As always, we are excited at KRULL to cozy up with our friends and loved ones and to receive the cinematic inspiration brought by the annual Stockholm Film Festival. As winter and the Scandinavian darkness is setting in, this never comes a minute too soon!
This year we are excited to see the Stockholm Film Festival’s selection portraying the complexity of familial relationships – from those of the documentary variety turning a lens on the immigrant experience and those families colored by international politics to those as dramatic, but fictional and action filled!
We are equally excited to explore new tools for our continuous engagement in the diversity dialogue with films that breathe fresh air into discourse like the #metoo movement in Hollywood.
Take a look at our selection below:
The 29th Stockholm International Film Festival is on from 7 – 18 November, 2018
See you at the movies!
-RL PEARSALL & ANDREA DAVIS KRONLUND
LEMONADE
by Ioana Uricaru
Rumania, Germany, Sweden, Canada
“Lemonade” tells the story of Mara, a young Romanian woman who has just move to the United States with her young son. recently married to American Daniel, whom she’s known for just a few months, has just moved with him and her son to the United States. Acclimatization to the new country is not pain-free and she faces difficulties from all directions. The film follows a mother’s struggle to realize the dream of a bright future for herself and her son.
MONSTERS AND MEN
by Reinaldo Marcus Green
USA
The shooting of an innocent black man by the police in Brooklyn is the starting point in this politically charged drama. The film follows three men in the aftermath who were closely tied to the event in various ways : Manny, Dennis and Zyrick (explored in three different segments). Manny accidentally filmed the shooting, and the one who makes exactly what happened known to the public via Youtube. Dennis is a police officer struggling with his conscience, who doesn’t share his colleagues’ opinions about shooting a man resisting arrest. Zyrick was present at the shooting, and made a suspect simply for being there at the same time. While weaving these narratives together, the film’s tone is quiet, but wrought with tension. The film won the special jury prize for Outstanding First Feature at Sundance earlier this year. It was also nominated for the People’s Choice award at the Toronto film festival.
DEAR SON
by Mohamed Ben Attia
Tunisia, Belgium, France
A Tunisian middle-class family has high expectations for the future of its only son. But one day they discover that he has gone off to join ISIS in Syria. The father decides to risk everything to get his son back. “Dear Son” tackles a difficult and controversial theme in a respectful way, resulting in an intimate family drama.
MINDING THE GAP
by Bing Liu
USA
Bing Liu has made an incredibly acclaimed directorial debut as a documentary filmmaker with this project. It started as an experimental film about skateboarding in his hometown, Rockford, Illinois, USA , but developed into something significantly larger, showing the struggles of young men coming of age in small town America. “Minding The Gap” follows skater friends Kiere, Zack and Bing as they deal with issues such as domestic violence, racism, mental health issues and exclusion.
EVERYBODY KNOWS
by Asghar Farhadi
Spain, France, Italy
Laura travels from Buenos Aires to Spain with her rebellious teenage daughter and her young son to attend her sister’s wedding in her hometown. In Spain, Laura is delighted to meet her family but the unexpected kidnapping of her daughter shakes the life of the family. The kidnapping is not the first in the village, and after hearing about the kidnapping and murder of a local girl, the family fears the worst. While tensions erupt within the family, the disappearance of a family member forces Laura to face a heavy past she’s long kept buried. »Everybody Knows« is a psychological thriller combining gripping scenarios and powerhouse actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. In an involving drama, Ashgar Farhadi’s feature film is a depiction of a family torn apart by old secrets brought to the surface by a traumatizing event.
On Friday November 9th at 18.00 Asghar Farhadi will receive the Stockholm Visionary Award!
A KID LIKE JAKE
by Silas Howard
USA
Director Silas Howard’s »A Kid Like Jake« portrays a Brooklyn couple navigating topical social issues as their child nears school age. Their 5-year-old son likes dressing up as a Disney princess which generates concerns regarding a complicated subject matter, but Howard, who advocates for trans representation in his body of work, tackles the theme with a sensitive and humane touch. Howard’s sympathetic indie drama charms you not only with its warmth and authenticity but also with its character portrayal. Jake’s parents, Alex (Clare Danes) and Greg (Jim Parson), have an on-screen interplay that captures the essence of real, and sometimes complicated, family life that takes place between hurriedly prepared breakfasts and good night stories. »A Kid Like Jake« fills one with sentiment and proves that the award-winning director has succeeded in creating yet another norm-breaking film that will make us see the world a little differently.
DIANE
by Kent Jones
USA
Kent Jones’ »Diane« debuted at the 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival. It is produced by no other than Martin Scorsese and has won three awards. Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay and Best Narrative Feature. In essence, the bar is set quite high for this soulful debut film portraying a small-town widow in her seventies. Diane, masterfully played by Mary Kay Place, spends her days caring for her family. Death and life converge in rural Massachusetts as she visits aunts, uncles, a terminally ill cousin and her adult son battling drug addiction. But while tending to the sick and the poor, she forgets to care for herself. Surrounded by atonement and suffering, “Diane” emanates a quiet and stoic power that entices the viewer with its emotional rawness and justifies any awards that may come its way. »Diane« is definitely one to watch – because of its haunting cinematography, its authentic and refined dialogue, but mostly because of Mary Kay Place’s performance of a lifetime.
NIGHT COMES ON
by Jordana Spiros
USA
Angel LaMere is released from juvenile detention on her eighteenth birthday. With her ten year old sister in tow, she embarks on a journey to avenge their mother’s death. A journey that might ruin their lives. Jordana Spiro’s debut film “Night Comes On” is a moving drama about being chased by your past and the tough fight for young people on the outskirts of society.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
by Tom Donahue
USA
Even among the most well-known, the treatment of men and women has been different. The Metoo movement shone a light on a deep-rooted problem in Hollywood. “This Changes Everything” is an exploratory look at gender differences in the film industry. Surnames like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman are interviewed, to name a few.
– synopses and press photos via Stockholm Film Festival
