The Deepest Breath
Every decision we make on this earth, whether on land or sea, is left to some degree of chance. Even with years of experience, we can never truly predict with full certainty the outcome of a situation. Yet in some ways, this unpredictability is part of the beauty of life. Happenstance is what brought Alessia Zecchini and Stephen Keenan together, and fate is why their story is so painstakingly tragic. To bring this story to life, director Laura McGann takes audiences on an emotionally-stirring and reflective journey throughout the lives of these two sea-bound soulmates in the documentary The Deepest Breath, now streaming on Netflix.
On the surface, The Deepest Breath can be described as a tragic love story between a world-champion Italian freediver, Alessia Zecchini, and her Irish safety expert coach, Stephen Keenan. But dive a little deeper, and you’ll soon discover that it’s so much more than that. This film tells a poignant story about pushing the limits of the human body – mentally and physically – and the vulnerability that it takes to surrender everything in the name of love.
From the very first frame, audiences are submerged into the little-known world of freediving. Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself attempting to hold your breath simultaneously with the divers on screen, as I subconsciously did. My pathetic 45 seconds compared to their nearly four minutes is laughable, and really puts into perspective why freediving is highly considered by many athletes to be the most dangerous sport in the world.
Alessia Zecchini meets this challenge head-on as she competes for the title of world champion freediver. Her dedication to the sport is admirable, if not foolish at times. Throughout the film, we witness her compete in different exotic tropical locations, whose beauty is often overshadowed by the deadly activity happening underneath the water. Plunging hundreds of feet downward with a single breath leads to occasional blackouts, where bodies are pulled to the surface by expert divers and given lifesaving treatments like CPR. Given the circumstances, there is no doubt that the bond between a diver and their safety expert is a precious one. Alessia and Stephen prove this ten times over throughout the film and their intimate moments are such a privilege to witness.
The crux of The Deepest Breath takes place in the moments between an inhale and an exhale. A mere matter of seconds can feel like a lifetime when one is submerged hundreds of feet in the ocean. Director Laura McGann has complete control of the emotional power of the story, which is complemented by the beautifully layered score by Nainita Desai. Produced by John Battsek of Ventureland, in association with A24, Motive Films, and RAW, The Deepest Breath is a full-bodied viewing experience and an incredible homage to those who are willing to risk it all for their dream.
Now streaming on Netflix.
Lakota Nation vs. The United States
The Black Hills are a magnificent natural wonder that tower over the grasslands of Keystone, South Dakota. Many nationals and tourists alike make the pilgrimage to this remote area to admire one of the country's most notable monuments: Mount Rushmore. To many, the faces of Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington etched into the mountainside stand as a symbol of freedom, opportunity, and the American Dream. For the Lakota people, however, it serves as a constant reminder of colonialism, genocide, and broken promises.
In filmmakers Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s timely documentary, Lakota Nation vs. The United States, new light is shed on the Lakota people’s fight to regain their sacred land and live in peace once again. Using stunning archival footage from some of America’s earliest days, we bear witness to what led to the unconstitutional takeover of the Black Hills, and gain a deeper understanding of how unfairly the government continues to treat the first inhabitants of the United States of America.
While some of what is discussed throughout the film will sound familiar from textbooks, seeing it brought to life through visuals is even more disheartening. The U.S. has dehumanized Native Americans since the first European settlers arrived in 1492, and this sentiment carried over into the early days of the entertainment business. Characterizing “Indians” in cartoons and films like The Searchers, Peter Pan, and countless others, continued to demonstrate the way Hollywood tropes made a mockery of their existence and importance to this country. In the early 1800s, government officials reneged on a treaty that guaranteed Native Americans land ownership and colonized it for themselves. Over the next hundred years, treaties were constantly drafted yet violated almost immediately.
Lakota Nation vs. The United States is built upon powerful interviews with descendants of the Lakota people who share their ancestors’ struggles through stories that have been passed down from generations. It is a sensitive matter handled with the utmost respect by the filmmakers, including co-director Jesse Short Bull whose own great-great-grandfather, Tatanka Ptchela (Short Bull), was an active witness to the conflict between the two nations in the mid and late nineteenth century. Expertly composed shots by cinematographer Kevin Phillips show the depths of beauty and magic within these sweeping landscapes. Composer Raven Chacon – the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music – lends a quietly stirring score that amplifies the sacredness of the subject matter.
"Land is Life” for the Sioux Nation, and this is a powerful testament that is repeated by many throughout the film. Without land, there is no identity. Lakota Nation vs. The United States wasn’t made with the intent to start another conflict with the government. Instead, the filmmakers hope that through respect and recognition of wrongdoings, the future of the Black Hills will one day be returned. As of today, the Lakota people continue to push for rights to their ancestral land.
Distributed by IFC Films. Opening at Laemmle Royal on Friday, July 21st.
It Is In Us All
Writer/Director Antonia Campbell-Hughes's own nomadic upbringing serves as inspiration for the hero's journey in her feature film debut, It Is In Us All. Throughout this thrilling LGBTQ+ drama, Campbell-Hughes explores themes of belonging and identity, tangled up in secrecy.
The heavy fog has rolled in by the time Hamish (Cosmo Jarvis) arrives in the small Irish town of Donegal. The Londoner, whose suave appearance immediately stands out amongst the working class community, has arrived from the city to inspect a farmhouse that he received as part of an inheritance from his aunt who recently passed. Hamish didn't know her well and as a result, lacks emotional ties to the property. He has every intention of selling and returning to London quickly. As he makes his way to the house later that night, Hamish crashes head-on into a driver speeding from the opposite direction, catapulting his vehicle down the hill and leaving him for dead.
Hamish wakes in a hospital, narrowly escaping serious injuries. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the passengers of the other vehicle. A 15-year-old boy died and his passenger, 17-year-old Evan (Rhys Mannion), sustained minor injuries. Being that Donegal is a small town, it doesn't take long for Hamish to cross paths with Evan once he is discharged. Contrary to the expected, Evan seems keen to start a friendship with Hamish. Adding to Hamish's confusion are the unexpected feelings of attachment to his aunt's property that he has developed. Feelings of legacy, belonging, and identity creep in, and what initially seemed like an easy decision has now been muddied with emotional complexity. Hamish decides to ignore his instinct and befriend the boy, as well as dive deeper into his own family history in Donegal. Conflict is never far from the surface as Hamish begins to feel the repercussions from these decisions, and is ultimately faced with gut-wrenching revelations that could impact the course of his life.
It Is In Us All hinges on the demanding physical performances of its lead and supporting actors, both exuding total trust and confidence in director Antonia Campbell-Hughes's vision. Cosmo Jarvis embodies a "Tom Hardy in Locke" sense of awareness, where his grit and quiet demeanor are tightly packaged until he is pushed to the brink and explodes with such brute force. Compositionally, the film is gorgeous. Cinematographer Piers McGrail's beautiful wide shots look reminiscent of The Banshees in Inisherin at some moments – the idyllic rolling meadows and stormy oceans create a stunning juxtaposition of vulnerable characters navigating extreme terrain. The sweeping score by Tom Furse is robust for such an intimate film, but it sounds lovely nevertheless.
In 2022, the film made its World Premiere at SXSW and won the Special Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature. It Is In Us All won the Best Cinematography award at the 2023 Irish Film and Television Awards, as well as a BIFA nomination for Cosmo Jarvis for Best Lead Performance. At its core, It Is In Us All is a story about facing harsh truths. It has a dark and moody tone that is accelerated by strong, full-bodied performances from all involved. It's quite a feat for Antonia Campbell-Hughes, her visual style is full of clarity and confidence as if she has been making films for decades – hers is a name to keep on your radar.
20 Days in Mariupol
A good documentary brings the viewer into a previously unknown world, introducing them to the subjects and situations from an unbiased point of view. At times, this intimate experience can prove to be a challenging watch, especially when human lives, including the filmmaker's, are at stake. 20 Days in Mariupol is a brutal and sobering time capsule of the early days of Russia's invasion of Mariupol, Ukraine's Eastern port city.
Bringing this story to the world is Pulitzer Prize-winning AP journalist and Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, who is credited as the documentary's director, writer, and cinematographer. Immediately, we are transported to a ramshackle apartment building, with Russian tanks etched with the letter "Z" (signaling war) slowly encroaching into this previously quiet neighborhood. What follows is devastation of the highest degree: civilians are shot, the local hospital is under siege, and the harrowing realization that safety is fleeting.
Wearing a press badge as if it was a bulletproof vest, AP reporter Mstyslav Chernov uses a handheld camera to capture all of the events that unfold in Mariupol over the three weeks he is there. The footage he gets from being on the ground is directly sent to news outlets around the world, that is, when Russia doesn't revoke internet access and make communication with the outside world impossible. The footage from Mariupol you saw on CNN, BBC, ABC, FOX, and more was captured by Chernov.
Throughout all of the chaos, Ukrainians are glad to have Chernov on site to show international news outlets the horrific nature of the war and Russia's consistent killing of civilians. Chernov's presence is invaluable, as he captures doctors frantically performing CPR on a four-year-old child who's clearly dying, a father weeping over his sixteen-year-old son's bloody body, his face so close that there's a transfer of blood on his forehead, and devastated doctors crying underneath their N95 masks. "This is painful to watch, but it must be painful to watch," says one Ukrainian police officer. This is the reality of life in Mariupol.
The filmmaking team could only withstand 20 days in the war-torn city before making a desperate decision to escape. It's horrifying to discover that the war continued for another 60+ days after the AP reporters' departure. What more destruction could Russian troops have possibly inflicted on this already depleted working-class town? One statistic displayed at the end of the film paints a stark picture of the community's fate – a confirmed 25,000 people perished, with the actual number believed to be much higher.
20 Days in Mariupol feels unlike other documentaries in that it comes across as a true "journalists' documentary". Non-fussy title cards in Helvetica font display the necessary information; given that this is a PBS Distribution, and a FRONTLINE | PBS and The Associated Press-produced film, the intellectual tone that resonates with their online profiles rings true here. The score by Jordan Dykstra is very tense and often times it can be mistaken for wailing emergency alarms.
Haunting in the most extreme of ways, 20 Days in Mariupol also signifies the resilience of the community. The doctors, first responders, military, reporters, and citizens who open up their homes to strangers, all work together to keep any semblance of optimism alive. Mstyslav Chernov and all involved in helping tell this story should be lauded for their heroism and dedication to revealing one of the most important events in history.
Distributed by PBS Distribution. Opening at Film Forum in New York on Friday, 7/14, at Laemmle Monica in Los Angeles and Roxie Theater in San Francisco next Friday, 7/21.
Jordan Dykstra Premieres Track From '20 Days in Mariupol'
One of the more profound and unforgettable documentaries to come out of 2023 so far is the harrowing wartime exposé, 20 Days in Mariupol. Set on the ground during the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning AP journalist, Mstyslav Chernov, documents the uncontrollable chaos of a city falling apart, a community being destroyed, and a country forever changed. Composer Jordan Dykstra provides the sonic heartbeat to these historical moments in time through his experimental, yet grounded, score.
Winner of the 2023 Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary competition, 20 Days in Mariupol demands your attention from the start. The cries of desperation from the Ukrainian survivors act as a secondary soundtrack to Dykstra's pulsating score, furthering the feeling of dread and perpetual anxiety. No matter which way you look, it's a haunting experience.
Cinemacy is excited to premiere “Devastation Everywhere”, from PBS Distribution’s 20 Days in Mariupol, below:
It's not a coincidence that most of Dykstra's score incorporates harsh noise music that has been distorted. The disorientating nature of the sound combined with the devastating events that unfold onscreen act as a mirror to the reality of war. To achieve this sound, which can at times be confused for the drawn-out wailing of an emergency alarm, Dykstra uses digital and analog synthesizers, percussion, strings, detuned piano, and filtered noise elements. This is all in addition to the more classical string section that is carefully placed during scenes with the utmost emotion.
Says Dykstra of the track: "'Devastation Everywhere' features haunting call-to-war-like drum beats, tense siren-like synth blasts, and dissonant trumpet screams all building toward a grand finale of epic proportions. This track evokes images of painful carnage and loss, shelled homes and apartment buildings, and the utter devastation seen from every angle in Mariupol during the invasion in February 2022 — intensely documented in the film 20 Days in Mariupol.”
Jordan Dykstra is a composer and performer specializing in both film and concert music. He was an apprentice to Daníel Bjarnason, composer and conductor of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, in 2014. In 2018 he received his MA in Experimental Composition from Wesleyan University in Connecticut where — under the mentorship of Alvin Lucier and astrophysicist Seth Redfield — his thesis explored connections between microtonality and the cosmic distance ladder. Previous film projects include the musical noir Blow the Man Down, the satanic panic doc Hail Satan?, the psychological horror film It Comes At Night, and the Emmy Award-winning investigative documentary, Documenting Hate. He is based in Brooklyn and runs his own cottage industry label, Editions Verde.
Esme, My Love
Through the power of the mother-daughter connection, director Cory Choy's feature film debut Esme, My Love acts as a poignant meditation on life and loss. Set in the sprawling backwoods of an isolated forest, this relationship-based drama between a young mother and her terminally ill daughter captures not only the timeless beauty of all living things but also the mysterious possibilities of a life beyond Earthly existence.
Esme, My Love is told through the lens of magical realism. A gentle hum opens the film under an echoey voiceover between Hannah (Stacey Weckstein) and her young daughter, Esme (Audrey Grace Marshall). What initially seems like a somewhat spontaneous camping trip quickly becomes something more intentional. The next few days are spent hiking and camping in the woods until the pair eventually reach an abandoned farmhouse. The house, rickety and clearly left vacant for several years, is what Hannah is hoping holds the key to unlocking precious memories for Esme before it's too late.
From there, the film unravels into darker and more mysterious territory. Hannah's desperation to connect with her daughter before she loses her for good becomes more erratic and psychologically draining. Esme's more subdued nature reflects one of acceptance, even if she doesn't fully realize her condition and fate, while Hannah's distress continues to agitate Esme. Esme doesn't understand her mother's persistent pleas to recall memories and therefore grows more frustrated day by day. But Hannah will stop at nothing to make this connection with Esme one last time.
The film was completed over six years and is considered a micro-indie in every sense of the word. Some scenes were shot on an iPhone because of faulty camera equipment (but you would never be able to tell which moments). The surroundings are beautiful, color-corrected like a big studio movie, and shot with such detail. The intimate two-person cast and outdoor setting no doubt was a cost-effective choice but it also works so well for the story that director Cory Choy is trying to tell. The atmosphere feels complete when it's set against composers Stephanie Griffin and Charlotte Littlehales' mesmerizing score. The heaviness of the music–which includes violin, strings, and synth–adds to the claustrophobic nature of the situation.
In Esme, My Love, audiences bear witness to a layered spiritual horror film. It is a slow burn in a lot of ways and doesn't make the character's intentions immediately clear. Like Esme, it's easy to get confused about what is happening – what is real and what is surreal – but trust in the film's narrative journey will lead you to the other side with acknowledgment of this powerful filmmaking feat.
Biosphere
One of my favorite indie films of the last decade is the romantic dramedy The One I Love, directed by Charlie McDowell and produced by Mel Eslyn. Starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss as a couple falling out of love, the simplicity of the storyline is sprinkled with absurd moments throughout and ends with a jolt of frenetic energy from a twist in the final scene. For all of the WTF moments though, it stays grounded in reality, leading us to believe that this situation could happen to any one of us watching. This is a nearly impossible tone to achieve in an indie film, and the filmmakers made it look easy. It’s no surprise that I had high expectations going into Eslyn’s directorial debut, Biosphere–would this be my new cult favorite? The short answer: no.
In Biosphere, Eslyn (a lauded producer and President of Duplass Brothers Productions) returns to familiar territory with another unconventional “love” story about choice and reckless abandon. Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are the only two actors in this incredibly intimate story about survival. Billy (Duplass), former President of the United States, and his childhood best friend Ray (Brown) are the last two men to escape from a doomed Earth (its demise unknown). They are a number of days into their isolation in a handmade personal biosphere, constructed by Ray who happens to be an incredibly gifted scientist. The biosphere was built to sustain life in perpetuity; the hydroponic garden and fish pond provided vegetables and protein, the scholarly books intended to stay sharp, and the video games were selected for fun.
Their daily routine is the same, with no cause for concern, until the last remaining female fish dies. With only two male fish left in the tank with no way to procreate, Billy and Ray begin to accept that the end is near. Starvation is inevitable. However, one of the male fish goes through an unbelievable transformation overnight, giving a glimmer of hope that survival is still possible. Life finds a way, as adaptation and evolution have proved over time. Billy and Ray are about to learn firsthand just how far the human body will go in order to survive.
Biosphere can be best described as a sci-fi buddy dark comedy. The performances from Duplass and Brown are equally balanced, their dynamic easily carries the film for its entire 1h 46m runtime. They both play into each other's comedic strengths without feeling like Dumb and Dumber. The plot, on the other hand, is out of this world, too bizarre to have any lingering feelings of “could this happen to me?” that The One I Love so expertly crafted. The problem here is the lack of an emotional hook. As a female viewer (a clarifying factor that makes more sense after you’ve seen the film), I felt like the script had more misses than hits when relating to the female experience and bodily functions. While funny at first, the evolution began to feel tired and drab. Perhaps cutting 20 minutes or so could have freshened up this already claustrophobic dramedy.
While Biosphere fell short of my expectations, the film is still an enjoyable watch for its inclusion of themes like gender, sexuality, love, and the human capacity to change and evolve. For a two-person, single-setting film, it is an impressive accomplishment. Award-winning film composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans create a moody and tense atmosphere with a primarily vocal score, using hums with the utmost suspense. I may not have connected with Biosphere, but I applaud the unique vision and can’t wait to see what director Mel Eslyn does next.
Distributed by IFC Films. In select theaters this Friday, July 7th.
The Last Autumn
Coming to VOD and digital today is the 2019 documentary The Last Autumn, a sweeping portrait of how a family of farmers encourages slow living in the Icelandic countryside. Directed by Yrsa Roca Fannberg, the film embraces the stillness of the present by centering its story around an elder couple, Úlfar and Oddny, who fight to preserve their ancestral traditions against an environment of constant evolution.
Shot on 16mm film, The Last Autumn opens in black and white before transitioning into the colorful and picturesque image of Iceland we're used to seeing. Úlfar and his wife Oddny live in the quaint seaside parish of Árneshreppur, a town in the Westfjords of northwestern Iceland. They lead a quiet life and have settled into a nice little routine tending to their lambs, ewes, and dogs.
Úlfar is the last in a long line of farmers, going as far back as the first settlers to Iceland centuries ago. When Úlfar and Oddny's grandchildren visit from the "big city" of Reykjavik (population: 139,875) to help with the seasonal sheep herding for the summer, the couple recognizes that due to their children and grandchildren's lack of interest in rural traditions and a desire to assimilate into modern society, this will be the family's last communal farming obligation. That summer marked the end of an era.
This slice-of-life observational documentary is an ode to living in harmony with nature, animals, and the seasons. It poetically shows that life is like a spiral; seasons repeat themselves and new beginnings are always on the horizon. We cannot stop or slow down time, only embrace what we have in the present moment and be grateful for it.
The Last Autumn is a mood-setting film. It's not plot or exposition-driven. Rather, it has a meditative quality that feels like a long, deep exhale, bringing a sense of rejuvenation and gratitude to the viewer after watching. Visually, it is captivating from start to finish. At times the cinematography even dips into an eerie territory. If seen out of context, the shot of the farmers herding the sheep down from the mountain could easily be mistaken for an Ari Aster film. The score by multi-instrumentalist Gyða Valtýsdóttir is deep and bassy, breathing an ethereal quality into Úlfar's poignant odyssey.
An official selection at multiple festivals including CPH: Dox, HotDocs, and a Special Jury Mention in the New Visions Competition at the Reykjavik International Film Festival, The Last Autumn is a time capsule of a simpler time and a love letter to past generations.