Cristi Puiu’s MMXX revisits the year he whipped up a bunch of coronavirus controversy with a typically austere anthology that lacks the smarts of his best work.
MMXX. Cristi Puiu Revisits his Annus Horribilis Through Lengthy Anthology.
Festivals
Reviews and dispatches exploring the best new cinema premiering around the world.
Days of Happiness Plays the Notes, Not the Music
Days of Happiness may offer the antidote to Tár’s toxicity, but it lacks the passion needed to make for a masterful conductor character study.
Vermin Has Spiders The Size of Buicks
Vermin is one of the downright nastiest yet compelling creature-features made in recent years, a true standout of the Venice Film Festival.
National Anthem. The Land of The LGBTQI+.
The American West seems as expansive and inclusive as ever in Luke Gilford’s queer Western romance National Anthem — live from TIFF.
Paradise is Burning. Exquisite Teenage Yearning.
The careers of three excellent actresses are launched in Mika Gustafson’s sensitive ode to the travails and beauty of youth — live from Venice Film Festival.
For Night Will Come. The Vampire Genre (Partially) Undone.
The perils of being a vampire in a regular-old world are subtly investigated in For Night Will Come — beating away clichés before eventually succumbing to them.
The Dreamer. Bittersweet Truth Through Sculpture.
Sculpture unlocks the essence of a man in Anaïs Tellenne’s tender, enigmatic debut The Dreamer — live from Venice Film Festival.
Behind The Mountains. Dull Magic Thriller-isms
Behind the Mountains mixes thriller themes with the supernatural genre, to mixed, often underwhelming effect — live from Venice Film Festival.
The Outpost. A Frustrating Study in Folly.
One man’s quixotic dream to host a Pink Floyd concert in the Amazon rainforest is frustratingly explored in The Outpost — live from Venice Film Festival.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Lives Up To Its Goofy Title
The practicalities and pitfalls of vampire life are warmly investigated in the mostly enjoyable Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.