The Friend 

Recommendation: 5/5 STARS, SHOWTIME

Plot: “After receiving life-altering news, a couple finds unexpected support from their best friend, who puts his own life on hold and moves into their family home, bringing an impact much greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.” -IMDB

Review: For my 6th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I was emotionally rocked in an unexpected manner. Throughout “The Friend,” starring Dakota Johnson as Nicole Teague, Casey Affleck as Matt Teague, and Jason Segal as Dane Faucheux, I was reminded of one of my favorite Death Cab for Cutie songs, “What Sarah Said.” In that song, there is the following beautifully profound and heartbreaking lyric, “love is watching someone die.” To watch this film is to watch a wife, mother, and friend die. From the beginning, we know the end. What we don’t realize from the outset, is the ride we will be taken on to arrive at that point or the special friendship that will grow from such tragedy.

More than almost any other film I saw last year, every scene in “The Friend” feels important. Dakota Johnson as Nicole fighting with all her might to remain present fills each scene with weight even in the smallest, most mundane moments. Matt putting his life on hold and silencing his ambition to be there for his wife and children comes across as authentic thanks to a masterful performance from Casey Affleck. Jason Segal as Dane delivers a performance that is both balanced and nuanced as he works with all his might to be friends to both of them.

As we draw toward the final third of the film, we know the end is near. There is a bucket list, final goodbyes, and not a dry eye in the house to be found. More than death, this film reveals itself in a magical way. Life without Nicole reveals something beautiful, a friendship without comparison. Through grief, pain, and triumph, a lesson for each person who dares to see this film is understood. Our time is short, and we will watch people we love die, but each of us is presented an opportunity to be in service of others. If given the chance, we should. The impact that is possible isn’t easily known.

Clemency 

Recommendation: 5/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “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.” -IMDB

Review: For my 13th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I focused my attention on a subject I have been wrestling with for quite a while. For much of my life, I have supported the concept of a humane death penalty. In recent years, as I have been introduced to stories about people being wrongly convicted and the systemic racism existing in the criminal justice system, my opinion began to change. As I write this, I do not believe the state should be involved in matters of deciding who lives and dies. Above all else, I believe the government should focus its attention on rehabilitation. A film like “Clemency” and its focus on the drama of death row coupled with the weight of putting people to death cemented my belief even further.

Primarily focusing on two individuals, Warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) and Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge), this film asks us to closely inspect the supposed guilt of Anthony while also looking into the life of Bernadine, who at times comes across as emotionally dead inside because of the weight of the work. As we learn more about each of them, we are left to make our decisions. This isn’t a film providing simple closure and easy answers. It forces self-reflection as each character wrestles with their own demons.

As this film moves toward its final act, these two-dimensional characters on a screen become whole persons. For Anthony, this becomes true as his support network rises up around him. For Bernadine, this becomes profoundly apparent as she stands alone in the decision of the state. As the choice becomes known, you as an audience member have to wrestle with your own beliefs. Lots of movies try to tackle these big moral issues, but very few of them do it with the grit and grace of this film. 

Ready for War

Recommendation: 5/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Andrew Renzi sheds light on the lives of three of the estimated thousands of immigrants who volunteer for service in the American military yet find themselves deported from the US once their tours of duty are over.” -IMDB

Review: For my 17th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I turned my attention toward a documentary about an unthinkable travesty that isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Like lots of people, I knew the US military recruited non-citizens for active duty service. I assumed once their service was completed, they in return received full citizenship. “Ready for War” works to dispel this assumption by focusing on three veterans who were betrayed and deported by the government they served after being convicted of a crime. For two of the men, this meant a long legal battle where being allowed to reenter the US and reunite with family was on the line. For the third man, feeling as if he had been stabbed in the back, turned to the cartel where his talents are used by a known enemy of the United States.

In this country, we rightfully go above and beyond to praise those who we deem as protectors of the American dream. We can’t get enough of reunion videos, stand in ovation as servicemembers walk through airports, and give up first-class seats for those that serve. This documentary asks us to extend that same kindness and caring to those who fought for our flag but weren’t born in this country. It also asks us to deeply look at the systemic and policy failures that have allowed this to happen.

By personalizing the individuals, we see them as American citizens because this is the only home they have ever known. Seeing them in Mexico, separated from their family, we come to understand that Mexico can never be home. As their legal battles linger on and freedom becomes harder to grasp, I was left with a single thought, we must do better than this. While this injustice doesn’t impact a large group of people, an injustice anywhere deserves our full attention.

Marriage Story 

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.” -IMDB

Review: For my 23rd and final film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I wanted to spend some time with actors and a writer/director that I know and respect. In “Marriage Story,” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson and written/directed by Noah Baumbach, I found the most authentically written script of the year. Despite its title, this movie isn’t a tale about marriage, as much as it is a story about a relationship falling apart. Only in the opening scene do we get a sense of how these two people see each other. Beyond those loving words, this is a divorce story through and through.

Focused on such a heavy subject, I didn’t think this film would be so funny, but even as it swims through infidelity, separation, splitting parental duties, and Johansson’s character choosing to leave New York for LA, it manages to do it with a sense of humor. It manages to do this by not painting anyone as a bad guy. Instead, we are made to feel for both characters. For Johansson, we get the feeling she has long stood in the shadow of her husband and hungered for a chance to create her own path. For Driver, we see a man who desperately wants to remain in the life of their son.

In the end, it is their son who complicates the divorce. How to parent and splitting time between New York and LA, drives the tension even further. It finally erupts in a scene taking place in Driver’s apartment. Without a doubt, watching these two actors go toe to toe felt raw, emotional, and real. As an audience member, you feel their frustration. In my mind, this scene is some of the finest acting I have ever seen in my life. It will leave you lost and searching for some sort of amicable end. Emotionally exhausted, you can rest assured we will get there, but the journey there will hit close to home.

Song Without a Name

Recommendation: 4/5 STARS, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Georgina's newborn daughter is stolen at a fake health clinic. Her desperate search for the child leads her to the headquarters of a major newspaper, where she meets a lonely journalist who takes on the investigation.” -IMDB

Review: For my 7th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I went searching for something with the same breathtaking power of “Roma.” With “Song Without a Name,” I landed on a film that began with a people devastated by the revolution in Peru and ended with a woman’s desperate search for her stolen child. The revolution serves as the undercurrent for everything we experience and Georgina (Pamela Mendoza) finds herself pregnant in this harsh world. With the intersection of these two realities as our foundation, what follows is a quiet character study evolving into one of the most memorable films I saw last year.

Much like “Roma,” one of the first things you will notice about this film is the absence of color. I think the choice to film in black and white is more than a stylistic choice. In my opinion, I believe it is meant to convey the bleak, desperate, and sorrowing times in which our main character finds herself living. This pain reaches its height when a pregnant Georgina heads into the city to give birth to her child. During the course of childbirth and resting from the ordeal, the baby is stolen. Within hours of giving birth, Georgina is escorted from the hospital and told to come back for her child. When she returns, the clinic is no longer there, and only locked doors remain. This launches a desperate search to find a child no one seems to care is missing.

In her desperation, Georgina turns to a journalist for help. As they begin searching, several things are revealed. First, we get a better sense of understanding of how difficult it is for the poor to seek justice. We also discover that Georgina isn’t alone and there is systemic foul play happening to poor citizens all across Peru. Finally (spoiler alert), this film does something really brave and ends without answering its main question. This isn’t done to frustrate the audience. Rather, it is done to convey a point. Georgina doesn’t know the fate of her child either. We are left with more questions than answers just as she is. For these revelations and the way in which this film makes its central thesis known, I cannot recommend it enough. 



Be good to each other,

Nathan

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