Chicago Critics Film Festival – May 5th through May 11th, 2023

Revoir Paris – Three months after surviving a terrorist attack in a bistro, Mia is still traumatized. In an effort to move forward, she investigates her memories and retraces her steps. Writer/Director Alice Winocour and starring Virginie Efira (Other People’s Children, Benedetta) as the woman who survived the attack, Grégoire Colin as her boyfriend who left before it happened and Benoît Magimel as another survivor who she meets upon her return to Paris. We were actually in Paris right after a similar terrorist attack on a restaurant hearing about how it affected those who experienced it.

Master Gardener – Academy Award® Director Paul Schrader’s deliberate crime thriller based  on his original screenplay follows Narvel Roth ( Joel Edgerton), Gracewood Garden horticulturist and the one who maintains the historic estate’s grounds of wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill’s (Sigourney Weaver). When she demands he make a new apprentice of her difficult great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell), everything changes revealing dark violent as well as family secrets.

BROTHER – Francis and Michael are brothers in a coming of age story for Caribbean immigrant young men exploring masculinity, identity, family history and romance that changes their lives forever among the emerging hip hop scene in Toronto. Set in 1991, their relationship in a tough but resilient community plus the power of music come to the fore. Not a lot of dialogue in this slow moving story, but excellent acting shows the range of emotions showing what it’s like to live as young Black men then and still difficult today.

A Disturbance in the Force in 1977 – Did you know there was a Star Wars Holiday Special on TV that only aired one time? This film moves at light speed interviewing everyone involved in creating this disastrous variety show to keep interest flowing for the new franchise. From George Lucas, Bruce Vilanch, Donny Osmond, Jon Favreau, Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovick, Bea Arthur and Paul Lind, Harrison Ford, talk and show the fits and starts making this imaginative mashup of sci fi, sketch comedy, musical production numbers which included dancing storm troopers. The show and this documentary are hilarious!

Kokomo City – Executive Produced by Lena Waithe, this film directed, produced and edited by D. Smith,  explores the lives of four transgender sex workers in New York and Georgia. Premiered at Sundance this year, it has already been set for release by Magnolia Pictures in July.

Passages -Two men who’ve been together for fifteen years have their lives turned upside down when one of them has an affair with a young woman. Director Ira Sachs co-wrote the script with Writer Mauricio Zacharias. Starring Franz Rogowski, Oscar nominated Ben Whishaw,  Adèle Exarchopoulos.

Waiting for the Light to Change – A very slow moving drama about changing relationships because of a simple yet impactful lifestyle change. This drama takes place over the course of a week-long beach side getaway where two women talk about how one’s recent dramatic weight loss has made her more than interested in her best friend’s new boyfriend. First feature from Director Linh Tran who co-wrote the film with Jewells Santos. Slamdance Jury Prize winner.

Blackberry -This feature film about the rise and fall of the revolutionary BlackBerry mobile phone reveals how young tech innovators came up with the device in 2000 and what happened when they let a marketing guy with money take over and run it into the ground. Directed by Matt Johnson who also stars in the film with Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel. Frustrating to watch when things start to turn south, but fascinating to see how tech communication started and what happened next.

Theater Camp – Trying to keep a rundown theater camp in upstate New York going, those running it get together with the beloved founder’s son. Tragedy strikes right before the summer session is set to begins and chaos ensues. Writer/Directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman also co-written by Noah Galvin and starring Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Amy Sedaris.

Sanctuary – A dramatic dark comedy follows dominatrix Rebecca (Emmy nominee Margaret Qualley), and her wealthy client, Hal (Christopher Abbott), as they engage in a high stakes role playing game for power and control. It’s an intriguing battle of wills taking place over one horrifying night. Directed by Zachary Wigon.