Director: Robert Eggers

Writer: Robert Eggers, Sjón

Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang

Synopsis: From visionary director Robert Eggers comes The Northman, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder.

Although he doesn’t have many films under his belt, three at this point, Robert Eggers has established himself as one of the most unique and distinctive voices of this new generation of filmmakers (along with Julia Ducournau, Ari Aster, Anna Biller, amongst others). His features use a motley mixture of symbolic imagery and stalking horror along with the faithful periodic details (including dialect, costumes, and richly layered folk-tale narratives) to create terrifying and memorable pieces. One of the reasons his films are so compelling and alluring may be his obsession with research–he peruses and scrutinizes various texts, lexicons, and dissertations of the era, along with scriptures of actual lived experiences. Eggers quotes: “If I can’t experience what I write as my own memories, it can’t be truthful.” This fixation benefits his features, as he brings the historical worldviews of a lost time to modern audiences in artistically bewitching and atmospheric ways. I even consider his debut, The Witch, to be close to being a masterpiece.

It creates a thick atmosphere of dread and conveys the themes of blind religious convictions, unlike any picture I have seen in the past decades. I’m not the biggest fan of his follow-up, The Lighthouse; however, I admire most of its cinematic minutiae, artistic corpus, and concepts. Now, for his third project, he partners up with Icelandic author and screenwriter Sjón (who also, fun fact, has performed with Björk and The Sugarcubes as Johnny Triumph) to deliver an interpretation of the legend of Amleth, who’s a preeminent figure in medieval Scandinavian mythology. The Northman centers around the prominent figure (Alexander Skarsgård), the direct inspiration of the character Prince Hamlet, who was once set to govern the kingdom his father, King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke), oversaw and reigned over. After a fierce battle, the King and his kin embrace and celebrate throughout the evening. Once the nighttime arrives, the two go to a forest close by to perform a rite, with the help of the fool Heimir (Willem Dafoe), that will bond the father-son relationship into something worth more, an affinity between kings. 

There is only one primordial condition to this ritual between the fire: if the worst tends to happen and the King perishes amidst battle, Amleth must avenge his death. And the worst indeed occurs when his father is pitilessly murdered by his uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang). And his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), was kidnapped by the same people who performed the ruthless act. From that point on, he escapes on a rowboat out to sea and swears: “I will avenge you, Father. I will save you, Mother. I will kill you, Fjölnir.” Two decades later, Amleth–now a Viking who raids several Slavic villages–receives a vision from a seeress (Björk, with a brief yet fascinating scene). She reminds him of his oath to the gods about exacting retribution for his royal progenitors. Because an act of violence and callousness reminds him of what happened to him, he conceals himself as a slave in a ship headed towards his false-hearted uncle’s new estate; Fjölnir’s perfidious act led to complete dismissal and exile. 

As they make their way to the new domain, Amleth meets and romantically bonds with Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young sorceress who is willing to help him pursue retribution. In the estate, Amleth builds trust with Fjölnir and his loyal companions so that, when the time is right, he can strike his mighty sword against him and get vindication for his family name. Beautifully and carefully crafted by Eggers and company, The Northman takes the Norse myth that inspired Hamlet and makes it into a mesmerizingly ambitious and brutal revenge tale. Although there is a large kill count and garners its plentiful buckets of crimson red splattered around the muddy terrains, the film is about the tolls savagery takes on a person’s life choices and vitality–a nihilistic account of the everlasting succession of barbarity and brutality. There are several scenes in which Amleth rethinks his actions due to the visceral carnage caused by his influence (as he ransacks villages) or by others (the killings of his own people). 

This then juxtaposes with the moralities and principles of the different types of people we see throughout the film: Vikings, kings, queens, sorceresses, ordinary folk, and the enslaved. This is a theme that comes back from Eggers’ previous features; however, in this case, it isn’t about religious convictions or the edges of sanity, but the cycle of violence. There’s also the dissimilitude between the male and female characters. Regarding the male characters, Eggers is fascinated by portraying the human body in all its ugliness (even though Skarsgård delivers a muscular berserker performance, harnessing the spirit of an apex predator while showcasing his washboard abs). There’s burping and farting (like Pattinson and Dafoe’s drunken ramblings in The Lighthouse) as the signs of manhood and bonding between the men. Yet, at the same time, we see their bodies abused and defiled as if humanity is meant to suffer for eternity. This helps to make The Northman not only a compelling watch but a challenging and hurting one as well (in a good way, of course). You can sense the physicality of the sword swings or the punches thrown during the fights. 

On the other side of things, the women (and womanhood) are treated esoterically or mystical-esque–almost sacred. However, the movie doesn’t expand upon these characteristics as much as one would like to. However, thanks to Kidman and Taylor-Joy’s acting chops, this flaw is overcome mostly, but not completely. The other minor issues that the film contains have to do with its final emotional pull and its cold demeanor. Like most Shakespearian play adaptations or other similar works, there will be many who already know the grand scheme of things (not the brilliant final battle but its conclusion). That wasn’t the problem; the problem was that its ending overall isn’t as emotionally enthralling as one might expect, nor does it reach the thematic richness of The Witch’s finale. When compared, it feels a bit smaller. Nonetheless, you are in awe of Eggers’ directorial abilities, most specifically because this is a grander scope, with a budget of 75 million dollars (thanks to Focus Features for giving such an innovative auteur a big bag of cash to realize his visions). 

Most of The Northman’s elements are exquisitely detailed (the costume design by Linda Muir and Louise Cassettari, Craig Lathrop’s production design, and the entire sound team) to take you back to the bestial 10th century. In addition, the work of cinematographer Jarin Blaschke is pretty darn good. The way he shoots the film’s action set pieces is outstanding. He lets them breathe and develop slowly with tracking shots so the viewer can be way more immersed in the story. Blaschke also isn’t afraid to let the camera linger in front of the actor’s faces so we can sense every emotion the characters are going through. There is a lot to admire in Eggers’ latest, and it’s possible that, with a rewatch, you could appreciate the details more and analyze the themes in-depth. The reflections of the cycles of violence passed down from generation to generation is a fascinating concept, and Eggers finds a way to balance feral entertainment with simplistic scenes of dramatic heft. The studio interference comments that appeared a few days ago don’t seem like much happened; it doesn’t appear to have narrowed his vision, as it has his stamp all over the 137-minute runtime. By the time the end credits hit, you will be waiting for it to begin anew, and that is one of the highest compliments you could give a movie of this size and breadth. 

Grade: A-

Directors: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Writers: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan

Synopsis: An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

In many ways, I don’t know how to even describe this film. It’s both incredibly large scale, through its usage of a multiverse and parallel realities, and incredibly small, due to its focus on the life of Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) and her family. It’s a film with both martial arts fights and IRS meetings. It’s a film that revels in surrealism and absurdity, and it throws traditional plot structure out the window. It’s unlike anything else you have ever seen. And I highly recommend going into the film blind, because every twist, every turn, every emotional beat, is an experience. If this movie sounds up your alley, close this review and go watch it.

Everything Everywhere All At Once isn’t just a fantastic movie. It’s a filmmaking achievement that will go down in history. This is the type of film that requires multiple viewings to soak up everything that is happening. Every scene, every moment, is packed with subtext, subtle performances, and eloquent visuals that may go unnoticed due to everything that is happening around it. And while that chaotic energy could drag down a more serious drama, it’s the bread and butter of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheiner’s (The Daniels) latest film. Like the title says, this film is about everything, everywhere, all at once, and you feel that through the editing, performances, cinematography and writing. Every aspect of this film feels hand-crafted, due to the intentionality behind it all. Every element combines with the others to make something that is more than the sum of its parts. 

Part One: A Film about Everything 

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the tale of Evelyn Wang, a middle-aged woman whose life hasn’t amounted to anything. She’s constantly doing too much, unable to slow down due to the pressures of running a business, caring for a lesbian daughter and holding the weight of the world on her shoulders. When individuals from the Alpha-verse make contact with Evelyn, she is entrusted with the quest to save the world by defeating Jobu Tupaki (Stephanie Hsu), the daughter of Alpha-Evelyn who got pushed too far and seeks to destroy the entire multiverse. Along the way, Evelyn has to learn how to let go and appreciate the things in life that truly matter. 

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once may just be the quintessential millennial film. For those unfamiliar with the term, a “Millenial film” is a story that reflects the fears and worries typically associated with the Millennial Generation. These often include fears of financial security, personal growth and success, and the growing gaps between different generations. In an ever-expanding world, where unlimited expanses of information are at our fingertips, those worries have become more and more prominent. To deal with all those worries, The Daniels have created this film. It’s a film about coming to terms with those worries and choosing to focus on the connections that unify humanity together. In a post-pandemic world, it’s more relevant than ever. 

Part Two: A Film With Everything 

Describing The Daniels latest project feels impossible because there is so much packed into the 140-minute runtime. There are talking raccoons, fanny pack whips, visual effects that would fit in the summer’s greatest blockbusters, hand-drawn cartoons, and even rocks with googly eyes. That adherence to complete absurdity is the core of Everything Everywhere All At Once. Much like Spider-man:Into the Spider-verse or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the combinations of visual gags and witty jokes glue this insane story together. Enhancing every component of the film is Son Lux’s score, which manages to be otherworldly and pressure-inducing. It captures the many tones of this film perfectly and is fundamental to this story. 

This is supported by great performances from the entire cast. Michelle Yeoh’s work as Evelyn is second to none, with her immense talent in action sequences being matched only by her subtle emoting during the many great dialogue sequences in the film. Similarly, Stephanie Hsu holds her own as Joy Wang/Jobu Tupaki, and deserves much praise for her tortured performance. But no one compares to the eccentric work of Ke Huy Quan, who plays the many versions of Waymond Wang. The contrast in these characters is gorgeous on the script level, but Quan truly brings Waymond to life through every element of his performance. Whether it’s his vocal inflection or his movement, Waymond never feels the same between universes. Considering that Everything Everywhere All At Once was Ke Huy Quan’s return to acting after quitting in 2002, it’s one of the best performances of all time.  

Part Three: A Film that Happens All At Once

What’s magic about Everything, Everywhere, All At Once is that it sits with you. The raw creativity and passion comes through every scene, and creates emotional apexes not seen anywhere else. Even the weird universes have a heart to them. The way that The Daniels have made me care for a conversation between two rocks on a lifeless Earth is unlike anything I have ever felt before. And that storytelling achievement starts at the writing level, which chooses to use the medium of film in ways nothing else has. And no, I am not just talking about how it utilizes and displays the multiverse. For as ecstatic and bombastic its costumes and makeup make the multiverse, it’s the way the film is constructed that makes it special. 

The editing techniques of cross-cutting and montage have been around for years, but no other film has used them like Everything Everywhere All At Once. Editor Paul Rogers extends single scenes through universe jumping, combining multiple conversations into a single dialogue that recontextualizes every moment that came before. Each universe is weirder than the last, and yet, infinitely more human than the present. Even the multiverse with hot-dog fingers is strangely beautiful.

The way that The Daniels have used the Multiverse, and setting changes, to add meaning and depth to the story is truly unique and mind blowing. And it’s not just seen through the immaculate production design by Jason Kisvarday, which gives each location life and rich history. Rather, the way the camera moves between scenes feels like something from Alfonso Cuaron, as it flows through each location and creates one larger setting. Cinematographer Larkin Seiple manages to capture each scene beautifully and uses different genre styles to create distinct worlds. When a conversation occurs between Evelyn and Waymond in a world where they never married, the scene is lit as though it were a Wong Kar Wai film. That is the magic behind Everything Everywhere All At Once; where the craft enhances the story being told, and where techniques change between scenes because each scene requires that specific visual style to tell this story effectively.

In conclusion, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a marvelous achievement in filmmaking. The Daniels have created one of the best films of the year, and it is sure to inspire the next generation of filmmakers. 

Grade: A

Director: Jeff Fowler

Writers: Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington

Stars: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Idris Elba, Natasha Rothwell, Jim Carrey

Synopsis: When the manic Dr. Robotnik returns to Earth with a new ally, Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic and his new friend Tails is all that stands in their way.

It’s likely the animators for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 spent their time working from home with printed out Twitter snark from the first reactions to the original concept of Sonic. They must have because the animation and the CGI effects for this film are truly fantastic. From the quills on Sonic himself to the fluffy looking fur on Tails to the gargantuan robot that Robotnik controls in the climax of the film, all of the graphics are superb and interact with the real elements in the film very well. With a film like this, one wonders why the filmmakers didn’t choose the completely animated route all along. There are now three CGI characters with a lot of robots and exotic locales to create, so it would have made more sense. Though, if they had, we wouldn’t have been treated to two of the film’s secret weapons.

The first of those secret weapons is Rachel (Natasha Rothwell). . She stole every scene in the first film and while she doesn’t have as much screen time here in the sequel, she is given some truly sensational moments. In one of the best scenes of the film, director Jeff Fowler and his cinematographer Brandon Trost give Rothwell the action star treatment. She cries out in anger at some government agents while speeding toward them in a golf cart. She nearly knocks them over, then hits the golf cart’s emergency brake. That’s when, in slow motion, Rachel turns the cart, steps out casually with a bottle of champagne, pops the cork and, as the golf cart impacts and shorts out some electrical equipment behind her, she takes a swig of the bottle and then tosses it aside. It’s a delightful homage and a cheerworthy moment.

The other secret weapon is of course, Jim Carrey as Robotnik. He was the standout of the first film, but here, he continues his delightfully unhinged persona with the addition of a completely new, impossible, and impossibly terrific mustache. Carrey uses his body in implausible, seemingly uncomfortable ways, and yet, he makes it look natural. Somehow, he plausibly plays his leg like a guitar. It’s been a while in a franchise tentpole to have a villain be unrepentantly and irredeemably evil. It’s so delicious to see Carrey sink his teeth into such terrifically villainous material. If only it were a better vehicle overall. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a film written and produced with young audiences in mind. Though, even by those standards many of the jokes are tired and stale. There are elements that take place in the real world that do set up the larger world, but distract from the main plot. It still feels as if the writers are finding their footing in this world. They have all of the elements, the references, and the lore, but, to their detriment, they’re struggling to keep it accessible and appealing to more than just fans of the original video game franchise.

Where the film always succeeds are in the found family narrative and the superb action choreography. There’s a lot to like about Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Most of it is enough to make you ignore the poor jokes and just get lost in the world taking shape. It’s a sequel that does what a sequel is supposed to do, which is to further the story, but be a complete adventure on its own.

Grade: C

Director: Michael Bay

Writer: Chris Fedak

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González

Synopsis: Two robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.

I’m not the biggest Michael Bay fan; in fact, I think that he’s been one of the worst mainstream directors of all time. The way he directs is too excessive, and his scripts are rude and crude for no particular reason (even in his more “family-friendly” blockbusters like Transformers, which are filled with questionable lines and scenes). However, one thing’s for sure, you always know when you’re watching a Michael Bay film; he has a “directorial style” and “technique” of some sort–also known as Bayhem. There is no subtlety in his repertoire; nevertheless, what he lacks in subtlety, he adds in foul-mouthed language, dicey jokes, and explosions of every kind and for no specific reason. As a result, it has been hard for me to enjoy one of his pictures for a long while; the last one I had “fun” with was The Rock (1996), with the engaging trio of Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris. His movies have ranged from bad to worse to significantly terrible ever since. After a quick three-year break, Bay returns with Ambulance, an action crime-thriller based on a 2005 Danish feature of the same name (yet tonally different since that one is zany and way shorter with a quick eighty-minute runtime). 

Ambulance revolves around two brothers; one is a decorated veteran and a hardworking man, Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), while the other has found criminal ways to make ends meet, Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal). Will needs 231,000 dollars to deal with his wife’s medical bills since the insurance doesn’t cover “experimental medicine”. So, he decides to turn to his adoptive brother for some money. Danny, unfortunately, doesn’t have that kind of money… yet. So, he approaches Will with an on-spot “now or never” proposition to pull a heist–stealing thirty-two million from a Los Angeles bank. At first, Will doesn’t want to do it because he wants to leave that life behind, but he’s desperate to do everything he can to help his family. However, the bank job doesn’t go their way from the start. The desperate thieves escape the scene by hijacking an ambulance carrying a heavily wounded cop, Officer Zach (Jackson White), and an EMT worker, Cam (Eiza González). As they’re caught in a high-speed chase for their lives, the two brothers must find a way to outrun the police while also keeping their hostages alive. The plot doesn’t sound that bad compared to his more recent projects. It appeared like it would be Bay’s most “tame” film, yet you already know he is back to his usual shenanigans fifteen minutes into the movie. 

The film begins with a rapid introduction to Abdul-Mateen’s character, where it feels that Bay is rushing through those segments to get to the fun stuff. This bothered me a bit, but wasn’t surprising, knowing the director’s past works. It also doesn’t make sense that a leader of a well-plotted heist would hire another person the same day of the job. But, hey, I was going with it because they are likable screen presences, and their dynamic together is entertaining. Although they are engaging to see, they don’t have much development as brothers. As the chase keeps going, they bicker, and some conversations shine a small light on what happened to them both, but there’s no significant growth in their characters. In addition, there are some odd shots of their childhood being inserted during the film’s last action sequence. It was supposed to make us care more about their fate, but it seems silly. The performances overall are fine; Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza González are the ones that keep their cool under pressure performance-wise and don’t crack within the various crashes and explosions. Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal is one-note and escalates his character’s mania and craze to the point where it becomes a somewhat comedic performance (however, seeing him screaming “it’s cashmere” made me smirk a bit). 

A nice action set-piece references Michael Mann’s classic shootout in Heat during the first act, although neither with the same cinematic heft nor the dexterity. In fact, most of Ambulance’s action set pieces have been seen before in Bay’s previous features or other classic action flicks. Unfortunately, the rest of the sequences are not as solid or engaging as the first one. Nonetheless, this film’s main problem is its runtime, excess, and editing. This narrative doesn’t have the longevity nor the need for it to run for almost 136-minutes. It seemed like it was adding more and more chase scenes for little reason instead of trimming the excess and making it a straightforward and palatable 90-minute action B-movie-esque feature. In addition, there’s an over-complication in its simple story (the grand conclusion doesn’t make much sense). It makes us assume that both Bay and screenwriter Chris Fedak were adding every single idea they had onto the screen (and only two or three of them worked). And speaking of ideas, there is the excessive use of drone shots that swoop through Los Angeles–it’s a gimmick that doesn’t work in the least. Nevertheless, I think Ambulance is Michael Bay’s least annoying feature in a long while. It isn’t good, but to be completely honest, I would prefer five of these rather than another live-action Spider-man flick. 

Grade: C

Director: Tim Federle

Writer: Tim Federle

Starring: Rueby Wood, Lisa Kudrow, Aria Brooks, Joshua Bassett 

Synopsis: 13-year-old Nate Foster fantasizes about becoming a big Broadway star. He and his best friend Litty mastermind a daring trip to New York City to audition for “Lilo and Stitch: The Musical”.

One of the great middle grade novel discoveries of 2013 was Better Nate Than Ever, written by Tim Federle. The voice of Nate in that book is humorous and true, and you can’t help but cheer through every page as you witness this charming kid go after his seemingly impossible dream. The novel, which was followed by Federle’s equally strong sequels Five, Six, Seven, Nate! and Nate Expectations, was also a breakthrough in LGBTQ middle grade fiction, with the protagonist not giving himself any labels yet at age thirteen but recognizing he might have feelings toward the same sex. 

And now, nine years since the novel’s debut, we have the film adaptation of Better Nate Than Ever, written and directed by Federle, now available on Disney Plus. Although it doesn’t quite match the charm of the book and sometimes has a rushed, overly glossy texture to the narrative, the film has a lot of heart, and the perfectly cast Rueby Wood is a genuine discovery in the title role.

Nate Foster lives in a Pennsylvania suburb, trying to survive middle school as he dreams of Broadway stardom. When his best friend Libby (Aria Brooks) tells him of auditions being held in New York City for Lilo & Stitch: The Musical (which, I might add, was E.T. The Musical in the novel), Nate runs away from home and takes a bus with Libby to New York. Along the way, he bumps into his aunt Heidi (Lisa Kudrow), who hasn’t talked to his mom in a decade and whose own acting desires have mostly been put on hold. When Nate’s brother Anthony (Joshua Bassett) discovers his whereabouts, he drives to the Big Apple to bring him home—but will Nate be able to make his all-important callback that could change his whole life? 

This cheery, feel-good story goes down as smooth as a strawberry milkshake, director Federle taking much of the same style of his entertaining Disney series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which also features Bassett, offering high energy musical dream sequences, Nate’s first over-the-top audition that gets him noticed, and a completely unbelievable but still cute number where Nate belts out “On Broadway” in the middle of Times Square. Federle pitched this film to Disney as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for Broadway kids, and so, just like in that John Hughes comedy classic, you have to suspend your disbelief at times, but once you do, it’s a lot of fun.

Adding some emotional weight around the halfway mark is Kudrow, who beautifully inhabits the novel’s most interesting character, Heidi, a woman in her fifties who’s still going after the occasional acting job while also recognizing her time in the spotlight has likely passed. Her quiet scenes with Nate are some of the few where the narrative feels more realistic, showing an honest depiction of a person who has lost a piece of themselves in pursuit of a life-long dream. 

The whole ensemble is strong, especially Brooks as the supportive Libby who loves Nate for who he is, and Bassett, always a warm light on the High School Musical series, who turns Anthony into so much more than a one-note character. 

But it’s Rueby Wood who makes the film work as well as it does, giving Nate the believable confidence and needed quirkiness to pull us through. He’s exactly the way I read Nate in Federle’s novel, and it was a delight to see this wonderful character brought to life in the way Wood manages here. The wrong young actor could have made Nate insufferable, but Wood plays the character at the perfect level, not too over-the-top, not exactly subtle either, but just right to get us to root for him every step of the way. 

The film could have used another fifteen minutes to let the narrative breathe, as well as pack a bigger emotional wallop in its final scenes. Part of me would have loved to see Federle capture this story in a lower-budget indie film, with fewer studio execs to answer to, and with less emphasis on the spectacle and more on the quieter character beats that lead Nate to the all-important callback. 

But, of course, this film premiering on Disney Plus also means so many more young people will actually see it, and there’s no denying how many LGBTQ kids are going to fall in love with Better Nate Than Ever. It’s a breezy romp that many viewers likely will enjoy in the moment and then forget about days later, but those kids who Federle made this movie for, who he wanted to celebrate both in his novel and in this movie? They’re going to cherish every single minute. 

GRADE: B

Director: Judd Apatow

Writers: Judd Apatow, Pam Brady

Stars: Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Iris Apatow

Synopsis: A group of actors and actresses stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempts to complete a film.

Pandemic content can be quite controversial and divisive. For some, media should be an escapist enterprise where a world without the pandemic shouldn’t exist, and life should continue on as normal. Personally, I’m in the camp where I’d love to see some pandemic content. I like seeing situations created from fiction in which we can see how life has changed, and the new world we have to live in. Unfortunately, most of the pandemic pieces have been either subpar, or downright bad. The Bubble fits into the latter category. Overly long and obscene, The Bubble never really justified its existence, despite a few funny moments.

The Bubble describes itself as a film about a production of a film during the COVID-19 pandemic, and focuses on the actor’s struggles as they’re faced with filming delays and the difficulty of quarantining with only each other on a film set. The film itself plays more like a situational comedy, with a confusing and meandering plot that barely strings the entire story together to somehow make it all make sense. It’s certainly different from conventional methods of storytelling, but it feels very appropriate to the comedy that it’s trying to piece together, similar to other comedies reminiscent of the mid to late 2000s.

I’m not exactly a fan of Judd Apatow, but I don’t really have anything against him either. When preparing for this movie, I thought the trailer looked funny enough, the cast was absolutely stacked, and I was particularly looking forward to performances from Maria Bakalova after her Oscar nomination for Borat 2. Fortunately, her performance alongside Pedro Pascal is one of the best of the film. Pascal’s aloof,sex and drug addicted character is probably one of the more grounded parts of this absurdity, and Bakalova’s strangely obsessed character is a fun chemistry act to watch together.

The rest of the cast also fully commits to the characters that they portray, but unfortunately I usually found most of their work to be rather annoying instead of any kind of comedic act. If any of your favorite actors are featured, or if you need something that will blow your mind with its craziness, The Bubble might be the perfect film for you. However, I’m not sure it will work for most audiences.

The film starts off well enough, but after 10 minutes it becomes hard to follow, and after about half an hour it becomes simply chaotic. About an hour into the film, it crossed the line from no return to just become straight up absurd, and in many moments grotesque with the comedy that it was attempting.The film took a turn in which most of the comedy had become bloody or body humor, with people getting ripped apart, body parts being blown off, or characters getting shot or mauled in some sort of unique way. I’m not trying to say that body humor can’t be funny, but it felt very forced into the film as if it was trying to come up with different or creative ways to be comedic, and there were multiple occasions that made me honestly uncomfortable, to the point where I either had to leave the room or look away. Additionally, I truly was not able to discern any kind of plot that this movie might have had, I’m not sure what this movie was trying to attempt, or why any of these bits might be seen as comedy.

If you want something to turn on in the background and give a light chuckle whenever you choose to tune in, this might be a good watch for you. However, I think this film would be at its peak with the enhancement of other substances, if you so choose to partake.

Grade: D-

Director: Goran Stolevski

Writer: Goran Stolevski

Stars: Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert

Synopsis: In an isolated mountain village in 19th century Macedonia, a young girl is kidnapped and then transformed into a witch by an ancient spirit.

We have seen many directors deliver great pieces of work through modernized folk horror during this past decade–most notably Robert Eggers’ The Witch and Ari Aster’s Midsommar. However, many more have gone under the radar, like A Field in England, November, Possum, and Hagazussa. All of these capture a wide variety of tales about isolation, religion, and the essence of nature by using elements of folklore to invoke dread, fear, or a sheer sense of unease in their audience. Going through a similar route comes Goran Stolevski’s You Won’t’ Be Alone, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It was being sold as a pure blown-out horror flick for some reason, instead of embracing its dark fairy tale-esque demeanor. It does contain an array of bloody moments, yet it doesn’t succumb to that for the most part. A similar thing happened with Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Lamb (which also has Noomi Rapace in its cast) after its premiere at Cannes. Stolevski’s focus with this film is to tell the tale of a woman whose haunting curse can make her shapeshift into the form of her choosing. This sets a path for discovery and visual poetry as it finds bewitching ways to visualize the themes of the dangers of evil and the nature of humanity. 

 Set in 19th-century Macedonia, You Won’t Be Alone tells the story of the Old Maid Maria (Anamaria Marinca), a witch terrorizing a small rural village. It haunts the younglings’ minds as if it were an ethereal boogeyman with a desire for blood that will capture them in their sleep. By just mentioning her name, they become suspicious of their environment to see if she is or isn’t present. One desperate mother even tries to make a deal with the bygone presence. Instead of promising her daughter in the first few days of birth (like many stories we have seen), the girl is to be taken by Maria when she turns sixteen. The Old Maid doesn’t want to kill the young Nevena (Sara Klimoska); Maria just wants to offer her “spirit” to a successor, which comes with her shape-shifting abilities and hawk-like talons. What follows next is an exploration of humanity and nature, as Maria guides her on how to live the double life–the duality of being both a human being and a witch. Because Nevena was deprived of her speech when she was a newborn, the film’s prevalent dialogue is through whispered voiceovers–internal monologues (disjointed and poetical, scarred by her past) are heard as she explores the existential tangles of the new world.

 During her first travels around the forests and meadows of Macedonia, Nevena unintentionally kills a peasant (her first lesson of life and death). This leads her to test her newly obtained shapeshifting abilities to live life in her skin, partially similar to Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin. As her curiosity ignites, she wanders around the plains through vessels in order to understand what it means to be human. You Won’t Be Alone is approached by director Goran Stolevski as a series of vignettes that showcase the various stages of life and some of its key moments, with different actors helming the role of the “possessed” bodies. Each form that she takes has a purpose and motive; it’s not only to fulfill its horror “needs”, yet you could argue the length of the time spent in each form. It helps to explore gender fluidity in an empathetic way, albeit some of its ideas in the latter half of the narrative are not constructed as well as the ones in the beginning. Nevena mostly sees the world through women’s eyes (ranging from different age groups), but there is a moment where she transforms into a man. This creates a new parallel as she explores the archaic gender dynamics from a new perspective. 

 Although there are some barbaric scenes, as the protagonist learns how to live in a world that seems unknown to her, there are sequences of delicate beauty, shot in a Terrence Malick-esque demeanor, comparable with A Hidden Life (without the pristine delicacy of how he sees nature) by cinematographer Matthew Chuang. These two, brutality and love, coexist in such an uncomfortable manner both narratively and cinematically. This creates an atmospheric sensation that immerses you in the story more than the viewer initially anticipated. It might get under the audience’s skin, however, both in frustration because of its slow-burn approach and narrative repetition (which is the core problem with You Won’t Be Alone). Some montages take more time than they need to. The film is at its best when it embraces its suffocating environment that fills the screen with dread and unease–the sensory experience that the story brings. Although the ending is not as strong as one might want it to be, I feel that the rest of the picture has enough interesting ideas and horrific beauty to warrant multiple viewings to capture its plentiful metaphors. 

Grade: B-

Director: Mari Walker

Writer: Kristen Uni, Mari Walker

Stars: Pooya Mohseni, Lynn Chen, Danny Jacobs

Synopsis: A decade after breaking up with Naomi, Kris invites her to dinner to catch-up on their complicated lives, relationships, and Kris’ transition.

When Kris (Pooya Mohseni) first sees Naomi (Lynn Chen) after a decade apart, not much is needed to be said to know that they have a lot of history together. With See You Then taking place primarily over one night, the viewer follows the two leading characters as they talk about what has happened to them over that span of time. It is a very simple concept, presented in a short 75-minute runtime, and it works beautifully here.

With this story, you feel every emotion that director and writer Mari Walker wants you to feel. In the short runtime, Walker is able to pack a punch due to the tough themes and the willingness to be open and vulnerable with them. This is a screenplay that is dependent on the dialogue flowing naturally and the telling a story of a lifetime through the conversations experienced over this one night. The film works because of the screenplay, as even though many of us will not be able to relate to what Kris has gone through in her journey of transitioning, we can feel the impact it has had on her life and know what this moment means for her.

When you have a screenplay as emotional and personal as this one, you need strong performances to back this up. Pooya Mohseni and Lynn Chen both do a wonderful job in the roles that they are given. Mohseni carries the emotional arc that her character must go through, and it is clear why she was chosen for this role. Casting a trans actor to play this role adds so much to this narrative that has been lost in other films that try to tell a trans story, and I am glad that Mari Walker pushed for that representation in the film.

The film tackles the trans storyline in a way that I have not seen before on screen, and that is also used to explore gender issues. With Kris identifying as a woman and transitioning, the screenplay has both Kris and Naomi talking about the issues that women must go through and how Kris is learning about these struggles in-person. It is a bold discussion and a stand-out moment in the film as Naomi confronts Kris about how men do not listen when women bring up these issues. It is filled with passion, and I admire Walker and her co-writer Kristen Uni for highlighting these issues.

More is revealed about Kris and Naomi’s past relationship over the course of the film, and it is interesting to see how people in their lives from the past come in to interact with the pair. With some people not recognizing Kris due to her transition, the awkwardness between these meetings can be felt and it is played well on screen. It’s hard to know how any of us would react in that situation, and we can feel Kris’s struggles to grapple with the past and the present during these sequences.

The filmmaking is simple, allowing for the dialogue to be the focus of the film. There are some small aspects of the narrative that do lack, particularly because it is trying to keep some of the story unrevealed at the beginning. The situation escalates incredibly fast by the end of the film, so much so  that it does become a little unbelievable that there would not be more of a reaction when they first see each other. It would have also been nice to extend the ending a little more, as the conclusion does not quite have the impact that matches the rest of the story.

While I would recommend seeking out opinions on this film from those within the trans community to see how they feel about the representation in this film, it is great to see authentic casting and a narrative that is as focused as this one. See You Then is small and intimate, and it plays on that so beautifully. It won’t be the best piece of filmmaking you see all year, but it might just be one of the most honest. This is the sort of storytelling we need in the film industry right now.

Score: B