Festivals

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL: see ’em here first

by
Photo caption: John Tuturro in THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, Courtesy of Mill Valley Film Festival.

The Mill Valley Film Festival is always the best opportunity for Bay Area film goers to catch an early look at the Big Movies – the prestige films that will be released during Award Season. MVFF49 begins on October 1 and runs through October 11. Today I’m revealing my choice for the under-the-radar Must See at the festival. But first, let’s look at the most likely audience-pleasers:

  • Wild Horse Nine: The opening night film from director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) unleashes John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents on Easter Island before Chile’s 1973 Pinochet coup. Just for good measure, the cast includes Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey and Tom Waits.
  • I Play Rocky: The most Rocky of real life Rocky stories – unknown actor Sylvester Stallone refuses to sell his sure-fire winner of a screenplay unless he is cast in the lead role. From director Peter Farrely (Green Book).
  • Paper Tiger: James Gray, who single-handedly revived the historical adventure epic with The Lost City of Z, delivers a crime thriller with Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, Premiered at Cannes.
  • Ink: Jack O.Connell plays Larry Lamb, the editor whose trashy sensationalism made Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) the titan of tabloids. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later) critiques both Murdoch and Britain’s posh snoots.

And, now, let’s go high-brow. MVFF49 has assembled an astonishing showcase of films by the world’s greatest directors.

  • Fjord: Let’s start with the Palm d’Or winner at Cannes.  With a family’s unity at risk, cultures clash in this psychological drama from Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu (4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). Romania’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
  • All of a Sudden:   Another intimate drama from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)  Premiered at Cannes. Japan’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
  • Minotaur:   From exiled Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, Leviathan). Premiered at Cannes. France’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
  • Bitter Christmas: Pedro Almodovar explores the ethics of turning someone else’s life into art. Played at Cannes.
  • Tender Loving Care: Sure to be another piercing glimpse into human behavior by British cinema icon Mike Leigh (Naked, Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year).
  • Fatherland   Pawel Pawlikowski (the Oscar-winning Ida) takes on Thomas Mann’s return to a post-war Berlin. Sandra Huller stars. Premiered at Cannes. Poland’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
  • Look Back  The latest from Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters, Broker).
Suzanne Gerin in LA GRADIVA. Courtesy of MVFF.

And here are two acclaimed films from emerging directors:

  • La Bola Negra:  This exploration of gay identity over the decades from the Spanish filmmaking partners Los Javis just won the People’s Choice Award at Toronto. Premiered at Cannes and purchased by Neyflix. Spain’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
  • La Gradiva: The directorial debut from cinematographer Marine Atlan follows a French high class on a trip to Naples and Pompeii. Hormones rage, and so does teen angst, as Atlan guides her non-professional cast to the emotionally powerful ending.  I’ve screened it, and every moment is authentic. Premiered at Cannes.

But don’t overlook one of the best films of 2026 – The Only Living Pickpocket in new York with its gripping, perhaps career-topping, performance by John Tuturro. In his third feature, writer-director Noah Segan, a prolific actor and protege of Rian Johnson, has created a portrait of a man who has evaded all of life’s responsibilities except one, and now finds himself desperate, not for survival, but for redemption. The performances by Tuturro and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, She-Hulk in the Marvel Universe) are award-worthy, and the cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Steve Buscemi, Will Price, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Don’t miss this one.

And there’s more, including films from Ron Howard and Barbara Kopple, movies starring Helen Mirren, Juliette Binoche, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, a personal appearance by Lea Seydoux and a Nigerian version of Mrs. Dalloway. Peruse the MVFF49 program. Here’s the festival trailer.

Best Bets at the Nashville Film Festival

by
Arabella Oz in MALLORY’S GHOST. Courtesy pf Nashville Film Festival.

The Nashville Film Festival opens this Thursday, September 24, and runs through September 30 with its mix of indies, docs and international cinema, including world and North American premieres. I’ve highlighted the highest profile festival events, including Peter Frampton’s personal appearance in my Nashville Film Festival preview.

Today, I’m looking at the program, and, as usual, focusing on the first films of emerging directors. I’ve screened most of the New Director Features, and I’m recommending one as a Must See.

  • Mallory’s Ghost: In her screenwriting and directorial debut, Arabella Oz herself plays Mallory, an attractive and talented woman with a self-confidence deficit. Her boyfriend is a self-absorbed playwright, who seeks to disrupt his writer’s block by taking Mallory for a week at his mentor’s Maine retreat. An isolated, spooky mansion in the woods is a perfect setting for a conventional ghost story, but that’s not where Oz takes us – not exactly. When she learns that the boyfriend had co-written plays there before with his ex-girlfriend, Mallory becomes fixated on the ex and becomes consumed by a jealous competition that she is sure she’s losing. Oz is both filmmaker and psychotherapist, and her clever, even ingenious, screenplay embeds a film of self-discovery into a singular and highly original ghost story. I sure didn’t anticipate where the second and third acts were going. Nominated for a jury prize at SXSW, Mallory’s Ghost is an impressive and absorbing film.
Anthony Ippolito in I PLAY ROCKY. Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios and Nashville Film Festival.

This year’s Nashville Film Festival program is most appetizing. I haven’t seen these five movies yet, but they look most promising.

  • I Play Rocky: Director Peter Farrely’s telling of the most Rocky of Rocky stories – of screenwriter Sylvester Stallone refusing to sell his sure-fire winner of a script unless he could play the lead.
  • The Incomer: A bewildered bureaucrat (Domhnall Gleeson) drops into an isolated and unwelcoming Scottish island; this fable won an award at this year’s Sundance.
  • The Liberation: Based on a true story, this drama is making a big impact on the festival circuit, including Toronto, Telluride and Deauville, Carrie Coon leads a great cast of Lily James, Bella Ramsey and Tracey Letts. Set for release in early January, see it now at Nashville Film Festival.
  • Tender Loving Care: Sure to be another piercing glimpse into human behavior by British cinema icon Mike Leigh (Naked, Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year).

All in all, this year’s Nashville Film Festival presents 150 films from 25+ countries. Peruse the program and get tickets. Here’s the trailer for The Incomer.

Previewing the Nashville Film Festival

by
Peter Frampton in FRAMPTON. Courtesy of NashFilm.

The always exquisitely curated Nashville Film Festival opens on Thursday, September 24 and runs through September 30 with a diverse menu of cinema. The Nashville Film Festival is the oldest running film festival in the South (this is the 57th!) and is an Academy Award qualifying festival. The program includes a mix of indies, docs and international cinema, including world and North American premieres.

The most high profile events at NashFilm will be:

  • Frampton: The festival opens with this profile of the iconic rock guitarist readying his final tour. Peter Frampton himself will appear personally.
  • A Talent for Murder: Anton Corbijn’s latest thriller, starring Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Cooke.
  • Tender Loving Care: On the fest’s final night, the latest from venerated auteur Mike Leigh.
  • The Incomer: This comedy starring Domhnall Gleeson was a hit at this year’s Sundance.
  • world premieres of Jackrabbit, Brother, Save Us and 23 other films.
  • Not high profile, but really intriguing – there’s even a program of Kurdish shorts.
Helen Mirren in A TALENT FOR MURDER. Courtesy of NashFilm.

The Nashville Film Festival embraces its home in Music City with a strong program of music films. This year, NashFilm will present Songs from the Circle, a Grand Old Opry concert in London, and the singer-songwriter profile Sara Bareilles: Good Grief.

My favorite element of most NashFilm fests is the discovery of new auteurs with their ballyhooed first films. This year’s slate includes these first films:

  • Compliance: Kyle Mangione-Smith wrote, directed, produced and edited his first narrative feature.
  • Crystal Cross: Director Richie James Follin costars and already has a few wins on the filmfest circuit.
  • Mallory’s Ghost: Arabella Oz also stars in her directorial debut, nominated for a jury prize at SXSW.
  • Seahorse: Canadian actress Aisha Evelyna’s fist feature as a director was in the narrative competition at SXSW.
  • Sparks: Fegrus Campbell’s offbeat first feature has already racked up one festival win.

All in all, this year’s NashFilm presents 150 films from 25+ countries. Peruse the program and get tickets. I’ll be publishing my festival recommendations on September 22. Here’s the fest trailer.

Under the Radar at SFJFF

by
Photo caption: Neta Riskin in NANDAURI, Courtesy of SFJFF.

One of the Bay Area’s top cinema events is back – the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), running from July 16 to August 2. The program offers 65 films from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Palestine, Qatar, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Here’s my festival preview.

Don’t miss these three films, especially two directorial debuts – one from from Georgia and and the other a low budget US indie. Hollywood Does Abortion, is a festival center[piece, so it isn’t exactly under the radar, but I wouldn’t want anyone to overlook this eyeopening documentary. Here are my recommendations from this year’s program:

  • Nandauri: In this simmering drama, Marina (Neta Riskin) is an Israeli lawyer who returns to her native Georgia on a mission to retrieve a child. Her client is also a Georgian emigre who, as a teen, abandoned her son, now 11-years-old, to be brought up by her brother; her situation now stabilized, she wants the son back. Marina must travel to rural northern Georgia, finagle the paperwork from the Georgian bureaucracy and persuade the brother to cooperate. That’s not going to be easy because the brother, Dato (Roland Okrapiridze) has sacrificed his own life to shoulder all the responsibilities for raising his nephew and caring for his elderly parents – and Dato is resentful. But Marina is a determined and resourceful badass, who has no patience for the sexism of traditional Georgians, especially arranged marriages, and she resolutely deals with men only on on her terms. Neta Riskin is brilliant as Marina, who is in a constant state of critical observation and is fierce when she needs to be. This is the first feature for Israeli writer-director Eti Tsicko; she uses a static camera in an uninterrupted nine-and-a-half minute shot that is a masterpiece of sexual tension. Nandauri was nominated for nine Ophir awards (the Israeli Oscar), including for best picture, director, screenplay and actress. Bay Area premiere.
  • Human Theories: This smart and sharply funny film is a compendium of snapshots of educated, thirtyish New Yorkers as they navigate regular life. In her debut feature, writer-director Jess Zeidman deploys a cast of fifty to create a 105-minute triumph of observational humor. Sketch comedy a la SNL tends to milk the joke, lingering too long, but Zeidman and editor Ryan Martin Brown time each vignette impeccably. West Coast premiere.
  • Hollywood Does Abortion: The political, legal and ethical aspects of abortion get plenty of attention, but this eyeopening documentary probes the impact of screen depictions of abortion upon the popular culture. We may think of the groundbreaking 1972 episode of Maude, but, this film documents movies and television shows since, finding that they disproportionately depict legal abortion as dangerous, traumatizing, shameful and even lethal. Extraordinarily well-sourced, Hollywood Does Abortion is surprisingly revealing and an essential addition to the public discourse. West Coast premiere.

The fest starts this week and runs through August 2. Check out the entire program and buy tickets at SFJFF.

A scene from Jess Zeidman’s HUMAN THEORIES. Courtesy of SFJFF.

The SFJFF Is Back in July

by
Photo caption: A scene from Moshe Rosenthal’s TELL ME EVERYTHING. Photo credit: Ziv Berkovich. Courtesy of SFJFF.

One of the Bay Area’s top cinema events is back – the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), running from July 16 to August 2. The SFJFF is the world’s oldest and largest Jewish film festival – this year’s festival is the 46th! The program offers 65 films from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Palestine, Qatar, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

After opening night at the Herbst Theatre, films will screen at the Castro Theatre (for the first time since 2022) , the Herbst, the Roxie, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and Landmark’s Piedmont.

Highlights include:

  • The lineup brings many notable premieres to the Bay Area, including 8 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres, 2 North American Premieres, 5 United States Premieres, and numerous West Coast, California, and Bay Area Premieres. Many, perhaps most, of the feature filmmakers are expected to attend.
  • Opening night with the California Premiere of Tell Me Everything, the second feature from Israeli director Moshe Rosenthal, fresh off its premiere at Sundance.
  • Centerpiece program with include US Premiere of Assaf Machnes’ Where To? with its mixed Israeli, Palestinian, and European cast and crew and a story set in Berlin.
  • Closing night with Paula Eiselt’s We Met at Grossinger’s about the iconic Catskills resort.
  • Nationally acclaimed actress and writer Rachel Bloom will appear to receive the Freedom of Expression Award.

Just before the fest, I’ll be publishing some recommendations. I’ve already screened a sample of the program, and I’ve seen some good ones. Check out the program and buy tickets at SFJFF.

Neta Riskin in NANDAURI, Courtesy of SFJFF.

Frameline Goes International

by
Photo caption: Eya Bouteraa and Marion Barbeau in IN A WHISPER. Courtesy of Frameline and Strand Releasing.

Frameline, the oldest and longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world, celebrates its FIFTIETH annual festival, opening this Wedesday and running through June 27. Frameline50 brings us festival award-winners from Cannes to the Berlinale, with over 140 films from 35 countries.

As in my Frameline coverage last year, I’ve focused on the international cinema in the program. The Frameline programmers have a gift for finding the promising films of new directors, such as last year’s Diciannove. Here are my recommendations, beginning with a Must See from Tunisia.

In the coming-out drama, In a Whisper, Lilia (Eya Bouteraa) is a Paris engineer who returns to her native Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral. Intending to come out to her family, she brings her French girlfriend Alice (Marion Barbeau), who is eager to meet and join Lilia’s family. Lilia plants Alice at a hotel until the time is right. But Lilia finds her family in turmoil, because the uncle has died in suspicious circumstances and the family is desperate to keep it a secret that he was a closeted gay man. Lilia and Alice launch their own investigation of the uncle’s death, that takes them from a gay-friendly nightclub in the city to a remote village. In her third film, writer-director Leyla Bouzid bases the story in her own home city of Sousse, and shows us a Tunisia where a legal ban on homosexuality is enforced by police and prosecutors. The attitudes of Lilia’s own family range from acceptance to unabashed homophobia and are split even within genders and generations. Will Lilia solve the mystery of the uncle’s death? Will she be able to cone out to her family? Can she maintain her relationship with Alice? Bouzid keeps us engrossed, right up to the emotionally powerful ending.

Joan Chen and Charlotte Aubin in MONTREAL, MY BEAUTIFUL. Courtesy of Frameline.

And here are three more Frameline tips:

  • Montreal, My Beautiful: Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant to Montreal who has invested her entire life in meeting other people’s needs at her expense. She and her professionally frustrated husband toil in their convenience market, and neither is finding success or fulfillment in the Canadian Dream, and the husband is increasingly unhappy. Feng Xia decides to explore her own queer sexual yearnings and meets Lisa (Charlotte Aubin) a younger Québécoise lesbian with her own family issues. Two forces – the duties manifest in traditional Chinese cultural values traditional and her own long-repressed need for self expression – are pulling her in opposite directions. As one would expect, Joan Chen’s performance as a woman whose emotions are roiling behind a contained countenance, is exquisite. Impressive second feature for writer-director Xiadan He.
  • La Belle Anee: Filmmaker Angelica Ruffier, at age 36, returns to her hometown to clean out her late father’s effects. She finds her own diary from twenty years before, which recounts her first crush, a profound fascination with her highly professional literature teacher, 23 years older. As Ruffier mulls over that year in her life, the beautiful year of the film’s title, the tone of La Belle Annee morphs from cinéma vérité to dreaminess. Then we’re back to cinéma vérité with a meeting between the two women, which is so emotionally charged that it’s dreamy, too,
  • Black Burns Fast: This queer coming-of-age story is embedded in a social satire. Two Black South African girls are scholarship students at an exclusive boarding school, where they employ humor to cope with the White Mean Girls and the cringe-worthy microaggressions (Your community must be proud of you) of the adults. An impressive new Black student shows up, triggering an infatuation. The tone of Black Burns Fast is sassy and breezy.

You can peruse the program and get passes and tickets at Frameline. Here’s the trailer for In a Whisper:

FRAMELINE Celebrates Its 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Cinema

by
Photo caption: Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson in TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA. Courtesy of Frameline and Mubi.

Frameline, the oldest and longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world, celebrates its FIFTIETH annual festival, beginning June 17 and running through June 27. Frameline50 brings us festival award-winners from Cannes to the Berlinale, with over 140 films from 35 countries.

This year, the festival returns after several years to San Francisco’s Castro Theatre for its biggest night. Other venues in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland include the Roxie Theater, the Vogue Theatre, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), and The New Parkway Theater.

I’m guessing that the hottest ticket will be for the fest’s closing night film: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, the latest from writer-director Jane Schoenbrun, following up their breakthrough hit I Saw the TV Glow. Highly acclaimed at its Cannes premiere last month, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is an affectionate homage to slasher filmmaking driven by queer sexual obsession, starring Emmy-winners Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) and Hannah Einbinder (Hacks). Schoenbrun and Einbinder will appear in person at the screening.

Other festival highlights will include:

  • Opening Night with D’Arcy Drollinger’s Lady Champagne, the Festival Centerpiece – Byrdie O’Connor’s Barbara Forever, and the Pride Kickoff Film, Jennifer M. Kroot’s Hunky Jesus, .
  • The newest sex comedy from pioneering queer filmmaker Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin), I Want Your Sex, starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza). 
  • Actor Colman Domingo will attend in person to receive an award.
  • As befitting a silver anniversary, Frameline50 will look back on films from its past half-century of programming:  Bound, All Over the Guy, Desert Hearts, Cruising, Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen, Paris Is Burning (now celebrating its 35th anniversary), Caravaggio, and the newly restored Macho Dancer.
Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon in BOUND. Courtesy of Frameline.

As in my Frameline coverage last year, I’ll be focusing on international cinema, especially directorial debuts. The Frameline programmers have a gift for finding the promising first films of new directors, such as last year’s Diciannove. In this year’s program, I’ve already focused on some promising films from South Africa, Tunisia, Brazil, Norway and French-speaking Canada. Just before the fest opens, I’ll be coming back with specific recommendations.

You can peruse the program and get passes and tickets at Frameline. Here’s the festival trailer.

Discoveries at the 2026 SFFILM Festival

by
Photo caption: Inci Cefa Cingoz in Pinar Yorgancioglu’s THOSE WHO WHISTLE AFTER DARK at the SFFILM Fesitval. Courtesy of SFFILM.

There are plenty of big movies and big stars at year’s San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM). Last week, I previewed the fest with Getting Ready for the 2026 SFFILM Festival. Don’t overlook these three lower profile films – movies like these are the reason we go to film festivals.

  • Those Who Whistle After Dark: Newly retired museum director Mehli (Mufit Kayacan) is just settling into his retirement, with nothing to do except to get the apartment of his late sister ready for sale. Meanwhile, his social climbing wife Suzan (Hulya Gulsen Irmak) a surgical nurse, is aching for even more social status. His daughter Toprak (Inci Cefa Cingoz), after a breakup, has dropped out of her PhD program to write a novel, but now spends her time on-line gaming with her ex. Mehli is unsettled when ghosts appear in the sister’s apartment, but his retirement is going to be rocked by the secret schemes of his living wife and daughter. In her first feature, writer-director Pinar Yorgancioglu, brilliantly uses the device of the ghosts to skewer family dysfunction and social competitiveness in Istanbul’s professional class.
  • Sender: In this absurdist psychological thriller, Julia (Emmy-winner Britt Lower of Severance) receives a daily avalanche of deliveries from a thinly disguised e-commerce giant. Trouble is, she hasn’t ordered them. And the products are incoherently random. The delivery guy (David Dastmalchian) offers help, but there’s something unsettling about him. Who is placing the orders and why? As the cardboard packaging piles up everywhere in her home, Julia’s slow burning paranoia becomes more intense. Not much is more banal in post-pandemic America than getting an Amazon delivery, but writer-director Russell Goldman, in his feature debut, has turned it into something ominous and laden with menace. Also features Rhea Seehorn and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Britt Lower in Russell Goldman’s SENDER at the SFFILM Festival. Courtesy of SFFILM.
  • Two Pianos: In the latest from French director Arnaud Desplechin (My Golden Days, Ismael’s Ghosts), concert pianist Matthias (three-time César nominee Francois Civil) returns to his hometown of Lyon after a decade abroad. Matthias is already in a mid-career malaise, but things get more complicated when he re-encounters his formidable mentor Elena (Charlotte Rampling) and his best friend’s wife Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz of Only the Animals, The Crime Is Mine). Matthias is further rocked when he sees that the ten-year-old son of Claude, who Matthias had dated, looks exactly like Matthias. A well-crafted melodrama ensues, one with unconventional turns.

And here is one that I haven’t yet seen yet, but I think it’s a pretty good bet. The closing night film will be Power Ballad, the latest from John Carney, writer-director of Once, Sing Street and Flora and Son. Those three Feel Good movies all feature penniless Dubliners who discover themselves by harnessing their songwriting talents. The premise of Power Ballad is that a wedding singer (Paul Rudd) finds himself in an all-night jam with a no-longer-popular boy band star (Nick Jonas). Afterwards the wash-out revives his career with a monster hit. Did he steal the song from the wedding singer? The story resembles a real-life controversy.

The menu at the 2026 SFFILM Festival includes 150 films from 40 countries. Peruse the program and buy tickets at SFFILM. Here’s the trailer for Power Ballad.

Best of the 2026 SLO Film Fest

by
Photo caption: Natasha Loring and Rob Mor in HOW TO DATE AGAIN, world premiere at the SLO Film Fest. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.

The 2026 SLO Film Fest opens on Thursday. I’ve screened over a dozen of the features, and here are three Must See indies:

  • How to Date Again: In this touching and funny romance, it’s been over a year since the death of his wife, and Michael (Rob Mor) is socially isolated, locked down by grief. His well-meaning dolt of a best friend gets him on a dating app, and after two very funny misses, he meets Leigh (Natasha Loring), whose tastes and sensibilities astonishingly dovetail with his. Michael, whose dating skills have become stale, awkwardly follows Leigh’s lead. A date morphs into an idyllic road trip to Morro Rock and the Madonna Inn. Haley Joel Osment is hilarious as an off-putting desk clerk, and will appear personally at the SLO Film Fest to receive an award. Sweet and poignant, this is an uncommonly truthful film. First feature for writer-director Matt Flanders, and the screenplay is very personal; (stick around for the closing credits). World premiere.
  • Adult Children: In this smart and insightful comedy, a couple is heading off on a European vacation just as the troubled adult son from the wife’s first marriage is wait-listed for a drug rehab bed. He needs supervision to prevent relapse, so his mom enlists his two sisters to fly in and babysit him. The couple’s 17-year-old daughter, twenty years younger than her half-siblings, opts out of the trip so she can finally get to know her brother and sisters. The three adult children fled the nest early after growing up free-ranging in the alcoholic chaos of their late father. The high-achieving, somewhat anxious, teen daughter comes from much more stable parenting. As the four settle in together, they find that maturity, direction and responsibility don’t automatically accompany chronological adulthood. It’s even revealed that the older daughters are posing as altruists to mask their own neediness. By turns funny and poignant, the story benefits from an excellent ensemble cast: Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), Thomas Sadowski (The Newsroom, Life in Pieces), Aya Cash (You’re the Worst) and Ella Rubin (Ani’s roommate/sister Vera in Anora). The real star here is the screenplay by seasoned actress Annika Marks; she is married to director Rich Newey, and this is their second narrative feature as a filmmaking team.
  • Sender: In this absurdist psychological thriller, Julia (Emmy-winner Britt Lower of Severance) receives a daily avalanche of deliveries from a thinly disguised e-commerce giant. Trouble is, she hasn’t ordered them. And the products are incoherently random. The delivery guy (David Dastmalchian) offers help, but there’s something unsettling about him. Who is placing the orders and why? As the cardboard packaging piles up everywhere in her home, Julia’s slow burning paranoia becomes more intense. Not much is more banal in post-pandemic America than getting an Amazon delivery, but writer-director Russell Goldman, in his feature debut, has turned it into something ominous and laden with menace. Also features Rhea Seehorn and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Britt Lower in SENDER. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.

Here are some more recommendations:

  • The Fisherman: You haven’t seen anything like this delightful comedy from Ghana. The aging fisherman Atta’s (Ricky Adelayitar) only aspiration is to finally reach the status of boat chief in his seaside village. Just when it looks like his dream is unjustly denied him, he gets the help of a sassy talking fish. Carrying around an emotional support fish that only he can hear, he gets the help of three young villagers and the crew heads off for the bustling modernity of big city Accra, where Atta is the fish out of water. Can they hustle the funds to purchase of Atta’s own fishing boat? Atta’s relationships with his longtime partner and his daughter are explored in this playful peek into both traditional and modern Ghanaian society. And there’s a talking fish.
  • This Tempting Madness: In this briskly-paced thriller, Mia (Simone Ashley of Bridgerton) emerges from a coma, and can’t remember the fall that caused her critical injuries. She learns that her husband has been jailed for trying to kill her, but she can’t accept that explanation. She embarks on an investigation to find out what really happened, and begins to unspool the mystery, uncovering ever darker discoveries. Inspired (surprisingly) by a true story. First feature for director and co-writer Jennifer E. Montgomery.
  • The Musical: In this dark comedy, Doug (Will Brill of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is an aspiring playwright, making ends meet as a middle school drama teacher. He and his girlfriend Abigail (Gillian Jacobs of Community), another teacher, are “taking a break”, and he’s oblivious to the clues that she intends for it to be permanent. Hoping that their relationship will resume, he’s stunned to learn that she’s now dating their smarmy boss (a deliciously repulsive Rob Lowe). Stewing in bitterness, Doug plots an epic revenge. First feature for director Giselle Bonilla and writer Alexander Heller. West Coast premiere.
  • The Strawberry: Inspired by a true story, this moving drama explores end-of-life issues with clear-eyed authenticity. Recent widower Herb (Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H) receives a terminal diagnosis and resolves to maintain his dignity and resolve family relationships. This one’s a weeper. Farrell, himself 86, is excellent. The Strawberry was filmed in Cambria, and locals will recognize a popular ocean overlook and glimpses of the main drag. First feature for writer-directors Carlos and Kyle Plummer. West Coast premiere.
  • Valentina: Gregarious and fun-loving Valentina (Keyla Monterroso Mejia) is epically irresponsible with parking tickets. To recover her impounded car, she must raise some cash, despite being job-averse. What she has going for her is wily charm, a network of friends and family and the ability to expertly navigate her hometown of El Paso. Valentina is a showcase for the bubbly charisma of Mejia (Ashley in Abbott Elementary and Petra in The Studio). In her first feature, director and co-writer Tatti Ribeiro surrounds Mejia with a cast of non-actors and embeds political-awareness and remarkable verisimilitude in a comedy.

And here is one that I haven’t yet seen yet, but I think it’s a pretty good bet. The closing night film will be Power Ballad, the latest from John Carney, writer-director of Once, Sing Street and Flora and Son. Those three Feel Good movies all feature penniless Dubliners who discover themselves by harnessing their songwriting talents. The premise of Power Ballad is that a wedding singer (Paul Rudd) finds himself in an all-night jam with a no-longer-popular boy band star (Nick Jonas). Afterwards the wash-out revives his career with a monstrous hit. Did he steal the song from the wedding singer? Story resembles a real-life controversy. California premiere.

There are plenty more experiences at the fest, including features, workshops, six programs of shorts and, for the first time, episodics. Peruse the program and get your tickets at SLO Film Fest.

Aya Cash, Ella Rubin and Thomas Sadowski in ADULT CHILDREN. Courtesy of the SLO Film Fest.

Surf and Skate at SLO Film Fest

by
Photo caption: Matt Formston in THE BLIND SEA. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.

This year’s SLO Film Fest, opening April 24, once again presents the richest Surf/Skate program that I’ve ever seen at a mainstream film festival. In fact, the SLO Film Festival dedicates its Friday night and Saturday night showcase screenings to Surf/Skate events – that’s respect. Here are the highlights.

  • The always popular Surf Night features the documentary The Blind Sea, about Australian surfer Matt Formston, who has become a 3-time World Champion with only 3% vision. If competitive surfing while blind weren’t enough, he takes on the monumental break at Nazaré. Expect the Fremont to be packed again with surfers enjoying drinks in the lobby and the Riff Tide surf band before the screening.
N-MEN: THE UNTOLD STORY. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.
  • This year, the festival’s Community of Skate will be hosted by the Bay Theater in Morro Bay. The feature film is the documentary N-Men: The Untold Story, which takes us to a freeway underpass in 1975 with the story of a seminal skateboarding crew; N-Men stars Tony Hawk and Tony Alva. There’s also the world premiere of a short film about skater Pat Ngoho, a post-screening panel and an exhibition of the custom skateboard designs and live-screen printing by the SLO High School Advanced Graphic Design class..

Check out the program and get your tickets at SLO Film Fest. Here’s the trailer for N-Men: The Untold Story.