Category Archives: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023

Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Revoir Paris Review

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A dangerous encounter weaves emotions throughout the Revoir Paris.  The film’s setup is structured, and the characters are people with everyday lives which change in the blink of an eye after a traumatic event. Revoir Paris had me thinking about what it feels like to have anxiety and feel scared after a harrowing experience. Director Alice Winocour tests the waters of inner emotions which make the film spellbinding and invigorating. The tragic event is continuously revisited due to clues linking back to the moments of terror.

The main character is Mia (played by Virginie Efira). She is a working-class woman in France who spends an evening at a restaurant in town. Things seem to be going smoothly until a catastrophic and disturbing terrorist attack occurs. Mia’s survival leads her to find connections with others who also survived the same terror. Revoir Paris is a faithful experience about how individuals recover after a traumatic event.

The term “revoir” means to see again. Mia repeatedly sees and feels her trauma. The trauma is in-depth as are the frustrations and her unstable thinking as she struggles to recover from the terrorist attack. There is not much positive light to be seen in Revoir Paris.  From my perspective, the film is humanistic in revealing how a horrific episode can have such a lasting impact on people’s everyday life.

The tracing of Mia’s steps uncovers a trail of realizations. These discoveries play into her discussions with other victims from the same night. Mia talks with victims ranging from Sara (played by Maya Sansa), Vincent (played by Gregoire Colin), and Thomas (played by Benoit Magimel). The emotions experienced are different among the individuals. There is no consistency to how Sara, Vincent, or Thomas deals with their mental health after the terror which leads back to how Mia deals with it. Finding answers proves to be a real struggle as Mia’s story unfolds and the emotions keep growing. Revoir Paris is enthralling in the darkest and most mentally overwhelming way.

The moment of the attack stuck in my head as the film continued. I found myself asking questions. Was anyone a target of the attack? Was the terrorist trying to accomplish something? Did the terrorist have his own set of mental health problems? How much will the victims deal with the attack after surviving? That final question is repeatedly explored in the film. As Mia’s heightened emotions are played out all over the place, there is no easy way to move on with life.

Revoir Paris is one of the most disturbing, yet realistic experiences I have seen this year. It is a compelling film due to its realism. It also demonstrates that there are resources and critical steps to take after experiencing an upsetting event. Revoir Paris is a film in which the audience will repeatedly see what it’s like for individuals to overcome a horror and see that it is extremely challenging to just let something go when an experience in life is so overwhelming. Three out of four stars for Revoir Paris.

Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Afire Review

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The theme of conflicting perceptions is pervasive in Afire. The film’s title seems to intentionally have a double meaning referring to both the fire in personality and reality. The setup includes many curveballs and much of Afire is a rush of psychological adrenaline. There are moments of tension that stir the pot from the start. Afire proves that shared spaces create problems. There is also frustration in the underlying conflicts in the film, and the dynamic is somewhat of a skeptical blur.

Afire takes place in Germany on the Baltic Sea. Two friends, Leon and Felix, are on a getaway at a vacation home. Leon is played by Thomas Schubert and Felix is played by Langston Uibel. Leon finds the planned getaway a headache because he is a writer who is concerned about how what happens on the trip could impact his writing. Felix, on the other hand, creates art portfolios for a career, and he believes in embracing all the fun. They are good friends with different personalities and perspectives who encounter various surprises on their trip.

They end up with Nadja played by Paula Beer. She is just trying to find her way while living in the Baltic Sea area. She shares the house with Leon and Felix. There is also Devid played by Enno Trebs. Devid’s job is a lifeguard at the beach. He also comes by the house periodically. All the houseguests drive Leon insane.  The situation is made worse when have no choice but to remain together because travel is restricted due to the forest fires surrounding the area. Afire delivers a message regarding how certain things in life are unavoidable and learning to embrace the unknown leads to all kinds of experiences and emotions. It is riveting.

Leon’s continuous frustration is a major part of the film’s focus. From Leon’s attitude, his aggravations, and his conversations, Leon wants success. He does not have an inviting personality, but his heart is not necessarily in the wrong place. He has feelings for Nadja, but he is terrible at showing them. Between Leon acts like Felix and Devid are outsiders. It all boils down to Leon’s publishing, his fascination with Nadja, and the forest fires which keep everyone in proximity due to the travel restrictions.

The uneasy scenes grow heavier as the storms do. In moments where the storms become detrimental, I found that the storms in the film were utilized like personification like in a novel. For example, when there are updates or news reports regarding the storm, it signals a moment when the characters will take the words they are speaking more seriously. This especially holds true for Leon.  The movie is a ride full of misconceptions with shades of cinematic evidence which create surreal surprises in an emotional and triumphant way. The light does not come easy in this film, but it can be found. Afire is an amazing film in part due to its vast scenery. Three and a half out of four stars.

Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Starring Jerry as Himself Review

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When one wants to experience a film based on actual events, it does not get any more real than Starring Jerry as Himself. Directed by Law Chen, the film provides real-life documentation of an elderly man who faced many financial constraints due to being scammed. Starring Jerry as Himself may even be one of the most important films of 2023 because of the way it presents a harsh scenario, i.e., being scammed, which is all too common today. Starring Jerry as Himself held my attention due to the intense struggles Jerry faces and how much stress they cause in his life. The stress, however, is just the beginning in Starring Jerry as Himself.

The film focuses on a family that documents the various facets of their father Jerry. He is an immigrant who has supposedly been recruited by the Chinese police to be an undercover agent. This may or may not be true. Within an instant Jerry starts to see his life spiral downhill when his accounts are messed with.  Inspector Ou (played by Fang Du) and Officer Zhang (played by Haosong Yang) inform him that he needs to be careful, and that the Chinese government are onto him. Jerry now finds himself facing a scam that can even impact him at his age.

The film shows that a trail of funds is in odd places. Jerry struggles to think clearly and his decisions cause the audience to be curious about how much disaster Jerry can create for himself. Starring Jerry as Himself give off vibes that are stressful yet invigorating. The investigations, the realizations, and Jerry’s thinking all turn this true story into a conspiracy.

Overall, the feeling that the audience will feel is distress. They will feel this way because there is no easy way out of the choices Jerry makes or the orders he must follow (or assumes he must follow) from the authorities. Starring Jerry as Himself is a film which offers a realistic experience, where an event based on actual events strikes its audience to its core. Starring Jerry as Himself is a movie that is bound to enthrall its audience due to its serious subject matter.

In Starring Jerry as Himself, the problems complicating Jerry’s life appear to potentially be a setup. His experience involves situations in which Jerry assumes he is talking to authorities he can trust, but it may in fact not be the case. Sometimes he thinks he is doing the right thing by keeping certain people in the loop regarding his finances, but his communication with them may instead cause him to go down a deeper hole. Jerry must rely on the right resources before he loses his funds which provide his support and livelihood.

The experience of realism is Jerry’s life as he deals with a complicated conspiracy makes this film intriguing. An error with a scam sets off a turmoil of conflicts for Jerry. Can he recover what was taken from him? Find out in Starring Jerry as Himself. Three stars out of four stars.