. I just want to be happy all the time.”

Claire

Written and directed by Micaela Wittman and Arthur De Larroche, Clairevoyant is a delightfully quirky mockumentary that offers heaping doses of both humor and cringe. Wittman is terrific as Claire, playing into the character’s naivety and awkwardness. The film accurately depicts both millennial angst and white woman privilege and offers criticism on the commodification of spirituality. At its heart though, it’s really about a delusional young woman trying to find her way in life. 

Clairevoyant is available on digital and VOD.

Posted Female Filmmakers

Les nôtres

In the tight-knit community of Saint-Adeline, Quebec, a scandal is quietly rising to the surface. The town is still reeling after a major tragedy five years earlier. 13 year old Magalie (Emilie Bierre) is navigating the aftermath of her father’s death, high school, dance classes and her secret relationship with “Taz”. When Magalie collapses during dance rehearsal, she’s brought to the hospital where the doctor informs her mother Isabelle (Marianne Farley ) that Magalie is pregnant. Everyone thinks that Manu, the young Mexican immigrant being fostered by Chantal Grégoire (Judith Baribeau) and her husband, Mayor Jean-Marc Ricard (Paul Doucet), is the father. But not all is as it seems. Magalie refuses to reveal the identity of the father, which comes at a great cost to her well-being.

Directed and co-written by Jeanne Leblanc, Les nôtres is a solemn yet powerful social drama. It explores the indestructible nature of small communities, anti-immigrant sentiment and social power dynamics. It’s fascinating to see how Emilie’s pregnancy causes relationships to fray. It can be an uncomfortable movie to watch especially due to its subject matter. However, once you start watching the film, you won’t be able to step away. Recommended.

Les nôtres is distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories and is available in select theaters and on demand.

Posted Female Filmmakers

Holler

High school senior Ruth (Jessica Barden) is smart. She’s also incredibly insolent. That’s her  survival mechanism for life in her small rust belt town. Her and her brother Blaze (Gus Halper) work at a local scrap yard to make ends meet while their drug addict mother (Pamela Adlon) is stuck in county jail. But work and money are hard to come by and when Ruth and Blaze are evicted, they resort to helping their sketchy boss Hark (Austin Amelio) steal scrap metal. When a college acceptance letter arrives in the mail, Ruth finds out that her application, which she finished but set aside, was mailed in my her brother. College is Ruth’s beacon of hope to get out of her situation. But will she be able to scrape enough money to get out?

Written and directed by Nicole Riegel, Holler is a poignant coming-of-age story. Riegel’s film brilliantly evokes the struggle of small town life and what it’s like when the cards seem stacked against you. Jessica Barden is simply brilliant as Ruth, the film’s flawed yet relatable protagonist. Ruth’s insolence can be off-putting and her story requires some patience. On second viewing I found more richness in the film and relished in all of the small details and nuances once I was able to break down that barrier to entry.

In a statement Riegel notes, “my film is a semi-autobiographical story about how challenging it was to transcend where I came from as a young woman, both practically and emotionally.” Holler was shot on location in Jackson, Ohio, Riegel’s hometown, and includes many locals as extras for authenticity.

Holler is distributed by IFC Films and is available in theaters and on demand 

Posted Film Reviews

Echoes of Violence

What starts as an ordinary day for real estate agent Alex (Heston Horwin) quickly spirals out of control. While waiting for prospective clients, he hears gunshots in the distance. By chance he’s able to scare away a hit man, Kellin (Chase Cargill), from killing his target, Marakya (Michaella Russell). Alex ushers Marakya to safety only to discover that now he’s in grave danger. Marakya is a South African woman living in L.A. who unwillingly became part of a dangerous sex trafficking ring that targets young immigrant women. She’s on the run from her immigration lawyer/trafficker Anthony (Taylor Flowers) and his goons and now Alex is too.

Written and directed by Nicholas Woods, Echoes of Violence is an engrossing thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It’s got great performances by the three principal leads (Russell, Cargill and Horwin), interesting characters and the pacing is just right. As the mystery unfolds, we learn more about these characters and their backgrounds. I would have liked to have seen Kellin’s meeting with his father pan out a bit differently. And I was curious as to why Marakya refers to South Africa as just Africa. With that said, the movie gives us just the right amount of background information so we can become emotionally invested in these characters without ruining their allure.

I usually steer clear of human trafficking films because some cross over into the realm of conservative propaganda. Echoes of Violence is not that kind of film and the trafficking mostly serves an impetus for the action. However, some viewers might see it as a thriller with an agenda. I encourage you to put any qualms you might have aside and give this one a try.

Echoes of Violence recently premiered at Cinequest.

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