Collective (2019) | Directed by Alexander Nanau

 3.5/5

Alexander Nanau’s Collective is an effective primer on Romanian politics, their broken health care system, and the nightclub fire that launched massive protests against government corruption. However, the film’s narrative construction is disjointed and slightly haphazard, keeping viewers at a distance from what should be an intensely personal story. For the first half of the film, we primarily follow the journalists of Sports Gazette, a daily sports paper whose investigative journalists broke the news of widespread corruption throughout Romanian hospitals. Over the second half of the film, we follow a new, reform-minded Minister of Health as he tries to battle the corruption. And through it all, we get glimpses of one of the survivors of the nightclub fire as she attempts to rebuild her life. All of the information presented is compelling on its own, and the film touches on vital issues about the importance of journalism and the threats of rising fascism across the globe. However, the three segments are never effectively integrated, and any attempts to make the pieces fit together feel forced – such as the moment the Minister of Health meets with the survivor on the eve of a major election. There’s compelling content throughout the film, it just never fully comes together.

Where to Watch

Soul (2020) | Directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers

 3/5

Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’s Soul has so much potential, but it suffers from many of the same issues that have plague Disney and Pixar’s recent efforts. It follows all of the tropes of Pixar’s odd-couple buddy-comedies and has nearly every beat from their previous films. While it sets up very clear rules for how the afterlife works in this narrative, it proceeds to break those rules for the convenience of its predetermined plot points. And for a film that is eager to be trumpeted as Pixar’s first foray into Black lives and the Black experience, the lead character spends most of the film as a green, blob-like soul or trapped within the body of a cat – playing into the unfortunate Disney trope that seems to require all animated Black leading characters to spend the majority of the film in a skin other than their own. And it’s even more egregious that we have the voice of a middle-aged white woman coming out of the Black character’s mouth for most of the running time. There are still some interesting things going on here – I love the ways in which they visualize the process of finding yourself in “the zone” while creating, playing sports, or engaging in some other activity that gives you life. And I love the way they show how quickly that can become an unhealthy obsession. The music is gorgeous, the vocal performances are great, and there is this tantalizing idea that our main protagonist is so focused on this one vision of how his life should be that it prevents him from truly connecting with others. But most of the ideas in this film are underdeveloped or end up being undercut by yet another underdeveloped thematic thread that shows up. And the final beats undermine any sense of poignancy that the film was building toward by giving us an easy resolution, without actually resolving anything. It’s a frustrating film, because there’s so much possibility here, but the Disney/Pixar machine just won’t let the pieces fit together as they should.

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Knives Out (2019) | Directed by Rian Johnson

 5/5

Rian Johnson’s Knives Out is an exquisitely constructed murder-mystery with a brilliant twist on the format from its very beginning, which propels the narrative forward in some wholly unexpected, incredibly clever, and thoroughly delightful ways. The script is a masterclass of precision, the intricacies of plotting paying homage to the great mystery writers who have gone before, all the while managing to keep us second-guessing up until the final reveal. The cast is all delightful here, the pacing and comic timing superb. Johnson’s wit is razor-sharp here, and his use of framing and composition to hide (and reveal!) the film’s mysteries is exceptional. I love that the film is told from the point of view of an immigrant and that the film is ultimately about the anxieties of white Americans losing the privilege, power, and entitlement they’ve desperately held on to for so long. The message may be pointed and blunt, but it’s all wrapped up in a delightful little confection that’s oh-so-easy to swallow.

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Booksmart (2019) | Directed by Olivia Wilde

 4/5

Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart is a refreshing and delightful high school comedy that centers the plot revolving around its female protagonists – not on their romantic escapades, though that does play a part – but on their enduring friendship and their long repressed desires. The episodic structure gives the film and almost Odyssean flavor as our heroes journey from party to party – accompanied by their very own version of the Oracle at Delphi – and run-ins with monsters, both literal, and made of their own selfishness and pride. The performances are joyous, and Olivia Wilde proves herself to have a knack for comic timing and the use of music to undercut our characters’ perceptions of themselves. I’m a sucker for high school comedies that end up challenging our assumptions and stereotypes, and Booksmart does that quite nicely.

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Jojo Rabbit (2019) | Directed by Taika Waititi

 5/5

I think all the terrible reviews for Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit helped me go into the film with tempered expectations and come out absolutely loving this tonally challenging exploration of war, indoctrination, and loss – all told from a child’s perspective. Like all of his films, Waititi uses tonal shifts here to disarm us – one moment we’re laughing at the film’s charming absurdity, the next we wince as we realize the deeper implications of a seemingly innocent and offhand remark. Nazi Germany at the end of World War II is a problematic place and time in which to set a comedy, but Waititi gradually breaks out of the child’s perspective and forces his young protagonist (and an audience looking for a good time at the movies) to begin seeing the horrors of war and totalitarianism. From the opening archival footage of Hitler being cheered by the German youth (set to music from The Beatles), we see the ways in which indoctrination and propaganda get internalized by the young. And as heartbreaking and sad as the film ends up being, Waititi manages to end the film on a joyful note that never feels cloying or sentimental.

Where to Watch

Pain and Glory (2019) | Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

 4/5

Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory features a tremendous performance from Antonio Banderas – maybe the performance of his career. Playing a thinly fictionalized version of Almodóvar, Banderas shows a vulnerability and emotional honesty that stars of his stature rarely allow. This leads to some profoundly moving scenes as the character reconnects with his past and comes face-to-face with many of the deep regrets of his life. Some of the expositional voice-overs – while clever and fun – feel out of place and disconnected with the rest of the film, and I’m not sure that the ways Almodóvar structures the flashbacks and time shifts completely work. Still, it’s the performances that really sell the film, and there was enough going on with plot, structure, and imagery to keep me emotionally invested and eager to revisit and potentially reassess my first impression.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019) | Directed by Craig Brewer

 5/5

Starring the inimitable Eddie Murphy, Craig Brewer’s Dolemite Is My Name is an absolutely joyous and celebratory film about an artist coming into their own and discovering their voice. Eddie Murphy is incredible here, effortlessly blending his comedic talents with the more serious and dramatic side that he’s been developing over the last several year. The result is a beautifully nuanced, incredibly rich depiction of a man who continues to persevere – even after countless setbacks and at an age when most people would simply give up. Brewer uses the visual language of ’70s blaxploitation films, without ever descending into camp or goofiness. The film is an absolute delight from beginning to end, a moving film about the power and important of representation and diversity – both behind and in front of the camera.