Best: “Hala”
A film based on women trying to break through the restrictive barriers of their parent’s religious upbringing is nothing new. However, Minhal Baig‘s “Hala” is unique because it tackles a gifted, hijab-wearing, skateboarding Pakistani (Geraldine Viswanathan) student who tries to navigate both her duties as a Muslim and her academic social life with poetic grace. The complications that arise in Baig’s film can be deemed conventional for this type of film but regardless they feel fresh and, more importantly, authentic because of the way Baig’s camera relates, in such intense ways, to Hala’s on-screen plights. Her sudden and out-of-the-blue romance with Jesse (Jack Kilmer) takes Hala away from the restrictions of her religion, the arranged marriage her father has in mind. And her own parent’s disintegrating relationship, threatened by her dad’s infidelities with a white woman in his office, only makes her life worse. Expanded from Baig’s 2016 similarly titled short film, the American female perspective in “Hala” is unique, bringing a new, much-needed perspective to the coming-of-age genre. Despite being apart from the intense Muslim world our main character lives in, there’s a relatability to her tribulations that hits home. Viswanathan (“Blockers”) proves to be a formidable actress, showcasing a woman trying to take the liberties that come in living as a woman in America and creating her own destiny, free of restrictions. – JR [Jason Bailey’s review]
Best: “The Report”
When U.S. Senate staffer Daniel Jones (Adam Driver) was assigned to lead an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program he did not know it would become his own “heart of darkness” moment. In a way, Jones’ painstaking analysis of the extensive evidence at hand (his report turned out to be 525 pages) reveals just how American’s civil liberties were stripped by both the Bush and Obama administrations, spearheaded by, then CIA director John Brennan (Ted Levine). Jones learns about the “enhanced interrogation techniques” (concocted in 2002) despite the fact the tactics were proven to be ineffective. Even worse, when Jones and his boss supervising the matter, Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) attempt to release the results, Brennan and his cohorts go to great lengths to block it, even creating elaborate lies, claiming Jones hacked the CIA, to smear him and render his report illegitimate. A brutal and unforgiving journey into the deepest pits of governmental corruption, “The Report” is veteran screenwriter Scott Z. Burns‘ (“Out of Sight”) attempt to craft an “All the President’s Men“-style political thriller for the post-9/11 era. Despite the knack of overdoing the unnecessary flashbacks, it is nothing short of an exhilarating experience for the viewer. As for Driver, he carries the movie on his broad shoulders, delivering a career-peak performance which may very well be rewarded with an Oscar nomination in a year’s time. – JR [Greg’s review]
Best: “Midnight Family”
Despite a population of close to 9 million, Mexico City’s government operates only 45 emergency ambulances. This shortage crisis has resulted in private paramedics becoming first responders to the critically injured. One of them is the Ochoas family, zigzagging through high-speed ambulance rides to care for the critically injured. Despite being unregistered, they are the underground lifeline for many. At first, you don’t know if what you’re watching is fiction or non-fiction. The masterful cinema vérité camerawork in Luke Lorentzen’s “Midnight Family” has a knack for sucking us into after-hours Mexico City and the fractured health care system at its disposal. From local competition to police bribes to patient’s unwillingness to pay their bills, the Ochoas have to navigate through all of that to make ends meet, then there’s the ethically questionable practice of making money off dying poor patients. This 81-minute masterpiece will change the way you look at documentaries forever; its style reads like an action movie, its themes like a socio-political drama, and, yet, it still is very much a work of non-fiction, with a camera always exactly positioned to capture a society on the brink of moral collapse. – JR [Christian Gallacio’s review]
Worst: “Corporate Animals”
At the core of “Corporate Animals” is a terrific idea, office politics and corporate dynamics thrust into a “Lord of The Flies” setting. But the film, even with its inspired satirical concept of mocking team-building doesn’t really do much with the concept. Director Stephen Brice, who has delved into more-than-decent horror with “Creep,” has his intentions hampered by an iffy screenplay courtesy of “Four Lions” scribe Sam Bain and an embarrassing performance from Demi Moore. The actress, unfortunately, seems to be entirely out of her comfort zone by trying to stretch her dramatic chops into comedy. It’s perhaps a bold move on paper, but Moore is totally miscast, her ill-conceived performance is awkward and her comedic timing way off. Worse, her entire routine is a detriment to some of the better comedians surrounding her, such as a hilariously deadpan Karan Soni (“Deadpool“), the socially-awkward nerdlinger of the group who is outmatched and outwitted by his more power hungry co-workers. The absurdity of the situation increases, as the power struggles seep into the isolated cave. However, even at a scant 86 minutes, the gags start to feel repetitive, and the plot begins to feel as if it would work better as an “SNL”-skit. – JR [review]
Worst: “Relive”
After a distress call, L.A. detective Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo) finds his niece and her parents are dead of an apparent murder-suicide. Then, out of nowhere, inexplicably, Jack gets another call from his young niece Ashley. This prompts him to investigate past and present, collect clues and get to the bottom of her murder. Can he change the past? Who cares? Shades of the infinitely better “Frequency” appear in Jacob Estes’ messily constructed “Reive,” a supernatural thriller from Blumhouse which turned out to be a harrowing disappointment, especially given that Estes directed the excellent “Mean Creek.” The very-talented Oyelowo looks lost and hampered by a terrible screenplay from Estes himself, who uses every detective and ghost story cliche to promulgate his film into the deepest pits on Sundance infamy. – JR [Jason Bailey’s review]
Worst: “Velvet Buzzsaw”
The most crushing disappointment of the fest was surely Dan Gilroy’s “Velvet Buzzsaw” who re-teamed with his “Nightcrawler” star Jake Gyllenhaal for one of the weirdest mashups imaginable of art-world and slasher horror. Paintings of an unknown artist, suddenly found dead, are discovered by an art dealer when she breaks into his apartment and then all hell breaks loose as his spirit starts to kill off each and every character in this miserably realized satire of the art world. In fact, is there an easier target to set your sights on than high-brow art enthusiasts and just the art world in general? Not really, but the film goes there. Regardless, Gilroy seems to revel in shooting darts at these miserable sad sacks of human beings, whereas we just sit back, wondering if we’re supposed to be laughing at Gyllenhaal’s goofball, over-the-top performance or feeling bad that he is involved in such a misguided project. Where’d that “Nightcrawler” magic go?
– JR [Greg’s review]
Check out all our coverage from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival here.
