The Miseducation of Cameron Post
For a film that’s about a teenager (played by Chloë Grace Moretz) being sent to a gay conversion therapy camp, it’s got a surprisingly light touch for the most part. It’s co-written and directed by Desiree Akhavan, and she brings a warmth to the proceedings that make some of the legitimately terrifying stuff rather palatable.
It’s not the kind of movie interested in going on about how horrible these conversion centers can be, simply letting the actions taken to speak for themselves while putting more emphasis on the people who are taken in, and each struggling to deal with the pressures that their faith-based values are placing on them. I was very struck by the humanity of the film, and how non-judgmental it was, even of the staff, while still condemning their actions. It’s really interesting and compelling, very much worth checking out.
Damsel
The only other film I’ve seen of the Zeller Brothers was their previous film, 2014’s Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, which I loved. While I haven’t seen their other works besides that, it’s easy to recognize that they have a distinctive style, one that’s quirky, but also patient with its storytelling. That certainly goes for Damsel, which toys with genre conventions in fun ways, as it follows Samuel (Robert Pattinson), a man trekking through the west to find his kidnapped fiance – or so he claims – Penelope (Mia Wasikowska).
I was honestly a bit underwhelmed as the film started, but I really enjoyed the second half, once it actually revealed what its deal is. I won’t give it away, but things take a drastic turn. One of the Zeller Brothers, David, plays a man who joins Samuel on his mission, and he oddly enough has many of the best, and most funniest moments. I’m a bit torn on some things, specifically, the theming, which basically equates to “men just can’t take a hint,” which…fair, but the execution of it mostly ends up being a repeating gag, and it felt a bit superficial. I would be much more curious to see how a female filmmaker would tackle the themes of this film in a western setting. Despite that, I did have a really good time, and if you’re in the mood for a kooky little western, this is one you should seek out.
I Am Not A Witch
Imagine the witch scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, except stretched to feature length, set in Africa, and the comedy eventually morphing into deep, existential sadness. This film is brilliant. A young girl (Maggie Mulubwa) is accused by villagers of being a witch, and is then taken to a witch camp where she does work for the local government.
It’s the feature debut of writer/director, Rungano Nyoni, and it’s seriously impressive work. It’s so assured, and stylish, and confident in delivering a story that is by all accounts infuriating and off-putting and turning into something that is genuinely hilarious, but never at the expense of the humanity of the characters. I can’t wait to see what she does next because this is a great film.
The Little Stranger
If you’re looking for a “scary movie,” this is not the movie to watch. It’s less a horror film, and more of a moody, gothic drama, and I promise you I’m not just saying that because that’s the thing you say when you like a horror movie, but don’t like calling it horror. The film isn’t particularly concerned with scaring you as much as it is diving into the psyche of our characters and their dynamics, especially touching on themes of class. The first moment of actual horror doesn’t even come until around the hour and ten minute mark in a movie that runs at an hour and 50 minutes, and no other scene like it happens again.
The film itself is about Dr Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson), who is called in to see a patient at a manor where his mother used to work as a maid. The manor, and its residents, are in a state of decline, and he soon realizes there is more to the family and the house than meets the eye. That’s a very simplistic way of putting it, but the film isn’t the kind that can be easily described. It’s patient, very literary in its approach, but I still found it quite engrossing. I feel bad that Lenny Abrahamson went from being Oscar nominated to having his next film be, not only mis-marketed, but unceremoniously dropped in the middle of August. It won’t be for everyone, for sure, but if you’re in the mood for a gothic mood piece, give it a watch.
Night Comes On
This is a revenge movie, technically speaking, but there is far more to it than that. The film, which is directed by Jordana Spiro, who also co-wrote it with Angelica Nwandu, follows an 18 year old woman, Angel (Dominique Fishback), who was just released from a juvenile detention facility, and goes on a journey to take revenge on her father for killing her mother when she was young. But things are made a bit complicated when her younger sister, Abby (Tatum Marilyn Hall), ends up tagging along.
The film is a very different kind of revenge movie, taking the complete opposite (both thematically and aesthetically) approach from Revenge, the other female helmed revenge movie. This one is more grounded, more contemplative, and more thoughtful in its focus on the characters, and the emotions that drive them. It’s a film that takes its time, and makes great use of economic and visual storytelling, often making subtle commentary on how we rarely give the underprivileged the resources they need to get on their feet. The leads give two of the best performances you’ll see this year, and the film is a heck of a promising directorial debut.
A Prayer Before Dawn
Man, what an experience. A gnarly expression of the male form as a tool, a weapon, a means for survival. This movie is not messing around. It’s brutal, it’s bloody; you can practically smell the environment, and feel the sweat. It’s that kind of movie, and it’s kind of awesome, if not necessarily for everybody.
It’s based on the memoirs of Billy Moore, who was sent to a Thai prison, and served as a boxer, which is like a thing that they do there, apparently. It’s directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and written by Jonathan Hirschbein and Nick Saltrese. Joe Cole plays Billy Moore, and he’s fantastic. Everything about the filmmaking is done to make you feel like you’re right there with Billy, and it’s pretty damn effective. It kind of throws in a “conflict” in the last half hour, which might stick to the truth, but in a narrative that felt less concerned with a typical structure, it felt weird since it doesn’t really do anything with it. But still, this is really good stuff, and easily one of the best prison/boxing movies I’ve seen in recent memory.
Angels Wear White
It’s unfortunate that this film isn’t being discussed in conversations about the best foreign language films of 2018, not just because it’s a really great film, but because it’s unfortunately an all too relevant one. Written and directed by Chinese filmmaker, Vivian Qu, the film follows what happens after two young girls were sexually assaulted in a hotel room by an older man. The one witness, Mia (Vicky Chen), is a cleaner who is now at the risk of losing her job if she were to come forward.
The film is very hard to watch at time, but it never crosses the line into being exploitative. Qu knows how to get the idea across without getting to explicit or excessive. The film will undoubtedly inspire a lot of emotions as it did with me. There were points where I was in tears, or having the urge to throw my computer across the room. Through following various characters, it explores how deep rooted misogyny can be in a culture, and the ways that mindset can inform actions that that do active harm to victims of rape and assault. This isn’t a film I enjoyed watching at all, but it’s one that feels necessary.
Welcome To Marwen
This was literally something I added in the last minute because I managed to forget I even saw this. I guess my brain just wanted to remove every memory of this movie. Unfortunately, the new Robert Zemeckis film is an astounding disappointment, and this is coming from someone who loved his last two films, The Walk and Allied, and considered them to be among my favorites of their respective years.
This film, like The Walk, is inspired by a documentary called Marwencol, and it follows Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell), a victim of a hate crime which resulted in memory loss, and his coping mechanism for that is creating this world in his yard using dolls in a WWII scenario. It seems simple enough, but along with its watered down and painfully obvious vision of the real story, it makes Mark seem far more creepier with the way he sees the women in his life. It’s legitimately one of the most awkward and uncomfortable moviegoing experiences I’ve had in a while. I might even say it’s Zemeckis’ worst film. There’s an interesting story here, but this is not the way to go about it at all.
Yeah, I kinda hate to end this on a bummer note, but – oh well. I’ll be back in 2019, I hope you stick around!