Sharper is another name for a swindler, especially at cards. In the movie Sharper, there is a whole lot of that going on. Directed by Benjamin Caron, the film blends con artists with a mixture of other characters in a way that is genius and enticing.
Sharper begins with a manager of a bookstore, Tom (played by Justice Smith). He meets a girl, Sandra (played by Briana Middleton), who seems to be a hardworking student, and they find romance rather quickly. Things change when Sandra tells Tom she has a brother with criminal problems who also owes someone money. Tom offers to help Sandra, but she leaves to make money (supposedly) for her brother.
The film continues with Sandra, and there is more to her story than the we realize. Her life is a web of unexplained behaviors and situations. Sandra meets Max (played by Sebastian Stan), and he offers to show Sandra how to be a con artist. After this, Sharper continues down a dangerous road. Max meets a woman, Madeline (played by Julianne Moore), who is supposedly his mother. Madeline has a new man, Richard (played by John Lithgow), who is a wealthy entrepreneur. Max acts like he has lots of problems, but his problems are a lie and Madeline knows it—but what does Richard know? What does anyone know about each other in this film? What’s true and what’s a lie? The theme of Sharper is to trust no one.
Each character in Sharper has an ego, an addiction, or a resentment with someone. The tensions and secrets continue to stir the pot. Is Max really who he claims to be? Is Sandra who she claims to be? Is Madeline who she claims to be? Audiences will not know who can be believed, and everyone is a liar on some level. The con artists also present themselves as high-class, but they are actually anything but high-class.
The full picture of Sharper is hard to explain, but the complexity is one of the things that makes it heart-pounding. The lies, improvisations, and deceit are never ending. Tom, Sandra, Max, Madeline, and Richard all intertwine in a world of creative lies in their attempt to profit, and their lies take them down a dangerous slope of irreparable consequences. This clever and dangerous puzzle of a film makes for a stellar masterpiece. Four stars for Sharper.
Experimental scary films have always fascinated me. Movies where the scary aspects are hidden or around corners and the jump scares come out of nowhere. Skinamarink is that type of horror film and is one of the most creative and intense films I have experienced in a long time. The camera is shaky, the cinematography is saturated, and the terror is blended with the sound effects throughout its hour and a half plus running time. Skinamarink required me to think and anticipate unexpected moments of terror. It takes the cake in its brilliant writing, directing, and settings created from the mind of director Kyle Edward Ball.
The estimated budget of Skinamarink falls at $15,000 which is relatively low. However, for its low budget, it is surreal. Ball really put his mind into making this project creative, fascinating, and something different. He worked to make a memorable film where his audience leaves with many questions in the back of their minds. I am still pondering some questions after experiencing Skinamarink. Despite some confusion throughout the film, I was astonished by the film overall.
Skinamarink is a film that takes place entirely in a house. The credits of the film roll before the movie begins and then it jumps right into its setting. Do not expect to sit after the credits. The film consists of a family in a home. There is the mom and dad (played by Jaime Hill and Ross Paul), and their children Kevin and Kaylee (played by Lucas Paul and Dali Rose Tetreault). Do not expect to see much of them but expect to hear their voices. The film’s focus is that Kevin and Kaylee wake up and realize that their parents are missing, their windows are gone, their doors are gone, and because of their ages they do not understand what is going on.
The film has that feeling of a glitchy camera which adds to the film’s suspense. There is no scoring or terrifying music, just the consistent shots of the low-budget camera following the quiet suspense. This means that there is some supernatural terror going on in the home. The supernatural terror paces itself in long fragments and focuses in on the many corners of the home. There are sound effects in the background, including a TV, the voices of the children, and whatever noise may be occurring in the house. Given all this, Skinamarink may make some feel scared. It reminded me what it felt like to be scared at a young age, especially when you don’t yet understand how the world works.
The film’s saturated cinematography is like The Blair Witch Project (1999) in that it effectively utilizes technicalities for added suspense. Skinamarink has the camera be more still and does not have its audience feel like they have motion sickness like The Blair Witch Project did. Skinamarink is a horror film with a limited budget made with the purpose of scaring the audience and finding questions about the source of the evil that lurks through the film. Where did Kevin and Kaylie’s parents go? Why did their windows and doors disappear? Why is the film being presented through a video camera? The many questions to Skinamarink’s creative use of mind-boggling technicalities are where its realism is truly demonstrated.
Skinamarink is intriguing and inviting. The film may start in a boring way given the credits rolling before the film starts instead of at the end of the film. After that, however, it grasps your attention as horrors evolve when the many terrors come out of nowhere. Skinamarink is Paranormal Activity on acid and in my opinion is better than the Paranormal Activity franchise. This one puts its horror to the test, and it is a revelation.
Is there light in Skinamarink? Is there a way to prevent the horror that is happening silently? Will Kevin and Kaylie be safe? Skinamarink is imaginative in its display of ghost knowledge as it reveals more unknown fragments of unexplained spirits. Three and a half stars for Skinamarink.
“His films embrace the mystery of life and encourage us to think about why we are here, and what makes us truly happy.”
-Roger Ebert
The words film critic Roger Ebert (1942-2013) used to describe Hirokazu Koreeda’s films hold true to this day. Koreeda is a director with a vision to have his films’ characters placed in situations impacted by society. His film Broker is a film of human feelings. Koreeda’s eye for artistic direction is thought-provoking. He tackles conflicts with society from a heartfelt perspective. Koreeda took audiences on a questionable and dazzling journey with Shoplifters (2018). He does so again with Broker which is a cinematic experience where love and sacrifice are looked upon deeply. The film has inevitable consequences, and it all comes down to the challenge of making the right choice.
Broker takes place in South Korea. The film introduces us to a mother named So-young (played by Ji-eun Lee). So-young carries her baby Woo-sung to a church to be adopted. She changes her mind when she realizes that an active group could try to sell her child. There are two guys who are part of the operation named Sang-hyeon and Dong-Soo (played by Song Kang-ho and Dong-won Gang). As So-young explains her difficult situation, the men realize they have a mission to help So-young find the right family for her child. This causes the group to flee with Woo-sung on a road trip. On this trip, their goal is to to find a family that can give Woo-sung a life that So-young cannot provide.
Two detectives discreetly follow them on their journey. The detectives are Soo-jin and Lee (played by Bae Doona and Lee Joo-young). On the road trip, So-young feels all kinds of guilt and frustration, but she also feels like a true mother the more time she spends with Sang-hyeon, Dong-Soo, and her baby. The most moving parts of Broker involve the realizations of how someone can change their life and how someone can help another person find a better life. Broker is deep and fascinating throughout its portrayal of a tough and emotional road trip.
As So-young tries to find a family to adopt her child, my feelings for herstarted to warm my heart. The writing in the film portrays that So-young is selective and difficult concerning who may adopt her child. What I realized is that she is not a bad mother, she just can’t take good care of her child at her current stage of life. However, that does not mean she will never be able to. The connections she makes with Sang-hyeon and Dong-Soo drive her to keep thinking of her options during their road trip. With the detectives on them, So-young begins to put her errors, her legalities, and benefits together. The hardest part is that regardless of what So-young does right for Woo-sung, she will still suffer consequences. Broker is about So-young being able to handle the mental anguish she may suffer, while at the same time knowing her child will be in a better place with food, safety, and care until she can pay for her errors.
I love films that create a dynamic that involves cultural challenges, and Broker does just that. The themes of tough love, life’s challenges, and new beginnings are where Broker finds its meaning. The message is found in the many drastic choices that come along in the film and the ultimate decision is in the hands of So-young. The detectives find themselves in a blur regarding how to handle the situation because there is nothing wrong with what Sang-Lyeon, Dong-Soo, and So-young are trying to do. They simply want to help So-young’s child live a fulfilling life.
In the scenery of the film, the audience will experience images of what may play out for So-young. As her mindset shifts during the road trip, she feels she is in good hands with Sang-Lyeon and Dong-Soo. They create a tight bond and love spending time together. In addition to the film’s goal of finding a new family for So-young’s child, the story also creates a wealth of positive vibes on this unexpected adventure the three of them find themselves on. Broker is a ride about making friends and uncovering realizations in unlikely places.
Broker dazzles its audience with a story about making choices. I love the thriving characters of the Sang-Lyeon, Dong-Soo, and So-young. The mission to help an infant find a life that cannot be fulfilled is displayed with the most poetic energy I have seen from Koreeda. Broker is breathtaking as it portrays a path of empathy and compassion in its character development and its writing. The entire story is a beautiful one of humanistic value. Four stars for Broker.
Movies with Tarek 