Production Company(ies)
Apple Studios, Escape Artists, FilmNation Entertainment, Fuqua Films, Prejudice, Westbrook Studios
 
Distributor
Apple TV+
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
History/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Emancipation, Will Smith, Antoine Fuqua, Bill Collage, History, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, R, Disturbing Images, Strong Racial Violence, Language, Apple TV+, Jon Mone, Joey McFarland, Todd Black, Box Office, Budget, Reviewed by Nick Schager, K Austin Collins, David Jenkins, Robert Daniels, Leah Greenblatt, Jake Coyle, Jonathan W Hickman, Patrick McDonald, Jesse Hassenger, Brittany Witherspoon, Josh Parham, Tim Appelo, Starring Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, MPAA Rating, Slavery, Louisiana, Union Army, Whipped Peter, Harper’s Weekly, The Scourged Back, Public Opposition, Escaping Slavery, Hunters, Swamps, Faith, Love, Action Movie, Real-Life Events, Unwavering Faith, Deep Love, Triumphant Story, Mutilated Back, Enslavers, Genre, Limited Release, Streaming Release, English, Scope (2.35:1), Aspect Ratio
 

Cast & Crew

Will Smith

Peter Ben Foster

Fassel Charmaine Bingwa

Dodienne Gilbert Owuor

self Mustafa Shakir

Peter

Fassel

Dodienne

self

self

Will Smith – Peter
Ben Foster – Fassel
Charmaine Bingwa – Dodienne
Gilbert Owuor – self
Mustafa Shakir – self
Steven Ogg – Sergeant Howard
Director – Antoine Fuqua
Producers – Will Smith, Jon Mone, Joey McFarland, Todd Black
Writer – Bill Collage

 

Antoine Fuqua

Bill Collage

Will Smith

Jon Mone

Joey McFarland

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Antoine Fuqua
 
Writer(s)
Bill Collage
 
Producer(s)
Will Smith, Jon Mone, Joey McFarland, Todd Black

 

Film Festivals
Cannes
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Nick Schager

K. Austin Collins

David Jenkins

Robert Daniels

Leah Greenblatt

The Daily Beast

Rolling Stone

Little White Lies

RogerEbert.com

Entertainment Weekly

EMANCIPATION
 All Critics (40) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (20)
 A two-dimensional slavery epic that fits the description “awards bait” to a tee.
 
 December 3, 2022
 
 Nick Schager
 The Daily Beast
 TOP CRITIC
 … A historically dubious, morally incurious piece of genre fare that satisfies as entertainment and not much else. Pure Hollywood heroism.
 
 December 3, 2022
 
 K. Austin Collins
 Rolling Stone
 TOP CRITIC
 A slavery era-set film that maybe didn’t want or need to be set then.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 2/5
 
 David Jenkins
 Little White Lies
 TOP CRITIC
 “Emancipation” is a hollow piece of genre filmmaking that rarely answers, “Why this story and why now?”
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 1.5/4
 
 Robert Daniels
 RogerEbert.com
 TOP CRITIC
 [Smith’s] conviction carries Emancipation a long way, elevating what is essentially a B movie to the realm of something better than its outsize premise: a blunt instrument, maybe, but a brutally affecting one too.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: B
 
 Leah Greenblatt
 Entertainment Weekly
 TOP CRITIC
 Fuqua’s film is often harrowing and gripping but also less nuanced and too narrowly confined in genre conventions than its real-life protagonist deserves.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Jake Coyle
 Associated Press
 TOP CRITIC
 …a Will Smith film and not an Antoine Fuqua one.
 
 December 3, 2022 | Rating: 5/10
 
 Jonathan W. Hickman
 The Newnan Times-Herald
 Despite the flights of historic fancy, this film contains intoxicating images of Peter’s escape and the Civil War. Smith has never been better, he understood Peter, as he is now escaping from his old image and searching for his own redemption. Freedom!
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
 Patrick McDonald
 WBGR-FM (93.7 FM – Monroe, WI)
 If there’s more left to say about the vileness of slavery or how it entwined with a stunningly bloody Civil War, Emancipation doesn’t bother saying it.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 6.1/10
 
 Jesse Hassenger
 Paste Magazine
 While Emancipation contains beautiful cinematography amidst brutalities of oppression, it conveys very little about the man who should easily inspire.  December 2, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/5
 
 Brittany Witherspoon
 Screen Rant
 While there is an imposing performance from Will Smith and some exceptional below-the-line achievements, the hollowness that lingers is one that artificially constructs the forward momentum.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 5/10
 
 Josh Parham
 Next Best Picture
 Smith’s performance and Fuqua’s gift for grueling spectacle carry the film.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Tim Appelo
 AARP Movies for Grownups…

 

Plot
Peter, a man who escapes from slavery, relies on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom. The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Will Smith stars in Emancipation (2022) as a runaway slave trying to escape plantation owners in Louisiana.
 

 
Antoine-Fuqua.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
LGBTQ Stories
 
Distributor
Kino Lorber
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles, California, United States; Los Angeles Thirty Mile Zone, California, United States
 
MPAA / Certificate
NR
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary/Lgbtq+
 
Keyword(s)
documentary, LGBTQ+, transgender, historical, UCLA, gender-affirming healthcare, reenactments, trans performers, Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Zackary Drucker, Max Valerio, Silas Howard, Stephen Ira, directed by Chase Joynt, produced by Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt, written by Chase Joynt and Morgan M Page, Kino Lorber, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Matt Fagerholm, Teo Bugbee, Shannon Keating, Nick Allen, Richard Brody, Jude Dry, Avi Offer, MPAA rating, Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, LGBTQ+ history, forgotten history, trans history, trans community, nonfiction, fiction, all-star cast, collaborators, conspirators, forgotten figures, trans performers, trans artists, trans thinkers, vintage reenactments, trans artifacts, trans lineage, trans history-makers, trans storytelling, trans representation, trans visibility, trans activism, trans rights, trans acceptance, trans inclusion, trans empowerment, trans liberation
 

Cast & Crew

Angelica Ross

Jen Richards

Zackary Drucker

Max Valerio

Silas Howard

Angelica Ross

Jen Richards

Zackary Drucker

Max Valerio

Silas Howard

Angelica Ross – self
Jen Richards – self
Zackary Drucker – self
Max Valerio – self
Silas Howard – self
Stephen Ira – self
Chase Joynt – director, writer, producer
Samantha Curley – producer
Shant Joshi – producer
Morgan M. Page – writer

 

Chase Joynt

Chase Joynt

Samantha Curley

Shant Joshi

Chase Joynt

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Chase Joynt
 
Writer(s)
Chase Joynt, Morgan M. Page, Chase Joynt, Morgan M. Page
 
Producer(s)
Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt

 

Film Festivals
Sundance
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Matt Fagerholm

Teo Bugbee

Shannon Keating

Nick Allen

Richard Brody

RogerEbert.com

New York Times

BuzzFeed News

New Yorker

indieWire

FRAMING AGNES
 All Critics (29) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (7)
 Essential viewing.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Matt Fagerholm
 RogerEbert.com
 TOP CRITIC
 Joynt’s scope as a researcher is admirably broad, but what his film lacks is a sense of purpose as a work of cinema.
 
 December 1, 2022
 
 Teo Bugbee
 New York Times
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s a smart and inventive method of storytelling that nods to the reality that, until very recently, most trans people in pop culture have been relegated to trashy daytime TV, where they’ve tended to be cruelly depicted as aberrations.
 
 July 25, 2022
 
 Shannon Keating
 BuzzFeed News
 TOP CRITIC
 [A] richly heady, thoughtful documentary [that] is constantly welcoming us in by reflecting on itself.
 
 February 1, 2022
 
 Nick Allen
 RogerEbert.com
 TOP CRITIC
 Framing Agnes is a film of quiet but decisive radicality that builds its own genesis and production into it.
 
 January 29, 2022
 
 Richard Brody
 New Yorker
 TOP CRITIC
 Unfortunately, Framing Agnes gets too wrapped up in the questions surrounding storytelling to do any actual storytelling.
 
 January 28, 2022 | Rating: C+
 
 Jude Dry
 indieWire
 TOP CRITIC
 One of the most underwhelming, clunkily-edited and shallow documentaries of the year
 
 December 2, 2022
 
 Avi Offer
 NYC Movie Guru
 For such a studiously artificial work… it is profoundly moving.
 
 October 6, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Jennie Kermode
 Eye for Film
 It is a challenging film that expects its audience to sit up with their brains fully activated the entire time; for those watching who are tuned into its wavelength, the intellectual rewards are plenty.
 
 July 11, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Cody Dericks
 Next Best Picture
 …this documentary’s endless dwelling on its own process can be maddening. Still, it opens a window into a past that was more diverse than we knew…
 
 June 28, 2022
 
 Dennis Harvey
 48 Hills
 The execution could have been more skillfully done, yet it hits on a fascinating subject.
 
 April 23, 2022 | Rating: B-
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
 Framing Agnes is a thought-provoking and necessary exploration of trans stories, reframing the narrative of the trans community, and opening the vaults of history to a huge range of fascinating voices that had previously been locked away.
 
 March 28, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Amelia Harvey
 Screen Queens…

 

Plot
In 1958, a young trans woman named Agnes entered a study about sex disorders at UCLA to get the gender-affirming care she needed, by any means necessary. Her story was long considered to be exceptional until never-before-seen case files of other patients were found in 2017. Through a collaborative practice of re-imagination, an impressive lineup of trans stars take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments, bringing to life groundbreaking artifacts of trans healthcare.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Laverne Cox appears in the film through archive footage.
 

 
Chase-Joynt.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Foreign Language, Sierra/Affinity
 
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
United States; France; Italy; United Kingdom
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary/Biography
 
Keyword(s)
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, documentary, biography, Italian, Luca Guadagnino, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti, Dana Thomas, Michael Stuhlbarg, Martin Scorsese, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Grace Coddington, Todd McCarthy, PG, box office, $65.5K, Sony Pictures Classics, Flat (1.85:1), shoes, Hollywood stars, silent film era, iconic films, craftsmanship, showbiz, footwear legend, critic reviews, Sandra Hall, Moira MacDonald, Thelma Adams, Tomris Laffly, Dave White, Carlos Aguilar, James Verniere, Robert Denerstein, Rob Thomas, Ray Gill Jr., Roger Moore, audience reviews, featured audience reviews, most anticipated 2023 movies, TV premiere dates 2023, best horror movies of 2022, best TV & streaming 2022
 

Cast & Crew

Michael Stuhlbarg

Martin Scorsese

Manolo Blahnik

Christian Louboutin

Grace Coddington

Narrator

Self

Self

Self

Self

Michael Stuhlbarg – Narrator
Martin Scorsese – Self
Manolo Blahnik – Self
Christian Louboutin – Self
Grace Coddington – Self
Todd McCarthy – Self

 

Luca Guadagnino

Dana Thomas

Francesco Melzi d’Eril

Gabriele Moratti

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Luca Guadagnino
 
Writer(s)
Dana Thomas, Dana Thomas
 
Producer(s)
Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti

 

Film Festivals
Venice, Telluride
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Sandra Hall

Moira MacDonald

Thelma Adams

Tomris Laffly

Dave White

Sydney Morning Herald

Seattle Times

AARP Movies for Grownups

AV Club

TheWrap

SALVATORE: SHOEMAKER OF DREAMS
 All Critics (32) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (8)
 It’s a perfect summation of Ferragamo’s career, a harmonious union of craftsmanship and showbiz.
 
 November 30, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Sandra Hall
 Sydney Morning Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 “Salvatore” is a pleasure for anyone who loves shoes and/or good movies.
 
 November 29, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Moira MacDonald
 Seattle Times
 TOP CRITIC
 With great flair and storytelling skill, Guadagnino shows the single-minded drive that made this innovator immortal.
 
 November 10, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Thelma Adams
 AARP Movies for Grownups
 TOP CRITIC
 Guadagnino’s documentary is very much like walking through an immersive and interactive museum designed to make one feel nostalgic for a bygone era of art and craft. It’s magical stuff.
 
 November 7, 2022 | Rating: B+
 
 Tomris Laffly
 AV Club
 TOP CRITIC
 Guadagnino’s carefully and lovingly detailed history lesson, free of stylistic flourishes, is as satisfying and methodical as that red shoe–making.
 
 November 4, 2022
 
 Dave White
 TheWrap
 TOP CRITIC
 Even if he couldn’t summon the experience of walking in Ferragamo’s shoes and getting to know him deeply, Guadagnino makes one appreciate the shoemaker’s indelible footprints from afar.
 
 November 4, 2022
 
 Carlos Aguilar
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Not much more than an ad for the House of Ferragamo.
 
 December 9, 2022 | Rating: B-
 
 James Verniere
 Boston Herald
 It’s difficult not to fall under the glamorous sway of the stars who wore Ferragamo’s shoes: Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn among them.
 
 December 5, 2022
 
 Robert Denerstein
 Denerstein Unleashed
 “Salvatore” is a loving and insightful film about the life and career of the celebrated Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo, who revolutionized the shoe inside and out.
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Rob Thomas
 Capital Times (Madison, WI)
 The film shines while showing his early immigrant story, and there’s an infectious Forrest Gump-type joy to this tale of a simple man rubbing elbows with fame and .
 
 December 2, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Ray Gill Jr.
 Willamette Week
 An interesting if seriously superficial grasp of the man who made fashionable footwear famous.
 
 November 23, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Roger Moore
 Movie Nation
 While Shoemaker of Dreams lags somewhat in the biographical bits, it finds its footing thanks to researcher Giuppy D’Aura’s confidence with the interviewees.
 
 November 20, 2022
 
 Pat Mullen
 POV Magazine…

 

Plot
In the early 20th century, teenage Italian cobbler Salvatore Ferragamo sailed from Naples to America to seek a better life. He settled in Southern California, and became Hollywood’s go-to shoemaker during the silent era. In 1927, he returned to Italy and founded his namesake brand. This feature-length documentary recounts his adventures.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Salvatore Ferragamo, the subject of the documentary, was a famous Italian shoemaker who created shoes for Hollywood stars during the silent film era and for iconic films of the period.
 

 
Luca-Guadagnino.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures
 
Distributor
Neon
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary/Music
 
Keyword(s)
documentary, music, David Bowie, Brett Morgen, PG-13, smoking, brief strong language, some sexual images/nudity, $4.3M, Neon, Dolby Digital, directed by Brett Morgen, written by Brett Morgen, produced by Brett Morgen, executive produced by Hartwig Masuch, Kathy Rivkin Daum, Justus Haerder, reviewed by Nicholas Barber, Jordan Hoffman, Adam Kempenaar, Ty Burr, Sara Stewart, Christy Lemire, Filipe Freitas, Robert Roten, Jared Mobarak, Grant Watson, Katherine Monk, starring David Bowie
 

Cast & Crew

Brett Morgen

Brett Morgen

Brett Morgen

Hartwig Masuch

Kathy Rivkin Daum

Brett Morgen

Brett Morgen

Brett Morgen

Hartwig Masuch

Kathy Rivkin Daum

Brett Morgen – Director
Brett Morgen – Writer
Brett Morgen – Producer
Hartwig Masuch – Executive Producer
Kathy Rivkin Daum – Executive Producer
Justus Haerder – Executive Producer

 

Brett Morgen

Brett Morgen

Brett Morgen

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Brett Morgen
 
Writer(s)
Brett Morgen
 
Producer(s)
Brett Morgen

 

Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Nicholas Barber

Jordan Hoffman

Adam Kempenaar

Ty Burr

Sara Stewart

BBC.com

AV Club

Filmspotting

Ty Burr’s Watch List

Book & Film Globe

MOONAGE DAYDREAM
 All Critics (149) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (137) | Rotten (12)
 Brett Morgen’s Crossfire Hurricane and Cobain: Montage of Heck bent the rules of the rock documentary, but his David Bowie film, Moonage Daydream, smashes them to pieces.
 
 December 27, 2022
 
 Nicholas Barber
 BBC.com
 TOP CRITIC
 If there’s a message at all in Moonage Daydream, it is secondary to the experiential nature of the movie. That’s hardly a knock. One goes to a concert to be thrilled, not necessarily to gather life lessons.
 
 October 19, 2022
 
 Jordan Hoffman
 AV Club
 TOP CRITIC
 …a thoughtful, meditative, almost trance-inducing rumination on the meaning of art and life.
 
 September 30, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Adam Kempenaar
 Filmspotting
 TOP CRITIC
 If you’re a fan of the Thin White Duke in all his guises and want to recreate that Pink Floyd laser show you got baked at when you were 15, this is the movie for you – see it on an IMAX screen for additional cosmic brain damage.
 
 September 23, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Ty Burr
 Ty Burr’s Watch List
 TOP CRITIC
 Moonage Daydream is more a vibe than a narrative.
 
 September 22, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Sara Stewart
 Book & Film Globe
 TOP CRITIC
 This is an experience: an immersive, kaleidoscopic fantasia.
 
 September 19, 2022
 
 Christy Lemire
 FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
 TOP CRITIC
 It was, at least, inspiring to see the alien rockstar romping majestically across the stage and flirting with many types of art.
 
 December 30, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Filipe Freitas
 Always Good Movies
 This is a fascinating movie about a fascinating man. The movie is densely packed with images, music, his constant reinvention, experimentation, the nature of reality and Bowie’s relationship to the universe.
 
 December 25, 2022 | Rating: A
 
 Robert Roten
 Laramie Movie Scope
 It’s not going to be for everyone due to its nonlinear linearity, expressionistic aesthetic, and over-long runtime, but even its detractors must admit the audacity of the enterprise is worth a look.
 
 December 23, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Jared Mobarak
 Hey, Have You Seen …?
 Brett Morgen’s David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream boasts a pitch-perfect technique in eulogising the iconic pop star’s life and art.
 
 December 15, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Grant Watson
 Fiction Machine
 Moonage Daydream is nothing less than a case study in personal realization, and how one man reached deep into his own darkness to transform human uncertainty and angst into glittering creative substance.
 
 December 5, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Katherine Monk
 Ex-Press.com
 Most documentaries proceed in linear fashion, moving through the individual’s life from A to Z. This one doesn’t even mess around with the alphabet — instead, it feels as it’s being told via inscrutable hieroglyphics or complex mathematical formulations.
 
 December 5, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy…

 

Plot
Centers on David Bowie’s life and shows how the musician worked in several disciplines including music, film, dance, painting, sculpture, video /audio collage, screenwriting, acting, and live theater.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels does not have any goofs listed for the film Moonage Daydream.
 

 
Brett-Morgen.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Foreign Language, Social
 
Distributor
IFC Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Happening, drama, French, Audrey Diwan, Alice Girard, Edouard Weil, Marcia Romano, Annie Ernaux, Anamaria Vartolomei, Sandrine Bonnaire, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquéro, Louise Chevillotte, R rating, sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material/images, limited release, streaming, box office, IFC Films, flat aspect ratio, abortion, personal choice, social constraints, pregnancy, shame, pain, prison, critic reviews, Alissa Wilkinson, Anton Bitel, Adam Nayman, Danny Leigh, Kimber Myers, Kathleen Sachs, Brandon Judell, Victor Esquirol, Margot Harrison, Juan Pablo Russo, Matt Hudson, audience score, Tomatometer, Vox, Little White Lies, The Ringer, Financial Times, Crooked Marquee, Chicago Reader, Brandon Judell (Medium), Otroscines.com, Seven Days, EscribiendoCine, What I Watched Tonight, Todas PR
 

Cast & Crew

Anamaria Vartolomei

Anne Duchesne

Sandrine Bonnaire

Gabrielle Duchesne

Kacey Mottet Klein

Anamaria Vartolomei

Sandrine Bonnaire

Kacey Mottet Klein

Luàna Bajrami

Louise Orry-Diquéro

Anamaria Vartolomei – Anne Duchesne
Sandrine Bonnaire – Gabrielle Duchesne
Kacey Mottet Klein – Jean
Luàna Bajrami – Hélène
Louise Orry-Diquéro – Brigitte
Louise Chevillotte – Olivia

 

Audrey Diwan

Marcia Romano

Alice Girard

Edouard Weil

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Audrey Diwan
 
Writer(s)
Marcia Romano, Audrey Diwan, Annie Ernaux
 
Producer(s)
Alice Girard, Edouard Weil

 

Film Festivals
Sundance, Venice
 
Awards & Nominations
1 BAFTA Award
13 wins & 16 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Alissa Wilkinson

Anton Bitel

Adam Nayman

Danny Leigh

Kimber Myers

Vox

Little White Lies

The Ringer

Financial Times

Crooked Marquee

HAPPENING
 All Critics (161) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (160) | Rotten (1)
 It’s brutal in spots, but especially vital to watch right now.
 
 August 5, 2022
 
 Alissa Wilkinson
 Vox
 TOP CRITIC
 the film, calibrated in passing weeks, closely tracks Anne’s efforts – greatly circumscribed and increasingly desperate – to choose her own future.
 
 August 2, 2022
 
 Anton Bitel
 Little White Lies
 TOP CRITIC
 Anamaria Vartolomei’s lead performance is necessarily and intensely physical—and subject to some harrowing bodily choreography in the homestretch—but what binds us to her is a sense of the perceptive, gifted writer trapped behind weary, terrified eyes.
 
 July 9, 2022
 
 Adam Nayman
 The Ringer
 TOP CRITIC
 Not a moment feels didactic, and Anne never seems like a case study. Instead, the film thrums with the practical resolve of a young woman desperate to begin her own life before creating another.
 
 June 10, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Danny Leigh
 Financial Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Despite its decades-ago setting, Happening has never been more relevant, particularly for audiences in America. Diwan’s drama serves as a warning of what people may experience if Roe is overturned.
 
 May 17, 2022 | Rating: A-
 
 Kimber Myers
 Crooked Marquee
 TOP CRITIC
 The no-holds-barred approach to the abortion procedure and its aftermath is the kind of interpretation of real life that great cinema does best.
 
 May 14, 2022
 
 Kathleen Sachs
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 The most-need-to-be-seen feature of the year . . . . In this grippingly honest, no-holds-barred film, a 23-year-old lit student seeks an abortion in 1963 France, an act for which she, her doctor, and anyone else who aids her can be sent to prison.
 
 August 14, 2022 | Rating: 9/10
 
 Brandon Judell
 Brandon Judell (Medium)
 When Diwan has to choose between reckoning the protagonist or impacting the audience, she chooses the latter. And for a few minutes, everything falls apart… almost impeccable otherwise. Almost. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 August 8, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Victor Esquirol
 Otroscines.com
 No, it’s not an upbeat subject. But perhaps now, with Roe overturned and people experiencing the consequences of abortion bans, it’s time to watch this movie.
 
 July 28, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
 Margot Harrison
 Seven Days
 Diwan relies on a raw and daring mise-en-scène, and avoids becoming a pamphlet. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 July 26, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Juan Pablo Russo
 EscribiendoCine
 Happening is an honest, harrowing, frighteningly timely, moving, and powerful experience.
 
 July 25, 2022 | Rating: 10/10
 
 Matt Hudson
 What I Watched Tonight
 Happening presenta con firmeza cómo la experiencia traumática no radica en el acto del aborto en sí, sino en el terror que genera un embarazo forzado por falta de apoyo médico adecuado.
 
 July 4, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Josie Melendez
 Todas PR…

 

Plot
France, 1963. Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she falls pregnant, she sees the opportunity to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background disappearing. With her final exams fast approaching and her belly growing, Anne resolves to act, even if she has to confront shame and pain, even if she must risk prison to do so… Based on the 2000 autobiographical novel by Annie Ernaux.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Anamaria Vartolomei plays the lead role of Anne in Happening (2021).
 

 
Audrey-Diwan.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Disney+, MARV, Marvel Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, Verse
 
Distributor
Walt Disney Pictures
 
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Disney+), Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
England, United Kingdom; New York, United States; Iceland; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Los Angeles, California, United States; Italy
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
 
Keyword(s)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, PG-13, Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, 2h 6m, directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Kevin Feige, written by Michael Waldron, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Rachel McAdams as Dr Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as Wong, Xochitl Gómez as America Chavez, box office gross of $411.0M, reviewed by Todd Gilchrist, Danny Leigh, Kristy Puchko, tt stern-enzi, Sandra Hall, Richard Brody, Steve Murray, Carla Renata, David Hogan, Kyle Smith, Michael A Smith, Sarah Ward, more Marvel Cinematic Universe, Walt Disney Pictures, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS, Scope (2.35:1), multiverse, mystical allies, alternate realities, mysterious new adversary, frightening images, intense sequences of violence, some language
 

Cast & Crew

Benedict Cumberbatch

Elizabeth Olsen

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Rachel McAdams

Benedict Wong

Doctor Stephen Strange

Wanda Maximoff

The Scarlet Witch

Baron Mordo

Dr. Christine Palmer

Benedict Cumberbatch – Doctor Stephen Strange
Elizabeth Olsen – Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Baron Mordo
Rachel McAdams – Dr. Christine Palmer
Benedict Wong – Wong
Xochitl Gómez – America Chavez

 

Sam Raimi

Michael Waldron

Kevin Feige

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Sam Raimi
 
Writer(s)
Michael Waldron
 
Producer(s)
Kevin Feige

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Todd Gilchrist

Danny Leigh

Kristy Puchko

tt stern-enzi

Sandra Hall

AV Club

Financial Times

Mashable

WXIX-TV

Sydney Morning Herald

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS All Critics (433) | Top Critics (73) | Fresh (321) | Rotten (112) the tale translates poorly to the big screen, even with the filmmaker working overtime to inject his raucous appetite for horror into what still needs to be a PG-13 crowd-pleaser.  June 22, 2022 | Rating: C-  Todd Gilchrist AV Club TOP CRITIC If Marvel directors are often merely first among hired hands… Raimi is allowed a creative signature, delivering a family-friendly take on the chills that first made his name with 1981 cult favourite The Evil Dead.  June 10, 2022 | Rating: 3/5  Danny Leigh Financial Times TOP CRITIC It might be Marvel’s multiverse, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Raimi’s plaything. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.  May 31, 2022  Kristy Puchko Mashable TOP CRITIC It’s going to service fans… but even if you aren’t a fan you can come into it and embrace it as a standalone film.  May 26, 2022 | Rating: B  tt stern-enzi WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH) TOP CRITIC The result of all this is a lot of crumbling masonry and an abundance of gruesomely charred bodies that make it clear Raimi is out to honour his horror movie credentials. But for all his efforts, the effect is curiously uninvolving.  May 14, 2022 | Rating: 3/5  Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald TOP CRITIC “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” eliminates the playful idiosyncrasy in the interest of formula—of Marvel’s self-perpetuating business. The new film isn’t merely branded entertainment; it’s branding as entertainment.  May 11, 2022  Richard Brody New Yorker TOP CRITIC This and other MCU movies are so well made, it’s easy sometimes to ignore that they’re all just a series of gobbledygook dialogue stitching together CG-enhanced fight scenes. But these days, it’s Disney/Star Wars/Marvel’s world and we just live in it.  July 11, 2022  Steve Murray ArtsATL The main reason to screen this film is for the performance of Elizabeth Olsen as she struggles over the immense loss of family wreaking havoc on anything and anyone that dares to disrupt her altered reality. She’s stupendous!!!  July 5, 2022  Carla Renata The Curvy Film Critic Lacks the heart of the MCU’s previous multiversal cross-over movie, but it does have some stunning imagery plus Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen do a lot to hold your attention even when the plot doesn’t really exist to do so otherwise.  June 30, 2022 | Rating: 3/5  David Hogan hoganreviews.co.uk It’s eye candy all the way, but who wants a 19-course all-candy dinner? The movie is more numbing than stimulating.  June 28, 2022  Kyle Smith National Review So great to see Sam Raimi, the director of the first Spider-man series with Tobey Maquire, back at the helm of a superhero film and he puts his trademark eye for pacing and character development on full display.  June 27, 2022 | Rating: 4/5  Michael A. Smith MediaMikes Somewhere in the multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is terrific. In a different realm, it’s terrible. Here in our dimension, the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe teeters and twirls in the middle.  June 24, 2022  Sarah Ward Concrete Playground…

 

Plot
Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary. Sequel to the 2016 film.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The length of Wong’s hair changes in various scenes.
 

 
Sam-Raimi.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Forty Four Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,
 
Distributor
Roadside Attractions
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Oslo, Norway
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language
 
Year of Release
2021
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, directed by Lake Bell, written by Lake Bell, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Andi Zeisler, Adam Nayman, Candice Frederick, Philippa Hawker, Richard Roeper, Eddie Harrison, Tyler Smith, Leigh Paatsch, Jim Ross, Bernard Boo, Ren Jender, R MPAA rating, vocal coach, voice-over, trailer, Hollywood, family dynamics, sexism, female identity, film business, movie trailer, voice acting, movie industry, indie movie, film buffs, film references, quirky sensibilities, dry wit, heartfelt drama, lighthearted nature, family ties, film director, film producer, Roadside Attractions
 

Cast & Crew

Lake Bell

Fred Melamed

Demetri Martin

Michaela Watkins

Ken Marino

Carol

Sam

Louis

Dani

Gustav

Lake Bell – Carol
Fred Melamed – Sam
Demetri Martin – Louis
Michaela Watkins – Dani
Ken Marino – Gustav
Rob Corddry – Moe

 

Lake Bell

Lake Bell

Eddie Vaisman

Jett Steiger

Lake Bell

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Lake Bell
 
Writer(s)
Lake Bell
 
Producer(s)
Eddie Vaisman, Jett Steiger, Lake Bell, Mark Roberts

 

Film Festivals
Sundance
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
19 wins & 84 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Andi Zeisler

Adam Nayman

Candice Frederick

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Philippa Hawker

Bitch Media

Sight & Sound

Reel Talk Online

metro.co.uk

The Age (Australia)

IN A WORLD …
 All Critics (132) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (122) | Rotten (10)
 In a World questions just what about any voice is authentic and valuable. And with any luck, it’ll be Bell’s own calling card to more voiceover work.
 
 January 20, 2021
 
 Andi Zeisler
 Bitch Media
 TOP CRITIC
 The simplicity of the film’s plot leaves plenty of breathing room for the cast to just bounce lines and looks off one another, which they do with the relaxed aplomb of an alt-comedy all-star team.
 
 July 31, 2018
 
 Adam Nayman
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 The outline of the film shows a lot of potential for [Lake] Bell’s future directorial projects, and ability to bring out the authenticity in her characters and cast, but the execution leaves much to be desired.
 
 September 6, 2017 | Rating: C+
 
 Candice Frederick
 Reel Talk Online
 TOP CRITIC
 Pin-sharp observant one minute, appealingly messy the next, this marks [Lake] Bell as one of America’s most promising new talents.
 
 September 5, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
 metro.co.uk
 TOP CRITIC
 Writer-director Lake Bell is also the star of this quick-witted beguiling comedy of female identity, family ties and an unseen but fiercely competitive aspect of the film business.
 
 April 2, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Philippa Hawker
 The Age (Australia)
 TOP CRITIC
 Can’t wait to see what Lake Bell the filmmaker does next.
 
 December 31, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Richard Roeper
 Chicago Sun-Times
 TOP CRITIC
 …a sprightly indie comedy, with smart performances from the cast, notably Bell who has crafted a story to her own likable talents…
 
 March 10, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Eddie Harrison
 film-authority.com
 …most directors’ first films do not have the basis of quality that this movie has. I’m excited to see her next film, but, in the meantime, we have In a World… If you have the opportunity to see it, I recommend that you do.
 
 February 25, 2021
 
 Tyler Smith
 Battleship Pretension
 Bell’s sharp instincts fuse the caustic and the cute to often delirious effect.
 
 June 15, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Leigh Paatsch
 Herald Sun (Australia)
 Bell’s script is distinctly female in perspective, taking aim at industry sexism without being seminar-like about it. An accomplished feature debut, IN A WORLD… shows there should be more to come from Bell as writer/director.
 
 February 13, 2020
 
 Jim Ross
 TAKE ONE Magazine
 In a World… is a clever, character-centric comedy that’s got a great cast and is framed by such a strangely peculiar backdrop that it sets itself apart.
 
 April 12, 2019 | Rating: 7.4/10
 
 Bernard Boo
 Way Too Indie
 Many of the contrivances seem like placeholders in the script, meant to be replaced with better thought out action later on, but the movie still contains some truths that don’t make their way into films directed and written by men.
 
 March 13, 2019
 
 Ren Jender
 Bitch Flicks…

 

Plot
A vocal coach competes with her father and his rival for a prestigious gig doing the voice-over on a trailer for a big-budget movie in the screwball satire, In a World… directed by Lake Bell.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
“In a World…” marks the directorial debut of Lake Bell, who also stars in the film.
 

 
Lake-Bell.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
IFC Films
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some bloody violence, language, and some sexual material/nudity
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
starring Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman, Tudor Petrut, Gabriela Butuc, Madalina Anea, directed by Chloe Okuno, written by Zack Ford, Chloe Okuno, mystery, thriller, R rating, Mason Novick, John Finemore, Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, box office gross $1.9M, reviewed by tt stern-enzi, Tim Cogshell, Peter Rainer, A.A Dowd, Jake Coyle, Sheila O’Malley, Filipe Freitas, Lynn Venhaus, Trace Thurman, John Serba, Tom Meek, Tara McNamara, serial killer, actress, boyfriend, stranger, Hitchcockian, psychological thriller, blonde heroine, suspense, slow-burn, taffy-pull, elevators, cat-and-mouse games, pulp movie, surprises, fresh, chilling, gripping, evocative, contemporary, female spin, moody, underwhelms, solid, rock, must-watch
 

Cast & Crew

Maika Monroe

Karl Glusman

Burn Gorman

Tudor Petrut

Gabriela Butuc

Julia

Francis

Watcher

Weber

Taxi Driver

Maika Monroe – Julia
Karl Glusman – Francis
Burn Gorman – Watcher, Weber
Tudor Petrut – Taxi Driver
Gabriela Butuc – Flavia
Madalina Anea – Irina
Director – Chloe Okuno
Producers – Mason Novick, John Finemore, Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy
Writers – Zack Ford, Chloe Okuno

 

Chloe Okuno

Zack Ford

Mason Novick

John Finemore

Aaron Kaplan

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Chloe Okuno
 
Writer(s)
Zack Ford, Chloe Okuno
 
Producer(s)
Mason Novick, John Finemore, Aaron Kaplan, Sean Perrone, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy

 

Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest
 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

tt stern-enzi

Tim Cogshell

Peter Rainer

A.A. Dowd

Jake Coyle

WXIX-TV

FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)

Digital Trends

Associated Press

RogerEbert.com

WATCHER
 All Critics (119) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (104) | Rotten (15)
 It grabs you along the way.
 
 June 14, 2022
 
 tt stern-enzi
 WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)
 TOP CRITIC
 Good movie — solid as a rock!
 
 June 8, 2022
 
 Tim Cogshell
 FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
 TOP CRITIC
 This is all potentially fodder for a pulp movie, but instead it was extremely well-directed, very evocative, and more like a psychological thriller.
 
 June 8, 2022
 
 Peter Rainer
 FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
 TOP CRITIC
 Theme never hijacks tension in Watcher, which is content to let meaning emerge organically from the familiar cat-and-mouse games of its slender genre plot.
 
 June 5, 2022
 
 A.A. Dowd
 Digital Trends
 TOP CRITIC
 Okuno’s taut feature artfully reconstructs a Hitchcockian thriller around, yes, a blonde heroine in Monroe, but one with her own gaze and distinct anxieties.
 
 June 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Jake Coyle
 Associated Press
 TOP CRITIC
 A chilly and elegant thriller.
 
 June 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Sheila O’Malley
 RogerEbert.com
 TOP CRITIC
 The director, avoiding complicating what is simple, makes it straightforward, with no frivolous scares.
 
 July 8, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Filipe Freitas
 Always Good Movies
 Director Chloe Okuno, who wrote the story for the screen based on Zack Ford’s screenplay, gives a stylish, contemporary female spin on a classic old-school thriller, and it gets under your skin with her methodical approach.
 
 July 1, 2022 | Rating: B+
 
 Lynn Venhaus
 PopLifeSTL.com…Presents
 Doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises but Okuno’s masterful, claustrophobic direction and Monroe’s empathetic lead performance make Watcher a must-watch (sorry).
 
 June 30, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Trace Thurman
 Horror Queers Podcast
 Watcher is a mesmerizing, understated, slow-burn thriller with long stares and poky elevators and a firm grip on both ends of the gradual taffy-pull of suspense.
 
 June 24, 2022
 
 John Serba
 Decider
 Chloe Okuno’s feature debut is a moody psychological thriller that feels fresh despite a wash-rinse-and-repeat narrative.
 
 June 23, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Tom Meek
 Cambridge Day
 Writer-director Chloe Okuno overdelivers on the promise of her movie’s title but, in doing so, underwhelms in creating suspense.
 
 June 15, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Tara McNamara
 Common Sense Media…

 

Plot
A young actress who just moved to town with her boyfriend notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street as a serial killer stalks the city in Watcher.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Maika Monroe delivers a terrific performance in the leading role of Watcher.
 

 
Chloe-Okuno.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
LGBTQ Stories, Protozoa Pictures, Psychological
 
Distributor
A24
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Newburgh, New York, United States; New York, New York, United States
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
2022
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
The Whale, Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Samuel D Hunter, drama, R rating, box office performance, $2.6M gross USA, A24, Dolby Digital, reviewed by Richard Roeper, Chris Hewitt, Barry Hertz, Odie Henderson, Adam Graham, Ann Hornaday, Chris Feil, Patrick McDonald, Linda Cook, Randall King, Leo Brady, Golden Globe nominations, empathy, obesity, estranged daughter, redemption
 

Cast & Crew

Brendan Fraser

Charlie

Sadie Sink

Ellie

Hong Chau

Charlie

Ellie

Mary

Thomas

Liz

Brendan Fraser – Charlie
Sadie Sink – Ellie
Hong Chau – Mary
Ty Simpkins – Thomas
Samantha Morton – Liz
Darren Aronofsky – Director

 

Darren Aronofsky

Samuel D. Hunter

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Darren Aronofsky
 
Writer(s)
Samuel D. Hunter
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals
Venice, Toronto
 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Richard Roeper

Chris Hewitt

Barry Hertz

Odie Henderson

Adam Graham

Chicago Sun-Times

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Globe and Mail

Boston Globe

Detroit News

THE WHALE
 All Critics (246) | Top Critics (60) | Fresh (161) | Rotten (85)
 Fraser delivers the best work of his career.
 
 December 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Richard Roeper
 Chicago Sun-Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Fraser’s choices are so subtly intelligent that we barely notice what amounts to his costume, so attuned are we to the way his Charlie teeters on the brink of life and death.
 
 December 23, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Chris Hewitt
 Minneapolis Star Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 The Whale is not a cruel spectacle – it is just a dull, repetitive one.
 
 December 21, 2022
 
 Barry Hertz
 Globe and Mail
 TOP CRITIC
 Aronofsky has proven he can direct, so what to make of the fact that this film is so hateful and vile?
 
 December 21, 2022 | Rating: 0.5/4
 
 Odie Henderson
 Boston Globe
 TOP CRITIC
 The Whale is messy and compromised, but finds its honesty in the emotional core of its lead performance. See it for Fraser, try and drown out the rest.
 
 December 20, 2022 | Rating: B-
 
 Adam Graham
 Detroit News
 TOP CRITIC
 A murky-looking, claustrophobic exercise in emotionalism at its most trite and ostentatiously maudlin.
 
 December 20, 2022 | Rating: 1.5/4
 
 Ann Hornaday
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 Rather than creating authentic empathy from the audience, the film is more interested in making a spectacle of Charlie’s suffering and his body.
 
 December 30, 2022
 
 Chris Feil
 The Daily Beast
 The story has obvious stage play roots with the requisite ‘playing to the back row,’ but the praise of Fraser’s performance is legit. He provides Charlie with a sweet darkness in both the inherent positive nature of his soul and the harsh slow suicide.
 
 December 30, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Patrick McDonald
 WBGR-FM (93.7 FM – Monroe, WI)
 Brendan Fraser’s extraordinary performance will break you heart.
 
 December 30, 2022 | Rating: 3.5 stars
 
 Linda Cook
 OurQuadCities / WHBF-TV (Illinois)
 Director Darren Aronofsky has demonstrated a penchant for grandiose metaphysical statements in past films, such as The Fountain, Black Swan and Mother!, but he is back down to earth in his new film, The Whale.
 
 December 30, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Randall King
 Winnipeg Free Press
 The Whale is a mammoth undertaking, lacking in subtlety, and compassion, that leaves the viewer gasping for air on the beach.
 
 December 30, 2022 | Rating: 1.5/4
 
 Leo Brady
 AMovieGuy.com
 Though all movies are subjective experiences, I would argue that Aronofsky is way too much of a provocateur to commit fully to the kind of sensitivity and empathy this material surely needed to circumvent its parade of immobile trauma.
 
 December 29, 2022 | Rating: C-
 
 Nathaniel Rogers
 The Film Experience…

 

Plot
Charlie, a 600-pound reclusive English teacher, attempts to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. The two became estranged after Charlie abandoned his family for his gay lover, who later died. Charlie then turned to compulsive eating out of grief. Based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels does not have any Goofs listed for the film The Whale (2022).
 

 
Darren-Aronofsky.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Les Films, Marceau
 
Distributor
Kino Lorber
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Savoie, France
 
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
 
Year of Release
2021
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Slalom, drama, Noée Abita, Jérémie Renier, Charlène Favier, Marie Talon, Edouard Mauriat, French, Cannes, ski, abuse, mentorship, oppression, high school, elite, athlete, physical pressure, emotional pressure, determination, exploitative grip, box office, Kino Lorber, MPAA rating, #MeToo, sexual abuse, sports industrial complex, student athlete, coach, authority figure, power, subjective experience, frank, unflinching, moving, outstanding, Cannes-selected, breakthrough role, teenage ski prodigy, predatory instructor, frequent Dardenne brothers collaborator, emotional, difficult viewing, effective drama, smart insights, teenagers, tough stuff, well-performed, powerful, unflinching look, vulnerable teenage girl, authority, position of power, dead end, victims, peculiarity, open outcome, French Alps, ski club, lack of experience, chance, shining star, mold, physical, emotional, pressure, training, exploitative grip
 

Cast & Crew

Noée Abita

Jérémie Renier

Marie Denarnaud

Muriel Combeau

Maïra Schmitt

Lyz Lopez

Fred

Lilou

Catherine

Justine

Noée Abita – Lyz Lopez
Jérémie Renier – Fred
Marie Denarnaud – Lilou
Muriel Combeau – Catherine
Maïra Schmitt – Justine
Axel Auriant – Maximilien

 

Charlène Favier

Charlène Favier

Edouard Mauriat

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Charlène Favier
 
Writer(s)
Charlène Favier, Marie Talon
 
Producer(s)
Edouard Mauriat

 

Film Festivals
Cannes, Venice
 
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 16 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kate Stables

Tara Brady

Randy Myers

Tomris Laffly

Adam Graham

Sight & Sound

Irish Times

San Jose Mercury News

RogerEbert.com

Detroit News

SLALOM
 All Critics (59) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (59)
 Bringing the wave of #MeToo revelations across from the media to the mountains, this strikingly subjective tale of a French high-performance skier abused by her coach bites like a chill wind in Courchevel.
 
 December 5, 2021
 
 Kate Stables
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s effective drama but extremely difficult viewing, especially for viewers in a country that has been rocked by decades of sexual abuse scandals.
 
 December 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Tara Brady
 Irish Times
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s tough stuff, but worth it.
 
 April 15, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Randy Myers
 San Jose Mercury News
 TOP CRITIC
 By telling a story we’ve all heard a million times before (and perhaps even experienced first-hand to some degree) plainly and bravely, Charlène Favier reaches something urgent and devastating with her feature debut.
 
 April 9, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Tomris Laffly
 RogerEbert.com
 TOP CRITIC
 “Slalom” has smart insights about our sports industrial complex, sexual misconduct within the system and the way teenagers are thrown into the fire and forced to fend for themselves.
 
 April 8, 2021 | Rating: A-
 
 Adam Graham
 Detroit News
 TOP CRITIC
 Favier keeps a laser focus on Lyz’s subjective experience, with a frank and unflinching eye on the moments both euphoric and gut-wrenching.
 
 April 8, 2021
 
 Katie Walsh
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 A timely and uncomfortable film…
 
 December 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Alistair Harkness
 Scotsman
 A timely and powerful drama.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Cate Marquis
 AWFJ Women on Film
 A powerful, if disturbing, story of the destruction of the sacred trust between student athlete and coach.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Sandie Angulo Chen
 AWFJ Women on Film
 It’s not an easy film, but it is a well-performed and powerful one.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Leslie Combemale
 AWFJ Women on Film
 An unflinching look at the impact of what happens to a vulnerable teenage girl when an authority figure abuses his authority and position of power.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Betsy Bozdech
 AWFJ Women on Film
 Although we know the situation, Favier exposes it with a certain peculiarity whose open outcome reveals the dead end in which the victims find themselves [Full review in Spanish]
 
 October 31, 2021
 
 Gisela Savdie
 El Heraldo…

 

Plot
Slalom follows the story of a teenage ski prodigy who is taken under the wing of her predatory coach, and must navigate the physical and emotional pressures of training while trying to escape his exploitative grip.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Noée Abita delivers an outstanding central performance in Slalom.
 

 
Charlène-Favier.jpg