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Alice, Darling: Toxic Attraction

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Someone once said that ‘not all scars can be seen’. But, if true, that also means that they can be so much more difficult to heal.

In Alice, Darling, Alice (Anna Kendrick) is a hard-working woman in a committed relationship with Simon (Charlie Carrick). When she’s invited to join her friends for a weekend away at a cottage to celebrate her friend’s birthday, Alice becomes increasingly anxious about the trip. Nevertheless, her friends (played by Kaniehtiio Horn and Wunmi Mosaku) insist and she decides to join them. Even though the weather is beautiful and the scenery stunning, Alice struggles to feel present and she constantly checks her phone from messages from her man. As Alice’s secrets are revealed, her friends try to help her disconnect from the harmfulness that awaits her at home.

Directed by Mary Nighy, Alice, Darling is a challenging piece that helps provide a broader definition of the nature of ‘hurt’. In a fascinating tension, Nighy uses the film’s setting to establish the differences between the two worlds. Although set primarily in the countryside, there is no doubt that Alice’s ties to the city loom largely. Despite wanting to relax during her time away for her friends birthday, she sits and stirs, fearing that her actions may have dire consequences when she gets home. Like the world around her, Alice is a divided person who can’t seem to break away. 

Although the film features some strong performances by its entire past, especially from Mosaku and Horn, what makes the film most engaging is a particularly strong performance by Kendrick. As the titular Alice, Kendrick provides a particularly nuanced performance that balances between inner struggle and outward appearances. Alice may be all smiles when with her friends, but she hides in the bathroom, tearing out pieces of her hair as she battles anxiety and self-accusation. In these moments, Kendrick shows her range and skill as Alice’s pain slowly gains control. 

And this is very much a film about control. 

Although Alice argues that her boyfriend is ‘never hurt her’, the viewers sees the poisonous effects of their relationship and the ways that it drains a piece of her soul. Through casual jabs that are designed to undermine her confidence, Simon remains fully in control of the relationship and Alice. Here, the hurt that he inflicts is neither physical nor verbal but consistent by way of the shame he inflicts upon her. Too often in films about toxic relationships, that harmfulness is obvious but Darling emphasizes the subtle ways that control can take root and the shame that can be absorbed because of it. With each snide or belittling remark, Alice believes increasingly that she is simply bad, despite having done nothing wrong. Buried under the weight of Simon’s disappointment, Alice has nowhere to put her shame and it eats away at her from the inside. In these moments, Nighy uses Alice’s experience to bring a broader definition of hurt into the spotlight. Simon may not be abusive in the traditional sense but he is constantly critical of his love, claiming that he knows her best. The damage here is difficult to quantify yet also difficult to watch.

What’s more, Darling is also a film about love. Highlighting pop culture’s emphasis on romantic love in our storytelling, the film helps the viewer to recognize that real love is grander than romance. Here, love is a place where one can find support and healing from the outside world and its brokenness. Using her friends as an anchor, Alice’s journey begins to find a spark of life once again as she rediscovers her worth. (However, whether or not she will fall to Simon’s poison once again is the film’s true question.)

In this way, there’s a heartbeat of hope within Alice, Darling, even in its darkest of moments. While the pain of abuse can be overwhelming, so too can it also be overcome with love and support from those who know us best. 

Alice, Darling is available in theatres on Friday, December 30th, 2022.

Sundance 2023 – A Still Small Voice

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“I have no idea where my prayers are going.”

We enter the world of hospital chaplaincy in A Still Small Voice, a documentary by Luke Lorentzen. Lorentzen was recognized at the Sundance Film Festival with the Directing Award in US Documentary.

Mati Engle is in a one year residency with the Department of Spiritual Care at Mount Sinai Hospital. We watch as she deals with patients, staff, and her cohort in the program. She and her supervisor, Rev. David Fleener, discuss her work and the difficulties she faces with workload.

The film takes us into very intimate and vulnerable situations (with permission of all involved). Mati talks to patients about serious spiritual and life issues. Doctors may not talk about these things. Perhaps they are too personal even for family. But as a chaplain, she is available for whatever issues arise. (She even baptizes a child who died at birth so her family can find some comfort—even though Mati is Jewish.)

A still from A Still Small Voice by Luke Lorentzen, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

The film isn’t so much focused on chaplaincy per se as it is on Mati and the strain of the residency. Her supervisor often challenges her about her boundaries and her feeling of being depleted. It is also interesting to listen in on the supervisor’s own struggles with his role when he talks to his own overseer.

It is interesting that there is very little overtly religious or spiritual content to the film, but it is still infused with a spiritual element. That is the nature of chaplaincy and perhaps ministry in general—the most spiritual things are often found in everyday life.

We don’t really hear how those involved in the residency are fulfilling their own spiritual needs—which leads to the quotation at the top of this post. And we see how this work and the demands are especially emotional and spiritual.

As clergy, I wasn’t surprised by how consuming and draining such work can be. Self-care and burnout are topics that many clergy ignore to the detriment of themselves, their families, and their ministries. The concept of self-care is built into the residency program, but often it is hard for those involved to balance self and work.

A Still Small Voice will certainly resonate with those involved in the spiritual care of those who are suffering. It should also give people insight into the lives and struggle such spiritual care givers face—often silently.

When You Finish Saving the World – Life through your own lens.

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Julianne Moore as Evelyn talking to Finn Wolfhard who plays her son Ziggy

When You Finish Saving the World is one of the most transparent semi-autobiographical films ever made yet it’s not set in the authors coming-of-age generation. Actor-turned-director Jesse Eisenberg modernizes this personal story and gives it back to the generation who will define the world that his own kid is about to grow up in.

In the first movie I’ve ever seen adapted from an Audible original, Eisenburg adapts the audio drama into a more condensed, duel character study. The film follows 17-year-old Ziggy Katz (Finn Wolfhard, who reprises his role from the audio drama) who finds himself pursuing his teenage interests, landing him in the awkward spot of having a niche viral stardom from live streaming his own original music. The only problem is that he hasn’t met any of them and the people in his real life don’t care about his 20,000 followers (A fact he frequently points out). Ziggy doesn’t care what the people around him think, least of all his mother. He pushes her concerns out of the way to try and focus on growing his music fandom. There is one girl Ziggy who wants his attention from and, unfortunately for him, it’s the most woke girl in class, Lila (Alisha Boe). His knowledge about the politics and rights issues she talks about is basically none but he also isn’t willing to give up the time he dedicates to his music to learn, so he tries to pretend to know what Lila’s talking about. Of course, Lila knows that he is clueless about what she and her friend discuss but Ziggy is blinded in his pursuit for her.

Between his pursuit of Lila and his efforts to chase fame, Ziggy develops a narcissistic lifestyle that starts to alienates his parents, especially his mother Evelyn (Julianne Moore). Evelyn works as the head of a home for women seeking refuge from unsafe domestic situations. Despite her direct work with people, she is often shown to struggle with connecting on a deeper level with her clients. That comes to a head when she is introduced to Kyle (Billy Bryk), another 17 year old kid with a heart of gold. Kyle’s mom is staying at the shelter and during their stay Evelyn notices how caring Kyle is. He helps his mom with everything and is even willing to address any practical need around him. Evelyn recognizes him as a kid with a heart of gold who is also smart and compassionate, a trait she can’t see in her own son or any of the people he hangs out with. So, when she sees Kyle, a smart and caring person, she believes she can put him on the path to great things. However, Evelyn begins to ignore Kyle’s feelings about her attempts to get him to university and it leads her down a narcissistic path that parallels Ziggy’s.

Writer/Director Jesse Eisenburg with his two leads at Cannes Critics Week

Jesse Eisenburg is one of few debut directors or directors in general who are bold enough to create characters that are so transparently narcissistic and, therefore, hard to love. These kinds of characters tend to alienate mainstream audiences but they certainly hold a lot of potential for entertaining and cinematic scenes. These kinds of characters can work in a story and style meant for them, one that engages and entertains the audience and Eisenburg does a lot towards that end. His cinematography matches the tone of this film perfectly with a classic and aesthetically pleasing style that invokes a sense of nostalgia fit for this retro-style, coming of age film. Stills from this movie feel like the film photos you’d see on a young person’s Instagram feed and that fits the young energy of the film well. Props to cinematographer Benjamin Loeb (After Yang) who has continually tackled projects including this one through a dynamic approach to either colour and camera movement.

The technical prowess and film form choices are continually impressive throughout the film as the editing brilliantly highlights the visual humor communicated through the props or set design. The film makes the most of its indie sensibilities, highlighting simple cuts for comedy. One scene features an epic slow long zoom out from Evelyn casually driving her car only to cut to her racing into a parking spot and squealing to stop which reveals her hilariously undersized Smart Car. As we follow Ziggy and Evelyn, we see how their narcissistic tendencies are put on display through simple camera work that allow us to focus on the characters’ frequent uncomfortable actions and words. Some of those words do not feel natural to the generation they’re portraying, in particular Ziggy’s use of the F-word is not only a bit startling for someone who couldn’t imagine swearing at their parents at 17 but also feels very ‘written’. They don’t feel like their coming from the mouth of a present day teenager. You can imagine Eisenburg guiding Wolfhard to create this character that largely mimics himself because as admitted by Eisenburg this is a personal story and he clearly has himself in mind when writing and directing Ziggy. The voices he develops for his younger characters also feel out of touch for a member of Generation Z but I won’t expect perfection from someone who’s 39 himself.

The direction Eisenburg takes in writing and acting may be the same kind that seemed alienating in The Squid and The Whale, a film Eisenburg starred in. The bold actions and decisions the characters in When You Finish Saving the World clearly feel like they were plucked from the experience Eisenburg had on The Squid and the Whale. Both of these films contain scenes of very personal coming-of-age sexual discovery that cross the line from vulnerable characterization to bad taste. Some actions shouldn’t be as explicit as they are in a coming-of-age film like When You Finish Saving the World but that is up to the viewer. Ziggy and Evelyn have a bluntness to their verbal attacks on one another that lands in the grey zone of attempting to be naturalistic while still containing elements of the fanciful dialogue you’d expect from an Aaron Sorkin script (Eisenburg led The Social Network that was written by film Sorkin).

The performances from Wolfhard and Moore are pitch perfect to Eisenburg’s vision. He should be singing their praises whenever their brought up in conversation from now on. Julianne Moore in particular plays this distancing and ultra-intellectual mother so well and executes both the awkward and emotional moments to perfection. Wolfhard is the victim of some of the more fanciful moments of dialogue that don’t fit with the realistic modern teenager Eisenberg tries to create but still he does a wonderful job executing the honest ignorance and cringe of this arrogant but wishful young man. When you Finish Saving the World is not for everyone, but if you can put up with some selfish characters and the purposeful cringe of adolescents then this might be the teenage fable for you.

When You Finish Saving the World is in theatres now.

Shrinking: Laughing through Life

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In Shrinking, life’s problems can feel enormous… but still small enough to laugh through.

Created by television veteran Bill Lawrence, Shrinking tells the story of Jimmy (Jason Segal), an depressed and disconnected therapist who is grieving the loss of his wife. Estranged from his teenage daughter and battling his own inner demons, Jimmy decides to throw out the counselling playbook and begin giving his clients ‘answers’ instead of asking questions. This draws the ire of his boss, Dr. Phil Rhodes (Harrison Ford) yet, when Jimmy starts seeing results, Jimmy’s life begins to change for the better.

Over the years, Lawrence has made a career reveling in the lives of imperfect people. From Scrubs to Cougar Town and, most recently, his mega-hit Ted Lasso, Lawrence has created endearing characters with fatal flaws that constantly plague their decisions. The same holds true in Shrinking as we follow Jimmy’s misadventures as a psychiatrist. Holding to Lawrence’s strengths, Shrinking features a practice fueled by people who are trying to hold things together but still feel genuine in their optimism. And it’s that balance of positivity and brokenness that helps his series feel authentic and, maybe, even relatable. 

Of course, part of the magic of a series like this is its casting. With Segal out in front, Shrinking has a leading man who may be one of the best comedians in Hollywood at creating empathy for his characters. Jessica Williams steps into the role of Gaby with confidence and strength, even as her character’s life begins to collapse around her. And, as always, Lawrence’s muse Christa Miller continues to bring earnestness into the grumpiest of characters. 

Even so, the most welcome casting may come in the form of Ford. For almost 50 years, Ford has made a career of playing the charismatic hero-type. (And, frankly, the fact that he’s returning to the role of Indiana Jones this summer suggests that he still loves doing so.) Although he’s always brought humour to his roles, it is rare for him to play the part of someone as laid back as Dr. Phil Rhodes. With Rhodes, Ford relaxs his performance in the best of ways, bringing a humility and grace to the character. Yes, he still manages to carry his ‘cantankerous charm’ into the character, but it’s refreshing to see him step into the role of someone who is simply trying to make it through the day. As a result, Shrinking may be some of the strongest work from the Hollywood legend that we’ve seen in decades.

Like so many of Lawrence’s projects, Shrinking also amplifies hope in a hopeless space. A grieving widower and daughter, an elderly man with Parkinsons and women enduring divorce and abusive relationships seem like an odd backbone for a comedy. However, once again, Lawrence understands that people are more than their circumstances and celebrates their journey towards healing with humour. Coming at a time when many comedies wants us to laugh at the flaws of others, Lawrence instead has always steered the other way. We mourn their poor decisions and tough places of life yet we also are allowed to laugh with them in their flaws. They’re like us. And provide an example of what it means to come through our hardest of life-moments. (And honestly, although it will have its critics, this style of comedy feels relevant and refreshing as we edge out of a pandemic.)

Of course, Shrinking’s biggest issue is something that’s not even its own fault as the series is already being compared to Ted Lasso. And, admittedly, it’s not an unfair comparison either. With its mixture of hilarity and heart, there are definitely similarities to the show’s voice and style. Both series feature leads who break out of the ‘mold’ of their position and feature characters that desperately need the help of their community. (Even Lasso favourite Brett Goldstein is involved as a producer.) 

But, while the series doesn’t quite have the immediate likability of its predecessor, Shrinking still shows tremendous potential in its own right. Backed by an excellent cast and a joy-infused sense that everyone can heal, the series is fueled by an optimism that never feels false. It’s that same sense of hope that made Lawrence a star and, frankly, what we need to hear right now.

The first two episodes of Shrinking are available on Apple TV+ with new episodes on Fridays.

SF Radio 9.12: Behind the Walls of BABYLON

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Damien Chazelle charmed the world with La La Land love letter to Hollywood but his new film, Babylon, is… different. Willing to expose the excessive nature of the industry, this film features over-the-top visuals and wild content but, at the same time, wants to celebrate the dream of making cinema. This week, Seun Olowo-Ake, Adam Kline and newcomer Daniel Eng step behind the walls of BABYLON to talk about Hollywood’s fatal flaws and Manny’s tears.

You can stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

8jXbandBlyH6ETG28xGD8G3fCCRDownload

Infinity Pool: Drowning in Toxicity

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Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Infinity Pool tells the story of James (Alexander Skarsgard) and his wife, Em (Cleopatra Coleman), a young couple who are looking forward to the restful getaway amongst the pristine beaches. However, after meeting Gabi (Mia Goth), the couple begin to step outside the guidelines that have been set out for them, revealing a world laden by violence and hedonism. After a shocking accident forces them to argue for their lives against a zero-tolerance police force, James and Em discover that their execution may not be necessary… if you have the money to afford the alternative.

The son of iconic director David Cronenberg, Brandon has grown up with a keen understanding of the incredible potential of horror to explore society’s ills. Now well into his own career, the young director is making a name for himself through his own ability to grapple with the modern era. But, with Infinity Pool, Cronenberg may be taking himself to another level with a film that truly disturbs but also wrestles with some of contemporary culture’s most complex issues of wealth and masculinity.

Although Skarsgard is the film’s protagonist, the heat of the film stems from Goth. As the unpredictable Gabi, Goth brings a mixture of charisma and chaos to Gabi that makes her irresistible. Whenever she’s on screen, her unpredictable nature makes it difficult to take your eyes off of her. There’s an energy in her performance that breathes life into the film and keeps it moving, even in moments where the narrative slows down.

Visually, Cronenberg understands how to immerse his viewers into his universe. Bathing the screen with bleeding reds (in more ways than one), he visually washes the viewer with colour in order to display the chaos that is melting around them. Similar to his father, Cronenberg has a passion for body horror and Pool is more than willing to dive into this unique style of filmmaking. Cut flesh, warped facial masks and graphic violence and nudity are ever-present and intentionally designed to disturb viewers.

Underneath the gore, however, lies a film that explores the deadliness of power and wealth. Although James and Em are happy together, James is a man who is knowingly living off of his wife’s family inheritance. Yes, he has written a book but he still remains unable to contribute actively to his own family. In this way, James is portrayed as a man of character and respect but also an inner weakness. However, when he meets Gabi and her friends, things begin to change. Power and influence are offered freely and the rules seem to no longer apply. 

But with great power comes with great toxicity. 

As James begins to drown in the brutality of this world, he becomes increasingly tempted to succumb to its perverse nature. After all, if money can buy infinite freedom, why care about moral boundaries? It’s this ethical question that lies at the bottom of this Pool as consequences seem to have no meaning for those who can afford it. With each experience, James falls deeper into a world but Cronenberg keeps the focus rightly on the dilemma of privilege and it’s problematic nature.

But, no. Infinity Pool is not for everyone. Featuring some truly disturbing and graphic imagery, this Pool is not for the squeamish. Nevertheless, this is not to speak against the film at all. Instead, Cronenberg continues to mature as a filmmaker and, most importantly, shows a willingness to dive deeply into current conversations using his own unique style and voice.

Infinity Pool is available in theatres on Friday, January 28th, 2023.

GIVEAWAY! Advance Screening of 80 FOR BRADY!

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80 for Brady looks like it’s gonna be a winner and we’re giving away passes to see it before it’s released in theatres! Thanks to our friends at TARO PR, we’re giving away three double passes to see 80 for Brady in Toronto, Montreal (ENG), Edmonton, and Vancouver on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022!

DATE
Monday, January 30th, 2023

LOCATION
Montreal (ENG) – 7:00pm @ Cineplex Cinemas Forum

DATE
Wednesday, February 1st, 202

LOCATION
Toronto – 7:00pm @ Cineplex Cinemas Varsity & VIP
Vancouver – 7:00pm @ Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas
Edmonton – 7:00pm @ Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton (WEM)

80 for Brady is inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their hero Tom Brady play. Starring Academy Award® nominee Lily Tomlin, Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda, Academy Award® winner Rita Moreno and Academy Award® winner Sally Field, with 7-time Super Bowl Champion and producer Tom Brady, 80 for Brady is in-theatres February 3, 2023.

Jane Fonda as “Trish” and Harry Hamlin as “Dan” in 80 For Brady from Paramount Pictures.

In order to enter, simply tell us your city, like/share this post on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter and name one of the Oscar nominated/winning actresses that star in 80 for Brady!

Winners will receive a double pass to the pre-screening of 80 for Brady on Wednesday, February 1st (or Monday, January 30th).

All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Saturday, January 28th, 2023.

Unstoppable Shorts at Slamdance 2023

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Shorts are always an important part of any film festival. That is really true for Slamdance, which often features filmmakers who are working with very limited resources. But those short films often demonstrate as much power and skill as longer films. Often even more so because they are so compact. One of the sections for shorts as Slamdance each year is called “Unstoppable”. These films are about overcoming the obstacles of life—often physical or emotional disabilities. Some such films are about those disabilities, others by filmmakers who are overcoming their own obstacles. Here is a sampling of this year’s Unstoppable shorts. These and other films can be seen at https://slamdance.com/festival .

Queen Moorea (27 minutes, directed by Christine Fulgate). A documentary about a young woman who is chosen homecoming queen at the high school in spite of being born with a genetic syndrome that involves learning disabilities and deformity. She and others with similar issues strive to lead normal lives, but they struggle in a world that often doesn’t see past their disabilities.

A Black Saturday (9 minutes, directed by Tori Sampson). A slice of life that looks at two children for whom Saturday is a time of both fun and obligation. It is a sweet look at innocence and the love of family.

Charley and the Hunt (15 minutes, directed by Jenn Shaw). The story of a girl with a vivid imagination who must go on a “dangerous” treasure hunt to recover her deaf mother’s lost bracelet.

My Eyes Are Up Hear (14 minutes, directed by Nathan Morris). Comic film about a young woman with physical deformities that wakes up in a man’s apartment after a wild night. She sets out to get the morning after pill. He wants to help. She wants to be independent. It develops into a mini-romcom. The film challenges our idea about disabilities and sexuality.

Just Right (16 minutes, directed by Camille Wormser). This is a comic look at what it is like to live with severe OCD. (Wormser, who also stars, has severe OCD.) When the central character decides to go somewhere with her roommate, she is on the clock to be ready on time, but there are so many things that have to be done in just the right way.

Still more from Slamdance 2023

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Here are more films that are playing at Slamdance Film Festival. You can see these and others at https://slamdance.com/festival.

Sweetheart Deal, directed by Elisa Levine and Gabriel Miller, is one of those documentaries that turns into something entirely different than it sets out to be. The film focuses on four sex workers in Seattle and a man who goes into Aurora Avenue area where they work to provide a safe place for them to come and rest, eat, or kick their drug habits. The women face danger in their work. They are all also involved with drugs that are often the reason for them doing this work, but also make their lives tolerable. “Eliot”, seems to be a wonderful friend. When one of the women is kidnapped and escapes, he helps her find the place she was, so she can take the information to the police. But the last third of the film has such an amazing revelation (both the to the audience and to the women) about “Eliot” that it takes the film in a new direction. The betrayal we discover just adds to the many ways that these women are abused and debased. Although it is a very dark topic, there are signs of hope in the end.

In case you think Slamdance is only about dark movies, let me tell you about Love Dump, directed by Jason Avezzano. This work was created by Leila Gorstein and Jesse Kendall, when they worked together in an improv theater. It is a parody of Hallmark romcoms. Jessica Dump runs a vintage garbage store. One day in the park, she is trampled by Todd Barkley, a lawyer who defends dogs. Sparks fly immediately, but then fifteen years pass. Through various misadventures, the two struggle to find each other again, hitting all the romcom beats you expect to find. The humor is broadly over-the-top as one might expect from its improv background.

One of the finds of the festival, from my perspective, is OKAY! (The ASD Band Film), directed by Mark Bone. Slamdance has sections of both features and shorts that they label “Unstoppable”, which focuses on overcoming the obstacles of life. OKAY! is the story of a band made up of four musicians on the autism spectrum. Autism has become a subject of entertainment in recent years. (E.g., The Big Bang Theory, Atypical, As We See It, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo.) Perhaps it is time to see those with autism in reality. A program helping people with autism learn social skills brought together these four gifted musicians. We may think that people with autism cannot connect to other people, but that is not what we see here. They are working on making their first album, and writing songs that reflect their lives, and collaborating to make each song something special. We meet their families, as well as some other people with autism who have greater struggles than these. One of the songs they perform has a line that is a wonderful statement of the thesis of the film: We’re different, but not less.

SF Radio 9.11: Going Deep with THE WHALE

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Directed by Darren Aronofsky, THE WHALE tells the story of Charlie (Brendan Fraser), an obese recluse who lives his life as an online teacher from the safety of his apartment. With the end of his life approaching, Charlie reaches out to his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) in the hopes of reconciling before it’s too late. This week, Robert Bellissimo (Robert Bellissimo at the Movies) and Dave Voigt (In The Seats) join us to dive into THE WHALE and talk about amazing people and looking for one true thing.

You can stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

9.11-The-WhaleDownload