Written and directed by Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade follows the story of Kayla (portrayed brilliantly by Elsie Fisher), a pre-teen girl in the final week before her middle school graduation. Looking forward to high school in the fall, Kayla is caught between who she was and who she wants to be. As her school year comes… [Read More]
Call Me by Your Name – Moving Past Innocence
Coming-of-age stories are often about discovery as characters emerge from childhood. They often harken back to the story of Eden, as Adam and Eve eat forbidden fruit and their eyes are opened to see and experience the world in new ways.
What Will People Say – Culture Clash
What Will People Say was one of my favorite films at AFIFest this year. I wasn’t alone in my estimation of the work; it also won the Audience Award in the New Auteurs section. It is a powerful and engaging film in which two different value systems collide within the life of a teenager as she grows up with connection to two cultures.
Lady Bird – Discovering a Best Self
I saw this film on Thanksgiving weekend, and it was amazingly appropriate. So much of our time is spent being oblivious to the many things we have because we so often focus on the things we do not have. That is very much Lady Bird’s experience with the world.
Summer 1993 – A Child’s Loss of Innocence
As Summer 1993 opens, children are playing in the street. One of them looks at six-year-old Frida (Laia Artegas), and asks, “Why aren’t you crying?” Is that part of the game or does Frida have reason to cry?
Animation is Film 17: Virus Tropical
Adapted from the graphic novel memoir by Colombian-Ecuadorian cartoonist Power Paola, Virus Tropical follows the story of a young girl in Ecuador named Paola, as she grows and matures from infancy to striking out on her own as a young adult. Raised by a mostly single mother, Paola struggles through her relationships with family, friends and… [Read More]
Friday at the Newport Beach Film Festival
I only got in one film yesterday because (a) it was a light day on the schedule, and (b) there were some technical problems with the second film I went to.
Graduation – The Compromises We Make
How do we make the choices in our lives? Are many of them made for us, or do we in the end own them ourselves? And how do we live with the results of those choices that may shape our lives for years to come?
Before I Fall – It’s Not Groundhog Day
In Before I Fall, high school senior Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutch) lives the same day over and over. If you think this sounds like a YA version of Groundhog Day, you need to keep in mind that this is not a comedy and does not have a happy ending.
Moonlight: Best Picture Winner – Who Is You?
While we might look at Chiron’s life and see the various influences that pushed him, we know that in the end it is Chiron who is ultimately responsible for who he is and who he is yet to become.
