Save Ralph (2021) | Directed by Spencer Susser

 4/5

Spencer Susser’s Save Ralph is a thoroughly compelling stop-motion animated commercial for the Humane Society International that is part of its efforts to stop all animal testing. The mockumentary framework, beautiful animation, and the cutesy style provide a stark counterpoint to the short’s grim subject matter. Since this was crafted as a commercial and a piece of activism, it may not be fair to judge it based on the transparency of the message, but all the same, it’s rather blunt. Regardless, the dark humor is compelling and effective, even if it does only reach those of us who already agree with its message.

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Happiness Is £4 Million (2022) | Directed by Weixi Chen and Kai Wei

 3.5/5

Weixi Chen and Kai Wei’s Happiness Is £4 Million is a perfectly fine short documentary that uses the intriguing tactic of paralleling the story of a predatory real estate tycoon with that of the young journalist writing about him at the beginning of her career. The filmmakers ask solid interview questions of the reporter, leading to some insightful soul searching from the young journalist profiled in the documentary. The film needed to explore more of the societal forces that allowed the tycoon’s predatory practices to flourish – but the filmmakers’ approach to him is surface-level. While the structure is a bit jumbled and the insights a bit shallow, the conclusion is incredibly satisfying.

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The Fabelmans (2022) | Directed by Steven Spielberg

 4.5/5

Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans is an incredibly moving and joyous film, filled with so many delightful (and even magical) moments that show the marriage of technical craft and the more ephemeral artistry in filmmaking and the creative life – a dichotomy made concrete in the figures of the two parents. In this recent wave of filmmakers looking back over their childhoods to reflect on what made them the artists they are today; this is hands down one of the best memory films from the last few years. Spielberg truly understands how to fully tell this story from the child’s perspective, and he uses that to celebrate art and the power of cinema. This is filled with some of Spielberg’s most incredible images – the texture of the lighting and the precision of the framing illustrates why he continues to be a master of his craft. While most of the performers do solid, dependable work here, Michelle Williams’s performance comes across as too false and arch when compared to the rest of the cast. More subtleties and shades and nuances come out in the performance toward the back half of the film to make the performance richer – but the showy and performative nature of the role in the film’s early portions never allows it to fully integrate with the rest of the film. Still, this is an exceptional film that gets stronger as it goes on, exploring the dynamics of a broken family and delighting in the sometimes-uncontrollable impulse to create art.

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Broker (2022) | Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

 4/5

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Broker continues the filmmaker’s ongoing exploration of chosen and makeshift families in all their fragility. This film about black market baby brokers is refreshingly honest about the lack of options for single mothers in Korea, as well as the prevailing attitudes toward those whom society deems “unfit” or families who aren’t conventional. There is a warmth in the cinematography and framing of the makeshift family unit that is contrasted by Kore-eda’s continued, sharp-eyed pessimism about systems and authority. With an incredible ensemble driving the film, the performances are all masterful and draw us further and further into the personal mysteries at the heart of the story. The fragmented pieces of the narrative don’t quite connect as masterfully as many of Kore-eda’s other films, but he still manages to find a genuinely moving core to his latest family drama.