★★ The idea behind Under My Skin is far better than the execution. David O’Donnell’s new film has layered visuals and a raw story about one person’s struggle with gender. A key creative choice blocked me from identifying with its mixed messages: the central character is played throughout by entirely different actors. When young musician … Continue reading SBIFF 2021: Under My Skin
SBIFF 2021: We Burn Like This
★★★ I assumed We Burn Like This would delve deeper into heritage and Judaism in its exploration of a Holocaust survivor descendant. Instead, it focuses more on the lead’s relationship with religion than with Jewish culture. The new drama, part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, is a modern coming of age story. It … Continue reading SBIFF 2021: We Burn Like This
SBIFF 2021: Coast
★★★★ Tender and rousing music adds flavor to Coast, the feature film debut of directors Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart. On surface level, it’s a coming-of-age drama film about 16 year old Abby (Fatima Ptacek) as she figures out where she belongs in the world, while working on a hometown history paper. What does she … Continue reading SBIFF 2021: Coast
SBIFF 2021: Broken Diamonds
★★★★★ Schizophrenia is a disease that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, and rarely do we get to see it on film in a convincing way. The most famous example is obviously Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind, which I personally find overrated and bordering on exploitative. Broken Diamonds comes at a time when exploring mental illness and … Continue reading SBIFF 2021: Broken Diamonds