Babes – Pamela Adlon (screens in theaters nationwide starting today)
At the beginning of the film “Babes,” directed by Pamela Adlon, we start with two childhood best friends, Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), meeting for their Thanksgiving tradition of seeing a movie together in the theater. Dawn is close to having her second baby at that time, while Eden is living the single life. But it doesn’t matter that these two women are at different places in their lives, they are still deeply bonded by their relationship of growing up as best friends. Very quickly after their meeting, hilarity ensues one beat after the other. We jump to Eden taking Dawn to the hospital, and witnessing the birth of her second child with horror and awe, saying things like, ‘there’s nothing like seeing a gorgeous newborn baby covered in its mother’s shit.”
From there, we follow Eden into her journey of unexpectedly becoming a single mother, and making the choice to be one. That is important, seeing that choice being made onscreen. This film is so hilarious, joyful, and grounded in what it’s like to be a woman and a mother today. Jumping to the end, when we witness the birth of Eden’s baby, she says, “Having a person grow in a person, and come out of a person is like the most mind blowing thing and should be shown and talked about everywhere.” She says this with such joy and exuberance. My question is, ‘Why don’t we?’ And why aren’t girlfriends talking about these experiences more, and mothers talking about these experiences with their daughters? “Babes” shows us a world where that is possible. I’m so happy that this film exists.
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed – Joanna Arnow (now in theaters)
I had the great pleasure of interviewing filmmaker Joanna Arnow in 2015 about her galvanizing hour-long 2013 documentary, “I hate myself :)” (and was subsequently honored to be quoted on the official poster), as well as her Berlinale prize-winning short, “Bad at Dancing.” Her uproarious comics of quarantined life were a crucial comfort for my wife and me during the first years of the pandemic, and her extraordinary debut feature plays like the cinematic version of those piercingly observant and bracingly human vignettes, written, edited and performed brilliantly by Arnow. It was a joy to see her paired with Scott Cohen, a favorite of Rebecca’s and mine for his work in the bonkers miniseries “The 10th Kingdom,” and I can’t get enough of her real life parents, Barbara and David, who also appear in “I hate myself :)” (which is available for rental on Vimeo, while “Bad at Dancing” is streaming through the end of the month on the Criterion Channel). Don’t let this film’s titular feeling seep into your bones by missing Arnow’s picture on the big screen, as it is an euphorically unpredictable communal experience.
2015 interview with Joanna Arnow: JOANNA ARNOW ON “BAD AT DANCING,” “I HATE MYSELF :)”
Tell that to the Winter Sea – Jaclyn Bethany (May 31, 2024 – UK)
A masterfully crafted journey into womanhood, filled with captivating performances, stunning visuals and assured direction. The film brings me back to being a pre-teen and teenage, creating dances with my friends. That bond between girls when they are creating something in the world is rarely represented onscreen. “Tell that to the Winter Sea” brings that magic to the screen. It also shows us what it looks like when the girls who came of age together meet years later into womanhood. The colors, beautiful sea scapes, sunrises, and sharp script come together in a way that is breathtaking.
Interview coming soon with director Jaclyn Bethany, and co-writer and star Greta Bellamacina.
Ghostlight – Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson (June 14, 2024 – limited release)
Five years after helming one of my all-time favorite films, “Saint Frances,” writer/co-director Kelly O’Sullivan and co-director/producer Alex Thompson have done it again with their latest feature. It is a phenomenally powerful ode to the ways in which theatre and its tight-knit community can help us grapple with wounds too painful to articulate in everyday life. During the Q&A following the film’s Chicago premiere this month, I acknowledged the Mount Rushmore of local talent assembled both on and in front of the stage, including the legendary Deanna Dunagan (so unforgettable in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit”). One of the only key cast members not in attendance was Dolly DeLeon, the stunning actress who stole “Triangle of Sadness” and is captivating here as the community theatre actress who recruits a shattered man (Keith Kupferer) to perform in her scrappy production of “Romeo and Juliet.” What makes this film so special, above all, is its trio of tour de force performances from the Mallen Kupferer family: theatre veterans Keith (whose work here warrants comparison with De Niro) and the utterly electrifying Tara Mallen as well as their marvelous daughter, Katherine Mallen Kupferer. Katherine co-starred in my favorite film of 2023, Kelly Fremon Craig’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” and there’s no question that “Ghostlight” will rank highly among the very best films of 2024. Don’t miss this one when it opens at the Music Box on Friday, June 14th. It is a keeper.
Full feature and interview coming soon by Matt Fagerholm. Read our Sundance coverage on the film by Managing Editor, Rebecca Martin Fagerholm
Thelma – Josh Margolin (June 21, 2024 in theaters nationwide)
“Thelma” is a film that is unshakeably certain of itself. Its identity and intentions are clear, and executed at the peak of their potential with care, truth, and unabashed reality. Hilarious and moving, the film strikes a phenomenal balance between character investment and plotty excitement. Margolin’s script effortlessly transitions between these deeply empathetic asides and into sequences of pure slapstick amusement. With comedy as its platform, the film leaps off the precipice and becomes so much more mid-air, taking its viewers on a journey through each and every emotion, and landing gracefully with the ignition of the desire to hug your grandparents a little tighter next time.
Sundance 40 Review: June Squibb Shines in the Splendid Comedy, “Thelma”
