by Jacqueline Valencia Jessica (Tilda Swinton) is a Scottish orchid farmer living in Medellin, Colombia. One night she is suddenly awakened by an unsettling, “Bang!”. The camera sits still watching her pondering, maybe waiting for the sound to happen again. The rustle of leaves, her breath, even the buzz of
by Jacqueline Valencia First of all, I’d like to commend the Toronto Reel Asian Festival for making this festival accessible to all. It helps reviewers and audiences like me, to be part of a very important cultural event during a harrowing time. I would like to see accessibility this way
by Jacqueline Valencia Dominic and Daniel (both played by Felix-Antoine Duval) are twins who have been separated at birth. Their mother is a witch who lives in the woods with her much younger lover. Dominic was believed to be dead and his brother Daniel’s existence was only speculated. In a
by Jacqueline and Jennifer Valencia Jacqueline: The weeks of TIFF21 have been full. Full of work from home in the middle of the pandemic and finally sending my child to school again. Our intentions with covering TIFF this year were to review as much as we had time for in
by Jacqueline Valencia After Blue (Dirty Paradise) Directed by Bertrand Mandico Bertrand Mandico is back from The Wild Boys with another gender bending and all encompassing world builder. After Blue is a planet where only women can survive. The men who tried to live there died from having their hair
Review by Jennifer Valencia Medusa Directed by Anita Rocha da Silveira In Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Medusa (2021) a gang of creepy masked girls wearing creepy roam the streets at night beating up and “converting” any other women who they deem sinful, in the name of Jesus. This gang is
by Jacqueline Valencia I’m Your Man (2021) Directed by Maria Schrader A successful, but lonely archaeologist (Marren Eggert), Alma, is talked into test driving a romantic robot companion (Dan Stevens), Tom, for extra funding of one her projects. At first, she barely goes through the motions, but Tom is charmingly
by Jacqueline Valencia Earwig Directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović Sometime in the 1940s, a silent little girl named Mia lives in an dark apartment with a man called Aalbert who takes care to install teeth of ice in her mouth every day. This little ritual translates into other odd routines throughout
by Jacqueline Valencia Part of Critical Focus’ ongoing coverage of the 2021 Toronto Film Festival. Festival schedule can be found here: https://www.tiff.net/films?schedule On September 9, 1971, the largest prison rebellion in U.S. history took place at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Director Stanley Nelson takes his audience
by Jacqueline Valencia *As part of our ongoing coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Tea Lindeburg‘s debut feature As In Heaven, is an adaption of the Marie Bregendahl’s 1914 Danish novel A Night of Death (En dødsnat). The novel focuses on three generations of women trying to bend
Critical Focus 