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Film reviews

The Testament of Ann Lee Review

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This is one of those powerhouse dramas that combines a musicalelement within a historical context with the dramatizations being quite thorough. Directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written with Brady Corbet, The Testament of Ann Lee is a mammoth masterpiece. They’ve created a film where movements uproot themselves through songs and dance and where leaders find themselves to have a proven purpose. It feels like a serious play but then revitalizes itself through the choreography and the musical moments. The Testament of Ann Lee is shockingly astounding. I went in with mixed expectations, but then the politics of historical colonies came together, and blew me out of the water. 

The film’s main character is Ann Lee, played by Amanda Seyfried. She is the founding leader of the Shaker Movementand is labeled by her supporters as the renowned female Christ. The film focuses on building the foundation for a society that strives to be utopian. There are back and forth motions involving segregation and other politics, and it is all about how Ann leads the way. She is the power and force behind changes to come.

The late 1700s was a time where using one’s voice had the most promising efforts for change, especially in an era where females struggled to get leadership opportunity. This all comes through in the frustration vibe apparent in the music and the dancing. With Seyfried’s performance, there is a high-level of encouragement that will wow audiences. Gender equality is the driving force of the fight. She finds herself with those who support her and those who do not, but what matters is what Ann wants. She wants her vision of the incipient utopia to have a solid foundation.

The film has elements surrounding spiritual leadership, yet also has a theatrical feel in the Shakespearean sense. The feel comes with the many settings around a historical London backdrop and a society portrayed in the era of evolving castles. New beginnings do not come easy, but it takes one voice to make a change. The Testament of Ann Lee paints the portrait to encourage those to stand their ground.

A term that is used frequently in the film is, “Divine manifestations,” and I will say I felt that aspect throughout the trial and error of Seyfried’s performance. It was especially apparent in her dealing with tragedies and her overcoming those hardship moments. That is where the growth of her voice stumbles, only to become bigger. The Testament of Ann Lee is a spellbinding tale of falling and getting back up repeatedly. The direction of Fastvold does not hold back from greatness in an era with no technological advancements. The Testament of Ann Lee is by far a true and poetic portrait of surrealism and one standing her ground. Musically and cinematically a spectacle, there is nothing like The Testament of Ann Lee. There may be times when superiors want to hold Ann back, but that only drives her to be more ambitious. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for The Testament of Ann Lee.

 

 

Film reviews

Rental Family Review

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From the mind of director Hikari comes a mesmerizing and diverse portrait where some unique connections are found in her latest film, Rental Family. The purpose here focuses on a character in a struggling career who decides to take a different path—one that requires having a heart. Brendan Fraser delivers one of the best performances of 2025, and ultimately one of the best of his career. Rental Family is a film that blends diversity and human connection to form parallel values of context that come out of hiding. 

Fraser plays Philip Vanderploeg, an actor for commercials, who finds himself not doing so great. His gigs are in Tokyo. His new opportunity is to take a job with an agency titled “rental family.” The purpose of it is to fill in roles for strangers. For example, if one is missing a father, one fulfills that role in the family. That is the role that Philip ends up filling. He does so for a young girl named Mia, played by Shannon Gorman. Moving forward, Philip tries to fill the father role, and as hard as it is, he finds himself in the stage of his life where the position becomes rewarding and meaningful in this role of a “stranger.”

Rental Family is mind-boggling in its ability to create curiosity for its audiences to wonder what it would be like to have someone stand in for a role in a family. It leads to many questions. What dynamics would it twist? What conversations would it confuse? How would the moving parts feel? A lot of those questions come and go in the film’s writing, but at the same time, empathy weaves throughout with a sense of style in Rental Family. The Tokyo setting brings in a lot of value and culture through the eyes of Philip and Mia amid the narrative.

A lot of thoughts revolving around the idea of a fake family come to mind when watching Rental Family. The subject of routine came around a lot for me, because the agency finds itself in hurdles with others outside of Philip’s life doing this process as well. It proves that not everyone has it right and that having a family that’s “rented” does not easily find common ground. It is, however, a door for connection and new beginnings to evolve.

There is the motion of a weaving narrative that is enchanting, while also questionable. However, Fraser is the savior of the film. He plays the one that works to have a heart, while also dealing with the realities of life in Tokyo. Being in a father role that he had not planned for is not easy, but his heart grows. The film will inspire, as Rental Family is unique, diverse, and brilliant. Also, it was quite amazing. I love how there is a side of being included while also trying to deal with a strange, newreality. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Rental Family.

Film reviews

A Complete Unknown Review

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The song, The Times They Are A-Changin’ is one of brilliance through the voice of Timothee Chalamet in his role as Bob Dylan. Director James Mangold brings us the story of the 1960s era revolutionized by Dylan himself. A Complete Unknown is prolific in its approach of having Dylan as the focus. A well-written story with the many political factors bringing hope, A Complete Unknown is one of the most cinematic and breathless performances from Chalamet—he is the right choice to portray Dylan.

The appreciation I have for A Complete Unknown is how it is presented in the context of an unknown coming from nothing and then unexpectedly having a fan base. Around all that, are the choices and errors in the process of fame. It is not only stunning in the musical sense, but it is also stunning in the fact that persistence is key to the film’s story. Going back to the era of Dylan’s days on the streets, the purpose of having a craft and love for music comes together poetically in A Complete Unknown. It starts from scratch and finds emotional and cinematic building blocks along the way.

With Chalamet as Dylan, the film takes opens with where it all began. It starts when Dylan meets Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton). From there, the steps of the musical dreams unfold in Dylan’s eyes. With Dylan meeting his hero Woody Guthrie (played by Scoot McNairy), the inspiration growsswiftly in A Complete Unknown. Dylan’s relationship with Sylvie Russo (played by Elle Fanning) is one that is a more hit or miss notion in the film. Dylan’s relationship with Joan Baez (played by Monica Barbaro) is also presented in that form as well. However, Dylan’s troubles with relationships are not the focus, but it leaves room for the growth of the more revolutionary moments of the film.

Mangold’s approach has a tone of positivity and a following to fuel the film’s fire of fame. The dynamic side of Dylan’s relationship is lacking; however, this brings the audience even closer into the story of Dylan’s rising life. The elements of that “rising life” are connected to the genre of folk going down the path of electric. The place of worship for that is the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. That festival is the road to the top of the mountains in A Complete Unknown.

To touch on the understanding of performance, there is the feeling that Dylan is irritated with many he is close with. This includes his relationships with Russo and Baez. The musical scenes though, are the moments where he tries to find a sense of reconnection where a lot of the attention falls on Baez (since they tour together). Ultimately, though, writing becomes acompetition for fame and, overall, the good-hearted side of heartbreak flows in a poetic way. It just does not find the context of love as he moves on to bigger fame.

With the setup of the uniqueness of the era of the film, the delivery of Chalamet’s performance feels like hearing something new for the first time. There is a moment of a question which goes, “Are you God Bob?” The answer to that question is Chalamet, in his performance as Dylan, on many fronts—his creativity, his voice, his vision, performance— is all spellbinding in its musical force of appreciation. A Complete Unknown will inspire to never lose hope.

A Complete Unknown may not gear on its relationship dynamics well, but its performances are a revelation. Chalamet and Norton shine the brightest here. Their portrayal of musical icons solidifies in a fascinating gem that will be remembered for ages. A Complete Unknown does not hold back in its faithfulness tothe portrayal of the history or the songs. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.