REVIEWS
Post-film thoughts.

The Crowd (جماعت): Defiant Joy
A vertical video, clearly taken on a cellphone, of a chic millennial apartment. We pan over a group of friends dancing, goofing off, giggling. There is food and drink. One girl is singing. The opening scene of The Crowd resembles the kind of thing you could find on the camera roll of most people between the ages of 21 and 35 today. But by the end of the film, even this typical scenario feels like a statement of resilience.

Summer’s Camera: Picture Perfect
Summer’s Camera is writer and director Divine Sung’s debut feature film, but it’s hard to tell while watching it; the film’s natural depth and stunning composition carry the mark of a much more experienced filmmaker.

The Balconettes: The Truth in a Woman
Noémie Merlant’s The Balconettes is a femme-powered comedy/thriller/drama that met some of my hopes and expectations, fell short of others, and surpassed my imagination, leaving me in awe at times and horror in others.

Invention: Gray and Fading Memory
Directed by Courtney Stevens and co-written by Stevens and star Callie Hernandez, Invention fascinatingly blurs the line between documentary, surrealism, and melodrama. Hernandez plays “Carrie” Hernandez, a semi-fictionalized version of herself in a semi-fictionalized portrayal of her emotional journey after the passing of her estranged father.