'Back Roads' Review: Love Hurts in Alex Pettyfer's Directorial Debut
Alex Pettyfer has made a movie. The 28-year-old English-American actor debuted his first feature film, Back Roads, at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and this Friday, the film hits select theaters across the country. Pettyfer steps into the director's chair from an actor's perspective, and the result is a very character-driven, emotionally-rich story about a dark, dysfunctional family dynamic and a young man's desperate attempts to keep everyone together despite the odds.
Harley tries to hold it all together
Set two years after the incarceration of his mother Bonnie (Juliette Lewis) for killing his abusive father, Harley (Pettyfer) has turned his daily life into a routine, albeit a rather mundane one. After his night shift at the local Robinson's grocery store, he returns to the family home in rural Pennsylvania to supervise his three younger sisters, beer in hand. As the oldest, he bears the responsibility of making sure the bills are paid and food is on the table. The younger two of his three sisters comply with Harley as their new parental figure, but it's Amber (Nicola Peltz) who is the thorn in his side. For some strange reason, Amber seems to get off on parading herself around him nearly naked, as well as having sex with random guys loud enough for Harley to hear, which eventually leads to her having sex with Harley against his will. Amber clearly has issues, so it's no surprise that Harley turns to alcohol to numb the pain. Harley also becomes friendly with his neighbor Callie (Jennifer Morrison), a married mother who is ten years his senior. Their flirty yet platonic relationship quickly becomes sexual with secret trysts in the woods, and Harley begins to develop strong feelings for her. Whether his attachment stems from the void of losing his maternal figure or his lack of sexual experience, Harley can't seem to let Callie go.
Click here for our exclusive interview with Alex Pettyfer, Jennifer Morrison, and Nicola Peltz.
Bombshell revelations are kept at an arm's distance
While the story of Back Roads is a bit problematic overall, mostly due to the character of Amber and lukewarm performance from Nicola Peltz, there are artful technical moments that keep the mind from dwelling on Amber's absurdities. The film is riddled with emotional bursts, and Pettyfer incorporates subtle behind the camera techniques that ground the performances and give them power. Most of the intense scenes take place behind glass- whether it's a burning couch seen through a window or Harley confronting his mother through the prison partition- there is always a layer in between the action. Perhaps this is to hint at Harley's detachment from.
The good guy finishes last
The theme of sacrifice, or falling on the sword for a loved one, is at the heart of Back Roads and because of this, the film doesn't have the typical "happy" ending. There is never a moment of relief for Harley and this torment doesn't lighten up throughout the entirety of the film. The decision to end Back Roads with title cards showing the statistics of child abuse feels heavy-handed (as if the audience has not already been through the trenches of Harley's distress and torment). Ultimately, the ending is unsatisfying because the good guy finishes last, so be prepared to feel some sort of way. Based on the 1999 novel by Tawni O'Dell, Back Roads is a starter film for Alex Pettyfer in every sense of the word, but I believe that he has the potential and skill to take this experience and grow in his next film.
'Back Roads' is not rated. 101 minutes. Opening this Friday at the Laemmle Monica Film Center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_nkQQ-o1EY&ab_channel=SamuelGoldwynFilms
Alex Pettyfer, Nicola Peltz, and Jennifer Morrison Talk 'Back Roads'
The morning after the World Premiere of actor turned director Alex Pettyfer's debut, Back Roads, I had the opportunity to chat with him and his co-stars Nicola Peltz and Jennifer Morrison.
Set up in a room on the second floor of the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca, the cast looked sharp all dressed in black, morning coffees in hand. Back Roads centers on Harley (Pettyfer) a young man stuck in a lower-class town in Pennsylvania who is left to care for his three younger sisters after the shooting death of his abusive father and the arrest of his mother. When shocking family secrets emerge, Harley’s life begins to spiral downward, leading to a devastating conclusion that impacts the entire community. During our exclusive interview, we talk about where their passion for movies stemmed from, secret childhood dreams, and the difference between blockbuster films vs indie films. We begin:
Being a first-time director is hard. Very hard.
Alex Pettyfer: It was all hard, very hard, but I would have never been able to make this film without the people that I collaborated with. Being an actor can be a very solo journey, you know, you're telling a perspective from A to Z. As a filmmaker, you're telling a multitude of stories. What I learned is that being a filmmaker is such a collaborative, creative experience with everyone putting their own heart into the film. I think that's quite magical. [This experience] was very beautiful and I felt very supported. I'm so fortunate to work with people [including Juliette Lewis] that came on this film having this idea and vision as collaborating together.
Jennifer's reaction to seeing Back Roads for the first time on the big screen.
Jennifer Morrison: It was great! It was the first time I saw the film besides the bits and pieces from doing ADR and stuff. I was just so excited to see Alex's vision come to life on the screen. Not only is it a beautiful film but it really brings light to the subject matter of child abuse, and all of the things that come with the tragedy of that and how devastating that can be. I think it's really interesting to look at that in a piece of fiction and realize that that can bring so much empathy and awareness to an audience. I was really moved by that part of the film.
Nicola depended on the costumes to get into character.
Nicola Peltz: I'm a visual person, there were definitely pictures I saw that I was drawn to. Alex was nice enough to be very collaborative with what I wore [in the film]. I loved picking what my character wore and how she looked because when I put the clothes on it made me feel like a totally different person.
Alex Pettyfer: Good friends of mine are designers and Lee Daniels was at the premiere last night and they commented on how they thought you [Nicola] looked fantastic. My big anxiety was the clothes and how Nicola looked in the film. It was a concern because Nicola is such a beautiful woman, you don't want to glamorize [her actions]. Credit to Nicola, she had a very set vision of what she wanted to play and who she wanted to be. I think one of the most powerful scenes in the film is her with that raw emotion when [my character] leaves the room and she's left there.
Alex credits Pacino and De Niro for sparking his passion for film.
Alex Pettyfer: I wanted to be a racing driver, haha! When I was 15 I had done a few films like Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker and Tom Brown's Schooldays, and I met this guy, whose father was the distributor behind Stormbreaker, at the premiere. He came up to me and just wouldn't leave me alone. He said, 'Let's meet for coffee' and I was like, 'Sure.' We had this budding relationship, he was a cinephile– he loved film. I would go and spend the weekend with him, sleep on his floor in Mill Hill and we would watch The Deer Hunter, all of Pacino and De Niro's films. I watched hundreds of hours of these European films and films that I hadn't even heard of, and my love of film grew [because of] this guy. So instead of being on the racetrack on the weekend, I would rather go hang out with him. I think that's what sparked my taste for film.
Jennifer credits her dad's consistent talking through movies for her love of filmmaking.
Jennifer Morrison: My dad is obsessed with movies. All movies. He's very indiscriminate of the movies that he loves and so he's always watching movies. I didn't even realize how much that was getting in me as a kid... it was just something he would do. He would watch and re-watch movies. Like Groundhog Day, he's probably seen it like 100 times! He does this really funny thing, and he still does it, where he talks through the movie, like 'Why would they do that?' I'm like 'I don't know Dad, I haven't seen it.' And if he has seen it he's like, 'Did you see that? Do you see that? That means something just so you know.' I'm like 'OK DAD' haha! As funny as it is now and as much as we tease him about it now, I think watching movies with him like that showed me the structure of storytelling. I was thinking of storytelling differently because of his questions and because of his comments. I had a love for film from a very young age because it was something I shared with my dad, but I also think I started to see it in a totally different light because of the way he would talk through the films.
That's amazing, does he know this?
Jennifer Morrison: No, but he's gonna find out!
Alex Pettyfer: I just love that he's seen Groundhogs Day 100 times.
Jennifer Morrison: Oh my God I can recite almost all of What About Bob?, all of Field of Dreams, most of Groundhogs Day...
Nicola's first passion was Ice Hockey.
Nicola Peltz: I grew up playing ice hockey...
Jennifer Morrison: That's amazing! And the most unexpected thing!
Nicola Peltz: Haha! Then I just wanted to act when I was 12, and my parents were really against it. Finally, I just tried it out. But I really wanted to be like an ice hockey player.
Jennifer Morrison: Are you super into the [Mighty] Ducks? That had to have been your favorite movie.
Nicola Peltz: Yeah, haha.
The vibe of a Blockbuster film vs Independent film like Back Roads.
Alex Pettyfer: There's more of an intimacy which works so much better when you're on a smaller film. I think it's much more raw. I think when you're on a bigger film you get lost in the imagination of what that is, that kind of spectacle. The grounded reality of when you work on a small film is you're very connected creatively, all together, you know? You're going on a journey together and that's a beautiful experience as an actor.
Jennifer Morrison: Yeah, it felt like a family. It felt like you're all there because you really love the material and you love the characters and you believe in the director's vision. Not because you're getting a payday or because you're comfortable. There's a different place that you're willing to go to with your vulnerability and your emotions because you're so invested. Watching the movie last night, I really felt like I left a part of myself on that screen and I can't say that I always feel that way. That is a real tribute to the kind of director that Alex is and that vibe that he set on the set. Yeah, smooth films.
Alex Pettyfer: I prefer being on small films. I can't explain it. When you're on a bigger film, you have these amazing long shoots, like six months, and you have a lot of waiting around. On smaller films, you're on such a short time schedule that your work is immediate. You don't have time to play around and so you have to really be fully prepared for what you want to do and the choices you make.
Kubrick inspired Pettyfer and his DP to shoot certain emotional scenes behind glass.
Alex Pettyfer: I said to my DP, Jared, that my favorite films are Kubrick films. I like the visual perspective of seeing something detached but detached in a way where you're still so immersed in it. It was really our collaboration, I don't take credit for those decisions. It was primarily Jared who came up with this idea– He said when you detach yourself from the perspective of someone's emotional journey, you're looking through a 2D visual. You have to relate that 2D visual into your own personal emotional journey and what has happened in your life.
Alex Pettyfer: When you detach yourself through glass, you're all a sudden of watching something and you're in [the character's] journey. So it's like a kind of like a misconception to the brain, to look at something through something else. You're all of a sudden watching someone's life and then your reimmersed back into the character. I thought that was an amazing thing. If you watch the scenes that are through glass like the couch burning and the Juliette Lewis scene, they're one takes, very long takes.
Alex Pettyfer: The couch shot is almost like a painting, the two kids are just standing there for a good 30 seconds. You're just like, 'What's going on?' That was a real risk as a filmmaker, you know, because other filmmakers could think you're trying to be egotistical or something, but it was a really selective message to try to entice the audience into the film even more on a perspective of attachment.
I Love...
Nicola Peltz: Dogs.
Jennifer Morrison: I need a list, my family, friends, dog...home. I was away so much for so long so home is a big deal for me.
Alex Pettyfer: I love unity. And love. I love love.
This interview originally ran on May 4th, 2018, during the Tribeca Film Festival
'Bodied' Review: Battle Rapper Gets Woke
Taylor Swift's go-to music video director- the creative force behind Bad Blood, Look What You Made Me Do, and Blank Space, among others- reunites with a past artist to bring the story of Bodied to the increasingly popular small screen format of YouTube Premiere.
Joseph Kahn, whose videos have racked up billions (yes, billions) of views in the last four years alone, continues to do what he does best by working once again with Eminem aka Slim Shady aka Marshall Mathers who acts as producer on this indie feature. The duo, who first collaborated on Eminem's 2002 hit Without Me, bring the fire to Bodied, an entertaining and introspective look at the underground rap battle scene, which also poses as a cultural celebration of this game and its inventive players.
With the ability to effortlessly drop rhymes like bombs in a war zone, Adam (Calum Worthy) has a secret skill that, on the surface, goes against his seemingly predetermined, white boy privilege. As a student at UC Berkley, Adam's love for the sport of battle rapping is the focus of his thesis paper, and he uses the opportunity to immerse himself in the local Oakland scene. One night, an encounter with his rapper idol, Behn Grymm (Jackie Long), forces Adam out of his comfort zone of passive spectator to amateur rapper, standing front and center with the big boys.
Much to the dismay of his neurotic, vegan girlfriend, literary critic father, and other affluent Berkley students who consider the dissection of what makes someone racist an acceptable form of dinner party conversation, Adam continues to excel and move up in the rankings of the rap scene. His raps, while incorporating the common tropes of violence and misogyny, remain very self-aware aware. Adam's privileged white perspective isn't lost on himself and is the subject of many self-deprecating and hilarious insults. Success was never the goal, but now that Adam finds himself matched against some of the biggest players in the game, he begins to question whether or not the strained relationships that have developed, as a result of his obsession with battling, are worth it in the end.
Like a male-centered counterpart to the Sundance-championed independent film Roxanne, Roxanne, Bodied is an equally engaging and all-encompassing hype film that will have you in awe of these divisive lyrical masterpieces. The film shows the depth and extreme talent one must have in order to engage in a battle, and those who are the most skilled make the spitting of insults look easy. With Adam as its white male protagonist, Bodied makes it a point to call out that his interest and acceleration is not an appropriation of black culture, rather an admiration of the poetic mastery of the written word that is on par with Nobel Peace Prize winners.
There's no doubt that Eminem brings his years of experience as a rapper to the film, even going so far as to poke fun at himself (which, in all fairness, is equally balanced out with abundant praise). "Eminem is the greatest battle rapper of all time", says Adam, in admiration of his ability to transcend race as a rapper, and even going as far as to call him the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time). Watching Bodied changed my perspective on the role of the battle rapper, and while wrapped up as lighthearted fare with a provocative edge, Bodied is fully fun and entertaining film that may just change your perspective too.
'Bodied' is rated R for strong language and sexual content throughout, some drug use and brief nudity. 120 minutes. Now streaming on YouTube Premiere.
'Roma' is a Mesmerizing, Monochromatic Epic
They say to writers, "write what you know."
And what Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón knows, beyond having made such mesmerizing films that have taken place in the outer limits of space as well as pure magical fantasy, is the city in which he was raised in – Roma, México. Transporting us to his early childhood as a young boy using beautiful 65mm black and white photography, Roma is his most personal work to date: a delicate and sensitive tribute to his past and upbringing and those who raised him. Watching this film – which becomes available to stream on Netflix starting December 14th – he channels heartfelt and honest affection into this story and its characters. To know that the film is both so close to his heart and to see it unfold on the big screen is a majestic thing that should be seen however it can be.
Set in the 1970s, Roma is a testament to the power of female figures as we see the stories of the women who raised him amidst intense hardship. Quiet and demure, the young housemaid Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) may seem like an unlikely protagonist to base a film around, but we see that she is the silent heart and backbone of this middle-class family that she works for. We see her going about her daily duties – making the family's meals, picking the children up from school, and caring for the family dog, Borras, whose doggy doo-doo litters the driveway day in and day out. Cleo's maternal love makes the kids feel loved despite the tension-filled drama between their parents and her own personal struggles.
...it's because of the nuances of these directorial choices that we have the masterpiece we do.
Though she is quiet, Cleo is such a strong character, experiencing intimacy with a man (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) followed by his sudden departure, remaining resilient and compassionate to her family all the time. She learns valuable lessons throughout her coming-of-age journey that consists of emotional peaks and valleys, but all things push her toward self-love, acceptance, and independence. She comes to realize that life goes on, even when it feels impossible.
Cuarón, who also wrote and edited the film, had a very specific vision of what he wanted Roma to be. Roma is a somewhat unconventional film in that there is no score to speak of, where the intricate sound design and background music from the town's marching band fills the theater with rich audio. Multiple scenes are shot in a single take, lasting minutes long, weaving and winding throughout the family's large house. And it's because of the nuances of these directorial choices that we have the masterpiece we do.
From the very beginning, Cuarón was guarded about the extent of who knew, as the actors, casting director, and various other crew members were never given a script, only being told what each scene would be comprised of on the day of the shoot. What made this method perhaps slightly easier was the decision to shoot the film in chronological order, which is yet another logistical challenge for the crew. Yalitza Aparicio, the lead actress, auditioned for the role of Cleo on a whim (before beginning her first year as a teacher) without even knowing who Alfonso Cuarón was. Unbelievably, Roma is her very first acting job, and the only rule given by Cuarón was to "not look directly into the camera." This trust in his actors translates from the screen- Aparicio is transfixing and her performance is filled with so much genuine sensitivity that no trained professional could ever emulate.
One magical thing to watch for: water is symbolic for purity and fertility, and Roma plays to this motif quite literally as varying versions of water are "sprinkled" throughout the film: there is the intense hail, the crashing ocean waves, the unexpected water breaking as Cleo goes into labor, and the infamous one-take opening shot of washing stones. Now, I don't mean to deflate any dreams for those of you waiting to hear about the "infamous" and "mind-blowing" 4-minute opening shot, but it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I only say this because the titles run over most of the shot, making it not as meditative or awe-inducing as I expected. In fact, the distraction of the text does a disservice to a very beautifully-intended moment. The water also brings up the theme of reflection, both literally and figuratively. The reflection from the sky above fills the puddles of water on the stones, and the ocean's water forces Cleo to reflect on her life.
I was fortunate enough to see Roma followed by an incredible and intimate Q&A with select cast and crew, and so I speak from experience when I say you MUST see this film on the big screen. Alfonso Cuarón's masterpiece is a transformative and riveting stunner, inspired by Cuarón's own childhood. The film will have a divisive limited theatrical run in mid-December followed by it's Netflix release, but if you're able to catch Roma in theaters, then I highly, highly recommend that you do.
'Roma' is rated R for graphic nudity, some disturbing images, and language. 135 minutes.
'The Favourite': A Tangled Royal Triangle
Jockeying for power meets mad-cap mayhem in visionary director Yorgos Lanthimos's latest film, the absurd period piece comedy The Favourite.
For the audiences who have seen Lanthimos's previous films – The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, – fans will recognize the unconventional relationships at play that he spins so wickedly, but this time done so humorously. Focusing on the behind-the-scenes politicking during the reign of Queen Anne in 18th century England, the possibility of war with France puts the entire country on edge. But that threat doesn't compare to a new enemy born inside the royal castles walls when the arrival of a cousin to the Queen's right-hand woman finds herself vying for the Queen's attention – and with that, a rise to power. With his rich visual aesthetic and sharp-witted flare, Lanthimos, – like our dueling cousins – pulls out all the stops to make The Favourite hilariously unforgettable.
Anne (Olivia Colman) is many things: an emotionally unstable matriarch, a "crazy bunny lady," and the Queen of England (and tantrums). Her flighty nature is only kept in check by her best friend and confidante, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). Their dynamic is tested when Lady Sarah's cousin, Abigail (Emma Stone), arrives at the palace, in search for employment. A hesitant Sarah eventually recruits Abigail to join her as her chambermaid, in what might be a deadly mistake, as a slow test to win the Queen's affection begins to simmer. Behind Abigail's doe-eyes and vulnerable demeanor is a devious and emotionally savvy woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to be the Queen's right-hand woman.
An apt comparison of female power dynamics might very well be the high school satire Mean Girls, The Favorite being an 18th-
Lanthimos relies on two of his previous leading ladies to take the helm here: Olivia Colman, who played The Lobster's hotel manager and Rachel Weisz, who played opposite Colin Farrell in the same film, have an incredible back and forth that is as quick-witted and sharp as a ping-pong match. Emma Stone, the only non-British actor, puts her impeccable comedic sensibilities on display in both her physical performance and over-exaggerated line delivery. It's a trio of brilliant performances from Colman, Weisz, and Stone only made stronger by the supporting cast which includes Nicholas Hoult as the aristocrat Harley and Joe Alwyn as Abigail's royal suitor, Masham.
Behind the lens, cinematographer Robbie Ryan (American Honey, I, Daniel Blake) used unconventional camera techniques that at times reminded me of a music video. Most of the film is shot up from below, a low angle that frames us looking up at the characters that suggest an imbalance in the hierarchy of this royalty compared to the non-elite class – the audience. Whip pans, dolly shots, and the liberal use of the super wide-angle lens make the world of The Favourite feel like a fairytale, a world unique only to Yorgos Lanthimos (who also edited the film).
Yorgos Lanthimos has such a gifted way of creating fantastically surreal moments set in everyday life, and The Favourite continues this execution. In this case, everyday life is 18th century England but unlike his previous films, The Favourite is loosely based on historical fact. It remains self-aware, calling out Hoult's over the top hair and makeup in a hilariously demeaning fashion.
Although it doesn't quite surpass my all-time favorite – The Lobster – there is so much to love in this macabre dark comedy and is, without a doubt, another shining addition to Lanthimos's films. As Lady Sarah tells Queen Anne over and over again, "Love knows no limits" and true as those words are, there is no limit to my love for this film, making The Favourite one of my favorite films of the year.
'The Favourite' is rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, and language. 119 minutes. Opening this Friday
Livi Zheng: "I wanted to be in charge of the story"
Twenty-nine-year-old Livi Zheng should be proud.
Her latest film, Bali: Beats of Paradise, premiered to a packed house at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week for its world premiere screening. With so many high-power individuals in the audience, including the Consulate General of Malaysia, diplomats from Bolivia, Kenya, Thailand, Myanmar, and the UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block, it was clear that Bali: Beats of Paradise, which is a beautiful blend of sound and color, has worldwide appeal. In our exclusive interview, we talk about her career jump from a stunt woman to a director and celebrate her hometown opening its very first movie theatre. We begin:
Introducing Gamelan Music to the West.
Unless you're a composer or studying Gamelan music, you wouldn't really know about it. That's why I wanted to make this film in the first place.
As an Indonesian, I knew a little about Gamelan but its history isn't taught in school. You'll hear it at weddings, celebrations, and things like that. Indonesia has over 17,000 islands with all different types of dialects, so it's very rich in culture. I come from East Java, so going to Bali was a totally different experience for me. If you're Balinese, you cannot live your life without Gamelan music. When you're born, when you become a teenager, when you get married, and even when you pass away, Galeman is present.
Courtesy of Inzonesia
Going from stunt woman to director.
I've always done martial arts since I was young, and at 15-years-old I studied at the same school in Beijing as at Jet Lee. I always had an interest in film, so I started to get work as a stunt woman, but I realized that I wanted to be a director so I could be in charge of the story. As a stuntwoman, it was really fun but you're always hired to [tell] someone else's story. I wanted to do something about that.
I went to the U.S. for school and studied economy. I thought that would be a good foundation, but I still wanted to be on film sets. I started working on student films as a director, production designer, costumes, anything! Anything to understand the industry better.
Her hometown opened its first movie theatre this year.
My whole family comes from a small city, and we didn't have a movie theatre there until this year. So moviemaking wasn't really a career there. Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world and we don't have many movie theaters. We maybe have 1,000, and in the U.S. it's closer to 40,000.
The road to success wasn't easy.
Growing up, I didn't have any mentors or anybody I could ask for help. So [when I started], it was just me and my brother. My brother and I wanted to make a film- at the time, of course, not knowing how hard it is haha. So we planned to shoot our film, Brush With Danger, with just three people, borrowing my friend's camera, you know? Also, the family of a friend of mine owns a bunch of restaurants so we were fed for free. What else do you need? Haha. I was determined to shoot it with or without a budget, I didn't want to wait for [the money]. After that, we started getting help from people, and more funding. I hadn't done anything prior to that, I had no other films on my resume, but it all [came together]. It got distributed internationally and I've been making movies ever since.
Courtesy of Buletin Dewata
Bali is a cultural mecca.
Bali culture is very interesting, their sense of community is very strong. You're expected to contribute. So if there is an event, you're expected to contribute in some way- whether that's playing Gamelan, preparing food or preparing offering or decorations. Like Nyoman Wenten, who lives in the U.S., he still contributes to his community. Anytime he's back [in Indonesia], he'll play Gamelan.
When we were filming Bali: Beats of Paradise, I told my crew that we needed to stay with the locals. We can't be staying in a hotel in a touristy area while trying to make a documentary about Balinese Gamelan. The whole place is super artistic- from the architecture to what people wear- it's fascinating. Even as an Indonesian, it was fascinating.
'Bali: Beats of Paradise' is now playing at the Laemmle Theatre Music Hall.
'Knife+Heart' Review: Psycho Killer
Vanessa Paradis stars as a lovesick porn producer in the 1970's set slasher film, Knife+Heart.
This bold entry, which screened in the Midnight section of the AFI Film Festival, is fueled by burning sensations and taboo promiscuity, creating a very specific je ne sais quoi quality that, after watching, will be impossible to forget.
There is a killer madman on the loose in Paris and he is targeting men in the porn industry. Actors are brutally and mysteriously getting killed off one by one. Aware of the growing threat but determined to continue making movies, Anne (Paradis) throws herself into her work. She scours the streets for common folk to bring into the industry, finding one promising boy on a construction site and gets inspired all over again. With her film company in jeopardy due to the evolving porn industry and posed threat to the actor's safety, Anne seeks comfort from her former lover and the company's editor, Loïs (Kate Moran). When her pleas for love go unreturned, Anne faces the harsh truth that it is every man (and woman) for themselves in these trying times.
From here, Knife+Heart continues down the path of an erotic psychosexual thriller film. Abhorrently graphic and violent from start to finish, French director Yann Gonzalez is relentless in creating a palpable mood. This fantastical, unclassifiable film is not an easy watch by any means, but for those adventurous cinephiles looking for a film that "quenches all thirsts", I cautiously welcome you to watch. The biggest driving force that attracted me to seek out Knife+Heart in the first place is the soundtrack, composed by the French electronic group M83. Their synth-pop score fuels the film's heartbeat with an otherworldly sound that pays homage to the taboo films of the past.
Knife+Heart is definitely not a family film and would be a really awkward first date movie as well, you've been warned. Knife+Heart is planning a theatrical release in early 2019.
'Knife+Heart' is not rated. 110 minutes.
'Cam' Review: Revenge of the Sex Worker
There is perhaps no better platform to premiere a thriller about cam girls than AFI Fest's midnight slot.
On the night (or actually the early morning?) of its AFI Film Fest debut, director Daniel Goldhaber was shocked to see the theater near capacity with only a few empty seats remaining. Embracing the moment, he said, "This movie will never be seen by this many people in one room again." The audience burst out laughing- Goldhaber had just teed us up for a night of mayhem and mystery, but no amount of forewarning could have prepared us for what we were about to see.
From the producers of Get Out, Cam is a psychological thriller set in the underbelly of webcam pornography. Alice (Madeline Brewer) is a young and ambitious cam girl who is working her way through the ranks and will stop at nothing to reach the #1 slot. Every night, she sets up elaborate scenarios for her male-dominated audience and encourages them to tip her by acting out their cheekiest fantasies and fetishes. With her growing notoriety, people begin to take notice, and not necessarily in a good way. Not only is her career affecting her relationships with her brother Jordan (Devin Druid) and mom (Melora Walters), but her online cam account becomes suspiciously sabotaged overnight.
When Alice realizes that she has lost control of her account, livelihood, and status, her revenge is kicked into high gear. To make matters worse and very confusing, it looks as if the person behind the hacking is an exact replica of herself, and so begins the "mind-bending psychological thriller" aspect of the film. Determined to reclaim her identity and her ranking, Alice uses her skills from past webcam experiences to attempt to defeat this mysterious evil twin.
What is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Cam is the fact that it was written by a former sex worker, Isa Mazzei. Cam marks Mazzei's first and only screenplay, and it's clear that this film has a serious and personal underlying message about the women who cam. The stigma of sex work may have somewhat decreased over time, but it is still considered a taboo topic and Mazzei sets out to dispell any false assumptions about these women. What Mazzei brings to the film is far from an exploitation of this profession- yes there is nudity, yes, it is provocative, but above all else, Cam gives the audience an opportunity to sympathize with a sex worker. We feel her pain and desperation and see the desire for basic wants and needs that every human being deserves. We root for her and want her to kick ass.
Cam is a technology-driven, women-empowering film that will push audiences past their comfort zone and into the very real lives of cam girls. It is informative, eye-opening, and will hopefully leave audiences with some aspect of appreciation for the people and professions that have been overlooked or regarded as "less than". All this packaged as a devilishly fun thrill ride makes Cam a film not to be missed.
'Cam' is not rated. 94 minutes. Streaming this Friday on Netflix, opening Friday, 11/23, at Arena Cinelounge.