independent film reviews

Walnut is a surprisingly beautiful and ridiculously touching tale about how a family deals with having to put down their dog. Minimalistic in nature and with few words of real dialogue, Walnut is a study on the polarized reactions of human beings when it comes to dealing with tragedy. “Coming of Age” films aren’t usually my bag of chips, but in small doses, such as in Walnut, they can actually be kind of sweet.

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Director:
Amy Gebhardt

One of the best shorts I’ve ever seen, Rewind is a complete mind fuck that is confusing at first and genius upon completion. Set wholly in a dingy room, the entire short is played backwards, with no dialogue between the characters. The only words are the description of a narrator, who is not describing the scene, but the events leading up to the scene.

Yet, somehow, the entire short meets together at a common point and makes perfect sense. Rewind is absolutely captivating in its nonlinear storytelling, and the way the visuals sync up with the narration is brilliant in its inventiveness.

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Director:
Atul Taishete

Cool graphic design doesn’t even make this film interesting.

An extremely minimalist take on the lives of four deeply unhappy people. Well-shot if you are fine with a drab color palette. Largely pointless. I mean, one can stretch potential meaning if one really wants to, but this film certainly didn’t make me want to. I’m only giving it minor consideration now that I am sitting here writing this review. Continental, despite its entertaining and clever title, is nothing more than somber entertainment that fails to make any memorable or long-lasting impressions.

Director:
Stéphane Lafleur

Producer:
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

Editor:
Sophie Leblond

Screenwriter:
Stéphane Lafleur

Cinematographer:
Sara Mishara

Music:
Stéphane Lafleur, Hugo Lavoie

Principal Cast:
Marie-Ginette Guay, Gilbert Sicotte, Fanny Mallette, Réal Bossé

Language:
French

Mother and son.
Savage Grace is a tale about the incestuous relationship of a mother and her homosexual son. The entire film is an ever-deepening downwards spiral that is disturbing to watch. Yet, like a car accident, the viewer cannot help but be interested by the dysfunction; it’s twisted to watch, but it’s interesting.

Savage Grace is a drab-colored, slow-paced film that is beautifully shot and well-acted. Unfortunately for the film, however, it is based off of a true story and there is much more motive to the true story than there is to the movie. In Savage Grace, the incestuous relationship between the mother and son comes about from seemingly nothing more than simple perversion. In reality, the story is much more complicated. The film family was dysfunctional, but the film barely got to the roots of WHY they were. Despite good acting and what could have been an interesting tale if told correctly, this film is largely significant only for its shock value.

Director:
Tom Kalin

Producer:
Iker Monfort, Katie Roumel, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon

Editor:
Tom Kalin, John F. Lyons, Enara Goicoetxea

Screenwriter:
Howard A. Rodman

Cinematographer:
Juanmi Azpiroz

Principal Cast:
Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Hugh Dancy, Eddie Redmayne

Language:
English