Year: 2023 Runtime: 88 Minutes Directed by Heba Khaled, Talal Derki, Ali Wajeeh By Sarah Manvel Sometimes the purpose of a documentary is to shine a light on a part of the world most people will never see. Sometimes the purpose is to provide a voice to people who feel they have no voice of their own (which is nonsense of course, we all have … Continue reading Under the Sky of Damascus: Berlinale 2023 Review
Year: 2022 Runtime: 87 minutes Directed by Jub Clerc Written by Jub Clerc and Steve Rodgers Actors: Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Ngaire Pigram, Mark Coles Smith, Tasma Walton, Carlos Sanson Jr., Andrew Wallace, Pedrea Jackson, Mikayla Levy By Sarah Manvel Most movies about teenagers get it wrong. Either the teens are treated like little kids, behaving perfectly and being perfectly cared for, or they are treated like … Continue reading Sweet As: Berlinale 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 102 minutes Written and directed by Rebecca Miller Actors: Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, Peter Dinklage, Joanna Kulig, Brian d’Arcy James, Evan Ellison, Harlowe Jane, Dale Soules By Sarah Manvel “She Came to Me” is an old-fashioned movie in the best possible way. What we have here is a stacked cast including two Oscar winners, an unusual setting in a familiar location (Brooklyn), … Continue reading She Came to Me: Berlinale 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 105 minutes Written and directed by Celine Song Actors: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah, Leem Seung-min By Sarah Manvel There is nothing more human than wanting the best possible life, and no greater show of humanity than wondering if all the struggle was worth it. The choice of a new life and the promise it holds is amplified when … Continue reading Past Lives: Berlinale 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 132 minutes Directed by Emily Atef Written by Emily Atef and Daniela Krien Actors: Marlene Burow, Felix Kramer, Cedric Eich, Sike Bodenbender, Florian Panzer, Jordis Triebel, Christian Erdmann, Victoria Mayer By Sarah Manvel This is an absolutely gorgeous and smoking hot answer to the question of what a person with limitless options should do with their life, and what happens when those … Continue reading Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything: Berlinale 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 111 minutes Director: Veerle Baetens Writers: Veerle Baetens and Maarten Loix, based on the novel by Lize Spit Starring: Charlotte De Bruyne, Rosa Marchant, Sebastien Dewaele, Naomi Velissariou By Sarah Manvel The callousness and narcissism of teenagers, especially male ones, are seen as an immovable part of human nature, and adults will do almost anything to dodge dealing with that. Whether that’s … Continue reading When It Melts (Het Smelt): Sundance 2023 Film Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 102 minutes Directors: Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson By Sarah Manvel Three times in my life now I have seen an event at which I was present for a second time, in a documentary. The first was a concert, the second was a vigil for a murdered woman. The third was when I took a friend to hear Nikki Giovanni speak at … Continue reading Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project – Sundance 2023 Film Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 87 minutes Director/Writer: Adura Onashile Actors: Déborah Lukumuena, Le’Shantey Bonsu, Liana Turner, Danny Sapani, Ayesha Antoine by Sarah Manvel There must be something in the Scottish water which makes it easy for Scottish filmmakers to create astonishing mood pieces about isolation set in the middle of a city. Think of “Trainspotting”(1996), in which the rowdy gang of junkies are, despite the busyness … Continue reading Girl: Sundance 2023 Film Review
Runtime: 103 minutes Director/Writer: Nida Manzoor Actors: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Shobu Kapoor, Nimra Bucha, Ella Bruccoleri, Seraphina Beh, Sally Ann, Akshay Khanna by Sarah Manvel “Polite Society” is a wild thrill ride about a moody fifteen-year-old girl and her attempts to stop her sister’s wedding. It’s a fight movie in which all the fighters are women, a British movie with only one white main … Continue reading Polite Society: Sundance 2023 film review
In Their Own League 