agent of happiness
A documentary following two Bhutanese officials traveling their country to survey people about their Happiness levels, which informs the country’s Gross National Happiness score, a metric derived from the philosophy that guides the government of Bhutan.
The documentary shifts from the task the census takers have to the stories of the people they meet, and also to the official’s own happiness and desires in life. A charming and thought provoking piece of work.
black dog
An excellent Chinese language drama following the return of a recently released prisoner to his hometown where he was once a local celebrity for his stunt motorcycle work.
A friendship struck up between the man and a stray dog he was instructed to trap and capture gives the man a new outlook on life, despite his circumstances out on the outskirts of the Gobi desert.
A strong performance from lead Eddie Peng alongside a charming dog performance gives Black Dog its endearing heart.
a different man
A man severely afflicted by neurofibromatosis is offered a place in a human trial for an experimental treatment. After a successful yet dramatic physical change, he looks to experience life he missed out on, yet finds himself unable to move on from the life he left behind.
Sebastian Stan leads this black comedy of a psychological thriller with a remarkable and engrossing performance.
Taut direction and acerbic writing from Aaron Schimberg allows the film to explore the situation and psychology of Stan’s character, with striking, shocking results.
flow
A cat’s life is upended and transformed by the sudden and unanticipated catastrophic flooding of the land. Surviving the rising water becomes a matter of collaboration in the face of peril for the cat and an unlikely group of animal companions.
This stunning animated feature from Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis showcases a deep understanding of storytelling. No characters speak a word, yet the virtuosity of the animation allows them to convey so much. A deeply impressive film.
i saw the TV glow
Directed and written by Jane Schoenbrun (We’re all going to the World’s Fair) this horror/drama captures effectively a vibe mixing 90’s Buffy-era television and David Lynch’s work from around that time.
The story sees two isolated teens find each other over their shared obsession with a young adult TV show that leads to their questioning of reality itself.
no other land
A powerful documentary from a Palestinian-Israeli collective of filmmakers that follows a Palestinian activist, his friendship with an Israeli Journalist and their efforts to confront and document the forced displacement of the Palestinian people in the West Bank from their land.
The filmmakers point their camera and their footage speaks for itself. No Other Land is a challenging and heart rending insight into the ongoing struggle of the people of the West Bank.
problemista
Julio Torres writes, directs and stars in this surrealistic comedy about the struggles a young migrant faces in trying to live and work in the United States on a work visa when an incident involving the unplugging of a cryogenically frozen painter of portraits of eggs results in the young man to losing his job.
Tilda Swinton chews scenery in an anxiety-inducing fashion as the artist’s wife and executor of the artist’s estate, and the Kafkaesque exploration of the bureaucracy surrounding work visas in the United States is compelling.
sleep
An expecting married couple’s life spirals when the husband’s somnambulism takes a dark turn.
Fueled by excellent performances by Jung Yu-mi (Train to Busan) and Lee Sun-kyun (Parasite), Jason Yu’s debut is an impressively handled mix of genres that comes to a satisfying and shocking conclusion.
the sweet east
Lillian goes with the flow and steps away from her life when an anarchist whisks her to safety following an armed attack by a conspiracy theory adherent.
This satirical and surrealistic road movie sees Lillian learn from and use people as she moves from place to place.
Unusual yet interesting characters, and a sardonic sense of humor keep director Sean Price Williams’s debut engaging.
the substance
A striking body horror from French director Coralie Fargeat featuring the surprising casting of Demi Moore and Maragret Qualley as the two leads with a delightfully villainous supporting role from Dennis Quaid.
Moore and Qualley both are excellent as the two people dealing with the fallout of a black market drug that promises the benefits of a new life, youth, a second chance - without mention of the consequences.
Extremely gross, shocking and somehow funny, The Substance is best seen with an audience.
