Last week I previewed 12 film that played at the Chicago International Festival in its first weekend. Here’s another 11 that will screen before the fest ends on October 26th.
Arco – 2 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Ugo Bienvenu
Arco is an animated featured from France that has been dubbed, thanks to Netflix, for English-speaking countries. The premise is interesting enough for the kid in all of us: A boy named Arco from the year 3000 has the ability to travel through time. While more interested in visiting the dinosaurs, he ends up in 2075 and is discovered by young Iris. Of course, there are some chasers who are attempting to capture him on film but most of the film we watch is spent trying to get Arco back home where he belongs. (Did someone say, E.T?) There are some interesting details about both time periods but neither is given much development. Instead we get a lot of flying and a fairly basic surface plot. This one is definitely more for kids seeking excitement than adults wanting something deeper.
Screens Oct. 25.
Before the Call – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by James Choi.
Playing as part of the festival’s City/State program in competition, Before the Call, was written and directed by filmmaker and DePaul University professor James Choi. The 61-minute film follows a young Korean-American man named Jinwoo who has decided to fulfill the country’s military service requirement. He’s returned back to Seoul with only a day or two until his duty begins. During that time, he has a quiet dinner with his father and brief afternoons with two old friends. Jinwoo seems resigned to his duty even though he is technically exempt from service. While we don’t learn much about Jinwoo’s background, the interaction with his father and friends suggest he is a bit lost in his current life. His friend Minji mentions the concept of “happy dying” meaning to attend one’s own funeral before being reborn. Perhaps a rebirth is what Jinwoo needs to find his own life’s direction. The film, which is filled with mostly long single shots in modern Seoul, doesn’t specify many details about the war Jinwoo will face in the military but it appears fairly dire. There also isn’t any significant action on screen but rather a series of contemplative moments before Jinwoo’s big day of enlistment.
Screens Oct. 25 & 26. Director James Choi along with lead actor Andrew Ko, and producers Jeesoo Lee and Judy Krant are scheduled to appear for post-screening Q&As.
Dracula – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Radu Jude.
Radu Jude does not tell traditional stories. I loved his last big international hit, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, about a tired production assistant and the shooting of a public service message. However, I wouldn’t expect a wide audience would have the patience for the two hour and forty-three-minute film filled with Jude’s offbeat humor and penchant for long takes. Now comes Dracula, which is seven minutes longer. Based on the title, one might assume this is a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Well, not quite. Its emphasis is on a director, played by Adonis Tanta, who is attempting to tell the story but not in any conventional way. In fact, he uses artificial intelligence to help him create a version of Dracula that “will make it super commercial.” What we get are a series of vignettes and digressions that offer different versions of the story of Vlad the Impaler. Some are pretty vulgar, others are violent, but Jude attempts all of it with a variety of narratives and varying degrees of humor. Ultimately, some of it is successful and very funny, but the digressions pull too much focus away from the central conceit of the film.
Screens Oct. 24 & 25.
Emi – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Ezequiel Erriquez Mena.
When we first meet Emi, played by Benicio Mutti Spinetta, he is on a motorbike with a man who turns out to be his boss Rodolfo. It’s a rather long extended take of which there will be many throughout the film. Currently living with his adoptive parents, the title character is on a quiet mission to find out details about his birth parents. He has a deep memory from when he was only ten days old of a woman surrounded by cops. On some level, he thinks this might reveal part of his identity. The story itself is filled with little dramatic tension until late in the film. As such, much of the time is spent watching Emi repairing motorcycles with Rodolfo, having dinner with his family, and playing ping pong. When alone, Emi comes across as rather stoic but inside he’s obviously in need of answers. Other characters are generally well-developed but the lack of tension may keep some viewers from staying interested.
Screens Oct. 22 & 23. Director Ezequiel Erriquez Mena and co-producer Federico Cetta are scheduled to attend.
Is This Thing On? – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper’s first two directorial works, A Star is Born and Maestro, were both critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated. I thought both were fine if a bit lacking in certain emotional respects. (Performances were great though.) His new film, Is This Thing On? is a decidedly smaller scale work with a bit more humor. Will Arnett and Laura Dern star as Alex and Tess Novak, a couple that is splitting up after twenty years of marriage and two young sons. We find out that Alex works in finance while Tess is a former volleyball star. When they separate, Alex walks into a comedy club and, because he doesn’t want to pay the cover, decides to go up on the stage. Having never performed before, his set is essentially a confessional as he vents about the break-up. Without telling people about it, he goes back again and again finding it satisfying and relieving. The film itself though is less about his new comedy career and more about finding oneself in middle-aged with a broken marriage and family. While a lot of this is set up in the opening half, the script, which is co-written by Arnett, John Bishop and Mark Chappell, takes a while to find what it wants to say. It’s not really a comedy per se but a reflection on where these two characters find themselves at this crossroads in their lives. I was a bit underwhelmed but I think the film should do well with audiences.
Screens Oct. 22.
The Mastermind – 2 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Kelly Reichardt
In Reichardt’s disappointing new film, Josh O’Connor plays art thief James Mooney in 1970, a path he chose apparently after having failed as an architect. Reichardt doesn’t offer a lot of reasons why James has taken this route. He does have a wife, played by Alana Haim, and two young sons. In the very first scene, one of the boys is talking incessantly in an art museum as James slips into another room in an attempt to steal an artifact which is locked in a case. Are the boys a part of the plan? What about his wife? These plot details aren’t immediately known but it becomes clear that James has worked out his plan fairly well in advance. I like these initial scenes but the narrative takes a dive about half way through bringing us down a path which offers little rewards or answers for viewers.
Screens Oct. 22. Director Kelly Reichardt is scheduled to attend.
Pasa Faho – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Kalu Oji
The setting of Pasa Faho is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Azubuike is the owner of a shoe store when his young son Obinna comes to town. It’s a rough time for Azubuike as the lease of his store is up and the owners are planning to knock down the entire block. What’s interesting about this community is how it blends traditional values of the LGBO ethnic group from Africa, many of whom have settled into this area, with a strong working ethic that feels threatened and must be fought for. Obinna is a bit of an outsider (he likes to be called “Oscar”) having been living with his white mother elsewhere and clearly raised with separate values and contemporary ideas. The film explores this period in Azubuike and Obinna’s life which is full of hardships and a potential breaking of traditions. Yet, filmmaker Kalu Oji offers warmth and some hope for the emotionally stretched people.
Screens Oct. 25 & 26.
Spilt Milk - 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Brian Durnin
Spilt Milk has an interesting basic premise: a young Dublin boy named Bobby is addicted to the American television series Kojak and solves minor crimes with this good friend Nell. His sleuthing skills are brought closer to home when his older brother Oisin disappears one day. I like this set up, although I’m surprised by the choice of Kojak as the “big” show Bobby and his family follow at that time. For those unaware, the series ran on CBS from 1973 until 1978. Spilt Milk takes place in 1984. One must assume that reruns of the series made it overseas to achieve significant fandom in that following decade. As Bobby and Nell go in search of answers the mystery takes a darker turn which becomes reflective of a drug crisis in Dublin at the time. This takes the Kojak obsession to a whole other level that likely wouldn’t have been tackled during the show’s run. Slowly, Bobby begins to learn more about these larger issues and how they relate to his brother. Ultimately, this is a film about family, perseverance, and one society’s inability to solve a real social issue.
Screens Oct. 23 & 24. Director Brian Durnin & producer Laura McNicholas are scheduled to attend.
Strange River – 3 ½ out of 4 stars
It’s a hot summer when 16-year-old Didac is on a bicycle trip along the Danube River with his parents and two younger brothers. From the onset Didac appears as an emerging separate entity within this family. We see him alone in the river, by himself near a fence, and collecting his own thoughts at what we find out is a distinct moment in his life. Didac is discovering his sexual identity. Both mom and dad know, and don’t judge him, about a kiss he shared with another boy named Gerard. They give him the chance to talk and have moments to himself. Then a mysterious boy turns up and Didac again begins to contemplate his own feelings for other males. It’s a very tender and quiet film which doesn’t rely on a lot of dialogue but rather the importance of the senses, particularly sight and touch, to explore life on its path to adulthood. Director Jaume Claret Muxart clearly has a unique sensibility and artful way to visually express his ideas. He’s definitely a director to watch.
Screens Oct. 23 & 24. Director Jaume Claret Muxart is scheduled to attend.
Two Times Joao Liberada – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Paula Tomas Marques.
In the opening scene of Two Times Joao Liberada, a film director is in bed suffering from sleep paralysis. A voice wonders if it is the cause of his predicament. The film we are watching then cuts between scenes taken from the movie he has been making along with rehearsals and behind the scenes footage. The main focus though is on Joao, the transgender actress playing Liberada who is being persecuted in 18th Century Portugal for not conforming to a gender. The experience viewing this film is a bit like watching multiple genres at once: an historical biopic, a documentary, and a modern drama. Filled with interesting visual experiments, the film offers a refreshing way to tell a story about making an historical film and how its subject might affect those most close to it today.
Screens Oct. 22 at AMC NEWCITY & Oct. 23 at the Gene Siskel Center. Director Paula Tomas Marques is scheduled to attend.
We Are Pat 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Rowan Haber
The character of “Pat” was first introduced on Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. Cast member Julia Sweeney played the very androgynous character who, in every sketch, people tried to figure out what Pat’s gender was. It became the basis for humor not only on the show but in a subsequent movie called It’s Pat. The new documentary We Are Pat explores that created character and the impact it had on the culture. Most interesting is that the people involved with this film are either non-binary or transgender. Where there were many years when Sweeney essentially had to apologize for creating Pat, this whole new generation sees the character in a completely different light. There’s an embracing of Pat as the first gender ambiguous character to regularly appear on a TV series AND many are trying to reclaim Pat as a non-binary or trans icon. This is a very insightful film filled with history, film and TV clips, and numerous interviews with non-binary and trans performers that make it truly refreshing and enlightening.
Screens Oct. 22 & 23. Director Rowan Haber, producer Caryn Capotosto, and actor Julia Sweeney are scheduled to attend.
Arco – 2 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Ugo Bienvenu
Arco is an animated featured from France that has been dubbed, thanks to Netflix, for English-speaking countries. The premise is interesting enough for the kid in all of us: A boy named Arco from the year 3000 has the ability to travel through time. While more interested in visiting the dinosaurs, he ends up in 2075 and is discovered by young Iris. Of course, there are some chasers who are attempting to capture him on film but most of the film we watch is spent trying to get Arco back home where he belongs. (Did someone say, E.T?) There are some interesting details about both time periods but neither is given much development. Instead we get a lot of flying and a fairly basic surface plot. This one is definitely more for kids seeking excitement than adults wanting something deeper.
Screens Oct. 25.
Before the Call – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by James Choi.
Playing as part of the festival’s City/State program in competition, Before the Call, was written and directed by filmmaker and DePaul University professor James Choi. The 61-minute film follows a young Korean-American man named Jinwoo who has decided to fulfill the country’s military service requirement. He’s returned back to Seoul with only a day or two until his duty begins. During that time, he has a quiet dinner with his father and brief afternoons with two old friends. Jinwoo seems resigned to his duty even though he is technically exempt from service. While we don’t learn much about Jinwoo’s background, the interaction with his father and friends suggest he is a bit lost in his current life. His friend Minji mentions the concept of “happy dying” meaning to attend one’s own funeral before being reborn. Perhaps a rebirth is what Jinwoo needs to find his own life’s direction. The film, which is filled with mostly long single shots in modern Seoul, doesn’t specify many details about the war Jinwoo will face in the military but it appears fairly dire. There also isn’t any significant action on screen but rather a series of contemplative moments before Jinwoo’s big day of enlistment.
Screens Oct. 25 & 26. Director James Choi along with lead actor Andrew Ko, and producers Jeesoo Lee and Judy Krant are scheduled to appear for post-screening Q&As.
Dracula – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Radu Jude.
Radu Jude does not tell traditional stories. I loved his last big international hit, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, about a tired production assistant and the shooting of a public service message. However, I wouldn’t expect a wide audience would have the patience for the two hour and forty-three-minute film filled with Jude’s offbeat humor and penchant for long takes. Now comes Dracula, which is seven minutes longer. Based on the title, one might assume this is a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Well, not quite. Its emphasis is on a director, played by Adonis Tanta, who is attempting to tell the story but not in any conventional way. In fact, he uses artificial intelligence to help him create a version of Dracula that “will make it super commercial.” What we get are a series of vignettes and digressions that offer different versions of the story of Vlad the Impaler. Some are pretty vulgar, others are violent, but Jude attempts all of it with a variety of narratives and varying degrees of humor. Ultimately, some of it is successful and very funny, but the digressions pull too much focus away from the central conceit of the film.
Screens Oct. 24 & 25.
Emi – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Ezequiel Erriquez Mena.
When we first meet Emi, played by Benicio Mutti Spinetta, he is on a motorbike with a man who turns out to be his boss Rodolfo. It’s a rather long extended take of which there will be many throughout the film. Currently living with his adoptive parents, the title character is on a quiet mission to find out details about his birth parents. He has a deep memory from when he was only ten days old of a woman surrounded by cops. On some level, he thinks this might reveal part of his identity. The story itself is filled with little dramatic tension until late in the film. As such, much of the time is spent watching Emi repairing motorcycles with Rodolfo, having dinner with his family, and playing ping pong. When alone, Emi comes across as rather stoic but inside he’s obviously in need of answers. Other characters are generally well-developed but the lack of tension may keep some viewers from staying interested.
Screens Oct. 22 & 23. Director Ezequiel Erriquez Mena and co-producer Federico Cetta are scheduled to attend.
Is This Thing On? – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper’s first two directorial works, A Star is Born and Maestro, were both critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated. I thought both were fine if a bit lacking in certain emotional respects. (Performances were great though.) His new film, Is This Thing On? is a decidedly smaller scale work with a bit more humor. Will Arnett and Laura Dern star as Alex and Tess Novak, a couple that is splitting up after twenty years of marriage and two young sons. We find out that Alex works in finance while Tess is a former volleyball star. When they separate, Alex walks into a comedy club and, because he doesn’t want to pay the cover, decides to go up on the stage. Having never performed before, his set is essentially a confessional as he vents about the break-up. Without telling people about it, he goes back again and again finding it satisfying and relieving. The film itself though is less about his new comedy career and more about finding oneself in middle-aged with a broken marriage and family. While a lot of this is set up in the opening half, the script, which is co-written by Arnett, John Bishop and Mark Chappell, takes a while to find what it wants to say. It’s not really a comedy per se but a reflection on where these two characters find themselves at this crossroads in their lives. I was a bit underwhelmed but I think the film should do well with audiences.
Screens Oct. 22.
The Mastermind – 2 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Kelly Reichardt
In Reichardt’s disappointing new film, Josh O’Connor plays art thief James Mooney in 1970, a path he chose apparently after having failed as an architect. Reichardt doesn’t offer a lot of reasons why James has taken this route. He does have a wife, played by Alana Haim, and two young sons. In the very first scene, one of the boys is talking incessantly in an art museum as James slips into another room in an attempt to steal an artifact which is locked in a case. Are the boys a part of the plan? What about his wife? These plot details aren’t immediately known but it becomes clear that James has worked out his plan fairly well in advance. I like these initial scenes but the narrative takes a dive about half way through bringing us down a path which offers little rewards or answers for viewers.
Screens Oct. 22. Director Kelly Reichardt is scheduled to attend.
Pasa Faho – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Kalu Oji
The setting of Pasa Faho is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Azubuike is the owner of a shoe store when his young son Obinna comes to town. It’s a rough time for Azubuike as the lease of his store is up and the owners are planning to knock down the entire block. What’s interesting about this community is how it blends traditional values of the LGBO ethnic group from Africa, many of whom have settled into this area, with a strong working ethic that feels threatened and must be fought for. Obinna is a bit of an outsider (he likes to be called “Oscar”) having been living with his white mother elsewhere and clearly raised with separate values and contemporary ideas. The film explores this period in Azubuike and Obinna’s life which is full of hardships and a potential breaking of traditions. Yet, filmmaker Kalu Oji offers warmth and some hope for the emotionally stretched people.
Screens Oct. 25 & 26.
Spilt Milk - 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Brian Durnin
Spilt Milk has an interesting basic premise: a young Dublin boy named Bobby is addicted to the American television series Kojak and solves minor crimes with this good friend Nell. His sleuthing skills are brought closer to home when his older brother Oisin disappears one day. I like this set up, although I’m surprised by the choice of Kojak as the “big” show Bobby and his family follow at that time. For those unaware, the series ran on CBS from 1973 until 1978. Spilt Milk takes place in 1984. One must assume that reruns of the series made it overseas to achieve significant fandom in that following decade. As Bobby and Nell go in search of answers the mystery takes a darker turn which becomes reflective of a drug crisis in Dublin at the time. This takes the Kojak obsession to a whole other level that likely wouldn’t have been tackled during the show’s run. Slowly, Bobby begins to learn more about these larger issues and how they relate to his brother. Ultimately, this is a film about family, perseverance, and one society’s inability to solve a real social issue.
Screens Oct. 23 & 24. Director Brian Durnin & producer Laura McNicholas are scheduled to attend.
Strange River – 3 ½ out of 4 stars
It’s a hot summer when 16-year-old Didac is on a bicycle trip along the Danube River with his parents and two younger brothers. From the onset Didac appears as an emerging separate entity within this family. We see him alone in the river, by himself near a fence, and collecting his own thoughts at what we find out is a distinct moment in his life. Didac is discovering his sexual identity. Both mom and dad know, and don’t judge him, about a kiss he shared with another boy named Gerard. They give him the chance to talk and have moments to himself. Then a mysterious boy turns up and Didac again begins to contemplate his own feelings for other males. It’s a very tender and quiet film which doesn’t rely on a lot of dialogue but rather the importance of the senses, particularly sight and touch, to explore life on its path to adulthood. Director Jaume Claret Muxart clearly has a unique sensibility and artful way to visually express his ideas. He’s definitely a director to watch.
Screens Oct. 23 & 24. Director Jaume Claret Muxart is scheduled to attend.
Two Times Joao Liberada – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Paula Tomas Marques.
In the opening scene of Two Times Joao Liberada, a film director is in bed suffering from sleep paralysis. A voice wonders if it is the cause of his predicament. The film we are watching then cuts between scenes taken from the movie he has been making along with rehearsals and behind the scenes footage. The main focus though is on Joao, the transgender actress playing Liberada who is being persecuted in 18th Century Portugal for not conforming to a gender. The experience viewing this film is a bit like watching multiple genres at once: an historical biopic, a documentary, and a modern drama. Filled with interesting visual experiments, the film offers a refreshing way to tell a story about making an historical film and how its subject might affect those most close to it today.
Screens Oct. 22 at AMC NEWCITY & Oct. 23 at the Gene Siskel Center. Director Paula Tomas Marques is scheduled to attend.
We Are Pat 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Rowan Haber
The character of “Pat” was first introduced on Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. Cast member Julia Sweeney played the very androgynous character who, in every sketch, people tried to figure out what Pat’s gender was. It became the basis for humor not only on the show but in a subsequent movie called It’s Pat. The new documentary We Are Pat explores that created character and the impact it had on the culture. Most interesting is that the people involved with this film are either non-binary or transgender. Where there were many years when Sweeney essentially had to apologize for creating Pat, this whole new generation sees the character in a completely different light. There’s an embracing of Pat as the first gender ambiguous character to regularly appear on a TV series AND many are trying to reclaim Pat as a non-binary or trans icon. This is a very insightful film filled with history, film and TV clips, and numerous interviews with non-binary and trans performers that make it truly refreshing and enlightening.
Screens Oct. 22 & 23. Director Rowan Haber, producer Caryn Capotosto, and actor Julia Sweeney are scheduled to attend.