★★★★ Directed by: #StephanieZari Written by: #DerekAhonen Starring: #TomCullen, #SarahRoy, #JadeAnouka, #AnnaWilsonJones, #IsabelleConnolly Film Review by Taryll Baker Catherine's seemingly perfect rural life is turned upside down after she discovers her husband is hiding a dark secret that leads her to the unthinkable. Murder. Based on the play by Derek Ahonen, this biting dark comedy thriller from Stephanie Zari follows the mysterious trepidations of Catherine (Sarah Roy), an interestingly fierce woman who kills her husband and attempts to cover it up with the help of Anita (Jade Anouka). Utilising quirky humour mixed with an eerie music score and striking visuals, Zebra Girl is a refreshingly stylish film that doesn’t confine itself in single genres, instead adapting with the main character. Catherine seemingly suffers from schizophrenia, thus the screenplay bends to her will, creating a blend of scrambled emotions for the viewer which in some cases could cause disconnection, but here it aids it. Zebra Girl features very dark themes and though quite playful to begin with, as the film progresses into the third act, these themes come in heavy and hard-hitting. There are revelations for both Catherine and Dan, their twisted stories overlapping and unweaving in a carefully organised fashion. The structure of the story is fantastic; leaving just the right amount of time for guessing, before delving into the climax that should be satisfying enough for all. Perfectly contained within a fast-paced 80 minute runtime, Zebra Girl unfolds the layers in a cutting from past to present, disjointed but pieced together in a way that benefits the story and its surprises in good time. Caspar Leopard’s moody score is introduced with horror elements (plucked strings layered with percussive hits), then adjusts to the more suspenseful atmosphere displayed on-screen. Score and overlying voices from Catherine come together during the final act to create a feeling of discomfort, but it’s very well handled. The performance from Sarah Roy is the centrepiece; her wittiness and dedication to the character is phenomenal. She offers many sides to Catherine, playing to each strength and weakness skilfully. Accompanied by the respectfully restrained Jade Anouka, the duo share the screen with a great dynamic that triumphs in the film’s final scenes. Zebra Girl is a dark film; the cinematography by Catherine Derry focuses in on blue tones, but during key moments inside the house, makes pink and purple colours pop. There’s a solid balance of cold and warm and that’s the same for the script, the characters and their actions throughout the film. Interest is piqued from beginning to end, and the way all of these technical elements come together really makes Zebra Girl an exciting and unique experience quite unlike any other. Zari’s debut feature is a thrill. Zebra Girl will be in cinemas May 28, 2021. - #TaryllBaker

★★★★★ Directed by: Fabrizio Gammardella Written by: Fabrizio Gammardella Film Review by: Vikas Yadav Fabrizio Gammardella’s A Piglet’s Tale is nothing short of alchemy. Resembling something made from camp Studio Ghibli, this animated short is one of the best things I have seen this year and deserves to be seen by everyone no matter how far and away you live. This is the sort of work that announces the presence of a stunning director, one that performs magic tricks by combining the tools of film-making with animation. After watching A Piglet’s Tale, I rushed to look at the other crew members' names who helped create this vision. My heartfelt congratulations to all of them! To describe A Piglet’s Tale as dreamlike would be an understatement. Its exteriors exist on a surreal plane, while the interiors are connected to the reality of this world. People inside a photo frame and a painting move as if tethered to actuality. Juxtaposing them are the “real” images like that of employees crackling on the keyboard. In A Piglet’s Tale, time doesn’t move but flows like a wind. The image of two children playing transitions smoothly to them as a married couple. They dance on a bridge while a photographer captures them on his camera. Everything appears like a fairy tale but make no mistake, this is not a fairy tale, far from it. The plot basically follows a newly-wed couple that finds no success in being a parent. They struggle to have a child. It is when they move to the countryside, after leaving their jobs in London, that a baby is finally born. The parents are happy, the baby is happy. All looks well, apparently. But this is not a normal baby. He can shift between his human form and, well, his pig form! As per the director’s statement (and the lines at the end of this short), A Piglet’s Tale is about animal welfare and how they are killed on a large scale for food worldwide. But that’s on the surface. Great art always simultaneously works on different levels. Though the message behind this surface reading is crucial and A Piglet’s Tale delivers on it, why stop there? Why not go further into it? The kid's “pig form” can be interpreted as a unique ability, a quality exclusively existing within him. We all have talents that separate us from the crowd. You could be a painter, while your best friend a singer. Hell, you are different from your own sibling. Every child is special. You can also flip the coin and convert the “unique ability” into “unique disability.” The “pig form” could also be seen as a physical or mental disorder. When the baby plays outside his home (as a piglet), the children laugh at him. But those children could be swept aside. We cannot expect the outside world to understand us. Fortunately, we can fall back on the affection of our parents. Or could we? What if they, too, refuse to accept our natural identity? What happens when the parents butcher your talent (you cannot be a singer, pursue a degree in computer science) or try changing you into a “normal” human being? A Piglet’s Tale compiles both the surface level and the deeper level thoughts into a shocking finale that shakes your soul and haunts you long after the credits swipe away. Gammardella used to work as curator of a silent films’ archive. It makes sense then that this short is rendered without dialogue and manages to leaves you speechless. A Piglet’s Tale is both real and ethereal at the same time. Gammardella is a fantastic director who clearly worked with a fantastic group of people. A Piglet’s Tale is excellent!

★★ Written & Directed by: #JamesRaynor Starring: #GraceBlackman, #LillyDriscoll, #DavidSeymour, #RobertLowe, #PaulAusten Short Film Review by Taryll Baker Ellie is a young woman at her wits' end. Unlucky in love and undervalued at work, her frustrations with life lead her to discover her uncanny talent for exploding skulls. Initially happening during outbursts of anger, soon her abilities began to spiral out of control and the heads begin a-poppin' left and right. James Raynor’s Heads-A-Poppin’! is an experimental film of sorts that plays around with various genres and presents itself as a fairly cheap project. This is a film that’s clearly trying to cater to an audience or very specific genre, but it’s not exactly obvious what that is. Consisting of wacky characters and an “edgy” style, Heads-A-Poppin’! follows a woman who believes herself to be an “X-person.” The rough look and feel of this short really cheapens the experience. It’s clearly supposed to be taken lightly since all the performances are woefully exaggerated, and the animated title sequence and funky music set that tone pretty early on. The unfortunate part is that Heads-A-Poppin’! doesn’t really seem to have much purpose beyond some outrageous lines of dialogue played for laughs, and the comic-like violence thrown in for good measure. None of the characters are very likeable or even interesting at the lowest level, which makes anything that is happening in the story just… underwhelming. There are some key moments that work. It’s mainly due to the strangeness of the situation, and the more realistic approach to it. The events that unfold following the mid-way point make Raynor’s vision more clear; his way of tackling the superhero slash super villain concept is mildly amusing, but again, there doesn’t seem to be much purpose and therefore everything becomes dry. Too much of a good thing can be detrimental, and that’s the case here. The same can be said for the miserable visual effects which, understandably so, are pretty poor. At least they spent enough time with make-up to make the aftermath of the gruesome incidents seem more real. On the plus side, I think Heads-A-Poppin’! was respectfully as long as it needed to be. Any more heads spontaneously exploding would have driven it off the road to become incredibly tiresome. The direction is quite good given the script and ridiculous nature of the film. This feels like a bit of a passion project for Raynor, and that’s evident in all its trappings. Elements of comedy, horror and drama are swiftly thrown together and while it doesn’t land the whole way through, there are small periods of the film that are enjoyable. To put it in a plainer light; if you have 35 minutes to spare, you could find a lot worse than Heads-A-Poppin’!, but perhaps searching a little longer for a film will help quench your thirst. Watch the trailer for Heads-A-Poppin'! below. - #TaryllBaker

★★★★★ (yeah, it deserves it) Directed by: Jim Wynorski Written by: Jim Wynorski, Steve Mitchell Starring Kelli Maroney, Russell Todd, Barbara Crampton Throwback Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Chopping Mall Movie Review Who likes a sense of security? We all do right? We want to know we are not gonna get blasted in the face with a flame thrower while at Disneyland or assaulted while squeezing avocados in Morrisons, and to achieve this we must employ security guards and all that jazz, but what if you don't feel like employing flabby gross humans, what will you do? You invest all the money you could have used on paying a human wage to build a bunch of robots who act as security to your shopping mall of course! Duh, so welcome to the stage the premise of the hit 1986 movie Chopping Mall (it was not a hit, but it should be, so I'm creating the hype). Chopping Mall is the story of a group of teens who decide to have a party in the furniture store in the mall where they work after closing time. Basically, they all have sex on the display beds in the same room and this whole part has heavy future swinger vibes, but while this is happening a thunderstorm is brewing overhead....doom! For you see the mall bought up all those cheap robots to be security officers, but what they didn't know is that a lightning bolt hit the main electrical supply causing all the robots to get all super evil and understand the concept of murder, so yeah, that's happening...but do they understand the concept of love? The robots, not unlike every villain in an 80s horror film, hate teens, drinking and pre-marital sex, and so when they discover the teens are doing all of that, it’s an all-out war, with lasers and tasers, so much drama! The movie is basically just that, robots come, robots get evil, teems hump, teens get shot with lasers, then some live some die, the basic construction of an 80s horror, but with the tedious layout aside there is some charm to Chopping Mall I just can’t put my finger on. I keep watching this movie and I don't know why, there is something about it I can’t get enough of, it’s beyond stupid, it’s knee-high robots, that you could tip over and run from very easily, killing a bunch of horny teens, but I love, I love every second of it. This movie is the perfect dumb switch-off flick, you want a movie you can put on with your date, hump in the middle of but be able to jump back in? Chopping Mall. You want to laugh at people getting killed but not feel bad? Chopping Mall. You want to watch robots but not feeling in the mood for them transforming into cars near you? Chopping Mall...this movie has it all. And on a serious note as well, for a low budget-ish movie, it does not look too bad, it’s the 80s so we have to let some things slide, but there is a consistency to the robot’s actions and weapons, the acting is on point for a bunch of up and coming actors and the mall, the lighting, the costumes all lure us into that feeling of middle America in the ‘80s, and that's the point, we are meant to feel safe in the mall - like capitalism can cure us of all our sadness. Well, right now Chopping Mall cures me of my sadness! So what did we learn this week? Doing it in the place where you work is a rad idea If an enemy is knee-high, push it over. Robots cannot outperform humans in the workplace, but there will be consequences. #RachelPullen

★★★★ Written and Directed by: #ClaudiaVatalaro and #EllesCase Starring: #ClaudiaVatalaro (Sabrina) and #EllesCase (Poliziotta) Music by: #ScottHolmes - Suspect Located Short Film review by: Joyce Cowan Non Colpevole is a gripping work of mystery, tension and vulnerability. First things first: it’s always a delight to see female led projects, and Non Colpevole is no exception. It’s a well written and well crafted story, carried by its dialogue. The title of the film, which means ‘not guilty’, sets the scene for us: a tense exchange at a police station between an officer and the suspect. What is the truth of what has happened? The performances are subtle and naturalistic, the character dynamic fluid and direct in the Italian style of communication, giving it a genuineness that is rare so that there is definitely a lot of talent as well as work in this piece. Compositionally it’s simple and the blocking remains unchanged throughout, so that the dynamism is purely in the story unfolding through the character’s exchange of words, which works really well by creating a theatrical kind of energy. Thematically, it’s gripping and interesting. The situation which concerns the suspect involved a night out and a dubious sequence of events which end in an accident which, it is presumed, was not quite an accident but an action of which the suspect was at the centre. The real highlight of this film is that the plot twist comes at the end, so that it is almost playing with the audience’s understanding and which makes it a mystery piece. You just wish the film was longer. This is a classy, well done bit of drama.

★★★ Directed by: #JasonFarries Written by: #SamGosiewski Starring: #JasonFarries #SamuelLawrence #KevinCherry Film Review by: #ChrisBuick In the wake of an unprecedented nationwide lockdown caused by a global pandemic, a young student (Farries) finds himself having to wait things out alone at his parents’ house in the middle of nowhere, unsure when they will be able to return from their trip abroad or when things will start to get back to normal. Surely everything should blow over in a few weeks? As we are all too aware, it didn’t (and still hasn’t fully at the time of writing) so it’s not long before Farries’ character (credited here simply as The Student) finds himself struggling not just with isolation and the resulting boredom, but after falling ill himself eventually ends up in a losing battle for his own sanity. While Homesick may undoubtedly land uncomfortably close to home for a lot or people, make no mistake, Farries and writer Sam Gosiewski still have plenty of twists and turns up their sleeve to surprise us with along the way as they take the current global situation and stretch its unpredictable nature into a sort of post-apocalyptic psychological thriller-cum-nightmare, full of questionable realities and unreliable narratives as far as our protagonist is concerned. What it does well is establish that desired atmosphere of crippling isolation early, both narratively (it’s established early on that the parents’ house is almost a dead zone for cell reception, it's miles from anywhere and everyone he knows and loves is miles further still), but also through other more subtle flourishes such as the films beautifully underplayed score that lets that unsettling feeling hang uncomfortably throughout, all of which gives the films more intense moments much more impact. Starring as well as directing, Farries’ character is an interesting one, written and performed purposefully it seems in such a way that it gives us just enough in order to be able to sympathise with his slow descent into madness, even if he is never exactly likeable and in fact is at times as pitiful as he is frustrating. There are times when he comes across as nothing more than a petulant child, his situation isn’t exactly as bad as it could be and indeed has been for a lot of unfortunate people. No kids, big house, no real responsibilities. “You are sat right here feeling sorry for yourself, basting yourself in self-pity" But both Farries, with a terrific nuanced performance, and Gosiewski seem to be more than aware of and perhaps even complicit in creating this perception, using a plethora of unique and interesting methods to show us that it’s not just us who are feeling this way, but in fact it’s all part of the underlying insecurities and self-deprecation that is plaguing our protagonist’s mind incessantly as he continues to spiral all the way down. Then what we realise is that Homesick is a respectfully crafted metaphor for the unwitting and insidious effects of loneliness that many would have endured over the past year. There are moments when it seems the film takes a few unnecessary swipes at those who perhaps didn’t have it quite as hard as those the film is trying to represent, not to mention some of the dialogue feels quite unnatural and stilted at times, but for the most part Homesick is precise, thought-out and very well executed. #ChrisBuick Homesick is available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video. Watch the trailer here:

Interview by Taryll Baker Firstly, great work on Chambers Gate! I admired your dedication to characters. Is internal conflict and evolution something you always try to tackle in your films? I feel very honoured and thankful when an experienced film critic admires my creative efforts. Honestly, I always try to tell stories in my movies in a way never told before; when it comes to internal conflict and evolution, our life from start to finish is the reality of that conflict, no matter if it is the simplest or toughest things we have deal with. My objective is to connect the story as much as possible to reality, and to communicate with the audience and their minds, besides just entertaining them. Looking at your credits on IMDb, I noticed you seem to experiment with various genres. Films like Zombie Beach and Aisha and Rahul are quite different tonally; where do you find inspiration for these stories? Learning filmmaking and telling stories, for me, is never ending; every moment you spend, there is a story behind it. Watching the sun and moon every day can also help to connect to various untold stories. When it comes to genres and categorising a filmmaker for a particular genre, in my opinion, it’s like putting the bird into a cage and not letting them fly. This happens a lot in high-budget commercial movies. I try to connect to reality even in a horror, thriller, romance or a drama. Basic human elements, even in pieces, can add helpful components to assist in believing in the story you are watching. As a writer, director and actor, what role do you find most challenging or most fulfilling personally? Initially, when I started as an actor, it was very challenging before it turned into very fulfilling. But when I started writing my own stories and directing the movies, it became even more fulfilling with my strategic planning. Directing a movie is no doubt very challenging but it's the most fulfilling at the same time. Whilst watching Chambers Gate, I noticed you did a lot of location shoots. Is this something that requires a lot of attention and care? I imagine it takes a fair amount of confidence not only in your work, but your professionalism when working on a location rather than a set. Are there any obstacles you had to overcome? Depending on the story of the film, we decide on location or set shoots, and shooting in a studio is very different than at a location. For Chambers Gate, the kind of story and camera shots we were looking at needed a particular real location, with long shooting days to reach to our desired goals. Crane shots, a real lake by the house, countryside roads, farms and the church to name a few. In a studio setting you can do so much with the latest technologies available today. A major obstacle is staying away from home and spending days with the cast and crew on those locations, while still staying focused to get the work done. Depth of Pyaar is your latest film. Could you tell us a little about it and where we can see it? Depth of Pyaar is a film about two brothers — Yash is a charismatic young lawyer frustrated in his pursuit of justice, while Ansh is a social recluse due to his medical limitations — and how their lives are overturned when a sociopathic criminal targets them and their loved ones. Both are forced to make decisions about how far they will go for the people whom they love. The movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime in the USA and UK, and available on a few other OTT platforms. You’ve won many awards over the years and have clearly established yourself as a renowned writer and director, how does that feel? Do you have any goals you’d like to achieve in the future? I appreciate the amazing recognition and acceptance from film festivals for the stories that I wanted to tell to my audience. I am thankful for all the love that my respectful audience have given to me and my movies. All those awards are dedicated to them; who are able to accept my stories and connect it to their lives. These recognitions are also dedicated to the next generation filmmakers, to bring revolution, positivity and lots of energy in telling stories through their films. Courage and lots of patience will help with accepting any criticism. My goal for now would be to keep making movies that entertain, connect and to bring a unique style of telling stories with no barriers. If you were to introduce someone to your work, but could only show one film, which would you pick and why? I will pick my upcoming feature film Bloody Romeo. With over 50 cast members and over 5 years of the entire process of bringing this film to life, I am sure it is going to be a huge acceptance globally. A unique story and very hot subject of the film which has a real connection with my life, brings me to count on the success of this movie. The film is currently submitted in over 40 film festivals, out of which 20 are Oscars submissions qualifying. You have a few projects in the pipeline, what can you tell us about those? Real incidents affect storytellers and this happened with one of my movies scheduled for filming in spring 2020. The movie is titled Zombie Beach II and its story by chance went with the reality of COVID and everything we are facing now. So we have dropped that project, and a story for a new zombie movie is in development for 2023. Other upcoming projects I am working on are Postal Code and Universal Greed. Drama, crime, thriller, horror and romance are the genres I am more inclined towards. COVID-19 disrupted the film industry significantly last year, and now as productions begin to restart and cinemas reopen, do you think the affects of a pandemic will last? Will audiences want to return to the theatre experience? In my opinion, we as humans are very strong and, after this pandemic, even stronger. It’s just a matter of time until things turn around. All countries are responsible for their vaccination programs and we should see great results very soon. Lots of jobs are dependent on the film industry and the world economy, and those in entertainment are very much waiting for things to go back to normal. We all are together in this. Lastly, if you could work on a film with any director, writer or actor of your choosing, who would you pick? Director: Quentin Tarantino. Actors: Brad Pitt, Scarlet Johansson, Priyanka Chopra and Jennifer Lawerence. Writers: Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron and Taika Waititi. Depth of Pyaar is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Depth-Pyaar-Mukesh-Asopa/dp/B08LYK7NP9 - #TaryllBaker

★★★★ Directed by #EmmaSeligman Written by #EmmaSeligman Starring #RachelSennott #MollyGordon #PollyDraper Film Review by George Wolf “You can’t just show up for the after party for a shiva, and like, reap the benefits of the buffet.” Twentysomething Danielle (Rachel Sennott – irresistible) is definitely guilty of skipping the actual funeral (she doesn’t even know who died!), but if there are benefits to the after party, she isn’t reaping them. It’s awkward enough that her former flame Maya (Molly Gordon) is there, but that’s hardly the worst of it. To her horror, Danielle sees that Max (Danny Deferarri) is there, too. Max is Danielle’s sugar daddy, and look, he brought his beautiful wife (Dianna Agron) and their cute baby daughter! With Shiva Baby, Emma Seligman expands her 2018 short film for a feature debut full of observational comedy, mounting anxiety and a strangely appealing sexiness. Imagine the Coen Brothers rebooting Uncut Gems as a coming-of-age sex comedy, and you get an idea of the tonal tightrope Seligman is able to command. The film’s opening finds Danielle confident and alluring. By the end of the day, she’s an unkempt, sweaty mess of beverages, blood and embarrassment. Almost all of Danelle’s arc takes place inside the home of the bereaved, and Seligman makes sure that is a hilariously uncomfortable place to be. Danielle’s parents (the ever-reliable Fred Melamed and a scene-stealing Polly Draper) pressure her to work the room for job contacts, family friends inquire about her post-college plans, Molly wonders why Danielle ghosted her, and Max’s wife is getting suspicious. And through it all, Seligman’s camera draws in closer and closer, making Danielle’s darkly comic claustrophobia almost palpable. Clearly, much of Seligman’s sharp dialog comes from personal experience, and if it’s one you share this is a film that will feel like part of the family. But you didn’t have to be Greek to get caught up in that Big Fat Wedding, and you don’t have to be Jewish to see the joy in Shiva Baby. Seligman flashes an insight that disarms you with sex and humor, keeping its hand at a subtle distance. But by the time we’re leaving that buffet, a breakout filmmaker and star have delivered a fresh, funny and intimate take on the indignities of finding yourself. #GeorgeWolf

★ Directed by: #CathyAllyn #NickLoeb Written by: #CathyAllyn #KenKushner #NickLoeb Starring: #NickLoeb #StaceyDash Film Review by: Christie Robb Cathy Allyn and Nick Loeb’s film Roe v. Wade is an unnuanced slog through the events leading up to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision. The directors (who share writing credit with Ken Kushner) frame the court case with the conversion narrative of Dr. Bernard Nathanson (Loeb). According to the film, Nathanson, “the Abortion King” aka “the Scraper,” claims to have been swept up in the wave of 70s women’s liberation and performed seventy thousand abortions until he was confronted with fetal development by way of the advent of ultrasound technology. This results in a breakdown that is unmistakably similar to Charlton Heston’s in Soylent Green—“It’s a person! God forgive me! What have I done?!” The choice to cast Loeb, whose dialogue delivery bears an eerie similarity to an unsure elementary school student asked to read a passage aloud, in such a pivotal role is but one example of the missteps taken in the film. The hammy acting is a trait shared among many of the cast members. Jamie Kennedy (Scream), for example, as Larry Lader (co-founder of NARAL Pro-Choice America) all but twirls an imaginary handlebar mustache as he explains how liberals seed the uncritical news media with statistics conjured from thin air. Stacey Dash (Clueless) as Dr. Mildred Jefferson (president of the National Right to Life Committee) fairly vibrates with indignation when her eyes aren’t filled with tears at the equating of abortion to slavery or in polite reference to her own infertility issues. Even if the acting was better, all the emotion would seem misplaced given how much time is devoted to characters debating constitutional law. There is not enough room in a two hour movie to detail the establishment of the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements plus the evolution of the Roe court case and still deliver the kind of emotional character development that Allyn and Loeb are shooting for. The political arguments are underdeveloped, the nuances of the court proceedings are difficult to follow, and there are too many characters to keep track of. Joey Lawrence’s (Blossom) character could have easily been cut as his purpose in the film seems to be delivering supporting quotes by founding fathers. The film’s stated goal is to tell the true story of Roe vs. Wade. However, this is something it cannot really achieve. Missing is any coverage of the personal, economic, social, or medical reasons why a woman might seek an abortion in the first place. It’s a pro-life persuasive essay masquerading as a soap opera/civics lecture and it’s not particularly good at being any of those things. #ChristieRobb

★★★★ Directed by #AzazelJacobs Written by #PatrickDewitt Starring #MichellePfeiffer #LucasHedges #TracyLetts Film Review by George Wolf So, it seems your quick, stealthy exit migrates from Irish to French when excess alcohol is not involved. Good to know, I had to look it up. Francis Price (Michelle Pfeiffer) certainly enjoys a good martini, but her exit plan is a bit more serious than just ducking out of the local bar unnoticed. After years of living high as a Manhattan socialite, Francis’s inheritance is nearly gone. So after selling off what they can, Francis and her son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) head to Paris to stay in her best friend’s empty apartment. When the last dollar is finally spent, Francis plans to kill herself. It sounds pretty dramatic, but writer Patrick DeWitt (who also penned the source novel) and director Azazel Jacobs start peppering in the absurdity and black comedy as soon as mother and son are aboard a ship to France. Malcolm leaves his fiancee Susan (Imogen Poots) behind, and hooks up with Madeleine (Danielle Macdonald) en route. Madeleine is a medium, and she soon becomes Francis’s conduit for summoning the late Mr. Price (Tracy Letts) when his soul returns in a cat. Pfeiffer is cold, condescending perfection. Francis’s words for nearly everyone she encounters practically drip with contempt, and Pfeiffer is always able to keep the film’s tricky tonal balance from toppling toward either maudlin or silly. She enjoys a wonderful chemistry with Hedges, who impresses yet again as a young man who is still coming to grips with the lack of affection in his upbringing, his mother’s icy worldview, and how they’ve both affected his ability to relate to other people. And soon, there are plenty of other people to relate to in the Paris flat. There’s the neighbor who desperately wants to make friends (a scene-stealing Valerie Mahaffey), Madeleine the medium, a detective hunting for the runaway cat (Isaach De Bankole), ex-fiancee Susan and her new man (Daniel di Tomasso), and Joan, who actually owns the apartment (Susan Coyne)! You’d be quick to label the entire affair a Wes Anderson knockoff if Jacobs (The Lovers, Mozart in the Jungle, Doll & Em) didn’t fill the center with such unabashed heart. The affection between mother and son is never in doubt, and Pfeiffer’s delicious turn makes sure Francis never becomes a villain, just a fascinating and darkly funny mess. With its self-conscious quirks and surface-level satisfactions, this is a French Exit more obvious than most. But thanks to Pfeiffer and a sharply drawn ensemble, it’s never less than wicked fun. #GeorgeWolf

★★★★ Directed by: #UmeshBist Written by: #UmeshBist Starring: #SanyaMalhotra, #SayaniGupta, #AshutoshRana Film Review by: Emily Davison Widowed soon after marriage, a young woman grapples with quirky relatives and a startling discovery about her late husband which leads to a revaluation of her place in society. Pagglait (2021) is a Bollywood comedy drama directed and written by Umesh Bist and was released on Netflix in late March. This Hindi language film offers an easily immersive viewing experience with an engaging, charming screenplay and wonderful performances from the ensemble cast all around. Rafey Mahmood’s cinematography is simple, yet appealing and couples with Bist’s talented eye for direction very well. The film often presents beautiful serene imagery which captures the natural beauty of the country, such as a blood red sun setting presented through fast motion photography or simple shots of the local food delicacies. There is also good use of slow motion which emphasise the nuanced quality of the movie and represents the turbulent emotions of the family’s grief and confusion well. All members of the large ensemble cast perform splendidly in each of their respective roles, with a nice believability to the family members which can be relatable to audiences across the world. A forgetful granny who seems to have more wisdom than what she is really letting on, or a fretful mother worrying for her daughter’s wellbeing are just a couple of examples. Sanya Malhotra as Sandhya made for an excellent lead performance, who embodied a quiet furiosity and overwhelming sense of confused sadness very well, making for a strong and natural screen presence. A special mention must also go to Ashutosh Rana, who played Astik’s father (Sandhya’s recently deceased husband), who was a standout highlight amongst the large cast due to his authentic display of raw grief after the loss of his son. His sequences were certainly amongst the most moving and emotionally stimulating of the film. The film also includes an enthralling musical score by Arijit Singh, which has a very calming tranquil quality that works excellently alongside the warm colour palette. There are music sequences scattered throughout with songs played over montages, which are also welcome additions that fit well within each emotional context and never feel overstated. The screenplay balances the drama and comedy well, with more of a focus on an interesting social commentary on marriage customs in India as well as the emancipation of women. Although, there is an amusing running gag of the doorbell having a silly jingle each time it is rung by visiting family members which added a nice slice of humour amongst the family drama. The film is consistently engaging with its strong cast of relatable characters and an uplifting, feel good ending highlighting female empowerment and independence is tastefully handled and not overplayed. Pagglait is a thoroughly entertaining watch and an affectionately handled film, bolstered by charming performances, immersive cinematography and a captivating screenplay. This film definitely deserves more attention! #EmilyDavison Pagglait (2021) Film Trailer:

★★★★ Directed: #SaitoChong Starring: #MingShiouTsai Film Review: #AlexandraJames Cactus is a short film about an elderly couple, Qingxiong is the main character who is unable to communicate fully and bound to a wheelchair. His wife, Simei, has now become his full-time carer and looks after his every need. The film shows the life of Qingxiong, as he comes to terms with his own mind and decides that he no longer wants to be a part of this world and is ready to move on. However, this dark ending is left to his wife, she must be the one to end his life as he is no longer capable and strong enough to do so. Cactus is a terribly sad and moving story of the relationship between husband and wife and their final goodbyes to one another. This film begins by exposing the audience to the couple’s relationship and their day to day activities as well as highlighting the amount of care Simei must provide her husband on a daily basis. There did not seem to be any feelings of resentment or burden hovering over their relationship, instead, what is shown is something far more powerful which is the love and bond the pair share. It is clear from the start that Qingxiong is weak and tired, his spirit seemed to have already departed from his body and mentally he was prepared to take the next steps and be at peace. His wife on the other hand was quiet and reluctant to go through with the act. It was hard to watch this short in places without welling up. I suppose the phrase cruel to be kind was the prominent theme which can be taken away from this film. Although an incredibly hard and life changing decision to take your husbands life away, ultimately, he will be free from pain but leaving his one true love behind, his wife. The build-up within this short film is very slow, it was almost difficult to see where the story was going in places. There is minimal dialogue between the couple the audience just see Simei caring for her husband, except this is the day he chooses to end his life. However, the slow build-up is almost necessary considering the context of the film. The audience are savouring every action and every word spoken, much like Simei is doing, as she knows that this will be the last day she will ever feel her husbands touch again or hear his voice. The audience are a part of these final moments with her which makes for an impactful yet melancholic watch. Cactus is for those that fancy a good cry or for those that want a film that really tugs at their heart strings. Not every film demands a happy ending, sometimes its good to depict reality at its rawest in order to highlight those darker moments in life which many people must face. Cactus shows the audience an up close and personal look at the struggles people can incur daily. This film takes the form of a life lesson, stressing to the audience that we must not take life for granted something which many of us are guilty of. Cactus advocates the importance of being loved and to give love, a key message to live each day by.