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Reviews
To Leslie (2022)
Heartbreaking story that makes you cry in a good way.
One of the very best films I saw at SXSW 2022.
I don't usually cry watching films but the characters were so genuine and heartfelt that I did. Another male audience member said the same thing: not someone who cries but this time yes. One thing I really liked was the way in which the writers don't spoon feed you the story; some things are unexplained and you don't always understand exactly why or what is happening just like in real life. Combined with the handheld camera work, there was a gritty fly on the wall perspective. This gave it the feel of a "filmmaker film" rather than a Hollywood focus group formula.
Andrea really showed her acting chops; I had to look her up and see what films I had been missing. But sadly she seems to have mostly been in schlocky formulaic films in the past. Hoping this is the inflection point where she starts getting more roles of the caliber of her acting.
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
Inspiring but predictable
This movie is all you expect: full of star actors, telling an important and dramatic story.
But it was nauseatingly melodramatic. The way Ruth's husband breaks into traditionally female roles and supports her spouse at every last possible opportunity feels like hammering something that we got a long time ago. Foreshadowing and conventional music cues make us know exactly what is going to happen and when. I wanted to be surprised but left bored.