They say first impressions are everything in life. Minotaur, the latest film from now-exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, features two incredibly memorable examples of initial introductions. The first is the audience’s introduction to the Morozov family, the unit at the center of this film. Each member of the Morozov family, be it father, mother, son, […]
Category: New York Film Festival
NYFF 64 – CLUB KID Explores Our Potential To Change
I realized Jordan Firstman’s feature debut, Club Kid, was bound to strike a chord with me from the moment it announced its initial style and form to its audience. The camera dizzyingly introduces Peter (Firstman) and his entire crew of party animals within the packed confines of a drunk Uber ride through the East Village. […]
NYFF64 – BEHEMOTH! Is A Testament to Art & Humanity
As if Tony Gilroy rejuvenating the Star Wars Universe with Andor wasn’t enough, it would appear that he’s doing the same for the contemporary adult drama film with Behemoth!. The Centerpiece film of the 64th New York Film Festival, Behemoth! is a brilliant deconstruction of a man’s life, told through moments of reflection rather than […]
NYFF64 – LA GRADIVA & The Rich Collage of Youth
Marine Atlan’s La Gradiva begins in a way that evokes the potential for a grand, fantastical journey that’s about to play out. The music begins to swell as a camera mounted to a train bursts forth from a dark tunnel, moving ever so fast through the countryside. The rich landscape looks incredible, but despite the […]
NYFF64 – A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JO: CHAPTER PHAEDRA Is A Rich Exploration of Identity
Jacqueline Lentzou’s A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra begins with an ephemeral moment of the titular 15-year-old napping amidst the beauty of nature. She is conducting breathing exercises while laying in the grass, only to have found herself dozing off. Who could blame her? Lentzou’s breathtaking 16mm photography captures Greece at its […]
NYFF64 – PAPER TIGER: An Operatic New York City Tale
James Gray’s Paper Tiger comes home to New York City as the Opening Night film of the 64th New York Film Festival, and is kicking off the festival like a shot from a cannon. Representing New York through and through, this film takes a small-scale crime tale and channels it through a familial drama that […]