A multilayered look at Indigenous issues in Canada, one family’s painful fight for justice, and emboldened racism in the age of social media, Hot Docs’ 2019 opening film nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up looks at the bigger picture behind one of the most controversial murder trials in recent memory.
Densely packed with the intricate details surrounding Brazil’s current political nightmare (and, by natural extension and comparison, similar governmental scandals playing out around the world), The Edge of Democracy is a lot to take in during a single sitting, but also one of the most vital and cautionary documentaries of the year.
Thrilling throughout, occasionally heartbreaking, and sometimes even darkly comedic, Midnight Family, director Luke Lorentzen’s verite look at Mexico’s broken healthcare system, is a modern day parable about the dangers of increased privatization and the corruption that takes root where governmental oversight used to be.
First time feature documentary director Rebecca Stern’s humorous and empathetic Well Groomed takes a look at the niche world of creative dog grooming; the art of dying the hair of pooches different colours and shaving intricate designs and characters into their fur.
As dumb and predictable as modern horror tends to get these days, The Curse of La Llorona – the latest entry into The Conjuring extended universe – is a plot that needs about thirty seconds of explanation padded out with a bunch of jump scares strung together.
A staggering work of mind numbing self importance and borderline toxic nostalgia baiting, Under the Silver Lake is one of the most gorgeous, boring, and nonsensical films ever made.
Director Miranda de Pencier and Indigenous actors Paul Nutarariaq and Anna Lambe talk about the true story behind the Canadian film, The Grizzlies.
Stark realism, stylish cinematography, and dream-like flights of fancy commingle and enhance one another in Chinese writer-director Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, a surreal, stunning, and rigorous take on classic film noir tropes and conventions that defies neat and tidy categorization.
Yet another limp, poorly assembled, and underdeveloped stab at faith based filmmaking from a major studio, Breakthrough will only appeal to true believers with exceptionally low standards.
Disneynature’s Penguins doesn’t offer much of anything new about these animals that hasn’t been said before, but what it lacks in revelations it more than makes up for with cuteness, solid storytelling sensibilities, and gorgeous images.
