Carrie Kahn – Page 33 – Spinning Platters

SFIFF Spotlights #4: Fill the Void / Prince Avalanche / The Way, Way Back

More spotlights from the 56^th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which ends this Thursday, May 9th. Tickets for screenings still available at: http://festival.sffs.org/

Fill the Void
(Israel 2012, 90 min; Hebrew with English subtitles)

Yiftach Klein and Hadas Yaron in Fill the Void

In this Israeli Film Academy Best Picture winner, director Rama Burshstein takes us inside the Tel Aviv Hassidic community. Shira (Hadas Yaron) is a conflicted young woman under pressure to marry her recently deceased sister’s husband. Hadas Yaron, resembling Greta Gerwig both physically and stylistically, deftly conveys Shira’s uncertainty and vulnerability. At the Q&A I attended, Burshstein called the film a “journey of feeling,” an apt description of this beautiful meditation on commitment and love.

Next showing:
No U.S. release date yet; has been playing film festivals. Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #4: Fill the Void / Prince Avalanche / The Way, Way Back”

SFIFF Spotlights #2: Thérèse / Chaika / Blackfish

Our coverage of the 56th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) continues with a spotlight on three more festival films. Check out the SFIFF website for more info and tickets: http://festival.sffs.org/

Thérèse
(France 2012 105 min; French with English subtitles)

Audrey Tautou as Thérèse. — Audrey Tautou as Thérèse

Cast against type, Audrey Tautou suppresses her inner gamine to mope her way through Thérèse as the title character in French director Claude Miller’s final film. “Marriage will save me from the disorder in my head,” melancholy Thérèse says as she marries for status, not love, in 1920s rural France. Rebellious and unhappy, Thérèse makes decisions with serious consequences for her family. Francophiles will relish the lush cinematography, gorgeous period costumes, and Tautou’s muted performance.

Next showing:
Will open in limited release nationwide on August 23, 2013.

Continue reading “SFIFF Spotlights #2: Thérèse / Chaika / Blackfish”

Film Review: Disconnect

: Hope Davis, Jason Bateman, and Haley Ramm in Disconnect

In the vein of Crash, Grand Canyon, and Babel, Disconnect, director Henry-Alex Rubin’s riveting drama that opens today, introduces us to seemingly disparate characters whose stories intersect as the film progresses. Each of the story arcs is a provocative variation on the theme of yes, disconnectedness – both physical and emotional – in today’s increasingly wired, technology-saturated, online world.

Continue reading “Film Review: Disconnect”