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NewFest · 2022

NewFest 2022

Narrative Features

Programme

22 films · 13 reviews

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Before I Change My Mind

Review preview for Before I Change My Mind

A lot of effort has gone into production design, resulting in a film which looks really good for its budget, but the most important factor is Anderson’s eye for the sort of details which stand out to teenagers.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
1987: While the other students wonder if new kid Robin is a boy or a girl, Robin forges a complicated bond with the school bully, making increasingly dangerous choices to fit in.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Trevor Anderson; Writer: Trevor Anderson, Fish Griwkowsky; Stars: Vaughan Murrae, Dominic Lippa, Lacey Oake, Matthew Rankin, Shannon Blanchet, Rohan Khare)

Full review See: Interview with Trevor Anderson about Before I Change My Mind

The Blue Caftan

Review preview for The Blue Caftan

Covert glances and dauntless gestures between the three protagonists, that keep us guessing about who knows what, weave a web as diaphanous as the stitching on fine cloth.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
Halim and Mina own a small family tailor shop that specializes in sewing ceremonial caftans. Since traditional hand-crafted work is time-consuming, Halim decides to hire an assistant, Youssef. The presence of the attractive young man arouses long-suppressed feelings in Halim, something that does not go unnoticed by his wife Mina.

(Country: France, Morocco, Belgium, Denmark; Year: 2022; Director: Maryam Touzani; Writer: Maryam Touzani, Nabil Ayouch; Stars: Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Missioui)

Full review See: Maryam Touzani on the inspiration for The Blue Caftan and its emotional fabric

Chrissy Judy

Review preview for Chrissy Judy

A torch song of a film.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When a man leaves the city to be with his boyfriend, his unstable best friend, with whom he used to perform drag, struggles to cope alone.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Todd Flaherty; Writer: Todd Flaherty; Stars: Todd Flaherty, Wyatt Fenner, Joey Taranto, Kiyon Spencer, James Tison, João Santos, Nicole Spiezio)

Full review

Close

Review preview for Close

Loose camerawork from Frank van den Eeden enhances the intimate, raw spirit.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Two best friends find their bond upset by schoolmates.

(Country: Belgium, Netherlands, France; Year: 2022; Director: Lukas Dhont; Writer: Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens; Stars: Émilie Dequenne, Léa Drucker, Kevin Janssens, Igor van Dessel, Marc Weiss, Eden Dambrine, Gustav De Waele)

Full review

The First Fallen

New Year’s Eve, 1983. Suzano has returned from his studies in Paris to spend time with his sister and nephew. Rose, a trans performer, prepares for her latest show at a party. And Humberto, recently arrived in the city, documents it all on shaky camcorder. The future looks bright for them all. But eight months later, all three friends find themselves early victims of the AIDS epidemic.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2021; Director: Rodrigo de Oliveira; Writer: Rodrigo de Oliveira; Stars: Johnny Massaro, Renata Carvalho, Vitor Camilo)

Follow The Protocol

After 10 months of a self imposed lockdown, Francisco wants to have sex.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2022; Director: Fábio Leal; Writer: Fábio Leal; Stars: Marcus CurveloBruce de AraújoLucas Drummond, Paulo Céwsar Freire, Fábio Leal)

I'll Show You Mine

Review preview for I'll Show You Mine

All this would work just as well on a stage, and Griffiths doesn’t really do much with it to get beyond that, though she handles the actors well and there’s some nice set dressing and lighting. It’s still a gripping watch.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
An author who made a career by examining her own trauma sits down to interview her nephew for a new book about his history as a model. Each of them reveal much more than expected and confront some of their most deeply hidden secrets.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Megan Griffiths; Writer: Tiffany Louquet, Elizabeth Searle, David Shields; Stars: Casey Thomas Brown, Poorna Jagannathan)

Full review

The Inspection

Review preview for The Inspection

There’s a depth and groundedness here which speaks to lived experience.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Drama based on the filmmaker's own experiences as a gay man in Marine Corps basic training following a decade of living on the streets.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Elegance Bratton; Writer: Elegance Bratton; Stars: Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union, Bokeem Woodbine, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Nicholas Logan, Eman Esfandi, Aaron Dominguez, Aubrey Joseph, Andrew Kai, Tyler Merritt, Steve Mokate, Brad Napp, Daniel Williamson, Wynn Reichert)

Full review See: Conversation with Jeremy Pope and Elegance Bratton about The Inspection

Lonesome

A country lad running from a small-town scandal, finds himself down and out in big city Sydney, where he falls in with a similarly lonely stranger.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2022; Director: Craig Boreham; Writer: Craig Boreham; Stars: Josh Lavery, Daniel Gabriel, Anni Finsterer, Ian Roberts, Ally Morgan)

The Love (El Houb)

Review preview for The Love

The agony of strained relationships is tempered here by beautifully observed comedy.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Moroccan-Dutch Karim returns to his family home and opens up to his parents about being attracted to men.

(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2022; Director: Shariff Nasr; Writer: Shariff Nasr, Philip Delmaar, Fahd Larhzaoui; Stars: Fahd Larhzaoui, Lubna Azabal, Slimane Dazi, Sabri Saddik)

Full review See: Interview with Shariff Nasr about The Love (El Houb)

Mars One (Marte Um)

Review preview for Mars One

Essentially an old fashioned tale in which the pursuit of dreams needs to be balanced by learning to appreciate what one has.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
In Brazil, a lower-middle-class Black family of four tries to keep their spirits up and their dreams going in the months that follow the election of a right-wing president, a man who represents everything they are not.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2022; Director: Gabriel Martins; Writer: Gabriel Martins; Stars: Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Souza, Cícero Lucas)

Full review See: Interview with Gabriel Martins about Mars One

My Emptiness And I (Mi Vacio Y Yo)

When an office worker is diagnosed with gender dysphoria, her life is transformed as she goes on a journey of self-discovery and discovers the things she really wants in life for the first time.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2022; Director: Adrián Silvestre)

Nana's Boys

With subtle, vulnerable performances, Nana's Boys focuses on the intimate life of a couple who are confronted with the fact that their relationship is not as solid as they thought.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Ashton Pina; Writer: Ashton Pina; Stars: David J Cork, Jared Wayne Gladly, Malika Nzinga, Ashron Pina)

Please Baby Please

Review preview for Please Baby Please

There are layers and layers of humour here, sometimes rooted in queer and theatrical traditions but mostly accessible regardless.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Newlyweds Suse and Arthur become the dangerous obsession of a greaser gang that awakens a sleeping quandary into the couple's sexual identity.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Amanda Kramer; Writer: Amanda Kramer, Noel David Taylor; Stars: Demi Moore, Andrea Riseborough, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Karl Glusman, Harry Melling, Ryan Simpkins)

Full review

Rule 34 (Regra 34)

Review preview for Rule 34

There’s a lot going on in Júlia Murat’s accomplished drama.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A young woman studies criminal law and advocates for women's rights and at night she performs in front of a live sex cam. One night watching a film awakens her dark impulses for a more dangerous means of sexual gratification.

(Country: Brazil, France; Year: 2022; Director: Júlia Murat; Writer: Gabriel Bortolini, Gabriela Capello, Rafael Lessa; Stars: Lucas Andrade, Julia Bernat, Lorena Comparato, Marcos Damigo)

Full review See: Interview with Júlia Murat about Rule 34 (Regra 34)

Shall I Compare You To A Summer's Day

A queer contemporary musical told in the form of a tale from One Thousand And One Nights.

(Country: Egypt, Lebanon, Germany; Year: 2022; Director: Mohammad Shawky Hassan; Writer: Mohammad Shawky Hassan; Stars: Ahmed Awadalla, Nadim Bahsoun, Hassan Dib, Ahmed El Gendy, Richard Gabriel Gersch)

Swoon

Tom Kalin’s feature film debut tells the well-known story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two wealthy Jewish college students who kidnapped and brutally murdered a 14-year-old neighbourhood boy in Chicago in 1924.

(Country: USA; Year: 1992; Director: Tom Kalin; Writer: Tom Kalin, Hilton Als; Stars: Daniel Schlachtet, Craig Chester jr., Crowe Ron Vawter)

Three Tidy Tigers Tied A Tie Tighter

Three friends in the working-class suburbs of São Paulo attempt to make their way in a world that’s been harshly affected by rampant capitalism and a pandemic.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2022; Director: Gustavo Vinagre; Writer: Gustavo Vinagre; Stars: Jonata Vieira, Pedro Ribeiro, Gilda Nomacce, Carlos Esher, Julia Katharine, David Lobo, Everaldo Pontes, Ivana Wonder, Inês Brasil, Majeca Angelucci, Gabriel Stippe, Cida Moreira, Nilcéia Vicente, Lizette Negreiros, Filipe Rossato)

Unidentified Objects

Review preview for Unidentified Objects

A quirky yet moving character piece full of absurdist comedy, with an optimistic streak which is rare in cinema today.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A lonely dwarf and his unstable, alien-obsessed neighbour are thrown together on an impossible road trip that will alter their strange friendship (and their sense of reality) forever.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Juan Felipe Zuleta; Writer: Leland Frankel, Juan Felipe Zuleta; Stars: Sarah Hay, Roberta Colindrez, Matthew Jeffers, Hamish Allan-Headly)

Full review See: Interview with Juan Felipe Zuleta, Matthew Jeffers and Sarah Hay about Unidentified Objects

Vulveeta

A new-ager and former frontwoman of the Nineties band Vulveeta is getting the band back together in time for her 50th birthday and hires a film crew to document the whole thing, but a lot has changed in the 20 years since she walked out on her bandmates.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Maria Breaux; Writer: J Aguilar, Dakota Billops-Breaux, Maria Breaux)

Wendell & Wild

Review preview for Wendell & Wild

Kat is styled with a punk sensibility which will appeal to young viewers tired of old fashioned notions about how young heroes ought to look and behave.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Two scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild, must face their arch-nemesis, the demon-dusting nun Sister Helly, and her two acolytes, the goth teens Kat and Raul.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Henry Selick; Writer: Clay McLeod Chapman, Jordan Peele, Henry Selick; Stars: Lyric Ross, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, James Hong)

Full review