Author: BRWC

Sunflower Girl: Review. By Callum Ward.

Following on from watching Sister Wives last week, I once again had the opportunity to watch one of the most exciting short films on the festival trail this year in the form of Holly M. Kaplan’s ‘Sunflower Girl’.

The film follows a 13-year-old Chinese-American girl, Rosie, who stops by her mom’s dry-cleaners and is asked to deliver her sister Amy’s forgotten lunchbox. At school, she runs into her crush Skylar and his wild friend Cooper. As she gets pulled into their skate crew, Rosie must decide between family responsibilities and her new friends.

This synopsis for the film didn’t initially grab me and I went into it slightly unsure of what to expect from it, but what ensues is a beautifully nostalgic and melancholic tale of managing adolescent love and family responsibility. Kaplan perfectly encapsulates those fleeting moments of freedom and excitement that come from a first crush and juxtaposes them brilliantly with subtle undertones of what life is like for Chinese-Americans in the US, inspired by her own experience of growing up in New York.

The performances of the main cast are all strong, in particular from the up-and-coming Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja as Rosie. She excellently portrays the underlying emotions of a character traversing a world in which she doesn’t entirely know where she belongs and how she fits in, as well as perfectly conveying the innocence and nervousness of a budding youthful romance with Cairo Zion’s Skyler. Complimenting Tjandrawidjaja’s performance extremely well was the beautiful camera work, with the handheld shots resulting in a raw and intimate feel that perfectly fits the journey that the character is experiencing.

Speaking of camera work, one of the most impressive aspects of the film is the truly incredible cinematography throughout. Kaplan and cinematographer, Michael Cong, craft a hazy, retro and colourful NYC backdrop for the story all shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio that expertly evokes a sense of nostalgia and warmth in the audience – tying in perfectly with the hopeful ending to the tale to make for a wonderful viewing experience.

In conclusion, Sunflower Girl is a standout short film on the festival circuit this year, blending youthful innocence with deeper cultural reflections. Holly M. Kaplan crafts a heartfelt, visually stunning exploration of adolescence, first love and identity. With strong performances, especially from Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, and striking cinematography, this film leaves a lasting impression, offering a beautiful and nostalgic viewing experience. A must-watch for anyone seeking a thoughtful, emotional journey on screen.

Bionico’s Bachata: Review. By Jake Peffer.

Throughout Bionico’s Bachata we follow Bionico, a homeless man who is trying to better himself. His fiancée La Flaca is returning from rehab so Bionico is doing whatever he can to make things better for them. He tries to find himself a job, he looks to try, and he also tries to quit drugs with the help of his friend Calvita. None of this is easy for Bionico as he continually learns, but he is determined to make a better life for La Flaca and himself.

For the first half of Bionico’s Bachata, I was engaged. The direction is a bit chaotic, but things were moving at a nice pace, character interactions were interesting and the soundtrack all the way through is top notch. However, once the movie shifts into the second half things slow down a bit and I found myself less interested in what was happening. Where the story eventually ended was a surprise, but it felt like it lost something along the way.

Like I said before, the direction is kind of all over the place, but it’s done in a way that makes things, at the very least, interesting. Everything in the movie is being shot by a film crew within the movie itself, so it does have a found footage feel to everything going on. The characters, most notably Bionico and Calvita, are written well and make things engaging throughout the runtime. Their interactions with one another are humorous at times but they always make things entertaining for the most part. 

The setting here works well. Roaming around the streets of the Dominican Republic, we get to see just how gritty and grimy everything in Bionico’s world tends to be. Adding in that great soundtrack, that has plenty of songs that will make you nod your head, helps compliment the story and adds a bit more character to this world. Manuel Raposo, who plays Bionico, does a great job in the lead role. He has a great on-screen presence that is a huge highlight for the movie.

Despite losing some steam in the second half, Bionico’s Bachata is a thoroughly enjoyable movie. The direction is mostly good, the characters are engaging, the story keeps your attention and the performance by Manuel Raposo makes this one worthwhile.

Light Up: Review. By Simon Thompson.

Ryan Ashely Lowery’s Light Up is an intimate documentary centring around the lives of four black gay men and one transgender black woman in the city of Atlanta, and their various life stories, dealing with  prejudices and mental health struggles due to having to hide the truth about their sexualities. What they all have in common, however is that each participant interviewed has, in their own way, managed to overcome these struggles and is fully comfortable expressing the truth about themselves. 

As a filmmaker Ryan Ashely Lowery creates a relatively relaxed, almost conversational, tone with each interview and although this might sound a little strange given how heavy the subject matter the movie deals with is, it allows the personalities being interviewed to open up, about what I can only imagine to be the darkest periods of their lives, in a gentle way. 

This approach allows the sheer resilience of each of the participants to shine through to the audience, such as Derek Jae, an already established reality tv personality, or Simone Tisci, a transgender woman who has forged a successful career as a makeup artist and is in the process of trying to build an acting career to go along with it, or Octavius Terry, who was a rising record setting American track and Field athlete who, because of his fear of his teammates and coaches finding out he was gay, decided to curtail his career to keep his sexuality a secret, yet has found success later in life as a high profile suit maker booked by various Hollywood events. 

Although there are some quieter stories in the documentary, such as that of Obio who, unlike Simone or Octavius, isn’t working in the fashion or entertainment industry, yet has still successfully fought to live his life on his own terms. The most striking story would probably belong to Ben, who to mask his sexual identity dived head first into church activities so as not to stand out, going as far as becoming a homophobic preacher – sending him down a path of total self-loathing until he made the difficult decision to come out. 

Because the interviews are all filmed separately by Ashely Lowery, it lets the audience get to know the participants of the documentary more than if they were all speaking together at the same time. The bright lighting and use of close ups, adds to the sense of familiarity that Ashely Lowery is trying to create with the documentary. 

While focusing on several individuals of course doesn’t speak for the experience of an entire group, through the people that Ashely Lowery interviews you get both a sense of the struggles they have gone through but also the comfort that they have found in reaching a point where they can be truthful about who they are. This ties into the film’s message of overall acceptance, and the wanting to break down the stigmas that are associated around the gay and trans community. Instead of beating you over the head with the film’s message however, Ashely Lowery presents it in a subtle, understated and matter of fact way simply through the interviews that are shown. 

Sister Wives: Short Film Review. By Callum Ward.

Over the weekend I had the chance to watch the award-winning short film, Sister Wives. The film is written and directed by Louisa Connolly-Burnham, who also stars in the short alongside BAFTA-winner Mia McKenna-Bruce and Michael Fox in the tale of an orthodox Mormon relationship in which two sister wives married to the same man start to develop feelings for one another.

There is a lot to enjoy about Connolly-Burnham’s melancholic and layered tale of forbidden and unexpected love, with her performance, in particular, being one of the highlights for me. Connolly-Burnham’s take on Kaidence is nuanced and complex as she battles through her conflicting feelings of initial animosity and even pity towards her new sister wife that transforms into arousal and even lust as the film progresses.

McKenna-Bruce’s performance as Galilee also deserves a mention, especially as the budding romance that progresses between the pair begins to heat up. The two have great chemistry and portray the build-up of emotions and tension that come from living in such an enclosed and orthodox environment.

Tension is one of the main themes throughout the film, whether it be the tension between Kaidence and Jeremiah at her unhappiness with their new marital set-up or the burgeoning sexual tension between the two wives as things progress. This tension is portrayed exceptionally well, thanks to Connolly-Burnham’s stellar direction as well as some incredible sound editing – often using the absence of any score to let the emotions conveyed from each scene sit with the audience in what makes for a truly gripping viewing.

The only slight negative I have with the film is the pacing as the chemistry between the two women develops. The story can often feel rushed at times, with the progression of the relationship between Kaidence and Galilee occasionally feeling slightly unearned and the emotional impact lessened. Despite this, the aforementioned strong performances and chemistry between Connolly-Burnham and McKenna-Bruce more than atone for this.

All in all, Sister Wives is an impressive showing from the supremely talented Connolly-Burnham that I would absolutely recommend people watch for themselves, and I look forward to seeing how her career continues to progress.