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NewFest · 2024

NewFest 2024

Narrative Features

Programme

35 films · 14 reviews

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Asog

All roads lead to the Ms. Gay Sicogan pageant! Rey toils away in mediocrity after their career as a comedian comes to a grinding halt due to a super typhoon devastating Tacoloban. They set their sights on winning the pageant cash prize. Joined by former student Arnel, searching for some semblance of the family he lost when his mother died in the typhoon, they embark on a journey, navigating trauma, transphobia, colonialism, climate change, grief, and ultimately, resilience.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2023; Director: Seán Devlin; Writer: Seán Devlin, Jaya, Arnel Pablo; Stars: Jaya, Arnel Pablo, Ricky Gacho Jr)

Baby

Review preview for Baby

It is the things taken for granted, as much as the things that stand out, which shape the tale.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
After being released from a juvenile detention center, Wellington finds himself alone and adrift on the streets of São Paulo. During a visit to a porn theater, he encounters Ronaldo, a mature man, who teaches him new ways of surviving.

(Country: Brazil, France, Netherlands; Year: 2024; Director: Marcelo Caetano; Writer: Marcelo Caetano, Gabriel Domingues; Stars: João Pedro Mariano, Ricardo Teodoro, Ana Flavia Cavalcanti, Bruna Linzmeyer, Luiz Bertazzo)

Full review

Bird

Review preview for Bird

Amid all the deprivation Arnold, as is her style, uncovers elements that lift the action out of the ordinary and into the realms of fantasy and magical realism.

Richard Mowe · 3.5 out of 5
12-year-old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids and Bailey who is approaching puberty seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.

(Country: UK, US, France, Germany; Year: 2024; Director: Andrea Arnold; Writer: Andrea Arnold; Stars: Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Nykiya Adams, James Nelson-Joyce, Jasmine Jobson, Rhys Yates, Joanne Matthews, Frankie Box, Dave)

Full review See: Arnold reveals the naked truth about Bird

Cabo Negro

Two young people arrive at a luxury villa on holiday but things take an unexpected turn when the lover of one of them fails to show up.

(Country: France, Morocco; Year: 2024; Director: Abdellah Taïa; Writer: Abdellah Taïa; Stars: Oumaima Barid, Youness Beyej, Julian Compan, Manal Fattah, Mohamed Amine Kihal)

Carnage For Christmas

Review preview for Carnage For Christmas

Mackay succeeds where [others] have failed partly because there is a deep vein of sincerity beneath the playful surface of her work.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
When true-crime podcaster and sleuth Lola visits her hometown for the first time since running away and transitioning, the local urban legend, The Toymaker, is the least of her worries. But then the vengeful ghost of the historical murderer seemingly rises again.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2024; Director: Alice Maio Mackay; Writer: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson; Stars: Chris Asimos, Dominique Booth, Betsey Brown, Lewi Dawson, Olivia Beeble)

Full review

Drip Like Coffee

An intimate connection between two Brooklyn baristas brews a journey of mutual empowerment and sensual transformation.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Anaiis Cisco; Writer: Anaiis Cisco; Stars: Iman Artwell-Freeman, Kashanie Lagrotta-Butler, Ralphy Lopez, Brittney Jenkins)

Duino (Before We Forget)

Review preview for Duino

The relationship between fiction and memory, artifice and life undergoes subtle shifts over the course of di Pace’s tale.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An Argentinian filmmaker struggling to finish a movie about his unrequited first love receives an unexpected invitation to reconstruct his memories, revisit his past and perhaps even find a new ending to his story.

(Country: US, Argentina, Italy; Year: 2024; Director: Juan Pablo Di Pace, Andrés Pepe Estrada; Writer: Juan Pablo Di Pace, Andrés Pepe Estrada; Stars: Juan Pablo Di Pace, Santiago Madrussan, Oscar Morgan, August Wittgenstein)

Full review

Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark

When the scantily clad late night horror hostess inherits a mansion from her great aunt, she hits the road to claim an easy-flip fortune in hopes of funding a headlining Las Vegas show, but nothing is quite as she expected, and she's not what the small town locals expected either.

(Country: US; Year: 1988; Director: James Signorelli; Writer: Sam Egan, John Paragon, Cassandra Peterson; Stars: Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, W. Morgan Sheppard, Daniel Greene, Jeff Conaway, Susan Kellermann)

Emilia Perez

Review preview for Emilia Perez

Audiard has assembled a remarkable team of actors

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
A lawyer gets an offer to help a cartel boss start a new life.

(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2024; Director: Jacques Audiard; Writer: Jacques Audiard; Stars: Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Edgar Ramírez, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, James Gerard, Shiraz Tzarfati, Agathe Bokja, Marie-Elisabeth Robert, Stéphane Ly-Cuong, Eric Geynes, Anabel Lopez, Eduardo Aladro, Line Phé, Cyrus Khodaveisi)

Full review See: Jacques Audiard and Karla Sofia Gascón on changing identity, democracy and drug cartels in Emilia Perez

Extremely Unique Dynamic

Review preview for Extremely Unique Dynamic

Not everything here is successful, but the delicately handled character material pays dividends, and the real life chemistry between the two stars carries across well to their characters.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
During their final weekend together, two best friends test the limits of their friendship while making a double-meta film.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Katherine Dudas, Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu; Writer: Harrison Xu, Ivan Leung, Katherine Dudas; Stars: Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu, Hudson Yang, Nathan Doan, Lucan Liu, Kelly Lynch, Jason Sun, Valerie Yu)

Full review See: Interview with Harrison Xu and Ivan Leung about Extremely Unique Dynamic

Female Trouble

A spoiled schoolgirl runs away from home to pursue her dreams, getting pregnant along the way.

(Country: US; Year: 1974; Director: John Waters; Writer: John Waters; Stars: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Edith Massey)

Gondola

Review preview for Gondola

It has the sweetness – and cartoonish violence – of a wholesome Sixties family film, albeit with a European attitude to nudity.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Two female cable car operators fall in love as they pass each other in their gondolas.

(Country: Germany, Georgia; Year: 2023; Director: Veit Helmer; Writer: Veit Helmer; Stars: Nino Soselia, Mathilde Irrmann, Zuka Papuashvili, Ninara Chichinadze)

Full review

Hidden Flora

A hopelessly romantic New Mexico teen navigates first love and friend crushes while exploring gender identity and self-discovery.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Ryan Rox; Writer: Ryan Rox; Stars: Luca Silver, Nick Check, Jaxon Inge, AJ Tumminaro, Madison Junchaya, Charleigh Tallman, Walker Stovall, Jeffery McKnight, Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams, Ryan Rox)

High Tide

Heartbroken and adrift, an undocumented Brazilian immigrant searches for purpose in the queer mecca of Provincetown. As the summer season comes to a fade, he finds an intense and unexpected romance.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Marco Calvani; Writer: Marco Calvani; Stars: Marco Pigossi, James Bland, Marisa Tomei, Bill Irwin, Sean Mahon, Mya Taylor)

I Don't Understand You

Following a devastating adoption scam, a couple go on an Italian vacation in an attempt to reconnect. After getting their rental car stuck in a countryside ditch, things begin to go awry. Between the torrential weather and language barrier, Dom, Cole and the Italians around them descend into a comical fiasco.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Brian Crano, David Craig; Writer: Brian Crano, David Craig; Stars: Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, Nunzia Schiano, Morgan Spector, Eleonora Romandini)

Layla

When Layla, a struggling Arab drag queen, falls in love for the first time, they lose and find themself in a transformative relationship that tests who they really are.

(Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Amrou Al-Kadhi; Writer: Amrou Al-Kadhi; Stars: Bilal Hasna, Louis Greatorex, Safiyya Ingar, Terique Jarrett, Darkwah, Sarah Agha, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, Emma McDonald, Buket Kömür, Adam Howden, Aetheria Angel, Smilla, Tim Bowie, Ali Barouti, Huw Morgan)

Lilies Not For Me

Two men wrestle with their sexuality in Twenties England.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Will Seefried; Writer: Will Seefried; Stars: Fionn O'Shea, Robert Aramayo, Erin Kellyman, Louis Hofmann, Jodi Balfour, Celeste Loots, Aidan Scott, Alexander Maniatis, Jacques Bessenger, Albert Pretorius, Nicholas Pauling, Gabe Gabriel, Adrienne Pearce, Michael Everson, Marc Pleass)

The Matrix

Review preview for The Matrix

Visually it is astonishing, not only because of its effects and techno trickery, but cinematically the Wachowskis are so audacious.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 5 out of 5
Visually dazzling sci-fi thriller. Re-released in 4K restoration.

(Country: USA; Year: 1999; Director: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski; Writer: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski; Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker)

Full review

A Nice Indian Boy

When Naveen brings his fiancé Jay home to meet his family, his traditional Indian parents must contend with accepting his white-orphan-artist-boyfriend and helping them plan the most fabulous Indian wedding their community has ever seen.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Roshan Sethi; Writer: Eric Randall, Madhuri Shekar; Stars: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel, Peter S Kim, Sas Goldberg)

Out

Lovers Tom and Ajani dream of a new life in which their relationship does not have to be a secret. The two feel like outsiders in their small, conservative village. They move to Amsterdam, where a journey of self-discovery awaits them.

(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2024; Director: Dennis Alink; Writer: Dennis Alink, Thomas van der Gronde; Stars: Bas Keizer, Jefferson Yaw Frempong-Manson, Bram Agterbos, Joel Castillo, Johan De Joode)

Polyester

A housewife struggles to maintain an air of respectability despite her family's outrageous behaviour.

(Country: US; Year: 1981; Director: John Waters; Writer: John Waters; Stars: Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, David Samson, Mary Garlington, Ken King, Mink Stole)

See: John Waters' Polyester shows in Odorama at Edinburgh Film Festival

Pecker

Review preview for Pecker

Waters' targets are tame and easy to hit.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 1 out of 5
A diner employee becomes an overnight art sensation.

(Country: US; Year: 1998; Director: John Waters; Writer: John Waters; Stars: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Bess Armstrong, Mark Joy, Mary Kay Place, Martha Plimpton, Brendan Sexton III, Mink Stole, Lili Taylor, Patricia Hearst, Jean Schertler)

Full review

Ponyboi

Unfolding over the course of Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Esteban Arango; Writer: River Gallo; Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Indya Moore, Murray Bartlett, River Gallo, Keith William Richards, Bryant Carroll, Juan Carlos Hernández, Jari Jones, Moisés Acevedo, NaTonia Monét, Annie Henk, Stephen Moscatello, Miles Coreas, Kevin Matthew Mcdonald)

Queens Of Drama (Les Reines du drame)

2055. Steevyshady, an overly botoxed Youtuber tells their idol’s mad destiny: we follow pop diva singer Mimi Madamour from the very peak of her career in 2005, all the way down to the pits of hell, a downfall brought about by her love story with punk icon Billie Kohler. For half a century these drama queens have sung their passion and their rage high upon a stage.

(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2024; Director: Alexis Langlois; Writer: Carlotta Coco, Thomas Colineau, Alexis Langlois; Stars: Asia Argento, Alma Jodorowsky, Thomas Poitevin, Bilal Hassani, Louiza Aura, Raya Martigny, Jean-Biche, Drag Couenne, Nana Benamer, Dustin Muchuvitz, Julia Fiquet, Gio Ventura, Elodie Barthels)

The Queen Of My Dreams

Review preview for The Queen Of My Dreams

Mirza may sometimes over-indulge in sentiment, but there’s a warmth to the film that makes it easy to like, and she handles its more chaotic scenes with flair.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Against the backdrop of a shared obsession with Bollywood fantasy, Mariam, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter Azra come of age in two different eras.

(Country: Canada, Pakistan; Year: 2023; Director: Fawzia Mirza; Writer: Fawzia Mirza; Stars: Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, Hamza Haq, Charlie Boyle, Trina Corkum)

Full review See: Interview with Fawzia Mirza about The Queen Of My Dreams

Reas

Review preview for Reas

It’s quickly apparent that entering prison means becoming part of the collective body that is the prisoner population, with the choreographed movements that accompany the songs reinforcing the sense of synchronicity.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A group of prison inmates re-enact their lives and sentences, balancing memories with fantasy.

(Country: Argentina, Germany, Switzerland; Year: 2023; Director: Lola Arias; Stars: Yoseli Arias, Ignacio Amador Rodriguez, Estefy Harcastle)

Full review

Rookie

Everything changes when an awkward teenager joins the volleyball team and falls for the volleyball team captain.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2023; Director: Samantha Lee; Writer: Natts Jadaone, Samantha Lee; Stars: Pat Tingjuy, Aya Fernandez, Agot Isidro, Mikoy Morales, Alyssa Valdez)

The Silence Of My Hands

Saira, an immigrant living in California, and Rosa, the first deaf law student in Guadalajara, Mexico, are trying to make a long-distance relationship work.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2024; Director: Manuel Acuña A; Writer: Lena Guarini, Manuel Acuña A; Stars: Rosa María Casillas Madrigal, Sai Yunuen Medina Soria)

The Talented Mr Ripley

Review preview for The Talented Mr Ripley

Matt Damon's performance is deliciously low-key.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
A young man with a talent for mimicry is sent to Europe to track down a playboy... but soon finds another agenda.

(Country: US; Year: 1999; Director: Anthony Minghella; Writer: Anthony Minghella; Stars: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport,)

Full review

Teaches Of Peaches

Documentary charts the journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed cultural powerhouse that is Peaches.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2024; Director: Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer; Stars: Peaches, Leslie Feist, Chilly Gonzales, Shirley Manson, Charlie Le Mindu)

Throuple

A lonely gay singer-songwriter learns how to ask for what he wants in life through a newfound romance with an honest and communicative married couple. All the while, he fears he is losing his best friend to her girlfriend.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Greyson Horst; Writer: Michael Doshier; Stars: Jess Gabor, Stanton Plummer-Cambridge, Bethlehem Million, Max Larsen, Taylor Turner, Charlie Reid)

Tops

Review preview for Tops

What directors Jos Bitelli and Ames Pennington deliver is, in its own way, close to the bone, but it’s also joyously silly.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A brash, satirical mockumentary exploring life after top surgery through the medium of amateur broadcasting.

(Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Ames Pennington, Jos Bitelli; Stars: Maz Murray, Yaz Senghor, Elliot Davis, Oskar Marchock)

Full review

What A Feeling

A woman's life is shattered when her husband, in front of friends, asks for a divorce. She subsequently spends the night drowning her sorrows in a lesbian bar, where she encounters a charismatic heartbreaker who is busy running her business and caring for her elderly Iranian mother.

(Country: Austria; Year: 2024; Director: Kat Rohrer; Writer: Kat Rohrer; Stars: Caroline Peters, Proschat Madani, Nicole Ansari-Cox)

The World According To Allee Willis

Songwriter/artist Allee Willis began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling to fit established gender and sexual norms - until she found a path to love.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Alexis Spraic; Writer: Pamela Adlon, Stephen Bray, Julie Brown; Stars: Allee Willis)

Young Hearts (Junge Herzen)

Review preview for Young Hearts

The film works as well as it does because of the central pairing of Goussens and De Saeger, whose shared glances and stray touches work on an emotional level.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A 14-year-old boy feels attracted to his new neighbour, Alexander. Soon he realises that he's truly in love for the first time, but interactions with his friends and family bring more questions than answers.

(Country: Belgium; Year: 2024; Director: Anthony Schatteman; Writer: Anthony Schatteman; Stars: Lou Goossens, Marius De Saeger, Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, Dirk van Dijck)

Full review See: Anthony Schatteman on love, authenticity and acceptance in Young Hearts