Extremely in tune with itself in regards to shot compositions and visual meaning, Ascension works outside of the generally expected parameters of documentary filmmaking. 

Not unlike Sundance 2021 award winner s, Jessica Kingdon’s work, centered on expressing the Chinese Dream, avoids interview, narration, or direct clarity to instead allow viewers to be lulled by the hypnotic motions and actions it showcases. 

There is a lot to celebrate in works like this, the projects that keep observational filmmaking at their arguably…

“Finding authenticity takes risk.” 

Black LGBTQ+ individuals are the key, are the true leaders, are the heart of the queer community. Plain and simple. The community we owe extensive thanks to for queer liberation and the community that many try so eagerly to silence directly and indirectly through systemic practices and thought patterns. 

The Legend of the Underground highlights the dangers and struggles of the queer community within Nigeria through the varied perspectives of Nigerian queer men who remain in…

“THE FEAR OF GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM” 

A fitting, albeit, ironic sign to see staked in front of the home of a man helping run his family’s sex trafficking ring. If there is a God, He is not here in the cold, cruel world that Josef Wladyka has immersed his audience in. 

From Nathan Halpern’s tense score to Ross Giardina’s sharp, refined cinematography, Catch the Fair One is an all around well done revenge thriller, elevated especially by…

Sophomore slumps are almost always a present concern for filmmakers, especially those whose debuts landed them an Oscar nomination, an almost direct to Criterion edition, and abundant praise and accolades. With high expectations, I found that the editor/director turned co-director duo of Joshua Altman and Bing Liu has succeeded in delivering a powerful follow-up project. 

All These Sons takes many of the concepts explored in Minding the Gap and elevates them from their previous place of conversations between close friends…

“Pardon my language. It’s effin’ okay to be nice!” 

So. Much. Fun. I never, ever thought I’d see so many Mr. Rogers references made in a gorey whodunnit murder mystery!

IFC Distributing Werewolves Within makes perfect sense. Josh Ruben’s video-game-to-screen adaptation feels, in many ways, like an extended Portlandia episode. On the nose brand wise is an understatement! Stereotyped characters, hilarious outbursts of nonsensical dialogue, a story that just gets more and more crazy, all nestled in the cozy world of…

“We did it!” 
“I’m pregnant.” 
“Yes, we’re pregnant.” 

While familiar, given its contemporary take on Rosemary’s Baby, False Positive still proves to be a positively enticing watch visually, thematically, and performatively. 

Ilana Glazer in a lead, dramatic role delivers a performance that had my jaw hanging on several occasions. She completely knocks it out of the park. Not only owning the lead role and a producing credit, Glazer also has a writing credit for the film and I think that’s…

For the first several shots, I thought I was watching a documentary. Such thoughts speak to Aytem Amin’s hyperrealistic, dialogue centered film, Souad, that follows a young woman grappling with her older sister’s suicide. 

I must it a glaring void in my personal watch history. Souad is the first film from Egypt that I’ve ever seen. I can’t and honestly won’t speak to the cultural messaging presented because I’m entirely ignorant on the topic. I will make note that it…