SIFF Day 23: Reviews

American Primitive (US) : B+

During the post-film Q&A, we learned that this movie was almost entiredly based on the director's own family story. That level of authenticity adds to the gravity of the story, which is about two teenage sisters in the 1970s dealing with their father's homosexuality. The story is told from the viewpoint of older sister Madeline, and I have to say it's refreshing to have a teenager movie that's not about teenage rebellion, teenage depression, or teenagers doing very bad things! The movie is a little broad, a little cheesy, and secretly wholesome almost to a fault. Despite all that, it works, and I quickly felt bonded with Madeline's life and her various relationships. Although some people might have objections to the ending, I personally found it to be entirely satisfactory.

The Hills Run Red (US) (Horror) : B

I'm not a fan of horror movies, yet I somehow decided to watch this one. I enjoyed it, and got scared a lot without being completely spooked or scarred for life. In a genre that's so tired and overdone, this movie manages to be clever but not winky-winky. It's a throwback to old-fashioned horror and also has some good twists and turns, including a nice ending. Solid performances from the cast as well.

Youssou N'dour: I Bring What I Love (Senegal) (Doc) : B

A solid documentary on the power of music and the journey of a musician with grand aims. If you like African music then you would really appreciate this film.

Wonderful World (US) : B

No thanks to a title like "Wonderful World," I went into this movie with my cliche detector on high alert. And it did go off quite a bit... At the end though, I found myself caring about the main character (an expert performance from Matthew Broderick) and feeling connected to his journey. That's the sign of a good movie, right?

The Girl from Monaco (France) : C+

From the technical side, this is a perfectly fine film. The problem is, I simply couldn't buy into the motivations and decisions of the main characters. In the great words of Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler, "Really??" If the film had a different cast and they approached the characters differently, then I might have been able to like it.