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< Back Talk to Me tackles peer pressure and the effects of witnessing violence A24, 2023 95 minutes Director/Writer: Danny Philippou / Michael Philippou Reading Time: 5 minutes Talk to Me A Most Sinister Kind (LQSZUBJOBXALHA5N) 00:00 / 05:00 📷 : Used with permission, Agustin R. Michel https://www.instagram.com/agustinrmichel https://twitter.com/AgustinrMichel https://www.behance.net/agustin_rmichel Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Chris Chaisson 2023-08-11 The phrase “elevated horror” has been thrown around in cinematic circles over the last few years, as horror directors aim for more depth in their stories. The term is meant to refer to horror stories that tie in to social or psychological issues. Many younger creators have touched on topics like social media addiction, grief and generational trauma with their works, a change of pace from the costumed villains of decades past. I recently re-watched a ‘90s film Menace II Society , an unflinchingly violent film about the final high school days of two friends growing up in Watts, California. What struck me most about the film was how every brutal moment had an innocent bystander who would likely face permanent emotional damage due to what they had just witnessed. Though part of a much different genre, Australian YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou tackle this theme in their new A24 flick, Talk to Me . Talk to Me revolves around a group of high school aged students who use an embalmed hand cased in ceramic to conjure up spirits. After lighting a candle and holding the hand, they say, “Talk to me,” and a ghost appears to whomever is holding the hand. They then recite, “I let you in,” allowing the ghost to possess their body. The caveat is that after 90 seconds, the spirit will want to remain in the body, so they must let go of the hand and blow out the candle before the time is up. When the younger sibling of one student partakes, the spirit possessing his body causes him to inflict violence on himself, putting him in critical condition and ending the group’s enjoyment permanently. The A24 project, created by two brothers who own the popular YouTube channel “RackaRacka,” is certainly not the first horror movie to feature kids contacting spirits from beyond the grave. There have been several Ouija board-adjacent horror flicks in which the game goes terribly wrong. Where Talk to Me diverges from the others is its tie-in to contemporary pop culture trends. The teenagers do not partake in the activity to rebel against strict parents; they do it to fit in and gain attention. An unfortunate trend in recent years has been adolescents succumbing to dangerous challenges on social media that bring them harm and, in some cases, death. Though letting ghosts possess your body sounds, um… ill-advised , so does consuming laundry detergent or running across a series of large stacked crates. The film points out the intoxicating effects of fame and popularity, whether in a local or global community. As we see repeatedly, all that is needed to encourage foolish behavior are a couple of examples where nothing bad happens. The more individual sub-plot of Talk to Me is the stages of grief its protagonist, Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door ), experiences. Having witnessed her mother’s overdose, Mia struggles to come to terms with the loss of a loved one, as does her father. She lives with her friend Jade’s family, as her relationship with her father has been strained. With both having witnessed the life leave her mother’s body two years prior, Mia and her father both struggle to come to terms not only with the loss of life, but what they saw with their own eyes. They each carry the guilt of believing that she could have been saved. Mia’s infatuation with contacting the spirits compromises her judgment. Not only does Mia play along but encourages Jade’s little brother, Riley, to join in, putting him in a perilous situation against Jade’s wishes. After the teens all witness a violent, horrifying and consequential moment, the fun ends and the ancillary characters drift out of the story. While this puts even more focus on grief-stricken Mia, it also highlights how trends among youth come and go once a sobering and catastrophic moment occurs. Though Talk to Me mirrors Menace II Society in its depiction of young people witnessing death and violence, the two films hail from completely opposed dramas. Talk to Me ventures into the supernatural while Menace II Society is very grounded in the reality of its time period. A better comparison in the same genre would be the early 2000s thriller Joy Ride . Paul Walker and Steve Zahn play brothers on a cross-country trip who prank a truck driver on a CB radio, leading him on to think they are a woman that is interested in him. Once they reveal themselves, the truck driver wants vengeance and goes on a violent rampage. What the films do have in common is young people seeking attention, letting a game go too far, and having to cope with the horrifying, irreversible results. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Palm Trees and Power Lines humanizes the victims of grooming Neon Heart Productions, 2023 110 minutes Director/Writer: Jamie Dack / Jamie Dack and Audrey Findlay Reading Time: 5 minutes Palm Trees and Power Lines A Dark Past (8X1ML5IYINJAVVLB) 00:00 / 04:41 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2023-03-14 As Millennials and Gen Z’ers become increasingly open about their dating experiences, people of all ages collectively re-examine their teenage romances. The openness has helped people smile for the fun times they remember. For others, it has helped them both heal from abuse and recognize problematic behavior in retrospect, specifically with relationships involving large age gaps. While films and documentaries dive into the behavior of groomers, we generally do not get the perspective of the young, impressionable party being manipulated. In this way, recent indie and Sundance darling Palm Trees and Power Lines can provide a deep understanding from a different vantage point. Palm Trees and Power Lines illustrates how groomers operate by zeroing in on Lea (Lily McInerny, Tell Me Lies ), a 17-year-old on summer break struggling to find her support system. An only child with an absentee father, she does not have an emotional connection at home, as her mother Sandra (Gretchen Mol, Manchester by the Sea ) cycles through boyfriends that Lea does not care for and who do not show the slightest interest in being a husband or dad. While she has a group of friends, she feels a disconnect as they gossip and share in sex-obsessed discussions. One evening, her friends dine and dash, leaving her to fend for herself in a physical altercation with the dishwasher. Fellow patron Tom (Jonathan Tucker, Hostage ), who is twice her age, comes to her defense, then gives her a ride home. After giving her his phone number, Tom stays in touch with her and gradually seduces her. Feeling an emotional connection for the first time, Lea looks past the inappropriate age difference. Tom becomes more possessive and eventually reveals his even darker intentions. Though not the first film about predatory behavior, Palm Trees and Power Lines effectively humanizes the character being preyed upon. Many stories surrounding the grooming of teenagers focus on the older perpetrator and their repulsive tactics. The film certainly puts those tactics on display, as Tom not only draws Lea away from her friends but tells her he does not want her being involved with anyone else. However, director Jamie Dack, who won Best Director at The Sundance Film Festival, shows not only how Lea is not on the same wavelength as her friends, but also how her detachment from friends and family allows for Tom to pull the wool over her eyes for so long. The scene that best illustrates Tom’s ability to play mind games with Lea is when they eat lunch at a diner. The waitress, recognizing Tom, waits until he leaves the table to encourage Lea to desert him. Lea ignores the waitress’s prompts and mentions her warning to Tom as they leave the restaurant. When Tom goes back in to confront the waitress, the camera stays outside with Lea. We never hear the exchange, and neither does she. This tidbit allows Tom to manipulate the narrative, and Lea, however he wants. Instead of feeling uneasy about Tom, Lea feels that he is protecting her. Dack uses the camera to illustrate Lea’s mindset in several other scenes as well. When Lea is with her friends or her mother, she remains centered in the shot while they are often completely out of frame or on the periphery. As she sits with her friends, they often banter back and forth off frame or stare at their phones, while the camera rests on Lea sitting in uncomfortable silence. These shots contrast sharply with the scenes where she accompanies Tom. Both are centered in the frame, making solid eye contact and speaking directly to one another. The shot composition, along with Tom’s manipulation, convey how one can trust a stranger when they make you feel seen in ways that your loved ones do not. The third act of Palm Trees and Power Lines is sure to make stomachs turn, if the first two acts did not already do so. A similar movie in tone and message is the 2010 David Schwimmer-directed indie, Trust . Though that film dealt more with online predation and the fallout from such encounters, it depicted the same manipulation tactics that Tom uses in building false trust through isolation. These disturbing strategies are employed not only by individual predators but also cults and hate groups. Hopefully, the telling of stories like Palm Trees and Power Lines can help those being preyed upon and their well-intentioned loved ones to recognize warning signs. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Faithfully Yours puts “trust” up for debate Millstreet Films, 2023 96 minutes Director/Writer: André van Duren / Elisabeth Lodeizen, Paul Jan Nelissen, André van Duren Reading Time: 5 minutes Faithfully Yours Trust Yourself (F0N4V1AHF7FIM00K) 00:00 / 05:56 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Ginseng Suspenseful and intense thrillers Honeybush Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2023-05-24 In her 2014 TED talk , Professor Anne Curzan, a linguist at the University of Michigan, addresses how words get into dictionaries and become legitimated as part of our everyday vernacular. During her lecture, she states, “I am struck as a teacher that we tell students to critically question every text they read, every website they visit — except dictionaries.” Hmmm. I wonder then about the degree to which we take the meaning of some words for granted, words like “trust.” Dictionaries write that trust is all-inclusive, that a person is all-in with their belief and/or reliance on a person or thing. But Professor Curzan later states in her talk that words and their meanings are fleeting, changing over time. Perhaps this is the case with the word “trust,” which is at the center of Dutch director André van Duren’s film, Faithfully Yours . Beginning in present-day Netherlands, Faithfully Yours is about two close female friends, Bodil (Bo) and Isabel (Isa), who take a break from their stressful jobs and go away for the weekend. Both are married and professional women. Bo, a judge whose husband Milan is a physician, and Isa, seemingly a professor or researcher whose husband Luuk is a mystery writer, take these excursions to attend intellectual events. This weekend, they tell their spouses, respectively played by Nasrdin Dchar ( D3 12 van Oldenheim , Rabat ) and Gijs Naber ( Judas , Penoza ), that they are attending a lecture in Belgium. We begin to realize something is off when during their talk on the train, Isa gives her phone to Bo and informs her where she needs to be and when to text Luuk over the first half of the weekend. Bo looks mildly surprised until Isa adds, “Luuk’s totally unaware that I know he installed a GPS tracker on my phone. ... I got myself a burner phone. This is my number.” Handing Bo a piece of paper, Isa concludes, ”And after that, you’re free to do your thing for the rest of the weekend.” Bo smiles and replies, “Thanks. Next time I’ll make the plans.” The exchange comes across as perfunctory for the two women. And when they arrive in Belgium, situate themselves in front of the Oostende train station to take a picture “for the boys back home” and then go off in opposite directions, it becomes clear that these weekends along with the detailed planning are indeed routine for them. Bo heads to the spacious cottage she owns and Isa checks into her usual exclusive hotel. Weekend escapes are typically marketed as ways of getting away from stresses and routine that dominate our everyday lives. So escaping is about changing it up, letting go, and having a bit of uninhibited fun as Bo and Isa do on this weekend - in their own unique ways. Played respectively by Bracha van Doesburgh ( Kerstappels , De maatschap ) and Elise Schaap ( Ferry , Undercover ), the two women are enjoying themselves when Luuk calls Bo distressed that he cannot reach Isa. He has injured himself and needs her to return home. Bo relays the message to Isa who says she will stop by the cottage for her phone before leaving. But things go awry when Bo returns from a swim to find a pool of blood in the foyer of her cottage and no sign of Isa. Unable to reach her by phone, Bo alerts the Belgian authorities and notifies Luuk and Milan back in The Netherlands. Both arrive later, and over the next few days of the investigation, relations begin to devolve as Luuk blames Bo for Isa’s disappearance. In this sense, Faithfully Yours is similar to the 2014 film Gone Girl , where Ben Affleck plays a man whose wife suddenly disappears and questions around what happened to her linger for much of the movie. This is where the similarities end however, as Gone Girl was dark with an ominous tone. While Faithfully Yours is serious and suspenseful, it is neither dark nor scary. Indeed, what is revealed about Milan and Luuk during this stressful period is their level of intentional dependence on their wives and the lengths they go to keep them within their control. This does not occur through physical handling, but rather emotional manipulation and modern-day technology. The fact that the methods used do not involve touching does not make it any less problematic, invasive, or suffocating for the women. In fact, they make it feel like broken trust. Over the course of the 96 minute film, we come to understand that Bo and Isa’s weekend excursions are not so much about escaping the stresses of their jobs, but much more so about escaping the constraints of their spouses. The matter does beg the question though: Are Luuk and Milan manipulating and controlling because they are generally distrusting? Or has Bo and Isa’s dishonesty about how they spend their weekends bred their husbands’ distrust of them? Perhaps it’s time for “trust” to be critically questioned as something that suggests full investment. Maybe a new definition that reflects the flawed nature and fallibility of human beings is in order – at least for now. 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< Back Speak No Evil shows the most severe consequences of acquiescing Profile Pictures, 2022 97 minutes Director/Writer: Christian Tafdrup / Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup Reading Time: 5 minutes Speak No Evil Feast (UUXKG2RZM3LJUDFS) 00:00 / 05:27 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Barley: Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Chris Chaisson 2023-01-17 “Why are you doing this?” “Because you let me.” Full disclosure: I rarely leave parties exactly when I’m ready to be gone. I have had a frequent problem throughout my youth cutting the cord and saying my goodbyes. I could blame this on any number of things: being indecisive, fear of missing out, or frankly, not having any other plans (insert shrug emoji). The main reason many struggle with this, and label themselves introverts because of it, is the need to be polite. Many of us squander way too much free time simply avoiding an uncomfortable exit from hosts that will likely either not be offended or will get over it quickly. Director Christian Tafdrup takes this basic level of common acquiescence and ratchets it up to a life-or-death situation in his new work, Speak No Evil . At an enjoyable retreat, Bjørn (Morten Burian, Sons of Denmark ) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch, Steppeulven ), a couple from Denmark, meet Patrick and Karin, two casual acquaintances from Holland. Patrick (Fedja van Huêt, Character ) and Karin (Karina Smulders, Bride Flight ) send them a postcard inviting them to visit their countryside property for a few days. The invite feels aggressive, as they barely know the couple. Rather than decline, they offer a reluctant acceptance and head off. Bjørn and Louise bring along their daughter Agnes to join and spend time with Abel, Patrick and Karin’s son. This unenthusiastic RSVP sets the tone for a series of uncomfortable occurrences between the two families over the course of the stay. Patrick and Karin impose several times by not respecting Louise’s dietary restrictions, invading their privacy, hiring a babysitter they’ve never met to watch the children, and being verbally abusive to Abel in front of them. Despite ample opportunities to leave and signs that something is off, Bjørn, Louise and Agnes stick around and get much more than they bargain for. Speak No Evil ’s genius is its ability to start its protagonists off with a relatable emotion, the unwillingness to offend. Patrick and Karin make such a gracious offer that many watching the movie would possibly consider it themselves. After all, some people are more trusting of strangers than others. The first act of the movie may come off as two couples with different lifestyles and different behavioral standards in the presence of others. For the viewer, it makes for some hilarious, albeit cringe worthy, scenes in the stylings of Meet the Parents . However, the visit quickly takes a turn for the dark as Bjørn and Louise express their displeasure more vocally and even attempt to leave. Patrick and Karin pull the very familiar tactics of manipulative people: play dumb, apologize and insincerely promise to change. In a word: gaslighting. A prevalent criticism of movies like Speak No Evil is that the main characters’ passivity rises to a level too far-fetched to keep audiences engaged. At some point, we like to see the protagonists stand up for themselves to complete their character arcs. The reason behind Bjørn’s consistent buckling under becomes obvious as the film progresses: he is entranced by Patrick’s type A personality. Patrick has far more hutzpah, which Bjørn both admires and envies. This desire comes through in one of the few wholesome moments of the film, where they walk to an open field and take turns shouting into the void to release their tension. The power dynamic between the two, Patrick being more in charge than Bjørn, is not confined to money, work or social status, but rather difference in personality. Bjørn’s unspoken longing to be more like Patrick compromises his judgement, a situation very common in real life. Speak No Evil could easily be compared to its contemporaries Get Out and Barbarian , movies with a general sense of dread where a character visits an ominous place and ignores signs that they should leave. Another common comparison floating around is the 2008 home invasion thriller The Strangers , particularly due to similar lines uttered between the protagonists and villains near the end of each movie. Between reading, watching, and listening to podcasts regarding the film, it instead brought to mind for me another movie from the early 2010s: Compliance . An equally disturbing film, Compliance depicts the true story of a fast food worker who is accused of stealing and strip-searched by her co-workers at the instruction of someone impersonating a police officer over the phone. Both films call to question social etiquette and the ways that people will bend to either perceived authority or the incessant need to be polite. It is so ingrained in some of us that we get taken advantage of and even put in harm’s way. For moviegoers who are less trusting in their everyday lives, Compliance and Speak No Evil are just movies about people who are either cowards or complete idiots. For those of us who have been scammed, duped, pranked or even harmed, these two projects serve as a reminder to follow your intuition and protect yourself at all costs. 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< Back F1: The Movie delivers confusing characters but thrilling action Apple Original Films, 2025 155 minutes Director/Writer: Joseph Kosinski Reading Time: 6 minutes F1: The Movie Treacherous (APHTWSWPXLRIYODJ) 00:00 / 05:42 📷 : Nadhir Nawshad https://www.instagram.com/nadnaws/ https://x.com/_nadnaws Masala Chai Movies and TV shows about toughness and athletic competition White Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Chris Chaisson 2025-07-03 I can’t say that I’ve ever sat through a car race. The inherent danger of it makes me queasy, even though I will watch two people beat the crap out of each other in combat sports. Nonetheless, artists you trust along with a reliable formula can create intrigue for just about anything. Even if a story feels like it’s on factory settings, the people driving it can elevate it to the best possible version. Whether it reaches top speed or just stays consistent, we hop out feeling that our pulse has quickened. Okay, I put as much automobile-related language as I possibly could, so I’ll go into detail about the newest Jerry Bruckheimer-produced blockbuster, F1: The Movie . Directed by Top Gun: Maverick ’s Joseph Kosinski, F1: The Movie focuses on the relationship and rivalry between Sonny, an old-school driver coming out of retirement (Brad Pitt, Fight Club ), and a young, hard-headed hot-shot, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris, Snowfall ). Sonny joins the team to help his indebted friend Ruben (Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men ), who holds a piece of ownership but desperately needs on-track success to save his place. Joshua resents the idea that an older driver who underachieved outside of the Formula 1 realm can teach him anything about his own craft. Much of the first act consists of barbs between the two, as both are cocky, stubborn, and lacking in self-awareness. It’s often said that we dislike in others what we see in ourselves, which would be true in this case if either of them actually saw it in themselves. There to play mediator are Ruben, Joshua’s mother Bernadette (Sarah Niles, Ted Lasso ), and the team’s technical director, Kate (Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin ). The highlights of F1: The Movie clearly reside in the on-track action. As many now know, the film received permission from Formula 1 to film live races up close. The mid-race adjustments and communication between driver and crew give insight into the strategy behind the sport. We see Sonny and Joshua occasionally bend or manipulate the rules, at times angering other drivers. Such a conflict occurs in the very opening scene, as Sonny is competing in the Daytona 500 and draws the ire of a rival that he nearly ran off the track. The tactics and jargon are simplified enough for a laymen’s audience yet explained well enough to draw them in. Like Top Gun: Maverick , F1 plays to its strengths and uses arrested development to heighten the most perilous moments. The straight-on shots of the helmeted drivers with their faces mostly obstructed but communicating through radio connects these two films stylistically. The best and most dogmatically consistent character is undoubtedly Bernadette, fierce in her protection of her son. Maybe the best character detail of the film is the love Joshua shows to and receives from his mother. Without being overbearing or living vicariously through him, Bernadette calls Joshua out on his abrasive behavior towards Sonny while also having his back when it is necessary. Her influence allows him to evolve throughout the movie and eventually learn to sacrifice for the good of the group. Early in the film, Joshua drives home from the track and tells his best friend he must stop somewhere to visit someone. Though it would seem to be a love interest, it turns out to be his mother, immediately establishing their bond. What the film misses is a chance to double down on the flaws and virtues of its other main characters, despite making it a point to allude to them. For instance, Joshua has a fixation on his social media presence, a characteristic loosely attributed to his age. Though Sonny verbally criticizes him for it, nothing about Joshua’s behavior reflects a drastic imbalance or obsession. A sequence where it overtly cost him something could drive the point home. Similarly, Kate is the first female technical director in Formula 1, stated many times during the film. While she discloses the occasional detail about her background, what has driven her to this point, and why winning is so important to her, her role in the film eventually becomes fluff and is more based around her romantic chemistry with Sonny (I’d say spoiler alert but anyone could see that coming). Moreover, Sonny’s reputation as a career underachiever giving one more go at it feels perplexing. For starters, he is coming off winning a major race, which would seem to be a major success. Secondly, he is crossing over into what is technically a different sport, which comes off as more experimental. And lastly, his main motivation to seize the opportunity is to rescue his friend’s financial and business prospects, which are going down the tube. These all make the characters confounding, even if the actors playing them do a stellar job. It’s almost as if the quest to make the characters look cool got in the way of them experiencing sincere rock bottoms. F1: The Movie provides the necessary thrills and intensity that is meant to be the main draw. As has been recited by those in the industry , the concept of the movie star has slowly disappeared. In a strange way, this blockbuster release feels like a needle in a haystack, relying on stars in a way many big-budget films do not anymore. While the film is inconsistent in its character-building, it delivers on its core promise. And for bonus points, it takes the same actor who played this lunatic and sticks him in a dapper suit for two and a half hours. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Living provides a twist on the “bucket list” movie genre British Film Institute (BFI), 2022 102 minutes Director/Writer: Oliver Hermanus / Kazuo Ishiguro, Akira Kurosawa, and Shinobu Hashimoto Reading Time: 5 minutes Living Warmth And Wonder (W39SX3IRSVIEESNK) 00:00 / 05:05 📷 : Used with permission, 80smovielove https://www.facebook.com/masahiro0728/ Ginger: Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Chris Chaisson 2023-02-01 We hear the phrase, “Live every day like it’s your last,” more times than we probably care to. Nonetheless, few people actually take this advice to heart or even reflect on its meaning. In truth, most people with reasonable means interpret the idiom to mean “make reckless decisions.” Quit your job. Go cliff diving. Streak across a football field. One could examine this behavior in the subgenre I call “bucket list movies.” In these stories, the protagonists learn that they have a limited time left to live and respond by partaking in the exhilarating experiences that they have always put off. They abandon their daily routines to travel, skydive, ski or mountain climb. The overall message of the movies is to not let day-to-day tasks prevent you from pursuing every adrenaline rush you can. A person receiving such grim news, however, does not have to let it be a nudge to go bungee jumping. An equally and maybe even more interesting character may take time to figure out what lasting impression he or she would like to leave, choosing a different route than thrill-seeking. Prioritizing their own happiness will never be viewed as a sin for such a protagonist. But a character investing his or her time in the happiness and well-being of others is also worthy of appreciation. Enter Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy, About Time ), the central character of Oliver Hermanus’s new British drama Living . Adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru , Living drops its audience into the daily routine of Mr. Williams, a widower and septuagenarian managing the public works department of the London County Council. As one of the longer-tenured members in the office, Mr. Williams serves as the physical embodiment of aloofness. In fact, in the opening sequence, he tips his hat to his colleagues through the train window from the platform, but then commutes to work on his own. While he is not alone in lacking the desire to socialize with his co-workers, he maintains the same emotional distance in every other aspect of his life: his work, his hobbies (he has none), and even his child. Though he lives with his son, they do not often interact or spend time together. The newer members of his team, Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain ) and Peter Wakeling (Alex Sharp, The Trial of the Chicago 7 ), bear a quiet admiration for him but clearly wish to establish a connection. Mr. Williams’s propensity for solitude seems in part dictated by the nature of his government job, where very little is seen through to completion. Often, projects and approvals get tossed around from department to department and put off to no end, frustrating proactive residents. Existing day-to-day, week-to-week in a work culture where accomplishments are rare, sheds light on the workers’ apathy and frustration. After a typical day at the office, Mr. Williams heads to the doctor for a follow-up visit, during which he is informed he is terminally ill and has only a few months to live. He takes the evening to process the information, quietly mourn and decide whether to share the unfortunate news before continuing on with his daily routine. For the rest of the film, Mr. Williams goes on an emotional journey to find what will bring him the most peace in his final days. He first goes the usual thrill-seeking route after sharing his diagnosis with a complete stranger, who takes him gallivanting into the local nightlife. After confiding in Margaret and leaning on her for emotional support, he reflects on his time spent since his diagnosis and decides on one last mission to see through to the end. Mr. Williams spends his remaining time using his influence to complete what he deems as a worthwhile, community-changing project. Scene to scene, Living may not provide the adrenaline rush that you would get from a bucket list movie in which the protagonist turns into Evel Knievel. Nevertheless, it grants its audience a new perspective on living out one’s final days. Rather than existing as if you have nothing to lose, strive to give back as if you have everything to lose. Exhilarating extracurricular activities can bring us temporary highs, but Nobel Prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro seems to suggest that acts of selflessness can bring us just as much fulfillment before we perish, and in the case of Mr. Williams, also a legacy of persistence. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Down with the King emboldens us to prioritize our overall wellbeing Breaker, 2022 100 minutes Director/Writer: Diego Ongaro / Xabi Molia, Diego Ongaro, and Freddie Gibbs Reading Time: 5 minutes Down with the King Vision (FYEHZSWDP1BL4ENZ) 00:00 / 06:30 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2024-01-21 “Good to get some fresh air, you know. Kinda hit mute on everything.” Mercury "Money Merc" Maxwell Every once in a while, you scroll through the content tiles on your streaming offerings and your eyes land on what turns out to be a gem. This is what happened to me the other day as I was, coincidentally, looking for a gem on Netflix. I came across Down with the King and was disappointed to learn it was released in 2022. How could I have missed this? An old adage says it’s okay to talk to yourself as long as you don’t answer. In this case, I answered myself: Because there’s a lot of content Reba! That aside, I enjoyed this film about Mercury “Money Merc” Maxwell, a popular late 20s/early 30-something-year-old rapper who retreats from the limelight to live in a rural farming community. Although he is the only Black man around, he is friends with Bob, played by Bob Tarasuk ( American Thief ), a farmer who lives nearby, and he eventually becomes acquainted with the people who work at the local hardware store. Led by Freddie Gibbs, Down with the King feels like a documentary. The story begins in the middle of the protagonist’s retreat and never visually integrates his prior life. Because of this, the film doesn’t sufficiently contextualize Mercury’s story by answering the central question around the events that prompted him to leave his family, friends, and a successful music career. So, the film lacks a clear definition of the problem Mercury is dealing with. However, this doesn’t necessarily keep us from relating to the film as is. Mercury’s dilemma cannot be resolved by a vacation, something we take every so often to escape the stresses of work and family to relax and recharge. Instead, his struggle seems to warrant something more akin to what we do to figure things out and gain some clarity about what we really want for ourselves, something a week or two will not resolve. Mercury’s problem is less about getting the temporary decompression offered by a short getaway, but more about wellness — what he feels he needs to learn in order to better manage his life. Researchers emphasize that wellness is about “living life fully,” but add that it is “a personalized approach to living life in a way that… allows you to become the best kind of person that your potential, circumstances, and fate will allow.” Mercury retreats to this quiet, rural community for his overall wellbeing. Down with the King helps us appreciate what peace feels like through the film’s visual and auditory presentation. Scenes of wide-open land, tall trees with fresh powdered snow, a pond, and Mercury grilling food for himself outdoors in the cool temperatures give us the sense of his satisfaction in being alone without feeling lonely. We see that life is slower and offers a cadence as families gather for dinner and create their own entertainment with an acoustic guitar, piano, and popular folk songs. Such family bonding defines the culture of many rural communities, which is partly reinforced by the absence or unreliability of Internet and cable service that invite distractions like social media and television entertainment. While shaky connectivity benefits rural communities with respect to culture, it has some social disadvantages as well. Few pathways for information streamed through the Internet and TV compounded by the lack of access to people who are different buffers residents from alternative perspectives on a wide range of matters. These deficits contribute to a communal solidarity built around sameness and that is resistant to difference. We see this in the film when Mercury begins hanging out with Michaele, a young woman in the community played by Jamie Neumann ( The Deuce ). He returns home after a walk to find the windshield of his car shattered and the culprits speeding away. Even Michaele agrees with him that this is likely why his windshield was busted, and calmly adds, “I told you. This town is for the f***in birds. … it’s small town. Maybe somebody got pissed off. ... That’s why I want to get the f*** out of here.” During his time away, Mercury develops a close friendship with Bob and helps him on his farm. When Mercury makes a grave error preparing an animal for market, he apologizes and offers to compensate Bob for the loss and to purchase another animal to replace it. Upset, Bob tells Mercury that he doesn’t want his money, adding “And where are you getting that cow? And who the f***’s is it? And what food did it eat?” This exchange is quite telling of Bob’s pride in his farming and the tacit commitment he makes to his customers about the quality of his products. The scene is meant to be a statement about individual (not commercial) farmers in general: the physical labor, the tight budgets, and the deep sense of pride they have in their work. It also shows, though, that money alone doesn’t fix everything on a farm, even though it is all Mercury has to offer given his inexperience with farming. Thus, Bob’s expectation that he not make mistakes is unrealistic and unfair. The scene showing Mercury’s frustration with his mistake and Bob’s refusal to give him a way to make it right, is relatable for many members of marginalized groups who often feel the pressure to be perfect and are rarely given margin for errors. Throughout Mercury’s retreat, Paul, Mercury’s agent played by David Krumholtz ( Oppenheimer , The Deuce ), beckons him to return to his music career despite Mercury insisting he is not ready to do so. Paul ignores him, however, and it becomes clear that Mercury’s wellbeing and wishes are not of concern to the industry. What is of concern to the industry is Mercury’s ability to generate revenue for all involved. Throughout this film, he is essentially, tirelessly, inexhaustibly fighting for himself. Something I suppose we all have to do. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Babes humorously conveys the ambiguity of parenthood FilmNation Entertainment, 2024 104 minutes Director/Writer: Pamela Adlon / Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz Reading Time: 5 minutes Babes Make It Last 00:00 / 05:57 📷 : Pixabay Oolong Movies and TV shows that make you laugh or involve physical activities like dance and exercise Jasmine: Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Chris Chaisson 2024-06-18 I watched a decent amount of 60 Minutes growing up, and one particular segment sticks out in my mind. Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame was being interviewed by Lesley Stahl, who asked her, “You have two little girls…Is this the best experience of your life, being a mommy?” It seemed like a tee ball question to gush about her family and motherhood in general, but Huffman instead responded, “No, no, and I resent that question. Because I think it puts women in an untenable position. Because unless I say to you, ‘Oh Lesley, it's the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,’ I’m considered a bad mother.” She then admitted to not knowing whether or not she is a good mother. Her answer acknowledges an ambiguity that many parents likely feel but are discouraged from verbalizing. As much of a blessing as parenthood can be, raising children is challenging and even overwhelming at times. Yet we often expect parents to be absolute in their gratitude for having kids or never ponder how their life would’ve been different without them. Most comedies surrounding family focus on the relationships fostered between family members or in competition with a neighboring family. Television shows like The Brady Bunch or Leave it to Beaver give the impression that every day ends with resolution and happiness. While this is fine, it is refreshing to have entertainment that recognizes that being a parent is not always the happiest experience. Pamela Adlon’s ( Better Things ) new indie comedy Babes illustrates these ups and downs of parenting and the occasional doubt that creeps in. Babes revolves around the friendship of Eden (Ilana Glazer, Broad City ) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau, Happiest Season ), two lifelong pals whoare inseparable despite the fact that Dawn is married with children. Their bond is tested, however, when Dawn has her second child and Eden becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. Both feel at times overwhelmed by not only their bodies changing but the amount of responsibility that has come with their new roles. Eden enjoys her single and unattached existence. Her apartment is a reflection of her playful, childlike personality, as she has a soda machine and other décor that would likely appeal to an adolescent. It also doubles as classes for her yoga studio that she runs classes out of. When she decides to keep her child, she does not fully know the path ahead but intends to rely heavily on Dawn’s support and guidance. Dawn suddenly feels stretched very thin in terms of her time and energy. Her older child, a toddler still in diapers,behaves like an infant and demands a lot of attention. At the same time, Dawn feels pressured to provide emotional support to Eden. Eden’s co-dependency slowly but surely erodes Dawn’s patience, as Eden refuses to adjust her expectations to give Dawn a break. In a sense, Dawn has three childlike figures dependent on her, even with an active and supportive husband (Hasan Minhaj). The most endearing aspect of Babes is that it acknowledges the hardships of childbirth and parenting rather than portraying them as an entirely positive experience. Often, the depictions of pregnancy in movies and television are overly wholesome and unrealistic. Instead, Eden experiences a full range of emotions and bodily functions that range from benign to completely gross. In the movie’s opening sequence, Dawn is at the end of her pregnancy and hilariously carries on hanging out with Eden as if her water has not clearly broken. Their actions are exaggerated for comedic effect. But Dawn and Eden still effectively convey how their bodies are changing in ways that feel more authentic than in other works. Another noteworthy detail of the film is the absence of a malicious father figure. Dawn’s husband is a loving and committed parent, and Eden makes the deliberate choice to raise the baby herself. While Eden’s relationship with her own father was no picnic, her father expresses support and admiration for her. Eden’s doctor (and his revolving collection of hairpieces) offers his guidance and patience during every one of her visits. This addition of supportive male characters in the movie keeps the focus on the ups and downs of the platonic relationship between the film’s co-leads. It also allows for shedding light on the challenging experiences of pregnancy and parenting, even with the encouragement and assistance of others. The closest comparison to Babes is the 2008 comedy Baby Mama , about a businesswoman who hires a surrogate mother. Starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the movie, just as in Babes , foregrounds the platonic relationship between two adult women, while the romantic relationships take a backseat. Both films contain several hi-jinks caused by the pregnant characters responding to unpredictable changes to their bodies in hilarious fashion. Babes , more than most other works, succeeds in not showing parenthood and pregnancy through rose-colored glasses. Rather, it conveys them as the up-and-down struggles of life stages that comprise parts of the person’s identity and not their whole being. 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< Back One Battle After Another shows what commitment looks like Ghoulardi Film Company, 2025 161 minutes Director/Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson / Paul Thomas Anderson and Thomas Pynchon Reading Time: 7 minutes One Battle After Another Sweat and Steel (RFNEP3V3LPB6SW9N) 00:00 / 09:02 📷 : Used with permission, Alessandro Montalto https://x.com/noctrnlayouts https://www.instagram.com/noctrnl.layouts/ https://www.behance.net/nocturnalayouts Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Rosemary: Movies and TV shows with intense action Reba Chaisson 2025-10-30 Such a fitting title, One Battle after Another . One reason I enjoyed this film so much is it takes modern day problems and presents them through a 1970s lens using cinematography, close spaces, and automobiles that take us back to the era. The film stars Teyana Taylor of A Thousand and One , Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sean Penn in a gripping, moving story about an activist determined to right injustices through action rather than words, and a colonel just as determined to get his way. The film opens with Perfidia (Taylor) walking intentionally across a bridge and peering down into what appears to be some type of encampment below. She quickly meets up with about six others, where together they strategize an attack on the area. When Perfidia’s partner, Bob (DiCaprio), asks her what she wants him to do, she instructs him to "create a show” when she gives him the signal. All quickly retreat to their cars, drive a short distance, and quietly enter a gated area holding heavy duty rifles, and taking care of anyone who gets in their way. Perfidia encounters a sleeping Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Penn), who oversees what turns out to be a holding camp for undocumented immigrants. She puts the weapon in his face, wakes him, emphatically introduces herself, “Wake up, soldier boy. You died and went to p***** heaven, motherf*****,” and eventually subdues him without laying a finger on him. Incensed, he assures her that he will see her again. The group then releases the immigrants, loads them into trucks, and drives away. This 161-minute film wastes no time pulling you into the story. Immediately, you are intrigued by Perfidia, a tough, late twenty-something who seems to fear nothing and is willing to risk her life to stand on principle. Where did such fearlessness and commitment come from? We get hints from this later in the film when her grandmother asks Bob where he came from and tells him he is not tough enough for Perfidia, adding that she comes from “a long line of revolutionaries.” When a small group of the racially diverse French 75 crew execute a mission to plant bombs in a federal building, Perfidia is encountered by Colonel Lockjaw, who surprisingly tells her that he wouldn’t stop her from doing whatever she was doing, if she meets him later. After only a momentary pause, she continues planting the bomb and proceeds to leave, all while Lockjaw lustfully watches her walk away. Perfidia’s lack of change in facial expression or body language not only indicated that she was undeterred by Lockjaw’s demand, but that nothing, even sleeping with the enemy, would keep her from what seemed to be a personal commitment to right the wrongs for problems that many of us feel powerless to effect. Think of the times where we shook our heads or shrugged our shoulders, as if to say “What are you gonna do?” or “He’s the boss” or “They’re in the chair.” Clearly, Perfidia is neither a head-shaker nor a shrugger. She feels empowered and has embarked on a path that suggests she is fully committed to the cause. Bob is dismayed when Perfidia doesn’t pull back while she is pregnant nor even after the baby arrives. Many people, once learning they are having a child, become introspective and consider adjustments they must make to provide a stable life for their child. Ironically, Bob is ready to do this. But when he confronts Perfidia about doing the same, she tells him that she is a revolutionary, not a homemaker. This flips the script on gender roles. Gender norms and the cult of domesticity tacitly transmit beliefs from generation to generation that taking care of children and the home are the mother’s responsibility, and that the father’s role is to provide for the family financially. While the roles have blended substantially since the 1970s, the cultural expectations around parental responsibilities are still largely based in gender. Colonel Lockjaw’s priorities in this film are interesting with respect to his aspirations to join an elite, all-male, all-White club that believes in the superiority of an Aryan race and requires its members to remain racially pure. In other words, applicants can have no history of intimate relations with anyone who is not White. Although Lockjaw’s affinity for Perfidia is in direct conflict with the club’s strict rules, like a rottweiler with a meaty bone and a vampire who sees blood, he is committed to being accepted as a member. So, under the guise of capturing undocumented Hispanic immigrants, he spends much of the movie mobilizing his troops across U.S. cities in pursuit of Perfidia and others who are aware of his sexual preferences. This scenario mirrors contemporary issues and events, in particular the government’s refusal to release the Epstein files and the ordering of Immigration Control Enforcement (ICE) agents and National Guard troops across U.S. cities. The film hints that the government’s dispatching of agents and troops is intended, at least in part, to obfuscate the controversy around the release of the Epstein files. The allusion of the colonel’s name to the lack of speech and transparency only bolsters this inference. The movie also carries interesting themes about the risks of being unaware of what is happening in the world. When a heist goes bad, the crew is forced to disperse and go on the run. Believing he and his family are safe after more than a decade of no one knocking on the door, Bob becomes a habitual cannabis smoker. But when he receives notification that “they” are on their way, he can’t get his bearings, saying only, “After all this time!” To receive French 75’s help in getting away, Bob needs to remember the passcodes to verify his identity but he struggles to recall them, thus endangering himself and jeopardizing his loved ones. Rather than blame himself for getting comfortable and not remaining vigilant, he repeatedly yells expletives at French 75’s operators who won’t budge on giving him information without him first providing the necessary passcodes. The scenario is meant to be a lesson on the dangers of becoming oblivious to what is going on around us, and of buying into the belief that our lives will not be touched by them. We don’t usually comment on acting in our reviews, but the strong performances in this film demand their mention. In addition to the lead actors, Regina Hall ( The Hate U Give , The Best Man: The Final Chapters ) and Chase Infiniti ( Presumed Innocent ) play pivotal supporting characters in the film. From the story to the aesthetic presentation, One Battle after Another is the total package. Harkening us to the Vietnam War era, incorporating terminology like “revolutionary,” and using resistance tactics from the period, allow for a more objective view of today’s issues by presenting them through yesterday’s lens. Central to the film are the corollary perspectives of Perfidia’s fight for justice and Lockjaw’s fight for himself, which help us see what staunch commitment looks like, regardless of the side you stand on and what you stand for. One Battle After Another is comparable to the 2022 film, How to Blow Up a Pipeline , about a group of young environmentalists frustrated by the lack of attention to climate change, so they devise a plan to destroy a pipeline to make a point. The clandestine nature of the operation along with the film’s dark cinematography also gives it a feel similar to One Battle . Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back This suspenseful political thriller starring Jessica Chastain, takes viewers on a whirlwind around Washington’s power-elites where influence, will, and ingenuity meet center stage. EuropaCorp, 2016 132 minutes Director/Writer: John Madden / Johnathan Perera Reading Time: 5 minutes Miss Sloane Intercept (KJBRWNSW03XUAWPG) 00:00 / 05:39 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Barley: Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Reba Chaisson 2022-05-22 Some people might argue that it takes a person devoid of emotion to do the work of politics, where the goal is not to be charismatic but simply to get your way. This suggests that those who do political work are automatons motivated solely by the desire to win, damn the cause and the potential human costs— even to oneself. This also suggests that the person has lost him or herself in the quest to win. That they have become oblivious to what drove them to the debate in the first place. When this happens, they lose sight of their peripheral vision and are blindsided by moves they failed to anticipate. Why? Because politics is a game of chess, not checkers. Chess so aptly describes Miss Sloane , an immersive film about political maneuverings, manipulation of relationships, and ideologies that shift with the wind depending on which direction yields the advantage over an adversary. Headlined by Jessica Chastain ( Molly’s Game , Zero Dark Thirty ) in the title role as Madeline Sloane, the contemporary Washington DC-based drama is a suspenseful political thriller, in which figuring out motivations and a winning strategy proves to be simultaneously mind-boggling and mind-blowing. Because Shakespearean tragedies involve the death of a political hero, few people consider their parallels when tragedy befalls a heroine. To sell a modern story as one, the central character must be cloaked in stoicism and traditional, yet masculine exhibitions of leadership and determination. In Miss Sloan for example, Evelyn Sumner, a wealthy supporter of feminist causes who is played by Christine Baranski ( Mamma Mia! , The Good Wife ), does not hide her disdain for Sloane, telling her directly that “all she needed was a d***.” So, a woman who exhibits traditional male qualities and conducts her business in a traditional male domain is essentially viewed as problematic when she does not consistently support feminist causes. This, however, narrows what women can be and helps explain why some exhibit behaviors typically associated with men, particularly in the political arena. Sloane is a quick-witted, high-energy, and bold thirty-something political operative who takes on the powerful gun lobby to regulate firearm purchases. This not only upsets the lobbyists but also raises the ire of certain congressional members who receive millions of dollars in campaign donations and in-kind favors under the tacit assurance that restrictions are never imposed on gun purchases. With the vote on a gun regulation bill looming, the lobby solicits the political consulting firm where Sloane is highly regarded and used to winning. Unable to contain her cynicism when approached by the head of the gun lobby, Bill Sanford, played by Chuck Shamata ( The Day After Tomorrow , One Week ), she laughs in his face and declares that they have no case. Incensed, her boss, George Dupont, played by Sam Waterston of Law and Order fame, gives her an ultimatum. She then takes viewers on a whirlwind around Washington’s power-elites where influence, will, and ingenuity meet center stage. The 2016 release is reminiscent of the 1987 film, No Way Out , which stars Kevin Costner as Navy Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell. He secretly witnesses the accidental killing of his lover, Susan Atwell by Senator David Brice, a powerful politician who was having an affair with her. Played by Gene Hackman ( The French Connection , Runaway Jury ), Senator Brice finds a Polaroid negative underneath Atwell’s bed appearing to be Atwell and her lover. He then embarks on a plan to divert attention away from himself by pointing the authorities in the direction of Farrell as the killer. Not only must he get the negative developed first, but he must ensure Atwell’s friends don’t reveal his relationship with her. Unfortunately for Farrell, Senator Brice exerts his influence to get the case assigned to him and to insist he uses the Pentagon’s software to render “the killer’s” image from the negative. Unbeknownst to Brice, the image is that of Farrell, who must work against himself to ensure the picture does not get revealed and that he simultaneously protects Atwell’s friends by staying one step ahead of Brice and his goons. Both are done at great cost to all involved. Like No Way Out , Miss Sloane uses politics to tell a story about human costs and sacrifice. Sure, the cost of expending energy to win in Washington is measured in terms of livelihood, degree of influence, and wealth. So determined are the players to get their way that they leave immeasurable human wreckage in their wake. Instead, said wreckage manifests itself in intangibles like unmet needs, unchecked emotions, and unrequited love. Miss Sloane left me wondering how much of ourselves we should sacrifice, and if winning is worth what we are risking. The price of not pausing to consider these has long-term consequences for what many believe are the most important things in life. Understanding this, is winning truly everything? Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back The Knife immerses viewers in a story about clear-eyed choices Iam21 Entertainment, 2024 82 minutes Director/Writer: Nnamdi Asomugha / Mark Duplass and Nnamdi Asomugha Reading Time: 5 minutes The Knife Escape Plan (EVYBJGSJJLNNPOWV) 00:00 / 06:09 📷 : Relativity Media Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Ginger: Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Reba Chaisson 2025-08-22 In the Cup of Tea Critiques Podcast episode, “What is the Goal of a Short Film?”, we comment that many short films are not only standalone stories but also stories with strong, life-relevant themes. At 82 minutes, The Knife is not considered a short film. It is , though, a short feature that carries valuable life lessons despite its theatrical brevity. In case you’re unfamiliar, The Knife is a drama directed and co-written by former NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha and Aja Naomi King lead the cast as Chris and Alex, respectively, a married couple with three children. The family recently bought a fixer-upper in a Towson County, Maryland neighborhood known for crime. A talented construction worker and the sole provider of his family, Chris spends his evenings and weekends renovating the home and feverishly preparing his oldest daughter’s bedroom, so she doesn’t have to share rooms with her slightly younger sister. All is well until Chris awakens one night to an intruder in his home. Melissa Leo of The Equalizer movie franchise is Detective Carlsen, the smart and affable cop with a nose for BS who insists throughout the investigation that “there is a process” that must be followed. As we learn through Detective Carlsen’s questions and our own observations of the family, the details uncover a complex narrative. I will admit that when it comes to dramas containing scenes of police interacting with Black people, I tend to expect unpleasant exchanges and the worst (or least helpful) outcomes. I anticipate that the police are going to get indignant or do something unjust that will raise my ire. But a brilliant plot twist occurs in The Knife that sharply changes the stakes in the movie early on. There I am, suddenly dropped into the deep end of the story, and forced to make a mental readjustment. It is fair to say that police dramas are intense on their own. In addition to the interrogations themselves, the environments in which police question people and the conditions under which they do so are stressful. As such, time and space can vary the intensity of a police drama. Darkness, for instance, is used quite effectively in The Knife . The home invasion occurs at night, a time when many of us feel most vulnerable, as evidenced by the fact that we check our door locks and set the alarm before heading to bed. Darkness brings fear and uncertainty. The Knife also makes effective use of location. While likely a budget decision, the entire film is shot in Chris’s and Alex’s home, which is eventually transformed into a crime scene. A space that symbolizes comfort and peace is then occupied by strangers in uniform, who strip Chris, Alex, and their children of the freedom to move about, express themselves as they choose, and even to speak freely in their own home. The struggle over control of this space increases the tension in the film. Finally, all the events occur when the family is normally sound asleep in their beds, making the entire process surreal and disorienting. So, the conditions brought about by time and space heighten the intensity and intrigue of this story, making the family’s fear palpable and the police officers’ intentions questionable. I was exposed to Gramscian theory during graduate school—you know him, Antonio Gramsci, the Italian theorist who wrote in the early twentieth century. While he unapologetically acknowledged how prevailing ideas influence our thinking and lead us to accept life as it is, he also emphasized that agency plays a role in our circumstances. In other words, sometimes we act in ways that make things worse for ourselves. He suggests that even though so much is out of our control given ideology, bureaucracy, laws, police power, etc., we can still make clear-eyed choices that help us control our own destinies. While I generally agree, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and living since graduate school. What Gramsci’s theory doesn’t account for are the emotional elements people experience, like panic and desperation, when they suddenly find themselves amid consequential entanglements that can spur a fight-or-flight response. To what degree can we be clear-eyed when we are in a situation that doesn’t offer the time and space to be clear-headed ? When we’re not clear-headed, what we have is confusion, chaos, and disorder rather than an opportunity to use agency to make a clear-eyed choice. In such situations, it is more likely this results in a mistake in judgment with potentially unintended consequences. The Knife does a laudable job of driving home these very points. Hmmm, perhaps the filmmakers critiqued Gramsci too. The Knife is an intense film with high stakes. It gives us pause, makes us dig deep, and forces us to consider the choices we make, as well as the constraints around those choices. Crawling inside ourselves for this introspection is probably one of the most important things we can do, since it is likely to sharpen our judgment and lead to fewer grave errors. And who would have thought such a profound message would come in a package as small as an 82-minute theatrical release. 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< Back On the Count of Three see-saws between ephemeral highs and sobering lows Front Porch Pictures, 2021 86 minutes Director/Writer: Jerrod Carmichael / Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch Reading Time: 5 minutes On the Count of Three Be Like Water (PHTK8B5CD5KPCATX) 00:00 / 05:04 📷 : Used with permission, Izzy Aghahowa https://izzyaghahowa.co.uk/ Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2023-01-23 Every now and then, you come across a feel-good movie that leaves you positive and optimistic. You leave the theater (or your couch) and you cannot stop smiling as you recall the joyous moments the characters on screen just experienced. You may even find yourself wishing that your life was like that movie and strive to make it so. On the Count of Three is not one of those movies. Actor/comedian Jerrod Carmichael’s directorial debut centers around Val (Carmichael, Neighbors ) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ), two best friends in their early adulthoods who have lost the will to live. Kevin begins the film in a psychiatric ward after a failed suicide attempt, while Val works at a factory where he despises his co-workers. When quitting time hits, Val heads over to the mental hospital for a visit and breaks Kevin out. He suggests to Kevin that they form a suicide pact, and they decide to live out their last day together, tying up any loose ends they have left. The film’s grim premise leads you to believe that despite its comedy-leaning co-stars, it has no humor. Quite the reverse, On the Count of Three oscillates between hilarity and melodrama like a bedroom tower fan. One moment, Val and Kevin engage in a petty argument that you might hear in a high school slacker movie. The next, they find themselves in a dangerous confrontation of their own doing. For instance, not long after they nearly shoot each other early in the movie, they head to the gun range despite Kevin’s anti-gun stance. Kevin feels an adrenaline rush shooting a gun for the first time, but as he retrieves the target, we see that not one of the dozen shots he let off even connected with the giant piece of paper. While we sometimes see buddy comedies gradually get darker in tone, like The Banshees of Inisherin , many of those films stay heading in one direction or the other. On the Count of Three ’s teeter-totter act may strike the audience as unusual, but it ultimately holds together, largely due to its underlying theme (and maybe the short running time). No matter what happens in any given scene, the undertone of the two friends planning to take each other’s lives rests in the back of the audience’s minds as a sobering thought. This reality keeps the film from ever reaching wacky, slapstick status where we lose all concern for the well-being of the protagonists. On the Count of Three proves, like many other buddy comedies, that best friends do not necessarily look, talk, act or even think alike. Val and Kevin’s differences come out not only in the midst of conflict with others but also their seemingly aimless conversations as they drive around. Val hates Kevin’s taste in music and overall verbosity. For much of the movie, he acts as the devil on Kevin’s shoulder, pressuring him even in flippant comments to act on his angry impulses. As with many who play this role to their friends, Val seems surprised when Kevin goes over the edge and only tries to pull him back once he sees the damage being done. On the other hand, Kevin plays the empath in their friendship, vocalizing Val’s hardships and offering performative apologies for institutional racism. His dialogue often reads like that of a first semester African-American Studies major, annoying the emotionally unavailable Val. Just as one might expect, both friends have backstories of trauma and toxic relationships. The series of events they go through on this particular day largely boil down to getting revenge, or at least closure, on the people who have wronged them. Both start to waver in the sincerity of their suicide pact, but as the day’s events continue to escalate, it becomes clear that regardless of what they choose, their futures are forever damaged, just like their pasts. Not many films tackle suicide in the form of a buddy comedy; more often, films deal with a main character living out their bucket list in the wake of a terminal diagnosis. The Bucket List , starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, comes to mind, as well as a recent release entitled Living . On the Count of Three is a difficult project to find a comp for, except for another 2022 release, Next Exit . Delving more into sci-fi and straight drama, Next Exit revolves around two strangers thrust together in a rental car, traveling to the Bay Area to participate in a medical experiment that emulates suicide. While the two leads are very much at odds, they bond through their trauma, much like Val and Kevin. On the Count of Three is not for the faint of heart, but it will offer some chuckles and strong performances along the way. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!