KSanders writesThe 59th Annual Chicago International Film Fest—That’s a Wrap!

by Kyle Sanders

And that's a wrap for the 59th Annual Chicago International Film Festival! Surprisingly, I managed to check out OVER 30 TITLES, but some were too singular and atypical to include in my previous posts. Here's a quick shout-out to those films:

The Beautiful Summer (Italy)

The Bride (Rwanda)

The Crime is Mine (France)

Eric Larue (U.S.)

The Hypnosis (Sweden/Norway/France)

In water (South Korea)

The People's Joker (U.S./Canada/Scotland)

Poor Things (U.S.)

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KSanders writesSomething’s Out There: Reviews of “Family Portrait,” “Late Night with the Devil,” “Alien Island,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Raging Grace,” and “Carnal Sins”

by Kyle Sanders

Monsters, Aliens, and Satan--oh my! The Chicago International Film Festival certainly showcases a variety of powerful dramas and quirky comedies, but it also delights in serving up some chilling films perfect for Fright Nights and Midnight Movies.

It all stems from CIFF's "After Dark" Program, which I must say, I enjoy. It provides that wildly fun, spine-tingling escape to help cleanse my palate after getting bogged down by more serious cinema.

Not all of the films mentioned in this article were part of the After Dark Program, but still managed to creep me out juuuuuuuust enough to include. Read on, if you dare!

Family reunions can be hell, and it seems like the family in Family Portrait (U.S) might be living in one as well. Taking place on a bright and springy day disquieting enough for the likes of Ari Aster and David Lynch, this cinematic fever dream involves a family gathering that should be culminating with said portrait, if not for the disappearance of the family matriarch.

This film crawls right under your skin, especially with lines like "When are we going to take the picture?" taking on a whole new level of creepiness in the same vein as Marathon Man's "Is it safe?"

Family Portrait

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KSanders writesThicker Than Water: Reviews of “All Happy Families,” “Solitude,” “In the Rearview,” “All of Us Strangers,” and “Hard Miles”

by Kyle Sanders

There are the families that we're born into and the families we choose to belong to. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. A lot of the titles I've seen at the Chicago International Film Festival have provided intimate glimpses of families bound by blood and those melded together by circumstance. 

The first of these titles, All Happy Families (U.S.) references the famous quote by Tolstoy that begins the film: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." The unhappy family in question here is the Landry's, specifically Graham, who is an out-of-work actor constantly under the shadow of his more successful brother, Will.

As he tries to lease out the first floor of his two-flat, Graham's brother unexpectedly arrives, and with the help of his recently retired mother and gambling addict father, Graham spruces up the place in the hope his former crush will move in.

All Happy Families

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