The last time a film about strange-curious-people and houses were made, albeit delightful when it finally kickstarted itself into motion, it suffered from needless weight of setting and establishment. Ben Tobin’s A Home for Curiosities echoes the fantasy of Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children but with much less flair. Tobin’s screenplay starts… Continue reading A Home for Curiosities: An Imaginative Story Arguably Saved By Enthusiastic Performances
Category: Reviews
Cactus Boy: That One Imaginary Friend We Have All Had
Chris Brake’s Cactus Boy is delicate, touching and quite literally a tribute: to one’s childhood, one’s best friend and to nostalgia. The story of a boy and his imaginary friend, Cactus Boy is a coming-of-age tale and at 17:04 minutes, a brief one at that. Colin Ford plays Winston Prickle, the quiet, reserved boy. (And,… Continue reading Cactus Boy: That One Imaginary Friend We Have All Had
Mojave Shadows: The Past Casts Shadows Even On Endless Deserts
The guilt and grief that Susan daily contended with were unmistakable. After all, she had come out into the Mojave Desert to, if not forget, make peace with the grief of her little boy’s death. In Jaime Torres’ Mojave Shadows – a film that focuses on the immediacy of a rattlesnake bite– it is grief that… Continue reading Mojave Shadows: The Past Casts Shadows Even On Endless Deserts
Ida: The Consuming World Of A Frightened Child
Writer-Director Parminder Singh’s Ida is the story of an 8-year old and the nightmares she endures, even during daytime. Living with an alcoholic parent can never be easy. But, to see it, particularly through the eyes of an 8-year old can be painful. Kerstin Jannerup Gjesing plays the eponymous character. And, we see her world,… Continue reading Ida: The Consuming World Of A Frightened Child
Debris (Desecho): Dark Reality Of Human Labour Trafficking
What’s the price one pays for a better life? What’s the limit to pushing oneself for it? What’s the price of one’s life, anyway? Apparently very little, especially if you fall in the category of an illegal, migrant labourer. Director Julio O. Ramos’s Debris(Desecho) is developed from his own story, while co-written with Lucas Mireles.… Continue reading Debris (Desecho): Dark Reality Of Human Labour Trafficking
Any Wednesday: The Two Extremes Of Memory
As C’Mo puts it, PTSD doesn’t let you forget and dementia does not let you remember. And both are personal hells for the ones affected. In Allie Light and Patrick Stark directed Any Wednesday, the old walk-and-talk routine brings together a homeless war vet and an octogenarian on a rainy night. For both, rain means… Continue reading Any Wednesday: The Two Extremes Of Memory
Marriage Material: Twisted Husband Hunting Extravaganza With A Dash Of Genius
Oran Zegman’s Marriage Material is a glittery nightmare of a satire. And it’s a musical (a first for AFI, where Zegman was a student; Marriage Material is her thesis film). The film, a pointed critique of dating and marriage for women, is both coloured by a bygone era and distinctly modern. Recently single Leah (turned… Continue reading Marriage Material: Twisted Husband Hunting Extravaganza With A Dash Of Genius
Ashmina: On Teen Rebellion And The Dream Of Mobility
Working at as young as 13 is a reality for almost anyone who has grown up grappling with historical poverty. Education is a distant dream, especially if you are a girl. The money you earn goes entirely into the wellbeing of the family. Years can go by before if ever, you move up on the… Continue reading Ashmina: On Teen Rebellion And The Dream Of Mobility
Elijah: The Unexpectedly Welcome Call Of The Past
Although the eponymous character in this Patrick Fritz directed drama has barely more than a few seconds on screen, the film makes it very clear why Fritz named it so. For, even the character itself is not physically present, it is his presence that drastically changes at least two lives. The discovery of Elijah becomes… Continue reading Elijah: The Unexpectedly Welcome Call Of The Past
A Hard Day In The Empire: Sexsim and Bullying Party On Set
There is a theory that far more than corrupting, power intensifies the already existing bad in people. With bullies in the workplace, this is a theory that fits. In Sezen Kayhan’s A Hard Day In The Empire, where the plot follows the unfolding drama on set, the director is a bully whose target for the… Continue reading A Hard Day In The Empire: Sexsim and Bullying Party On Set