The Chicago International Film Festival October 12th – 23rd, 2022

The Chicago International Film Festival begins October 12th running through October 23rd. We will be covering films, interviewing directors, writers and cast for feature and documentary films as well as the events surrounding this, the 58th year for the festival and will continue to update. We have already screened some and will add our capsule reviews now and during the festiva. For details on the films, who will be attending and how to get tickets, go to https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/tickets/

A COMPASSIONATE SPY – Award winning director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) creates a portrait of a brilliant nuclear physicist hired at the age of 18 to work on the Manhattan Project. That is what created the devastating atomic bomb dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Through meticulous directing of rarely seen interviews of Ted Hall, his wife Joan and 2 of his daughters, James recounts how the young man worked on the top secret project and why he shared the information with Russia. James reveals Hall’s thinkingt that by having 2 countries with nuclear power, it might keep the world safer, causing them to think better of using it. against each other and obliterating our world.  Joan Hall and her daughters are so open and frank about their life, love, fears, painting an incredibly detailed portrait of the husband and father they loved and respected so much.

Nanny – Director Nikyatu Jusu uses lighting to create remarkable images in this supernatural flavored story following the new nanny of a rich couple in New York City taking care of their little 5-year-old daughter, Rose.  Anna Diop in a striking performance as the Nanny who longs to bring her own son from Senegal  on his birthday. She has extremely emotional, demonic dreams, masterfully visualized by Jusu. It doesn’t help that the family she is working for is dysfunctional and continues to forget to pay her the money owed for taking care of their child and that she needs desperately to bring her son to New York. Michelle Monaghan plays the frazzled professional trying to be the perfect Mom whose husband is often out of town and has other things on his mind. Diop is a captivating presence on screen showing a range of emotions in this story of an immigrant female missing her home, having to learn American ways. Watch for our interview with Anna Drop. 

The Whale – Director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Black Swan) has been receiving kudos since the World Premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival. Brendan Fraser is a revelation as Charlie, a 600 pound reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity, self loathing and depression who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter (Sadie Sink) for one last chance at redemption. The Whale is an intimate and captivating drama about sexuality and addiction, body and spirit, based on the acclaimed stage play by Samuel D. Hunter who co-wrote the tense, emotional screenplay. Fraser delivers a searing, soulful performance whose vulnerability is more than evident and truly moving, supported by Sink, Hong Chau and Samantha Morton. We also attended the film festival’s Industry Days, Darren Aronofsky’s Master Class in Directing.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Writer/Director Rian Johnson assembles another huge cast of  A-listers in another intricate whodunit with Daniel Craig reprising his role as the drawling Detective Benoit Blanc. This time he travels to Greece to examine a new set of suspects that include Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and Kathryn Hahn. What a thrilling ride with plenty twists and turns, trying to follow the clues to try and outsmart Blanc. No spoilers here. A lot more fun when you don’t know what’s coming. In Q&A at the Music Box Theatre, Hahn praised Johnson’s being so generous with the cast, pulling them together like a family during the pandemic in a fun excursion in the most luxurious backdrop of Serbia and Greece. Hahn received a Career Achievement Award from the Chicago International Film Festival in person at the screening of the film.

Women Talking – Everybody’s talking about this provocative drama about suppression and violence against women,  empowerment, devout religion, freedom, education and even being transgender. Sarah Polley directs Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey with Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand in this taught and tense film based on the best-selling novel by Miriam Toews based on real events in Bolivia. The film follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of brutal sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. Can they find a way out of their suppressed existence by working together against the men without using violence themselves? Polley and Cinematographer Luc Montpellier were in attendance for Q & A discussing the specific decisions they made about the look of the film, as well as how she had the cast rehearse in a way that totally engaged ensemble, keeping each of their characters with their own persona.

Louis Armstrong”s Black and Blues – Director Sacha Jenkins, takes a deep dive into the personal life of renowned trumpet player and jazz founder,  Louis Armstrong. Never-before seen home movies give an intimate portrait of the “Father of Jazz” also using clippings, scrapbooks and audio recordings to illuminate his life. Everyone on the bandstand knew the music icon’s feelings about the racism he experienced as a boy in New Orleans, and as a musician. It also expresses his feelings about people who tarnished his image regarding civil rights, using salty language in private, but always greeting his fans with that big toothy smile and a positive outlook known for singing “What a Wonderful World.” His greatest treasure was the love of his life, his 4th wife, Lucille, who knew exactly how to handle him. Watch our interview with Director SACHA JENKINS about using Armstrong’s own recordings and adding animation of collages ad clippings to create this history of Sachmo, including his thoughts on racism.

Raymond and Ray – This quirky film was one of the most enjoyable watches of the festival. It’s filled with surprises. Director Rodrigo García directs Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as half-brothers at the funeral of their father who was less than a shining example of fatherhood to both of them. This anti-buddy road trip to Dad’s funeral is a chance for them to reinvent themselves. Plenty of sarcasm and raw feelings as they discover more about their father’s checkered past than they could have ever imagined, and what he willed them to do. McGregor and Hawke are funny as they find out more than enough about their own family history.  Watch for our interview. 

If These Walls Could Sing – Director Mary McCartney uses interviews with music icons including Elton John, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page, Pink Floyd, Celeste,  John Williams, Hans Zimmer and of, course, Dad, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and their music, to create this incredibly detailed and enthralling debut documentary of the history and magic of Abbey Road. Mary relays going to the Beatles’ iconic studio since she was in her mother’s womb! She follows the music and the business, showing classical to rock and even the James Bond movie themes sung by Shirley Bassey, with priceless archive footage recording in the studio. What a treat having Mary in attendance and so forthcoming doing Q & A, even talking about interviewing her Dad!

Corsage – Winner of the Silver Hugo for best performance, Vicky Krieps is one crazy royal without any power who uses whatever she can to establish her own. Krieps is magnetic as the Empress  of Austria who resents only being a tool for the King to have more heirs. Writer/Director Maria Kreutzer has Krieps doing outlandish behavior such as smoking, taking off at will, talking back to the the king, changing her look, and fighting back against that her worth was tied up in her appearance especially how constrained she could with how tight they tied her corset, also called the corsage. Kreutzer uses contemporary music over the period piece to project that even today, things have not changed that much. Women being constrained by duty, appearance and a corset (being thin) is still current today. Just the trappings change. Beautiful set design, costuming, cinematography shot in Vienna and Luxembourg.

Empire of Light – What an exquisite film about film and the people who made the magic happen in a jewel of a theater in an English seaside town in the early 1980’s. Sam Mendes directs Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Micheal Ward, Toby Jones, Ron Cook, Rosemary Bates in a romantic drama about a woman abused by her boss who falls for a young Black man under her tutelage at this jewel of a theater. Both have their own pasts and problems but find solace, support and love against the backdrop of racism and female oppression.  Colman portrays, once again, a multi-faceted characters with incredible range. This is also a jewel of a film that flows with beautiful visuals and well developed characters.

No Ordinary Campaign – Director Christopher Burke creates a powerful film following Chicago couple Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya. They fell in love working on the Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, married and started a family, but Brian was diagnosed with ALS at 37 and given 6 months to live. A former athlete and lawyer in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the couple worked together challenging the broken medical system, going all the way to Washington D.C to create a movement which changed FDA rules for experimental drugs in a successful campaign. Brian is still going strong 6 years after his diagnosis.

Call Jane– Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver star Phyllis Nagy,(screenwriter for Carol) directs, about a suburban housewife in 1968 looking to terminate a possible life-threatening pregnancy. Based on true events of the Jane Collective; a group of women who helped provide thousands of abortions over 4 years in Chicago arranging safe procedures through secretive efforts in the late 1960’s. Elizabeth Banks in an unusual dramatic and human role with comedic overtones. Sigourney Weaver is unexpectedly sharp, crusty and compassionate as their field general. Wunmi Mosaku fills out the ensemble with pointed criticism of the racial divide. A well-crafted call to action and activism when we are now facing the changing political and social challenges for women seeking abortions. Also see The Janes documentary about the group of women who started organizing in the 1960’s in Chicago.