Special Chicago International Film Festival Preview! October 14, 2026
By Dan Pal
I have spent the last couple of weeks viewing many of the films to be screened at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival – and I have many more to go! The festival runs today through Oct. 25. These are my capsule reviews (full reviews for most of the films will be published when they receive an official release) of films I’ve seen so far. Hopefully I’ll have another installment to share next week.
Citizen Osama – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Ahmed Hassouna
For the past couple of years now, filmmakers present in the region where Gaza has been bombed by Israel have been documenting some of the horrifying destruction they have witnessed and endured. In Citizen Osama, director Ahmed Hassouna follows the title figure, a journalist in Gaza City, whose wife has just given birth to their son. With handheld cameras, Hassouna tracks Osama’s life both outside and inside his home. The streets, by this point, are filled with local residents, other journalists, and the occasional emergency vehicle as the travel through the destruction that is everywhere around them. The film’s unrelenting images last for the entire 69-minute running time. It is, as one might imagine, a very sobering experience. Osama though is an interesting person to follow because he’s a family man, he’s not afraid to share his fears, and he himself dreams of making artistic films, like this one, that will one day be part of festivals. Ultimately, the film is not an easy watch though nor should it be. The brief moments of levity, such as a scene where the journalists tell each other jokes and another when Osama’s son has his first birthday, are far and few between. These are people who are in constant danger and must be ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Citizen Osama screens Oct. 18 & 19. Producer Laura Nikolov is scheduled to attend.
Clementine Orange – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Lisa Forslund.
Clementine Orange marks the feature writing and directing debut by Swedish filmmaker Lisa Forslund. It’s a surprisingly tender story of Angelica who arrives to pick up John, the man she’s developed a phone relationship with, from prison. He has a day’s parole and needs to spend it with someone who knows him. Angelica had become quite smitten with John during their phone calls and even tells her friend that she is in love with him. She arrives at the prison with bright red lipstick and some beautiful flowers. However, John isn’t who he seems as he looks nothing like the photo he had sent her. Disappointed and unable to speak, Angelica begins spending the day with him anyway which turns into something unexpected for the both of them. A warmth steadily develops over the film which is sweet and romantic suggesting a new kind of relationship between these lonely characters very nicely portrayed by Gizem Erdogan and Erik Enge. It’s about appreciating what you have when you have it.
Clementine Orange screens Oct. 17 & 18. Director Lisa Forslund is scheduled to attend.
Head to Head – 4 out of 4 stars. Directed by Ghasideh Golmakani.
I reviewed this film last month and think it’s one of the best of the year. Mehrnoosh Satari plays a female director who has hired male actors to recreate scenes from famous Iranian films while dressed in oversized women’s clothes and hijabs. They’re not playing women but men with the same constraints that women must endure in the country. The initial scenes are very amusing to watch. These are masculine men, at least two of them have beards, who look like comical incarnations of men wearing women’s clothes. Of course, they struggle with their movements, the heat, and the unrelenting director who insists they also wear the outfits off-camera and in their private sleeping quarters. The film is yet another highly original approach towards depicting the seemingly never-ending battle faced by women in Iran. With Head to Head, Golmakani has added even more to the conversation and a few shreds of hope.
Head to Head screens Oct. 22 & 23.
I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Isabelle Stever.
There are many stories to tell surrounding the four plus years since Russia invaded Ukraine. I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming is one of the most original and eye-opening yet. Oleh and Olya are a couple celebrating New Year’s Eve at the end of 2021. Ukraine’s president is shown on television while the partygoers begin their countdown. He’s calling for unity but, except for one, most of the guests don’t seem overly concerned with what is happening near the border of the country. Perhaps this is their escape before anything happens. War is looming but how it will affect all of them at this point we don’t know. We do know though that Oleh is a transgender man which will put his relationship with Olya in a potentially dangerous situation as the war develops. In addition to the larger issues associated with the couple attempting to leave the country for Germany, Olya faces some inner turmoil about the “heterosexual relationship” she entered not of her own free will. This is a couple that faces some very interesting moral and personal dilemmas as their country defends itself. The film may be a work of fiction but it could easily be the reality for other such couples who have made important decisions that could have unexpected side effects for the rest of their lives.
I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming screens Oct. 15 & 16. Director Isabelle Stever and writer Anna Melikova are scheduled to attend.
Josephine – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Beth De Araujo.
There are some films worth seeing for their entertainment value and others for their attempt to depict a provocative and difficult subject. Josephine falls under the latter category. One won’t escape the harsh realities of life because this is a story about a very difficult reality. Mason Reeves stars as eight-year-old Josephine who lives with her parents in San Francisco. One morning when she goes out for a run with her father, played by Channing Tatum, she witnesses a brutal attack of a woman by a man. At this point Damien, her dad, had lost track of her so only she sees the horrendous scene. It is this attack and this moment which will define the family’s life for the foreseeable future. Josephine is a sobering and rough watch but it does open our eyes to the effects of such a horrendous event and the difficult emotional situation facing the parents. How do they explain what has happened? When should parents discuss sex and some of the darker sides of life? They could help the court put the attacker in jail but at what expense to the child and her family?
Josephine screens Oct. 19 & 21.
La Gradiva – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Marine Atlan
A group of students are on an educational tour of Pompeii in southern Italy where they will discover not only the ancient art but also themselves. There’s Toni (Colas Quignard) who tells a story about his Italian grandfather that, according to his grandmother, died after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1980. Of course, this is the same volcano that buried the entire city of Pompeii in 79 AD. Toni, having never been to the region before, wants to discover more about his family. There’s also James (Mitia Capellier-Audat), Toni’s good friend, who is highly sexually active. When we first meet him he is having sex with another student but has no plans to continue a relationship with her. Then there is Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin), a quiet but seemingly intelligent young woman who doesn’t have time for the shenanigans and immaturity that she sees among her fellow classmates. Like Mount Vesuvius, she seems like a character that could erupt herself after keeping things bottled up inside. Throughout the film there are discussions about political sides, social issues, and the lack of concern with and pay for today’s teachers. The observations are not the sole focus of the film but they do lay the ground work for where these students have come from and how they now find themselves together in a supposed equal environment. This is a very well-acted and beautifully shot film. Director Marin Atlan has made a name for herself as a cinematographer in Europe and it really shows by the chosen views from and toward Vesuvius, the city of Pompeii, and the many shots of the paintings and sculpture that were once buried in ash. The film feels like a travelogue with a strong and engrossing fictional story to tell about these characters.
La Gradiva Screens Oct. 16 & 17.
Liz Here Now – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Sterling Macer Jr.
There is an important and compelling story within the Liz Here Now, that is almost sabotaged by some poor directing and acting choices. The best thing about the film though is Oscar-nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Liz Baxter, a maid working for a rich doctor in 1967 Oakland, California. She is firing on all cylinders and saves the film from coming across as a complete schlock horror story. Liz has got a heart of gold and a primary mission to save this abusive family’s two small children. Jane Connor, played by Rachelle Lefevre, is the doctor’s alluring and fairly sophisticated wife who also abuses her children. Lefevre is SO over-the-top though, rivaling Faye Dunaway’s turn as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest at times. The film is also filled with too many one-dimensional characters and white stereotypes. Production elements leave something to be desired but the reason to see the film is the compelling story which is based on a true account of events that took place at the time and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s multi-layered performance.
Liz Here Now screens Oct. 17 & 24. Director Sterling Macer Jr; producers Todd Connor, Jeremy Mann & Zachary Weil; writer Grant Nieporte; and actor Rachelle Lefevre are scheduled to attend.
No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Daniel Clarke
Daniel Clarke’s documentary is one for bike fans, Chicago fans, or anyone who is fascinated by the trends in American leisure and recreation. For that matter, it also provides an interesting account of transportation in the last 130 years or so. It’s a briskly paced film filled with authentic historical footage, photos, home movies, and interviews with bike champion Lance Armstrong (who also narrates the film), a couple of Schwinn descendants, a bicycle collector, as well as Judith Crown who wrote the book that the documentary is based on. There is a lot of history included which is supported by visually stimulating images of early bikes and the 1884 “Safety Bicycle” which is said to be the prototype for everything that came after. From there, Clarke takes us through the rise of motorcycles, 10-speeds, banana seats, high handle bars, mountain bikes, among other innovations, which would eventually lead to Schwinn filing for bankruptcy. Far from being a dry account of one aspect of American pop culture history, the film is informative and interesting from start to finish.
No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company screens Oct. 24 & 25. Director Daniel Clarke and authors Glenn Coleman & Judith Crown are scheduled to attend.
The Diary of a Chambermaid – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Radu Jude
The Diary of a Chambermaid originated as a novel written by French author Octave Mirbeau and published in 1900. There have been adaptations of it by famed directors Jean Renoir in 1946 and Luis Bunuel in 1964. Now comes a modern recreation of the story from Romanian director Radu Jude. As a filmmaker, he is definitely an acquired taste as his works break a lot of rules and rarely follow a conventional narrative structure. This one is a dark commentary on the upper crust of France who have hired a maid, Gianina, to cook, clean, and care for their young son. She has left her own daughter Maria back home in Romania under the care of the girl’s grandmother. Working in France for the rich Donnadieu family, she is clearly trying to financially support her family as a single mom. Most of Radu Jude’s work is filled with socio-political observations. In this case, it is the stark contrast in the wealthy and privileged society Gianina finds herself in versus the decaying and much poorer setting back home. Gianina is caught between both worlds while her daughter becomes increasingly angry about her mother’s care for someone else’s boy rather than her. This may be Jude’s most accessible film yet.
The Diary of a Chambermaid screens Oct. 19 & 23.
The Echo Chamber – 2 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Andrea Pallaoro
The opening of The Echo Chamber, features techno music, apartment dancing, and a subsequent drug overdose. Leo, played by Luca Marinelli is the opioid addict and Anne, played by Alicia Vikander is his girlfriend. It’s a pretty intense opening for a film which will ultimately move at a snail’s pace to tell their story. Leo is a music producer, working on a late-career project with Ava, played by Susan Sarandon. She arrives regularly to his apartment to collaborate. Similarly, Anne is a “doctor” who also shows up to give him massages and shots to ease the pain of a back-issue Leo has been having. In fact, the entire film takes place within this same apartment. Thematically the film is exploring the importance of using music for pain, the role of caretakers, addiction, and one’s ability to make their own choices. While there are some good performances, it may be a bit too dull going forward to truly keep viewers’ interests and ultimately may not really be answering the themes it is trying to explore.
The Echo Chamber screens October 20 & 21. Director Andrea Pallaoro is scheduled to attend.
What Belongs To Others – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Grzegorz Debowski
I previously reviewed this one after its screening at the Venice International Film Festival last month. Writer/Director Grzegorz Debowski’s first scene in this remarkable Polish film brings viewers right into the dilemma for Kitty (Kasia in Polish.) She’s being interrogated by her apartment landlords because she’s not paid her rent and they believe she’s damaging the place. We feel for her as the couple is noticeably cold and unforgiving. They give her a week to pay off her debt. Soon she and her boyfriend are returning to a life of crime that they have seemingly engaged in for a while: they steal from open apartments in Warsaw. After he is wanted for his crimes and she is left out on the street, Kitty reaches a low point when she discovers a dead body in one of the apartments. There is some hope for her though as she discovers that none of the dead man’s neighbors knew him and, claiming to be his girlfriend, she decides to quietly move into his pad and adapt a new identity. The film is an excellent look at broken families, loss, changing identities, and what we convince ourselves of to make us feel better.
What Belong to Others screens Oct. 21 & 22. Director Grzegorz Debowski is scheduled to attend.
By Dan Pal
I have spent the last couple of weeks viewing many of the films to be screened at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival – and I have many more to go! The festival runs today through Oct. 25. These are my capsule reviews (full reviews for most of the films will be published when they receive an official release) of films I’ve seen so far. Hopefully I’ll have another installment to share next week.
Citizen Osama – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Ahmed Hassouna
For the past couple of years now, filmmakers present in the region where Gaza has been bombed by Israel have been documenting some of the horrifying destruction they have witnessed and endured. In Citizen Osama, director Ahmed Hassouna follows the title figure, a journalist in Gaza City, whose wife has just given birth to their son. With handheld cameras, Hassouna tracks Osama’s life both outside and inside his home. The streets, by this point, are filled with local residents, other journalists, and the occasional emergency vehicle as the travel through the destruction that is everywhere around them. The film’s unrelenting images last for the entire 69-minute running time. It is, as one might imagine, a very sobering experience. Osama though is an interesting person to follow because he’s a family man, he’s not afraid to share his fears, and he himself dreams of making artistic films, like this one, that will one day be part of festivals. Ultimately, the film is not an easy watch though nor should it be. The brief moments of levity, such as a scene where the journalists tell each other jokes and another when Osama’s son has his first birthday, are far and few between. These are people who are in constant danger and must be ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Citizen Osama screens Oct. 18 & 19. Producer Laura Nikolov is scheduled to attend.
Clementine Orange – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Lisa Forslund.
Clementine Orange marks the feature writing and directing debut by Swedish filmmaker Lisa Forslund. It’s a surprisingly tender story of Angelica who arrives to pick up John, the man she’s developed a phone relationship with, from prison. He has a day’s parole and needs to spend it with someone who knows him. Angelica had become quite smitten with John during their phone calls and even tells her friend that she is in love with him. She arrives at the prison with bright red lipstick and some beautiful flowers. However, John isn’t who he seems as he looks nothing like the photo he had sent her. Disappointed and unable to speak, Angelica begins spending the day with him anyway which turns into something unexpected for the both of them. A warmth steadily develops over the film which is sweet and romantic suggesting a new kind of relationship between these lonely characters very nicely portrayed by Gizem Erdogan and Erik Enge. It’s about appreciating what you have when you have it.
Clementine Orange screens Oct. 17 & 18. Director Lisa Forslund is scheduled to attend.
Head to Head – 4 out of 4 stars. Directed by Ghasideh Golmakani.
I reviewed this film last month and think it’s one of the best of the year. Mehrnoosh Satari plays a female director who has hired male actors to recreate scenes from famous Iranian films while dressed in oversized women’s clothes and hijabs. They’re not playing women but men with the same constraints that women must endure in the country. The initial scenes are very amusing to watch. These are masculine men, at least two of them have beards, who look like comical incarnations of men wearing women’s clothes. Of course, they struggle with their movements, the heat, and the unrelenting director who insists they also wear the outfits off-camera and in their private sleeping quarters. The film is yet another highly original approach towards depicting the seemingly never-ending battle faced by women in Iran. With Head to Head, Golmakani has added even more to the conversation and a few shreds of hope.
Head to Head screens Oct. 22 & 23.
I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Isabelle Stever.
There are many stories to tell surrounding the four plus years since Russia invaded Ukraine. I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming is one of the most original and eye-opening yet. Oleh and Olya are a couple celebrating New Year’s Eve at the end of 2021. Ukraine’s president is shown on television while the partygoers begin their countdown. He’s calling for unity but, except for one, most of the guests don’t seem overly concerned with what is happening near the border of the country. Perhaps this is their escape before anything happens. War is looming but how it will affect all of them at this point we don’t know. We do know though that Oleh is a transgender man which will put his relationship with Olya in a potentially dangerous situation as the war develops. In addition to the larger issues associated with the couple attempting to leave the country for Germany, Olya faces some inner turmoil about the “heterosexual relationship” she entered not of her own free will. This is a couple that faces some very interesting moral and personal dilemmas as their country defends itself. The film may be a work of fiction but it could easily be the reality for other such couples who have made important decisions that could have unexpected side effects for the rest of their lives.
I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming screens Oct. 15 & 16. Director Isabelle Stever and writer Anna Melikova are scheduled to attend.
Josephine – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Beth De Araujo.
There are some films worth seeing for their entertainment value and others for their attempt to depict a provocative and difficult subject. Josephine falls under the latter category. One won’t escape the harsh realities of life because this is a story about a very difficult reality. Mason Reeves stars as eight-year-old Josephine who lives with her parents in San Francisco. One morning when she goes out for a run with her father, played by Channing Tatum, she witnesses a brutal attack of a woman by a man. At this point Damien, her dad, had lost track of her so only she sees the horrendous scene. It is this attack and this moment which will define the family’s life for the foreseeable future. Josephine is a sobering and rough watch but it does open our eyes to the effects of such a horrendous event and the difficult emotional situation facing the parents. How do they explain what has happened? When should parents discuss sex and some of the darker sides of life? They could help the court put the attacker in jail but at what expense to the child and her family?
Josephine screens Oct. 19 & 21.
La Gradiva – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Marine Atlan
A group of students are on an educational tour of Pompeii in southern Italy where they will discover not only the ancient art but also themselves. There’s Toni (Colas Quignard) who tells a story about his Italian grandfather that, according to his grandmother, died after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1980. Of course, this is the same volcano that buried the entire city of Pompeii in 79 AD. Toni, having never been to the region before, wants to discover more about his family. There’s also James (Mitia Capellier-Audat), Toni’s good friend, who is highly sexually active. When we first meet him he is having sex with another student but has no plans to continue a relationship with her. Then there is Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin), a quiet but seemingly intelligent young woman who doesn’t have time for the shenanigans and immaturity that she sees among her fellow classmates. Like Mount Vesuvius, she seems like a character that could erupt herself after keeping things bottled up inside. Throughout the film there are discussions about political sides, social issues, and the lack of concern with and pay for today’s teachers. The observations are not the sole focus of the film but they do lay the ground work for where these students have come from and how they now find themselves together in a supposed equal environment. This is a very well-acted and beautifully shot film. Director Marin Atlan has made a name for herself as a cinematographer in Europe and it really shows by the chosen views from and toward Vesuvius, the city of Pompeii, and the many shots of the paintings and sculpture that were once buried in ash. The film feels like a travelogue with a strong and engrossing fictional story to tell about these characters.
La Gradiva Screens Oct. 16 & 17.
Liz Here Now – 3 out of 4 stars. Directed by Sterling Macer Jr.
There is an important and compelling story within the Liz Here Now, that is almost sabotaged by some poor directing and acting choices. The best thing about the film though is Oscar-nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Liz Baxter, a maid working for a rich doctor in 1967 Oakland, California. She is firing on all cylinders and saves the film from coming across as a complete schlock horror story. Liz has got a heart of gold and a primary mission to save this abusive family’s two small children. Jane Connor, played by Rachelle Lefevre, is the doctor’s alluring and fairly sophisticated wife who also abuses her children. Lefevre is SO over-the-top though, rivaling Faye Dunaway’s turn as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest at times. The film is also filled with too many one-dimensional characters and white stereotypes. Production elements leave something to be desired but the reason to see the film is the compelling story which is based on a true account of events that took place at the time and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s multi-layered performance.
Liz Here Now screens Oct. 17 & 24. Director Sterling Macer Jr; producers Todd Connor, Jeremy Mann & Zachary Weil; writer Grant Nieporte; and actor Rachelle Lefevre are scheduled to attend.
No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Daniel Clarke
Daniel Clarke’s documentary is one for bike fans, Chicago fans, or anyone who is fascinated by the trends in American leisure and recreation. For that matter, it also provides an interesting account of transportation in the last 130 years or so. It’s a briskly paced film filled with authentic historical footage, photos, home movies, and interviews with bike champion Lance Armstrong (who also narrates the film), a couple of Schwinn descendants, a bicycle collector, as well as Judith Crown who wrote the book that the documentary is based on. There is a lot of history included which is supported by visually stimulating images of early bikes and the 1884 “Safety Bicycle” which is said to be the prototype for everything that came after. From there, Clarke takes us through the rise of motorcycles, 10-speeds, banana seats, high handle bars, mountain bikes, among other innovations, which would eventually lead to Schwinn filing for bankruptcy. Far from being a dry account of one aspect of American pop culture history, the film is informative and interesting from start to finish.
No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company screens Oct. 24 & 25. Director Daniel Clarke and authors Glenn Coleman & Judith Crown are scheduled to attend.
The Diary of a Chambermaid – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Radu Jude
The Diary of a Chambermaid originated as a novel written by French author Octave Mirbeau and published in 1900. There have been adaptations of it by famed directors Jean Renoir in 1946 and Luis Bunuel in 1964. Now comes a modern recreation of the story from Romanian director Radu Jude. As a filmmaker, he is definitely an acquired taste as his works break a lot of rules and rarely follow a conventional narrative structure. This one is a dark commentary on the upper crust of France who have hired a maid, Gianina, to cook, clean, and care for their young son. She has left her own daughter Maria back home in Romania under the care of the girl’s grandmother. Working in France for the rich Donnadieu family, she is clearly trying to financially support her family as a single mom. Most of Radu Jude’s work is filled with socio-political observations. In this case, it is the stark contrast in the wealthy and privileged society Gianina finds herself in versus the decaying and much poorer setting back home. Gianina is caught between both worlds while her daughter becomes increasingly angry about her mother’s care for someone else’s boy rather than her. This may be Jude’s most accessible film yet.
The Diary of a Chambermaid screens Oct. 19 & 23.
The Echo Chamber – 2 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Andrea Pallaoro
The opening of The Echo Chamber, features techno music, apartment dancing, and a subsequent drug overdose. Leo, played by Luca Marinelli is the opioid addict and Anne, played by Alicia Vikander is his girlfriend. It’s a pretty intense opening for a film which will ultimately move at a snail’s pace to tell their story. Leo is a music producer, working on a late-career project with Ava, played by Susan Sarandon. She arrives regularly to his apartment to collaborate. Similarly, Anne is a “doctor” who also shows up to give him massages and shots to ease the pain of a back-issue Leo has been having. In fact, the entire film takes place within this same apartment. Thematically the film is exploring the importance of using music for pain, the role of caretakers, addiction, and one’s ability to make their own choices. While there are some good performances, it may be a bit too dull going forward to truly keep viewers’ interests and ultimately may not really be answering the themes it is trying to explore.
The Echo Chamber screens October 20 & 21. Director Andrea Pallaoro is scheduled to attend.
What Belongs To Others – 3 ½ out of 4 stars. Directed by Grzegorz Debowski
I previously reviewed this one after its screening at the Venice International Film Festival last month. Writer/Director Grzegorz Debowski’s first scene in this remarkable Polish film brings viewers right into the dilemma for Kitty (Kasia in Polish.) She’s being interrogated by her apartment landlords because she’s not paid her rent and they believe she’s damaging the place. We feel for her as the couple is noticeably cold and unforgiving. They give her a week to pay off her debt. Soon she and her boyfriend are returning to a life of crime that they have seemingly engaged in for a while: they steal from open apartments in Warsaw. After he is wanted for his crimes and she is left out on the street, Kitty reaches a low point when she discovers a dead body in one of the apartments. There is some hope for her though as she discovers that none of the dead man’s neighbors knew him and, claiming to be his girlfriend, she decides to quietly move into his pad and adapt a new identity. The film is an excellent look at broken families, loss, changing identities, and what we convince ourselves of to make us feel better.
What Belong to Others screens Oct. 21 & 22. Director Grzegorz Debowski is scheduled to attend.