film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Category: REVIEWS

Here is where you would find our film reviews on BRWC.  We look at on trailers, shorts, indies and mainstream.  We love movies!

  • The Wall Of Mexico: Review

    The Wall Of Mexico: Review

    The Aristas are a rich Mexican family hiding a valuable resource within their grounds. The local legend is that there is a well in the garden that carries some unique properties and after a test on the water proves positive, Henry (Esai Morales) and his wife, Monica (Alex Meneses) decide that the best thing to do is to protect their asset by any means possible.

    Henry and Monica also have two beautiful daughters, Tania (Marisol Sacremento) and Ximena (Carmela Zumbado) who are typical spoiled rich kids and although Ximena often tries to impart her pseudo-intellectual knowledge onto her little sister, they both still indulge in excesses of alcohol, drugs and sex to pass the time.

    Michael (Xander Berkeley) and Donavon (Jackson Rathbone) work for the Aristas looking after the grounds and it’s not long before Donavon starts to take interest in the Arista sisters and with nothing else better to do, they start to play with their new toy. However, when the security measures around the precious well start escalating, so do the tensions among the household and among the locals.

    The Wall of Mexico is a drama with political undertones written and directed by Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak. If you don’t immediately understand the analogy that The Wall of Mexico is putting across to its audience then you may need to watch more of the news.

    However, The Wall of Mexico is cleverly written so whereas the message may be clear, it doesn’t feel that every single detail is signposted, so to those aware of the racial and class divides that have been running through American politics in recent years it may be more obvious, but not distracting.

    There may not be a lot of people who don’t understand issues surrounding immigration and racism who may watch The Wall of Mexico, but for those who do, they may even have their eyes opened as to how easily things could change if the shoe was on the other foot.

    With a tight, intelligent and insightful script and a great cast, The Wall of Mexico manages to subtly discuss political issues without having to resort to over explaining its points which also raises the question as to how easily the events of the film could happen to anyone.

  • Last Call: Review

    Last Call: Review

    Last Call is a poignant, emotional and thought-provoking drama that deals with issues surrounding suicide and grief, talking about the impact that it has on those who are going through mental health issues and those who volunteer to help when those people need to talk.

    Scott (Daved Wilkins) is lonely, suicidal and has also developed a drinking problem. One night after coming home from a bar he decides to make the call that he had been thinking about making for many months – to a suicide helpline.

    Beth (Sarah Booth) is a janitor, part time student and single mother to two boys. Like Scott, life has taken a toll on her, but she works hard and hopes for a better future despite her past experiences. So, when Beth picks up the phone while she’s at work in the evening, she’s surprised and concerned to find that Scott has called her by mistake. What happens next shows their conversation and Beth’s willingness to help a stranger, hoping that one phone call may save Scott’s life and turn his life around.

    Excellently written and directed by Gavin Michael Booth and co-written by Daved Wilkins, Last Call is a realistic drama shot in split-screen and in real time showing both Scott and Beth’s perspectives. Although this idea may appear too distracting and gimmicky when put on paper, Last Call never feels that way because Booth shoots the scenes so seamlessly that it’s as if they’re both connected.

    From watching Scott and Beth doing whatever they do before they call, to what happens as it ends, Booth keeps the audience interested and often glued to their seats as they start to connect to with characters.

    Both Daved Wilkins and Sarah Booth give outstanding performances and the script feels so real it’s almost as if the audience is listening in on a real conversation that may take place at suicide hotline centres every day.

    The drama never exploits the themes of suicide and grief to manipulate its audience, instead giving a realistic and heart-breaking account of a man whose life is on the line and will stay with its audience long after viewing.

  • The Social Dilemma: Review

    The Social Dilemma: Review

    Debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Netflix’s The Social Dilemma is the latest documentary to set its sights on our social media-obsessed culture. Combining its factual ruminations with a docu-narrative hybrid approach, director Jeff Orlowski’s unique angle to the genre fails to pack a pertinent punch.

    Mixing testimonies from social media executives and internet theorists, The Social Dilemma analyzes our daily relationship with these controversial platforms. What many see as a means of connecting presents wholly unknown dangers to the real world, depicting the increased misinformation and emotional apathy generated from frequent interactions. The film shows these dynamics through an interwoven subplot, which follows an ordinary family grappling with their own obsessive tendencies with media outlets.

    Considering our persistent relationship with smartphones, The Social Dilemma does have some relevant information to relay. Orlowski’s film works when it dives deeply into the nuances behind social media’s uncontrollable nature, particularly how platforms operate as destructive forces against democracy. The increase in polarization and ill-advised propaganda are harmful symptoms of our new reality, showcasing toxic issues that could become fatal if not recognized. I do think people utilize social media without recognizing the consequences behind their behaviors, with this film offering a vital roadmap for those who aren’t as informed.

    The Social Dilemma will give audiences a serviceable roadmap of these problems, but it lacks the nuance to convey their full extent. Orlowski’s approach spreads itself thin, dancing around different facets without rendering each with proper thought and insights. It’s clear this film could’ve benefited from a deeper roster of interview subjects, skewing their focus towards elitist tech workers rather than capturing those at the ground floor of these side-effects (would have loved insights from someone directly impacted by Facebook’s altering of democratic values). This approach delivers a film that settles on simplistic conclusions that add nothing new to the conversation.

    The Social Dilemma tries to imbue a fresh change of pace through its semi-narrative approach, yet its inclusion acts as an unwarranted distraction. Orlowski’s lack of experience in narrative filmmaking is on full display, crafting segments that reek of sitcom-y contrivances and hackneyed dialogue. Skylar Gisondo and Kara Hayward are capable actors straddled with thankless roles, as the after school special narrative only stands to display obvious reinactments rather than further enhancing the concepts onscreen (the narrative feels so poorly constructed, journeying down bizarre plot threads without an ounce of development).

    Despite highlighting vital subject matter, The Social Dilemma only offers half-baked truths.

  • For All Mankind: AppleTV+ Review

    For All Mankind: AppleTV+ Review

    On July 20th 1969 America put the first man on the moon. This ended the space race and firmly ensured that America was a highly intelligent and capable superpower.

    For All Mankind is a new drama on AppleTV+ that reimagines a pivotal moment in not only US history, but the history of the world by changing that moment so that Russia won the space race. From that moment on, the course of history is forever changed and due to certain innovations made by Russia’s space program, it spurs NASA on to do better and find alternatives to achieve their goals.

    Among the cast of characters is Edward Baldwin (Joel Kinnerman) an astronaut who missed his chance to get to the moon, Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger) an ambitious and determined woman hoping to go where no woman has gone before, and Ellen Waverley (Jodie Balfour) another of NASA’s hopefuls who has to work hard to keep her personal and her professional life separate.

    For All Mankind tells their stories as well as paying homage to NASA’s history during their greatest achievements, even talking about moments that NASA may rather forget.

    Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to the right balance set between these historical moments and the personal lives of For All Mankind’s characters, so the latter seem to be put aside for the first few episodes. This and the show’s insistence on jumping years ahead from episode to episode make it difficult to focus on the human-interest elements, unintentionally softening some of the more emotional moments that could have had a bigger emotional impact if they were given time to breathe. Instead, For All Mankind is so focussed on its mission that it forgets some of the characters it leaves behind.

    However, in the first season’s final few episodes, For All Mankind does manage to slow down a little, giving the characters a little space to expand.

    There are some great moments of joy, sadness and tragedy amongst the cast of characters and hopefully the post credit tease on the final episode will move the show along to yet another era in NASA’s history and build more upon its characters.

  • Resisterhood: Review

    Resisterhood: Review

    Resisterhood is a feature-length documentary about the rise in activism from women and minority groups in America, in response to Trump’s 2016 presidential election. 

    The film follows six American activists on their journey to fight social injustice and campaign for the November 2020 elections. Dr Jean Gearon, the great-granddaughter of a Suffragist, turns her small book club into the Women’s Alliance for Democracy and Justice, with over 400 members. Margaret Morrison, who first marched alongside John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965, now at 82 years old still attends protests including the Women’s March where she proudly wears her “Black Lives Matter” button and pink pussy hat, with a determination to educate future generations.

    Joanna Lohamn, a professional soccer player from Washington known as the “Rainbow Warrior”, uses her platform to champion LGBTQ rights. Mimi Hassanein is a Muslim Egyptian immigrant running for county office in the Midterm elections. Luis Gutierrez fights for immigrant rights as a long-time Congressman from Chicago, and leads the charge to boycott the 2017 Inauguration. 

    This documentary does a great job at representing six very different lives within America, which are all connected by their activism and by being victims of social injustice.

    Despite the very negative start to the film, which depicts Trump aggressively promoting sexism, homophobia and racism, the general theme is very positive as we see the activists find support and strength within their communities. We are left feeling a sense of power and hope from women and minority groups, and a clear resistance to Trump and what his presidency represents.  

    Resisterhood proudly promotes that it is produced, directed, filmed and edited by women. Director Cheryl Jacobs “CJ” Crim has a reputation as a provocative independent filmmaker, and does not disappoint with this raw and well-researched piece. The mixture of live campaigning and marching footage, alongside private interviews, is incredibly emotive and presents a full picture of the current political state of America. 

    “Watch us fly”, says Margaret as her last words in the film. Resisterhood is a testament to the strength of the ordinary Americans who led the wave that created the most ethnically, racially and gender diverse Congress in history. This documentary is hugely informative, but its true purpose is to tell uplifting stories, spread hope and reenergize the fight against social injustice.