Chicago International Film Festival 2021- October 13th-October 24th

The Chicago International Film Festival Wednesday, October 13th through October 24th and we were there. These are the films you’ll be seeing in theaters. They include big centerpiece, foreign, and documentaries. We are screening and interviewing filmmakers to give you background on the films to watch for. For details, go to https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com.

The French Dispatch – There is so much to digest in this off-beat comedy which is an ode to the great Expat journalists whose work flourished in The New Yorker Magazine. Director Wes Anderson has assembled a huge cast to portray composite characters making up the editors, writers, artists, intellectuals, even a chef, whose work the director worshipped. Anderson takes even further the intricate detail he is known for in the appearance and demeanor of every eccentric, colorful writer and artist of that era. Bill Murray plays the editor who rides herd over their submissions. Cast includes A-listers, Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Stephen Park, Léa Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Henry Winkler, and more.

Dune – Director Denis Villeneuve’s (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi bestseller starring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in this huge sci-fi epic. The film is fascinating visually with big sets, exotic locations, a grotesque villain and explosive battles. Paul is a gifted young man born into royalty with a purpose he does not fully realize yet himself. He has to overcome evil, and his own fears, to bring justice and equality to a new dangerous planet to save his people and their future. Also starring Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. Watch our interview with the make-up, hair and prosthetic designer, Donald Mowat, who created the looks of legendary characters, especially the grotesque, bloated, floating Baron, and the challenges of applying makeup in a windy, sandy desert.

The Last Duel – Brutal but beautiful tale, as current as today, directed by Ridley Scott based on true events in 14th century France. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener wrote the script for this story of two friends turned bitter rivals when one is accused of raping the other’s wife which leads to a duel. Scott presents the events in 3 chapters from each of the main characters’ viewpoint. It is painful, but gripping and cinematically engaging depicting the events of this last sanctioned duel to the death between Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), for honor, truth and the punishment over the vicious rape by Le Gris of Carrouges’ wife, Marguerite(Jodie Comer). This is a Medieval #MeToo story and one that is chilling to the core as their stories unfold building to an extraordinary climax.

Spencer – The fascination with Britain’s Princess Diana lives on as Kristen Stewart delivers a spellbinding performance of the life and death of Britain’s sad but beloved royal icon. Pablo Larrain (Jackie, Neruda) creates his own version showing when relations changed in her marriage to Prince Charles, rumors of infidelity flying, impending divorce and keeping things civil in front of the press for royal family get togethers. Diana kept relatively quiet, until reaching a breaking point. Larrain’s study of Diana and the royal family delves deep into her psyche as well as that of the royal family. Also starring Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall.

King Richard– Will Smith in his best role since Ali Smith plays the father of Venus and Serena Williams who kept pushing them to shake up the tennis world and become the first Black female pros to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, Smith plays Richard Williams who raised his family of 5 girls in Compton as stern, driven, playful, loving and funny showing how he got what he wanted for his girls and his family. Aunjanue Ellis is a standout at Richard’s wife who had to fight for equal standing and the right to an opinion with her domineering husband. The film details racism and economic inequality of the sport as Richard showed the world how desire and talent is all that counts. Saniyya Sidney as Venus and Demi Singleton as Serena are another example of exceptional young actors. Also starring Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn, and Dylan McDermott.

C’mon C’mon – A decidedly unexpected tender turn for Joaquin Phoenix working with the smart, engaging Woody Norman in Mike Mills'(Beginners) sensitive and charming film about family responsibilities and relationships. The film, being in black and white, adds extra color to a road trip with a young nephew and his uncle who’s working on a podcast about kids and their thoughts on the future. Mills presents thoughtful insight into the mind of nephew Jessie, and children interviewed by Uncle Johnny for his podcast. All of the children interviewed spoke spontaneously. Phoenix and Norman have great chemistry using the script as a base adding some improvisation for a realistic relationship. Jessie’s Mom (Gabby Hoffman) asks her brother, Johnny, to take care of the boy when his Dad goes off the rails. Don’t miss these performances.

Passing – Stunning and striking film from actress and first time director Rebecca Hall. Rebecca Hall in her directorial debut, uses 4:3 ratio black-and-white cinematography for this exquisite adaptation of Nella Larsen’s acclaimed 1929 Harlem Renaissance novel. Tessa Thompson plays a refined, upper-class 1920s woman who finds refuge from a hot summer day in the grand tearoom of New York City’s Drayton Hotel when Ruth Negga as Clare. Old high school chums, both are African American women who can “pass” as white and they have chosen to live on opposite sides of the color line. Their differences don’t stop there. Thompson is calm, restrained and boiling under the surface. Negga is ebullient, but tragic in her own way. Each hold back other secrets to live the life they want. The cinematography depicting 1920’s New York, the costumes, makeup, particularly the hats, is absolutely exquisite. 

Madeleine Collins – This thriller is one of our favorites in this festival. Director Antoine Barraud meticulously plans every step of this woman who lives a secret double life. Strikingly beautiful Judith (Virginie Efira) plays Margot or Madeleine, depending on who she’s with at the time. She uses her job as a translator to bounce between families. Her emotional performance as two very different women is well differentiated. In a modest home in Geneva, she and Abdel (Quim Gutiérrez) are quietly raising a young daughter. Meanwhile, in Paris, Judith enjoys a glamorous, high-profile life with Melvil (Bruno Salomone), a sought-after orchestra conductor, and their two boys. Barraud slowly reveals how this situation came to be and how it starts to unravel leading Margot/Madeleine to facing it head-on. Heartwarmingly maternal at times, filled with tension at others, riveting from start to the surprise ending.

Bergman Island – A writing residency for two American filmmakers (Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth) on Sweden’s Fårö island, where legendary film director Ingmar Bergman made his home and shot many of his films. Being there gives inspiration as well as misgivings about their projects as well as each other as they attempt to create their own screenplays. This is a movie within a movie also starring Mia Wasikowska. They try to gain as much as possible from their Bergman immersive experience baring memories of their own as they try to separate fiction from their own reality. Beautiful landscapes along with excellent performances follow the interaction and relationship between these two creatives and others they encounter. But much, like Bergman’s films (The Father of My children, Things to Come)  is a bit disturbing and confounding.

Julia – Academy award-winning documentarians, Julie Cohen and Betsy West (RBG), direct an inspiring film showing the impact of French cooking master Julia Child  on gourmet cooking, but even more, on opportunities for women in all fields. Julia fought to create a path of her own at 50 years-old as TV celebrity and author of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”  which has sold 2.5 million copies to date. She was the first male or female to have a show on the fledgling PBS network. This film will make you hungry, not only for food, but for empowerment of women. Archival footage shows Julia’s charming, buoyant personality in everything she tackled, including her beautiful love story with supportive husband, Paul.  There are photos cooking and with family, plus Julia, herself, presenting delicacies that will make you drool. We will be interviewing the Directors Cohen and West about making the film and our brief connection with Julia Child.

Paris 13th District les Olympiades – Filmmaker Audiard (Dheepan, A Prophet) transforms three short graphic novels by New Yorker illustrator Adrian Tomine  exposing graphically, ramifications of sex, dating, and romance in today’s world. Lucie Zhang as Emilie is hard to like at first, but when she develops a “friends with benefits” relationship with new roommate Camille (Makita Samba), her perceptions and outspoken nature throw this girl for a loop. Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s Noémie Merlant lights up the screen as Nora trying to make new friends after moving to Paris. But she gets in big trouble when people mistake her for looking just like on line sex personality, Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth). Awkward situations, relationships, attitudes about sex, friendship and romance abound. Beautiful in black-and-white, it was written by Audiard with Portrait’s Celine Sciamma and Léa Mysius (Ava).

Broadcast Signal Intrusion – Set in Chicago, this peaked our interest having worked in Chicago broadcast news. It’s a horror film with enough tense moments aided by scary background noise and music. But the uneven plot, directed by Jacob Gentry, holds a lot of bad decisions made by the lead character, AV tech whiz James (Crazy Rich Asians’s Harry Shum Jr.). In 1999, James comes across the weird video tape of an old news program from November 22, 1987. A scary bleeding masked figure was hacked into a broadcast on two Chicago TV stations. Investigated, but never solved, James becomes obsessed with finding out how, especially when there might be a connection to the unsolved disappearance of his wife years earlier. Some compare it to Antonioni’s classic Blow-Up and paranoid cinema of the ’70’s, but this throwback thriller has so many holes in the story line. Seedy characters appear out of nowhere to help James. Why does he trust them? And when he’s being followed, why does he deliberately go down that empty dark alley? A lot of it doesn’t make sense.

Oscar Michaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking– Director Francesco Zippel present this incredible archive of the work of this virtually unknown African American film director. We had never heard of him before seeing this detailed compilation of his work. Michau first directed silent movies in the 1920’s and then was one of, if not the first, to make films with sound in the 1930’s. Michaux was a self-made entrepreneur who wrote novels he made into movies. He was born in Metropolis, Illinois, but bought land and shot films in South Dakota, (unheard of at the time), moved to make more in Harlem in New York City. He’s been labeled “The most successful African American director of the first half of the 20th century” making more than 44 films. This documentary shows how extraordinary this man was  making films dealing with racism so early in motion pictures. Interviews with everyone from Chuck D to Melvin van Peebles talking about this unsung motion picture pioneer and his incredible accomplishments.

Punch 9 for Harold Washington – Writer/Producer Joe Winston meticulously follows the campaign and election of the first African-American Mayor of Chicago. Politics is sport in the city that works, and the film covers every bit of the jockeying done for position and power, and the charismatic candidate who knew just what the city was looking for after Mayor Daley died and the next two Mayors failed miserably. In what is considered one of the most racially divided cities, the people were through with the White power brokers. Winston curates an amazing amount of archival footage which brings back memories. Much of what you see was shot while we were both working in TV News at WBBM (CBS) Channel 2 and at WLS (ABC) Channel 7. The film tackles his legacy and compares progress, if any regarding race then and now. Producers, Raymond Lambert and Sonya Jackson.

Citizen Ashe-Tennis star Arthur Ashe broke barriers to become the first Black man to win the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open—at the height of the civil rights movement in the ’60s and ‘70s. Filmmakers Rex Miller and Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me) show his heartbreaking yet uplifting story following the loss of his mother at the age of 6, racism from childhood and while trying to succeed in conservative pro tennis world, a heart attack and later complications. Miller and Pollard include personal interviews with his wife about family life.  They also show how, despite Ashe’s race and health challenges, he used his celebrity to become an activist fighting for the oppressed in the U.S. and South Africa.  Interviews with Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, Citizen Ashe also reveal this true champion, both on and off the court.

Meet Pete– Director Jesse Moss (Boys State) follows the campaign conducted by Pete Buttigieg in his mission to become the youngest and first openly LGBTQ U.S. president. The film goes behind the rallies to show Pete with his staff from the earliest days of the campaign. It also shows his warm relationship with his husband Chasten. The couple recently became parents for the first time, adopting a baby. It’s a hard road to the White House and this film shows Mayor Pete’s triumphs, like his unexpected victory in Iowa,  how he and his staff made strategic moves to continue, and how it affected Pete and those around him. Moss shows that it’s an uphill battle to fight for what you believe in and to stay true to who you are. Mayor Pete is now Cabinet Member Pete, United States Secretary of Transportation. We will be interviewing Director Jesse Moss.

Drive My Car – Not knowing that this film was 3 hours long when we decided to see it, we were surprised that it kept our attention and curiosity to see where it was going, from beginning to end. It is about  successful stage actor/director Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) whose wife, beautiful screenwriter Oto (Reika Kirishima) has a strange way of relaying stories while they are making love which her husband makes into movies. He finds out there’s more going on with her when he’s not around, but when Oto suddenly dies, he is left broken. Two years later, Kafuku, reluctantly takes a job directing a multilingual version of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya at a theater festival. He hires driver, Misaki, another lonely soul, to take him on the long rides listening to recordings of his productions to Hiroshima for painful rehearsals. In the process, you get to know the characters involved in his life, overlapping in his production, and the healing process of his connecting with these people on this lengthy film journey. A little slow and confusing at times, but a beautiful and emotional, it is a complicated piece of filmmaking.

Robust – Legendary French actor Gerard Depardieu plays a diva of sorts as film star Georges complains too much, doesn’t show up or train too much and eats too much. He really gets upset when the bodyguard he knows and trusts leaves a substitute for a couple of weeks. She is Aïssa, (Déborah Lukumuena), an amateur women’s wrestling champion. He bucks her trying to change his bad habits and behavior so he can get on the right path getting him ready for an upcoming role. Depardieu is frustrating but comical and despite his protestations, the two form a friendship as they begin to affect each other’s lives.  Director Constance Meyer keeps it light but effective in creating their unlikely connection. Fun and enjoyable seeing these two opposites interact.