Mucho Mucho Amor

— “Mucho Mucho Amor” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      This was another of my festival favorites and it will be available on Netflix “later this summer.” I had no idea who Walter Mercado was, but I guess if you lived in Central and South America or watched Univision, you and 120 million other people didn’t miss his show. What makes it so surprising is that he’s something of a mashup of Joel Osteen, Liberace, and Elvis, having the popularity of a televangelist, the gender fluidity an occasional entertainer exudes, and the loyal following of a rock god. Even in his upper 80s, he could turn on the charm and light up the screen, gathering energy from and giving love and hope to his fans. It’s one of those success stories that’s hard to believe, that comes with a bit of luck and bit of disappointment. Even after his fame subsided, he remained loved and beloved. It’s a wonderful story and the film's well done with gorgeous images.
      Description from the T/F website: “For 15 years, Univision’s news show ‘Primer Impacto’ closed its report not with the weekend weather or local boy makes good but with Walter Mercado, a fabulous, gender-fluid Puerto Rican astrologer who read the stars and told the future to more than 120 million viewers across Central and South America every day. As he read each sign’s horoscope, he peered into their souls and gave them hope. A classically trained Flamenco dancer, medicinal healer, and devout religious syncretist, Walter’s sartorial statements were inspired by opulent Spanish divas and the occult. A pioneering queer superhero in a cape, Walter brought joy, positivity, and magic to everything he did. So why did he mysteriously disappear?”

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[2020. 96 min. Directed by Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch.]
https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/mucho-mucho-amor-review-1203477886/

Crip Camp

— “Crip Camp” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      This was one of my festival favorites and it will be on Netflix starting March 25, 2020. It’s begins as a remembrance of a camp in the Catskills for teens with disabilities that, in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, looked more like a hippie commune than anything as its campers experienced the freedom to be themselves. The film eases into an exciting review of activities and protests that ultimately led to passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The personalities are captivating. The stories are amazing. The film is wonderful.
      Description from the T/F website: “Summer camp is where hijinks, freedom, sexual awakening, and self-discovery flourish. Director Jim LeBrecht uses hilarious and tender archival footage to bring us back to the summer of ‘69, in the leafy green Catskills where he first attended Camp Jened. More than just a traditional sleep-away camp, Camp Jened was a radical refuge for teens living with physical and developmental disabilities that became the springboard for an intersectional, intergenerational movement for civil rights. Set to the revolutionary soundtrack of Woodstock, ‘Crip Camp’ offers incredible access to the first protests, co-ops, and sit-ins that changed our nation. Together with co-director Nicole Newnham and a whole cast of campers, counselors, and activists, LeBrecht’s ‘Crip Camp’ is a powerful story of a revolution of the mind, of attitudes, and of the heart.”

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[2019. 107 min. Directed by Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham.]
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/01/crip-camp-review-netflix-sundance-1202205370/

The Mole Agent

— “The Mole Agent” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      This was a perfect mix of humor and seriousness with an unlikely, likeable star, an 83-year-old gentleman who answered an ad to go undercover in a Chilean nursing home. The film’s pretty to look at, fun to watch, and still manages to keep a serious thread throughout, reflecting on old age, loneliness, and familial responsibility, and reminding us of the continued need for companionship, conversation, and caring as our bodies and emotions become more frail. This was one of my festival favorites.
      Description from the T/F website: “A woman hires a private detective to investigate rumors of elder neglect in her mother’s nursing home. The detective, in turn, enlists Sergio, a kindhearted recent widower, to infiltrate the facility and gather evidence. He learns how to operate spy cameras and moves into the home, where he quickly discovers he is one of only three men in this community ... and by far the most appealing bachelor. Director Maite Alberdi (‘Tea Time,’ T/F 2015) is there as well—she has convinced the nursing home to let her follow the new resident as he acclimates to his surroundings—as Sergio forges friendships, navigates the emotions of his suitors, and attempts to gain the trust of the client’s mother. This documentary spy thriller blossoms into a warmhearted consideration of how we treat one another.” https://filmmakermagazine.com/people/meredith-zielke-yoni-goldstein/#.XmFU6ahKg2w

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[2020. 90 min. Directed by Maite Alberdi.]
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/01/the-mole-agent-review-sundance-1202205522/

A Machine to Live In

— “A Machine to Live In,” directed by Yoni Goldstein and Meredith Zielke, was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      I like architecture and am an Oscar Niemeyer fan, so I thought this film would be right up my alley. Not so. Brasilia’s architecture is featured as one view of utopia, but alongside other cult and mystical utopian structures and landscapes. There’s a blending of real and mythic with the film viewing Brasilia as a “generative domain for imagining alternative cosmologies” and creating individual utopia and new visions for the future. It’s all very mystical and a little hard to follow. Since it was a showing that started at 10:00 p.m. I gave up and left about an hour into it, before I was fully accepting of the possibilities.
      Description from the T/F website: “In this wildly inventive hybrid documentary, the feature debut from experimental film and installation artists Yoni Goldstein and Meredith Zielke, viewers are transported to the space-age city of Brasília. A modernist architectural marvel, the city is a sparkling wasteland of machine dreams and aging monuments to a utopian future. Highlighting the sacred geometry of triangles and symmetry of lines, this sci-fi flick interrogates the semiotic structures that undergird the Martian outpost. With striking visuals and a thumping, electronic soundtrack, ‘A Machine to Live In’ is a transcendent, transcendental voyage through Brazil’s cosmic capital.”

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[2020. 87 min. Directed by Yoni Goldstein and Meredith Zielke.]
https://filmmakermagazine.com/people/meredith-zielke-yoni-goldstein/#.XmFU6ahKg2w

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

— “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      I really liked Bill & Turner Ross’ “Western” when it showed at True/False 3-4 years ago and I agree the Rosses are phenomenal. “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” was good and the images were glorious, and the editing nicely done. It was self-contained and non-judgmental, evolving naturally, and even ending up someplace I kind of liked—where “families” form in all kinds of ways and people look out for each other—but I just wasn’t sure I liked its role as a genre-stretcher. I am not sure I want to stretch “documentaries” so far into the “fictional” world. In this case, it’s my understanding the film appears to take place at a Las Vegas dive bar on its the last night of business, with regulars coming to say their goodbyes. In reality, the bar never existed and a bar in New Orleans was used to film people hired to play unscripted characters over a 3-day shoot, including an 18-hour session that was the basis for the “documentary.” I’m still coming to grips with how fluid the definition of “documentary” should be and at what point it’s really a “docudrama.” Regardless, it’s well done and well worth seeing.
      Description from the T/F website: “The Las Vegas skyline is littered with unfinished high-rises, ostentatious displays of wealth from unknown developers. In the shadows of the cranes, a beloved neighborhood dive bar is closing its doors. Shot on the final day of operation, coincidentally (or not) right after the 2016 election, ‘Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets’ watches with equal parts love, recognition, and amusement as a small but devoted clientele stop by for the final night of drinking. The festivities are lovely and low-key at first, but emotions heighten as the liquor keeps pouring, and soon the camera is dancing with the barflys, listening in on their intense conversations, and tagging along for delightful shenanigans. A tour de force of construction, this magical, atmospheric film operates simultaneously as a moving portrait of a bar family, a bittersweet state of the nation, and an ecstatic simulation of inebriation.”

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[2020. 98 min. Directed by Bill and Turner Ross.]
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bloody-nose-empty-pockets-review-1272822

Feels Good Man

— “Feels Good Man” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      Before I saw this film, I knew nothing about Pepe the frog or 4chan the message board. Had the film only been about Pepe, the star of the “Boy’s Club” comic uploaded to 4chan, with the catch phrase “feels good man,” I would have lost interest pretty quickly. But Pepe became an intellectual property issue when he took on a life of his own in the cyber world, “meme-fied” by his followers until his creator lost all control. In cyber space, he became less likeable, adorned with swastikas, associated with 9/11 and Donald Trump, and all sorts of vile and hateful things, eventually earning him a place in the ADL’s list of Hate Symbols. It’s a glimpse into the dark side of internet popularity, and the potential ”cost of ceding control of one’s work to the public at large.” The film seemed a little long, but it was worth seeing.
      Description from the T/F website: “In 2005, artist Matt Furie posted a cartoon strip to Myspace starring four stoner friends—Andy, Brett, Landwolf, and Pepe. Inspired by impish humor and boyhood mischief, Furie’s story about a little frog who likes to pee-pee with his pants down became wildly popular on new social media platforms such as 4chan, Reddit, and Twitter. As users adapted Matt’s image to fit their own playful or polemical ends, the meme began to mutate and Pepe the Frog was co-opted by an army of anonymous trolls. A rollicking horror flick about the zombie afterlife of images online and off, this film is a must-see for Walter Benjamin acolytes and anyone who lives on the internet – or wants to understand those that do.”

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[2020. 95 min. Directed by Arthur Jones.]
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/feels-good-man-review-1273693

Mayor

— “Mayor” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      This was a welcome surprise and ended up being one of my favorite films of the festival. I worried that following the mayor of Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian capital, might be a dose of too much global conflict. What I got was a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall look at the daily life of a second term, Christian mayor who’s calm and purposeful, worried about park benches and fountains and making Ramallah a nice place to live even in the midst of endless occupation. He’s constantly moving, meeting constituents, brokering deals, worrying about branding and presenting the best image to the outside world, and all the other details of running a city, even if its a city without a country. The film was shot in 2017, just as the U.S. announced it would be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, complicating things even more by adding a global dimension to the job. Although the mayor’s focus is always on making things better for the citizens of Ramallah, he knows ending the occupation of Palestine is the ultimate goal. For me, it was helpful to see a small piece of the issue, to visualize the place, and to know the similarities we share. It opened my eyes. Although the mayor was flexible about many things, he was clear about where a line must be drawn: “It’s about dignity. And when it comes to dignity, I think it’s something non-negotiable.”
      Description from the T/F website: “Musa Hadid is the wry, level-headed mayor of Ramallah, a historically Christian city that has become the de facto capital of Palestine. Set during the Christmas season, ‘Mayor’ observes Hadid, e-cig in hand, as he traverses Ramallah to meet with constituents and manage the quotidian predicaments facing the city, all the while working toward a day when his nation will be truly free. Director David Osit’s patient camera reveals moments of absurd humor, lyricism, and even white-knuckle tension, all while allowing the less newsworthy aspects of oppression to be felt in indelible, organic ways.”

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[2020. 87 min. Directed by David Osit.]
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/mayor-review-ramallah-musa-hadid-1202215500/

Boys State

— “Boys State” was shown at the 2020 True/False Film Fest and, for T/F festival films, I’m giving a general reaction to the viewing experience, followed by the film’s description as it appeared on the festival website.
      This is just a nicely done documentary, focusing on a few key participants at Texas’ 2018 Boys State. It’s easy to get caught up in the political pressures and root for one candidate over another. Some candidates value honesty and sincerity while other target their messages and shift priorities, but that's to be expected since Boys State is a microcosm and national politics operate similarly, encompassing all kinds of values and strategies. It’s a glimpse at the generation about to enter the political arena and a reminder they may not be all that different. It’s also very well done and worth seeing. (Apple and A24 have acquired all global rights)
      Description from the T/F website: “What will the United States look like in 30 years? Over a single summer week, an ambitious and accomplished crop of teenage boys from across the state of Texas assembles at the state capital. Some plaster their bedrooms with portraits of Reagan; others look to Bernie as they imagine revolution. Strangers to one another, each is randomly assigned to one of two fictional political parties. Together, they must reach consensus on a platform and nominee to run head-to-head with the other party’s choice for the title of 2018 Texas Boys State governor. ‘Boys State’ is a miracle of documentary production, with a perceptive camera crew that happens to be everywhere at just the right time. We’re there as stars are born and campaigns come crashing down (monitor your Instagram accounts!). This delightful, insightful, and rousing film watches as its charismatic subjects figure out if it’s possible to unite a divided house.”

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[2020. 109 min. Directed by Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss.]
https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/boys-state-review-1203489812/