Telluride Film Festival #51: Brats on Parade & More!

04 Sep Telluride Film Festival #51: Brats on Parade & More!

On the subject of the Telluride Film Festival, Bill Murray summed up best at the screening of Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night”: “There are three things that are better than advertised: Groundhog Day, the Calgary Stampede – and the Telluride Film Festival.”

Go here for more about the Telluride Film Festival (back to 2009).

We saw it on parade at the DNC.

And again the silver screen.

Breaking with conventions, breaking tired old rules – on both side of the camera. Welcome to the world of TFF #51.

Brats ruled the weekend – as in strong-headed, disobedient women, each one of whom took up residence in our consciousness and refused to let go.

So step aside all you wannabe Prince Charmings and everyday suits. And take cover. There’s glass falling from the ceiling.

Yup, once again, Labor Day weekend 2024, movie after movie held up a big, clear mirror to our exciting, if tumultuous world, reminding us why those ribbons of dreams (thank you Orson Welles) mesmerize us as they do: to be reawakened to the to socio-cultural challenges like racism, misogyny/predatory behavior, crimes against The Other; to be reminded of our own foibles and flawed relationships; of our own driving desires; of our own mortality. But ultimately, to be enthralled.

The sense of play, of texture, of discovery, of transformation was palpable, often too was an erotic charge. Thanks to Festival Director (and brat) Julie Huntsinger (and her ace team), who handed the maidens some of the very best tales.

TFF Director Julie Huntsinger, courtesy Festival de Cannes.

Tales like “Emilia Perez,” a stand-out among a number of brat features:

Originally conceived as an opera in the Wagnerian genre of music drama, Festival silver medallion winner and celebrated renegade auteur Jacque Audiard created a story he defined as “all about magical thinking.” In truth, his big, bold, brassy fever dream transcends the norms of the medium effortlessly, gracefully, being equally at home the realms of gritty realism and poetic cinema.

So what exactly is “Emila Perez”? Defining the film is like trying to hold quicksilver in your hands. It is an action flick, a soap operatic drama, a comedy, a Greek tragedy and a musical.

Set in Mexico and seamlessly integrating song and dance – a nod to the film’s operatic DNA – Audiard’s odyssey follows singular women in pursuit of the Holy Grail of self-realization and joy in their disparate, often desperate lives.

As the story goes, a brutal cartel boss hires a hot-shot, but under- appreciated, frustrated lawyer to help him fake his death so he can be reincarnated as his true self: a woman.

The lawyer, Rita Castro is played to perfection by Zoe Saldana, who is this year’s Emma Stone, meaning a surefire Oscar nominee for Best Actress in a film that should get the nod for Best Pic and Best Director.

As the cartel honcho Manitas, Karla Sofía Gascón, who transitions into the titular character, wears both roles like a second skin. Small wonder, just six years ago her stage name was Juan Carlos Gascón.

Selena Gomez stars as Manitas’s wife Jessi and, with Saldana, delivers show-stopping musical and dance numbers. She is as she always is: screen magic.

On May 25 in Cannes, the jury expanded the definition of “Best Actress” and gave the award to the entire cast of the “Emilia Perez,” as well as giving the movie a Jury Prize. The nod made Gascón the very first trans Best Actress winner.

“Emilia Perez” was one of the buzziest films of TFF #51 and an audience favorite where it counts the most in Telluride – on  lines all over town.

Summing up, one online source described “Emilia Perez” as “a miracle of a film. It shouldn’t exist; yet it does, and it is a beautiful, audacious, enthralling, and life-affirming thrill that makes the soul dance.”

A final thought: a little-discussed leitmotif of “Emilia Perez” is the existential question involving leopards and their spots. In other words, even if that happens – as evidenced by Manitas’s trans-formation – can the individual in question change his or her basic characteristics? Can they change their soul?

Spoiler alert: Audiard’s answer appears to be karma is real. We reap what we sow.

“Emila Perez” is out on Netflix on November 13.

And while on the subject of trans, let’s segue to the documentary “Will & Harper.”

“Will & Harper”:

Harper is in the process of becoming a badass like Emilia.

But she is still a work-in-process.

As the world turns, roughly 30 years ago Will Ferrell was brought onto the cast of “Saturday Night Live.” Around the same time one Andrew Steele was hired as a writer. The two men became close collaborators, with Steele writing many of Ferrell’s most iconic characters and sketches.

Their professional and creative partnership evolved into a decades-long friendship, so when Harper told Ferrell she was coming out as a trans woman, the two embarked on a cross-country road trip to process a brand new and very different (or not) stage in their relationship.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum, the filmmakers told Netflix: “It’s a movie about the power of friendship and acceptance — that we hope can help shift the culture.”

“Will & Harper” elicited tears and laughter from a packed house at The Palm.

Shifting culture in a positive direction was on menu at TFF #51. In general TFF has always embraced socio-political- cultural challenges.

Another case in point, the following feature, “Fig,” and several docs, including “Zurawski v Texas,” “The Apprentice,” and “Carville: Winning is Everything Stupid.”

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”:

The title of Mohammed Rasoulof’s latest, greatest, very brave directorial effort refers to a species of fig spread by birds. Once born, the fig wraps itself around the tree, ultimately strangling its host. Clearly a symbol of the repressive, theocratic regime ruling Iran.

“Fig,” which won the Special Jury Award at Cannes, is set against the backdrop of countrywide protests in 2022. It tells of the family melodrama around a righteous, arguably brainwashed, but well-intentioned lawyer Iman, who is promoted to the position of investigating judge on the Revolutionary Court of Iran, a bump that should have upped the status and lifestyle of his family.

Back home, Iman’s wife Najmeh and their two daughters, Rezvan and Sana, are clueless about Iman’s work: issuing countless death sentences, despite little or no evidence. But the three women also have a secret of their own: helping an injured demonstrator and dear friend of Rezvan by providing her a brief refuge in their home. Events pile up coming to a head when Iman’s gun, issued by the Court, goes missing.

Over three spellbinding hours, hardly anyone in the audience could breathe, as Satan, aka the Iranian government and titular fig, in a variation on the theme of a Faustian bargain, takes Iman’s soul, to the horror of his family. Then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, horror morphs into thriller, with the three otherwise repressed women turning full brat.

As playwright Anton Chekhov famously said “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in a following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”

Every heart in the room cried out in pain, not in sympathy for the devil of course, but in empathy for the whole family, yes, including Iman.

“Anora”:

“Anora” is Sean Baker’s postmodern spin on “Cinderella” and therefore also the spawn of “Pretty Woman.” The dramedy won the Palme D’Or at Cannes #77 largely because the cast turned in stellar performances and, well, the action in and out of bed was in-your-face fun, if a bit gratuitous.

Does Anora change our perception of sex workers, to whom Baker dedicated his film? Really? Been there, seen that.

Yes, we know, not a popular opinion – because popular opinion has largely been unbridled hosannas – except for one friend, a cinephile with a sardonic sense of humor, who reported that after seeing “Anora,” she felt she had to go home to take a shower because she felt defiled.. Another, equally smart and very, uhh, woke, texted: “People will talk about it. It’s worth a conversation even if it reflects how empty the world is. There are better ways to cultivate your mind.”

But it has to be said Mikey Madison, in her role in pay-to-play world of stripper/escort/sex worker and born-again Cinderella, Ani, delivers a breathtaking, breakout performance as a mega-watt, Brighten Beach Brooklyn brat.

Just like Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman.”

For sure a star was born.

For sure, like Saldana, another Oscar nod, for the lead and supporting cast. which also delivered the goods big time too.

One critic raved about Ani’s erstwhile Prince Charming: “Russian actor Mark Eydelshteyn, on the other hand, gives what could very well be the breakout performance of the year as Ivan.”

True, while the fun and games verged on Keystone Cops, there were many over-the-top, belly laughs to be enjoyed. And admittedly, in the end, Ani’s new Prince Charming made for a sweet, if inevitable, twist on the non-stop tomfoolery.

Go here for a full review, yes, another rave among all the raves.

“The Outrun” & Saoirse Ronan:

Saoirse Ronan received a Silver Medallion at TFF #51, a well-deserved honor for an actress who doubles as a chameleon. Saorise effortlessly, or so it seems, disappears body and soul into whatever roles she takes on: comedy; period piece; or high action. Case in point Rona in “The Outrun,” a tone poem based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir about overcoming crippling alcoholism, tenderly directed by Nora Fingscheidt.

The conceit of the gorgeous, if a bit too long movie, is how Mother Nature is reflected in human nature: storms that invade Rona’s being show up as if conjured by Merlin in the stormy weather of Scotland’s remote and windswept Orkney Islands, where this woman in free fall goes to conquer her demons.

“The Outrun” is yet another film at TFF #51 – not a gripe, just an observation – about rebirth and redemption at a time our world and the world at large is hungering for both.

A poignant reminder that what shows up on the silver screen is generally an in-your-face representation of the zeitgeist.

Go here for a full review.

“Conclave”:

In a role that at first glance appears to be little more than a cameo, Isabella Rossellini plays Sister Agnes. Yet thanks to the power of the icon’s presence on the silver screen, the relatively small role morphs into a game-changing moment. Back whenever, nuns were meant to be seen, not heard. Hence the brat handle flies high in the context of this gripping psychological thriller.

“Conclave” also stars Ralph Fiennes, who plays Father Lawrence flawlessly, a man charged with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events: selecting a new Pope. As Dean of the College of Cardinals, Father Lawrence finds himself dead center of a conspiracy, a kind of metaphysical bomb – there is a real bomb in the mix too – that could shake the very foundation of The Church.

His co-stars include the magnetic, always pitch-perfect Stanley Tucci, along with John Lithgow, Lucian Masamati, Sergio Castellitto and newcomer to the screen, Carlos Diehz, who figures prominently in the twisty ending.

Of his leads, director Edward Berger had this to say at the screening, (paraphrasing):

“Ralph is a listener and a thinker. As for Tucci, he seems to be doing his own thing, yet his performance appears to be literally effortless. In short, Tucci shows up on the screen, if not on the set. The man is amazing.”

Adapted from a popular novel by Robert Harris, “Conclave” is a chess game writ large, one which reveals the fallibility of all men who operate in institutions large (like the Catholic Church) and small.

The message? Machiavellian. “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton).

Go here for a full review.

Brat in high relief in ” Zurawski V. Texas”:

Google something like “Were do voters stand on abortion in the run-up to the 2024 elections”?

The results should not surprise.

A few days ago The New York Times reported that voters especially, but not exclusively, women now say abortion is their top issue.

And just a few months ago, Brookings said Republicans are “thrashing around trying to get themselves out of the abortion ban they have tried to win for so many decades.”

One of those places is Texas, where all too many pregnant women are barred from emergency abortions due to the state’s draconian bans. If you have money, you travel of out of state for obstetric care; if you are poor – so sad, too bad.

Enter directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, who used mashup of verité scenes and courtroom footage to tell the harrowing story of “Zurawski v Texas.”

A subtitle in Variety about the doc sums up: “Executive produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence, this unflinching survey of Texas’s overly restrictive abortion laws smartly presents reproductive healthcare as a bipartisan issue.”

Telluride audiences were riveted to the screen when lead plaintiff Amanda Zurawski spoke about her case. The woman nearly died when her water broke prematurely, but her doctors felt powerless to perform the medically vital abortion she needed. The result: sepsis, an infection that left her in critical condition and permanently damaged a fallopian tube, hurting her chances of being able to conceive again.

Amanda’s physical and emotional well-being were and remain altered.

Samantha Casiano’s case is similar to that of Amanda: her fetus also had a fatal condition. But Samantha lacked the means and support to leave the state for the required procedure, forcing her to bring her baby to term only to see Halo die while gasping for breath just four hours post-delivery.

OB-GYN Dr. Austin Dennard had to leave Texas for her abortion, again because her fetus had a fatal condition.

The remarkable, indefatigable lead lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, Molly Duane, is an empath who continues to fight for life-saving healthcare like those three brave women.

Molly, Amanda, Samantha and Austin were in town along with the Clintons to change hearts and minds – not that anyone in the sold-out screening at The Palm needed much convincing.

Hilary told the rapt, at times sobbing audience of mixed demographics she saw Dobbs coming, (paraphrasing): ““Get back to a time when your government is not determining what your choices for your family would be, which is just so ‘Handmaid’s Tale.’ Let’s not look back. Let’s all just go out and do it.”

But so far, “Zurawaki” has not found a distributor.

“Carville: Winning is Everything Stupid” one last brat:

The Hollywood Reporter sums up beautifully – as in we agree with the rave: Headline: “James Carville Doc Is a Punchy Portrait of a Political Provocateur.”

Subhead: “Director Matt Tyrnauer focuses on the Democratic operative’s long career and his unlikely marriage to Republican adviser Mary Matalin,” continuing:

“…As might be predicted, another crucial part of the doc concerns Carville’s 30-year marriage to Mary Matalin, who was working on the Bush campaign of 1992 when she crossed paths with Carville. Their romance of opposites has been highlighted before, even helping to inspire a fictional movie, 1994’s ‘Speechless’ (starring Michael Keaton and Geena Davis). Both Matalin and Carville provide candid interviews to the director. They probably had their most significant conflict when Matalin went to work in the Bush-Cheney White House, while Carville vehemently opposed the Iraq War. Their on-camera byplay always seems piquant and unrehearsed.”

Matalin summed up their happy, if arguably unlikely marriage in a way that should go out to our country starting now: “Ours is an honoroable marriage and a model of civil disagreement…”

Full review of the doc here.

Beyond Brats:

Lovingly, artfully directed by Morgan Neville, “Piece by Piece” is, per IMDb, “a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams, told through the lens of LEGO animation.”

The charming flick urges its audience to “turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds.”

“A Real Pain,” a sneak at TFF #51, tells the story of mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin). The odd couple reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

Per Harper’s Bazaar: “Understated, funny, and gradually heart-swelling, writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s Chopin-kissed sophomore feature is as graceful as movies come, with the still-newbie filmmaker growing into his undeniable artistic voice behind the camera, one that is noticeably subtler than his iconic portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in front of it.

“The film follows Eisenberg’s David and festival highlight Kieran Culkin’s Benji, two dissimilarly tempered cousins…

“The most generous of several Sundance films (where the film premiered) this year on the echoes of intergenerational trauma, Eisenberg’s beautifully layered (thematically and visually) ‘A Real Pain’ both excavates the ache and agony underneath shiny facades of human beings with personal and historical burdens, and processes those complex emotions in ways bighearted and intimate amid an ensemble cast for the ages. Expect to hear about this one next award season.”

Amen.

Per IMDb, Jason Reitman“Saturday Night” is based on the true story about what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live.”

Variety sums up: “A love letter to an American television institution, but Reitman includes the drugs, egos and opening-night setbacks that nearly killed ‘Saturday Night Live.'”

“Saturday Night” would have been a whole lot funnier had the audience been able to hear all the wild and wacky dialog through the chaos – but the sound mix was off. Hoping that gets fixed.

“The Apprentice” is a docudrama that tells the story how the young former POTUS and recently convicted felon started his real estate business in 1970s and ’80s New York.

A review in Entertainment Weekly sums up:

“As Dr. Frankenstein once learned, the problem with creating a monster is that eventually, you have to confront the horrors you have wrought.

“That’s what happened to Roy Cohn  (Jeremy Strong) after mentoring a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), an American parable of greed and betrayal brought to life with a soap-operatic glee…”

The film made its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival ahead of its pre-election October 11 release date.

“In Waves & War”:

Directed by award-winning filmmakers Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen, “In Waves and War” offers an intimate look into the lives of retired Navy SEALs and their families as they discover the transformative power of psychedelic-assisted therapies to combat treatment-resistant PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and severe depression.

The film features the journey of the nonprofit Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions or VET founders Marcus and Amber Capone and two SEAL teammates as they navigate the challenges of post-combat life and their quest to bring healing to the veteran community.

“In Waves and War serves as our testament to hope and effective solutions amidst the profound challenges veterans face after their years of service,” said Amber Capone, co-founder and CEO of VETS. “By sharing our journey and the stories of other SEAL families, we aim to illuminate the urgent need for innovative treatments. Our veterans, having made immense sacrifices for our nation, deserve every opportunity to heal and reclaim their lives. We hope this film will open hearts and minds to the transformative potential of these therapies, ultimately saving lives within our veteran community.”

We hope so too.

“In Waves and War” is still seeking distribution.