Virginia Film Festival Recap
Plus some new release recommendations
All good things must come to an end.
Just as quickly as the fall festival season arrived with Venice and Telluride a mere nine weeks ago, it is coming to a close as the regional festivals wrap up.
Before the chapter closed on the 2024 fall festival season, I had the chance to visit one of the best hidden gem regional festivals - The Virginia Film Festival held annually in Charlottesville, Virginia.
So many fall film festivals involve the frenzy of scrambling across an entire city to get from one screening to another. This can cause many festivals to end up being more stressful than fun.
The Virginia Film Festival has been intentionally crafted to avoid that.
The two main venues are within walking distance & embedded right in the middle of the vibrant downtown scene.
Ample time between screenings allows patrons the opportunity to grab a bit to eat or even wonder the shops downtown while they digest what they just watched.
One of my post-screening walks on a lovely fall evening even included a delightful treat from a local bakery right near the theater.
Just the perfect spot for such a beautiful weekend of film.
The 37th edition of the festival screened 100+ films over 5 days in the cozy college town.
Unfortunately, I came down with some kind of bug & missed most of the festival, but was able to catch the final day that included some great films.
Enough talking! Let’s get to those movies:
The Fire Inside (Directed by Rachel Morrison)
Premise - “The story of Claressa Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan who trained to become the first woman in her country's history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport.”
Noteworthy cast - Brian Tyree Henry
My thoughts - It’s a tale as old as time. The underdog defies the odds. Rises through the ranks. Gets a training montage or two. And overcomes all adversity to reach the mountaintop of sports.
But what happens after?
Through the first two acts of Rachel Morrison’s directorial debut, there isn’t much interest in breaking the typical conventions of a sports movie. Thankfully, the final act is determined to break almost every one as we get a peek into what can come after that mountaintop moment for certain athletes.
It’s in those moments where Barry Jenkins script shines, Brian Tyree Henry reminds us he’s one of the greatest living actors, and Morrison successfully elevates a cliche sports biopic into something worth seeking out.
Rating - 3/5
When can you see it in theaters - December 25th
The End (Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer)
Premise - A post-apocalyptic story about a rich family living in a salt mine converted into a luxurious home. The earth around them has apparently been destroyed, but their son has never seen the outside world. As a young girl appears at the entrance of the bunker, the balance of the family is threatened.
Noteworthy cast - Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, and George MacKay
My thoughts - It isn’t too often in modern cinema that you walk out of a film knowing that you just saw something wholly unique and original.
An audacious swing from Joshua Oppenheimer, “The End” interrogates the lies we tell ourselves & how we cope with them in one of the most unconventional ways imaginable. A 148 minute golden age musical set deep in the confines of a salt mine with the last family on earth.
When you first hear the premise & style, it is undoubtedly a head scratcher.
Your mind starts to understand it once you spend just a few moments deep in the salt mines. You realize that the family’s home (which they have worked so hard to convince themselves is normal) is no more real than the sound stages from the golden age musicals that inspired it.
It is inside that facade of a home where we find an echo chamber of guilt and pushed aside grief that manifests itself in different ways with each member of the family. It is in those differences & how they all meld together where “The End” really succeeds.
It isn’t without its flaws though. The ideas, while clear, take much longer than needed to play out. This is especially evident when anyone but George McKay & Moses Ingram are singing (both of which are absolute standouts here). The choice to cast Tilda Swinton & Michael Shannon in roles where they are asked to carry a tune & also convey necessary emotion is almost enough to make the film teeter off course (and it probably will be for some).
You won’t leave the theater with any particular song stuck in your end, but the themes will burrow deep in your mind much like the family in the salt mine.
Movies like this don’t come around very often.
Rating - 3.5/5
When can you see it in theaters - December 6th
The Room Next Door (Directed by Pedro Almodóvar)
Premise - Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Noteworthy cast - Tilda Swinton & Julianne Moore
My thoughts - Given the deeply emotional subject matter, I expected more from this. A jaw dropping purple snow scene aside, I don’t think there will be any images or moments that will stick with me.
I also couldn’t unsee the shortcomings of the dialogue/script that have been well documented already (likely due to this being Almodóvar’s first English film). Not to even mention a few flashback sequences that seem like they belong in a straight to video movie.
It leads to the whole thing feeling clunky and disjointed.
It’s still a sweet story about friendship & life inside a tragedy. Despite the flaws, the exceptional performances from Moore & Swinton & the bright colors of Almodóvar make it better than most new releases in this day and age. But not by much.
Rating - 3/5
When can you see it in theaters - December 20th
Woman of the Hour (Directed by Anna Kendrick)
Premise - “In 1970s Los Angeles, a young woman aspiring to become an actress and a serial killer cross paths during an episode of a dating show.”
Noteworthy Cast - Anna Kendrick
My thoughts - In an era where true crime stories run rampant on streaming services, “Woman of the Hour” should be another one to add to the library & not think about 30 minutes after it’s over. It’s honestly why I wasn’t in a rush to even watch it.
Instead, Anna Kendrick decides to make some bold, ambitious swings in how the story is told & who it focuses on. And she nails almost every one.
Hope she continues to work behind the camera. She gets it & we need more storytellers like her in a time when so many movies feel like copied and pasted versions of previous films.
Rating - 3.5/5
Where to watch the film - Netflix
Conclave (Directed by Edward Berger)
Premise - “Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with one of the world's most secretive and ancient events - participating in the selection of a new pope.”
Noteworthy Cast - Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, & John Lithgow
My thoughts - On paper you would think that Conclave would be a drama as serious as they come. In reality, it plays like an airport novel mixed “Mean Girls” set in the Vatican (with lots to say about electoral politics).
That may be one of the most bizarre descriptions of a movie ever, but trust me when I say that I loved every second. The whole thing is a blast.
As a side note, if you hold the Catholic church or Catholic faith in high regard, probably not the movie for you.
Rating - 4/5
Where to watch the film - In theaters now
Red Rooms (Directed by Pascal Plante)
Premise - Kelly-Anne is obsessed with the high-profile case of a serial killer, and reality blurs with her morbid fantasies
Noteworthy Cast - None
My thoughts - Let me start by saying this doesn’t fall into the new release camp, but it blew me away & hasn’t got the attention it should be.
This French thriller is one of the most bone chilling, disturbing, and thought provoking films of the year. Seriously, the subject matter is pure evil/sickening yet the whole thing is so beautifully crafted & directed that you are glued to your seat. It makes the same choice that “The Zone of Interest” from 2023 does where you don’t ever see the horror on screen, but you can hear it, which leads to a feeling just as haunting.
An indictment on the true crime obsessed society we live in and a reminder of where isolation and rubbernecking ultimately can take us.
Rating - 4/5
Where to watch the film - Available for rent or purchase on VOD
That is all for now! Exciting few weeks ahead as the holiday season has a great slate of films set for release.
Still plenty of time to find your favorite film of 2024!
As always, enjoy some great films until next time!
Aaron Nolan