Morgan Rojas

In 'Four Daughters,' Heartbreak Blurs the Lines of Reality

Winner of the Golden Eye for Best Documentary at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Four Daughters is a film of defiance. Directed by Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, Four Daughters expertly blurs the lines between fiction and non-fiction to tell the origin story of Olfa, her four daughters, and the generational trauma that casts an overwhelming shadow on their shared future. This isn't your traditional documentary, not in the slightest. While the events are real–tragically so–the storytelling approach is entirely unique and singular. Not only has Kaouther Ben Hania crafted an unforgettable work of art with Four Daughters, but she may have also invented a new genre of film.

Olfa Hamrouni is a middle-aged mother living in Tunisia with her two younger daughters, Eya and Tayssir. Her two older girls, Ghofrane and Rahma, left the family home years ago after becoming radicalized by extremist groups in their hometown. This loss has been nearly impossible for Olfa and her younger girls to accept. There was no closure in the form of a "goodbye," no see you later, just absence one night, leaving the remaining family with guilt, anger, shame, and sadness. Reacting to this missing piece in their previously tight family circle, director Kaouther Ben Hania reimagines what life would be like if Ghofrane and Rahma returned home. Casting professional actresses as the missing eldest daughters, including acclaimed Egyptian-Tunisian actress Hend Sabri as Olfa, Olfa is reunited with her missing girls through re-enactment scenes and given the opportunity to heal past wounds and unpack complicated family history together.

Recounting moments from her life through intimate interviews, Olfa is also present in many of the reunification scenes. However, another actor steps in to play her in scenes that become too upsetting (including scenes of sexual abuse and violence). This is method acting taken to an extreme and such a stunning process to observe as an audience member.

Under the guidance of director Kaouther Ben Hania, the family re-enacts specific scenes in an effort to express their feelings toward "Ghofrane" and "Rahma" and work through their family issues which, it turns out, is quite traumatic. In one example, a man playing Olfa's partner, Wissem, is in a scene that depicts addiction and sexual abuse. The confrontation from the younger girls (Eya and Tayssir) gets to be too overwhelming for the male actor, who calls off the shoot and leaves the scene, needing to smoke a cigarette in an effort to come down from the emotional toll of the scene.

Ghofrane and Rahma's homecoming may be manufactured, but the feelings their presence evokes are real. It's obvious that this acting is a form of therapy for Olfa, Eya, and Tayssir, who vulnerably relive their own trauma in this safe setting. Behind the camera, the string composition by composer Amine Bouhafa is a hauntingly beautiful representation of melancholy. Each note carries with it a sense of forlorn longing and heartbreak.

The magic of Kaouther Ben Hania's Four Daughters is its ability to incorporate performance art within a documentary without feeling inauthentic. It never strays from the purpose-driven mission of searching for inner truth. The sad truth is that Olfa may never get her two daughters back but, if this film offers even the slightest respite from that devastating reality, then it will have served its purpose.

In theaters on November 3 in Los Angeles, with expansion to follow.

by Morgan Rojas

'Alone Together' Offers Jordan Peele-Inspired Gothic Horror

Dysfunction runs rampant in director Will Kresch's tightly woven horror film, Alone Together. Considered a "bottle movie" for its primary use of only one location, Alone Together tells the story of one woman's attempt to escape the shadow of her trauma–both physical and emotional–and the lengths to which she is willing to go in her fight for survival. Set against the COVID-19 backdrop, one of the scariest parts of the film is having to relive the pandemic all over again.

Have you ever felt alone despite being in a relationship? That is the case with Nassdja (DeAnna S Wright), a woman at her wit's end who, seemingly going against her intuition, continues to stay in a toxic relationship with her aggressive boyfriend, Luke (played by the director's brother, Matthew Kresch). As COVID-19 ramps up and forces the couple to shelter in place, they decide to go into lockdown together at Luke's family's cabin in the woods. The location is remote and far away from family or friends, and with unreliable wifi, they will essentially be living off the grid. Nassdja convinces herself that this could be their chance at re-connection but immediately upon entering the house, she feels a rush of uneasiness overcome her. Horror sets in when she realizes that they are not alone.

Alone Together drops viewers into brute intensity from the jump, and the heaviness of the film never really lets up. What starts out as reality-based conflicts evolve into intense, psychedelic visions with haunting malevolent spirits, making for a trippy and shocking turn of events. This transition from normalcy to otherworldly catastrophes keeps the audience engaged and guessing at every turn. The film really shines during the dream sequences, which are fantastically executed from all sides. The colors, music, erratic camera angles, and editing all work so well. Alone Together offers Jordan Peele-inspired horror and delivers tenfold on maximizing the gothic, dark undertones.

Co-writer/director Will Kresch set out to make a film that felt unforgiving, and it's safe to say he succeeded. Kresch summarizes, "I wanted to remind people what it's like to feel under siege by loss and pain, and be forced to mine their souls to uncover the strength and grit to fight to survive. To hack through all that agony and find yourself standing over the mangled corpse of your malefactors, with a bloodied grin, celebrating that tangy coppery taste on your tongue, because like life itself, I believe movies are best when they are thrill rides that reflect reality in all its pain and exhilaration."

by Morgan Rojas

Jason Momoa Narrates 'Deep Rising,' an Ecological Wake-Up Call

Ever since I became scuba certified last month, I have taken an even deeper interest in the health of our ocean and the well-being of the incredible creatures that call it home. The experience of existing underwater–even for just an hour–is unlike anything I've felt before. My senses became much more fine-tuned to the sights and sounds of this abundant, alien-like ecosystem, and I felt an unexpected connection to my pre-historic roots. Director Matthieu Rytz's documentary Deep Rising calls our attention to the existential threats that face this beautiful landscape and arms audiences with information about the devastating reality that we are barreling toward if we don't make major changes, fast.

Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, lends his commanding voice to the film as he narrates throughout this ecological wake-up call. "We are tied to the ocean," he says stoically. "It has always shaped human lives." As humans have evolved throughout the centuries, we have learned how to adapt to our environment. In the case of Deep Rising, the problem we face today is the fact that we are pulling resources from the ocean without understanding its complexities and the cause and effect of such actions. The resources at hand are deep sea nodules containing highly sought-after metals. As capitalists discovered these nodules' potential to become the new source of energy to fuel the earth and the economy, mining these rocklike objects became a top priority with little regard to how disrupting the ecosystem could have devastating effects.

Through fly-on-the-wall coverage, Deep Rising exposes the people and businesses behind the for-profit motives of greenlighting massive extractions of metals that are deemed essential to the electric battery revolution. The bigger picture that the film tries and lacklusterly succeeds in driving home is the fact that we should be developing alternative methods for harnessing energy that do not involve destruction, such as hydrogen. While Rytz has a justifiable cause for creating this film, the story itself is presented in a very dry manner. Footage from committee hearings, press conferences, and business pitches tend to come across as sterile and stand in stark contrast to the whimsical, effervescent sea life we’re lucky to get a peek at up close. There is creative respite in Ólafur Arnalds’ score, which is by far the standout of the film. The Icelandic composer creates a sense of icy foreboding with vast and deep notes along with consumer-friendly house music on a loop.

Deep Rising is an urgent geopolitical and scientific documentary that carries a strong message: the bottom of the seafloor is home to the most unimaginable life forms that have existed since the beginning of time, so why do we humans feel that it is our right to take their resources for ourselves? As Rytz elegantly states, "In order to address the climate crisis, we must protect the biodiversity of our ocean and as humanity is fast devouring the finite resources of our Blue Planet, we are witnessing the sixth mass extinction before our very eyes. While the world’s human population represents a minuscule 0.01 percent of all living things, our own body mass consists mostly of the primordial ocean and microbes. Protecting ocean biodiversity then, is not just about securing the future of turtles, dolphins, whales, and all the other amazing sea life we love and cherish. It is bigger than that. Because the biosphere does not belong to us; we belong to it."

For fans of: Leviathan, Chasing Coral

by Morgan Rojas

'Anatomy of a Fall' is a Masterfully Executed Courtroom Thriller

When an unexplained death occurs in a cabin in a remote town in the French Alps, a woman is presumed guilty of murder and is forced into the most grueling physical and emotional fight for her life in the psychologically gripping drama, Anatomy of a Fall. Masterfully executed by French director Justine Triet with a sensational performance by Sandra Hüller that will leave you gobsmacked, Anatomy of a Fall is a masterclass in film pacing and a thorough examination of morality and how we react to complexities that arise in decaying relationships.

Was it suicide, or something much more sinister? This is the devastating corner that German author Sandra (Hüller) finds herself in after her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis), is found dead in the snow. His lifeless body, lying directly below an open window from the third floor of their wood cabin, was discovered by the couple’s vision-impaired young son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), and his seeing-eye dog, Snoop (a Border Collie named Messi). It’s a horrifying moment for Sandra, whose grief is abruptly cut short after she becomes the prime suspect in his death.

Sandra vehemently denies any involvement, despite the couple having their issues (the film opens with tense passive aggression from both parties). However, Sandra’s insistence, plus the lack of witnesses and a motive, initially gives Sandra’s lawyer, Maître Vincent Renzi (Swann Arlaud), a sense of confidence that this case will wrap up neatly. As proceedings get underway in the small French village, it’s clear that Sandra is up against a prosecution team with a relentless determination for a conviction. But the more evidence Sandra is confronted with, including a previous novel she wrote that shares similarities to the crime at hand, we find ourselves wondering… is she actually guilty?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUXawkH-ONM&ab_channel=NEON

In every sense of the word, Anatomy of a Fall is perfection. Don’t let the nearly three-hour runtime intimidate you, this courtroom drama soars by with brevity. The chain of events that unravel from the beginning of the trial builds upon themselves until we reach a monumental moment in the closing arguments, with powerful monologues from both the prosecution and defense. Triet, along with screenwriter Arthur Harari, have a “Shakespearean meets Sorkin” way with words that fit together so precisely, you can’t help but smile. Just as breathtaking as the screenplay–and the phenomenal acting by all involved–is the lack of a notable score. Triet’s decision to forgo additional music in an effort to lessen the emotional manipulation that a score can give and guide the audience to only focus on the characters instead is an untraditional and wildly commendable choice.

The title, Anatomy of a Fall, has a double meaning here too, which is powerful in both a literal and metaphorical sense. On one hand, there is the physical act of the fall which is the catalyst for the film. The entire basis of the trial is to prove that the fall was either accidental or manufactured. The anatomy is dissected from all angles. On the other hand, the fall also alludes to Sandra’s reputation, a sort of fall from grace as an esteemed author to a scorned woman capable of murder. Sandra endures scrutiny and dissection of her own, with her private life unexpectedly becoming public and judged by strangers who have the capability to ruin her future.

What makes Anatomy of a Fall so striking are the palpable feelings of tension and remorse, due in large part to the onscreen acting. Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann, Zone of Interest) was destined to play this part, her embodiment of this complex and compelling character is truly one of the most remarkable performances I’ve seen this year. And I can’t close without mentioning Snoop, whose performance is mind-blowingly incredible that I couldn’t help but laugh. Snoop is a star!

A crime room thriller with excellent storytelling, a unique directorial vision, and stunning performances from both human and canine, Anatomy of a Fall is the must-watch film of the season.

by Morgan Rojas

In 'The Holdovers,' Lost Souls Connect Over Christmas

At the expense of sounding corny, The Holdovers is a film that truly warms the heart and soul, like the cinematic equivalent of a self-soothing hug by a crackling fireplace. Directed by Alexander Payne (Nebraska, Sideways), Paul Giamatti returns to the big screen in top-tier form as a cranky and out-of-touch professor whose cold heart begins to melt after forging an unlikely connection with a student. The Holdovers is a beautifully told story about the human condition and how understanding an individual's complexity can lead to an empathetic, life-changing awakening.

What one will notice immediately as the film opens is the visual homage to classic cinema of the 1970s. The desaturation and film stock quality make The Holdovers feel as if it is a treasure pulled from the archives of yesteryear. This throwback aesthetic carries on throughout the entirety of the film and is largely responsible for the overall tonal sense of comfort and warmth. The Holdovers doesn't just take place in 1970, Alexander Payne wanted audiences to feel as if the film was made in the time period as well.

Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is an ancient history teacher at Barton Academy, the New England-set boarding school for the upper echelon of privileged society. Paul is a single man, never married, and fiercely devoted to educating his students despite his ill attempts to inspire. His strict style of teaching and less than generous "Christmas gift" to the students of homework over the holiday break makes Paul the most despised professor on campus. All Paul wants for Christmas is a break from his students but as fate would have it, he is stuck with supervisor duty. This means he is forced to stay on campus and oversee the handful of students who aren't going home for the break, or the "holdovers".

15-year-old Angus Tully (Sessa) is one of the unlucky boys whose mom and new stepfather refuse to release him from Barton Academy for the holidays. Angus's frustration at the situation grows substantially when, comically, the four other boys who were initially holdovers manage to get released into the care of a friend's wealthy dad. This leaves Angus stuck with Paul and the only other faculty resident on campus, Barton Academy's head cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).

Paul is a self-appointed loner who is forced into a parental role, Angus is a smart kid with bad behavior, and Mary is a caretaker who is navigating through the heartbreak of losing her only son. All three are tortured by their own thoughts and sense of hopelessness and, ironically, their lack of communication in expressing these feelings causes them to miss out on a chance for connection. Despite their many differences, Paul, Angus, and Mary are more alike than they even realize. Over the course of the two-week holiday break, the trio engages in comical misadventures, turbulent growing pains, and emotional catharsis–ultimately leading to the creation of an impromptu family unit that they all so desperately wanted.

The Holdovers feels like an instant classic, anchored by a knockout performance from Paul Giamatti. His pompous, pipe-smoking, historical text-spewing character is not only a riot to watch on screen but also mimics the classic tortoise archetype. He retreats into his shell when feeling threatened and is extremely vulnerable without his defensive armor. Paul's armor in this case is his intelligence, which is constantly tested by the wilding, unruly, and hare-like Angus. Newcomer Dominic Sessa is a breath of fresh air, acting as if he was somehow plucked from the 70s as well. The authenticity in his performance is incredibly impressive and sets a high bar for any future projects. The consistently wonderful Da'Vine Joy Randolph delivers an awards-worthy rendition of a single grieving mother experiencing many emotions at once. She is undeniably phenomenal.

The world of The Holdovers feels so real and tangible, in large part due to the outstanding production design by Ryan Warren Smith which is artfully realized and captured by cinematographer Eigil Bryld. A sweeping and delicately pieced orchestral score by composer Mark Orton–which includes the standard guitar, piano, and strings along with the unexpected addition of a toy trumpet, sleigh bells, and a marxophone–perfectly compliments the abundance of synced songs. Music supervisor Matt Aberle must have had their hands full licensing tracks from Cat Stevens, The Allman Brothers Band, and Labi Siffre among others.

A film to experience with friends and loved ones this holiday season, The Holdovers promises to spread joy and put a smile on the faces of even the most curmudgeonly of people.

by Morgan Rojas

Animated Horror Film 'Canvas' Echoes Real-Time Hopelessness

The heaviness of current world events can feel like we are living in a simulation, a sort of "hell on earth" scenario. This real-life recurring feeling of hopelessness for humanity tees up audiences for what to expect in writer-director Ryan Guiterman's animated sci-fi horror film, Canvas. This film doesn't offer respite from the horrible atrocities that seem all too commonplace nowadays; instead, Guiterman uses society's most vulnerable characteristics as the catalyst for his arthouse horror film. If you're ready to embrace even more doom and gloom, then buckle up and let Canvas take you for a ride.

Canvas had its World Premiere at the Annecy Animation Film Festival in 2022 and Gravitas Ventures secured worldwide rights shortly thereafter. In this midnight movie, a demon known as "The Painter" (Ell Peck) comes to Earth with a gruesome mission—to create new spawn from chaos and death. The omniscient godlike being speaks in a baritone rumble, in Latin, which is in stark contrast to the protagonist of the film, George Rohan (Steve Key). George is an FBI agent who has been assigned a special place within the "Painter Defense Agency" to keep the demon at bay and civilization safe. No one is to know the existential threat that "The Painter" poses for fear of total chaos and unmanageable uprising, and so it is George's job to keep things close to the vest. Meanwhile, journalist Reila Martin (Isabel Ellison) is hard at work attempting to expose George's growing web of lies. But secrets this big can only be kept for so long until they burst at the seams, at which point it may be too late.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1hfxtfq4LE&ab_channel=GravitasVentures

The impressionistic art style combined with its use of animation, live-action, and motion capture gives Canvas a sense of individuality among its animated peers. The Mortal Kombat-like font and use of heavy blacks and dark colors throughout are good indicators that this film is not family-friendly, or easily digestible for the average consumer. However, it doesn't seem like Ryan Guiterman is concerned with pleasing the masses. The target audience for this film is open-minded cinephiles who appreciate the art of graphic novels and respond to thinly veiled political subject matter.

What we see on screen looks like a comic book come to life, the merging of artistic mediums makes for a visually captivating watch. At times though, scenes are colored too dark and prove challenging to decipher what is happening in detail. The score, while appropriately dark and disturbing, seems to have been the victim of a poor mix job. There are moments when it is too overpowering and loud, which drowns out the dialogue in key scenes, making it challenging to understand.

Despite its technical obstacles, Canvas is a bold and pointed debut by a clearly gifted storyteller. The film ends on a note that seems to entertain the idea of a sequel. If Canvas 2 becomes a reality, I'm all in.

by Morgan Rojas

'Once Within a Time': Philip Glass Scores This Surrealist Fantasy

Steven Soderbergh and Alexander Rodnyansky present Once Within a Time, an experimental arthouse film written and directed by 83-year-old Godfrey Reggio. Imagine the free-flowing creativity of Disney's Fantasia in the style of Georges Méliès' 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon (widely considered the first film ever made) and then add a dash of psychedelics. The result is something akin to Once Within a Time, a mind-bending surrealist fantasy that must be experienced on the big screen.

The original music composed by Philip Glass (who worked with Reggio on the 1982 indie musical Koyaanisqatsi) is the reason why I initially sought out this film before realizing that it is entirely wordless. The music isn't just important here, it is critical, serving as the emotional and emotive lifeblood of the story. With no comprehensible dialogue, the driving force of the film is undeniably the score. From the barbaric opening number to the whimsical tapestry that coats the kaleidoscope of visuals, Philip Glass creates another unforgettable masterpiece–which would also make for a phenomenal opera (manifesting this now).

Clocking in at only 51 minutes, with 10 of those minutes dedicated to the rolling credits, Once Within a Time is an avant-garde expressionist comedy where nothing and everything makes sense. It is a full sensory experience that celebrates art, music, and the gift of time. This multidisciplinary work–which includes puppetry, stop-motion animation, film tinting, and shadow-play, among others–explores humanity's relationship with five fundamental elements: earth, air, water, fire, and money, and how the narrow line between annihilation and redemption is reaching a critical moment.

The juxtaposition of seeing modern-day technology and public figures depicted in this old-fashioned aesthetic feels unsettling in a way that is hard to describe. iPhones and emojis are translated into tangible characters, visualized in archaic style after being put through the insanely creative mind of director Godfrey Reggio. Is that Greta Thunberg's face on an artist's wooden display doll? Is that Mike Tyson in a wrestling ring wearing a feather coat? One can extrapolate many meanings from every frame, like an endless spool of thread of infinite length, but it seems the true meaning that Reggio puts forth is open to audience interpretation where there are no wrong answers.

Once Within a Time isn't just a film to watch but rather, one to experience. The film ends with a question: "Which age is this: the sunset or the dawn?". This question is posed in multiple languages so everyone can participate in this philosophical conversation starter. Despite its apocalyptic leanings and purposefully open-ended storylines, Once Within a Time doesn't leave audiences in a state of doom and gloom. Rather, it expands the mind and leaves shreds of hope for future generations that rebirth will always come. There is no "happily ever after" because "after" is "now" and we will continue to exist in the "now", forever.

Playing at Braindead Cinemas this Friday, October 20th.

by Morgan Rojas