Author: Josiah Teal

The Monkey: The BRWC Review. By Josiah teal.

Based on Stephen King’s short story, The Monkey promises supernatural terror from the title to the trailer to the opening scene. With James Wan (co-creator of Saw and creator of The Conjuring) as producer and Osgood Perkins (writer and director of Longlegs) serving as writer and director, The Monkey promises “event cinema” for horror fans in its credits. But who knows what terror will unfold when a young father tries to return an ominous toy monkey to a pawn shop? And what would cause that man to set the toy ablaze and leave his family forever? 

Years later, twin brothers Hal & Bill (Christian Convery) find a bizarre toy Monkey in the closet of their Dad’s old belongings. After discovering the Monkey, a string of violent deaths follows the brothers until they decide to rid themselves of it, sending it down an abandoned well, hoping to end the cycle of death. Twenty-five years later, the grisly deaths return, as a grown-up Hal (Theo James) and his son Petey (Colin O’Brien) must find the Monkey before the drumroll stops and it claims its next victim. 

Performances in The Monkey match perfectly within King’s world and Perkin’s direction. Tatiana Maslany is hilarious as the grieving Lois dishes out equally the best and worst parenting, dancing away funeral days and delivering some dark laughs. Elijah Wood has a delightful cameo, and Christian Convery displays an excellent range of roles in the dual role of young Hal & Bill. While Colin O’Brien’s Petey is underdeveloped, O’Brien still conveys a sense of angst with each scene. Theo James is the biggest standout, as he adds depth to the brothers and plays each gruesome death like a master of horror-comedy. 

Adapting a thirty-page short story into a feature film is a challenge. The premise is solid, with plenty of room to expand, and most expansions are welcome. Perkins packs the script with wicked laughs, extravagant macabre kills, and enough thrills to keep an audience engaged from start to finish. Influences from King’s other work, 2020s “elevated horror,” and even a little Final Destination allow The Monkey to spread its black comedy wings while staying scary to the blood-soaked bitter end. 

Coming off the blending of art-house meets grindhouse in Longlegs, Perkins further establishes his range as a writer and director with The Monkey. The film captures the vintage ethos of a video store cult classic with the filmmaking techniques of a modern horror flick. Osgood Perkins, being the son of the original slasher Anthony Perkins of Psycho, seems like the fulfillment of horror movie prophecy (Osgood even plays young Norman in Psycho II). While The Monkey may not soar to the heights of Longlongs, it still cements Perkins as a major player in the genre, showcases the range of its main cast, and delivers another stellar Stephen King adaptation. So much so that seeing more Stephen King adaptations from Perkins and/or Neon Productions would be a welcome sight to the horror landscape.  

Death Education: Review. By Josiah Teal.

Quan Jianbo is a high school teacher in China who teaches a “death education” class. The class encourages students to have open and honest conversations about death, eliminating the unknown or the taboo in favor of respectful discourse. Shot, directed, and edited by Yuxuan Ethan Wu, Death Education showcases sides of death rarely seen on film, allowing the short documentary to bridge gaps between death and the grave.  

Death Education opens and spends most of its run-time focused on cremation. Wu chronicles the almost clerical process from beginning to end, allowing viewers to see the need for Jianbo’s class. Through the course of the film and since 2018, Jianbo’s students have held services for 189 unidentified people, laying their ashes to rest and giving them final respects before returning to the earth. But, beyond the students, the unknown deaths, or even the deep losses of the documentary, it is a personal story, allowing Wu himself to grieve the loss of his grandmother. 

In a post-COVID world, death seems more personal and more connective than most of a pre-COVID world could imagine. Death Education blends the heavy emotions of losing a loved one with the large-scale need for open dialogues about death, dying, and loss. Ironically, it’s not the most educational film; few will walk away learning more about cremation, funeral services, or even the psychology behind death. Yet, Wu accomplishes maximum engagement with minimal dialogue and without any direct interviews. It has the spirit of a documentary but the soul of an art film. Death Education takes a reverent look at death, accepting it with sorrow, disdain, reflection, and, in finality, peace. 

Directed by Yuxuan Ethan Wu

Talk: Review. By Josiah Teal.

Writing on Talk for the quantity of storytelling seems superfluous; it’s only two minutes, so someone could almost watch the film in less time than it would take to read a review. Yet in quality, Talk is worth every minute and more. Written and directed by Jessica Perlman, Talk showcases a meeting between a deaf father, his translating daughter, and a sleazy air conditioning repairman. 

Perlman shows intentionality in every frame, showing close-ups of every bit of sign language. Performers showcase the high tensions of discussing the massive cost of repairing the family’s A/C. Jacob Schlotthauer shines as the father, conveying all the emotions of someone trying to help his family and determine the repairman’s intentions.

This film features authentic characters, engaging storytelling on a small scale, and a climax worthy of film festival accolades. It’s a great representation of the creative storytelling at Slamdance 2025.

Slamdance is a community, an experience and a statement. Established by a wild bunch of filmmakers who wanted to showcase the unfiltered voice of independent artists, Slamdance is an ongoing experiment that has proven, year after year, when it comes to recognizing talent and launching careers, the independent and grassroots film communities can do it themselves.

Slamdance 2025 will take place from February 20th – 26th & Virtually from February 24th – March 7th.

A/way: Review. By Josiah Teal.

From Eat, Pray, Love to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, travel and self-discovery often go hand-in-hand on the silver screen. A/way is no exception, as a new assignment kickstarts travel journalist Anna’s journey through grief, loss, and self-acceptance. While mourning the loss of her mother, Anna’s trip to Martinique leads her to explore within herself through the island’s people. Told through flashbacks to her life before Martinique and Anna’s interviews with locals, A/way is a personal drama with a journalistic lens on life’s biggest questions. 

Most of A/way‘s 60-minute runtime is a pure character-driven drama. Flashbacks chronicle Rosie McDonald’s Anna as she attempts to navigate college, friendship, and love after her mother’s passing. Dialogue is conversational through interviews on Martinique or through Anna’s relationships with her best friend Tori (Mckenzie Salvatierra-Custin) or boyfriend/study partner (Aaron Lee Wright). Yet Anna’s most significant arc stems from her late mother’s journal and the openness expressed through travel.  

Rosie McDonald brings a realness to Anna that makes everything from playful conversations to moments of longing grief feel natural. Written and directed by Derek Shane Garcia, McDonald brings the script to life, elevating each emotional scene with nuance. It’s a subtle, personal film that requires a delicate approach. McDonald is a highlight in the cast, allowing Anna’s experience to feel like hers.

With Martinique as a beautiful backdrop to Anna’s journey, her progression takes on a quality of fulfillment. Martinique’s vibrance gives a further cinematic quality to Anna’s transition from grief to accepting herself, who her mother was, and how she can reconnect with her mother’s memory. A/way captures the island with such grace it feels like the film is as much an ode to the island nation as Anna’s story. 

Garcia’s Cinéma vérité approach gives A/way the best bits of character-driven drama and a street-level documentary. A/way weaves the lines between realistic interviews between Anna and locals with clear setpiece conversations in apartment buildings. Many of the conversations in Martinique feel loose and organic, similar to Nomadland in how unscripted they sound, yet they are central to Anna’s character. By contrast, some of the pre-Martinique dialogue seems almost overly scripted, taking away from the organic tone of the overall narrative. 

A/way is for the indie film initiated. It’s quirky in all the right places, sweet without undercutting the drama, uses the budget well, and makes the most of the runtime. Those outside the sphere of modern indie may need a gateway film or two before diving into A/way. Moments in Martinique are standouts, allowing Garcia to shed some genre tropes and explore alongside Anna, weaving introspective drama with hopeful realization. A/way may not be the perfect “gateway drug” for indie cinema, but its themes of travel and self-discovery keep on an age-old tradition told through a creative, innovative lens.

Anuja: Review. By Josiah Teal.

Anuja gets its name from its 9-year-old protagonist, Anuja, a math prodigy working in a sewing mill in India. Despite child labor laws, Anuja and her older sister work 14-hour days in horrible conditions to survive. Yet a chance at a new life presents itself when an optimistic teacher arrives at the sweatshop hoping to convince Anuja to apply for a prestigious boarding school. Written and directed by Adam J. Graves, Anuja tells a personal story of modern-day child labor and poverty through the eyes of someone who survived it. 

Sajda Pathan is a clear standout as the lead, bringing genuine warmth and whimsy to the character despite circumstances. Pathan’s chemistry with Ananya Shanbhag as her sister, Palak, is palpable in each scene, further cementing the bond between the two characters. There is an unmatched purity to the two sisters watching movies, snacking in the street, and sharing stories that resonate with the characters and the performers. Pathan herself was rescued from child labor and poverty by Salaam Baalak Trust, the organization that helped fund the film and offers relief to children living in poverty. Adam J Grave approaches the narrative by putting character first and allowing the overall message of stopping child labor to speak through his characters. 

At just 22 minutes, this short tells a nuanced story of two sisters struggling to survive. Anuja is worthy of its awards at HollyShorts and its Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. Whether Grave’s walks away with an Oscar seems secondary to the film’s true purpose: to confront child labor and poverty beyond a raising awareness but calling for actual change. There are more stories to tell, yet it’s not necessarily for Anuja and Palak but for the thousands of children sheltered by Salaam Baalak Trust and similar organizations. The performances are phenomenal, and the script and direction are Oscar-worthy, but with Anuja, the message takes center stage.