2023’s Berlinale compiled another excellent, deeply varied roster of films. Check out our full coverage of this year’s exciting film festival offerings after the jump! Films ALMAMULA I love a horror-tinged queer drama almost more than I can describe in words; last year's Hypochondriac perfectly epitomized this. Almamula, a French/Argentinian/Italian production, is unfortunately almost entirely … Continue reading Berlinale 2023 Wrap-Up
Berlinale 2023: Mal Viver and Viver Mal
★★★★ (Written by Sean Boelman, disappointment media) João Canijo’s Mal Viver and Viver Mal—translating to “Bad Living” and “Living Bad”—are two of the more interesting films in this year’s Berlinale lineup, as they are companion pieces. Billed as a “shot/reverse shot,” Canijo’s duology is well-made and intriguing, even if its novelty begins to wear thin … Continue reading Berlinale 2023: Mal Viver and Viver Mal
Berlinale 2023: Femme
★★★★★ The modern queer thriller soars to previously unforeseen heights in searing, sexually-charged Femme. Based on the short film of the same name, writer/director duo Sam F. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping craft a harrowing revenge tale unlike anything I have ever seen before. After a shocking gay bashing, lust and longing give way to … Continue reading Berlinale 2023: Femme
Berlinale 2023: Silver Haze
★★★★★ (Written by Sean Boelman, disappointment media) Back in 2019, the film Dirty God picked up a great deal of acclaim on the festival circuit after beginning its run at Sundance and became one of the most underseen gems of that year. Its writer-director and star duo, Sacha Polak and Vicky Knight, have reunited for … Continue reading Berlinale 2023: Silver Haze
Berlinale 2023: Deep Sea
★★★★ Animation as a medium is often undersung and underestimated—all the more reason to seek out nearly every animated film that I come across. In recent years, some of my favorite animated features have emerged from the film festival circuit. Last year alone, 2D-animated marvel Titina, bizarre ultra-gory Unicorn Wars, stop motion horror fantasy Wendell … Continue reading Berlinale 2023: Deep Sea
NYICFF 2022: Oink
★★★★ Feeling as if it came straight from the mind of Wes Anderson, stop-motion-animated Oink is a hilarious treat the whole family can enjoy! Banned for 25 years from a prestigious sausage contest, two rival butchers are back in action now for the 100th iteration. Who will be crowned Sausage King of the Century? For … Continue reading NYICFF 2022: Oink
Berlinale 2022: Sublime
★★★★ Sublime exists somewhere in that special corner of adolescence, on the cusp of falling down the rabbit hole of one’s first love. What happens when those feelings that start to invade one's brain aren’t for one's girlfriend, but a member of the same sex—a close friend, to be exact? Sublime posits that these thoughts … Continue reading Berlinale 2022: Sublime
Berlinale 2022: Against the Ice
★★★ Against the Ice places a surprising true story set in the arctic against the emotionally-distant script. The result is a bit of a predictable drama set in North Eastern Greenland. While not awful at all, I saw such potential in this survival concept that I became frustrated it is not quite able to rise … Continue reading Berlinale 2022: Against the Ice
Interview: Screenwriter/Director Jamie Sisley & Stay Awake Cast
The Berlinale Film Festival got off to a bang, as Allison and I chatted over Zoom with the amazing cast and creatives of harrowing addiction drama, Stay Awake. We talk character motivations, the subversion to not vilify addicts, favorite filming locations, upcoming projects, and more! Based on the critically-acclaimed short film of the same name, … Continue reading Interview: Screenwriter/Director Jamie Sisley & Stay Awake Cast
Berlinale 2022: The Forger
★★★ Good forgeries are tiny works of art, and Berlinale selection, The Forger, strives to be exactly that. In the film, we follow a young Jewish man, Cioma (Louis Hofmann), who is trying to live peacefully in 1940s Berlin. If the slightest modicum of history knowledge tells you anything, this time period was rife with … Continue reading Berlinale 2022: The Forger