“Level 16” by Danishka Esterhazy (2018)

Some good ideas, but looses steam on the way and ends up exhausted

Cast: Katie Douglas, Celina Martin, Sara Canning
Director: Danishka Esterhazy
Writer: Danishka Esterhazy
Music by Menalon, Joseph Murray, Lodewijk Vos
Cinematography by Samy Inayeh
Film Editing by Jorge Weisz

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“Lolo” by Julie Delpy (2015)

Great humor and dialogues

Cast: Julie Delpy, Dany Boon, Vincent Lacoste, Karin Viard, Antoine Lounguine
Director: Julie Delpy
Writer: Julie Delpy, Eugénie Grandval
Cinematographer: Thierry Abrogast
Editor: Virginie Bruant
Composer: Matthieu Lamboley

“Destroyer” by Karyn Kusama (2019)

Unconvincing feminist plagiat of a classic film noir, with a few good twists

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan, Bradley Whitford, Toby Kebbell, Scoot McNairy, Toby Huss
Director: Karyn Kusama
Writer: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Cinematographer: Julie Kirkwood
Editor: Plummy Tucker
Composer: Theodore Shapiro

“Where Hands Touch” by Amma Asante (2018)

As in other Amma Asante’s movies, the love story of a mixed couple in an inimical environment.
The themes are very similar to those found in Belle and in A United Kingdom: a web of social constraints that ensue from racial segregation (horizontal) and hierarchical stratification and dominance (vertical inequalities), with love and politics cleverly intertwined. Here too, the main female characters are and remain intelligent and substantial throughout the movie.
However, the direction and acting here are stiff and clumsy

Cast: Amandla Stenberg, George MacKay, Abbie Cornish, Christopher Eccleston
Director: Amma Asante
Writer: Amma Asante
Cinematographer: Remi Adefarasin
Editor: Steve Singleton
Composer: Anne Chmelewsky

“Sun Dogs” by Jennifer Morrison (2017)

– First Feature –

Inconsistant, and shallow lead personages

Cast: Melissa Benoist, Jennifer Morrison, Allison Janney
Director: Jennifer Morrison
Writer: Raoul McFarland
Music by Mark Isham
Cinematography by Michael Alden Lloyd
Film Editing by Joe Talbot Hall

“The Long Dumb Road” by Hannah Fidell (2018)

3 movies by Hannah Fidell (3)

Predictable story of a not-yet-21 guy who learns in 2 days to come up for himself from an older fellow traveler
Weak dialogues and not much humor / Contrary to her preceding movie (6 Years), Hannah Fidell’s direction is here very light, almost impalpable.

Cast: Jason Mantzoukas, Tony Revolori, Taissa Farmiga, Casey Wilson, Ron Livingston, Grace Gummer
Director: Hannah Fidell
Writer: Hannah Fidell, Carson D. Mell
Cinematographer: Andrew Droz Palermo
Editor: Zach Clark
Composer: Keegan DeWitt

“6 Years” by Hannah Fidell (2015)

3 movies by Hannah Fidell (2)

The good acting compensates the stifling direction

Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge
Director: Hannah Fidell
Writer: Hannah Fidell
Music by Julian Wass
Cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo
Film Editing by Carlos Marques-Marcet, Sofi Marshall