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Film reviews

Universal Language Review

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There is uniqueness in a setting that is seeking infrastructural change. The title of Universal Language is strong and meaningful. Countries are clashing and resources are limited in this portrait which dives into the recreational aspects of the subject matter.  In this film, bizarre moments of reality that seem to have no connection intersect. Matthew Rankin is the director, the writer and one of the lead characters in Universal Language. His role is essential to tracking the development andunderstanding of the story. 

The film’s projection is in 16 M which delivers beauty while painting an intriguing portrait that provides the foundation to this unique film. Rankin’s directing is spot-on as the film struggles in a quiet and twisted plot structure. It explores a path of politics and swerves between Winnipeg and Tehran. There is evidence and different signs involving languages in places where they do not belong. Rankin’s directing is not just layered with elements of surprise but also allows him to present his character as the one searching for answers.

In the film, Rankin is Matthew, a man who calls it quits with his job so he can visit his mother. The other reason he is leaving his job is due to his annoyance with working with the Quebec government. Another scenario in the film focuses on characters Negin and Nazgol (played by Rojina Esmaelli and Saba Vahedyousefi). They come across money frozen in winter ice, and they are tempted to fish for it. There is also a character named Massoud (played by Pirouz Nemati), a tour guide that truly is not the most enthusiastic about his clients. The settingsof Winnipeg and Tehran spark a host of deep thinking. The level of normalcy and the strange moving parts in societies which are searching for infrastructure beg for answers.

Rankin knows how to tackle essential questions in Universal Language. When politics are hidden, the audience sees what the characters care about most. In the weird era of the film’s setting, Kleenex and live turkeys are a priority. Thanks to the reference to tissues, it took me back to the COVID pandemic and the shortages of certain products. Rankin is skillful in adding what is not expected, and while also establishing an artistic portrayal of struggle. Universal Language is a fascinating puzzle with a euphoric taste. 

The film’s continuity helps drive it forward. The bizarre interactions between Winnipeg and Tehran have tangents that are surreal. It keeps audiences asking questions as the journey of the individuals proceed. Is Matthew glad he quit his job? Is Massoud happy as a tour guide? Will there be success for Negin and Nazgol with the money in the lake? A puzzle of questions flows authentically while also reminding the audience that it is not a place of normalcy. It is an auteur class project where brilliance is just underneath the surface.

Among the lands of mixed politics and quirky scenarios, the entire film has an extravagance to it. The projection moves the idea of artistry to heights filled with new curiosities. The world of Rankin is one-of-a-kind in Universal Language. It is one of the most eloquent movie experiences I have had in quite some time. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Ex-Husbands Review

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The title sets a melancholy tone that has a dramatic presence. The direction is subtle in this film and there is a sense that there is a mid-life crisis scenario at hand. Ex-Husbands speaks for itself. The writing and directing is by Noah Pritzker who is just entering the game of directing full-length features. In Ex-Husbands, he pushes the limits of happiness encountering blockades. 

The film focuses on Peter Pearce (played by Griffin Dunne), a middle-aged man going through a divorce with his wife Maria Pearce (played by Rosanna Arquette). His father Simon Pearce (played by Richard Benjamin) is very sick in a nursing home. The oldest son Nick Pearce (played by James Norton) is engaged but his relationship is also in a bad place. The youngest son Mickey Pearce is gay and struggles with moments of feeling closeted in his self-love journey. To escape the many dramas, Peter books a trip to Tulum. Coincidentally, Nick’s bachelor party is in the same location. Peter has traveled to Tulum by himself, and Nick and Mickey are there to celebrate Nick’s engagement. With many moving parts that are mentally hard to take, Ex-Husbands becomes a place where reconciliation has a chance to overcome dramatic undertones. 

When the film takes its audience to Tulum, the portrait painted is of happiness being harder than expected to achieve. With all the personal problems between Peter and his boys, the film’s pacing made me feel different given the various fragments in which some moments are upbeat and then others down. The real feelings are bound to take audiences on a ride of underlying sadness. Peter is not sure how to handle his mentally aggravating scenarios, and neither are his boys.

While Ex-Husbands creates thoughts of resentment, the characters slowly find common ground. This happens when Nick invites his father to some bachelor party festivities. They start to bond over sharing rough patches. There are unlikely connections at unexpected moments between Peter, Nick and Mickey. Nick’s problems correlate to the ones that he shares with his father despite being engaged. Their personality traits lead to dynamics that are spot on in Ex-Husbands.

Another instance where there is an unlikely connection at an unexpected moment happens when there is a sense that the bachelor party may not feel all that special. However, at the same time, it is a chance for Peter to be there for his son even though it was not his intention to end up at the same vacation spot. The precious timing in Ex-Husband takes a serious turn and demonstrates to the audience that Peter’s life is not in the happiest place, nor is life for his boys either. The younger son feels stuck in the middle of it all. He is the third wheel trying to battle his own thoughts of feeling closeted and lost. 

The emotions displayed in Heizer’s performance made me think of his role from the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. He still has the ability to play an ailing young man in Ex-Husbands.Norton’s performance reminded me of his role from the film Nowhere Special. When he is trying to have a good time before problems begin, he is in that same emotional state in Ex-Husbands. Even though the men’s problems are depressing, the question of whose problems are more important is really no competition. The reality is that sticking together gives a family purpose.

The family navigating the difficulties around them is where Ex-Husbands finds its essential track. It is not a feel-good flick but instead defines what is essential when there is family turmoil. Finding solutions is portrayed poetically in Ex-Husbands. It gives a realistic view with artistic perspective of life scenarios that can be hard to tango with. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

Invader Review

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In just seventy minutes the terror of a home invasion is a mystifying monster in Invader. Written and directed by Mickey Keating, the norm of what may shock and scare audiences takes a new direction in this film. As a Chicago native, the areas of the film grabbed my attention, while I was also shaking in my seat. The cameras and angles are frequently choppy which captures the essence of what it would feel like if a scenario like Invaderwere to happen. A warning though, Invader is very realistic with graphic violence that may be too much to bear for some. For those who can handle it, they are in for a treat but also must go with an open mind.

The film begins with a man wrecking and destroying a home. His goes by the name is “Invader” (played by Joe Swanberg). He continually bashes things up at home with a hammer. The film then transitions to Anna (played by Vero Maynez), as she is coming to the suburbs of Chicago to visit her cousin. However, once she is off the bus, her cousin is not answering her phone, and she gets in a cab. She quickly gets out of the cab because the driver seems dangerous, and she is right, because it is “The Invader!” Anna goes on foot to try and find answers and make it to her cousin’s home to look for clues and evidence of why her cousin is not answering the phone.

Invader fills in the pieces to the puzzle quickly and detrimentally. The writing is paced to convey timing to be of the essence, as it is a bigger nightmare that tends to keep its vibrant tactics swiftly on edge. It interprets anxiety through the lens of conflict, as lives may be in the balance if Anna does not find the answers quickly. Why is Anna’s cousin not answering the phone? Why are there weird traits around Anna? Once Anna meets Carlo, a colleague of her cousin (played by Colin Huerta), they both try to find the pieces to her cousin’s disappearance. Invader keeps its tracks to be a subtle cat-and-mouse game awaiting the finish line to be a harrowing and unforgettable awakening.

There is a chance that “The Invader” may have taken over her cousin’s home. This is the nightmare that is the ravishing aspect of the film. The screenwriting blends in the context of home life and safety to a new level of terror. The continued angles of shaky cameras fulfill the film’s odyssey to create the atmosphere of scarcity.  Once there is the opportunity for Anna and Carlo to come face to face with “The Invader” it takes the terrifying elements to new heights—it is spectacle.

With all of the moving parts and creepy traits, I was both astonished and mortified by Invader. It is a stellar and disturbing work-of-art that paints a portrait of how harrowing a break-in can be. The thoughts that go through one’s head after tragic events creates a blur that cannot be dismissed. Keating pushes the envelope of suspense vividly, thoroughly, and audaciously with Invader. After my experience, it made me want to double check my windows and doors to make sure they were locked up tight. With that in mind, I am sure audiences will know what to expect with this one-of-a-kind, independent slasher flick. It is short but the presentation is extremely real. Invader takes the cake this time. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.