“Gloria Bell”
Cast: Julianne Moore, Sean Astin, Michael Cera
Synopsis: A free-spirited woman in her 50s seeks out love at L.A. dance clubs.
What You Need to Know: For the most part we’re hesitant about remakes of popular foreign language films (see: “The Upside”.) What gives “Gloria Bell” the slightest edge is that its director, Sebastián Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”) also directed the original it’s based on, the 2013 “Gloria.” A reimagining of his own film, “Gloria” stars the always remarkable Julianne Moore and won raves when it premiered at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival, with our critic calling it “a worthy remake” and going to laud it’s narrative choices, saying “…if you desire memorable characters and a powerful message, Lelio gifts moviegoers with another stirring female-driven showcase.”
Synopsis: March 8th
“3 Faces”
Cast: Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei, Behnaz Jafari
Synopsis: Three actresses at different stages of their career. One from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, one popular star of today known throughout the country and a young girl longing to attend a drama conservatory.
What You Need to Know: Director Jafar Panahi doesn’t concern himself with potential controversy, no stranger to films that document trying times in both his life and his country. Past efforts including “This is Not a Film” documented his house arrest while “Taxi Tehran” further exams his “banishment” from making films as he poses his questions about the Iranian government to the people. A powerful filmmaker, “3 Faces” continues his pursuit of the marriage of topical and personal storytelling through the eyes of three women. Our critic wrote, “Panahi challenges the expectations of clandestine cinema to craft a modest, humanist gem.”
Release Date: March 8th
“Five Feet Apart”
Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Claire Forlani
Synopsis: A pair of teenagers with life-threatening illnesses meet in a hospital and fall in love.
What You Need to Know: It’s hard not to be split when it comes to the case of “Five Feet Apart,” the feature film directorial debut of “Jane the Virgin” star Justin Baldoni. On the one hand, it seems a bit late in capitalizing on the popularity of sick teenagers in love stories, and the trailers so far have leaned heavily into that syrupy saccharine nature of this genre that feels force fed. On the other hand, and this is a major plus in the film’s favor, there’s Haley Lu Richardson who stars (alongside “Riverdale” favorite Cole Sprouse.) If you haven’t seen her yet in her work from “The Edge of Seventeen,” “Columbus” or last years “Support the Girls,” she’s a tremendously gifted performer whose star only seems to grow with every film she participates in as one of the most interesting actresses of her generation working today. She alone piques our interest where there might’ve been none.
Release Date: March 15th
“Ash is Purest White”
Cast: Zhao Tao, Fan Liao, Yi’nan Diao
Synopsis: A story of violent love within a time frame spanning from 2001 to 2017.
What You Need to Know: When director Jia Zhang-ke releases a new film it’s hard to not take immediate notice. The filmmaker who has produced masterworks such as “A Touch of Sin” and “Mountains May Depart,” he released the similarly celebrated “Ash is Purest White” at the 2018 Cannes. A feminist spin on the all too familiar gangster flick, starring Zhang-ke regular/muse Zhao Tao and directed with his usual beautiful visuals, our critic wouldn’t rank it as the directors best, said “There’s something comforting, and frankly invigorating, about watching such an undeniably messy, sprawling, ambitious voice coming from the East.”
Release Date: March 15th
