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All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt  Mack (Kaylee Nicole Johnson) grows up in Mississippi with her sister, Josie (Jayah Henry), father, Isaiah (Chris Chalk) and best friend, Wood (Preston McDowell) while grieving the death of her mother Evelyn (Sheila Atim). As a young adult (now played by Charleen McClure), she visits Wood (now played by Reginald Helms Jr.) and Josie (now played by Moses Ingram) before she (now played by Zainab Jah) returns to her later in her adulthood. Writer/director Raven Jackson deserves to be commended for her unconventional, minimalist approach to telling the story of Mack that spans decades of her life. She eschews a plot with narrative momentum and keeps the dialogue very sparse which feels frustrating at first, but makes sense in hindsight. As a director once told me in an interview, talk is cheap. The film jumps back and forth through different time periods of Mack's life with only a few significant events along the way, her mom's death and her getting pregnant, that shape her as a human being. Very little happens on the surface, but there's a lot more going on beneath the surface, so Jackson relies a lot on the audience's imagination while trusting their emotions. Those are very admirable and rare qualities to be found in a first-time filmmaker that channels other filmmakers who embrace the power of nature like Terrence Malick and Carlos Reygadas, although All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt isn't as captivating as Reygadas' films. Images speak louder than words in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. Writer/director Raven Jackson maintains a sense of almost documentary-like realism while shooting breathtaking, poetic scenes of nature and, also human nature. Poetry is often a form of protest for or against something. So, what is this film a protest for or against? That's left for the audience to interpret on their own without any over-explaining from the filmmakers---except for the scene that briefly explains the meaning of the title. Seemingly simple close-up shots of hands being held with fingers intertwined are beautiful and poignant, although they're repeated a little too often while the camera lingers on them for too lon. There are many refreshinly quiet and serene moments, though, so bravo to Jackson for understanding the power of silence. She also trusts the audience's patience because she moves the film at a very slow pace which takes a while to get used to. Patient audience members will be rewarded with a meditative, poetic and mesmerizing emotional journey.
 Anatomy of a Fall  Sandra (Sandra Hüller), an author, lives in an isolated chalet deep in the French Alps with her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), and 11-year-old son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), who's visually impaired. One day, when Daniel takes the family dog for a walk, he discovers Samuel dead below the chalet's attic window with blood tracks near his body. Sandra hires a lawyer, Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud), her good friend, to defend her after she's accused of murdering him by pushing him out of the window. She claims that he committed suicide. The screenplay by writer/director Justine Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari isn't based on a novel, but it's narratively intricate enough to feel like it could be based on one. As the film opens, Sandra sits down for an interview inside the chalet while loud construction noises interrupt the interview. Soon after, Daniel discovers Samuel's corpse outside the chalet. Was Samuel murdered or did he commit suicide? Is Daniel telling the truth when he claims that he heard Sandra and Samuel fighting? Was it physically impossible for him to hear them over the loud construction noise? What was Sandra and Samuel's relationship life before Samuel died? What explains the blood tracks on the snow near his body? Those are among questions posed throughout the trial which contribute to the suspense and intrigue. However, what helps to elevate the film and make it more than just a procedural is that it also serves as a character study of Sandra and Daniel as well as a portrait of a dysfunctional marriage. The plot becomes more compelling and complex as it unfolds, but without being confusing or meandering. In other words, the filmmakers have a great handle on exposition. They know precisely how much information to reveal to the audience, when to reveal it and how to reveal it, so they trust the audience's intelligence. Those aren't easy tasks to accomplish. Anatomy of a Fall's greatest strength, though, is that never forgets to see and treat its characters empathetically as human beings without judging them. It also avoids turning into a melodrama or a dry courtroom drama, so it remains engrossing and riveting from the first frame to the very last frame while the audience doesn't feel the weight of the lengthy running time. Sandra Hüller gives a mesmerizing, emotionally resonating performance that deserves an Oscar. She sinks her teeth into the role of Sandra with conviction while concurrently handling the emotionally complexities of the role which provide the character with an inner life that the audience can observe. There are many powerful scenes, but the ones that are the most haunting are the quiet, more understated moments. Fortunately, director Justine Triet trusts the audience's patience because she moves the film at a slow-burning pace. The thrills are there and can be felt, but they're not heavy-handed nor does the music score tell the audience how to feel, so she trusts the audience's emotions as well. The cinematography and editing are superb without relying too much on visual style. That said, the wintry landscape does add some visual poetry because, like in Fargo, the snow symbolically represents secrets that are hidden beneath the surface. At a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, Anatomy of a Fall is spellbinding, provocative and genuinely heartfelt.
 The Boy and the Heron  Mahito (voice of Soma Santoki), a young boy whose mother died in a fire 4 years earlier, lives with his father and stepmother, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura). One night, a heron (voice of Masaki Suda) arrives at this window to inform him that his mother is still alive and that his stepmother has gone missing. They embark on a mission to rescue them. The screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki suffers from a convoluted plot with too many characters and weak exposition. A lot happens within the first 30 minutes. Before you know it, Mahito's mother dies in a hospital fire. The film barely establishes the relationship between him and his mother or him and his father for that matter. Once Mahito meets the Heron, that's when the plot takes a turn into more bizarre and surreal territory with more new characters like Kiriko (Ko Shibasaki) introduced. Everyone just seems to be on screen to move the plot forward, though. A complicated plot is not the same as a complex plot. Unfortunately, Miyazaki opts for complication over complexity which makes for a frustrating experience. There's some attempts at humor, but most of the comedic beats don't land very strongly. Nor do the emotional beats land, either, especially because Mahito remains at a cold distance from the audience. The Boy and the Heron doesn't leave enough room for the plot or characters to breathe, so it begins to become exhausting rather than exhilarating or fun around the hour mark. At least The Boy and the Heron has stunning 2D animation to provide the audience with visual delights. It's bright, colorful and the characters are drawn with plenty of attention to detail. The music score is also terrific without being overbearing. The pace moves slow at times while moving too fast at the beginning, so uneven pacing does become somewhat of an issue albeit not a systemic one. At a running time of 2 hours and 4 minutes, The Boy and the Hero is visually dazzling, but convoluted, overstuffed and emotionally hollow.
 The Delinquents  Morán (Daniel Elías), a bank employee, steals $650,000 from his workplace and convinces his colleague, Román (Esteban Bigliardi), to hide the money while he confesses to the robbery and goes to prison. He plans on splitting the money evenly with him after he's released from prison a few years later. The plot gets more complex than the synopsis above and doesn't quite go in the directions that you would expect it to go. Writer/director Rodrigo Moreno takes what sounds like a crime thriller or crime comedy/satire and turns it into an undercooked drama with sporadic thrills and sprinkle of dry comedy. The robbery goes as planned, but what complicates matters is that the bank prefers to sweep it under the rug to avoid scaring its loyal customers, so everyone gets the blame for it and there's no thorough investigation. Not surprisingly, the bank manager suspects that Román has something to do with the robbery because he happened to have called out sick that day and he gets caught visiting Morán in prison. Just when you think he'll be arrested and interrogated by the police, that doesn't quite happen. Just when you think the film will turn into a gritty prison drama, it doesn't. At least it gets some points for being unpredictable. The Delinquents runs out of steam in Part Two when Román travels to forest to hide the bag of stolen money under a large rock before he meets a young woman, Norma (Margarita Molfino), whom he has a sexually-charged affair with. There's barely any character development, suspense or anything to keep the audience glued to the screen. The best aspect of The Delinquents is its picturesque scenery and, at times, its refreshingly relaxing, unhurried pace. That kind of pace is a double-edged sword, though, because it tests the audience's patience. Writer/director Rodrigo Moreno trusts the audience's patience too much. Many scenes drag and the pace feels sluggish while the narrative momentum gradually wanes. The performances are decent, but not enough to enliven the film. Moreover, the weight of the running time 3 hours and 3 minutes can be felt around the 2 hour mark, so the last hour is a slog to get through to the anti-climactic ending. What ensues is an unfocused, dull and meandering film that becomes less and less engaging.
 Fallen Leaves  Ansa (Alma Pöysti) meets Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) at a karaoke bar and go out on a first date to the movies together, but she questions whether or not to continue seeing him after learning that he's an alcoholic. The screenplay by writer/director Aki Kaurismäki brims with wit and gentle humor as it explores Ansa and Holappa's blossoming romance. They're both single and lonely, but Ansa seems a bit timid at first. There's more to them than meets the eye which makes them all the more interesting as characters. Not a lot happens plot-wise and there are no villains except for Holappa's alcoholism which threatens to cause a rift between him and Ansa. Fallen Leaves doesn't go into dark or unflinching territory when it comes to Holappa's struggles as an alcoholic nor does it have anything profound or new to say about love or relationships. This isn't anything that comes close to Before Sunrise or the underrated Moscow, Belgium. However, Kaurismäki does a decent job of maintaining a light, breezy tone while avoiding clunkiness and schmaltz. He even includes a few surprises along the way, i.e. the particular film that Ansa and Holappa go to on their first date which you probably won't be able to easily predict. The third act is charming while earning its uplift even though it doesn't take any major risks. Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatane have palpable chemistry together and great comedic timing while also handling the emotional complexities of their roles. Their natural and convincingly moving performances ground the film in authenticity. The use of music is also worth mentioning because it enlivens Fallen Leaves while also providing some substance. Writer/director Aki Kaurismäki moves the film at an unhurried paces that, fortunately, isn't too slow. He also keeps the running time under 90 minutes which shows that he has restraint as a filmmaker and grasps the concept that less is more. At a brief running time of just 1 hour and 21 minutes, Fallen Leaves is a charming, witty and tender love story.
 Ferrari  Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) and his wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), struggle to keep their Ferrari manufacturing company afloat as it nears bankruptcy. He tries to boost the sales of his business by having his drivers in compete a 1,000-mile race called Mille Miglia, but he also has to deal with the consequences of his wife finding out that he has an illegitimate son, Piero, with another lover, Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley). Based on the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races by Brock Yates, the screenplay by Troy Kennedy Martin is a snapshot of Enzo Ferrari during the summer of 1957. To call it a biopic would be inaccurate because it doesn't chart Ferrari's life from childhood to adulthood. Much like the recent Golda, Ferrari is a character study of someone who's under a lot of pressure to save their career and reputation. Enzo comes across as a flawed husband who has no shame in cheating on his wife, Laura, and keeping the secret of his illegitimate son from her until she discovers that herself. Laura is a more compelling character than Enzo. Fortunately, the screenplay focuses its attention on her enough to understand the emotional pain that she's going through. She's a strong woman who doesn't put up with being mistreated, and it says a lot about her that she handles the finances of Ferrari's business. He's not very reliable, though, for many reasons including the fact that he didn't sign a future dated check that he gives to Laura. The weaker moments of the film are the scenes where Enzo spends time with Lina and his son. Those scenes feel contrived and not as engrossing as the rest of the film. When Ferrari gets to the action sequences during the Mille Miglia race, it turns into a thrilling and exhilarating spectacle without being exhausting or tedious. Screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin finds the Spectacle within the film's humanity off the race tracks, though, as it engages the audience emotionally by focusing on the evolving dynamics of the relationship between Enzo and Laura. Adam Driver gives a terrific performance as Enzo Ferrari. He's very cast and brings plenty of charisma and emotional depth to his role. The highlight, though, is Penelope Cruz who's radiant with her many emotionally resonating scenes. Shailene Woodley, unfortunately, feels somewhat miscast here, and her Italian accent isn't very convincing. Sarah Gadon, Patrick Dempsy and Jack O'Connell make the most out of their supporting roles, but they're wasted here. Moreover, there's some choppy editing, i.e. between the scene where Laura goes to the bank and the scene that follows it. The cut between the two scenes is too abrupt. Keep in mind that one of the racing scenes shows an accident with almost as much gore that you'd expect to find in a horror film. The gore leaves nothing to the imagination and ends up just shocking and disgusting the audience which makes it feel out of place. That said, the cinematography, music score and sound design are superb, just as you would expect from a Michael Mann film. Although, to be fair, Ferrari doesn't make use of its visual style to create a palpable atmosphere like in Mann's past films, i.e. Heat and The Insider. At a running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, Ferrari is captivating, heartfelt and exhilarating with stellar performances by Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz.
 Foe  In the year 2065, Henrietta (Saoirse Ronan) and lives with her husband, Junior (Paul Mescal), in a farmhouse in the Midwest. One night, Terrance (Aaron Pierre), a government agent, arrives to inform them that Junior has been selected to join a space program at a space station and that his AI clone will replace him. The screenplay by writer/director Garth Davis and co-writer Iain Reid, based on his novel, bites off more than it could chew with a plot that has too many underdeveloped ideas and very little narrative momentum. The opening text briefly explains the basic expositional information about what year it is, how rural areas have been empty because of a heatwave and drought while cities are overcrowded. AI clones exist and are used to do the work of human beings and to replace them when necessary. Terrance provides the rest of the exposition. You learn very little about him. Is he AI or human? He's just there as an expositional plot device, yet he explains very little. The lack of "world-building" in Foe becomes frustrating. Junior is required by the U.S. government to join the space program to save the world, but what are the space program's plans to save the world precisely? Foe doesn't work as a sci-fi thriller because it's low on suspense and intrigue. As a portrait of a marriage, it's just as shallow and disappointing. Henrietta works as a waitress at a diner while Junior works at an industrial chicken farm. What do they think about their jobs? The screenplay doesn't bother to explore that. Roger Ebert once wisely observed that it's easier to get inside a character's head while reading a book than while watching a movie. He's right about that. Foe never manages to provide enough of a window into any of the characters minds, so they remain at a cold distance from the audience which makes it hard to care whether or not AI clones will replace them. To top it all off, the very rushed third act has two unimaginative twists which can be seen from a mile away, so they're far from surprising or shocking. Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal give decent performances that provide ephemeral poignancy, but they're unable to enliven the film which begins to become lethargic around the hour mark. The witless and bland screenplay is beneath both of these fine actors. They deserve better-written roles with more room for emotional depth instead of a screenplay that just seems to be going through the motions. The cinematography is superb, though, with some breathtaking shots of the landscape which make the film feel somewhat cinematic albeit not enough to fully engage the audience. There are also pacing issues with some scenes moving too slow and lasting too long before the third act where the pace moves too quickly. At a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, Foe is lackluster, undercooked and vapid despite fine performances and exquisite cinematography.
 
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project is an intimate, illuminating and well-edited documentary biopic about Nikki Giovanni, a poet, author and civil rights activist. Co-directors Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson combine archival footage of Nikki Giovanni with contemporary footage of her as she looks back on her life. She discusses her most recent collection of poems called n A Good Cry: What We Learn From Tears and Laughter. Although she reveals her thoughts and feelings openly, she's candid up to a certain point and there are even some topics that she refuses to discuss. Fortunately, the filmmakers respect her boundaries which she has every right to have and, more importantly, to clearly set. Nikki Giovanni has clearly been through a lot throughout her life and has attained a lot of life wisdom that she generously shares. She comes across as witty, wise, articulate, emotionally mature, and even humble at times, i.e. when someone refers to her as being friendly and she doesn't think that that's an accurate word to describe herself. Throughout this captivating documentary, the filmmakers capture her personality, warmth and charisma so that you get a sense of what she's like as a human being, warts and all. So, bravo to the filmmakers for avoiding hagiography and for humanizing their subject while showing empathy toward her which is a truly remarkable achievement. Poetry is often a protest for or against something, though, so it's inspiring to discover someone who embraces the power of words as a peaceful form of protest. Where does the film's title come from? You'll learn about that within the first ten minutes. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project opens November 3rd, 2023 at Film Forum via HBO Documentary Films. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell  After his sister dies during a motorcycle accident, Thien (Le Phong Vu) travels with her young son, Dao (Nguyen Thinh), who survived the crash, from Saigon to their rural hometown village to bury her body. Meanwhile, he searches for his missing brother, Tam, and crosses paths with his ex-girlfriend, Sister Thao (Nguyen Thi Truc Quynh).
The screenplay by writer/director Pham Thien An isn't heavy on plot, suspense or thrills. There are no villains or action sequences except for the brief motorcycle crash that serves as the catalyst for Thien's long journey to his hometown. His journey can also be seen as a spiritual one because he begins it without believing in God, but gradually embraces his faith. Everything remains understated and subtle, though, with minimal exposition. Even the relationship between Thien and his sister isn't shown or what Thien and Sister Thao's relationship was like back when she was his girlfriend. So, there are no flashbacks either. Thien has some unlikable qualities like his temper when he lashes out at Sister Thao, but he shows healthy signs of introspection, empathy and remorse when he apologizes for the way he treated her. Inside the Yellow Cocoon slowly turns into a meditative, quietly moving character study of Thien as he undergoes a religious awakening. The cinematography and use of lighting along with the breathtaking scenery are among the film's major strengths. Some scenes look so visually stunning that they become both cinematic and poetic. Writer/director Phan Thien An knows how to use nature as a metaphor without explaining it to the audience, so he trusts their intelligence as well as their emotions. He also grasps the power of quiet moments which often speak louder than words. That said, the pace moves very slowly, sometimes even sluggishly, which takes a while to get used to and leads to tedium. Patient audiences will be rewarded the most. Without any spoilers, the final shot of the film is beautiful, breathtaking and haunting. At a running time of just under 3 hours, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell is a spellbinding, meditative and poetic spiritual journey.
The Killer  A hitman (Michael Fassbender) botches an assignment in Paris which causes a series of events that lead to him seeking revenge against his employers. Based on the graphic novel by Alexis Nolent, the screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker is refreshingly witty, funny and full of clever surprises. The less you know about the plot beforehand, the better, but it's worth mentioning that the hitman, who remains nameless, narrates the film which helps to understand his mindset even if he's far from a good role model. Walker throws plausibility and logic out of the window at times, but that's okay because, as Hitchcock once noted, logic can be dull, and imagination is more important than logic. The Killer offers plenty of imagination, especially when it comes to the many different aliases of the hitman and some of the set pieces during the action sequences. Fortunately, there's not too much action, so you won't feel exhausted, but there's just enough to whet your appetite. The screenplay has a fine blend of comedy, suspense and action and maintains that balance throughout. There's a particularly well-written scene with great use of dark humor in an elevator when the hitman takes a woman hostage. Another example is when the hitman briefly holds a cheese grater in an action scene set in a kitchen. To be fair, like most of David Fincher's films, The Killer lacks warmth, but that makes sense as internal logic because the hitman is a cold, mean and calculating human being who doesn't show many signs of empathy or compassion, although there's some hope for him because he does show signs of introspection through his voice-over narration. Michael Fassbender is very well-cast in the lead role. He exudes palpable charisma throughout much like Keanu Reeves does in John Wick, so he makes the hitman exciting to watch and even to root for. The action sequences are well-choreographed and unflinchingly gory at times without leaving much to the audience's imagination. That said, the cinematography, music score and set-designs add to the film's style while, sometimes, compensating for the lack of substance. Tilda Swinton has a brief scene that's memorable, but it won't be mentioned here to avoid spoiling the surprises during that scene. Moreover, pace moves briskly, so there are no scenes that drag or overstay their welcome. At a running time of just under 2 hours, The Killer is a wildly entertaining, thrilling and wickedly funny ride.
 
Menus-Plaisirs---Les Troisgros is an insightful, delightful and thoroughly immersive documentary about La Maison Troisgros, a 3 Michelin-star restaurant located in the countryside of Roanne, France. Director Frederick Wiseman uses his traditional fly-on-the-wall approach to provide the audience with a glimpse of everything that goes on behind-the-scenes at the restaurant from the moment that the product is selected to the moment that it arrives at the customer's table. There are no talking-head interviews, so you pick up information by listening and observing. Michel Troisgros, the head chef, runs the restaurant with his two sons, César and Léo. Be prepared to be mesmerized by watching the chefs cooking. If you're a foodie, that's an added bonus because you'll learn a lot about their cooking techniques and the ingredients that they use in their recipe which might inspire your own cooking. Wiseman includes some surprisingly funny moments, i.e. when a waiter asks a customer what he's allergic to and he quips that he's allergic to the bill. The film is exquisitely shot and smoothly edited without feeling repetitive in terms of content or excessive in its visual style. In other words, Wiseman knows that there's enough substance in the documentary to hold the audience's attention. He also trusts your patience by moving the film at a slow pace and the fact that the running time clocks 4 hours with no intermissions. Patient audience members will be rewarded the most. Menus-Plaisirs---Les Troisgros opens November 22nd, 2023 at Film Forum via Zipporah Films. It's the ultimate foodie movie. Don't watch it while you're hungry. 
Orlando, My Political Biography is a refreshingly unconventional, heartfelt and invigorating documentary/fiction hybrid about Virgina Woolf's novel Orlando. Paul B. Preciado interpretes Orlando from the perspective of non-binary and trans men and women who reenact portions from the novel while portraying Orlando. Each of them gets a chance to share their own individual experiences being trans. If you're looking for a thorough analysis of Orlando, you'll be disappointed. However, if you're looking for a thought-provoking and amusing take on the novel, you'll be delighted and pleasantly surprised by this often experimental film. There are even some lively musical numbers and some wit. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, Orlando, My Political Biography opens on November 10th, 2023 at Film Forum via Janus Films. Maestro  Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) begins a romance with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) just as his career as a music composer and conductor flourishes. They get married and have children, but their marriage goes on the rocks when she's fed up with his infidelity. The screenplay by writer/director Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer focuses on Leonard and Felicia's relationship from the moment they met at a party during the 1940's. When you first meet Leonard, he's being interviewed at an older age as he looks back on his life with Felicia. He had a male lover, David (Matthew Bomer), so it's clear to the audience that he's bisexual from the very beginning. His cheating with men inevitably causes rifts in his marriage to Felicia. There aren't any major surprises or revelations in Maestro. It's not very profound as a portrait of a dysfunctional relationship nor as a crumbling marriage nor as a character study of Leonard or Felicia for that matter. If you're looking for a warts-and-all biopic on Leonard Bernstein, Maestro comes up short. The dialogue suffers from being too on-the-nose at times. There's one very powerful and well-written scene which stands out, though: when Felicia confronts Leonard about how she feels about their marriage while a parade with a Snoopy float can be seen in the distance. It's a scene filled with unflinching honesty, sadness, anger, wit and even a little humor. If only there were more scenes that weren't afraid to go into slightly darker territory. With the exception of a random dog walking beside a pool, there's very little comic relief here, though. Maestro hits its notes a little too hard while lacking subtlety or room for interpretation. Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan both give magnetic, convincingly moving performances. They have palpable chemistry together. However, the film's emotional depth comes from their performances, not from the screenplay. They're often undermined by the screenplay that tries too hard to please the audience without cutting very deeply beneath the surface of these interesting characters. Sarah Silverman has a supporting role as Leonard's sister, Shirley, but she's miscast. The cinematography is very stylish while going back and forth between black-and-white and color. However, the film's visual style gets in the way of its substance at times because it tries hard to be cinematic despite the fact that there's enough cinematic elements within the narrative. At a running time of 2 hours and 9 minutes, Maestro is well-acted and occasionally potent, but often heavy-handed and shallow Oscar-bait.
 May December  Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), a Hollywood actress, arrives at the seaside home of Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), a woman who she'll be playing in a biopic. Gracie lives with her husband, Joe (Charles Melton), and children off the coast of Maine. She was involved with him in a scandal when she had sex with him when he was in seventh grade before she eventually married him. The screenplay by Samy Burch teases the audience with psychological thrills from the minute that Elizabeth arrives at the home of Gracie to prepare for her role an upcoming biopic. Exposition is kept to a minimum, at first, but soon Gracie's dark, scandalous past gets revealed which changes the way you look at her and explains why she's old enough for her husband to be misconstrued as her son. The more that Elizabeth gets to know her, the more it's clear that she's a malignant narcissist. Screenwriter Samy Burch has a good grasp of human nature as she turns the film into a character study and doesn't shy away from shedding light on the dark side of human nature. There's a scene where Gracie is crying in bed like a baby which speaks louder than words about how infantile and emotionally immature she is. She also victim-blames Joe for coming onto her when he was a child and tries to convince him that he was the abuser, not her. Like a textbook narcissist, she used the tactic of DARVO when confronted about her actions and the consequences of her actions: Deny, Attack and Reverse the Order of Victim/Oppressor. She's an absolute trainwreck. Just when you think that Elizabeth is a decent human being, she suddenly crosses a boundary. Joe is the most decent person among them, so it's unfortunate that the screenplay doesn't develop his character enough because there's so much going on inside of him. May December effectively toys with the audience's imagination because at any given moment during the third act, it could veer into much darker, crime thriller territory. Whether or not that happens won't be spoiled here, but it's worth mentioning that the evolving dynamics between Elizabeth and Gracie remain compelling. The music score does a lot of work to generate tension because it feels like the kind of score you would expect from a crime thriller. It's just as intense and unexpected as the score in Shiva Baby. The use of dark, off-kilter comic relief helps to break the tension every now and then. The performances by Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are superb. They play off of each other very well and sink into their roles convincingly without over-acting. Charles Melton is radiant with his charisma and nuanced performance that adds some poignancy even when the screenplay lacks it. The pace moves at just the right speed without being too slow or too fast. At a running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, May December is electrifying. It's a wickedly funny, taut and provocative psychological thriller.
 
Based on the book Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940-1945 by Bianca Stigter, Occupied City is an ambitious and provocative, but ultimately exhausting and tedious documentary about the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam and Amsterdam's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Steve McQueen bites off more than he could chew as he combines two different documentary subjects in one. As the narrator, Melanie Hyams, describes how each location shown was significant during the Holocaust in World War II, there are also images from the recent pandemic showing protests, closed stores and draconian police. It's a lot to take in, so it's easy for the audience to feel overwhelmed. More often than not, the images and the words are in stark contrast with each other, but the main issue is that there's just too much going on all at once to process. Also, the narration sounds very monotonous and emotionless which gives the sensation that you're watching a dry academic film in history class. Occupied City makes its points and then repeats them over and over in different ways. A truly great documentary finds the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them emotionally as well as intellectually. Unfortunately, Occupied City fails to find that balance. At an overlong 4 hours and 22 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission), it opens December 25th, 2023 at Film Forum via A24. 
The Pigeon Tunnel is a fascinating, illuminating and engrossing documentary biopic about David Cornwell, better known as author John le Carré. Director Errol Morris sits down at a table to interview Cornwell who candidly discusses his childhood, his relationship with his father and his experience working for the Secret Intelligence Service. He certainly has led an interesting life, so Morris is lucky to have him as a subject. He's also very articulate, wise and introspective which helps to provide plenty of depth to the film while also allowing you can grasp what he's thinking and feeling. A truly great documentary opens the subject's curtain to show a glimpse of what he or she is like behind-the-curtain. The Pigeon Tunnel accomplishes that with David Cornwell by humanizing him. He has a lot of interesting anecdotes from his past, but also knows the key events that have shaped and haunted him as an author and as an adult years later. You might understand his novels a little better after watching this documentary. That said, it does suffer from an intrusive music score that hits the audience over the head while trying to make the film feel like a thriller. If only Morris were to have trusted the audience's emotions more because the excessive use of music tries too hard to tell the audience how they should feel. He also uses Dutch angles too much--almost as much as Kenneth Branaugh does in A Haunting in Venice---which does make the film feel cinematic, but overly stylish. At a running time of only 1 hour and 32 minutes, The Pigeon Tunnel opens on October 20th, 2023 at Angelika Film Center via Apple TV+. Poor Things  Based on the novel by Alasdair Gray, the screenplay by Tony McNamara deftly blends sci-fi, dark comedy, horror and satire elements. With a less sensitive screenplay, Poor Things would've become a convoluted, tonal mess that's bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre. The plot, which has many shades of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein does, indeed, go bonkers and take big risks with a few scenes that will be referenced a lot in the future. Bella is like a whirlwind of character. She's erratic, childlike, curious and very unpredictable. There hasn't been a character like hers on screen before, so prepare to be overwhelmed at first. There's more to her than meets the eye, and it's fascinating to watch how she evolves into more of a functional adult throughout the course of the film, although she's still bizarre. Her creator, whom she refers to as God, is essentially the film's villain like Dr. Frankenstein. However, McNamara doesn't treat him as a cartoonish villain nor is his relationship with Bella simple which makes it all the more interesting. There are even surprisingly poignant moments which won't be spoiled here. Once Bella escapes with Duncan, Poor Things turns into an even more surreal experience with shades of Buñuel because of all of the symbolism. Director Yorgos Lanthimos and screenwriter Tony McNamara include so much attention to detail, imaginative world-building, and room for interpretation that it will take multiple viewings of Poor Things to fully appreciate it. In terms of production values alone, Poor Things is a triumph. The costume design, set design, cinematography, lighting, use of color and makeup design combine to create a dazzling visual spectacle. The music score is also well-chosen and helps to compliment the film's off-kilter, eerie atmosphere. Director Yorgos Lanthimos uses similar Dutch angles and fisheye lenses that were used in The Favourite, but here they highlight the surrealism more effectively. Emma Stone gives a tour de force performance. She deserves an Oscar. Everything from her body language to the way that she delivers her lines captures Bella's inner life as well as her very eccentric personality. There are more than a few sex scenes with some unflinching nudity that earns the film its R rating, but what Stone should be commended for the most is her emotional nakedness on screen. It's a brave, physically demanding performance which she convincingly nails from start to finish. Willem Dafoe is also superb and very-well cast. It's his best performance since playing Nosferatu in Shadow of the Vampire. At a running time of 2 hours and 21 minutes, Poor Things is a mesmerizing, provocative, audacious and outrageously funny trip down the rabbit hole.
 Priscilla  14-year-old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) meets 24-year-old Elvis (Jacob Elordi) while she's living in Germany where her stepfather (Ari Cohen) is stationed. They begin dating, she falls head over heels for him and, soon enough, he convinces her to move to Memphis, Tennessee, a.k.a. Graceland, where she'll continue her high school studies while living with him. Writer/director Sofia Coppola has woven a poignant, tender and understated come-of-age story about a toxic relationship between an older man and younger woman. The film doesn't get very deep or unflinching, but it does capture Priscilla's inner life by showing her vulnerability, innocence, naivety and loneliness as she enters the relationship with Elvis whom she eventually marries. There are no surprises, but that's okay because this isn't the kind of film that relies on surprises to entertain the audience. It's more of a character study that doesn't judge Priscilla nor Elvis even though he comes across as a predator with all of his charm and the fact that he has no shame in dating and grooming a child while he's an adult. Priscilla's parents enable her by allowing her to date and to move in with him. Of course, Priscilla isn't happy about the affairs that Elvis has with other women which get exposed in the tabloids. Coppola doesn't delve into those affairs which remain off-screen; she keeps the focus on how it affects Priscilla emotionally. The dialogue avoids schmaltz or being too "on-the-nose", so Coppola trusts the audience's emotions and intelligence concurrently. She also eschews voice-over narration, preachiness and melodrama while keeping the film light, yet with a lot going on beneath the surface that's much darker. Cailee Spaeny gives a wonderful breakthrough performance as Priscilla. She provides the poignancy that the screenplay lacks. Jacob Elordi oozes charisma in his magnetic performance as Elvis. They both have palpable chemistry together. Neither of them gives a hammy or showy performance; it's very nuanced. Everything from the music score to the cinematography, set design and costume design are all exquisite and add to the film's authenticity. Interestingly, lighting (or lack thereof), is also worth mentioning because it occasionally becomes stylish and poetic, i.e. when you can barely see Priscilla and Elvis' faces while they're in a room together. The pace moves slowly, but not too slowly, while the editing doesn't feel choppy like in Baz Luhrmann's nausea-inducing film Elvis, so you barely feel the weight of the running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes.
 The Sweet East  Lillian (Talia Ryder), a high school senior, runs away on a class trip in Washington, D.C. She meets a variety of strangers including Caleb (Earl Cave) and Lawrence (Simon Rex), a neo-Nazi, who takes her along with him to New York City.
The screenplay by Nick Pinkerton often feels episodic, yet engaging. One minute Lillian she's with one stranger, the next she's with another, soLawrence tries to get to know her when she sits down with him to grab a bite to eat, but she lies to him that she ran away from her physically abusive boyfriend. She's mysterious, naive and emotionally immature which makes it hard to like her, but that's forgivable. Not every protagonist has to be likable. She's at least somewhat grounded in reality like Lawrence who's unreliable and creepy. Other characters like Molly (Ayo Edebiri), a director, Matthew (Jeremy O. Harris), a producer, and Ian (Jacob Elordi), an actor, are caricatures. The plot becomes increasingly preposterous, so realism and logic aren't its strong points. Perhaps that's part of the point. The Sweet East doesn't really have a powerful or profound message about coming-of-age or about America like Ghost World does. Enid from Ghost World has more of an interesting and complex personality than Lillian does. Moreover, the film suffers from tonal whiplash as it goes from offbeat humor to satire to tender drama to thriller. Much like Lillian, it's also often aimless and unpredictable.
Talia Ryder gives a charming, understated performance as Lillian who's somewhat as deadpan as Marnie in the cult classic Mumblecore film Funny Ha Ha. The highlights, though, are Ayo Edibiri and Jeremy O. Harris who seem like they walked out of Theater Camp with their over-the-top performances. Ayo has a monologue that's very funny, honest and razor sharp which she delivers very effectively. If only there were more scenes with her and Jeremy. The grainy cinematography gives the film an 80s or 90s vibe with a dreamlike atmosphere. It's also worth mentioning the lively and well-chosen music score. At a running time, The Sweet East is funny, witty and refreshingly unconventional.
 The Sweet East Lillian (Talia Ryder), a high school senior, runs away on a class trip in Washington, D.C. She meets a variety of strangers including Caleb (Earl Cave) and Lawrence (Simon Rex), a neo-Nazi, who takes her along with him to New York City.
The screenplay by Nick Pinkerton often feels episodic, yet engaging. One minute Lillian she's with one stranger, the next she's with another, soLawrence tries to get to know her when she sits down with him to grab a bite to eat, but she lies to him that she ran away from her physically abusive boyfriend. She's mysterious, naive and emotionally immature which makes it hard to like her, but that's forgivable. Not every protagonist has to be likable. She's at least somewhat grounded in reality like Lawrence who's unreliable and creepy. Other characters like Molly (Ayo Edebiri), a director, Matthew (Jeremy O. Harris), a producer, and Ian (Jacob Elordi), an actor, are caricatures. The plot becomes increasingly preposterous, so realism and logic aren't its strong points. Perhaps that's part of the point. The Sweet East doesn't really have a powerful or profound message about coming-of-age or about America like Ghost World does. Enid from Ghost World has more of an interesting and complex personality than Lillian does. Moreover, the film suffers from tonal whiplash as it goes from offbeat humor to satire to tender drama to thriller. Much like Lillian, it's also often aimless and unpredictable.
Talia Ryder gives a charming, understated performance as Lillian who's somewhat as deadpan as Marnie in the cult classic Mumblecore film Funny Ha Ha. The highlights, though, are Ayo Edibiri and Jeremy O. Harris who seem like they walked out of Theater Camp with their over-the-top performances. Ayo has a monologue that's very funny, honest and razor sharp which she delivers very effectively. If only there were more scenes with her and Jeremy. The grainy cinematography gives the film an 80s or 90s vibe with a dreamlike atmosphere. It's also worth mentioning the lively and well-chosen music score. At a running time, The Sweet East is funny, witty and refreshingly unconventional.
The Taste of Things  Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) works as an assistant cook for Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) at a chateau in the French countryside. She lives with him while also serving as his maid. The screenplay by writer/director Anh Hung Tran, based on the novel Marcel Rouff, has a wafer-thin plot with very little exposition and narrative momentum. Anyone looking for a whimsical love story along the lines of Juliette Binoche's classic Chocolat won't find that here. However, what The Taste of Things lacks in plot, it more than compensates for it with its warmth and tenderness. There's a lot that remains unspoken between Eugénie and Dodin. He loves her, but it's not very certain if she loves him romantically as much as he does right away. There are no villains except for a mysterious illness that Eugénie gets sickened with. She has her own assistant as a maid, Violette (Galatea Bellugi), a teenager, whom she and Dodin pass on their cooking skills to in the kitchen. Those skills happen to be more essential for her in the second act. Writer/director Tran Anh Hung keeps the humor very gentle, although it's worth mentioning there are some moments of comic relief that help the film to avoid becoming monotonous. Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel give charismatic and heartfelt performance. The true stars, though, are the food dishes which often look succulent. The Taste of Things shows Eugénie and Dodin preparing the dishes, including pot-au-feu, from start to finish with plenty of close-ups that will make your mouth water. It's one of the best foodie movies Babette's Feast and Big Night. Commendably, writer/director Tran Anh Hung eschews a musical score which reflects that he trusts the audience's emotions. Everything from the lighting to the costume design, set design and camera-work and the slow pacing help to enrich the film in style which, in turn, becomes part of its substance. At a running time of 2 hours and 25 minutes, The Taste of Things is an engrossing and mesmerizing delight that will nourish your heart, mind and soul.
 
Youth (Spring) is an unflinching, but repetitive, exhausting and overlong documentary about teenagers and young adults who work at a textile factory in Zhili, China. Director Wang Bing uses a fly-on-the-wall approach to shed light on their work conditions and also their cramped, dilapidated living spaces throughout the course of five years. Nothing really changes during those five years. The workers, aged 17 to 20, are under a lot of pressure to excel at their jobs while the company exploits them every way that they can. They're merely cogs in a machine, so, not surprisingly they're dehumanized. Youth (Spring) makes the same points over and over without stopping to get to know any of its subjects which means that it often dehumanizes them as well. You learn their name, age and some of their struggles at work, but not much else. The documentary lacks scope and emotional depth. Moreover, you can feel the weight of its bloated running time of 3 hours and 32 minutes which makes it an endurance test. Youth (Spring) opens on November 10th, 2023 at The Metrograph via Icarus Films. The Zone of Interest  Rudolph Höss (Christian Friedel), the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, lives with his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), and five children at a large house near the camp. Loosely based on the novel by Martin Amis, the screenplay by writer/director Jonathan Glazer eschews a conventional approach to depicting the Holocaust. Glazer focuses on the lives of Rudolf and his family in the titular "zone of interest", an area outside of the concentration camp. The film opens as the family enjoys a peaceful swim before gradually shifting to their time inside their home which includes a beautiful garden. Exposition is kept to a minimum, but you gradually learn that Rudolph is a Nazi officer which is clear when you see his folded-up uniform. Hedwig learns that he will be transferred to Berlin, and she's unhappy to leave their current home. The Zone of Interest is a very cold film with very little palpable emotion and no warmth, but that's precisely the point. Rudolph and his family are dehumanizing people who dehumanize themselves as well. There's a lot going on inside of them emotionally, but it's all buried under the many masks that they wear. Rudolph's mother eventually visits, and you can observe where Rudolph got his lack of empathy, apathy, coldness, shallowness and lack of introspection from. Much of the film feels eerie, creepy and foreboding like a horror film. The horrors of the Holocaust remain off-screen and in the imagination of the audience, so Glazer grasps the power of one's imagination---in the things that are not seen and not spoken about. That's where truely terrifying horror can be found. The cinematography is exquisite with many shots that add visual poetry. The images throughout The Zone of Interest speaks louder than words. One of the most poetic scenes is when Rudolf and Hedwigs talk by a river with a very strong current, but it's up to you as an intelligent, critically-thinking audience member to decide what the river represents symbolically. The same can be said about the sound design which plays a significant role while adding both style and substance, especially during the first few and last few minutes of black screen with sounds that bookend the film. Poetry is often a form of protest, so The Zone of Interest is ultimately a powerful protest against hate. The performances are effectively cold with very few glimpses inside any of the characters' heart, mind and soul. It's ironic that Hedwig and Rudolph maintain a beautiful garden in her backyard and that Rudolph's mother comments on it, but neither of them manage to recognize the garden of their soul which they neglect. They hate themselves and have no shame in cutting their own flowers and in cutting other people's flowers, so-to-speak, which makes them all the more dehumanizing to both themselves and to others. At a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, The Zone of Interest is a spellbinding, haunting and terrifying psychological horror film.
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