Review: “The Greatest Hits” | The Cinema Files https://thecinemafiles.com The ultimate source for all things Film and Pop Culture based. Thu, 28 Mar 2024 19:41:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://i0.wp.com/thecinemafiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Profile1.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Review: “The Greatest Hits” | The Cinema Files https://thecinemafiles.com 32 32 102762918 Review: “The Greatest Hits” https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/28/review-the-greatest-hits/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-the-greatest-hits https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/28/review-the-greatest-hits/#respond Thu, 28 Mar 2024 19:37:39 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12794 Music, more than anything, has the power to evoke powerful emotional memories in a way that no other medium can. Boston’s song “More Than a Feeling” does an exquisite job musically describing this phenomenon. Another lesser known and melancholier example is Dave Potts’ “Old Chevelle.The Greatest Hits (Ned Benson, 2024) is trying to capture this experience on film, but with a twist.

Synopsis

The Greatest Hits stars Lucy Boyton (Sing Street, Bohemian Rhapsody) as Harriett. Harriett is a prodigy ex-music producer who is mourning the loss of her boyfriend, Max (David Corenswet). It’s been several years since the accident that took his life, but she is unable to move on. The reason she can’t move on is that whenever she hears a song that they listened to together, she literally goes back in time to that moment.

The random time traveling forces Harriett to lead a disabled life. She can’t go anywhere where music is played for fear that it would cause her to become unconscious and go back. She attends a grief support group but doesn’t find any relief until she meets another person in grief (Justin H. Min). Together they explore different facets of not moving on.

Review

The main theme of the film is how humans move on from loss. We have to let go, but sometimes that feels both harsh and to the memory of the person we are mourning and impossible. I found the metaphor of treating Harriett’s trauma and depression as a disability very powerful. However, I don’t think the film stuck the landing at the end. The script writes itself into a corner that really doesn’t pay off as much as I wanted it to.

The performances are wonderful on all fronts. Lucy Boynton gives a pitch perfect performance in her depiction of a grieving window. Justin H. Min (whose character is not given a name in the film) also does a great job, bringing a steadying presence.

As would be expected of a film like this, the diegetic, memory-evoking songs are really great. It’s pretty clear that the filmmakers partnered with Spotify, as it’s mentioned a number of times and several of the tracks are Spotify exclusive. And Composer Ryan Lott (Everything Everywhere All at Once) successfully fills the rest of the film with a beautifully understated score.

The Bottom Line

The Greatest Hits is an earnest attempt at using the evocative power of music as a metaphor for grief. It mostly works but didn’t stick the landing.

It is scheduled to have a limited theatrical release on April 5, 2024, and on Hulu in the United States on April 12, 2024.

 

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Las Vegas Screening – ABIGAIL https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/las-vegas-screening-abigail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=las-vegas-screening-abigail https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/las-vegas-screening-abigail/#respond Sun, 24 Mar 2024 05:37:06 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12790 You’re invited to the advanced screening of

ABIGAIL

 

Regal Red Rock
Wednesday, April 17
7 PM
Link: http://gofobo.com/ABCINFLV

 

*Please note/As always: RSVPs do NOT guarantee seats at the screening. The theater is overbooked to ensure capacity and seating is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests are encouraged to arrive early. You and your guests must enter the auditorium together.

 

Children can be such monsters.

After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the GroundZombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Screamfranchise, Ready or Not)

 

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Phoenix Screening – ABIGAIL https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/phoenix-screening-abigail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=phoenix-screening-abigail https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/phoenix-screening-abigail/#respond Sun, 24 Mar 2024 05:33:02 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12787 You’re invited to the advanced screening of

ABIGAIL

Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square
Wednesday, April 17
7 PM
Link:  http://gofobo.com/ABCINFPHX

 

*Please note/As always: RSVPs do NOT guarantee seats at the screening. The theater is overbooked to ensure capacity and seating is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests are encouraged to arrive early. You and your guests must enter the auditorium together.

 

Children can be such monsters.

After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the GroundZombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Screamfranchise, Ready or Not)

 

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Raleigh Screening – ABIGAIL https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/raleigh-screening-abigail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=raleigh-screening-abigail https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/raleigh-screening-abigail/#respond Sun, 24 Mar 2024 05:03:55 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12785 You’re invited to the advanced screening of

ABIGAIL

 

Raleigh Screening Details: 

Date: Wednesday, April 17 @ 7:00 PM

Location: AMC Southpoint

Tickets/Passes: 25 admit-two passes (50 seats total)

Link: http://gofobo.com/AFILESral417

Code: AFILESral417   (case sensitive)

 

*Please note/As always: RSVPs do NOT guarantee seats at the screening. The theater is overbooked to ensure capacity and seating is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests are encouraged to arrive early. You and your guests must enter the auditorium together.

 

Children can be such monsters.

After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the GroundZombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Screamfranchise, Ready or Not)

 

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Charlotte Screening – ABIGAIL https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/charlotte-screening-abigail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=charlotte-screening-abigail https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/charlotte-screening-abigail/#respond Sun, 24 Mar 2024 04:53:45 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12783 You’re invited to the advanced screening of

ABIGAIL

 

Charlotte Screening Details: 

Date: Wednesday, April 17 @ 7:00 PM

Location: AMC Concord Mills

Tickets/Passes: 25 admit-two passes (50 seats total)

Link: http://gofobo.com/AFILESclt417

Code: AFILESclt417 (case sensitive)

 

*Please note/As always: RSVPs do NOT guarantee seats at the screening. The theater is overbooked to ensure capacity and seating is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests are encouraged to arrive early. You and your guests must enter the auditorium together.

 

Children can be such monsters.

After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the GroundZombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Screamfranchise, Ready or Not)

 

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Atlanta Screening – ABIGAIL https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/atlanta-screening-abigail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=atlanta-screening-abigail https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/atlanta-screening-abigail/#respond Sun, 24 Mar 2024 04:34:13 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12779 You’re invited to the advanced screening of

ABIGAIL

 

Atlanta Screening Details: 

Date: Wednesday, April 17 @ 7:00 PM

Location: AMC Parkway Pointe

Tickets/Passes: 25 admit-two passes (50 seats total)

Link: http://gofobo.com/AFILESatl417

Code: AFILESatl417 (case sensitive)

*Please note/As always: RSVPs do NOT guarantee seats at the screening. The theater is overbooked to ensure capacity and seating is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests are encouraged to arrive early. You and your guests must enter the auditorium together.

 

Children can be such monsters.

After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the GroundZombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Screamfranchise, Ready or Not)

 

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Review: “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/review-ghostbusters-frozen-empire/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-ghostbusters-frozen-empire https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/23/review-ghostbusters-frozen-empire/#respond Sun, 24 Mar 2024 02:54:39 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12766 It’s been just over two years since the surprisingly endearing “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” hit theaters.  Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan have once again teamed up to write the script, but this time Gil Kenan has taken over directing.  Many were caught off guard that Reitman had not returned to direct, given how close this franchise is to his heart.  Fortunately, Gil Kenan has a history of directing creepy movies, including 2006’s “Monster House.”  But does he have what it takes to strap on a proton back and bust ghosts in a way that makes audiences feel good?

The pre-title sequence starts strong with a chilling supernatural event.  It’s 1904 in New York City.  Firefighters from Hook & Ladder 8 are called to respond to panicked screams coming from behind locked doors at a meeting of the Manhattan Adenvture Society. (A fictionalized version of the real The Adventurers’ Club of New York) As the doors are breached, they encounter a ghastly scene with only one survivor and an ancient brass orb that becomes the demonic MacGuffin for the rest of the film.

Jumping forward to modern times, we see that the Speilgler family, including Gary (Paul Rudd) are now living in the iconic firehouse and are official Ghostbusters 24/7.  Well, almost officially. 16-year-old Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) exists somewhere between hobby, child labor, and child endangerment. Something Mayor Peck (William Atherton) is quick to point out.  To avoid being shut down (again) Phoebe is grounded, while Gary, Callie (Carrie Coon), and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) continue bustin’.  The upside is she gets to spend more time with the OG Ghostbusters.  Winston (Ernie Hudson), revealed to be a very successful philanthropist in “Afterlife,”  now has a group of Spectral-Engineers who continue to research the spirit world.   Ray (Dan Aykroyd) spends the bulk of his time in his odd occult shop but misses the excitement of grabbing ghouls.  This leads to one of the best (non-action) sequences in the film, where Ray takes Phoebe to the NY Library to meet an expert on artifacts, (Patton Oswalt).

As a Ghostbusters flick, this movie works well.  It follows a very familiar format, has fun one-liners, almost approaches “scary” occasionally, and is packed with characters we enjoy spending time with.  The fan service is handled with care, although there may be a bit too much of it.  If they expect to make more of these, it would serve them well to spread the nostalgia a bit more thin.  It’s nice they are including more elements from “The Real Ghostbusters,” but it’s pointless to show something the fans will appreciate but then do nothing with it.

On a more critical level, the narrative of any Ghostbusters movie will always suffer from the same problem, although it feels more blatant in “Frozen Empire.”  When battling spirit forces, there are usually only two kinds.  The basic ones that only need to be chased and captured, and the end-of-the-world, apocalyptic demons immune to proton packs.  This has happened in each movie.  If you can’t fight back, you have to outsmart the villain.  If the villain is incapable of killing off any of our heroes, the rest generally have to stand around until one or two characters figure out a solution.  And while this script is generally good, the foreshadowing is laid on so heavily that there’s not a single surprise in the movie.  The great, yet unnecessary, Robert Frost poem at the opening of the movie would have been much better if shown after the climax.

As a whole, “Frozen Empire” is certainly flawed, but it’s fun, enjoyable, and made for fans by lovers of the original movies.  It may not satisfy everyone, but it does leave us wanting more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Review: “Late Night with the Devil” https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/22/review-late-night-with-the-devil/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-late-night-with-the-devil https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/22/review-late-night-with-the-devil/#respond Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:15:20 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12775 Content today thrives on existing intellectual properties, where creativity feels boxed in. Rare exceptions, such as the recently released “Dune Part Two” manage to break through with audiences. The glut of content on streaming means that the audience is watching and immediately asking, “what’s next?” Cameron and Colin Cairnes’ “Late Night with the Devil” provides a creatively fantastic highly inventive, and intriguing answer to that question.

“Late Night with the Devil” features David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, a contemporary to Johnny Carson in the late-night talk and variety show race. Delroy hosts Night Owls with Jack Delroy. The Cairnes’, who also co-wrote the screenplay, set their humble story on Halloween night, 1977, in which havoc ensues as Delroy interviews Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), a parapsychologist who has been treating a young teenager, the sole survivor of a Satanic church’s mass suicide.

Dastmalchian is fantastic as Delroy; poised, committed, and a truth seeker with ease as a host and interviewer, even as tough questions arise, most of which come from Ian Bliss’ Carmichael the Conjurer, who is more skeptical than the audience. Then there’s Fayssal Bazzi’s Christou, a psychic medium and aside from Delroy, probably one of the more fascinating characters.

Although many key elements make “Late Night with the Devil” a success, the key is in the Cairnes’ attention to the period the story is set in, from set design to costumes, right down to the social ingenue that captured the world’s attention. If Night Owls with Jack Delroy were a real show, it would have found a captive audience, that’s how convincing the Cairnes’ work is.

The story wears its influences on its sleeves, including the variety that Carson brought late-night audiences to their televisions, the cynicism of “Network,” and the horror of “The Exorcist,” each speaks not only to the story itself but the aspects of society at the time that an audience might connect with in the late 70s. If “Late Night with the Devil” were only focused on the look and feel of the 1970s for its scant 94-minute run time, it would be a winner.

Looks and feels are not the only thing going for “Late Night with the Devil.” The shock and awe of what the audience witnessed, what the camera captured, right down to Delroy himself, the Cairnes’ truly captured a palpable experience. Dastmalchian is key to holding the entire affair together, and he succeeds brilliantly, emanating an unexpected empathy while in front of the camera; the character development of Delroy and his entire arc are full and rich, a part of the film’s palpability.

Ingrid Torelli nearly steals the show as Lilly, the sole survivor under Dr. Ross-Mitchell’s care. The character never comes across as puppeted, another ingredient in anchoring the film’s suspension of disbelief, incredulity one might even say. The Cairnes’ carefully orchestrates Delroy’s and Lilly’s movements toward the episode’s and film’s revelations, and Matthew Temple’s cameras capture each movement convincingly.

If you’ve read past reviews, horror is not a go-to genre. There is no shame in admitting that and a colleague inquired, “why review this movie”; yet, upon reading the cast list, genuine intrigue arose when David Dastmalchian’s name was in the lead credit position. The actor, who’s had smaller roles up to this point, is a chameleon, reminiscent of actor Brad Dourif. Like Dourif, Dastmalchian disappears into his role.

“Late Night with the Devil” is exceptional filmmaking a timely story, a timeless look, and a superb performance from David Dastmalchian. The movie hits theaters this weekend and will be available on Shudder, on April 19th.

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Review: “Road House” (2024) https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/22/review-road-house-2024/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-road-house-2024 https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/22/review-road-house-2024/#respond Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:59:39 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12771 Right from the “get,” any reimagining of a classic, cult film is going to be scrutinized up, down, left, and right.  Doug Liman’s “Road House,” a re-imagination of Rowdy Harrington’s 1989 classic film should be no exception. Yet, in this day and age, with streamers full of content and rights to retool anything in their libraries, evaluating reimaginings on their own merits, without bringing in their origin stories or making a comparison toward their origins is a challenge. Yet, they deserve a completely fair shake.

On the one hand, one could look at Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance, and walk away from this movie, saying “that was a lot of fun.” As Elwood Dalton, Gyllenhaal fully commits himself to the performance. The well-muscled stud is a former UFC fighter with a troubled past.

Jessica Williams plays Frankie, the owner of the Road House, a bar on Glass Key, and an inside joke that wears itself really thin, really quickly. She courts Dalton to help her bounce a bad element from her bar that’s driving customers away. Screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry (with a story credit to Bagarozzi, Mondry, and David Lee Henry, based on the 1989 screenplay by Henry and Hillary Henkin) set this reimagining in the Florida Keys. The sun is bright, the heat is right, but Dalton is still troubled. That is until he meets Charlie (Hannah Lanier), perhaps the one, true bright spot in the film. She and her father, Stephen (Kevin Carroll) run the local bookstore, Glass Books.

Gyllenhaal spends most of “Road House” looking like he’d rather be reading the book Charlie gives him at the beginning of the film than fighting the thugs who rule the roost on behalf of Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) or courting Daniela Melchior’s Ellie, the doctor who takes a liking to Dalton, this Dalton has brains, but chooses brawn and little to no charisma. The brains/brawn combination is selective when he’s the bouncer. This story is far more interested in the underpinnings of the why’s behind the disruption to The Road House, and an enforcer named Knox (Conor McGregor in his debut role), a bright, sometimes bare-assed cartoonish thug comes on the scene. Joaquim de Almedia’s sheriff plays a pivotally unnecessary role, though the actor looked like he was having a good time.

Yes, the bare-knuckled fights between Gyllenhaal and McGregor are fun, however, Liman, Bagarozzi, and Mondry turn this “Road House” into an over-the-top mess that resembles a two-hour UFC commercial rather than a charismatic drama, though as Dalton begins investigating the how’s and why’s behind Brandt’s desire for the land that The Road House sits on, Gyllenhaal shifts into second gear.

McGregor dives into his performance head-first, and it would be a lie if that didn’t suit this critic’s fancy, so there are positives here; they’re just too far and few as the story turns more procedural.

Magnussen amps up his trademark snarkiness as Ben Brandt. His sneers feel like a desperate attempt at being the next Capone, a reference to the mafia lord Brandt wants to become. The town folks, who greet Dalton by name without even being introduced to him, are content with the aid Brandt has provided them with but are more appreciative of Dalton’s help. Beneath the sneering veneer though, Brandt comes off as another entitled brat, whose goons are unprepared for Dalton’s rage.

If you strip character development and plot contrivances from “Road House,” if you settle in for a ‘good time,’ this will be your ticket this weekend.

In this critic’s eyes, that’s a serious problem. Before its premiere at South by Southwest, in a theater no less, industry publications shined a light on the fact that Liman and company chose to have Amazon put this directly on Prime instead of a theatrical release. That Liman pleaded for a theatrical release and was rebuked speaks volumes to the iron-clad realities and lack of creativity when it comes to the business of Hollywood and its output. Yet, audiences will gobble “Road House” up because it is “in the moment.”

What was a B-level movie with an A-list cast turned cult classic, “Road House” has been reimagined as an over-the-top, cat-and-mouse brawn fest with a strong cast and nowhere to go. Admittedly, the original, clouded through a rose-colored lens, was more of the same; it was just as over-the-top, charismatic machismo. This “Road House” has no charisma and all the sneering under its veneer.

Oh, and don’t forget about the unnecessary mid-credit sequence. Now streaming on Amazon Prime.

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Review: “Problemista” https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/14/review-problemista/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-problemista https://thecinemafiles.com/2024/03/14/review-problemista/#respond Fri, 15 Mar 2024 06:49:27 +0000 https://thecinemafiles.com/?p=12763 Julio Torres’ “Problemista,” premiered a year ago at South by Southwest and has been slowly expanding to different markets over the past few weeks. It hits theaters in Phoenix this weekend. This strategy, much like the movie itself, presents an interesting duality, and it’s not the first time the releasing studio, A24 has employed such a strategy. By design, the strategy is meant to get people buzzing about the movie, its characters, and more importantly, at least for this critic, its offbeat and irreverent humor.

Alejandro (Julio Torres) is meek in stature, wildly unsure of himself in an already unsure, over-amplified New York City, who’s left his native El Salvador for a better life on the cusp of his work visa expiring. The thing is, Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer with no real toys to design for, and he’s struggling to legally find work to complete his visa requirements. Thus enters the eccentric Elizabeth, played exquisitely by Tilda Swinton, who has…..erm, challenges of her own.

Torres, who also wrote the script, creates a dream-like world for Alejandro. The beauty in the surrealism is that Alejandro’s worldview is as real to him as the art he wants to create. As this was being written, a double check of the credits had to be undertaken when it was realized that the actor, writer, and director were the same. Pointedly, the convergence of the three roles exerts a tight level of control over the characters, and their situations amidst the dream-like state Alejandro lives in. Yet there is a point in the story where the control loosens, allowing the surrealist aspect to flourish. Torres layers each character as a potential solution to Alejandro’s problems without actually providing a solution.

Elizabeth is a character unto her own, and Swinton dives head-first into the part. Is she schizophrenic, is she psychopathic, does she have a post-associative disorder from the situation with her husband Bobby, played by RZA, or is she simply over-demanding in a world already over-complicated by over demands? The answers to those questions are within the story, requiring the viewer to be open to interpretation, not an easy ask in an era where other stories have more answers than questions.

“Problemista” is reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil,” the only difference is that the nightmare here bears down from the outside, not the inside. Alejandro has a beautiful soul, with compliments to Torres for injecting a running LGBTQ theme into the fabric of the story and the characters.

As Isabella Rossellini’s beautiful voice guides us, much like the recorded guides would provide patrons to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or any art museum worth its salt, through Alejandro’s transformative journey, leading the audience to the water, while not necessarily drinking it until we know it is safe to do so.

Torres peppers the story with telephone conversations between Alejandro and his lynchpin, Dolores (Catalina Saavedra), and it is within these translated conversations that the real Alejandro is revealed, resulting in a beautiful, very human, story. It requires a focus more on the visual, the actors’ body language, and the situations, something that cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel captures stunningly.

Thematically, “Problemista” can be jarring as two worlds collide. Alejandro is determined to make his dream a success and his self-discovery journey is as human, and worthy, as many have come before it. The eclectic cast, the artful visuals, and the level of control over the art, and subjectively, the release of that control, converge to make a worthy human drama come alive, belying its understandably jarring nature.

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