‘Anna & The Apocalypse,’ ‘Shirkers,’ & More [North Bend Film Festival Recap]

“Don’t Leave Home”

In recent memory, a lot of successful independent horror films – or films with elements of horror – draw heavy inspiration from John Carpenter and/or Stephen King (thanks “Stranger Things”). While those artists are rightfully adored, it does get a little stale after awhile. It makes it refreshing when a horror film – even if not quite a successful one – comes along and draws inspiration from “Don’t Look Now,” “The Exorcist,” “The Changeling,” and other more somber, drama-oriented horror films. That’s exactly what “Don’t Leave Home” sets out to do. Melanie (Anna Margaret Hollyman) is an artist who is invited to Ireland to meet the subject of her latest piece (Lalor Roddy) – a painter who is the subject of a folklore with a disturbing end – and auction off her work. As expected, things (and people) are not as they seem. The ulterior motives behind certain characters are never a mystery from the start, which makes stretches of the film laborious, but it builds to a surprising reveal about mortality that is haunting and unique. The themes about loss, guilt, and facing the past are more poignant than having this thing end with a potential monster, and while “Don’t Leave Home” is admittedly patchy, it has plenty of strong raw elements that stick with you. [C+/B-]

“Model Home”

This bizarro debut feature from Patrick Cunningham certainly makes an impression. “Model Home’s” central conceit – an organization that sells old model homes to low-income families with no interest and no money down – is a fascinating take on the housing crisis, with imagery of few homes together in an otherwise barren desert that is evocative. Cunningham displays early on an assured hand in tone, which is the film’s strongest asset aside from terrific performances from Monique Gabriela Curnen, Luke Ganalon, and Kathy Baker (whose mere presence makes an unintentional and interesting juxtaposition to “Edward Scissorhands,” trading in the idyllic, white-picket-fence suburbs with a bleak, abandoned cul-de-sac). The tone and performances are so adept that it makes up for the film’s occasional thematic confusion. The concept is excellent and the vision is present, but the film is simultaneously about the madness that the housing crisis has caused people, as well as Curnen’s character’s struggle with bipolar disorder, which began far before her move into the model home. It seems like the film may have something to say about mental illness, but it’s hard to pinpoint, and could potentially be seen by sufferers as offensive. But to reiterate, Cunningham’s ability to keep these disparate elements intact without tripping – for a first feature – is ambitious, to say the least. [B-]

“My Name is Myeisha”

Part hip-hop, part spoken word, part coming-of-age film, and part performance art piece, “My Name is Myeisha” crackles with so much exuberance that any time the film’s juggling of tones threatens to throw the whole thing off-balance, it quickly rebounds. The film’s strongest weapon is a show-stopping performance from Rhaechyl Walker as the titular Myeisha, a nineteen-year-old girl from the Inland Empire who is shot and killed by police on December 28, 1998. The film chronicles Myeisha’s life, from childhood to the moment on this fateful night, as well as asides about the aftermath of the shooting. Director Gus Krieger wisely never forgets the tragedy and the heartbreak at the center of all of this. The film will detour to delightful comic asides such as the rhetorical question of why every BBQ place has terrific food with the exception of the side of limp white bread, but will also snap back to the gravity of the situation. In the wrong hands, this film would give an audience tonal whiplash, but its heart beats loudly for Myeisha and any teen POC who has had to put up with any of this. And the film’s ending – while a punch to the gut – couldn’t have found a more perfect way to go out. [B]