This film was a real experience. As part of the “stunning visuals” I mention in my review, the stunning black-and-white presentation was a real surprise and metaphor in and of itself.
Very rarely does one come across a truly unique interpratation of the mermaid mythos. They usually fall into a trope of one sort: the sweet, feminine ideal; the monstrous siren; or some unsettling mix of the two. However, in Scales, Saudi Arabian writer/director Shahad Ameen explores the mermaid concept in a fascinating new way. Here is a depiction of mermaids as nightmares and deep-seated beliefs made uncomfortably real. The story, or what there is of one, takes place in a dystopian landscape and commences with the disturbing ritual in which the citizens of a fishing village must sacrifice one daughter to the “sea maidens.”
“Chasing Childhood primarily questions the lack of ‘free play’ and independence from parents among children today, in tandem with a ferocious drive towards the best grades and the best sports’ statistics, all in pursuit of admittance to the top colleges … the focus is mostly on white and upper-middle class families. The documentary would have benefited tremendously had it leaned more into how this problem is shared across economic, racial and cultural divides.
Additionally, the impact of social media is almost entirely absent … How can it possibly not factor into this conversation?”
“What’s refreshing is that this film isn’t interested in telling the rise-to-the-top, the sports-driven, winning-of-the-big-game kind of story … Sisters on Track excels at grounding the audience in the present … the balance between work, sports and play; decisions regarding high school and college; managing grief; job hunting, etc. Early on, the film recounts the Sheppards’ struggle through financial distress that led to homelessness. As the youngest of the girls, Brooke, states, ‘I thought we would be homeless for the rest of our lives,’ which sets up the very pragmatic and visceral need for success in track. It isn’t just a hobby or an after-school activity. As with so many other athletes, sports is their passage to an education and, beyond that, security in life.”
This film really made me want to bust out my rollerblades…
Skater Girl treats both the titular character and her sport with a lot of heart. Beautiful intentions are on display here, between some gorgeous, energetic cinematography and a few stellar performances by young and relatively unknown actors. The downsides are an inconsistent tone and a plot that builds to an abrupt and limited ending, dulling the many other elements of this story about being true to oneself and following your dreams … It’s a shame, too, because it is easy to see how great this movie could have been … Gupta absolutely shines in her performances on and off the skateboard. Patel is a tremendous delight, too, with whimsical counterpoints to many serious moments. On the whole, Skater Girl is quite enjoyable and worth watching
My review for Grace and Grit on Film Festival Today. This one was such a disappointment. I really had high hopes from the trailer.
It’s clear that there isn’t a lot of time available to establish the romance before the [breast cancer] diagnosis kicks in, but creating a foundation of profound love has most definitely been done before. Here, though, Treya and Ken’s romance winds up seeming to be based entirely on physical attraction or starry-eyed naïveté (perhaps both), due to cloying dialogue, melodramatic gazing into one another’s eyes… Particularly frustrating is the abrupt point of view switch, abandoning Treya’s direct experience for Ken’s distress. The film almost singularly depicts how the disease impacts their marriage, rather than also exploring Treya’s individual suffering. The most we get are fleeting flashbacks to her teenage self, standing in front of a mirror, exploring her femininity. There is a legitimate sense of helplessness most of us are probably familiar with when watching someone we care about suffer. That could have been a much stronger motif, had it been the starting point, but it’s not.
A real challenge for any tale such as this is to create depth among even the antagonists, and this film strongly succeeds. All of these relationships feel layered and complex …
The stakes, however small and personal, are clearly defined. The story never careens too far into any extreme, avoiding becoming too volatile and maintaining cohesion, all enhanced tremendously with the stunning cinematography by Denson Baker …
The film builds to a conclusion that dodges an overabundance of melodrama, opting for a more stripped-down truth that lands beautifully in its finesse.
I’ve always liked P!nk, but after viewing this documentary, I am a big fan. I’m so impressed and have mad respect for her as an artist, a mom, and a person.
This is an invitation to join P!nk and her family, while she and her band reach a particular milestone: playing Wembley Stadium. It’s exactly what it advertises itself to be, in the best sense …
P!nk’s devotion as a parent and the visible delight she takes in her music is absolutely transparent.
That is the core of what drives her and, thus, this documentary.
I loved this film – I was smiling and crying while watching it and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I even rated it 4/4 stars!
Virtuoso Afro-Cuban musicians Aldo and Ilmar López-Gavilán, separated in their childhood and reunited intermittently throughout their adult lives… Ilmar studying violin abroad while Aldo remained in Cuba, learning piano. They…became masters of their respective instruments, all the while longing to someday record an album together…
The film doesn’t openly condemn anyone, keeping the focus on personal experience, not politics. It shines a light on how Aldo and Ilmar have adjusted to these political restrictions on their lives and the candid truth of their experience is enough to wrench your heart.
This one was tough to write. If you’re planning to watch Jupiter’s Legacy, brace yourself. One thing I don’t cover in this review is the cavalier attitudes towards mental illness, addiction, and suicide.
With the yo-yoing back and forth between centuries, plus an overcrowded cast of characters, plot threads get muddled or abandoned altogether … which causes the symbolism to grow murky and elicits uncomfortable questions… A few moments manage to shine, including an Episode-Seven fight sequence featuring the non-super-powered Hutch (Ian Quinlan). The show really would have benefitted from more of such ingenuity.
The ideas of generational divides, idealism vs. harsh reality and, perhaps the most important and underused of all, action vs. inaction, may be worthwhile in theory, but they just don’t deliver in execution.
My latest review for Film Festival Today: The Water Man!
Between the new family in town, the somewhat-haunted forest, a local legend, one dying parent, an estranged relationship with the other, and running away from home, one might expect The Water Man to feel like a bundle of strewn-together clichés. Instead, David Oyelowo’s directorial feature debut is a well-paced and cohesive expedition into that strange and wondrous place where imagination meets reality…
I enjoyed “The Water Man” tremendously – even if it made me a bit misty-eyed.
I am really looking forward to whatever David Oyelowo is planning to do next!
Very rarely does one come across a truly unique interpratation of the mermaid mythos. They usually fall into a trope of one sort: the sweet, feminine ideal; the monstrous siren; or some unsettling mix of the two. However, in Scales, Saudi Arabian writer/director Shahad Ameen explores the mermaid concept in a fascinating new way. Here is a depiction of mermaids as nightmares and deep-seated beliefs made uncomfortably real. The story, or what there is of one, takes place in a dystopian landscape and commences with the disturbing ritual in which the citizens of a fishing village must sacrifice one daughter to the “sea maidens.”
Robin C. Farrell 