Walter Salles’s film I’m Still Here is the story of a family that is torn apart by the acts of an authoritarian military dictatorship. There have been a number of films that portray South American dictatorships and the way many people were disappeared—arrested and...
Mental illness is no laughing matter. However, humor can come out of very difficult and painful situations. There are comedians who have found ways of bringing their own struggles to the world in ways that entertain, but also may give us insight into the lives of...
A small French village is about to do a wonderful thing. But when it doesn’t turn out to be what they thought, there are problems. Meet the Barbarians (Les Barbares), directed and co-written by Julie Delpy, who also stars, is a comic look at how changed circumstances...
“Is there anything more beautiful than a fat man stealing second base?” At the festival screening of Eephus, director Carson Lund said the working title of the film during its development was “Field of Dreams in Reverse”, with a tagline, “If you tear it down, they...
“The Church is not tradition. The Church is not the past. The Church is what we do next.” Imagine if the U.S. Senate was locked into the Capitol, and they would choose one of themselves to be the President. They need a 2/3 vote. There is no news in or out while this...
“I’m a good little soldier.” Classified, from director Roel Reiné, is a story of loyalty and betrayal as a man discovers that what he thought was working for his country turns out to be a lie. Evan Shaw (Aaron Eckhart) has been a CIA hitman for decades. He lives a...
Merchant and Ivory films may make you think of lavish settings and complex emotions. James Ivory and Ismail Merchant collaborated on 43 films. Merchant Ivory, from director Stephen Soucy, is a look at their decades-long partnership, which was not only professional,...
Paradise Is Burning, from director Mika Gustafson,seems to be a story of youth and freedom, but is this really freedom? It is a coming-of-age story, but the passages that it marks have less to do with adulthood than with survival. Three sisters, Laura (16), Mira (12),...
Time to dip into some more of the animation at HollyShorts Film Festival. Area 52 (4 minutes, US, directed by Emily Dubovi) takes place in a lesser known scientific site. While great minds try to solve mysteries of the universe in Area 51, less than stellar minds are...