KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “Brother,” “Revoir Paris,” and “Starring Jerry As Himself”

by Kyle Sanders

The 10th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival has come to a close! I must say as a first time reviewer, I enjoyed the experience immensely and look forward to doing it all again next year.

Here are some final thoughts of the remaining titles I had on my watchlist:

Brother

It's difficult for me to pinpoint just what kind of story Brother wants to tell. Is it about the bond between two siblings born to immigrant parents? A drama about race relations in Scarborough? A gritty take on gang violence and police brutality? Or is it an intimate tale about Black lives? Perhaps it's a little of everything.

From the start, we're introduced to Francis and Michael, two close-knit brothers about to do something dangerous and stupid, but nevertheless, together.

Francis is the oldest, and naturally, Michael defers to Francis for everything. Living in a small apartment with their single Caribbean mother who works late shifts in order to provide for her family, the brothers are often left alone to their own devices.

As they grow older, it's clear Michael is the more studious and obedient of the two. Francis on the other hand--well, nothing is going to get in the way of his dreams.

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KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “Past Lives” and “Kokomo City”

by Kyle Sanders

We're at the halfway point of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, but the lineup doesn't appear to be running out of steam! Here are two impressive films from first-time filmmakers (both of which I'm only allowed to provide mini-capsule reviews), but let me tell ya, they're both quite good!

Past Lives

Think of the endless connections you make in the course of your lifetime. Even something as meaningless as a slight brush against a stranger's sleeve could be caused by events from thousands of years ago connecting you to that person. This Korean philosophy is known as "in-yun," which describes the ties between two people over the course of their lives.

In Past Lives, Nora and Hae Sung are two childhood friends who, in the span of twenty-four years, are torn apart, reconnect online, then finally reunite face to face. Despite separate time zones and different countries, fate keeps their lives intertwined.

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KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “Master Gardener” and “Passages”

by Kyle Sanders

Master Gardener

From acclaimed filmmaker Paul Schrader (First Reformed, The Card Counter), comes this story about a fastidious horticulturist named Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) who is tasked by his wealthy and eccentric employer (Sigourney Weaver) to take on her grand-niece as a new apprentice.

Just like the anti-hero from his Taxi Driver screenplay, Schraeder presents us with another "Travis Bickle-esque" character (only this time with a green thumb!) inspired to rescue a young damsel-in-distress while combating his own dark secrets that refuse to stay buried. Master Gardener continues the trend of Schrader's recent films about tortured men reckoning with the past, present, and future.

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KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “The Unknown Country” and “A Disturbance In the Force”

by Kyle Sanders

The Unknown Country

Is there an unspoken rule about "road trip" movies that requires a character to learn something? To have an "ah-ha" moment of some sort? Perhaps it's the many hours spent behind the wheel, passing the flickering buzz of neon signs belonging to motels and gas stations, or the neverending route to anywhere as you find yourself feeling insignificant surrounded by an ever-expansive landscape. You can do some serious thinking on these journeys--especially when you're out on your own.

This is Tana's situation in The Unknown Country. Still grieving the death of her grandmother, Tana (Lily Gladstone) reunites with her estranged Lakota family in the Badlands area of South Dakota. The visit takes her on an unexpected road trip toward the Texas-Mexico border, as she learns more about the wild and precious life of her grandmother's past and how she will carry forth her own generation in time.

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