What It’s About
In a shelter for teen mothers, a group of young women- girls, really- face daunting challenges. Ariane (Halloy) wants to put her baby up for adoption, though her unreliable mother (Cornil) begs to raise it. Now off drugs, Julie (Houben) trains to be a hair stylist, while mulling marriage to boyfriend Dylan (Jacobs). Perla (Laruelle) hopes the father of her child will make a lasting commitment, but he seems unsure and aloof. Meanwhile, about to give birth, Jessica (Verbeek) desperately searches for her own birth mother.
Why We Love It
The Dardennes are back in top form with this intimate ensemble piece, which plays like a documentary. The brothers have often explored the lives of society’s marginalized people, but “Mothers” hits a particular nerve because these girls are so young, starting their adult lives with burdens and responsibilities they’re ill-equipped to handle. This piercing film makes us root for them all, against stiff odds.
What It’s About
In 1974, journalist/arts chronicler Linda Rosenkrantz (Hall) sat down with her friend, photographer Peter Hujar (Whishaw), in her New York City apartment. Turning on a tape recorder, she asks Peter simply to talk about his daily activities. The revealing conversation that follows goes way beyond the quotidian.
Why We Love It
To call this a narrative drama is misleading; it’s more like a recreated documentary. The real Rosenkrantz’s project to examine the lives and patterns of working artists never came to fruition, but director Sachs found the transcript of this particular interview in a Paris bookshop. Working with Rosenkrantz (Hujar died of AIDS in 1987), he adapted it to script form. Whishaw and Hall (both British actors playing Americans) make the most of the material; with Sachs’ restrained, stripped down direction, this fascinating experiment becomes an actors’ showcase. Never wearing out its welcome at a trim 76 minutes, “Peter Hujar’s Day” leaves a nostalgic, wistful aftertaste as it brings back a far-off time when struggling artists could afford to live in Manhattan. By all means, seize this “Day”.
What It’s About
In the tumultuous China of the early 1930s, Ruan Ling-yu (Cheung) was one of the biggest stars of silent cinema, on a par with Greta Garbo. The pressures of fame and a messy, marriage-busting romance with director Tsai Chu-seng (Leung) lead Ruan to commit suicide in 1935, at age 24. And yet, as we discover, what a colorful, eventful life she packed into that short span of time.
Why We Love It
Director Kwan intersperses his evocative period narrative with clips from the few Ruan films that still exist, and current-day interviews with both the film’s actors and surviving players of the time. The resulting cinematic tapestry might have felt disorienting, but in Kwan’s skilled hands, it works. The star power of Cheung and Leung (who’d team again in 2000’s “In the Mood For Love”) certainly helps; it’s no surprise she won Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. “Center Stage” is fully worthy of its tragic heroine, whose radiant talent was extinguished too soon.
What It’s About
Thirty-something Mumbai resident Anand (Manoj) returns to Western India for ten days of mourning rituals after his father dies, where he reconnects with childhood pal Balya (Suman). Notably, neither man is married, leading their elders to ask what’s taking so long. But Anand’s grief-stricken mother Suman (Jagtap) knows her son is gay, and suspects Balya is too. As the two men secretly rekindle their relationship, Anand navigates conflicting emotions.
Why We Love It
This delicate tale unfolds with such assurance that it’s hard to believe it’s Kanawade’s first feature film. It’s quickly established that for Anand and Balya, being closeted is not a choice but a necessity. Balya’s parents in particular are furious about his not dating eligible women, with no clue (or curiosity) as to why. For Anand, this internal isolation is coupled with sadness over the loss of his father, who also knew his orientation. Paced to the slower quotidian rhythms of rural Indian life, “Cactus Pears” eschews dramatic flourishes to deliver an affecting, tender tale about love and loss.
What It’s About
Twenty-something Bear (Johnston) works in a music store, and nurses a crush on co-worker Nikki (Navarette), who views him as just a friend. Browsing in a shop one day, Bear buys a magical stick you break in half while making a wish. Following the instructions, Bear wishes for Nikki to love him more than anything else. He soon discovers this novelty item works a bit too well, as Nikki transforms into a frighteningly possessive harridan.
Why We Love It
Writer/director Barker shot this, his first major studio feature, in three weeks for just $750,000. He makes a lot out of very little, re-imagining a familiar story to startling effect. Key to its success is Navarette’s breakout performance as Nikki, a charming young woman who gradually turns into an unhinged lunatic thanks to Bear’s impulsive move. He ends up learning an important lesson the hard way: love must be earned. Don’t miss this unsettling, wildly entertaining entry from a filmmaker with a future.
What It’s About
In the midst of a brutal winter in Nazi-Occupied Russia, partisans Sotnikov (Plotnikov) and Rybak (Gostyukhin) venture out to find food for their ragtag group. Sotnikov gets wounded, and the pair take refuge in the small house occupied by Avginya (Polyakova), and her three small children. But it seems there’s no escaping the Nazis. These two men, thrown together by chance, will confront their fate in very different ways.
Why We Love It
Director Shepitko’s last and finest film (she was killed in a car accident in 1979), this stark, harrowing tale reinforces the futility of war, but also how it brings out the best, or worst, qualities in those who wage it. What makes one man willing to die for his principles, while another sacrifices his soul just to stay alive? Beautifully acted and gorgeously shot in black and white, “The Ascent” won the prestigious Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Its spare, unadorned power really stays with you. War is hell indeed.
What It’s About
In the Rangoon, Burma of 1917, British civil servant Edward (Waddington) awaits the arrival of his fiancée, Molly (Alfiate). Suddenly, he gets cold feet and hops a train to Bangkok. Undeterred, Molly tracks him across Asia. The star-crossed lovers experience a variety of colorful adventures on their respective travels, but will they ever get together?
Why We Love It
Gomes’s time- and mind-bending travelogue through Asia was shot mostly in black and white on sets during the pandemic, evoking the Golden Age of Hollywood. Intermittently, the director sprinkles in modern-day footage of Asia and other cultural signifiers like puppet shows, lending the film a dreamy, surreal quality. (The fact the English central characters speak Portuguese only adds to the dislocation.) Alfaiate steals the show as the buoyant Molly, whose infectious laugh recalls Carole Lombard or Diane Keaton. Tran is also memorable as Ngoc, the Vietnamese beauty who Molly befriends. For a trek into Asia no travel agent could replicate, take this “Tour”.
What It’s About
Twelve-year-old Simon (Klein) lives hand-to-mouth with his older sister Louise (Seydoux) in a shabby apartment complex just below a luxury ski resort in the Swiss Alps. He’s the family breadwinner, infiltrating the resort each day to steal skis, boots, goggles, and gloves, which he then resells. Meanwhile, Louise seems lost and broken, going from one transient relationship to another. Will this tiny, dysfunctional family survive?
Why We Love It
Director Meier, who also co-wrote the script, based her story on personal experience, having grown up in the same area and recalling a boy who always skied alone and was suspected of being a thief. This intimate, wrenching tale of haves and have-nots, of life eked out on the margins, soars thanks to a sensitive script and superb performances from the whole cast, including Seydoux, whose Louise breaks your heart, and young Klein, who won a Cesar for most promising actor. Anderson also registers in her first French-language film as an affluent English tourist. This “Sister” demands to be seen.
What It’s About
Violeta (Sevilla), a cabaret performer in the seedier section of Mexico City, witnesses the abuse of submissive colleague Rosa (Caballos) by vain, zoot-suited pimp Rodolfo (Acosta). When Rosa bears his child, Rodolfo won’t acknowledge it. Rosa then abandons the baby, Violeta rescues him and raises him as her own, aggravating the proud Rodolfo. These two are bound to tangle!
Why We Love It
Mexico’s foremost director at the time, Fernandez combines ripe melodrama, noir and some first-rate rumba numbers (Sevilla could really move!) to create something special. There’s little subtlety here, but a lot of ripe atmosphere and activity, captured in glorious B&W by Gabriel Figueroa. Star Sevilla’s high octane energy and fire burst off the screen. Dark but heroic in portraying a strong female protagonist, this “Sin” is not easily overlooked.
What It’s About
In earlier days, Edwin Honig was a distinguished poet and professor at Brown University. Now afflicted with Alzheimer’s, he still welcomes regular (filmed) visits from his younger cousin Alan Berliner, though Alan has to identify himself each time. Over time, Berliner gently questions Honig on what he can and can’t remember about his life. Depending on the day, we witness a range of emotions, from humor to frustration. Recent interviews alternate with family films of Edwin in his prime to paint an affecting human portrait.
Why we Love It
This risky, highly personal experiment could easily have felt exploitative, but Berliner’s tenderness and sensitivity towards Honig make it work. Though it sounds difficult to watch, “Cousin” is actually uplifting, and quite profound. The striking contrast between Edwin past and present illuminates a complex human being, warts and all, while shedding light on the devastating effects of this disease.