tragedy

KINDS OF KINDNESS: Three Short Films In A Trench Coat
KINDS OF KINDNESS: Three Short Films In A Trench Coat

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness is smart and funny, uncomfortable, moving, and confusing. It is also beautiful.

EMANUEL: Radical Forgiveness In A World Desperately In Need
EMANUEL: Radical Forgiveness In A World Desperately In Need

Emanuel digs knee-deep into the prevalence of racist violence reaching yet another horrible conclusion with the acts committed against the Charleston 9 that fateful day in 2015.

KURSK: The Command That Ended in Tragedy
KURSK: The Command That Ended In Tragedy

Kursk is an emotional drama based on real events. Thomas Vinterberg shines a light on the tragedy from within the sea and from the land.

PAUSE: A Soul-Crushing Lead Performance Towers Over Misery
PAUSE: A Soul-Crushing Lead Performance Towers Over Misery

Pause examines the life of a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage, played with gusto by Stella Fyrogeni. Aaron Berry reviews.

22 JULY: Exploring Life After Tragedy In Norway
22 JULY: Exploring Life After Tragedy In Norway

22 July begins as an urgent and devastating film, before suddenly turning into a never-ending slog, destined to leave viewers wondering where things went wrong.

RACER AND THE JAILBIRD: A Melodramatic Mess
RACER AND THE JAILBIRD: A Melodramatic Mess

An exhausting watch, Racer and the Jailbird never figures out which direction it wants to go in, never forging a true sense of character.

Tribeca Film Festival: Interview with Justin P. Lange and Nadia Alexander of THE DARK
Tribeca Film Festival: THE DARK: A New Terror Lurks In These Woods

Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Justin P. Lange’s The Dark is an ingenious reinvention of the zombie genre, bringing a new rage monster to the cinematic screen and exhibiting what anger and fear truly is. This is a film you will not soon be forgetting.

AFTERMATH: A Shallow Dive Into Grief And Guilt
AFTERMATH: A Shallow Dive Into Grief & Guilt

Elliott Lester had juicy, absorbing material to work with. Unfortunately, he turns Aftermath into an underwhelming and empty endeavor.

CASTING JONBENET: Memory As Context
CASTING JONBENET: Memory As Context

A documentary about the famous murder case, Casting JonBenet combines interviews with reenacted footage in an unconventionally effective way.

GOD KNOWS WHERE I AM: A Sad Tale, Told With Sensitivity
GOD KNOWS WHERE I AM: A Sad Tale, Told With Sensitivity

God Knows Where I Am lacks the necessary energy, yet successfully tackles the issues of freedom and the unnecessary loss of life.

THE LAST LAUGH: Comedy vs. The Holocaust
THE LAST LAUGH: Comedy vs. The Holocaust

The Last Laugh is a profound documentary that somehow warmly weighs the need for laughter with the immense tragedy that was the Holocaust.

The Collateral Damage Of COLLATERAL BEAUTY
The Collateral Damage Of COLLATERAL BEAUTY

Collateral Beauty is a messy film that is almost saved by its heartwarming theme and performance by Will Smith – though still not quite.

CHRISTINE: A Compelling But Tragic Character Study
CHRISTINE: A Compelling But Tragic Character Study

In July of 1974, television reporter Christine Chubbuck committed suicide on a live news broadcast. This is not a spoiler for Christine, as the film concentrates on the tragic events that led to its title character’s fall.

THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUMS: A Devastating Cycle of Sacrifice
THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM: A Devastating Cycle Of Sacrifice

Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum follows Kikunosuke and Otoku, a young couple in late 19th Century Japan. Kikunosuke is the adopted son of a famous kabuki house, and an emerging kabuki actor; Otoku is one of his family’s servants. Most people, including his adopted father, think Kikunosuke is no good as an actor, but they only criticize him behind his back.