Frelle Petersen’s HOME SWEET HOME from Seattle International Film Festival follows divorced home care worker Sofie as she tries to balance her new job taking care of the elderly with parenting her 10-year-old daughter Clara. She starts the job enthusiastically, but the hectic nature of it and having to deal with difficult people soon take a […]
The Things You Kill
Alireza Khatami nods to Buñuel and Lynch in the Seattle International Film Festival revenge thriller THE THINGS YOU KILL, one of my favorites among the films I have seen this year and the first great WTF movie of the year. It is dreamlike, puzzling, and features breathtaking cinematography and intricate camerawork including a mind-blowing mirror […]
Shepherds
Mathyas leaves his corporate job in Montreal and heads to French Alps to become a shepherd. If the idea of a rural life appeals to you, then you’ll likely enjoy Sophie Deraspe’s pastoral drama SHEPHERDS. The visuals, the orchestral score, and the performances are all first-rate. The story was engaging enough, but I found it […]
Color Book
In David Fortune’s debut feature COLOR BOOK, which is featured in Seattle International Film Festival’s in-person and streaming lineup, Lucky is trying to raise Mason, his son with Down syndrome, on his own after the passing of his wife. The crisp black and white photography with the Atlanta backdrop, lovely orchestral score by Dabney Morris, […]
Sons
Gustav Möller follows his debut feature The Guilty with SONS, another nerve-wracking thriller that is worthy of its predecessor. This time the setting is a prison and the film explores the power dynamic between a guard and a violent criminal from her past. Sidse Babett Knudsen makes us feel Eva’s fury and desperation with a […]
Souleymane’s Story
Souleymane’s Story is a heartbreaking one. Boris Lojkine’s social realist thriller from Seattle International Film Festival is anxiety-inducing and not for the faint of heart. It chronicles two nights and two days in the life of an undocumented Guinean immigrant in Paris, who has a grueling job doing food deliveries on bike while preparing for […]
Come Closer
Tom Nesher’s Seattle International Film Festival drama COME CLOSER deals with the grief resulting from a sudden loss and the transformative power of love between people sharing that grief. Nesher lost her brother in 2018 and the film is partially based on her own experiences. Newcomer Lia Elalouf is absolutely magnetic as Eden giving one […]
U Are the Universe
Pavlo Ostrikov‘s U Are the Universe, screening at the Seattle International Film Festival is one of the most romantic sci-fi movies you’ll ever see. Shot partly under the Russian occupation of Ukraine, the space scenes look as good as any Hollywood blockbuster despite having a fraction of their budgets. It is about longing for human connection […]
Baby Doe
Seattle International Film Festival selection BABY DOE is a gripping and distressing documentary that tells the tragic story of Gail, who is accused of murder for leaving her newborn in the woods despite her claims that the baby was stillborn. Director Jessica Earnshaw looks into the legal case and scientific reasons behind this being a […]
By Design
Amanda Kramer’s BY DESIGN starring Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Samantha Mathis, and Robin Tunney is screening at the Seattle International Film Festival and will be on their streaming platform starting May 29. If you’re familiar with Kramer’s films, By Design is exactly what you’d expect after reading the synopsis of a woman swapping bodies with […]