Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Now available on DVD/VOD:
ROMANTIC COMEDY

Director:
Elizabeth Sankey

World Premiere:
Rotterdam 2019

Select Festivals:
SXSW, CPH:DOX, Sheffield, AFI Fest, Hamptons, Göteborg, Glasgow

About:
An essay film exploring the romantic comedy film genre.

Like any genre, the romantic comedy trades on audience comfort and familiarity, recycling tropes, stock character types, situations, and, in most cases, a happy ending that usually involves marriage for its female protagonist. Recently married herself, filmmaker Elizabeth Sankey approached the genre wondering why this is the end goal, and how this – and its representation of women and men -informs viewers’ ideas about gender and relationships in real life. To explore these questions, she assembles a supercut of clips from more than 160 films, going as far back as the 1930s, accompanied by close readings and commentary in voiceover from Sankey, filmmakers, critics, and others, parsing unrealistic portrayals of women, borderline psychopathic behavior by their suitors, the denigration of women’s careers in favor of relationships, and limited or stereotypical inclusion of non-white, non-heterosexual characters. Sankey makes many valid arguments, and, by the nature of the project, brings a level of scholarly insight and validation to a genre that is often too-quickly dismissed, but she also makes some missteps. A digression about GOD’S OWN COUNTRY doesn’t really belong – while a romance, it is in no way a comedy – and she purposefully ignores or simplifies the occasional film plot to fit her thesis, as in her discussion about the explicitly anti-rom-com 500 DAYS OF SUMMER. Despite this, she has crafted a thoughtful project that is also thought-provoking, one that both serves as a tribute to the genre and points to how it could and should evolve.

Photo by Robert M Nielsen

Directors:
Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2019

Select Festivals:
Montclair, Maryland, Calgary, Vancouver, Nashville, Cork, St Louis, Sound Unseen, Cleveland

About:
A love letter to the now-shuttered NYC record store institution.

In 1995, three co-workers at East Village staple Kim’s Video left to found their own alternative music store, brazenly picking a storefront right across the street from Tower Records in the East Village. Distinguishing itself as a site to discover an eclectic range of genres – alternative, electronic, avant garde, you name it – the store managed to develop a symbiotic relationship with its neighbor, outlasting it by several years. But as digital music changed the landscape for music consumption, Other Music could only hold on for so long. Filmmakers Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller chronicle the store’s history and impact on music culture as it approaches its closing in 2016, speaking with owners, employees, and customers, as well as several musicians it helped champion or otherwise influence. At once a celebration and a sentimental eulogy, their film captures the spirit that ingratiated the store to its die-hard supporters, while also revealing the too-cool-for-school aura that proved off-putting for others. But even if its employees could rightfully be accused of music snobbery, they brought a distinctive ear to their storied recommendations that distinguished Other Music and fostered a unique community that has been lost in an era of algorithmically-driven online culture.

Coming to “virtual theatrical,” partially benefitting Film Forum, tomorrow, Friday, April 17:
THE BOOKSELLERS

Director:
DW Young

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 2019

Select Festivals:
St Louis, Miami Jewish, RiverRun, Sebastopol Doc, Victoria

About:
An affectionate portrait of NYC’s community of rare book dealers and collectors.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

New to DVD and VOD this week:
PIGEON KINGS

Director:
Milena Pastreich

World Premiere:
Seattle 2019

Select Festivals:
Pan African, RiverRun, Ashland, SF IndieFest,

About:
A portrait of men who engage in the sport of competitive pigeon flying in South Central LA.

The Birmingham Roller, named for its origins in England, is a breed of domesticated pigeon that is known for its unusual tendency to perform somersaults in the air, leading to its breeding for show competitions. Director Milena Pastreich explores one such community of competitive pigeon flyers that has developed over several decades among African American and Latino men in South Central LA. Her focus is veteran breeder Keith, who serves as a mentor to the younger Choo Choo, an eager birdman who has nevertheless struggled in the sport. As they prepare for the world cup competition, the doc reveals how their passion for their birds has impacted their lives. Pastreich could have delved into the specifics of the sport’s unclear scoring and mechanics more, given how much footage of somersaulting birds she includes, but her scrappy film ultimately benefits from the endearing personalities on display.

Coming to “virtual theatrical,” partially benefitting Film Forum and other cinemas, this Friday, April 17:
WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL

Director:
Rob Garver

World Premiere:
Telluride 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Berlin, Edinburgh, Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki Doc, Miami, Cleveland, Montclair, Seattle, Docs Against Gravity, Transilvania, New Zealand, Vancouver, Mumbai, Rio, Docaviv

About:
A portrait of controversial and influential film critic Pauline Kael.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 14:
DISTANT CONSTELLATION

Director:
Shevaun Mizrahi

Premiere:
Locarno 2017

Select Festivals:
IDFA, True/False, Docpoint, DOK.fest Munich, RIDM, Jeonju, DOXA, EDOC, Beldocs, Docaviv, Goteborg, One World, London, Reykjavik, Vienna, Sarasota, BAMcinemaFest, Melbourne, Dokufest, Message to Man, Flahertiana, DocsMX

About:
A meditative film set in a Turkish retirement home.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, April 14:
TALKING ABOUT ADULTERY

Director:
Bara Jichova Tyson

World Premiere:
Sheffield 2019

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Jihlava, Kerala

About:
An intimate exploration of marriage, sex, and infidelity.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Husbands, wives, mistresses, and others vividly recount confessional stories about sex, love, friendship, and yearning in this provocative film exploring infidelity. As the camera lingers over familiar domestic spaces, it reveals landscapes of intimacy, desire, and monotony. Artist/filmmaker Bara Jichova Tyson adds intriguing personal layers through poignant live collage-making and the story of an affair unfolding through the course of making the film, providing a window into the inner tensions of modern marriage.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, April 14:
REFUGEE

Director:
Alexander J Farrell

World Premiere:
DOC NYC 2018

Select Festivals:
Windsor

About:
A Syrian refugee seeks to be reunited with her family.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Raf’aa flees Syria in the midst of the war, leaving behind her husband, Nazem, and their two sons in order to seek asylum in Europe. The family plans to follow her to Germany, but by the time Nazem and the boys make it to Greece, they find the borders closed. Confined to the stark conditions of a refugee camp while Raf’aa copes with the trauma she experience on her own journey, will Nazem be able to safely reunite his family?