2021

The Legend of Molly Johnson

On a small homestead deep in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, Molly Johnson is dead set on survival. With her husband away on a drove, the pregnant matriarch must fend for her family against the wild, threatening countryside. When her secret past gets the town talking, she is pushed to extremes. This blistering neo-western, reimagined from director Lea Purcell’s acclaimed play (itself an adaptation of Henry Lawson’s classic short story), is a riveting examination of race, family, and identity.[…]

The Book of Fish

1801. When a new king ascends the throne, scholar Jeong Yak-Jeon is exiled to a remote island for incorporating Christianity into his Confucian teachings. There, he becomes fascinated with the awesome variety of sea creatures caught by the island’s fishermen and, with one local’s help, authors an encyclopedia of the underwater world. Based on Jeong’s life and Book of Fish, the film is a sweeping account of 19th century Korea and a tender portrait of an unlikely friendship.[…]

Let It Be Morning

When Sami returns with his wife and son to his Arabic village for his brother’s wedding, he plans a quick return to Jerusalem, where his business and mistress await. Just as he is leaving, the village is unexpectedly put under lockdown by Israeli soldiers, and Sami finds himself caught in an uneasy web of personal and political intrigues. This adaptation of Sayed Kashua’s 2006 novel mixes wry comedy with a touch of the absurd to create a perceptive, winsome satire.[…]

I Don’t Wanna Dance

Teenager Joey and his little brother are delighted to be placed back with their mother Daphne after two years apart. All seems to be going well. Daphne has a job and Joey finds his niche with a dance group. But when Daphne sinks back into old, destructive patterns, Joey does whatever it takes to keep social services away. How long can he keep it up and at what cost? Scriptwriter Jaroen Scholten van Aschat collaborates with lead actor Yfendo van Praag to create a personal, earnest portrait of a boy fighting to reach adulthood.[…]

ear for eye

Writer-director debbie tucker green daringly adapts her acclaimed stage work for the screen, a layered collection of scenes that give voice to the joys, struggles, triumphs, and defeats of the ongoing struggle for racial equality. Cinematic flourishes, from invigorating closeups and dynamic camera movement to riveting light design, give visual depth to the arresting dialogue. A blistering examination of racial injustice in the U.S. and U.K., ear for eye is a breathtaking work of anger, joy, and contemplation.[…]

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