By: Amanda Guarragi The Van directed by Erenik Beqiri shows the resilience of a young man who needs to pay his wait out of Albania. He already works during the day with his father but it isn’t enough to survive. What we see is two different perceptions of how to survive. Ben (Phénix Brossard) finds side hustles in order to survive, whereas his father (Arben Bajraktaraj) … Continue reading ‘The Van’ Short Film Review
By: Amanda Guarragi Soul is the perfect film to end the year with. It is an animated film that reinstates the meaning of life and the purpose we serve in the world. It is beautifully animated because Pixar has perfected their rendering technology to make everything lifelike. The story is well-written and is incredibly heartfelt. Everyone has dreams or goals they want to accomplish at … Continue reading Soul Review
By: Amanda Guarragi This is the film of the year. This is a film that takes all of the typical “take a girl home” tropes and flips it on its head. It is bold, daring and incredibly dark but in all the right ways. Emerald Fennell’s screenplay and direction is impeccable. She knew the story she wanted to tell and how to execute it to … Continue reading Promising Young Woman Review
By: Amanda Guarragi Chloé Zhao’s Nomandland takes the audience on a journey through the American landscape, after Fern (Frances McDormand) loses everything in the Great Recession. She embarks on a journey of re-discovery as a van-dweller and finds solace in the community. Zhao’s direction and storytelling is mesmerizing and captures the subtleties of living. What was so interesting about this film was the conversation surrounding … Continue reading Nomadland Review
By: Amanda Guarragi We have been waiting for David Fincher to grace us all with a new film. A Fincher film is always bold with its characters, meticulous in its camerawork and is always elevated by its score. Mank definitely had all of those aspects going for it but unfortunately something was missing. It did not feel like a Fincher film. If you look at … Continue reading Mank Review
Candid Cinema 