“Graduation”
There’s an amazing, deceptively simple shot in “Graduation” that tells an emotionally complex journey in one frame. An anxious father, on the verge of making life-changing decisions for himself and his daughter, sits on a bench in a playground, hordes of young kids playing, blissfully unaware of the drama surging through him. Acclaimed Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu’s bread and butter is searing realist portraits of moral and societal decay and that dish is on the menu once again in his latest picture, but it’s never dull and never does he miss a step. The helmer of the emotionally harrowing “4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days,” Mungiu’s latest basically asks how far you’ll go for a loved one and more exactly, how far will a father go for his only child? In this humanist drama, an upstanding father (Adrian Titieni) is pushed to the edge when his daughter’s (Maria Dragus) future is threatened on the eve of her most important life-altering exams. The father and his estranged wife have lived a life of disappointment and regret, failing to achieve their dreams, but Eliza, the young girl, has her shot to leave leave Romania for a better life, but the day before her finals, she is attacked, sexually assaulted and traumatized. As the school denies her petitions to delay the tests, her father, a seemingly honest doctor, has to reexamine his moral code in the name of his kin. Morally complex, emotionally gripping and masterfully told, “Graduation” is a riveting look at the choices that are made while in the clutches of desperation. – RP [our full review]
“The Untamed”
Sex can bring out the monster in us, and director Amat Escalante simply brings that one weird, wild step further with a deeply offbeat story of a creature that satisfies the unspoken desires yet brings as much pain as it does pleasure to the inhabitants of a small Mexican city. Alejandra (Ruth Ramos) is part liberated, part enslaved by this tentacled creature’s power, escaping a troubled marriage to a husband, Angel, (Jésus Meza) who is pursuing a violent sexual relationship with her brother Fabián (Eden Villavicienco). This is a journey into the unknown sexual world, where life and death intertwine to orgasmic effect. While the socio-politics are a tad contrived at points (Angel’s homophobic tantrums are more than a little melodramatic), as an erotic journey into dangerously forbidden desires, this is as fulfilling and strange an arthouse title as you could lust after. – Eoghan Lyng [our full review]
“The Levelling”
Hope Dickson Leach’s theatrical debut, “The Levelling,” rises above so many of this year’s releases due to its confident direction and star-making lead performance by Elle Kendrick. The film’s relatively simplistic plot revolves around an estranged daughter (Kendrick) returning home to her family’s farm after the tragic passing of her brother. This haunting family drama provides a tense and moody backdrop for outstanding performances from Kendrick as Clover and David Troughton as her unpredictable father. Leach’s strength comes from knowing when to utilize silent moments and when to lean into the film’s haunting score, providing a unique experience that is so rare in a writer/director’s first film. As the complexity of her brother’s death is slowly revealed, Kendrick’s performance gains an even more profound depth, shifting from guilt-infested devastation to unrelenting determination to discover the secrets behind her brother’s passing and her family’s history. During the film’s harrowing conclusion, the audience is left as shaken as Clover as she attempts to cope with her past regrets and her future decisions. — Karl Schleider [our full review]
“Beatriz at Dinner”
It might seem like Mike White had one of the worst years in the film industry, helping pen such stinkers as “The Emoji Movie” and “Pitch Perfect 3,” but his indie feature “Beatriz at Dinner” stunned audiences at Sundance 2017. Directed by Miguel Arteta (“Cedar Rapids,” “Youth in Revolt”), this dramedy exposes class conflict and racism through a delicious face-off between John Lithgow and Salma Hayek. Hayek plays the titular Beatriz, a Mexican massage therapist and animal lover who finds herself unwittingly roped into a wealthy clients’ dinner when her car breaks down. Lithgow, as wealthy, Trump-esque tycoon Doug Strutt, blusteringly antagonizes Hayek’s Beatriz into a shocking final action. Though subtler and less riotous than its trailer suggests, ‘Beatriz’ is a fine bit of filmmaking rife with gorgeous symbolism and standout performances. Catch this salient film if you want to see something that will make you think, but be warned: it will bum you out if you’re feeling Trump-weary. — LW
“The Lure”
“The Shape of Water” wasn’t the only human-sea creature love story that impressed in 2017. While not as highly acclaimed or popular as Guillermo Del Toro’s latest creation, “The Lure,” directed by Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczynska, is quite possibly an even greater oddity, as the film’s inventive blend of hypnotic body horror and charming musicality boasts a stunning visual appeal and atmospheric flair. With ‘80s-inspired disco as the musical backdrop, Smoczynska’s entertainingly twisted spin on mermaid/siren folklore navigates through deep, thematic bodies of water, as female sexuality, puberty and maturity, heartbreak, sisterhood and the exploitation of women by men are examined at a shocking level of intricacy. Even the mermaids (Michalina Olszans, Marta Mazurek) themselves possess a level of complexity. On one hand there’s a certain beauty to them, but on the flip side, an animalistic viciousness prevails. For anyone hesitant in giving “The Lure” a watch, it would be justified to believe that in no way this would be any good given the numerous, clashing elements prescribed to the film’s premise. Nevertheless, Smoczynska somehow makes it all work with poetic finesse in the end. — Kyle Kohner [our full review]