Since the Sundance Film Festival starts today (!) I won’t have any time to watch anything else that’s out in the world right now. I’ve managed to squeeze in a film every day this week, so I figured I’d cover them now before you get the full force of Sundance thrown at you.
Holler – This is another Film Independent screener at my disposal, as it is nominated for an award, and I haven’t seen this highly acclaimed independent gem yet. Ruth is a high school senior in a southern rural Ohio town. She’s clearly very intelligent, but she doesn’t see a life for herself outside of her town because she’s sees everyone around her struggling to find work, and they can barely get it at a local factory. In order to supplement their income, her and her brother, Blaze decide to start working for a local scraper. It’s dangerous and illegal work, but her brother is willing to do what it takes to send Ruth to college. Seeing the struggle here is painful and depressingly true for a lot of rural, blue-collar towns. It also wasn’t lost on me that pre-2020 election Trump was being played on a lot of TV sets and radios. Trump’s promise of brining manufacturing jobs back to the US is something that a lot of Ohioans thrive for.
Parallel Mothers – Pedro Almodovar does it again! This drama is perhaps a bit more twisted than 2019’s Pain and Glory, but it’s another perspective on motherhood. Janis reaches out to a famous forensic archaeologist to help exhume a mass grave where her great grandfather is buried. They soon start a relationship, and then Janis finds out she is pregnant. Arturo has a family, so Janis breaks up with him so he doesn’t feel burdened by the responsibility. She and a young woman named Ana are giving birth at the same time, and the two connect on their future single motherhood. Not too long after their babies are born, Arturo goes to visit and notes that he doesn’t think the baby is his. This leads Janis to questioning whether her baby is hers, too (SPOILER: it’s not). Some time later she reconnects with Ana, and learns that her baby (Janis’ actual baby) has died. In many acts of guilt, Janis makes Ana a big part of her and the baby’s life. Obviously, when the truth is revealed, shit hits the fan. Let’s just say this movie is kind of hellishly twisted! In a great way though, and aside from the drama centering on these two mothers, you also get a history lesson on the bleak time in Spanish history during their civil war. Another excellent entry on Almodovar’s filmography!
The Tragedy of Macbeth – I mean look, it’s Shakespeare, so regardless if one Coen brother or two directs this, it’ll still be just a little bit boring. And it was, because I’ll never be cultured enough to really enjoy Shakespeare. But, I can at least appreciate how striking this film was. While I wouldn’t peg it for any top performances this awards season, there is no denying how gorgeous this thing looked in black and white. It was crisp with an intense contrast that made for some very memorable shots. Everyone acted well enough, but my shock and delight came when Stephen Root popped up briefly on screen as the porter. Overall though, if you would have told me that Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand would make successful leads in an adaptation of Macbeth, I would have laughed at you, but Joel Coen gets the last laugh this time. Certainly not for everyone, and it was barely for me, but as a lover of film, I can at least appreciate the craft here.