Set in the Dominican Republic, Sand Dollars follows a local twenty-something Noeli (Yanet Mojica) who makes her living by sleeping with the rich European tourists.
Essays
Women shine behind the camera at SFIFF58
One of the great pleasures of attending the San Francisco International Film Festival is the ability to binge on films by female auteurs, which are much harder to come by throughout the year. This year, you can catch Helen Hunt’s sophomore feature, Ride, a follow-up to her wonderful debut “Then She Found Me.” It’s also […]
Ex Machina is yet another film about boys and their toys
Ex Machina isn’t just misogynistic; it gets the science wrong, too.
Terrific production of ‘Stupid F##king Bird’ proves SF Playhouse has arrived
With its wonderful and often hilarious new production, “Stupid F##king Bird,” Aaron Posner’s modernization of Chekhov’s “The Seagull” directed by Susi Damilano, the San Francisco Playhouse has earned its place as one of the best, major theater companies in the Bay Area. What started as a company that put on amazing productions — with terrific […]
Effie Gray a feminist not-quite fairy tale
In Effie Gray, John Ruskin wanted to marry a child; he was disappointed when he found himself face-to-face with a grown woman, with sexual needs, agency, and feelings. It’s an interesting reversal. We expect to watch Effie be exploited, but the problem is that she’s a woman and not that she’s an ingenue.
Review: In ’71, a British soldier is lost in IRA territory
Yann Demange’s debut film, ’71, is a tense thriller set over the course of one fateful night for a British soldier lost in IRA territory at the height of The Troubles. It features a fantastic central performance from Jack O’Connell. Read our interview with director Yann Demange here. Yann Demange’s tense film, ’71, is a thriller […]