Tag: Family

Origin: A Hashtag Important Film

Following a critically claimed documentary series on Netflix, director Ava DuVernay returns to the big screen with another look at race and discrimination. Based on the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel…

Read More »

Shayda is an All-Encompassing Look at Overcoming Abusive Relationships (Middleburg Film Festival)

Shayda follows a young Iranian mother named Shayda (Zahra Amir Ebrahimi) who takes refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her 6-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) as she seeks a divorce from her estranged husband Hossein (Osamah Sami)…

Read More »

The Persian Version Explores Mother-Daughter Relationships (Sundance Film Festival)

Writer/director Maryam Keshavarz’s new film explores the dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship amidst the backdrop of Persian culture. The Persian Version introduces us to Leila (Layla Mohammadi), a free-spirited Iranian American woman trying to find her way in…

Read More »

Ferrari Doesn’t Quite Come Together Across the Finish Line

Legendary director Michael Mann returns to the big screen with a new biopic centered around a legendary car maker. Ferrari transports us to the summer of 1957 as Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) and his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz)…

Read More »

American Fiction is Part Emotional Family Drama, Part Genius Satire, Complete Masterwork (Middleburg Film Festival)

In the wake of America’s great racial and equity reckoning over the past decade, one conversation that has arisen amongst minority and underrepresented groups as a result is, who gets tell our stories and become elevated as the “voice” of…

Read More »

Flamin’ Hot is a Classic Feel Good Movie, For Better or Worse

Flamin’ Hot is an autobiographical look at the story of Richard Montanez (Jesse Garcia), the son of a Mexican immigrant, who becomes a janitor at Frito-Lay after his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez) becomes pregnant with their first child…

Read More »

L’Immensita’s Story Fails to Match the Strength of Its Themes (Sundance Film Festival)

Set in 1970s Rome, L’Immensita tells the tale of Adriana (Luana Giuliani), the oldest daughter of Felice (Vincenzo Amaro) and Clara (Penélope Cruz) who are a couple in an unhappy and abusive marriage. As her parents struggle Adriana…

Read More »

You Hurt My Feelings Review (Sundance Film Festival)

You Hurt My Feelings follows novelist Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who is in the process of writing a new novel after her previous effort failed to make a big splash. Beth’s psychiatrist husband, Don (Tobias Menzies) supports his wife’s…

Read More »

Polite Society Highlights Sisterhood and its Cinematic Influences (Sundance Film Festival)

Polite Society follows Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a London schoolgirl who dreams of using her martial artist training to become a stuntwoman. Her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) is a fellow creative enrolled in art school who helps Ria…

Read More »

A Thousand and One is an Impressive, Twisty Look at Family Amidst Poverty and Struggle (Sundance Film Festival)

A Thousand and One finds us alongside Inez (Teyana Taylor), a young woman moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. As a result of her situation, she has lost her 6-year-old son Terry (portrayed as…

Read More »