Debbie Lum’s documentary Try Harder! follows students at Lowell, a high-achieving SF high school with a predominantly Asian student body.
Film Festivals
Highlights of the London Short Film Festival 2021, from The Long Goodbye to Filipiñana
Milly Gribben provides a run down of the best short films to catch at the London Short Film Festival (LSFF) 2021.
Charlène Favier’s Slalom is a complex exploration of abuse
Charlène Favier’s Cannes-selected debut, Slalom, is a tense pas-de-deux between a 15-year-old professional skiing star, Lyz (Noée Abita) and her coach, Fred (Jérémie Renier).
Charlatan draws parallels between a faith healer and communism
Agnieszka Holland’s Charlatan tells the story of Czech herbalist and healer Jan Mikolášek to draw parallels with post-war communism.
Sophie Dupuis explores masculinity in a Quebec mine in Souterrain
Sophie Dupuis’s second film, Souterrain, is a thoughtful exploration of the emotional lives of men working in a Quebec mine.
Guillaume Canet shines in Au nom de la terre (In the Name of the Land)
Au nom de la terre (In the Name of the Land) tracks farmer Pierre Jareau as he struggles with increasingly crippling debt and his mental health declines.