“Blitz” - If the New York Film Festival (NYFF) opened up with quiet poignancy in the form of “The Nickel Boys,” it went out with a bit of a bang with its closing film, “Blitz” by Steve McQueen. A commonality amongst the film and television projects by McQueen is that he explores stories and aspects of history not usually seen. Keeping in that tradition is his latest, taking viewers to characters and situations not often portrayed in wartime London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans. Taken from the point of view of a young single mother (Saoirse Ronan) who works in a war-related factory, and her 9-year-old bi-racial son, George (Elliott Heffernan).

After George is sent away with other children as a safety precaution from potential bombings, he escapes the train to make his way back to his mom and grandfather. Along the journey back home, he encounters characters that highlight the impact of war on everyday residents of an urban area, as well as the marginalization of people of color and those that choose to align with them. In addition to the unique points of view and themes for this period drama, what stands out are the cinematography, sets and sound editing.

“Emilia Perez” - This undoubtedly will prove to be one of the most unique and exhilarating films of the year, if not ever, and the most audacious from director Jacques Audiard’. “Emilia Perez” defies categorization and genre while encompassing the best of several- drama, musical, dark comedy and crime mystery. It’s campy. It’s sexy. It’s not to be missed. From the opening sequence featuring a whip smart, under appreciated attorney (Zoe Saldana -did we know she can sing?!), whose expertise is enlisted by a high profile Mexican drug lord desirous of gender reassignment surgery, the viewers are taken on an enthralling cinematic ride full of twists and turns that will have you thinking and talking about it for days after. The film’s creative concept and stellar execution are only rivaled by outstanding, unexpected performances by each lead, including Saldana in the role of her career, Karla Sofia Gascon in the title role, and Selena Gomez as the heart broken and beleaguered widow of the drug lord (okay, we knew she could sing, but did we know she had drama acting chops?!).

Try to see it in theaters before it’s too-soon-to-streaming platform release. It's a fantastic movie to experience on the big screen and with a collective audience.

“Hard Truths” - If it’s been a long time since seeing a Mike Leigh film, now is the time to get reacquainted. True to form, Leigh delivers a character driven drama, laced with humor and imbued with pivotal social themes. “Hard Truths” proves that at 81-years-old, Leigh is still at the top of his game. For this project he is reunited with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, one of the stars from “Secrets & Lies” (1996). Jean-Baptiste gives a tour-de-force performance (Oscar nod, please!) as Pansy, a middle-aged woman whose mental health issues, not immediately realized by the audience are evidenced in the form relentless anger that’s become toxic for everyone around her, most notably her working-class husband and her depressed adult son.

“I’m Still Here” - This wholly drawn political drama by Walter Salles (“Motorcycle Diaries,” “Central Station”) focusing on Brazil’s dark period of a military dictatorship. Depicted through the true life situation in 1971 when Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and outspoken critic of Brazil’s newly formed, questionable government, was taken from his home in Rio de Janeiro by officials. Although he and his wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), were told it was just a routine deposition to authorities, he never returned, forever changing the lives of his wife and their five young children. A shattered Eunice spent the rest of her life seeking the truth as to her husband’s disappearance, demanding answers and accountability from authorities. This film is both heartbreaking and harrowing.

“Maria” - If you’ve seen Pablo Larrain’s two other films about real life tragic, rich white women - “Jackie” and “Spencer”- then “Maria” will feel like more of the same. Like those others, it is a snapshot portrayal, quasi bio pic of an iconic female character. For “Maria,” featuring Angelina Jolie, it is quick dive into the life of legendary opera star, Maria Callas. The film takes place a week before her untimely death as she is retired from performing and grappling with life away from the stage, something that clearly was her whole life.

Unlike those earlier character studies, with “Maria” most don’t know much about Callas, as in her personal life and how her career got launched. Unfortunately, we don’t learn any of that from the film. Where the three are similar however is in Lorraine’s casting lead roles. Jolie, like Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy and Kristen Steward as Lady Diana, gives a captivating performance. Also noted is the alluring cinematography despite the innumerable annoying close ups, and unique editing style. Sadly though, all that cannot save the anemic script and story and overall lackluster execution. In other words, it’s beautiful but boring.

“The Room Next Door” - It’s nothing but the best of casting for legendary Spanish auteur, Pedro Almodovar’s first English language feature length film. Starring Tilda Swinton as Martha, a retired war journalist who is in the throes of cancer treatment, and Julianne Moore as her long lost friend, Ingrid a best selling writer. The film is adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s novel, “What Are You Going Through” about the friend’s reuniting under the unfortunate circumstances of Martha’s terminal illness.

For “The Room Next Door” Almodóvar continues with his tradition of exploring the lives of women, but this time with a very distinct and welcome American sensibility while still being unmistakably Almadovar. Instead of Madrid that often serves as a central character, this time it’s Manhattan and Upstate New York, with sumptuous interior and exterior locales. This is as much a story about the power of female friendships as it is about the choices about life, death and dying. Although there are a few moments of awkward dialogue writing and tonal issues, along with an odd dual role of one of the primary actors, overall it’s an engaging and touching story. The performances by and pairing of Swinton and Moore that make it worth the price of admission.

“Rumors” - Here too is another delightful and unexpected selection by NYFF 2024. Basically, this is a whip smart, sometimes silly political- Sci Fi romp portraying a fictional G-7 Summit meeting, with Germany as the host and Cate Blanchett as the German chancellor. While the summit members are having a private lunch out in the woods away from the press discussing vague political and odd personal ones, it appears after a while, that all their security and staff are oddly no where to be found. The summit members as well as the audience find themselves at the onset of a major international crisis, potentially a human apocalypse.

Even for the wide range talent and project selections of Blanchett, “Rumors” seems a far departure. I don’t know how she ended up in this mix of comedy, politics and science fiction, but I’m glad she did.

“The Shrouds” - While director David Cronenberg has consistently been wildly inventive over the years with some creative gems like “The Fly,” “Dead Ringers,” “Spider,” just to name a few,  for many he has also been hit or miss as far as quality or success. We give him credit though for always swinging for the fences. For this his latest, he remains true to his odd and creative roots, but sadly, it is a miss as far as writing, tone and execution.

In the wake of tech entrepreneur, Karsh (Vincent Cassel) losing his wife (Diane Kruger)to cancer, he has developed a new software that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved ones dead and buried in the earth. Things go awry and the mystery unfolds when some of the graves are tampered with and the technology is stolen. While many, especially die-hard Cronenberg fans, may find “The Shrouds” eerie and thought provoking, many others (myself included) will just find it odd, uneven and unsatisfying.

“Universal Language” - Think Wes Anderson film, but in some ways, better in a raw and unpretentious way. “Universal Language” puts less emphasis on bold and flashy set designs and affected speech patterns that mask over any semblance of an actual storyline, instead it presents all the fun and absurdity while possessing more substance over style. Canadian writer- director, Matthew Rankin cleverly intersects three sets of characters and scenarios with the backdrop of a wintry Winnipeg and within an Iranian community. Two kids discover and try to retrieve money frozen in a block of ice with the intention of buying their classmates a new pair of prescription glasses; a tour guide brings befuddled visitors on a walking tour of the city’s most obscure landmarks; and a melancholy man (Rankin in an autobiographical role) returns home from Montreal to reunite with his ailing mother.

Rankin seamlessly and wonderfully weaves a distinct deadpan sense of humor throughout each situation and every character. Rankin admittedly was inspired by Iranian films of the 1970s, humanistic children’s fables, and we’re all better off for it. This adorable, inventive and wildly absurd little movie manages to be both real and surreal, and humorous and poignant.

Photo credit: Stephen Lam/The SF Chronicle

   Like always, the Mill Valley Film Festival hailing from Northern California every autumn, has a robust documentary showcase section. For the 2024 festival this includes 21 real story films. Not least among them is an impressive entry from American director and producer, Julie Rubio. She is best known for producing the award-winning independent film “East Side Sushi” but premiering at MVFF is her feature length documentary debut, “The True Story of Tamara De Lempicka & the Art of Survival”. This is the story of the greatly admired, yet little known about female artist, Tamar De Lempicka. From her rise to stardom in 1920s Paris to her move to the United States in 1940, fleeing the rise of fascism, and her revival in the current art market.
   A working mother, feminist, style icon, and bisexual libertine, De Lempicka embodied Art Deco’s spirit and portrayed high society women in boldly erotic terms that broke the male gaze. Encouraged by her grandmother, young Tamara emerged as a prodigious talent who combined cubism, classicism, and surrealism to reinvent the female figure, not as object but as protagonist. In this riveting documentary, Rubio fills in the surprising contours of a remarkable life with never-seen-before home movies and other artifacts, and including never-before-publicized information from descendants, curators, and art historians who cite reinvention as the survival strategy. De Lempicka is a misunderstood but courageous figure who fled the war and authoritarianism, while supporting herself and her daughter and determined to stay true to her artistic vision.
​   Although the specific project is four years in the making for Rubio, the idea for it and its initial plans for it as a feature film started nearly 20 years ago. Recently, I got the opportunity to speak to her about the project’s concept and journey.

PF: The documentary is a departure from your other projects. How did it come about?

JR: When I first met the de Lempickas about 20 years ago at the Weinstein Art Gallery while working on another artists-related screenplay. A common acquaintance through the gallery knew the de Lempicka’s (daughter and granddaughter) were looking for writer-director to do something about Tamara, so he facilitated a meeting between them and myself. We hit it off right away, and I began to research Tamara to create a narrative screenplay. Unfortunately, early on in that process things got a bit complicated regarding rights, etc.

Given the issues, I decided to file away the project. Fast forward many years later during early days of the pandemic during a conversation between my creative producer, Amy Harris and I, we brought up the idea of re-visiting a project about Tamara. This time though, it felt like doing it as a documentary, not a narrative, was the better, more authentic approach.

PF: At that point, did you reconnect with the de Lempicka family and get their blessing on this new iteration of the project?

JR: We had remained in touch and friends, so they had no hesitation about it. I took advantage of having time on my hands during the pandemic to dive into the research and begin the project in earnest.

PF: Through research you acquired, you made some interesting discoveries about Tamara’s identity. Please explain about that.

JR: Yes, we found groundbreaking documents and publications confirming Tamara’s true name and birthdate, and her family’s conversion from Judaism to Calvinism.

PF: Once you started uncovering these things, it became a big guiding force for the direction of the film, correct?

JR: Absolutely. So many modern researchers and writers got it wrong. They over simplified Tamara and her unique situation, marginalizing her and claiming she was a weak person and just vain. They vilified her for calling her daughter her sister. But she was raising a daughter on her own and coming into her talent and stardom when there were very few women in the art world, and during the rise of Hitler. She was covering because she was a single mother, Jewish and bi-sexual.
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For years, the world believed Tamara de Lempicka’s name was Tamara Rosalie Goragorscoc, and that she was born on May 16, 1898. Rubio’s researched uncovered that her name was actually Tamara Rose Hurowitz, and she was born June 16, 1894. The whole family converted religion and changed their name.
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JR: It sheds that light on the courage, the measures it took in order to survive as a family. Her concealment of her Jewish heritage wasn’t an act of deceit, as many made it out to be., it was necessary against the ever present persecution. Others have overlooked these aspects of her life that reveal the challenges and her resilience.

PF: The heart of the documentary because answering the questions about why and how she felt compelled to hide so much of her identity, in addition to what she is known for… her art.

JR: Yes, in addition to all her life challenges and having to hide in order to survive, she was a brilliant talent that left such a legacy of art. If you look at each of her paintings, they tell a story. If you look at the year, you know exactly what was going on in her life and what was going on politically.

PF: Through the filmmaking process what ended up being the most challenging for you? Was it balancing  with the family, or maybe research or funding?

JR: Fundraising for sure. Women are still not getting the same support for films. We’re living in a man’s world but have lots of female stories. And although we make up 51 per cent of the population, we’re navigating a system, especially in the film industry, that skews to men and their projects. Thank goodness for a festival like MVFF that started the Mind the Gap program, specifically designed to give women filmmakers more access in their programming.

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Mind the Gap champions the bold female and nonbinary filmmakers telling these stories. For the 2024 festival the program features a wave of exceptional emerging talent shaping the future of film and collective imaginations. This gender equity initiative began several years ago when festival organizers  set a goal  to achieve a 50/50 balance of women and men directors at the festival. To their delight, they reached their goal earlier than expected.

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“The True Story of Tamara De Lempicka & the Art of Survival” is wonderfully imbued with the renowned artist’s stunning paintings, along with equally enlightening never-before-revealed information about the painter. A big part of what makes certain documentaries work more so than others is access and revelation. Ms. Rubio’s homage to De Lempicka delivers on both aspects and is well worth seeking out. I you are in the San Francisco Bay Area you can see the film at the MVFF on October 13th. The U.S. premiere of the documentary at MVFF coincides with the first major U.S. retrospective of the artist’s works at the de Young Arts Museum of San Francisco going on now through February 9, 2025. 
Upcoming screenings:
- Roxie Theater San Francisco, October 26 @ 1pm

Julie Rubio is also the founder of East Meets West Productions. When she's not working on her films, she's helping other women realize their movie making goals as the Director of Business for Women in Film SF Bay Area. 

At 62-years-old there are a lot of familiar aspects to the prestigious New York Film Festival (NYFF), like heavily auteur driven entries and gleaning the best from the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals, yet ensuring all their selections will be U.S. premieres. As to the changes, NYFF has clearly been influenced by changing social tides it’s not surprising there are some welcome new elements such as a bit more women filmmakers and directors of color represented in the lineup, and going paperless on the press/film notes. NYFF has always had a relatively modest size amount of films in their repertoire in comparison to the likes of other festivals like Cannes, Mill Valley and Toronto. The boutique nature of the festival confirms their commitment to being carefully curated, aka, the cream of the film crop. Most of the films here will go onto art houses and Oscar contention.

The festival is divided into five categories: Main Slate, which includes the opening, center piece and closing films is considered the core of the program. “It is a selection of the most exceptional new films from around the world.” (Films at Lincoln Center/FLC) Spotlight “expands the vision of the Main Slate, showcasing a selection of the season’s most anticipated and significant films.” Currents "complements the Main Slate, tracing a more complete picture of contemporary cinema with an emphasis on new and innovative forms and voices.” (FLC) Revivals “showcases important works from renowned filmmakers that have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.” (FLC) Talks, which are free to the public, “features in-depth conversations with filmmakers, critics, curators, and more” (FLC). Videos of these interviews are available for free on YouTube. 

While the festival’s official opening is at the end of September, the press screenings have already been underway. As such, below are a few previewed thus far.

“All We Imagine As Light” - This is a richly observed inter-generational story of female empowerment in modern day Mumbai; an impressive debut by Payal Kapadia, who won this year’s Grand Prize at the Cannes festival. Focusing on Prabha, the head nurse at a local hospital and her relationship with her younger roommate, Anu, a student nurse, and her older friend, Parvaty, who also works at the hospital. The three women are at various states of their careers and personal relationships. Prabha seems to have been abandoned by her husband through an arranged marriage, while Parvaty is dealing with the aftermath of her husbands death, and Anu is pursuing a forbidden romance with a young man despite her parents’ attempts to marry her off. Seek this film out when it comes to an art house in your neighborhood.

“Anora”- Riding the wave of being the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes, this film by Sean Baker has a lot of buzz around it and rightfully so. It is undeniably fun, funny and a creative raucous modern romp in the tradition of an Ernst Lubitsch comedy from the 1940s and Night Shift from 1982.The movie follows a young exotic dancer, Anora (Mikey Madison), who works at a club in Brighton Beach. Because of her Russian background, she is one night paired up with a young Russian customer, Ivan, who as it turns out is the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. Being on his own in the States, the reckless, spoiled youth ends up becoming enamored with Anora, buying her time and affection. Claiming to be in love with her one night while partying in Las Vegas, Ivan proposes, and the two get married in a quickie wedding. When they return to New York and the family’s personal manager and body guards learn of the marriage, chaos ensues and the fun begins over a 24-hour period.

This is already a festival audience favorite that will probably be readily available soon in theaters or on a streaming platform.

“The Brutalist”-  Coming in at 3.5 hours, with a built in 15 minute intermission, this movie is a long cinematic commitment, but a masterful achievement by director Brady Corbet, and oh so worth it. At the center of the story is Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian Jewish World War II survivor and talented architect who has made his way to America in 1947 After initially staying with and working for his cousin, the owner of a modest furniture store outside Philadelphia.Toth eventually ends up on his own, taking on manual labor odd jobs.

Through a series of events, he gets connected with Harrison Lee Van Buren, a wealthy industry tycoon played by Guy Pearce. Van Buren recognizes Toth’s unique talent in design and gives him a monumental project to work on while awaiting the arrival of Toth’s wife from Europe. What starts off as a friendship and opportunity of a lifetime, turns into volatile relationship leading to the rise and fall of Toth professionally and personally.

“Nickel Boys” - It’s not hard to understand why this was selected for the most prestigious slot of the festival’s Opening Film. It is equal parts a magnificent work of art, a fantastic adaptation for the prize winning 2019 novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead, and creatively and beautifully shot.
 It is more common for readers to be skeptical of an adaptation of a beloved book, but with “Nickel Boys” director RaMell Ross has managed to not only maintain the strong messaging of the source material based on true and horrifically racist events from a boys reform school in Florida, but in some ways enhance it. This through unique visual techniques including shooting it entirely through the point of view of the two leads played by Ethan Herisse as Elwood, and Brandon Wilson as Turner. The two form a close bond that serves to sustain their hope during their time at the Nickel Academy.

“No Other Land” - This is a verity-style documentary by Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Ada who collaborated on this project from 2019 through October 2023. The two filmmakers provide a harrowing account of the systematic destruction experienced by Masafer Yatta, a group of Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank, at the hands of the Israeli military. The two, who also take up activism, commit to filming and protesting, along with other village residents, the demolitions of homes and schools and the resulting displacement of their inhabitants, which were carried out to make way for Israeli military training ground.

“No Other Land” might prove challenging to watch, but its messaging and timeliness make it worth whatever heartache to endure or political assumption to overcome in experiencing this documentary. Hopefully that will prove true too for a perspective distributor because as of the time of this review, the documentary had no distributor. Interested viewers may need to make an effort to seek out this important film through independent art house theaters.

“Youth (Hard Times)” - Unlike the aforementioned “No Other Land,” this verite style documentary that is part of a series, is not worth navigating. While it is undeniable that the subject matter of sweatshops in China, their conditions, and complicit parties are undeniably significant, the film’s execution of conveying this is sorely lacking and depressing. That, along with the nearly 4 hour running time commitment makes it more of an endurance test than a worthwhile film experience. Although documentary filmmaker Wang Bing is a bit of a festival darling, in this, his lack of substantive information is glaring. It would be preferable that “Youth (Hard Times)” either be a narrative film, with a story line and character development, or be a traditional formatted documentary, with engaging interviews and information.