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!

  • Apocalypse ’45: Review

    Apocalypse ’45: Review

    On December 7th 1941, Japan attacked US Navy base, Pearl Harbor that triggered the Pacific War between the US and Japan which ended with the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th 1945 which is known throughout the world as VJ Day.

    Using footage through World War Two from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the bombing and aftermath of the effects of the Hiroshima bomb, Apocalypse ’45 tells the story through images that have been digitally enhanced and colourised and the voices of some of the American soldiers themselves who are still alive to tell the tale.

    Apocalypse ’45 guides the audience through the narrative of the second world war and using the first hand experiences of the American soldiers (some of Japanese descent themselves) to recall the atrocities that they witnessed and can never forget 75 years later.

    Hearing the voices of the men that served and their different opinions on what they had to endure is an enlightening and heart-breaking thing to watch. Because although there are times where they talk about their experiences so frankly, every so often the emotions behind their words comes flooding out.

    Some talk about the regret they felt at the time for having to do the things that they were ordered to do, whilst others talk about looking back and the things that haunt them still to this day. A truly sobering account that many of us can’t even imagine having to go through.

    The amount of footage that Apocalypse ’45 has is truly astounding and the way it has painstakingly restored and been able to be put into order to tell a narrative is truly impressive. Also, the colours of the footage are so vivid, bright and realistic that the audience may soon forget that the likelihood or this footage being shot in colour in the first place was practically zero.

    Apocalypse ’45 is a timely documentary that reminds us of the horrific repercussions of war and although what happened in Hiroshima put an end to World War Two, the question is still raised as to the ethical value of ending something so dramatically.

  • To The Stars: Review

    To The Stars: Review

    By Nick Boyd.

    “To the Stars,” a coming-of-age film that takes place in 1960s Oklahoma, is a touching, heartbreaking look at female friendship in the high-school years.  Maggie Richmond (Liana Liberato) is the new girl in town who takes it upon herself to immediately stick up for Iris Deerborne (Kara Hayward), who is an outsider because of her appearance and awkwardness.  

    Maggie (who is hiding a secret) lies to the gossipy mean girls by saying that her dad (played by Tony Hale) is a photographer for the magazine “Life,” sometimes taking pictures of Marilyn Monroe, when in fact he works for an agriculture magazine and has moved his family to give his daughter a fresh start.  She and Iris develop a genuine friendship and connect on a deep, emotional level, sometimes taking late night swims in a pond where their friendship flourishes.  Both are nonconformists fighting their own family struggles – Iris with an alcoholic mother and Maggie with a father who beats her.

    A classmate of Iris’ named Jeff Owings (Lucas Jade Zumann) works on Iris’ family farm in his spare time and subtly tries to make it known to Iris that he likes her.  He is another outsider of sorts who does not seem to have any friends but comes across as likeable, genuine, and someone who cares about Iris. 

    An interaction at a school dance where Jeff asks Iris if she wants to dance and she hesitates because of how she would come across on the dance floor perfectly captures the insecurities that those like Iris face.  When Jeff says to Iris that she is the only person in town who is not a phony (which seems like a reference to the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”), he poignantly makes clear how he admires that she stays true to herself.

    Much of the town’s gossip takes place at a beauty salon, run at the home of Hazel Atkins (Adelaide Clemens), a lonely young woman who listens to a lot of what is going on, but we come to learn is a very private person who is trying to conform to the constrained confines of her life.

    The movie is an uncompromising sociological portrait of small town fiercely conservative America and the value systems in place.  It also zeroes in on the cruelty that goes on in high school and the bigotry that takes hold under rigidly held beliefs.  

    While not an easy watch at times, the performances are strong and what the characters are experiencing is movingly depicted.  The power of female friendship and heartbreak and the tentative steps toward first love are subtly portrayed with characters we come to truly care about.

  • Lingua Franca: Review

    Lingua Franca: Review

    Lingua Franca: Review. By Alif Majeed.

    Opposites attracting onscreen has always been excellent cinematic fodder. Especially if they are opposites who are two broken but kindred souls struggling in their lives. Lingua Franca seems to take two characters who have been created by following the fractured soul’s rulebook and injecting as much drama as possible. But somewhere down the line, the director has managed to give them enough personality that you end up caring about what happens to them.

    Lingua Franca’s main USP has to be its lead character. Isabel Sandoval, who is also the director of the movie, portrays Olivia, a local caregiver in a Brooklyn neighborhood of an elderly Russian woman Olivia. As she is looking for companionship while trying to find a suitable person to marry for a green card, she pips the interest of Olivia’s grandson, Alex (Eamon Farren). 

    Things are going well enough between them until Alex realizes that Olivia is a trans woman. How the two of them deal with the realization and if they get together is what drives the movie.

    The struggles of an undocumented immigrant struggling to make ends meet and looking out for a green card are portrayed rather well. What makes it even more poignant is Isabel’s portrayal as the trans woman Olivia who has become so pragmatic about her situation that she would refuse to give love a chance even when staring right at her.

    It almost reminds you of Ramin Bahrani’s brilliant Man Push Cart, another movie that subtlety portrays the struggles of an immigrant who can’t catch a break. It is equally heartbreaking seeing Olivia struggling to silently work towards her dream while silently suffering the heartbreaks she faces getting there.

    Eamon Farren is also perfect as Alex, as his reactions seem perfectly natural as he realizes that the woman he loves is a trans woman and could end up being the butt of jokes among his friends. 

    Lev Gorn (The Americans) makes an impact as Alex’s uncle who gives him work and cares about his nephew enough to hope he doesn’t screw up while begrudgingly spews venom on him whenever he meets Alex. Also excellent is Lynn Cohen as Alex’s grandmother, who is also a mute spectator to Alex and Olivia’s relationship. 

    Sadly the ending feels like a cop-out as the director keeps it predictably ambiguous. The movie takes a while to get going. And when we finally get invested in what happens to them, that ending does feel like a cheat.

    Also, as mentioned, there are moments where the situations seem like it came from a textbook manual where the director makes it feel like the struggles have to seem never-ending rather than just being so. 

    It almost feels like the characters are struggling, not because of what they are going through. But because of what the makers willed it to and to wring out the last bit of emotion from us.

    Thankfully, Isabel does not choose to show unnecessary backstories to create sympathy for the characters. Apart from the phone calls she makes to her family in the Philippines, we know very little about her back story. Her conversations with her best friend about their childhood also feels heartwarming while delivering a gut punch at the same time.

    In Olivia, Isabel Sandoval manages to bring out a wholly original character that came only come out because you know there was a real person who lived out that life. Watching it play out on screen and how she chooses to portray it is why you should Lingua Franca be seen.

  • Chemical Hearts: Review

    Chemical Hearts: Review

    Chemical Hearts is the story of Henry Page (Austin Abrams), a teenage student who considers himself a hopeless romantic but has never fallen in love. The young man aspires to be the editor of the high school newspaper and lives happily focused on his studies to enter a good university until Grace Town (Lili Reinhart) enters his class. His new partner is not exactly the girl of his dreams, but little by little he falls in love with her when the two teenagers are chosen to edit the institute newspaper.

    Coming-of-age movies have always spoken to me and have always meant a lot to me, especially during my youth. I am twenty-years-old now so I really can’t say that I am coming-of-age anymore, but I still love these types of movies regardless of my age. They are still so relatable to me and speak to me on such a personal level that it can be a bit tricky to describe accurately. There have been quite a few good coming-of-age films this year such as All the Bright Places and Big Time Adolescence, but none of them come close to being as deeply intimate and powerful as Richard Tanne’s Chemical Hearts, which definitely won over my heart.

    It’s not the most game-changing film in the genre, but it doesn’t need to be. It takes the formula for success and manages to tell an immensely sweet but emotionally strong story of two teenagers that feel a connection with one another, but they really can’t describe their feelings to each other, despite the fact that they are both writers. Henry often tries to tell Grace how much he likes her and tries to be cool and flirty with her but says that he isn’t the best at those types of things. He says that he thinks a lot better when he actually sits down and his time to plan out his words as opposed to him just saying it on the fly.

    Grace on the other hand is the complete opposite. When she sits down to write something, she finds that it takes her quite a bit of time to come up with the words that she is trying to say, but when she is talking to somebody in person, she says exactly what she wants to say. One of the standout scenes in Chemical Hearts is a beautifully real moment with Henry and Grace talking in their school library about growing up as a teenager and how sometimes being young is the worst realization of all.

    It’s truly miraculous that Chemical Hearts has as many excellent scenes like the one I just mentioned. There honestly wasn’t a single scene where I was bored or uninterested. I was always fascinated to see where Henry and Grace’s relationship was going to go next. They get each other so well but are confused by each other and constantly try to figure each other out at the same exact time. It’s sweet and charming and never feels fake.

    Part of the reason why the characters work as well as they do is because of the performances from both Austin Abrams and Lili Reinhart. Together, their chemistry is absolutely infectious. They feel so nuanced and quiet in their roles and feel as though they are incredibly close in real life too. Both of their performances here impressed me greatly and I cannot wait to see what else they do in the future.

    If there is something to complain about with the film, it would have to be the fact that we don’t get any time with side characters. The film introduces Henry’s school friends in the first act but doesn’t do a single thing with them whatsoever which was quite disappointing. They show up every once in a while but even still, they almost never show them talking to Henry. It almost feels as though they aren’t actually his friends at times which I’m sure wasn’t intentional.

    Plus, when you really boil it down, the movie feels a bit too much like other films in this genre. Like I said earlier though, it’s not too much of a bother when the execution is done right, even if the story can come across as somewhat familiar. Rest assured, the execution in Chemical Hearts is done wonderfully.

    Chemical Hearts beautifully captures the highs and lows of teenage life thanks to its nuanced and intimate screenplay and its wonderfully human lead performances.

  • Ladies And Gentlemen: Review

    Ladies And Gentlemen: Review

    By Rowan Malyon.

    This unique little film says a lot with very few words. A finalist in the Best Editing category at the 2020 Oregon Short Film Festival, Ladies And Gentlemen is an endearing film about finding your people and not changing yourself to fit in.

    This short follows Nan, an amateur comedian determined to succeed despite getting knocked back again and again. She deals with some of the worst obstacles anyone putting themselves out there can face: an apathetic audience, friends that don’t understand her humour, and her own self-doubt. Nan must decide whether to give the people what they want and stick to the status quo, or stay true to her own unique sense of humour, hoping someone will eventually understand.

    Directed by Gabriel Oliva and written by Torrey Richardson, Ladies And Gentlemen is visually stunning, and a treat to watch. The jumps between the real world and Nan’s happy place where she can be herself are seamless, and highlight just how much can be going on behind a person’s eyes when outwardly, they appear awkward and out of place. 

    Richardson also stars in the movie and turns Nan into an incredibly sympathetic and delightfully unusual character. She won the Best Actress award at the Austin Comedy Film Festival in 2019, and anyone can see why. From her delivery to her body language, Richardson oozes comedy. In fact, all the actors in this film, from the unfortunate audience members, to Nan’s supportive, yet weary friends make the film a joy to watch.

    Packing a ton of visuals into a short space, Ladies And Gentlemen encapsulates the ever-relatable fears we all face when dealing with major career crises, and the terrifying prospect of just being ourselves. The sharp, quirky humour of this award-winning short may leave you blinking in surprise before you start to laugh, but you will be won over by its earnest message about staying true to your own voice.