Am I OK? (2024)

Direction: Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allyne
Country: USA

Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allyne teamed up to direct Am I OK?, a comedy-drama centered on the anxieties and vulnerabilities of coming out later in life and the intricate paths of friendship. Written by Laura Pomerantz, the film stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno, who are not only convincing in their roles but often funny.

Lucy (Johnson) and Jane (Mizuno) are longtime best friends. Lucy works in a spa and just realized she might be gay after a a negligible, unsuccessful, and vapid number of relationships with men. Jane, promoted by her boss and ready to move to London, tries to help her friend navigate her complex affairs with an excessively self-assured temperament that is not always helpful. In the desperation of finding the path to love, things only get more confused and complicated.

Radiating warmth and humor, the film’s main strength lies in two beautifully observed complementary performances, hitting the mark in its attempt to generate sympathy for the characters’ struggles. If the ending had been better imagined and less predictable, viewers would have an even stronger incentive to watch it. 

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2024)

Direction: Ariane Louis-Seize
Country: Canada 

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, the feature debut by Montreal-based filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize, is a fine blend of dark vampirism, comedy, and coming-of-age storytelling that stems from her need to tame her own anxieties about death. The director, who collaborated with Christine Doyon on the script, found great success in the excellent performances of Sara Montpetit and Félix-Antoine Bénard.

Rising star Montpetit, whose skills had come to fore in Maria Chapdelaine (2021) and Falcon Lake (2022), plays Sasha, a sensitive young vampire who refuses to kill humans for sustenance, opting instead for blood bags carefully prepared by her parents. Her rejection of her nature and subsequent diagnosis with PTSD raises concern within the family, leading her to live with her cousin Denise (Noémie O'Farrell). While forcing herself to hunt, she bumps into Paul (Bénard), a depressive, bullied, and suicidal boy with whom she falls in love, shares similar dark inner struggles. 

Sharply edited by filmmaker Stéphane Lafleur (You’re Sleeping Nicole, 2014), the film, as dark as it is touching, is filled with surprising depth, sharp humor, and melancholy strangeness. The offbeat undertones suit the dichotomy between life and death as well as the non-conformist romance. This is a fable of elegant despair, an instant entry in the vampire canon that feels refreshingly gothic. Louis-Seize opts for a stable camerawork, while the gorgeously nocturnal cinematography by Shawn Pavlin fits hand in glove. The soundtrack is the cherry on top, and Montpetit’s powerful work dazzles and moves us. The vampire tale survives!

Hit Man (2024)

Direction: Richard Linklater
Country: USA 

Flirting with film noir and sly romance, Hit Man is the latest film by Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Before trilogy), who directs it with down-to-earth awareness from an insightful script he co-wrote with the leading actor, Glen Powell. The story, based on the 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article of the same name by Skip Hollandsworth, gracefully balances tension and mordant wit. 

Powell portrays Gary Johnson, a philosophy professor and tech nerd who works undercover for the New Orleans police as a fake contract killer. His task, carried out thoroughly, consists in closing deals with the ones who try to hire him and then arrest them. Everything runs smoothly until one day he breaks the protocol to help Madison Figueroa (Adria Arjona), a desperate woman trying to escape an abusive husband. Their instant chemistry leads them into a dangerous game with unpredictable outcomes.

Flowing with a comfortable pace, the narrative reminds you how bonds between people may change you unexpectedly and drastically. Linklater, showcasing his versatility and effortless cinematic approach, has taken a familiar premise and imbued it with a unique identity, a notion explored here in a darkly comic way. Despite its unequivocally amoral nature, I found myself cheering on the protagonists’ lawlessness.

Hit Man is breezily acted, consistently funny, often charming, and noir enough to provide a great time in the theater.

The Fall Guy (2024)

Direction: David Leitch
Country: USA 

Filmed in Sydney, Australia, The Fall Guy tells the fictional story of Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), an action stunt performer madly in love with Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a camera operator turned director. This unsung hero becomes the victim of a conspiracy headed by film star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), whom he doubles in all action scenes, and the cunning producer Gail Meyers (Hannah Waddingham). Suddenly, he realizes that it’s not just his career at risk, but his life. 

Loosely based on the 1980s television series of the same name, this self-indulgent action-packed rom-com works on steroids, overloaded by a variety of impossible acrobatics, falls, and explosions to the point of exhaustion. Drew Pearce’s script never comes together, and the unequal parts of comedy, romance, and action fail to coalesce. As a result, its excessive artifice quickly leads to tedium.

Director David Leitch, who boasts a 20-year career as a stuntman himself, previously exhibited a penchant for chaotic scenarios in Bullet Train (2022). Here, he fails to deliver a compelling satirical look at a major Hollywood production seen from behind the screen. With numerous redundant action scenes, flopped soundtrack choices, and sparse laughs, The Fall Guy feels as contrived and frivolous as the stunts it showcases, never deciding on whether to be a parody or an homage to the brave, always-invisible Hollywood stuntmen.

Challengers (2024)

Direction: Luca Guadagnino
Country: USA

Renowned Italian director Luca Guadagnino, whose work first came to the public’s attention with Call Me By Your Name (2017), probes a new hype style with calculated punchiness in his latest feature, Challengers, a meretricious and manipulative sports-meet-romance undertaking with a lackluster conclusion. 

Written by Justin Kuritzkes, making his screenwriting debut after gaining recognition as a playwright, Challengers stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist in a tale of toxic relationships set against the backdrop of professional tennis. While emotional complexity, betrayal, rivalry, friendship, and sports pressure are intertwined in a non-linear narrative, the director struggles to overcome the challenges posed by this explosive mix. The tennis scenes are well-executed, but the love triangle feels like a mere curiosity, with insufficient dramatic motivation and coming across an oversexed triviality with soap opera traits. 

Additionally, the original score by Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross can be intrusive at times, and the finale, while intense, seems too fabricated. Ultimately, despite the promising setup, Challengers fails to fully capitalize on its potential. I don’t see it as a very grown up movie, and was craving for more clever twists in the plot. These charming threesome never hit the ball with enough ability to make it over the net.

La Chimera (2024)

Direction: Alice Rohrwacher
Country: Italy

Alice Rohrwacher’s films, notably Happy as Lazaro (2018) and The Wonders (2014), captivated audiences with their intriguing narratives. La Chimera, her fourth feature, stands out as a haunting archeological fable set in Tuscany during the 1980s. Rather than relying on suspense, Rohrwacher favors ambiance, crafting a story that delves into a painful past, an inebriated present, and an uncertain future. 

The story revolves around Arthur (Josh O’Connor), a nearly-spectral English wanderer with a supernatural ability to locate Etruscan artifacts in tombs and underground chambers dating back over 2000 years. Recently released from jail for smuggling these artifacts, Arthur, reluctantly rejoins his gang of “tomb diggers” while awaiting the return of his departed love, Beniadina. He also reconnects with Benidiana’s welcoming mother, Flora (Isabella Rossellini), and gets involved with her Brazilian student/maid, Italia (Carol Duarte), a surreptitious mother of two. 

When at its sharpest, Rohrwacher’s script exudes lyricism in its bendable trajectory, casting a spell on viewers. However, the comedic elements are overshadowed by the emotional crisis of an unpredictable, alienated protagonist with a strong inclination for sloppiness. Love and death are squeezed into an eccentric cinematic pot that, in a sense, harkens back to classics from Pasolini, Scola, Fellini, and Cocteau. Some nostalgic moments are magical and profound in a film full of nudges and nuance. This is simultaneously a fascinating character study, a poignant drama edited with breaks of slapstick humor, and an acute piece of psychological realism that connects the living and the dead.

Even with some unnecessary lengths, La Chimera provides a singular experience in a kind-hearted fashion that allows the movie to resonate with more warmth than what was initially thought. O’Connor delivers an engrossing performance, complemented by Duarte and Rossellini, who are a pleasure to watch.

The Palace (2023)

Direction: Roman Polanski
Country: Switzerland / Italy / other

From the acclaimed director Roman Polanski, whose filmography includes gems such as Repulsion (1965), Chinatown (1974), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and The Pianist (2002), comes The Palace, an oddball satire that starts off well but sloppily falls into a wild intemperance pelted with flat humor, bubbly champagne, and too much caviar for my taste. Set in the luxurious Gstaad Palace hotel in the Swiss Alps on December 31, 1999, Polanski’s 24th feature film follows a cast of wealthy and eccentric characters as they gather for the millennium amid fears of the Y2K bug. They range from socialites and aristocrats with abhorrent faces from plastic surgeries to broke tycoons showing off diva postures to rowdy heavy-drinking Russians with no principles.

The hotel’s dedicated manager demands politeness, precision, and perfection from his staff, only to get trouble, embarrassment, and eccentricity from the arrogant and selfish customers. Caught between a brainless parody and a more observant satire, The Palace works more in the line of The Triangle of Sadness (2022) than The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Hence, despite wrecking you with luscious hues, the film’s scenes are often overindulgent and lacking in moderation. While some viewers may find humor in its zany antics, others may roll their eyes. 

Gone are Polanski's signature style and wit, replaced by repetitive gags and scenes that feel more grating than gratifying. We understand it was all created with mockery in mind. However, there are so many aspects that failed to work properly in this disjointed comedy. The international ensemble cast includes Fanny Ardant, Mickey Rourke, John Cleese, and Oliver Masucci.

Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

Direction: Ethan Coen
Country: USA

Drive-Away Dolls marks Ethan Coen’s first directorial solo feature without his brother Joel, but unfortunately, the results are disappointing. With both the screenplay - written by Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke - and the campy tone providing less than what it should be, this fairly basic lesbian hymn, infused with an unintriguing crime subplot, comes across as more hysterical than funny, denoting more showoff than real insight. With imbecilic humorous lines left dangling, it feels too much like an empty and repeated exercise in style. 

Despite a promising premise, the narrative goes overboard with improbable coincidences, goofy behaviors, and sexual pleasures, interspersed with dreamy states depicted through psychedelic imagery, bluesy guitar licks, and greasy pizzas. It all begins when, on a whim, two lesbian best friends, the uptight Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) and the free-spirited Jamie (Margaret Qualley), embark on a road trip from Philadelphia to Florida, incidentally bumping into criminals. The characters are turned into caricatures, resulting in a cartoonish exaggeration that comes across as simple-minded. 

Coen films with edgy, alienating teen-like angst, but doesn’t surprise. The final part of the film gets totally out of hand, combining elements of a myopic noir thriller with a shabby rom-com. Clocking in at a tight and merciful 84 minutes, the film lacks fun and the performances from Qualley and Viswanathan, while competent, are unable to elevate the material. Overall, Drive-Away Dolls is a jumbled mess that tries to be both tactlessly offbeat and attractively endearing, missing the mark.

Club Zero (2024)

Direction: Jessica Hausner
Country: Austria / other

Austrian helmer Jessica Hausner, who impressed us with a religion-themed arthouse drama called Lourdes (2009), returns with Club Zero, a dark fable hinged on a one-person cult promoting autophagy at a private boarding school. Co-written by Hausner and Géraldine Bajard, the film follows Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska), a rigorous teacher turned guru, as she introduces a dangerous concept to emotionally vulnerable students, touching on themes of faith, manipulation, willpower, and societal pressures. Other inherent topics include faulty parenthood and unsupervised classes and methods. 

While the material holds potential, the film, even with something ominous churning under the surface at all times, falls short of expectations. Built with minimalistic composed settings, stiff arthouse postures, and bitter tones, Club Zero misses opportunities to take us to more terrifying territory, preferring instead a quiet defiance that feels flat in the end. 

Hausner demonstrates a morbid precision in her exploration of contemporary neuroses, and yet, the picture rests in a muzzy middle where observation and absurdity are practically indistinguishable. Club Zero is a failure, but an intriguing one.

American Fiction (2023)

Direction: Cord Jefferson
Country: USA 

American Fiction unfolds as an open-hearted comedy drama with spun fast and sharp dialogue where humor prevails even in the midst of poignant moments. It’s a remarkable feature debut for Cord Jefferson, whose curious perspective and narrative intelligence keep a tight focus on the central character. He makes the film a powerful triumph.

The story centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, portrayed by Jeffrey Wright, a talented yet frustrated Black author and English professor. Under a pseudonym, Monk writes a deliberately clichéd satirical novel that exposes the hypocrisy of the publishing industry and white consumerism. Accused of not being ‘Black enough’ in his writings, Monk grapples with death and illness in the family, and contends with the success of a new literary sensation: Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), whom he deems a fraud. Additionally, he reconnects with his estranged brother, Cliff (Sterling K. Brown), a messy plastic surgeon, and navigates a complex love story with Coraline (Erika Alexander), a lawyer living across the street from his mom. 

Sensitive in so many ways but also confrontational, the film is a brazenly enlightening, stingingly thought-provoking satire that straddles the realms of drama and comedy, making its point. It’s one of those pictures that remains engaging, even in its silliest scenes, ultimately achieving an airy result considering such weighty thematic loads. 

Brilliant casting and a cleverly woven story ensure that funny, angry, and heartbreaking moments blend seamlessly. Wright, who played the leading role in Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat (1996) and has been featured in Wes Anderson’s latest works - The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023) - plays his character with mordancy, virtuosity, and blistering perfection, delivering a career-high performance. Also, composer Laura Karpman infuses some wonderful musical vibes, leaning more towards cool piano jazz than the angular style of Thelonious Monk. 
American Fiction presents itself in a distinctive cinematic fashion, leaving a lasting impact on its audience.

Poor Things (2023)

Direction: Yorgos Lanthimos
Country: USA

Greek-born filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is able to keep audiences in giddy laughter or shocking horror. Known for his unique storytelling in films like Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015), and The Favourite (2018), he presents his latest black comedy, Poor Things. Adapted from Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, the film is written by Tony McNamara and features a stellar cast, including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, and Ramy Youssef.

The film follows the story of Bella (Stone), a candid young Victorian woman brought back to life by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe). With newfound free will, Bella embarks on a journey of self-discovery, choosing to explore life with its pleasures and challenges. Her unconventional choices, including running away with lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Ruffalo), will teach her many things, ultimately sending her back to an unimaginable past of darkness.

Gorgeously rendered, the film offers a smart and eccentric exploration of society and the human experience. An ambitious idea framed with visual distinction and spirited performances, where vertiginous philosophical foundations merge with a strong determination in self-learning and sexual liberation. This sinister tale is hilarious in spots, persistently full of life (despite dealing with death), and provocative as the hip filmmaker likes to shape his off-kilter comedies. 

With its moody soundscape by Jerkin Fendrix and superb cinematography by Robbie Ryan, Poor Things is the standout unconventional comedy of the year. Lanthimos continues to surprise audiences with his daring imagination, offering a fresh and intoxicating cinematic experience.

The Crime is Mine (2023)

Direction: François Ozon
Country: France

In François Ozon’s latest film, The Crime is Mine, the narrative follows Madeleine Verdier (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a struggling young actress accused of murdering a renowned producer who had sexually assaulted her during an interview. Defended in court by her best friend and roommate, the unemployed lawyer Pauline (Rebecca Marder), they initially bask in fame until the iconic silent cinema actress, Odette Chaumette (a scene-stealing performance by Isabelle Huppert), claims responsibility for the crime.

Ozon, infusing the jazzy vibes of the 1930s, adapts a play from that era, creating a whimsical, feminist period farce filled with droll humor and a touch of charm. The film takes a lighthearted approach to murder, capturing the era's spirit through an abundance of color and a joyful atmosphere conveyed in briskly-paced, effortlessly chaotic scenes.

This stylized fusion of theater and cinema, infused with social satire, sarcasm, plenty of lies, and a blend of wacky and goofy moments, explores the burlesque side of screwball comedies. Drawing inspiration from the works of Ernst Lubitsch, Frank Capra, and Sacha Guitry, Ozon mounts the film with a refreshingly old-fashioned flair that doesn't come off as an ironic throwback or shameless nostalgia pandering. The production design is lavish and detailed, complemented by outstanding supporting performances from Fabrice Luchini and André Dussollier.

Less brilliant than 8 Women (2002), The Crime is Mine is performed with an impressive suppression of passion, but never losing sight of more serious aspects akin to today’s world. The elements may feel familiar, even hokum, but Ozon approaches the material with enthusiasm. The film ultimately rewards those seeking a light, feel-good piece of entertainment. 

Fremont (2023)

Direction: Babak Jalali
Country: USA 

Fremont marks the fourth feature film by Iranian-British director Babak Jalali, who co-wrote it with Carolina Cavalli (Amanda, 2022). This delightful and triumphant indie comedy-drama draws inspiration from the styles of Aki Kaurismaki and Jim Jarmusch. Languid and centered, the film is peppered with irresistible dry humor while addressing relevant topics with a philosophical tone and stoic expression.

The camera lens focuses on Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), an isolated 20-year-old Afghan refugee and former translator for the US Army, grappling with guilt, rejection, and melancholy for betraying her country. Working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco to avoid the large Afghan community in Fremont, she battles PTSD, leading her to seek help from Dr. Anthony (Gregg Turkington), a relaxed and patient psychiatrist. An unexpected blind date introduces her to Daniel (Jeremy Allen White), a lonely mechanic burdened with responsibilities. The intense connection she feels with him rekindles her ability to dream. 

Jalali handles narrative understatement with incredible charm, shooting in a beautiful black-and-white without succumbing to the common style-over-substance pitfall. The story - sharply observed, compellingly told, and crammed with agreeable surprises - appears to treat its weighty subjects with lightness and coldness. However, a deeper look proves that idea wrong. The humor pushes Fremont away from sentimental traps, and is complemented by a magnificently romantic section where the chemistry between Zara and White, both desperate for love, is remarkable.

The film's scenes are exposed with a non-cumbersome beauty that elicits tears without being overtly tearful. Fremont concludes with warmth and optimism, infusing independent cinema with a breath of fresh air and a generous heart.

The Holdovers (2023)

Direction: Alexander Payne
Country: USA

Alexander Payne makes a triumphant return with The Holdovers, a heartwarming comedy-drama set in 1970 that showcases his affectionate style of filmmaking. The film, written by David Hemingson and inspired by his personal experiences, marks the second collaboration with actor Paul Giamatti, known for their previous hit Sideways (2004).

The story unfolds at the prestigious Barton Academy, a private high school for boys, during Christmas break. As three lonely souls - the sarcastic and alcohol-fueled classics teacher Paul Dunham (Giamatti), smart troublemaker Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), and the bereaved cafeteria worker Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) - find themselves in an unexpected bond. The film skillfully juggles dramatic and comedic elements, creating a distinctive tone. However, this is not a particularly new palette for Payne.

Painful past occurrences reflect behaviors and postures in this refreshing drama with an obvious finale and a couple of sticky moments. Having said that, The Holdovers doesn’t beg to be liked, and the chemistry among the main cast members enhances the overall experience, making it feel like a Christmas treat. 

The story, guided by Payne’s becalmed direction and elevated by Giamatti’s outstanding performance, explores the complexities of growing up emotionally - not without sacrifice - and the factors impelling us to find the strength to move forward. Abrasive at the surface but warm in its fleeting moments of reflection, the film muses and liberates rather than demands or confines. This year’s feel-good winner bubbles with humor and positive change as Payne, transforming an intelligent cerebral script into a captivating film, showcases his storytelling prowess and the power of well-executed, character-driven narratives.

Flora and Son (2023)

Direction: John Carney
Country: Ireland 

Irish writer and director John Carney has a track record of successful music dramas in his filmography, with films like Once (2007) and Sing Street (2016). However, his latest effort, Flora and the Son, falls flat. It’s a crowd-pleaser that lazily resorts to cheesiness in an attempt to compensate for its plot limitations. The film suffers from an artificial quality, and the sickly sweet songs, while trying to tug at the heartstrings, contribute little to the overall substance.

The story revolves around Flora (Eve Hewson), an angry and frustrated single mother from Dublin who is struggling to find her way in life after separating from Ian (Jack Reynor), a once-successful musician whose career hit a roadblock when his band broke up. Flora’s delinquent teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan), frequently challenges her, and seems condemned to spend time in a correction facility. However, Flora, who works as a babysitter, discovers the transformative power of music when she starts taking online guitar lessons with L.A.-based teacher Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The latter reveals his own personal insecurities, but becomes the catalyst for Flora and her son to forge a bond that never had existed before. 

Carney seemed inclined to embrace the realism of directors like Ken Loach, but then gets too busy honey-coating musical sequences marred by cloying sentimentality. Sadly, they never fill you up. By failing to provide deeper dimension to his characters and their life struggles, Carney's film loses its appeal with each passing scene. Manipulative and superficially constructed to escape monotony, Flora and Son repeatedly hits the same uninspiring notes throughout its duration.

Full River Red (2023)

Direction: Zhang Yimou
Country: China

Whenever Chinese helmer Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, 1991; Hero, 2002; House of the Flying Daggers, 2004) releases a new film, audiences expect dense plots, epic battles, and dazzling visuals. However, his latest venture, the action comedy mystery film Full River Red, delivers some of these elements unevenly and goes overboard with self-indulgent gimmicks. As is often the case, the story is set in an ancient era but this time comes marked by an excess of twists to the point of nausea.

When a Jin diplomat is mysteriously assassinated at the house of Song grand chancellor, Qin Hui (Lei Jiayin), the latter appoints a smart low-ranking soldier, Zhang Da (Shen Teng), and a brave young commander, Sun Jun (Jackson Yee), to solve the case. An important letter is also reported missing, and the conspiracy seems much bigger than initially thought.

Failing to ramp up the drama of things, Yimou adopts a jocular tone that, never fully committing, leaves the film feeling dull. The investigation runs out of steam too early, mired by a convoluted plot that falls into repetitive patterns. It’s hard to see past the glossy surface here, so fans seeking interesting characters should look elsewhere. Moreover, the music playing in the chapter transitions is detestable, and each action scene, sly as it tries to be, feels artificial and terribly monotonous. 

More corny than enthralling, and constantly overacted, Full River Red fails to emotionally invest the audience in the narrative. Lamentably, Yimou didn’t put enough effort into this one to provoke or engage the viewer.

Dumb Money (2023)

Direction: Craig Gillespie
Country: USA

This biographical comedy-drama depicting the stock short squeeze of video game retailer GameStop in January 2021 leans more towards being laughably tame than audaciously bold. Directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, 2007; I, Tonya, 2017) and written by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, the film represents a feeble adaptation of Ben Mezrich's book, The Antisocial Network.

Although it’s an ensemble cast that populates the screen, Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, 2007; Love & Mercy, 2014) takes central stage as Keith Gill, a modest financial analyst and YouTuber operating under the moniker Roaring Kitty. Those who followed Gill's strategies had the potential to amass an unimaginable amount of money in the unpredictable game dictated by the stock market's ebbs and flows. Personal decisions played a pivotal role.

Had the filmmaker dared to dip below the surface, and maybe we would have a better film. Dumb Money fails to adequately develop its characters, making them feel unrelatable and causing the narrative to drag. What are audiences supposed to do with this, anyway? In the midst of the constant buzz surrounding the stock market, Gillespie's film struggles to find its footing. 

His work fails to get under your skin because it's content with poking you in the eye. The material offered the potential to create something thought-provoking and didactic, but he squandered the chance by allowing an invertebrate scenario. Hence, there’s no need to go to the movie theater to measure the extent of the damage because what the film tells you in 104 minutes could be absorbed from reading a brief paragraph.

Rotting in the Sun (2023)

Direction: Sebastian Silva
Country: Chile 

While relaxing in a Mexican gay nude beach, Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva meets American comedian and social media influencer Jordan Firstman, who is a fan of his movies. Despite Silva’s initial reservations, they agrees to an artistic collaboration. The two personalities feast on caricatural portrayals of themselves and mock death in this shaggy-dog meta-narrative called Rotting in the Sun. The true standout in the movie is Chilean actress Catalina Saavedra, who skillfully reprises her role as a morally-resistant maid - a character that garnered critical  acclaim in Silva’s second feature, The Maid (2009).

The film unfolds in two distinct halves, and unfortunately, neither proves satisfying. The first part comes off as gratuitous, fixating on the visibly depressed director engrossed in Romanian author Emil Cioran’s book The Trouble of Being Born while contemplating existential struggles and suicide. It’s also pelted with drawn-out, unsimulated sex scenes that add absolutely nothing to the plot. The second part takes a bleak turn, dealing with real death and disappearance, and adopting an investigative and slightly more thrilling tone. However, it fails to shake off the programmatic nature that plagues the narrative.

Silva's direction falters while striving to shock the audience at every juncture, and the repetitive scenes never compensate the lack of ideas. What could have been a provocative satire ended up feeling excessively simulated, derailed by an uncontrolled impetus that only makes it further rigid and cold. In the end, the uninspired director delivers a poor reality-fiction hybrid that proves challenging for the audience to engage with. Unapologetically unpleasant, the film feels stale, like it has been left to rot in the sun.

Bottoms (2023)

Direction: Emma Seligman
Country: USA 

Although exhibiting a proper tonal consistency and acted with intentness, Emma Seligman’s sophomore feature, Bottoms, fails short of the wit and tension showcased in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby (2020). It’s not that the characters lack empathetic eccentricity, but rather that the director amplifies the imbecility in the last quarter to the point of sacrificing any potential subtlety for depthless. 

The story, co-written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott - who also stars - revolves around two unpopular teenage gay girls and best friends: PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri). They initiate a feminist self-defense fight club at Rockbridge Falls High School, not necessarily to protect themselves from the giant male football players, but to woo the hot cheerleaders they’ve set their sights on. While the shy Josie is smitten with Isabel (Havana Rose Liu), the outgoing PJ is charmed by Brittany (Kaia Gerber). Amidst unorthodox fight and defense tactics, they learn to share their traumas. 

Alternating between crude rebelliousness and soapy tenderness, the film races through the scenes with sharp-tongued cheekiness, a loud-and-brash posture, and pathetic behavior. It’s off-the-wall and carries an energetic vibe that injects dynamism. However, it often feels forced in its subversiveness and becomes quite dull on occasion, seemingly detached from reality as it favors a puerile absurdity. While most of the jokes are satisfying, only a couple truly land as clever jabs.

Bottoms provides gay-themed material aimed at teens with a level of insight that rarely rises above standard parody. It didn’t resonate with me, but at least the cast appears to have had a blast in this feminist celebration of love, youth, and friendship.

El Conde (2023)

Direction: Pablo Larraín
Country: Chile

Acclaimed Chilean director Pablo Larraín continues in biopic mode with El Conde, a film centered around Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, following cinematic idiosyncrasies such as Jackie (2016, about Jackeline Kennedy), Neruda (2016, about Pablo Neruda), and Spencer (2021, about Lady Diana). This time, Larraín ventures deep into surrealism, transforming Pinochet into a 250-year-old vampire in a fable that is both somber and facetious. 

Drawing from German Expressionism (Nosferatu and Vampyr are references) as well as absurdism, the director creates a sinister black-and-white world of fantasy to denounce real sinners and their indelible sins from the past. A mysterious British woman, whose identity is revealed by the end to our surprise, narrates the story of Pinochet (Jaime Vadell), a mediocre royalist French soldier turned oppressive commander and vampire. Years after committing atrocities, he now seeks death. His wife, Lucia (Gloria Münchmeyer), betrays him with his loyal slave and master of torture, Fyodor (Alfredo Castro), who is also a vampire. The scenario is further complicated with the arrival of his five greedy children, and Carmen (Paula Luchsinger is phenomenal), a sweet and sly nun disguised as an accountant and secretly assigned to exorcise him from evil. Unexpectedly, in love, the weak count just needs fresh blood (or a human heart smoothie) from young people to rejuvenate. He no longer wants to die.

Equipped with daring shots, classical arias, religious chants, and a fair dose of madness, the ultra-hype El Conde is delirious and violent. It’s carried out with audacity and virtuosity, showcasing the filmmaker’s mastery of his art. The film is far from making a fully formed organic statement, but that wasn’t Larraín’s intention. Fearless of the result, he focused on satirizing with imagination and scathing black humor, metaphorically condemning the man while also providing entertaining.