Movie Review: Denver Film Festival Roundup Days 1-3 (November 3-5)

The 46th Annual Denver Film Festival is going on right now in your own backyard, with some of the greatest films in the world being screened as part of this massive festival. The festival kicked off with an opening night gala at Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Friday. We sent our correspondent Julie River out to catch as many movies as she could, and she came back to report on the best films at the festival. Check out the reviews below to see what you’ve been missing out on at the Denver Film Festival and get the inside scoop before these movies get a wide release.

American Fiction 92/100

The opening film of the entire festival, American Fiction is the feature directorial debut of Cord Jefferson, based off the 2001 book Erasure by Percival Everett. The film follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), a novelist struggling to be taken seriously. Monk resents the fact that his books are frequently labeled as “African-American literature” when they’re just stories that happen to be about Black people and not books specifically about the Black experience. Following his dismissal from his teaching job, Monk moves back home to spend his family in Boston and finds himself needing to take care of his mother, Agnes (Leslie Uggams), who is starting to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease. In a fit of frustration at being pigeonholed as a “Black writer,” Monk writes out what he thinks is the most sleazy, pandering novel he can come with about Black issues, entitled My Pafology (later renamed to just Fuck) under a pseudonym, and submits it to some publishers as a form of protest. To his surprise, publishers pick up his satirical attempt at a novel, taking it seriously, and, with bills piling up in taking care of his mother, Monk is forced to take the massive amount of money they’re offering him, much to his own disappointment in himself.

I couldn’t help but notice the striking parallels between the plot of this film and that of Spike Lee’s 2000 black comedy/tragedy Bamboozled. But while Bamboozled is dark and ends in tragedy, American Fiction tells a similar story as a more lighthearted comedy. The humor is fresh and based in some really clever and realistic dialogue between the characters, making for a refreshingly bright and fun movie.

There’s already a good deal of Oscar buzz about this movie, which is interesting because this movie has a lot of things that the Academy really hates to reward, namely breezy comedy and a happy(ish) ending. But, while the Academy often overlooks those qualities in a movie, it shouldn’t, as American Fiction is a fresh and original perspective that makes an important statement without getting trite about it.

Shorts 1: Narrative

One of the first presentations I attended at the festival was the narrative shorts program, which featured five short narrative films from around the world. And, if you don’t think I’m about to write short, flash reviews for each one, then you obviously haven’t met me.

The Family Circus 90/100

A Vietnamese-American family is rocked when their son gets into a car accident and damages a neighbor’s property. Knowing that their son can’t risk getting one more DUI on his record, they choose to lie to the police and say that their other son, who has a clean record, crashed the car. But the family’s guilt spills out when lying to the cops, creating a comedy of errors. This was easily the best of the shorts narrative program, which made it a little frustrating that this one was shown first and followed by a bunch of more disappointing entries. The tangled web makes for some great comedy.

Tender 85/100

When JD (Will Brill) wakes up from a night of drinking and can’t find his wallet, thinking it’s been stolen, he turns his anger on his girlfriend and her teenage son, Damon (Alexander Hubble). This film was a very visceral depiction of what toxic masculinity and abuse looks like, but the ending could have been far more satisfying. Still, it did a great job of building an atmosphere in a small amount of time with its raging butt-rock soundtrack.

AirHostess-737 78/100

In this Greek short, a flight attendant (Lena Papaligoura) with adult braces obsesses over her new braces as she tries to do her job. Amidst her frustration, we slowly hear the story of her life start to unfold. This is another one without a very satisfying ending. It also became hard to follow the flight attendant’s back story, as she tells it while handing out food, so it is constantly interrupted and there are no visuals of it. All in all, a fascinating idea that could have been executed better.

Take Me Home 88/100

Emily (Jenna Yi) has to leave her successful job to return home after her mother (Joan Sargent) suddenly dies, leaving Emily to take care of her cognitively disabled sister Anna (Anna Sargent). This one was a really sweet little film, and it stars director Liz Sargent’s actual cognitively disabled sister, Anna Sargent, basically playing herself. This film did a great job of creating a heartwarming relationship between the two sisters without falling back on tropes. Apparently this is a test-run for a full-length feature film, so keep a look out for that.

Nocturnal Burger 65/100

In Mumbai, after a young girl (Trupti Khamkar) is kidnapped and sexually assaulted, the events of the incident slowly unfold amidst police questioning at a dysfunctional police station. This one was very dark and dry to watch compared to some of the other films and became a bit harder to sit through. It also had a very confusing narrative that didn’t quite all seem to make sense and left some questions unanswered. Overall, this was a disappointing end to this program.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed (76/100)

Ann (Joanna Arnow, who also wrote, directed, and edited the film) is a 30-something sexual submissive living in New York, disaffectedly drifting through her life and her casual submissive relationships. But when she finds someone she really cares about, her world suddenly becomes warmer and brighter as she becomes open to her new relationship.

I appreciated the style of this film, in which every scene was short and extremely awkward and uncomfortable to watch. A lot of the humor of this comedy comes from the long, awkward pauses. It was also one of the most uncomfortable films in the entire festival because of how sexually explicit it was, with Arnow being shown naked in every possible embarrassing position you could imagine. I’ve seen actual porn movies with less explicit nudity.

The movie shaped up to be very sweet in its own bizarre, quirky way, but my biggest complaint about it was the very last scene which, depending on how you interpret it, has the potential to ruin the rest of the movie you just watched. I choose to pretend that the last scene either didn’t happen or happened out of order, because I preferred where the film was going.

Mollie and Max in the Future (97/100)

One of my favorite films at the festival thus far, the film tells the story of two people, Mollie (Zosia Mamet) and Max (Aristotle Athari), spend 12 years bumping into each other, slowly becoming friends and then, perhaps, something even more. If that sounds like the plot of When Harry Met Sally, that’s quite intentional, but there’s one major difference: It’s a billion years in the future. Amidst stop-motion animation, miniatures, and other practical effects, this movie sets a very conventional rom-com story amidst an absolutely bonkers sci-fi universe.

This movie was so much fun because its lead characters are effortlessly charming with excellent chemistry and the world-building was absolutely incredible. The simple fact that this was produced as an independent film and made with a modest budget and crew is an absolute miracle. You’ll swear this was made by a big-name studio on the budget of Avatar, but it wasn’t. It was a labor of love from writer/director Michael Lukk Litwak, who conducted a Q&A session after the film, explaining how he pulled off some of the dazzling effects. When this movie gets a wide release next year, you simply have to go see it.

Shorts 5: Late Night

The festival’s Late Night Shorts program featured some of the creepiest, scariest short films from around the world.

The Mundanes 65/100

In this short, we’re introduced to The Mundanes, a model, happy suburban family with one exception: They have no faces. But when a small, human child wanders into the Mundanes’ home, their true faces come out, so to speak. This one did a great job of creating a creepy aesthetic, but there wasn’t really much of a story or structure to it. While it was certainly a fresh concept, seeing it made into a coherent plot might have made it even creepier.

You’re Not Home 55/100

When what appears to be black mold appears on the ceiling of the room two African boys are sharing in a refugee center in Ireland, strange things start happening, with dark creatures lurking about. While this one seemed to have more of a plot, it didn’t do a great job of conveying that plot to the audience, and it left a lot of questions about what was going on in this short unanswered. Frankly, I barely even understood what the boys were doing in this center, as there’s not a lot of exposition to explain the plot.

Dead Enders 85/100

When oil drillers accidentally unleash a hoard of large, mind-controlling insects, a gas station attendant must survive her encounter with the bugs while facing the harsh truth about her dead-end job. This one was a lot of fun, campy horror that actually told an interesting story with a satisfying ending. The effects were a lot of bloody, gross fun, too.

Ticks 80/100

After going through a violent conflict and seeming breakup with her partner (Erin Markey), Jenny (Brigette Lundy-Paine) wanders through the woods and has a chance encounter with a stranger (Massima Bell) which turns sexual. But when Jenny’s new friend turns her into a bloodthirsty creature, they return to devour Jenny’s former partner. I appreciated the fact that this film had so much queer energy, with the story being about romantic and sexual connections between women. It also starred trans actress and model Massima Bell as the carnivorous creature in the woods. It was properly terrifying in a very short amount of time and told an easily understandable story.

In the Flesh 91/100

Tracey (Edy Modica) is trying to masturbate using her bathtub faucet, but when a mysterious brown sludge starts leaking out of the pipes and a black goo starts leaking out of her, it becomes apparent that something strange is going on. This was a properly weird movie that left a lot of questions up in the air, but it was also properly fun and scary with a strong narrative and a satisfying ending.

Pruning 83/100

A conservative firebrand commentator, Sami Gellar (Madeline Brewer), is plagued by her conscience when a mass shooter cites her rhetoric as his inspiration. But it soon becomes clear that something is happening to her beyond the mere psychological. This got into some interesting body horror, and the parallels to real life are compelling, but the ending was a bit confusing. Still, Brewer does a really great job of making herself a deeply unlikable character.

Alicia 85/100

A young girl named Alicia (Naia de las Heras) has gone blind and is convinced there is an old woman in her room coming for her. Her mother, Carolina (Ana del Arco) tries to convince her that there is no old woman, but suddenly finds herself unsure if that’s the case. This Spanish film was properly terrifying and, even though it was basically all just a set-up for a single jump scare, it’s a very effective jump scare.

A Folded Ocean 79/100

When a couple (Annabelle LeMieux and John Brewer) wake up in the morning to find their arms have fused together, they at first find the situation funny. But, after making love, they find the rest of their body starting to fuse together until they become helplessly entangled in each other. This was some seriously uncomfortable body horror that made you feel claustrophobic on the characters’ behalf. Definitely a compelling but deeply uncomfortable watch.

Claudio’s Song 51/100

A young man named Claudio  is kidnapped by gangsters that intend to kill him, but as they discuss how people are remembered through oral history, a song starts up that will transfer the memory of Claudio through time. This was a weird one, and it didn’t quite fit the theme of this short’s package, but then I can’t imagine what package elsewhere in the festival it would fit in. It didn’t feel particularly scary, just properly weird.

Deep Sea 96/100

Shenxiu (Wang Tingwen), a young girl of divorced parents, goes on a cruise on her birthday with her father, stepmother, and half-brother but all she wants in the world is to see her mother again. After that, she makes a wish on a mythical creature called a Hyjinx which comes and whisks her off on a magical adventure where she discovers the fantastical Deep Sea Restaurant, run by the mercurial head chef, Nanhe (Su Xin) who reluctantly agrees to help Shenxiu find her mother.

This computer-animated, 3-D film was definitely the most visually stunning film I’ve seen at this festival so far, which is saying something because Molli and Max in the Future was pretty visually stunning itself. The entire movie gives you the sense that you’re watching a living Van Gogh painting. The story is charming and deeply imaginative. This is one of the festival’s very few family-friendly films, but there’s definitely something to love about this film no matter what age you are.

Concrete Utopia 91/100

After a massive earthquake levels an entire city except for one apartment building, the building’s residents set up a new society to survive, but it doesn’t take long for their fledgling society to devolve into totalitarianism and fascism. A young married couple, Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) and Myung-hwa (Park Bo-young), find themselves and their relationship tested as they struggle to survive under the new regime.

This was a pretty depressing film, but a fascinating one at the same time. By creating a new society on a micro level, all of the cruelties of modern societies like jingoism, nationalism, authoritarianism, and vestiges of capitalism are thrown into sharper contrast. The film seems to be making the argument that more people could have survived if they created a true collectivist society without a sense of us-versus-them. But after human beings have become conditioned their entire lives by capitalism to be selfish, it’s hard to let that go even after society collapses.

Even though the Denver Film Festival has already started, some limited tickets and passes are still available to the festival if you want to see what you’re missing out on.

All photos courtesy of social media