Hey everyone! It's that time of year again- that's right, It's the Boston Independent Film Festival! It is going on this weekend at the Somerville and Brattle Theatres, and I will be posting reviews of all the movies I see the day after I see them. Of course, there are far more movies playing than I could ever cover, and many of them are fantastic films. So if you get a chance, go out and see some of the awesome stuff that's playing. This first article cover the psychological thriller Always Shine and the Iranian horror film Under the Shadow (زیر سایه).
Always Shine
Anna (Mackenzie Davis) is an aspiring actress living in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, her career hasn’t gone anywhere yet, and she’s desperately looking for her big break. Beth (Caitlin FitzGerald) is also a Los Angeles actress, although her career is starting to take off after starring in several horror movies and art films. The two women used to be good friends, but the years have taken their toll on their relationship; Anna is jealous of Beth’s success, while Beth has grown frustrated with Anna’s increasingly hostile personality while simultaneously feeling guilty of her own success because she perceives Anna as the better actress. The two of them decide to repair their friendship with a weekend getaway to Big Sur, but once there they realize that the chasms between them may be too wide to bridge, and things only get worse from there…
Always Shine is a psychological thriller by director Sophia Takal. In many ways it is an homage to the classics of the genre, such as works by Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch. However, it’s also an interesting commentary upon the perception of women in modern society. Sophia Takal conducted a Q&A session after the screening via Skype, and she talked about how much of the film was inspired by her own difficulty with not living up to what she perceives that society expects of her as a women, of not living up to the feminine ideal. Fittingly, both lead actresses give incredibly strong performances, with Beth and Anna respectively embodying a feminine ideal and a more aggressive female personality.
Although I can’t say that it is an amazing thriller movie, Always Shine is an excellent commentary on gender roles and expectations. You may be disappointed if you go into hoping for Hitchcock or Lynch, but if you want an intelligent social commentary than you’re in the right place.
Grade: B-
Always Shine is a psychological thriller by director Sophia Takal. In many ways it is an homage to the classics of the genre, such as works by Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch. However, it’s also an interesting commentary upon the perception of women in modern society. Sophia Takal conducted a Q&A session after the screening via Skype, and she talked about how much of the film was inspired by her own difficulty with not living up to what she perceives that society expects of her as a women, of not living up to the feminine ideal. Fittingly, both lead actresses give incredibly strong performances, with Beth and Anna respectively embodying a feminine ideal and a more aggressive female personality.
Although I can’t say that it is an amazing thriller movie, Always Shine is an excellent commentary on gender roles and expectations. You may be disappointed if you go into hoping for Hitchcock or Lynch, but if you want an intelligent social commentary than you’re in the right place.
Grade: B-
Under the Shadow (زیر سایه)
Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her family are living in Tehran during the height of the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. She studied as a doctor before the Iranian Revolution, but due to being a member of a now-banned political group while at university, she was unable to complete her medical studies. Instead, she now focuses on raising her daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). After a turning point in the war, her husband is drafter by the army and missiles begin raining down on Tehran, though Shideh stubbornly refuses to leave. Soon though, Shideh realizes it’s not just bombs that she has to worry about…
Under the Shadow is a horror movie created by Iranian director Babak Anvari. In many ways, my thought about this film are quite similar to that of Always Shine; Under the Shadow is not a great horror movie. Most of its frights come from cheap (albeit effective) jump scares, nothing you haven’t seen in every other horror movie. But it is very interesting in the social and political issues it examines, including the role of women in Iranian society, criticisms of the Iranian government, and the subtle, creeping terror of war which goes beyond soldiers and bombs.
If you’re looking for an awesome horror movie, than maybe look for something else. But if you want an interesting social commentary featuring a nation which we so rarely see films from here in the United States, than Under the Shadow is the film for you.
Grade: B-
Under the Shadow is a horror movie created by Iranian director Babak Anvari. In many ways, my thought about this film are quite similar to that of Always Shine; Under the Shadow is not a great horror movie. Most of its frights come from cheap (albeit effective) jump scares, nothing you haven’t seen in every other horror movie. But it is very interesting in the social and political issues it examines, including the role of women in Iranian society, criticisms of the Iranian government, and the subtle, creeping terror of war which goes beyond soldiers and bombs.
If you’re looking for an awesome horror movie, than maybe look for something else. But if you want an interesting social commentary featuring a nation which we so rarely see films from here in the United States, than Under the Shadow is the film for you.
Grade: B-
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