The primary rule of cinematic storytelling is to show and not tell. However, The Gasser Brothers’ ‘Beloved Stranger’ breaks that rule in its 5:16 minutes of runtime. There is no dialogue here, only a stream of narration by Juamna Chacon’s character (voiceover by Edgar Moreno). “My mind has always been my worst enemy,” he begins,… Continue reading ‘Beloved Stranger’ Is An Ode To Unspoken Words…
Author: Sristi Gayen
Telling A Story Without Words: ‘The Ascension Of Ava Delaine’
The bold, experimenting spirit of Tonya Kay hates all that is safe and boring. She revels in attaining new heights, and in her directorial debut, ‘The Ascension of Ava Delaine’; Ms Kay pushes the envelope with a single-take film chronicling the journey of Ava Delaine over a span of five decades. Oh, and it’s shot… Continue reading Telling A Story Without Words: ‘The Ascension Of Ava Delaine’
‘Wind In The Night’ Questions The Existence Of Freedom!
An aesthetic victory, Jesse Harris’ ‘Wind in the Night’ showcases its director’s cinematic vision and expertise over his craft. Guillermo (Salvador Chacon), a drug mule, leaves his family behind to embark on a delivery trip he is less than willing to undertake. But this is a Mexican drug cartel and one does not have the… Continue reading ‘Wind In The Night’ Questions The Existence Of Freedom!
‘Aperture’ Is The Suspense You’d Have Preferred To Know Beforehand…
Maria (Aixa Kay) works as a live-in maid for a wealthy couple and struggles to please her pre-teen daughter, Zara (Zara Nikou Sichani). She buys her a used Polaroid camera for her birthday and the girl isn’t too pleased. But, when Maria finds that her plain little camera isn’t as rustic as it appears to… Continue reading ‘Aperture’ Is The Suspense You’d Have Preferred To Know Beforehand…
‘UB-13’ Explores A Facet Of War The Other War Films Overlook…
Writer/Director Juri Ferri chooses to film ‘UB-13’ on a 35 mm to make it look authentic to the WWI era. And lo and behold, we have ‘UB-13’; a ghost escaped from the hellish submarines of the early 20th century that remains the inspiration of the film. ‘UB-13’, based on a true story, follows the terrible… Continue reading ‘UB-13’ Explores A Facet Of War The Other War Films Overlook…
The First Casualty In ‘Their War’ Is Going To Be You!
‘Their War’ does not intend to leave you bawling your heart out or shatter it outright. No, it quietly plants the sprouting seeds of a stinging pain within you. The cast carries this knowledge with them and they remain true to it, not breaking outright either and that’s where ‘Their War’ wins – in the… Continue reading The First Casualty In ‘Their War’ Is Going To Be You!
‘Malacostraca’ Is A Proper Tribute To The Masters Of Psychological Horror!
‘Malacostraca’, a soft-shelled class of crustacean, was not conceived by nature to be particularly disturbing, but Charles Pieper’s 2018 psychological horror has certainly made it so! Struggling writer Chris (Charlie Pecoraro) and his much younger wife Sophie (Amber Bollinger) have come away to an exotic, sun-soaked town to get over an unspecified tragedy. Narrated by… Continue reading ‘Malacostraca’ Is A Proper Tribute To The Masters Of Psychological Horror!
‘(Bi)Polar Bear’ Talks Of Matters We Prefer To Brush Off Under The Carpet…
Written and directed by Mackenzie Patrick, ‘(Bi)Polar Bear’ is a Chinese box in a labyrinth from the opening shot all the way through to the end. It follows the interconnected lives of three high school students with their own set of problems that they are clearly not equipped to handle. The opening shot is of… Continue reading ‘(Bi)Polar Bear’ Talks Of Matters We Prefer To Brush Off Under The Carpet…
‘Mister Swolo’ Is a Eccentric Piece of Surrealist Comedy…
Watching Eric Liddle’s ‘Mister Swolo’ is like taking a joyride into an absolutely bizarre dream that makes perfect sense only while it exists. Two friends, Harrison Charge (Jack Anderson) and Peter Short (newcomer Gary Bannon) embark on a road trip and have themselves hijacked by the creation of Harrison: Mister Swolo! Harrison, a comic artist,… Continue reading ‘Mister Swolo’ Is a Eccentric Piece of Surrealist Comedy…
The Shadow Scarf Is About The Past You’d Have Preferred Forgotten…
Dramatic and suspense-ridden, The Shadow Scarf is a layered display that sways between being hair-raising and suspiciously predictable as the movie attempts to explore the question of culpability of the bystander. Clay von Carlowitz’s Jeffrey, a bartender in NYC, finds himself in the company of an alluring stranger on a particularly foggy night as he… Continue reading The Shadow Scarf Is About The Past You’d Have Preferred Forgotten…