Janet Planet (2024)

Direction: Annie Baker
Country: USA

The feature debut of filmmaker Annie Baker, Janet Planet, is an absorbing drama that deserves your attention. Set in rural Massachusetts in 1991, the film poignantly captures the emotional complexities and uncertainty of a volatile single mother (Julianne Nicholson), who works as an acupuncturist, and her lonely, highly dependent 11-year-old daughter (Zoe Ziegler). Their lives are momentarily altered by the arrival of three different people, leading to a story that is both patiently observant and ultimately caustic. The film provides an unnervingly naturalistic look at a teen's life, anchored by convincing central performances, with the potent chemistry between the mother and daughter being crucial to the film’s success.

Janet Planet earns its dramatic moments through strong writing, unexpected outcomes, and a nice restraint. The film effectively contrasts the maturity found in some of the conversations between mother and daughter with the imbalance of some of the mother’s choices. Despite being presented in an unhurried, episodic manner, the nearly two-hour runtime never feels sluggish. The screenplay's subtlety and quality stand out, maintaining a steady yet delightfully quirky tone throughout. 

It’s safe to say that Baker has a promising career as a filmmaker and storyteller ahead of her, as all the elements are assembled with prudent sincerity, building a story that is both touching and deeply affecting. Janet Planet is a rare gem, so earnest in its approach that it resonates with a poignant, almost painful, honesty.

The Monk and the Gun (2024)

Direction: Pawo Choyning Dorji
Country: Bhutan / other

From Pawo Choyning Dorji, the Bhutanese director of Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom (2019), comes The Monk and the Gun, a light comedy-drama set against the backdrop of Bhutan's first democratic election. This formerly isolated monarchic country, now encountering the internet and TV for the first time, serves as the setting for a story that piques our curiosity from the start. 

Written by Dorji, the story pikes our curiosity about the intention of the village’s lama who, during his meditation retreat, asks his assistant monk (Tandin Wangchuk) to bring him two guns for a mysterious ceremony scheduled for the election day. As the debate between modernizing or maintaining traditions creates friction among villagers and disruption in families, an American gun collector (Harry Einhorn) arrives in town to buy a rare old rifle, with the local Benji (Tandin Sonam) acting as the mediator. 

Whether seen it as an original moral tale or a modern fable, this well-tempered and didactic film remains engaging despite minor plot quibbles and occasional pacing issues. Painted with tenderness and a subtle yet delightful humor, this canvas also serves as an ode to Bhutan’s sublime landscape, celebrating pacifism and tolerance with inspiring simplicity and spiritual appeal.

The film’s peaceful, idyllic tones underscore its message of compassion and peace triumphing over suffering, hatred, and aggression. The Monk and the Gun offers a relaxing and deeply felt portrait of the Bhutanese people, with its educational value standing out as invaluable. Dorji’s perspective is bracing, and his film a serene experience.

There's Still Tomorrow (2024)

Direction: Paola Cortellesi
Country: Italy

Paola Cortellesi, widely recognized in Italy as a TV presenter and comedian, as well as for her diverse roles in film, television, and theatre, makes a powerful directorial debut with There’s Still Tomorrow. This black-and-white feminist manifesto, which she co-wrote and stars in, is a bold political comedy-drama that confronts patriarchy head-on. It channels the spirit of classic Italian cinema, evoking the pink neorealism of directors like Luigi Comencini and Dino Risi, all while overflowing with style and determination. 

Set in the 1940s, the film strikes a delicate balance between laughs and tears as it follows the challenging life of Delia (Cortellesi), a hardworking woman who endures daily physical abuse at the hands of her obnoxious war veteran husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea). Instead of voicing her suffering, Delia chooses to silently endure the pain and quietly save money, all while plotting her own form of resistance. 

Infused with a quiet yet righteous anger, the film is caricatural in many ways, disguising the scenes of brutality with romantic songs and dancing moves. It even facilitaties a bit here and there in terms of plot, but remains compelling, vivid, and intoxicating. With its strong visuals and a crucial message of resilience and hope, this film holds nothing back—and what’s not to love about that?

Cortellesi shines, addressing the sensitive topic of domestic violence with tact and a deliberate avoidance of melodrama, opting instead for a slightly offbeat tone that is further enhanced by the film's anachronistic soundtrack. The surprising ending takes viewers to a completely different direction, and I was amazed how much I started to care about the main character. There’s Still Tomorrow drives home a narrative that is both deeply engaging and impactful, successfully resonating with audiences while delivering a powerful message of women’s emancipation.

Ghostlight (2024)

Direction: Alex Thompson, Kelly O'Sullivan 
Country: USA

Ghostlight, set in Chicago, is an intimate drama that delves into themes of family, loss, art, and healing. Directed by Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan, the film stars Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, and Tara Mallen — a real-life father, daughter, and mother trio who portray the same familial roles in this fictional account.

Dan (Keith Kupferer), a stressed out construction worker, finds himself reluctantly drawn into a local theater company by middle-aged actress Rita (Dolly de Leon). The group is rehearsing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy that stirs painful memories of Dan’s own personal loss. Yet, the chance to escape into another character's life might be exactly what he needs to begin healing. 

The film manages to sustain tension, though it occasionally undercuts itself by resolving conflicts too swiftly. Without trivializing the emotions involved, the filmmakers craft a poetic melodrama that doesn’t strive for perfection but rather for honesty, offering moments of piercing observation. The scope of the plot actually widens with the theatric representation, an emotional expression that further fuels the narrative. 

Ghostlight confronts viewers with a keen understanding of the cracks that emerge in people over time as they wrestle with grief and the mysteries of life. The movie denotes a bit of formula and calculation as the directors put out a play for us — so, if you’re looking to be wowed, this may not do the trick. With that said, I still believe it’s worth checking out just for its newfound parallels and poignant exploration of human emotions.

Touch (2024)

Direction: Baltasar Kormakur 
Country: Iceland / UK 

The work of Icelandic writer-director Baltasar Kormakur has been consistently satisfying, with 101 Reykjavik (2000), Jar City (2006), and The Deep (2012) among his notable films. His latest effort, Touch, is a serious, affecting, and ultimately surprising drama that rewards viewers with some unexpected twists.

The plot follows Kristofer (Egill Ólafsson), an aging Icelandic restaurant owner who lives alone, grappling with the gradual loss of motor skills and tricky mind. Advised by his doctor to take care of any unresolved issues while he still can, he decides to travel to London - where he studied and worked 51 years ago - and then to Hiroshima during the unsettling times of the pandemic. He’s tries to reconnect with the love of his life, Miko (Yoko Narahashi). 

Cleanly directed and credibly acted, Touch succeeds through its idiosyncratic focus on character and relationships. The film is structured with numerous flashbacks that illuminate the urgency behind certain decisions, in a manifestation of how a particular stage of life requires you to come back to your deepest emotions. Based on Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s 2022 novel of the same name, the story doesn’t offer anything breathtaking and occasionally meanders with some lengthening detours. However, it's told with a quiet intensity, featuring elegant staging and culminating in a heartfelt conclusion. 

Touch might be easily overlooked, but it remains a light watch, a candid representation of a profound love. It’s a pleasant surprise for fans of the genre.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Direction: Shawn Levy
Country: USA

Deadpool & Wolverine, a Marvel misfire directed by the uninspired Canadian filmmaker Shawn Levy (Free Guy, 2021; The Adam Project, 2022), falls flat despite the return of fan-favorite antihero Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds, who also co-wrote and co-produced) as Deadpool. This time, he asks for the help of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save his universe from extinction. These volatile superheroes can go from fighting each other until unconscious to forming a powerful alliance within minutes. 

Everything about the movie is extreme as it takes an ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ approach, attacking from all sides in every department with an ‘I-don’t-give-a-damn’ posture. It even borrows from Mad Max while relying heavily on multiverse chaos and an eclectic array of Marvel characters. The result is an eccentric, flimsy parody with ferocious, often self-referential dialogue that mocks the film industry and other Marvel figures. However, the screenplay quickly gets bogged down in eye-rolling contrivances. 

While the ridiculousness occasionally lands some laughs — thanks largely to Deadpool's irreverent charm — the movie's attempts at subversion can't mask its numerous plot incoherences. The narrative feels half-baked, dragging along in a bloated mess of confused and conflicted scenes. Ultimately, Deadpool & Wolverine offers nothing new, with Levy seemingly content to toss these characters together and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the result is a muddled and forgettable entry in the Marvel franchise.

Terrestrial Verses (2024)

Direction: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
Country: Iran

Terrestrial Verses, a directorial collaboration between the multi-awarded Ali Asgari and Canada-based Iranian-American filmmaker Alireza Khatami, shares several thematic strings with Abbas Kiarostami’s 2002 docufiction Ten. However, while Kiarostami’s work was centered only on women, this project includes men, presenting a series of nine vignettes that expose injustice, absurdities, and intolerable abuse of power. Shot in seven days and produced by the directors at their own expense, the film captures the essence of an oppressive system through the experiences of nine ordinary citizens of Tehran interviewed by authorities.

Among the most compelling stories are a confrontational teenager punished at school for arriving with her motorcyclist boyfriend, a young woman seemingly caught driving without hijab, two shameful job interviews (one laying bare sexism and the other religion-based discrimination), and a desperate filmmaker whose work, based on true events, is censored from start to finish. It’s a fine blend of realism, cynicism, and humor.

Following conceptual simplicity, Terrestrial Verses is minimalist in its visuals but cathartic in its dialogue. This pain-filled satire does so many things, all of them well. Opting for explicit directness, it forces the viewer to look straight into the eyes of victims of a controlling and toxic Iranian society marred by austere religious and political principles that serve only those in power. Films like these are important, denouncing oppression in the hopes of achieving freedom, in a relentlessly clever middle finger to baseless censorship. Although fictionalized, this accessible and defiant film offers enlightening insights into contemporary Iran.

The Devil's Bath (2024)

Direction: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Country: Austria / Germany

The Devil’s Bath, a period psycho-horror film set in upper Austria in 1750, is a gripping exploration of marital terror, depression, and religious fanaticism. Directed by the filmmaking duo of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the film quietly and steadily builds depth, drawing inspiration from Kathy Stuart’s research: Suicide by Proxy in Early Modern Germany: Crime, Sin and Salvation (2023), as well as criminal trial records for Agnes Catherina Schickin (Germany, 1704) and Eva Lizlfellnerin (Austria, 1761-62). Co-produced by Ulrich Seidl (Rimini, 2022; Paradise Trilogy), the film stars Anja Plaschg in the leading role, an experimental musician that also composed the music score.

The story follows Agnes (Plaschg), from her wedding day to her demise. The narrative is subtle and gradual, with the directors prioritizing the human drama above horror-film gimmickry. They’ve crafted a harrowing, austere story that, once you know the tragic twist, morphs into a somber study of depressed, suicidal women in the 18th-century Central Europe.

The low-key, handsomely photographed production drips with atmosphere, and we know there are competent hands behind the camera and just enough mystery to keep the audience guessing. Plaschg’s performance perfectly fits the demands of a film that resonates through its dark ambiance and creepy conclusion.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Direction: Michael Sarnoski
Country: USA

A Quiet Place: Day One, the third installment in the A Quiet Place film series, is a patchy and uninspired apocalyptic horror film that functions as both a prequel and a spin-off. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig, 2021), the film fails to surpass the intrigue of the two previous films directed by John Krasinski.

This early chapter follows the journey of two survivors in a silenced New York: Samira (Lupita Nyong'o), a courageous, terminally ill woman craving pizza, and Eric (Joseph Quinn), a terrified British law student who never takes off his tie. Amidst the chaos, the real hero turns out to be Samira’s intelligent and surprisingly quiet cat.

Overall, the film offers too little and nothing new, with Sarnoski overly confident that style can substitute for substance. For the most part, the film is just a tired tread through the usual elements. It is well-produced, acceptably performed, and features decent special effects packing in some impressive dystopian imagery. However, we’ve seen it all before. There’s no reason to stay invested in something so uninventive. A Quiet Place: Day One is nothing but a dull apocalyptic routine that doesn’t pay off.

Twisters (2024)

Direction: Lee Isaac Chung
Country: USA 

Twisters, a belated standalone relative to Jan de Bont's Twister (1996), fails to captivate. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Munyurangabo, 2007; Minari, 2020) from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, 2015), based on a story by Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, 2013; Top Gun Maverick, 2022), the movie sorely lacks a sense of reality and fails to evoke deep emotion during the dramatic, life-threatening situations depicted.

The story pairs Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a former storm chaser haunted by a deadly tornado incident from her college years, with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a boastful social media celebrity who thrives on posting his tornado-defying adventures. What could have been a thrilling, eyeball-popping natural disaster flick, instead devolves into a cheesy romance between uninteresting characters. Viewers won't find anything new here to sink their teeth into, not even those who are big fans of the genre.

After giving us the soulful Minari, one of the standout dramas of 2020, Chung shifts from distinctive to banal with a blockbuster marred by emotionless narrative and repetitive action. The occasional powerful images are incapable of balancing the whirlwind of tediousness felt from start to finish. It’s true that Chung replaced Kosinski in the director’s chair at short notice, but that shouldn’t excuse such a debilitated outcome. Both Edgar-Jones and Powell delivered unremarkable performances.

We Grown Now (2024)

Direction: Minhal Baig
Country: USA 

Minhal Baig (Hala, 2019) wrote, directed and co-produced her third feature, We Grown Now, a poignant coming-of-age drama about two inseparable best friends who discover the joys and hardships of living in Cabrini-Green, a public housing complex in Chicago. 

The year is 1992, and Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) are sometimes short on food. The former lives with his single mother (Jurnee Smollett), his grandmother (S. Epatha Merkerson) - whose roots are in Tupelo, Mississippi - and a sister, while the latter lives with his widowed father and an older sister. The escalating violence in the neighborhood allows the police to enter their houses in the middle of the night without a warrant, searching for drugs and gang members. Things between Malik and Eric momentarily change when the former’s mother considers applying for a new job and moving to another city.

The meaning of home and social change are deeply embedded in this story, with the director blending tenderness and cruelty in a disillusioned atmosphere softened by true friendship and routine. Placed under the sign of adolescence with heartfelt intentions, the film also reconnects with the theme of holding onto one's origins, capturing the urgency of moving toward better conditions and the yearning for what is left behind.

Baig shoots each scene with ardent attention, projecting a strange mix of innocence and awareness. Her assured direction ensures realism, bolstered by the young actors, who hold the stage with truthfulness.

Longlegs (2024)

Direction: Oz Perkins
Country: USA

Written and directed by Oz Perkins, the elder son of late actor Anthony Perkins, famous for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), Longlegs is a dry horror thriller tinged with occult malignancy that, despite its enticing premise, doesn’t hold up in the end. The film stars Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, who also produced.

The plot centers on the sleepless, cold, and often absent-minded FBI agent Lee Harkin (Monroe), the only person who seems capable of solving a series of massacres involving entire families as she’s gifted with psychic abilities. The perpetrator, known as Longlegs (Cage), is a satan worshiper who likes to leave coded messages based on complex algorithms next to the victims. What is more intriguing about him is that there are never any signs of forced entry into the houses. 

Longlegs rings hollow, quickly melting as its banal plot is unveiled. It is a sluggish exercise in horror that stands on its feet in its first half, just to nose-diving into the abyss in the second. The gloomy side of things is there, but thrills don’t abound, and it’s all too predictable toward a bland ending deliberately left open for a possible sequel. While Monroe stands out for her credible introspective temperament, Cage, looking like a cross between a decrepit heavy-metal legend and the Joker, delivers very few moments of creepiness. 

Films like Seven (1995) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) may come to mind, but Longlegs is miles away from them in many crucial aspects, including originality. It’s all surface psychodramatics, sporadically watchable yet mostly inert. Hence, quickly forgettable.

MaXXXine (2024)

Direction: Ti West
Country: USA 

Writer-director Ti West likes his films infused with blood and anger. Due to his successful past collaborations with actress Mia Goth in X (2022) and Pearl (2022), everyone was curious about the third installment in his X film series, MaXXXine, but the film fails to deliver, soon plummeting into ridiculousness and a mutilated sense of justice. 

Encouraged by her father from a young age, Maxine Minx (Goth) seeks fame in the movies, growing up with his advice in mind: “I will not accept a life I do not deserve”. At 33, after starring in porn films, Maxine finally has a chance to work in a real Hollywood film, The Puritan II, directed by the ruthless British director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). However, due to a dark past, she’s followed by a shady private detective (Kevin Bacon) and a couple of LAPD agents. The events take place in 1985, when The Night Stalker, the satanic serial killer who murdered at least 14 people, is still at large on the dark streets of LA. 

Buckling under the weight of trying to subvert expectations, MaXXXine ends up being a muddled, trashy piece of madness whose narrative jolts rather than compels. It is a gory B-movie with no style or rhythm, plagued by a lamentable script populated by obnoxious characters and terrible dialogue. This silly satire tries to sell a murderous psycho with a conscience for justice, but anyone jonesing for clever plots should look elsewhere as the last part of West’s trilogy is a significant letdown. Skip it.

Thelma (2024)

Direction: Josh Margolin
Country: USA 

Thelma is the first feature film by Josh Margolin, who drew inspiration from the real-life experience of his own grandmother, now 103. Gorgeous to watch, the film alternates belly laughs, dramatic considerations, and startling occurrences, following the improbable adventures of the title character - compellingly portrayed by June Squibb. 

Thelma is a 93-year-old fascinated by computers who falls victim to a phone scam, losing $10k. Realizing that most of her friends are gone, Thelma turns to Ben (Richard Roundtree in his final role), who lives in a nursing home, and to her geeky but over-controlled grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger). The narrative unpacks with a refreshing, feel-good vibe, spreading an infectious charm that outweighs some of the predictability around the edges.

Thelma is smoothly crafted entertainment, never grounded in pain despite the sad reality that getting old sucks. A funny ride made with precision and verve, this senior-focused comedy uses veteran actors to bring out the joys of a rowdy journey evoking the old times. Margolin is often successful in eliminating the too-sweet taste of sentimentality, favoring laughter instead. He summons Squibb and Roundtree to do the job, and they deliver with graceful charisma. 

Tune out the hype for countless other comedies as this one is delivered with poise and understatement, most refreshing qualities in a genre that often bombards viewers with forcible and imbecilic situations.

The Bikeriders (2024)

Direction: Jeff Nichols
Country: USA 

Jeff Nichols (Mud, 2012; Take Shelter, 2011; Loving, 2016), who has retained his exceptional talent both as a director and storyteller, gathers a formidable cast for his new film, The Bikeriders, a crime drama inspired by the 1967 photo book of the same name by Danny Lyon. The latter accompanied a group of bikers, The Vandals from Chicago, from the mid-sixties to the early seventies. 

Playing central roles, we have Jodie Comers, who absolutely marvels here, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy. They are competently supported by Michael Shannon (in his sixth collaboration with Nichols), Mike Faist as the photographer and interviewer, and Damon Herriman. The well-imagined plot follows the members of a motorcycle club that gradually turns into a violent gang of thugs, signaling a significant change in times. 

The Bikeriders desperately wants to say something about a lost America, a golden era that is gone forever. It leads to a lacerating conclusion but refuses to abandon the ray of hope that keeps things moving forward. Shot with a retro look and posing like an old classic, the film draws inspiration from works such as Easy Rider (1969) and The Wild One (1953). 

With a sparkling bright first part contrasting with a darker second, the film never feels manipulative, following a narrative path that is thoroughly engaging. Depicted with a certain nostalgia, this is a furiously lucid slice of American cinema, intelligently constructed and handsomely executed. Don’t hesitate to hit the road with these nervy fellas.

Babes (2024)

Direction: Pamela Adlon
Country: USA

Actress turned director Pamela Adlon makes her directorial feature debut with Babes, a quintessential New York comedy centered on motherhood and female friendship. While not a revolutionary tale, the film draws its strengths from fine performances, side steps, juicy details, and broken of taboos.

The story follows Eden (Ilana Glazer), who unexpectedly becomes pregnant after a one-night-stand, and her long-time best friend, Dawn (Michelle Buteau), who is married and has just had her second child. Tensions between the nearly inseparable pair escalate to a frantic boil, exacerbated by the emotional fluctuations and frustrations of being a mom. 

Though the catalogue of family troubles and various conflicts is familiar, the film is humanely observed and profuse on witty banter. The dialogue is fast and pungent, and the pacing is suave, all delivered with a good heart. Even the most clichéd moments can feel emotionally true in this lighthearted film, which, despite its faults, tries to march to a different drum than the most of Hollywood comedies.

Babes might not be as funny as some have claimed, but focuses on how these two friends rely on each other and grow through life's blessings and adversities. It’s an entertaining film aimed at adults.

Sisi & I (2024)

Direction: Frauke Finsterwalder
Country: Germany / Austria / Switzerland 

The fourth feature by German director Frauke Finsterwalder, Sisi & I, is a work of fiction inspired by historical reality. Co-written by Finsterwalder and Swiss author Christian Kracht, the film centers on the relationship between Empress Elizabeth of Austria, a.k.a. Sisi, and her last lady-in-waiting, the Hungarian Countess Irma Sztáray. 

Late in the 19th century, Irma (Sandra Huller) travels to the Greek island of Corfu to serve the reclusive, sometimes jubilant, sometimes moody, but often manipulative Empress (Susanne Wolff), overwhelmed by the demands of her duties. Desperate to avoid returning to court, Sisi’s constant fight against boredom is eased with cocaine elixirs, the occasional visits of her free-spirited friend, the Archduke Ludwig Viktor (Georg Friedrich), and her special bond with Irma. Yet, intense depression soon interferes with her leisure life.

Not as dynamic and provocative as Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage (2022), which explores similar territory, Sisi & I strikes a balance between the classic and the modern, especially through the sets and the anachronistic soundtrack - the charm of Portishead’s trip-hop gem “Glory Box” inundating the opening scene is undeniable. 

In her unflashy version, Finsterwalder chooses a common route, staging the story in her own terms and bringing some curious details into the fold. She makes a gracious, if occasionally tedious, effort to portray two frustrated women, modern for their time, who find refuge in a singular friendship. Despite its unevenness and tonal fluctuations, the film unpacks a feminist manifesto on power, sexuality, independence, allegiance, and sometimes cruelty. The sharp cinematography by Thomas W. Kiennast and the costume design by Tanja Hausner are assets, but the well-groomed film itself is a minor vehicle to deliver Huller's sober but firm performance. 

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Direction: Rose Glass
Country: USA

Directed by Rose Glass, the director of the critically acclaimed Saint Maude (2019), Love Lies Bleeding is a muscular and psychologically probing feminist thriller with a 1980s look and neo-noir moods inspired by films like The Wrestler (2008), Bound (1996), and Crash (1996). Working from a script she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska, Glass manages to achieve a fulfilling narrative arc anchored by surprisingly complex performances and a surreal tinge that works both for and against the film.

This is the type of cynical crime entanglement where everyone is implicated in some sort of scheme. It is centered on the ardent lesbian romance between a lonely gym manager, Lou (Kristen Stewart), and a promising bodybuilder, Jackie (Katy O'Brian). Love conquers all, but the atmosphere in town is heavy, potentiated by vindictive characters with destructive emotions and actions that often lead to violence and death. 

The film’s primal instincts are nihilistic and brooding, but it’s not short of ideas. The finely honed script plays like a greasy bucket-load of uninhibited dirtiness through its rougher patches, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Stewart and O’Brien have a palpable chemistry, while Ed Harris is phenomenal as Lou’s creepy father, an arms dealer with influential connections to the local police.

Glass’ sophomore picture is not as masterfully visceral as Saint Maude, but the rising filmmaker reveals herself as a gifted portrayer of emotional intimacies and wrenching acts of violence.

Problemista (2024)

Direction: Julio Torres
Country: USA

Problemista is the directorial feature debut by Salvadoran-American Julio Torres, who embraces fantasy to tell the story of Alejandro, an aspiring toy maker from El Salvador who struggles to keep working and living in New York. Torres himself portrays the main character.

After losing his job as an archivist for FreezeCorp - a company specialized in freezing terminally ill humans to be awakened at some point in the future - Alejandro desperately finds a new sponsor for his work Visa and easy gigs on Craigslist to stay afloat. The solution is Elizabeth (a red-haired Tilda Swinton in top form), a neurotic, washed-up art critic whose painter husband (the rapper RZA) has been frozen.

The film flows stonily, with an offbeat vibe that often seduces, yet the wittiness is not a constant, working intermittently. The film is stronger on the dramatic side, with its best moments tapping into a sadness and disappointment with the world that most people will relate to. Swinton’s unbeatable delirium is a perfect foil for Torres’ apathetic confidence in a well-acted surrealist comedy whose main strength is the mood. 

Problemista is only partially satisfying and easy to overlook, but hope is its last word - even if it means achieving things forcibly - and some aspects addressed are so true that they stay with you. It surely could have been better, but this is still a positive debut for Torres, who hired Isabella Rossellini as the film’s narrator.

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (2024)

Direction: Radu Jude
Country: Romania 

After the polemic and somewhat superfluous Loony Porn (2021), the incredibly talented Romanian writer-director Radu Jude continues to claim a spot at the peak of contemporary cinema with Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, another love-it-or-hate-it endeavor that places an independent young woman under relentless observation in a radically changing Bucharest. 

Ilinca Manolache plays Angela Raducanu, an exhausted and underpaid production assistant working for an Austrian company that exploits workers and has a reputation for destroying Romanian forests for profit. Overworking to the point of risking falling asleep at the wheel, she navigates the chaotic Bucharest traffic - often filled with macho drivers - to interview handicapped people for a devious TV show. With no time for herself, she finds solace in posting provocative TikTok videos where she impersonates a man with moronic behavior and lousy ideas. Two key moments of the film include a frank conversation with her boss, Doris Goethe (Christian Petzold’s muse Nina Hoss), and an encounter with the wishy-washy German filmmaker Uwe Boll (himself).

Using footage, the film creates a link with Angela Merge Mai Departe, a 1981 feminist Romanian feature directed by Lucian Bratu, centered on a female taxi driver under the communist dictatorship. This raffish and pertinent divertissement brings a lot of truths to light, touching on themes such as neoliberal capitalism, sexism, corruption, exploitation, resignation, and impunity in a tortured urban society that simply has no time to enjoy life.

Jude evokes the social realism of Jim Jarmusch and Jean-Luc Godard - creative in form, tenacious in the storytelling - and infuses a caustic humor that, cutting sharper than a knife, is often quite delicious. More jarring than sweet, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World is an eye opener for our hectic times. A must-watch.