‘The House That Jack Built’ Review: Lars von Trier’s Construction of Violent Delights

It’s been eight years since Danish director Lars von Trier was banned from the Cannes Film Festival. In the meantime, von Trier released his two-part epic Nymphomaniac, completing his ‘Depression Trilogy’ (preceded by Antichrist and Melancholia), and he finally returned to the festival – though out of competition – with The House That Jack Built, which is now hitting theaters.

This story of a serial killer (Matt Dillon) promised to be controversial, bloody, and disturbing, but could anything in this film be more upsetting than the extended home abortion sequence from the director’s cut of Nymphomaniac: Vol. 2? No, there is nothing in The House That Jack Built that any viewer would find more disturbing than the content of Antichrist, Nymphomaniac, or the endings of any of von Trier’s early films. If anything, this so-called ‘disturbing’ film is rather light, at least by von Trier’s standards. There’s also a surprising amount of humor to be found in Dillon’s Jack, an OCD-ridden serial killer on a voyage to hell.

Even for one well versed in von Trier, The House That Jack Built can be a difficult film to unpack. It’s somewhat unclear what, if anything, von Trier is trying to say with the film. Though not a part of the unofficial trilogy that preceded it, the film bears many similarities to Nymphomaniac. Stylistically, the two films are nearly identical. Von Trier’s last outing is mirrored through camera movements, lighting, tone, and format. This makes the hope that the director will break new ground somewhat devastated. It is perhaps worth noting that Nymphomaniac and The House That Jack Built are the first films von Trier has made since abandoning drugs and alcohol. The result is two films that are deeply contemplative. So what we have here is a filmmaker looking back, analyzing not only his previous work but also the man he once was, and the second man whom he has now become.

For this reason, one could even compare The House That Jack Built to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Like Vertigo, von Trier’s is a film that reveals the ruminations of the relationship between actor and director. Von Trier, like Hitchcock, is known to have tortured his actors, particularly his female leads, to near insanity. Nicole Kidman and Bjork have spoken publicly about mistreatment from the director, though statements from von Trier’s most recent collaborators (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kirsten Dunst, and Stacey Martin) have defended the director, perhaps signaling that he has changed his processes. Though sober and arguably easier to work with, von Trier nevertheless carries his demons and chooses to reflect upon them through The House That Jack Built; a film that asks what differences sit between filmmaker and serial killer.

The film is split up into five chapters, each depicting a murderous scenario featuring the title character. In these five chapters, the slaughtered are mostly women – with the male victims being two children. The opening chapter features Uma Thurman as ‘Lady 1’. It’s a surprisingly hilarious chapter for the opening of a supposedly brutal film. Though, is there anything more von Trier than subverting the expectation to be disgusted with some dry serial killer humor? The dynamic between Dillon and Thurman is so deliciously – and hilariously – tedious that viewers will exhale a sigh of relief when Dillon finally smashes Thurman’s face in with… wait for it… a busted car jack. The following chapter features Siobhan Fallon Hogan, an actress who has offered small, haunting performances in previous von Trier films Dancer in the Dark and Dogville. In this chapter, von Trier once again utilizes a farcical setup, this time with bloodier delights. Jack’s battle with OCD is detailed as he continually returns to the scene of his crime to check for missed blood splatter. The comic setup continues into tedium, and just as it seems like the film may be losing grasp, it cuts to Fallon Hogan’s body, wrapped in plastic, being dragged violently behind Jack’s speeding van as David Bowie’s “Fame” blasts overtop. At this moment, the film reminds viewers not to get too comfortable.

The facetiously witty tone of the film’s first hour quickly erupts into existential dread as the film enters its third chapter, and from there it becomes deeply contemplative. Jack is killing to reach a goal, yet continues to put his operations at risk. Not simply comfortable with slipping through the cracks, Jack demands to be seen. As Jack descends further into his personal inferno, von Trier turns his thought inwards. As was frequent in Nymphomaniac, philosophical digressions begin to intercede with the narrative. Talk of murder turns into talk of cathedral arches and a surprisingly fascinating deconstruction on the decomposition process of grapes. It all seems to be a bit rambling, yet it’s obvious that these ramblings are one of a brilliant thinker. As Jack reflects on his work, von Trier reflects on his own, boldly inserting clips of his own films into a digression on genocide and tyranny. The two men, who are one and the same, ask what a lifetime of work builds to.

What has Lars von Trier achieved, if anything, after thirty-four years of feature filmmaking? How many murders will it take for the construction of Jack’s house to be completed? The answers to these questions remain a mystery. The House That Jack Built offers deep thought, but on a first viewing it remains unclear what it all adds up to. One thing that is for certain is that the often funny, sometimes shocking film is surprisingly fun to watch. I often caught myself in a wide-eyed smile throughout the screening. So what does that say about me?

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‘The Mercy’ Review: Hidden Depths Steer this Biopic to Success

You wait half a century for a Donald Crowhurst biopic, and then two come along at once. Simon Rumley’s Crowhurst came first after pipping James Marsh’s The Mercy to the post with a festival premiere last year, but The Mercy, which will likely get a US release in March, is undoubtedly the heavyweight of the twin films, what with its A-list cast, Oscar-winning director, and stomach-churning visual effects.

Donald Crowhurst’s story certainly makes for a compelling narrative, which might help explain why it’s the focus of more than one film this year. (Less explicable is the fact that both are being released by StudioCanal; it’s very rare to have one distributor backing two horses in the same race.) An amateur sailor and family man, Crowhurst was also the financially struggling inventor of a nautical device who became the underdog competitor in a 1968 Sunday Times-sponsored yacht race around the world. The prospect of winning a hefty £5,000 for his family, boosting sales of his sailing-themed invention and getting the chance to live out a personal dream was irresistible for Crowhurst, although the two competing movies have varying ideas about which one of these motivations ultimately ruled him.

Much less experienced than his rivals, The Mercy‘s Donald nevertheless embodies that quintessentially British brand of derring-do, evoking treasured national totems like Winston Churchill (a fascination that still bears out, as this year’s Oscar nominations prove). This isn’t an underdog sports story, however, even if The Mercy does begin in that vein. There is no miraculous gust of wind propelling Donald and his Star Wars-production-set-reject of a boat across the seas into first place. The only thing powering him through countless pre-launch obstacles is the ambitious aim he’s set on the horizon. As The Mercy points out, though, the mind can find itself marooned in tempestuous waters in pursuit of such lofty goals.

The exact circumstances surrounding the end of Donald’s story cannot, admittedly, be confirmed; instead of verifiable fact, The Mercy leans toward the popular assumption of what must have happened. But the middle portion of the film is based on indisputable truth: dangerously lagging behind his competitors, an overwrought Donald begins to call in false coordinates, giving everyone at home the impression he is much farther ahead than he really is. Initially, all goes swimmingly – his wife (played by Rachel Weisz) and three children are happy, as are his financial backer (Ken Stott) and PR team (journalists played by David Thewlis and Jonathan Bailey). But when the other competitors begin to drop out like flies, Donald finds himself the unlikely last horse in the race. His naiveté in joining the race aside, Donald is no fool: he knows that to return a victor would invite much scrutiny of his logbooks. Given closer inspection, there is no way his astonishing numbers would add up. All alone and out at sea, with the expectations of his family and the vicarious dreams of a nation weighing heavy on his shoulders, Donald finds himself in an impossible predicament.

In the lead role, Firth is an example of particularly strong casting: on terra firma, he puts his aging good looks to work playing the cardigan-clad Donald as an amiable, boy-like daydreamer. Firth makes his character all the more likable by adopting a slight air of middle-aged patheticness that only intensifies once things begin to go awry. The moral crisis now in full swing, a final Castaway-style makeover is all that’s left to render him natural prey for our pity.

Our compassion easily extends to his wife, Clare (Weisz), too — and particularly to his eldest son James (Finn Elliott), who is old enough to pick up on his parents’ conflicting emotions, each deftly conveyed by Weisz and Firth. Elliott is an impressive young talent, while Weisz is especially good in a nuanced role that’s an interesting echo of the part she played in The Light Between Oceans, with her measured, slightly nasal tones making it sound like she’s already mid-grief the minute Donald sets off.

This sense of pathos is affirmed through a number of lamenting compositions by the maestro of loss, the sadly departed Jóhann Jóhannsson. Early moments in the soundtrack evoke the elegant floatiness of Jóhannsson’s other score for Marsh (on The Theory of Everything), while the bold minimalist compositions that come later make it difficult to distinguish where the sound design ends and the score begins, as in his more daring work for Denis Villeneuve.

The seasickness-inducing cinematography from Eric Gautier (who lensed the similarly introspective Into the Wild) embeds us in Donald’s shaky psyche as he floats adrift, powerless in the face of greater forces. Spectacular visual effects in seething storm scenes underscore Gautier’s work by providing a staggering sense of scale, demonstrating just how dangerously easy it is to find yourself in deep water when you’ve had your head in the clouds for so long.

A tale like Donald Crowhurst’s couldn’t happen today; technological advances mean he’d never be able to pull off such a hoax. But in his period-specific story there is a timely, universally accessible heart: in this day and age, it’s hard not to view The Mercy as a gender-lensed mental health movie. Donald deftly sums this reading up in a line from the film: “A great deal of pressure falls on the man alone on the boat. The sea shows no mercy.” In his era, people tended not to, either, which is exactly why Donald’s dilemma is so unbearably impossible.

In 2018, there is a sense that deception of this kind would be forgivable. In the last few years, we’ve made it through enough scandals in the sporting world to prove that absolution is possible (or, at least, that our collective memory is more forgivingly short-term than it used to be). But The Mercy paints a picture of a country still so enamored with its dying past that Donald’s boyish fantasy becomes the conduit through which certain elements of a rapidly changing nation can hang on to their quasi-imperial fantasies.

In 1968, the British Empire was in its death throes, with decolonization in Africa being made complete just a few months before Donald’s departure. Events at home like the Ford sewing machinists strike in Dagenham (as depicted in Made in Dagenham) and the folding of stalwart regional industries (cotton trading in the North; coal mining in the Black Country) further indicated seismic overhaul was approaching Britain’s gendered and racialized status quo. Overseas, 1968 was no less monumental a year: in the US, second-wave feminism and the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements were in full swing, while youthful cultural-political revolutions raged in Eastern Europe and France.

Against this uncertain global climate, a plucky, white, older Englishman out to conquer the seas for his nation must have seemed like the last of a dying species. Even if Donald Crowhurst had simply set out to realize a personal dream of his, The Mercy hints that, to substantial chunks of the country, the stakes were much higher. In the film’s final act, both Donald and his family are all too agonizingly aware of this. Therein lies the nuanced, timely poignancy of The Mercy.

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‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ Review: Pure Genre Joy with a Toe-Tapping Beat

The zombie/comedy sub-genre, zom-coms if you will and really why wouldn’t you, is well-populated with examples ranging from American Zombie to Zombieland. There are great ones (Return of the Living Dead), beloved ones (Shaun of the Dead), underrated ones (Zombeavers), and fantastic ones you’ve never seen (Deadman Inferno).

And now, thanks to some talented and wacky filmmakers in the UK, there’s also a massively entertaining Scottish musical one.

Anna (Ella Hunt) is looking forward to the end of high school, but while her widowed father (Mark Benton) expects her to head to university in the fall she has other plans. She wants to see the world and experience life before settling in for more schooling, and the revelation results in the expected clash between generations. Her best friend, John (Malcolm Cumming), is supportive, but his not-so secret crush on her leaves him hoping she’ll reconsider. The decision is seemingly taken out of her hands, though, when they wake up the morning after the school’s big holiday show to discover their little Scottish town in zombie-filled chaos.

Bodies are strewn across lawns, fires burn in the distance, and neighbors are screaming as undead friends and family give chase looking for a bite to eat. Anna and John are attacked by a dead guy in a Frosty the Snowman costume, and after knocking his head off and dodging the geyser of blood that follows they realize the end of their world is nigh. The pair head off to school in search of survivors and along the way meet up with other friends including Steph (Sarah Swire), Chris (Christopher Leveaux), and Anna’s ex, Nick (Ben Wiggins).

Anna and the Apocalypse is an absolute and utter blast that pops off the screen with bright holiday colors, energetic performances, and plenty of big laughs even as blood spurts, flesh is torn, and the body count rises. Raising it all up even higher is its equally thrilling status as a kick-ass musical with song and dance numbers peppered throughout the carnage.

The songs range from big, toe-tapping, cheer-worthy numbers to more intimately-affecting ones, and we even get a catchy showstopper overflowing with holiday-themed innuendo. Lyrics express the inner thoughts of the characters, and if there’s a theme among them it comes down to a desire to connect with others and break free of life’s mundane nature. It’s a soundtrack you’ll want to own as soon as the end credits roll.

Director John McPhail and co-writers Alan McDonald & Ryan McHenry — it’s McHenry’s 2011 short, “Zombie Musical,” that inspired the film — does a fine job balancing the dark of the violence and the light of the laughs. Think Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical for the overall tone and feel, and you won’t be far off. There are lots of laughs here, but moments of real loss and tragedy rear their head with emotional weight earned through time spent with these bright-eyed teens.

The cast is terrifically engaging as they deliver fully with both their characters and their song and dance skills. Hunt commands the title role with a captivating presence and energetic performance that sees viewers alternately pumping their fists at her determination while feeling the pain of all that’s holding her back. Cumming is equally delightful as the underdog who wins our hearts and laughter. Swire, meanwhile, pulls double duty here by delivering a fun but heartbreaking performance while also acting as the film’s choreographer. One of the many standouts is Paul Kaye who plays the school’s hard-ass assistant chancellor, Mr. Savage. It’s a wonderfully wicked performance that would be right at home in Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

Anna and the Apocalypse is a funny, sweet, and energizing film, and while it leans heavier into comedy than horror it manages more than a few affecting turns and bloody beats — including a not-so subtle nod to Joe Pilato’s death in George Romero’s Day of the Dead that lets loose with the red stuff. Fans of Christmas horrors, particularly of the fun variety, are gifted this year with two new gems — Anna and the Apocalypse and the equally terrific Better Watch Out — and if that’s not evidence that Santa Claus exists I don’t know what is.

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‘Instant Family’ Review: Foster Parenting, Warts and All

“Maybe this makes me a bad person,” Pete and Ellie Wagner say again and again in Instant Family, often enough for it to become a sort of refrain. As written by director Sean Anders, whose family’s true story inspired the movie, they’re not bad people, nor are they heroes. Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) are in turn giddy, shallow, altruistic, and selfish, but above all they’re a couple who made a choice: they’re adopting three kids.

The affluent couple’s choice is examined from every angle by judgy relatives, a duo of foster system employees with opposing philosophies (Tig Notaro and Octavia Spencer), and even the new kids themselves. At one point, Pete worries about the optics of two white parents taking in three Latino kids, likening it to the white savior plot of Avatar. “You’re gonna get some funny looks and people are gonna say some stupid shit,” Spencer’s character admits, and it’s not so much reassuring as it is a plain truth. Instant Family thrives in this type of uneasy middle ground, where right answers are elusive and adults make it up as they go along. In contrast with the rest of Anders’ raunchy filmography (Horrible Bosses 2, Daddy’s Home), the film hits plenty of painfully realistic beats while juggling its heightened comedic tone.

Instant Family is a semi-competent comedy, a solid tearjerker, and an exceptional tour through the foster parenting process. This isn’t a PSA or an episode of This Is Us, but a sometimes unbearably self-aware warts-and-all look at the many factors that go into adopting. At one point, Pete and Ellie whisper to one another about wanting to return the kids like an ill-fitting item of clothing, and the conversation is shocking in its mean-spirited honesty. But like so much of Instant Family — grocery store tantrums, bloody accidents, the line between disciplining kids and traumatizing them — it’s a position that real parents have been in. The lows here are so low that they initially seem out-of-place in a sitcom-like studio movie, but because of this undercurrent of struggle, the highs–moments of true connection and support among the new family soar.

Not everything in this movie works. Spencer and Notaro’s characters mostly fall flat, as do several of the jokes. Scenes often end on strangely dull notes, especially in the film’s first half, giving it an erratic energy, and there’s a spirit of a much weirder movie than the one we got that only occasionally shines through. Formally, it’s all pretty standard, but the few flourishes fit in nicely with the story that’s being told; a big moment is rendered in epic slow-motion, while a series of familiar “we suck at this” and “we’re making progress” montages manage to come across as endearing.

Overall, more comes together than expected, and the jokes that land are memorable. An extended joke about a white single mom who’s unknowingly acting out the plot of The Blind Side is a goofy way to present the ulterior motives of some foster parents, while a quickly escalating tantrum ends with a threat of bodily injury via Spongebob butter knife. The playful digs at first-time foster parents are plentiful, as when a mild-mannered Christian couple gets paired with a psychotic kindergartner. There’s charm and chaos here working in tandem, to mostly positive results.

Byrne and Wahlberg can be grating as a couple that’s as petty as they are kind-hearted, but at their most excitable, they’re adorable together and a blast to watch. The two feed off one another, and in sequences like the one in the trailer which ends with them in handcuffs after attacking their new daughter’s dick-pic sending paramour, they’re a satisfying comedy odd couple. The movie doesn’t hide the fact that it’s more about this couple than the children they take on, and their occasional moments of silent understanding, as when they decide to adopt in a wordless conversation, are some of the film’s most touching.

Isabela Moner (Transformers: The Last Knight, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) is the movie’s clear standout. As teen adoptee Lizzy, she’s prone to pushing people away, protective of her younger siblings, and fragile when it comes to her birth family. Her combative exterior and attachment problems add up to a familiar character cocktail, but Moner keeps it from falling into trope territory with some serious acting chops. She’s feisty, but her anger hides pain and fear, a balancing act Moner pulls off with ease.

“Things that matter are hard,” a character says at one point, and that’s nothing if not the moral of Anders’ story. Instant Family may not be one of the best comedies of the year, but it is one of the best movies about adoption in recent memory. It succeeds as an encouragement to do hard things because they matter, and as a blisteringly candid portrait of the people who already have.

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Trailer for 'The Rainbow Experiment' About a High School Unraveling

"It's nobody's fault. And everybody's responsibility." Gravitas Ventures has released the trailer for an indie "surreal mystery" drama titled The Rainbow Experiment, which first premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival (the anti-Sundance fest that takes place at the same time/place) at the beginning of this year. This trailer has been out for a while, but we haven't featured it yet, and the film is opening in just a few weeks. The Rainbow Experiment is about how things spiral out of control in a high school in Manhattan when a terrible accident involving a science experiment injures a kid for life. Starring Christian Coulson, Kevin Kane, Chris Beetem, Vandit Bhatt, Francis Benhamou, and more. Watch the trailer if you're curious.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Christina Kallas' The Rainbow Experiment, from YouTube:

The story takes place in a high school where things spiral out of control when a terrible accident involving a science experiment injures a kid for life. The Rainbow Experiment is both written and directed by Greek filmmaker Christina Kallas, making her second feature film after directing 42 Seconds of Happiness in 2016 previously. Produced by Allison Vanore. This first premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City this year, and then played at numerous other festivals throughout 2018 including at the Garden State, Cleveland, Ashland, and Moscow Film Festivals. Gravitas Ventures will release The Rainbow Experiment in select theaters + on VOD starting December 7th coming up soon this fall. Anyone interested in this film?

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The ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Movie Should Be More Grounded

For as much as the media deals with topics surrounding mental health, only a select few cultural products vehemently speak to consumers when it comes to reconciling fictional portrayals and real life. In the last couple of years, the musical Dear Evan Hansen has proven to be one such property. Having already been remarkably lauded by critics and accolade circuits alike — taking home six Tony Awards last year — the Broadway breakthrough will continue to thrive on the big screen as a movie.

Deadline reports that Dear Evan Hansen will be given the studio film treatment courtesy of Universal Pictures. Stephen Chbosky, best-known for his coming-of-age novel and its accompanying movie adaptation The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is in discussions to helm the film.

Numerous members of the stage musical’s core team will reportedly be involved as well. The screenplay will be penned by original book writer Steven Levenson. He, along with music and lyrics scribes Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Marc Platt (Mary Poppins Returns), and Adam Siegel (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), will contribute to the movie in a producorial capacity.

For the uninitiated, Dear Evan Hansen navigates the life of its titular teenager, who is severely socially anxious. Feeling isolated and disconnected from the world, Evan does something very misguided after a classmate named Connor commits suicide. Although both boys were never necessarily close — Connor has, in fact, been portrayed as a kid with a sketchy record — Evan puts on a charade of friendship in order to ostensibly act as an anchor for the family of his ill-fated schoolmate.

In this day and age, with social media waiting to capture every little move, Evan’s actions cannot go unnoticed. When he accidentally becomes the subject of a viral video as a result of them — running into newfound adulation from his peers — he eventually has to make the choice between coming clean and potentially losing that popularity or continuing the masquerade.

Overall, it’s been a big year for musical adaptation announcements, and I’m even observing a discernible trend among a few of them that focuses intently on outcasts, as well as anxiety and its varying effects as a whole. But frankly, I’m surprised it’s taken Hollywood this long to greenlight Dear Evan Hansen in the first place.

The musical has been a huge talking point for years, particularly among younger theater fans online. After its premiere on the Great White Way in late 2016, it continued to secure mainstream appeal thanks to celebrity word-of-mouth and, of course, awards recognition. In fact, one of my earliest FSR pieces was actually written in support of a movie spawning from Dear Evan Hansen after last year’s Tonys ceremony. It already felt opportune even then.

Truthfully, such timeliness and salience have presented a catch-22 situation for Dear Evan Hansen. The play has been opened up to extreme scrutiny, with scores of adoration and loathing plastered across the Internet in equal measure. In my case, I sit in the “Dear Evan Hansen can be enjoyable even with its imperfections” camp. I do think the film adaptation will have value, if only it finds a more solid narrative via some notable alterations.

In general, Dear Evan Hansen has the right foundation for an important story about mental illness, isolation, self-loathing, and ultimately self-acceptance. Its songs and overarching narrative of an outcast finding their way in the world are universal enough to encourage a sense of timelessness, despite the integral nature of modern-day technologies to the show’s plot.

Dear Evan Hansen showcases an undeniable love for all of its characters, too. Most are allowed to exists in shades of grey, with Evan himself being neither the hero nor villain of his own story. While he suffers deeply from an inability to communicate with others, he isn’t especially malicious. It’s true that Evan stumbles through virtually all of his circumstances — overwhelmed by the fallout of his actions — and merely emerges on the other side by virtue of sheer luck. Nevertheless, he is also willing to acknowledge that he has done questionable things and learn from them.

That said, Dear Evan Hansen is packaged in such a way that it is more palatable than confronting when it needs to be. It ultimately glosses over what should really be a more nuanced representation and discussion of mental illness. The show doesn’t totally commit to examining the sensitive multifaceted nature of anxiety. Hence, although it encourages the acceptance of mental health conditions once it ends, the musical’s lack of subtlety is rather obvious.

The inclusion of morally ambiguous characters in Dear Evan Hansen does prevent it from fully falling into a horrible pit of stereotypes for the most part. However, I would love to see more grounded portrayals across the board; ones that consistently and consciously take every character into account, be it girlfriend, mother, or foe. This would at least facilitate a smoother and more fulfilling ending when it’s time for Evan to face the music.

Clearly, Dear Evan Hansen already sports great music and characters earnest enough for us to empathize with. That coupled with Chbosky’s cred as a coming-of-age director and I’m actually more excited about seeing it on screen than I am concerned to mull over its shortcomings. However, problems do exist within the musical’s book and Universal and co. ought to make a fastidious attempt to create a film that’s more holistically worthwhile.

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First Full Trailer for Blumhouse's Horror Sequel 'Happy Death Day 2U'

"I thought I ended the loop… But I'm back!" Universal Pictures has debuted the first full-length trailer for Happy Death Day 2U, Blumhouse's highly-anticipated sequel to their time-loop horror hit from last year Happy Death Day. Once again directed (and written) by Christopher Landon, the film continues with the hero discovering that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead. Jessica Rothe also returns as Tree Gelbman, with a full cast including Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Suraj Sharma, Steve Zissis, Rachel Matthews, Charles Aitken, Sarah Yarkin, and Caleb Spillyards. This looks like a way more aggressive, intense version of the original, because she gets caught in yet another loop. But it's that sci-tech contraption at the end that really got my attention. What is that? Gotta find out.

Here's the first trailer (+ poster) for Christopher Landon's Happy Death Day 2U, direct from YouTube:

Jessica Rothe leads the returning cast of Happy Death Day 2U, the follow-up to Blumhouse's surprise 2017 smash hit of riveting, repeating twists and comic turns. This time around, our hero Tree Gelbman (Rothe) discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead. Happy Death Day 2U is once again written and directed by American filmmaker Christopher Landon, who created the first Happy Death Day film, and also directed the features Burning Palms, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse previously. Produced by Jason Blum and Ryan Turek. Universal will release Landon's Happy Death Day 2U in theaters everywhere starting on February 14th, 2019, on Valentine's Day, early next year. First impression? Who wants to see this sequel already?

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‘Mirai’ and ‘Tito and the Birds’ Are Must-See Underdogs in Best Animated Feature Race

As I predicted a month ago, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse seems like a great savior for the year in animated features. Sony’s superhero movie is not only garnering stellar reviews, but it was also just named Best Animated Feature of 2018 by the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle. I still haven’t seen Into the Spider-Verse, but I think it may have a shot at the Oscar, provided the Academy doesn’t criminally snub another Lord and Miller production a la The Lego Movie and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

If it’s nominated, I can think of at least five animated features more deserving of the recognition than Incredibles 2, which long has seemed a frontrunner for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Pixar’s latest, a sequel to a previous Oscar winner in the category, has a lot of things going for it, including record box office for the format and the usual impressive direction from Brad Bird, but it’s just not very fresh or necessary, its plot falling disappointingly into the same territory as the other, lesser US animation studios’ usual kiddie fare.

Comparatively, Disney’s second animated sequel of the year, Ralph Breaks the Internet, has just arrived and proves to be the better Oscar candidate for the company. Not that the Academy would ever feel the need to choose just one entry from the Mouse House. The original Wreck-It Ralph was a nominee alongside Pixar’s Brave, for instance, with the latter being the winner. This time, Ralph 2 is the more deserving movie, a follow-up that never feels like it was made just to be made. Unlike Incredibles 2, this one has a vital and quite memorable story.

Ralph 2 surprises at every turn. I thought it’d be cringe-worthy in all its branded Easter eggs and product placement and self-serving Oh My Disney-driven cross-promotion of its own IPs. All that is handled very well, even if eBay is a little too prominently part of the plot (I guess we didn’t complain too much when The 40-Year-Old Virgin did it). And the Disney Princesses are wonderful scene stealers (is it time for them to get a mashup movie spinoff?). In the end, the characters and character-driven themes take precedence over the action or anything else, and that’s not something that can be said about Incredibles 2.

Strong focus on character is also what elevates another strong Oscar contender, Mamoru Hosoda‘s Mirai. There are a lot of Asian productions qualifying for the category this year, but Mirai stands out as the most likely to make the cut of nominees. The movie follows the fantastical encounters of a four-year-old boy named Kun who is not happy about the new baby sister, Mirai, invading his territory. Among the people that he meets while dealing with his new family issue are a human version of their pet dog, his long-dead great-grandfather, and Mirai herself, from the future.

As just about everyone has already said of Mirai, the film is very reminiscent of A Christmas Carol in its plotting, as Kun either seems to travel through time or is visited by figures from other eras — but they’re all part of his family rather than abstract specters showing him his own specific life’s timeline. What distinguishes Mirai from just being a Dickens knockoff, however, is the care Hosoda puts into the characterization of Kun in particular. More akin to Isao Takahata than Hayao Miyazaki, Hosoda has a gift for making viewers truly care about and empathize with his young characters.

Unlike a lot of children’s fantasy stories, Mirai allows you to have disbelief that any of Kun’s encounters and adventures are actually happening while still appreciating them. They’re likely just in his imagination as he copes with and objects to the new addition to his family. But that side of the story doesn’t seem like just a construct either. Whether we’re inside his head or not, we’re first and foremost always in Kun’s heart. The dramatic aspects would be just as powerful without the fantasy element. However, much of that fantasy element is extraordinary.

You can sense pure imagination in the creation of Mirai, not just in the dreams of the character, and similarly, there’s more refreshing reverie to be found in the Brazilian animated feature Tito and the Birds, which was directed by Gabriel Bitar, Andre Catoto, and Gustavo Steinberg. I don’t think its plot, involving an inventive young boy trying to save the world from a strange epidemic, makes enough sense in the end, but thematically it’s fine, and it’s still such a unique and weirdly original work of animation that it needs to be viewed as a viable Oscar contender.

Tito and the Birds comprises 2D digital drawings and vibrant oil paintings, with the latter not confined solely to its expressionist backgrounds. Similar to last year’s Oscar nominee Loving Vincent, Tito and the Birds also features thick brushstrokes of oil paint in motion alongside the hand-drawn style of the foreground characters. Not only is the animation impressive for its ambition, but also for its artistry. Some parts of the film have an intentionally distorted ugliness to them (I admit I was reminded of The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings), but so much more of it is just absolutely mesmerizing.

For a fifth nomination alternative to Incredibles 2 receiving the seemingly compulsory inclusion, I’ve been growing more and more hopeful for Isle of Dogs in spite of its mostly forgotten controversy of cultural appropriation. Even next to the mix of style in Tito and the Birds (and what I’ve seen of Spider-Verse) and the smooth direction of Mirai and the spectacle of Ralph 2, no animated feature has delivered anything as memorable as the craft of Wes Anderson‘s second stop-motion feature for me.

There’s also Masaaki Yuasa‘s The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, which is fabulously and feverishly bizarre. How great it would be to see two Japanese films in the category. But even with recent years being more diverse in the scope of and approving of oddities within the nominees in the Animated Feature category, The Night is Short might still be too surreal. And although Tito and the Birds could easily be chosen as something along the lines of past nominee My Life as a Zucchini, that could even be a stretch sadly.

At the moment, I expect the nominees to be: Incredibles 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Mirai, Isle of Dogs, and I guess there needs to be a surprising seemingly random additional US production (and Lord and Miller will be snubbed again probably), so I dunno, Smallfoot. If it’s gotta be that kind of mix, is there any hope for one of the non-Disney efforts? The Mouse House has won nine of the last 10 Oscars in the category, with Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios mostly alternating victories for half the decade. If they have to continue, my vote is with Ralph 2, but it’s time for something different.

Mirai is now playing in limited release but also has a few more Fathom Events screenings for the rest of the country, both in subtitled and dubbed options.

Tito and the Birds begins an Oscar-qualifying run on December 7th before officially being released in New York City on January 25, 2019, then in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other major cities on February 1st.

The post ‘Mirai’ and ‘Tito and the Birds’ Are Must-See Underdogs in Best Animated Feature Race appeared first on Film School Rejects.

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Watch: Scorsese's Script Supervisor Shows How to Maintain Continuity

"So did you catch all the errors so far?" This fascinating, informative filmmaking video made by Vanity Fair introduces us to Martha Pinson, a renowned script supervisor who has worked on Martin Scorsese's films Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and Hugo. You've likely heard of this job before, or seen it in the credits, but what exactly does a "script supervisor" do? Pinson explains, and also shows us, by walking us through an example scene. Her job is mostly to maintain continuity, and she sits on set next to the director watching each scene keeping notes, closely tracking details so they connect. It's one of the best filmmaking videos I've seen, with graphics and clear examples of exactly what's wrong and how to fix it. A must watch.

Thanks to SlashFilm for the tip on this video. Brief description from YouTube: "Martin Scorsese's long-time script supervisor Martha Pinson shows how to create continuity in movies." Pinson's career as a script supervisor began in 1980 with her first job working for Brian De Palma on Dressed to Kill. Her credits also include The Flamingo Kid, Wall Street, The House on Carroll Street, A Stranger Among Us, Hackers, Night Falls on Manhattan, Conspiracy Theory, One Tough Cop, Gloria, Bringing Out the Dead, Don't Say a Word, Aviator, Lord of War, The Departed, Shutter Island, Hugo, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and A Most Violent Year. If you'd like to learn more about being a script supervisor, there's a few good books available.

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Excl: Trailer for Max Martini's Veteran Road Trip Film 'Sgt. Will Gardner'

"I had a purpose over there." "You got one here, too." FS is proud to exclusively debut the official trailer for a film titled Sgt. Will Gardner, another emotional drama about soldiers returning home from war with PTSD, struggling to reintegrate into society. Actor Max Martini writes, directs, produces, and stars in this film as Will Gardner, an Iraq War veteran who sets out on a cross-country motorcycle journey with the plan to reunite with his young son. "My hope with Sgt. Will Gardner is to raise awareness for the on-going battles which returning soldiers encounter," said Martini, whose production company, Mona Vista Productions, will donate a portion of the film's proceeds to three charities which support veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD and veteran homelessness: Higher Ground, Warriors Heart and the Gary Sinise Foundation. Martini's Sgt. Will Gardner also co-stars Lily Rabe, Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Röhm, Omari Hardwick, Gary Sinise, JoBeth Williams, Holt McCallany, and Robert Patrick. See below.

Here's the first official trailer (+ new poster) for Max Martini's Sgt. Will Gardner, direct from YouTube:

For more info and updates on Sgt. Will Gardner, visit the film's Facebook page or follow @SgtWillGardner.

Sgt. Will Gardner tells the story of Iraq War veteran Will Gardner (Max Martini) who is suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) he sustained with his platoon while in combat. His injuries make it difficult for him to reintegrate into society. After a series of setbacks, he embarks on a spirited motorcycle journey across America with the goal of reuniting with his son. Along his journey, he tries to pick up the pieces of the life he’s lost since returning from combat. His PTSD causes frequent flashbacks to the Iraq War which he survives by having frequent conversations with Sam (Omari Hardwick), his best friend and war buddy. Sgt. Will Gardner is written, directed, and produced by American actor-turned-filmmaker Max Martini, directing his second feature film after making Desert Son in 1999 previously. Cinedigm will release Martini's Sgt. Will Gardner in select theater + on VOD starting January 11th right at the beginning of the New Year.

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Sundance 2019. Lineup

Native Son

The lineup for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, taking place from January 24 to February 3, 2019, has been announced.

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

• Before You Know It (Hannah Pearl Utt, USA): A long-kept family secret thrusts codependent, thirty-something sisters Rachel and Jackie Gurner into a literal soap opera. A journey that proves that you really can come of age, at any age. Cast: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock, Judith Light, Mandy Patinkin, Mike Colter, Alec Baldwin.
• Big Time Adolescence (Jason Orley, USA): A suburban teenager comes of age under the destructive guidance of his best friend, a charismatic college dropout. Cast: Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Jon Cryer, Sydney Sweeney, Emily Arlook, Colson Baker.
• Brittany Runs A Marathon (Paul Downs Colaizzo, USA): A woman living in New York takes control of her life – one city block at a time. Cast: Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock, Alice Lee.
• Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu, USA): Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill. Cast: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Richard Schiff, Wendell Pierce, Richard Gunn, Danielle Brooks. World Premiere
• The Farewell (Lulu Wang, USA, China): A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family’s decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time. Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong, Jiang Yongbo. World Premiere
• Hala (Minhal Bai, USA): Muslim teenager Hala copes with the unraveling of her family as she comes into her own. Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna, Purbi Joshi, Azad Khan, Anna Chlumsky. World Premiere
• Honey Boy (Alma Har'el, USA): A child TV star and his ex-rodeo clown father face their stormy past through time and cinema. Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe. World Premiere
• Imaginary Order (Debra Eisenstadt, USA): The sexual, psychological and moral unraveling of an obsessive-compulsive suburban mom. Cast: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Christine Woods, Max Burkholder, Steve Little, Catherine Curtin, Kate Alberts. World Premiere
• The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot, USA): Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind. Cast: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Rob Morgan, Tichina Arnold, Danny Glover. World Premiere
• Luce (Julius Onah, USA): A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student. Cast: Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tim Roth, Norbert Leo Butz. World Premiere
• Ms. Purple (Justin Chon, USA): When her dad’s hospice nurse quits she reconnects with her estranged brother, Carey, forcing them to enter a period of intense self-reflection as their single father who raised them nears death. Cast: Tiffany Chu, Teddy Lee, Octavio Pizano, James Kang. World Premiere
• Native Son (Rashid Johnson, USA): In this modern reimagining of Richard Wright’s seminal novel, a young African-American man named Bigger Thomas takes a job working for a highly influential Chicago family, a decision that will change the course of his life forever. Cast: Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Bill Camp, Sanaa Lathan. World Premiere. 
• Share (Pippa Bianco, USA): After discovering a disturbing video from a night she doesn’t remember, sixteen-year-old Mandy must try to figure out what happened and how to navigate the escalating fallout. Cast: Rhianne Barreto, Charlie Plummer, Poorna Jagannathan, J.C. MacKenzie, Nick Galitzine, Lovie Simone. World Premiere
• The Sound of Silence (Michael Tyburski, USA): A successful "house tuner" in New York City, who calibrates the sound in people's homes in order to adjust their moods, meets a client with a problem he can't solve. Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Rashida Jones, Tony Revolori, Austin Pendleton. World Premiere
• Them That Follow (Britt Poulton, Dan Madison Savage, USA): Inside a snake-handling church deep in Appalachia, a forbidden relationship forces a pastor’s daughter to confront her community’s deadly tradition. Cast: Olivia Colman, Kaitlyn Dever, Alice Englert, Jim Gaffigan, Walton Goggins, Thomas Mann. World Premiere
• To The Stars (Martha Stephens, USA): Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer’s daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma. Cast: Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman, Tony Hale. World Premiere

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

• Always in Season (Jacqueline Olive, USA): When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation begins as the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present. World Premiere
• American Factory (Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, USA): In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America. World Premiere
• APOLLO 11 (Todd Douglas Miller, USA): A purely archival reconstruction of humanity’s first trip to another world, featuring never-before-seen 70mm footage and never-before-heard audio from the mission. World Premiere
• Bedlam (Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, USA): A psychiatrist makes rounds in ERs, jails, and homeless camps to tell the intimate stories behind one of the greatest social crises of our time. A personal and intense journey into the world of the seriously mentally ill. World Premiere
• David Crosby: Remember My Name (A.J. Eaton, USA): You thought you knew him. Meet David Crosby now in this portrait of a man with everything but an easy retirement on his mind. With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, Crosby shares his often challenging journey. World Premiere
• Hail Satan (Penny Lane, USA): A look at the intersection of religion and activism, tracing the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple is calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation’s soul. But are they for real? World Premiere
• Jawline (Liza Mandelup, USA): The film follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee. World Premiere
• Knock Down the House (Rachel Lears, USA): A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner’s daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother in Nevada and a registered nurse in Missouri build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress. One of their races will become the most shocking political upset in recent American history. Cast: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. World Premiere
• Midnight Family (Luke Lorentzen, Mexico, USA): In Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help. As they try to make a living in this cutthroat industry, they struggle to keep their financial needs from compromising the people in their care. World Premiere
• Mike Wallace Is Here  (Avi Belkin, USA): For over half a century, 60 Minutes’ fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world’s most influential figures. Relying exclusively on archival footage, the film interrogates the interrogator, tracking Mike’s storied career and troubled personal life while unpacking how broadcast journalism evolved to today’s precarious tipping point. World Premiere
• Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements (Irene Taylor Brodsky, USA): A deeply personal portrait of three lives, and the discoveries that lie beyond loss: a deaf boy growing up, his deaf grandfather growing old, and Beethoven the year he was blindsided by deafness and wrote his iconic sonata. World Premiere
• One Child Nation (Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, USA): After becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China’s one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment. World Premiere
• Pahokee (Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan, USA): In a small agricultural town in the Florida Everglades, hopes for the future are concentrated on the youth. Four teens face heartbreak and celebrate in the rituals of an extraordinary senior year. World Premiere
• TIGERLAND (Ross Kauffman, USA): 50 years ago, a young forest officer in India rallied the world to save tigers from extinction. Today, the creed is carried on in Far East Russia by the guardians of the last Siberian tigers, who risk everything to save the species. World Premiere
• Untitled Amazing Johnathan Documentary (Ben Berman, USA): What begins as a documentary following the final tour of a dying magician -- "The Amazing Johnathan" -- becomes an unexpected and increasingly bizarre journey as the filmmaker struggles to separate truth from illusion. Cast: Johnathan Szeles. World Premiere
• Where's My Roy Cohn? (Matt Tyrnauer, USA): Roy Cohn personified the dark arts of American politics, turning empty vessels into dangerous demagogues – from Joseph McCarthy to his final project, Donald J. Trump. This thriller-like exposé connects the dots, revealing how a deeply troubled master manipulator shaped our current American nightmare. World Premiere

The Souvenir

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

• Dirty God (Sacha Polak, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland): Jade is a young mother in the prime of her life when an acid attack leaves her severely burned. While her face has been reconstructed, her beauty is lost beneath the scars. Descending a self-destructive path with relationships crumbling, Jade must take drastic action to reclaim her life. Cast: Vicky Knight, Katherine Kelly, Eliza Brady-Girard, Rebecca Stone, Bluey Robinson, Dana Marienci. International Premiere
• Divine Love (Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil, Uruguay, Denmark, Norway): Brazil, 2027. A deeply religious woman uses her position in a notary’s office to advance her mission to save struggling couples from divorce. Whilst waiting for a sign in recognition of her efforts, she's confronted with a crisis in her own marriage that ultimately brings her closer to God. Cast: Dira Praes, Julio Machado, Emilio de Melo, Teca Pereira, Mariana Nunes, Thalita Carauta. World Premiere
• Dolce Fine Giornata (Jacek Borcuch, Poland): In Tuscany, Maria's stable family life begins to erode as her relationship with a young immigrant develops against a backdrop of terrorism and eroding democracy. Cast: Krystyna Janda, Katarzyna Smutniak, Vincent Riotta, Antonio Catania, Lorenzo de Moor, Robin Renucci. World Premiere
• Judy & Punch (Mirrah Foulkes, Australia): In the anarchic town of Seaside, nowhere near the sea, puppeteers Judy and Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show. The show is a hit due to Judy's superior puppeteering but Punch's driving ambition and penchant for whisky lead to a inevitable tragedy that Judy must avenge. Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Damon Herriman, Tom Budge, Benedict Hardie, Lucy Velik, Terry Norris. World Premiere
• Koko-di Koko-da (Johannes Nyholm, Sweden, Denmark): As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorizing them, luring them deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick. Cast: Leif Edlund, Ylva Gallon, Peter Belli, Katarina Jacobson. World Premiere
• The Last Tree (Shola Amoo, United Kingdom): Femi is a British boy of Nigerian heritage who, after a happy childhood in rural Lincolnshire, moves to inner London to live with his mum. Struggling with the unfamiliar culture and values of his new environment, teenage Femi has to figure out which path to adulthood he wants to take. Cast: Sam Adewunmi, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Tai Golding. World Premiere
• Monos (Alejandro Landes, Colombia, Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Uruguay): On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow. Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Moisés Arias, Sofia Buenaventura, Deibi Rueda, Karen Quintero, Laura Castrillón. World Premiere
• Queen of Hearts (May el-Toukhy, Denmark): A woman jeopardizes both her career and her family when she seduces her teenage stepson and is forced to make an irreversible decision with fatal consequences. Cast: Trine Dyrholm, Gustav Lindh, Magnus Krepper. World Premiere
• The Sharks (Lucía Garibaldi, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain): While a rumor about the presence of sharks in a small beach town distracts residents, 14-year-old Rosina begins to feel an instinct to shorten the distance between her body and Joselo's. Cast: Romina Bentancur, Federico Morosini, Fabián Arenillas, Valeria Lois, Antonella Aquistapache. World Premiere
• The Souvenir (Joanna Hogg, United Kingdom): A quiet film student begins finding her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent courtship with a charismatic but untrustworthy man. She defies her protective mother and concerned friends as she slips deeper and deeper into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship which comes dangerously close to destroying her dreams. Cast: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton. World Premiere
• This is not Berlin (Hari Sama, Mexico): 1986, Mexico City. Seventeen-year-old Carlos doesn't fit in anywhere, not in his family nor with the friends he has chosen in school. But everything changes when he is invited to a mythical nightclub where he discovers the underground nightlife scene: punk, sexual liberty and drugs. Cast: Xabiani Ponce de León, José Antonio Toledano, Ximena Romo, Mauro Sánchez Navarro, Klaudia García, Marina de Tavira. World Premiere
• WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES (Makoto Nagahisa, Japan): Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can't cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their emotions. Cast: Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima. World Premiere

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

• Advocate (Rachel Leah Jones, Philippe Bellaïche, Israel, Canada, Switzerland) Lea Tsemel defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from non-violent demonstrators to armed militants. As a Jewish-Israeli lawyer who has represented political prisoners for nearly 50 years, Tsemel, in her tireless quest for justice, pushes the praxis of a human rights defender to its limits. World Premiere
• Cold Case Hammarskjold (Mads Brügger, Denmark): Danish director Mads Brügger and Swedish private investigator Göran Bjorkdahl are trying to solve the mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjold. As their investigation closes in, they discover a crime far worse than killing the Secretary-General of the United Nations. World Premiere
• Untitled Brazil Documentary (Petra Costa, Brazil): A cautionary tale for these times of democracy in crisis - the personal and political fuse to explore one of the most dramatic periods in Brazilian history. With unprecedented access to Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva, we witness their rise and fall and the tragically polarized nation that remains. World Premiere
• The Disappearance of My Mother (Beniamino Barrese, Italy): An aging fashion model strives to escape the world of images and disappear for good, but her son's determination to make a final film about her sparks an unexpected collaboration and confrontation with the camera's gaze. World Premiere
• Gaza (Garry Keane, Andrew McConnell, Ireland): Gaza brings us into a unique place beyond the reach of television news reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resilient characters, offering us a cinematic and enriching portrait of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict. World Premiere
• Honeyland (Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, Macedonia): When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland's basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance. World Premiere
• Lapü (Juan Pablo Polanco, César Alejandro Jaimes, Colombia): In the middle of the Guajira Desert, Doris, a young Wayuu woman, exhumes her cousin's remains in order to meet her for the last time. Through a sensory journey this ritual leads her to confront death and blend the world of the dreams with the world of the living. Cast: Doris González Jusayú, Carmen González Jusayú. World Premiere
• The Magic Life of V (Tonislav Hristov, Finland, Denmark, Bulgaria): Haunted by childhood traumas, Veera is trying to become more independent through live roleplaying. As she guides herself and her mentally-challenged brother through worlds of multiple roles and identities, witches and wizards, she finds the courage to face the demons of her own past and her abusive father's legacy. World Premiere
• Midnight Traveler (Hassan Fazili, U.S.A., Qatar, United Kingdom, Canada): When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run. World Premiere
• Sea of Shadows (Richard Ladkani, Austria): The vaquita, the world’s smallest whale, is near extinction as its habitat is destroyed by Mexican cartels and Chinese mafia, who harvest the swim bladder of the totoaba fish, the “cocaine of the sea.” Environmental activists, Mexican navy and undercover investigators are fighting back against this illegal multimillion-dollar business. World Premiere
• Shooting the Mafia (Kim Longinotto, Ireland): Sicilian Letizia Battaglia began a lifelong battle with the Mafia when she first pointed her camera at a brutally slain victim. Documenting the Cosa Nostra's barbaric rule, she bore unflinching witness to their crimes. Her photographs, art, and bravery helped to bring an end to a shocking reign of slaughter. World Premiere
• Stieg Larsson – The Man Who Played With Fire (Henrik Georgsson, Sweden): A documentary about the Millennium-trilogy author Stieg Larsson and his pioneering work of fighting right wing extremists and neo-Nazis, an obsession with fatal consequences. International Premiere

Paradise Hills

NEXT

Adam (Rhys Ernst, USA): Howard Gertler, James Schamus): Awkward teenager Adam arrives to spend his final high school summer with his older sister, who has thrown herself into New York City's lesbian and trans activist scene. Over the summer, Adam and those around him experience love, friendship, and attendant hard truths in this coming-of-age comedy. Cast: Nicholas Alexander, India Menuez, Leo Sheng, Chloe Levine, Margaret Qualley. World Premiere

Give Me Liberty (Kirill Mikhanovsky, USA): When a riot breaks out in Milwaukee, America's most segregated city, medical transport driver Vic is torn between his promise to get a group of elderly Russians to a funeral and his desire to help Tracy, a young black woman with ALS. Cast: Lauren "Lolo" Spencer, Chris Galust, Maksim Stoyanov, Darya Ekamasova. World Premiere

Light From Light (Paul Harrill, USA): Shelia, a single mom and sometime paranormal investigator, is enlisted to investigate a possible “haunting” at a widower’s farmhouse in East Tennessee. Cast: Marin Ireland, Jim Gaffigan, Josh Wiggins, Atheena Frizzell, David Cale. World Premiere

Paradise Hills (Alice Waddington, Spain, USA): A young woman is sent to Paradise Hills to be reformed, only to learn that the high-class facility's beautiful facade hides a sinister secret. Cast: Emma Roberts, Danielle Macdonald, Awkwafina, Eiza González, Milla Jovovich, Jeremy Irvine. World Premiere

Premature (Rashaad Ernesto Green, USA): The summer before she leaves for college, Ayanna meets handsome and mysterious outsider Isaiah; her entire world is turned upside down as she navigates the demanding terrain of young love against a changing Harlem landscape. Cast: Zora Howard, Joshua Boone, Michelle Wilson, Alexis Marie Wint, Imani Lewis, Tashiana Washington. World Premiere

Selah and the Spades (Tayarisha Poe, USA): Producers: Lauren McBride, Lucas Joaquin, Drew Houpt, Tayarisha Poe, Jill Ahrens): Five factions run the underground life of the prestigious Haldwell boarding school. At the head of the most powerful faction - The Spades - sits Selah Summers. By turns charming and callous, she chooses whom to keep close and whom to cut loose, walking the fine line between being feared and loved. Cast: Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Gina Torres, Jesse Williams. World Premiere

Sister Aimee (Samantha Buck, Marie Schlingmann, USA): In 1926 America’s most famous evangelist is a woman. And she’s looking for a way out. Fed up with her own success, she gets swept up in her lover’s daydreams about Mexico and finds herself on a wild road trip towards the border. Based on true events. Mostly made up. Cast: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Michael Mosley, Andrea Suarez Paz, Julie White, Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves. World Premiere

The Death of Dick Long (Daniel Scheinert, USA): Dick died last night, and Zeke and Earl don't want anybody finding out how. That's too bad though, cause news travels fast in small-town Alabama. Cast: Michael Abbott Jr., Virginia Newcomb, Andre Hyland, Sarah Baker, Jess Weixler. World Premiere

The Infiltrators (Alex Rivera, USA): A rag-tag group of undocumented youth – Dreamers – deliberately get detained by Border Patrol in order to infiltrate a shadowy, for-profit detention center. Cast: Maynor Alvarado, Manuel Uriza, Chelsea Rendon, Juan Gabriel Pareja, Vik Sahay. World Premiere

The Wolf Hour (Alistair Banks Griffin, USA): Once a known counterculture figure, June E. Leigh now lives in self-imposed exile in her South Bronx apartment during the incendiary '77 Summer of Sam. When an unseen tormentor begins exploiting June’s weaknesses, her insular universe begins to unravel. Cast: Naomi Watts, Emory Cohen, Jennifer Ehle, Kelvin Harrison Jr. World Premiere

PREMIERES

 After The Wedding (Bart Freundlich, USA): Seeking funds for her orphanage in India, Isabelle travels to New York to meet Theresa, a wealthy benefactor. An invitation to attend a wedding ignites a series of events in which the past collides with the present while mysteries unravel. Based on the Academy Award-nominated film by Susanne Bier. Cast: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup, Abby Quinn. World Premiere.

Animals (Sophie Hyde, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia): After a decade of partying, Laura and Tyler's friendship is strained by Laura’s new love and her focus on her novel. A snapshot of a modern woman with competing desires, at once a celebration of female friendship and an examination of the choices we make when facing a crossroads.Cast: Holliday Grainger, Alia Shawkat. World Premiere

Blinded by the Light (Gurinder Chadha, United Kingdom): In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher's Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Cast: Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell Williams, Aaron Phagura. World Premiere

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (Joe Berlinger, USA): A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy from the perspective of Liz, his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years. Cast: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Haley Joel Osment, Kaya Scodelario, John Malkovich, Jim Parsons. World Premiere

I Am Mother (Grant Sputore, Australia): In the wake of humanity’s extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news. Cast: Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne, Hilary Swank. World Premiere

Late Night (Nisha Ganatra, USA): Legendary late-night talk show host’s world is turned upside down when she hires her only female staff writer. Originally intended to smooth over diversity concerns, her decision has unexpectedly hilarious consequences as the two women separated by culture and generation are united by their love of a biting punchline. Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Paul Walter Hauser, Reid Scott, Amy Ryan. World Premiere

Official Secrets (Gavin Hood, United States, United Kingdom): The true story of British Intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun, who prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war. Cast: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Ralph Feinnes, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans. World Premiere

Photograph (Ritesh Batra, India): Two lives intersect in Mumbai and go along together. A struggling street photographer, pressured to marry by his grandmother, convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée. The pair develops a connection that transforms them in ways that they could not expect. Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqi, Sanya Malhotra. World Premiere

Relive (Director: Jacob Estes, USA): After a man’s family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He’s not sure if she’s a ghost or if he’s going mad — but as it turns out, he’s not. Instead, her calls help him rewrite history. Cast: David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson, Alfred Molina, Bryan Tyree Henry. World Premiere

Sonja - The White Swan (Anne Sewitsky, Norway): The true story of one of the world's greatest athletes and the inventor of modern figure skating, who took Hollywood by storm in the 1930s, sacrificing everything to stay in the spotlight. Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Valene Kane, Eldar Skar, Anders Mordal, Pål Sverre Hagen, Aiden McArdle. International Premiere

The Mustang (Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, USA): While participating in a rehabilitation program training wild mustangs, a convict at first struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow inmates, but learns to confront his violent past as he soothes an especially feisty horse. Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Connie Britton, Bruce Dern, Jason Mitchell, Gideon Adlon, Josh Stewart. World Premiere

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Chiwetel Ejiofor, United Kingdom): Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maxwell Simba, Lily Banda, Noma Dumezweni, Aissa Maiga, Joseph Marcell. World Premiere

The Report (Scott Z. Burns, USA): The story of Daniel Jones, lead investigator for the US Senate’s sweeping study into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was found to be brutal, immoral and ineffective. With the truth at stake, Jones battled tirelessly to make public what many in power sought to keep hidden. Cast: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Ted Levine, Maura Tierney, Michael C. Hall. World Premiere

The Sunlit Night (David Wnendt, Germany, Norway): Between New York City and the far north of Norway, an American painter and a Russian émigré find each other in the Arctic circle. Together under a sun that never sets, they discover a future and family that they didn't know they had. Cast: Jenny Slate, Zach Galifianakis, Alex Sharp, Gillian Anderson, Fridjov Sáheim, David Paymer. World Premiere

The Tomorrow Man (Noble Jones, USA): Ed Hemsler spends his life preparing for a disaster that may never come. Ronnie Meisner spends her life shopping for things she may never use. In a small town somewhere in America, these two people will try to find love while trying not to get lost in each other’s stuff. Cast: John Lithgow, Blythe Danner, Derek Cecil, Katie Aselton, Sophie Thatcher, Eve Harlow. World Premiere

Top End Wedding (Wayne Blair, Australia): Lauren and Ned are engaged, they are in love, and they have just ten days to find Lauren's mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the remote far north of Australia, reunite her parents and pull off their dream wedding. Cast: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox, Huw Higginson, Ursula Yovich, Shari Sebbens. World Premiere

Troupe Zero (Bert & Bertie, USA): In rural 1977 Georgia, a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space.  When a national competition offers her a chance at her dream, to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troupe of Birdie Scouts, forging friendships that last a lifetime and beyond. Cast: Viola Davis, Mckenna Grace, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Epps, Charlie Shotwell, Allison Janney. World Premiere

Velvet Buzzsaw (Dan Gilroy, USA): A thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer. World Premiere

Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

Ask Dr. Ruth (Ryan White, USA): A documentary portrait chronicling the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America's most famous sex therapist. As her 90th birthday approaches, Dr. Ruth revisits her painful past and her career at the forefront of the sexual revolution. World Premiere

Halston (Frédéric Tcheng, USA): From Iowa to Studio 54, this investigation into the rags-to-riches story of America's first superstar designer uncovers the cautionary tale of an artist who sold his name to Wall Street. World Premiere

Love, Antosha (Garret Price, USA): A portrait of the extraordinary life and career of actor Anton Yelchin. World Premiere

Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (Nick Broomfield, USA): A story of enduring love between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen. The film follows their relationship from the early days in Greece, a time of ‘free love’ and open marriage, to how their love evolved when Leonard became a successful musician. World Premiere

MERATA: How Mum Decolonised The Screen (Heperi Mita, New Zealand): An intimate portrayal of pioneering filmmaker Merata Mita, told through the eyes of her children. Using hours of archive footage, some never before seen, her youngest child discovers the filmmaker he never knew and shares with the world the mother he lost. International Premiere

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (Stanley Nelson, U.S.A., United Kingdom): A visionary, innovator, and originator who defied categorization and embodied the word cool: a foray into the life and career of musical and cultural icon Miles Davis. World Premiere

Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins (Janice Engel, USA): Molly Ivins was six feet of flame-haired Texas trouble, a prescient political journalist, best-selling author and Bill of Rights warrior. She took no prisoners, leaving both sides of the aisle laughing and craving more of her razor-sharp wit. It's time to Raise Hell like Molly! World Premiere

The Great Hack (Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim, USA): Data, arguably the world’s most valuable asset, is being weaponized to wage cultural and political wars. The dark world of data exploitation is uncovered through the unpredictable personal journeys of players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data story. World Premiere

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (Alex Gibney, USA): With a magical new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world's youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then, overnight, her $10-billion-dollar company dissolved. The rise and fall of Theranos is a window into the psychology of fraud. World Premiere

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, USA): This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America and the human condition. World Premiere

Untouchable (Ursula Macfarlane, USA): The inside story of the rise and fall of Harvey Weinstein reveals how, over decades, he acquires and protects his power even as scandal threatens to engulf him. Former colleagues and accusers detail the method and consequences of his alleged abuse, hoping for justice and to inspire change. World Premiere

Words from a Bear (Jeffrey Palmer, USA): A visual journey into the mind and soul of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Navarro Scott Momaday, relating each written line to his unique Native American experience representing ancestry, place, and oral history. World Premiere

MIDNIGHT

Greener Grass (Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, USA): A deliciously twisted comedy set in a demented, timeless suburbia where every adult wears braces on their straight teeth, couples coordinate meticulously pressed outfits, and coveted family members are swapped in more ways than one in this competition for acceptance. Cast: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, Beck Bennett, Neil Casey, Mary Holland, D'Arcy Carden. World Premiere

Little Monsters (Abe Forsythe, Australia): A film dedicated to all the kindergarten teachers who motivate children to learn, instill them with confidence and stop them from being devoured by zombies. Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Alexander England, Josh Gad. World Premiere

MEMORY - The Origins of Alien (Alexandre O. Philippe, USA): The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott’s Alien – rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O’Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of moviemaking, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious. World Premiere

Mope (Lucas Heyne, USA): Two 'mopes' – the lowest-level male performers in the porn industry – set their sights on an impossible dream: stardom. Cast: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Kelly Sry, Brian Huskey, Max Adler, David Arquette, Tonya Cornelisse. World Premiere

Sweetheart (JD Dillard, USA): Jenn has washed ashore a small tropical island and it doesn’t take her long to realize she’s completely alone. She must spend her days not only surviving the elements, but must also fend off the malevolent force that comes out each night. Cast: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Andrew Crawford. World Premiere

The Hole in the Ground (Lee Cronin, Ireland): One night, Sarah's young son disappears into the woods behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, but his behavior grows increasingly disturbing. Soon, Sarah realizes that the boy who returned may not be her son at all... Cast: Seána Kerslake, James Cosmo, Kati Outinen, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, James Quinn Markey. World Premiere

The Lodge (Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, USA, United Kingdom): In this psychologically chilling slow burn, a young woman and her reticent new stepchildren find themselves isolated in the family’s remote winter cabin, locked away to dredge up the mysteries of her dark past and the losses that seem to haunt them all. Cast: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Alicia Silverstone, Richard Armitage. World Premiere

The Mountain

SPOTLIGHT

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky, Canada): From concrete seawalls in China that cover 60% of the mainland coast to the biggest terrestrial machines ever built in Germany, to psychedelic potash mines in Russia’s Ural Mountains, to conservation sanctuaries in Kenya, the filmmakers have traversed the globe to document the evidence and experience of human planetary domination. International Premiere

Birds of Passage (Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra, Colombia): In 1970s Colombia, Rapayet is a man torn between the desire to be powerful and his duty to uphold his culture’s values. His indigenous tribe, the Wayúu, ignores ancient omens and enters the drug trafficking business -- where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood. Cast: Carmina Martinez, Jose Acosta, Natalia Reyes. Utah Premiere 

Maiden (Alex Holmes, United Kingdom): The incredible, against-all-odds story of sailor Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first all-female international crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. U.S. Premiere

The Biggest Little Farm (John Chester, USA): Two dreamers and a dog embark on an odyssey to bring harmony to their lives and the land. As their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they will have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature, and life itself. Utah Premiere

The Mountain (Rick Alverson, USA): 1950s America. Since his mother‘s confinement to an institution, Andy has lived in the shadow of his stoic father. A family acquaintance, Dr. Wallace Fiennes, employs the introverted young man as a photographer to document an asylum tour advocating for his increasingly controversial lobotomy procedure. Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Tye Sheridan, Udo Kier, Denis Lavant, Hannah Gross. U.S. Premiere

The Nightingale Australia (Jennifer Kent, Australia): 1825. Clare, a young Irish convictwoman, chases a British officer through the Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of Aboriginal tracker Billy, who is marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past. Cast: Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood, Ewen Leslie. North American Premiere

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New US Trailer for Alice Rohrwacher's Italian Fable 'Happy as Lazzaro'

"I'm calling about a missing boy." Netflix has released a new US trailer for the film Happy as Lazzaro, originally titled Lazzaro felice, the latest film by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher (Corpo Celeste, The Wonders). This trailer celebrates the release of the film on Netflix today, for those who would like to catch this acclaimed, shot-on-film fable. It first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this summer, highly regarded as one of the best of the festival, despite not winning any awards. The film is about a boy named Lazzaro who works as a farming peasant on a tobacco farm in Italy. About halfway through, the film jumps in time to the modern day where he ends up in a city searching for his friends and family. Adriano Tardiolo stars as Lazzaro, along with Luca Chikovani, Agnese Graziani, Alba Rohrwacher, Sergi López, Natalino Balasso, Tommaso Ragno, and Nicoletta Braschi. This US trailer is pretty much the same as the international trailer, but they removed the title cards and added a few seconds more of footage.

Here's the official US trailer (+ intl. poster) for Alice Rohrwacher's Happy as Lazzaro, from YouTube:

This is the tale of a meeting between Lazzaro (Adriano Tardiolo), a young peasant so good that he is often mistaken for simple-minded, and Tancredi (Luca Chikovani), a young nobleman cursed by imagination. Life in their isolated pastoral village Inviolata is dominated by the terrible ­Marchesa­­ Alfonsina­de­ Luna,­ the­queen­ of­­ cigarettes.­ A loyal bond is sealed when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping. This strange and improbable alliance is a revelation for Lazzaro. A friendship so precious that it will travel in time and transport Lazzaro in search of Tancredi. His first­ time­ in­ the big­ city,­ he is­ like­ a­ fragment­ of the past lost in the modern world. Happy as Lazzaro is both written and directed by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher, of the films Corpo Celeste and The Wonders previously. This first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year in competition. The film already opened in Europe this fall. Netflix will release Rohrwacher's Happy as Lazzaro streaming starting November 30th.

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