A morbidly comical drama about two young women with dreams in the time of plague and war, Dimitri Nasennik’s The Purpose lets its heroines be two sides of the same coin of ambition held up in limbo. Its star is Kristel (Natalia Shevchenko), a less lethal take on Killing Eve’s Villanelle. The sociopathy is casual,… Continue reading The Purpose: Failing Youth and Crises All Around in Drama on Ambition
Category: Reviews
Hamdardi: Recognition and Compassion Under the State’s Nose
Stefan Fairlamb and Ashley Tabatabai’s Hamdardi, a retrospective look at Trump’s Muslim ban seven years ago, splits the narrative between an immigration officer and two stranded Iranian siblings in the eye of the storm—a US airport. At twenty-seven minutes, the film takes its time to map out its similarities to and differences from 2004’s The… Continue reading Hamdardi: Recognition and Compassion Under the State’s Nose
Foretoken: A Tale of Oppression and Fury
Tamas Levardi’s Foretoken – Omen of the Outsiders, a 22-minute Roman-era costume drama, is the origin story of its protagonist, the warrior Enna. Introduced at her most desperate, the film follows the character through a matter of hours as she repeatedly loses kin at the behest of the Roman empire. Narrated in voiceover by the… Continue reading Foretoken: A Tale of Oppression and Fury
My Miracle Boy: Psychological Horror and Coming of Age in One
Sarab Sahni’s My Miracle Boy (writing credits shared between Caroline Gordon Elliott, Alam Virk, and Sahni) contains the sparks of something better than itself, its elusive glint catching the eye as if only to give chase. The story of a woman terrified to lose her only child, and so, like Rapunzel and every predecessor before… Continue reading My Miracle Boy: Psychological Horror and Coming of Age in One
Sheltered: The Latest Flare-up of Generational Crisis
The path of Daniel Jamal Judson’s Sheltered is predetermined, perhaps with the addendum, under constant conditions. The conditions do remain unchanged as its protagonist hurtles towards his unintended destination like an unstoppable force. There is no immovable object here to provide conflict. Sheltered is the story of and by Caleb (Tim Johnson), a homeschooled teen… Continue reading Sheltered: The Latest Flare-up of Generational Crisis
Lost: The Pain and Pleasure of Old Love
Harvey Kadijk’s 10-minute Lost delves into long-term love and grief through its characters Dalo and Sarah, introducing them on the brink of a whole new life. In retrospect, it is surprisingly more exuberant than you would expect. This is due entirely to a single shot but the abruptness and sheer unbounded joy in it leave… Continue reading Lost: The Pain and Pleasure of Old Love
44: Psychological Horror in a Liminal Space-Time Loop
Dhwani Shah’s 44, a psychological horror, follows a young woman through her (mis)adventure into an unfinished skyscraper in the middle of the night. That line does not give it away yet but 44 is entertainingly meta. Watching it, you cannot help but think that this is a film you have seen before, and yet it… Continue reading 44: Psychological Horror in a Liminal Space-Time Loop
Raada: The Banality of Big and Small Wounds
Varun Chounal and Anuj Jamadagni directed Raada takes its audiences on a ride through the last day of a boy in his hometown. On this side, he is plagued by small town politics and the pitfalls of loyalty; on the other, college beckons. As the narrative (motor)cycles through greed, unchecked violence, and misplaced affections, three… Continue reading Raada: The Banality of Big and Small Wounds
RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent: Responses to Trauma Goes Many (and Side) Ways
At forty-nine minutes, Christopher Ortiz’s RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent is the feature developed from its 18-minute proof-of-concept RedSin (2021). An action-packed narrative dealing with the fallout of desperate men’s deeds in desperate times, it ramps up the stakes like a video game until its protagonist is facing the ultimate boss: his brother. War veterans, now… Continue reading RedSin: Martyrs of Dissent: Responses to Trauma Goes Many (and Side) Ways
Likeness: Mystery, Grief and Multiple Existential Crises
David A. Flores’s 15-minute Likeness depicts a woman’s search for her missing mother using AI, combining mystery with interiorised drama that looks and feels more novel than it should. Oddly (or perhaps fittingly), the film seems to mirror its own subject in terms of uncanniness. The AI version of Kaitlyn’s mom, Fiona, is shockingly human… Continue reading Likeness: Mystery, Grief and Multiple Existential Crises