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Movies · February 1, 2020

Review: Oscar Documentary Shorts

If you plan to see the Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts Program, now playing at the Music Box Theatre, keep in mind that all five films are presented as a single program that, this year, runs to a whopping two hours and forty minutes. It’s a marathon, to be sure. But seeing how each of the five films is a captivating snapshot of the lives of others, sometimes in their darkest, hardest, most challenging moments, it’s a compilation of films that’s more than worth the investment of your time.

Featured at the 2019 Chicago Critics Film Festival, Life Overtakes Me is the painfully sad story of children who’ve faced such devastating traumas that they respond by developing what’s called Resignation Syndrome, essentially shutting down in every way, becoming non-responsive and near comatose rather than live in this scary, uncertain world of ours. Filmmakers John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson follow three refugee families in Sweden dealing with children suffering from the syndrome, as their parents work to build a safe and stable new life in their adopted homeland. As experts weigh in on just what the children must be going through, the most surreal part of it all seems to be the only known cure: reinstating hope into the children’s lives.

The fate of South Korean children is explored in Seung-jun Yi’s chronicle of the tragic 2014 ferry accident that was so mishandled by that country’s authorities that hundreds of people died after fumbled rescue attempts. In the Absence pieces together news footage, interviews and even cell phone video recovered from the wreckage to recount not only that fateful day but the response in the following weeks and years as the country tried to hold those responsible to account. The tragedy made global headlines when it happened nearly six years ago, but those of us half a world away have likely not followed what happened next; In the Absence serves as a memorial to those who lost their lives that day and a record of what went terribly wrong, so that it may never happen again.

Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl) earns the award for the longest film title in this year’s nominees; it’s also one of the most moving films in the bunch, as it focuses on a school in Kabul, Afghanistan that dares to teach girls how to read, write and, yes, skateboard. In a country that’s been at war for decades, and one that’s still incredibly dangerous for and unfair to girls and women, the sheer act of getting an education is rebellious. Carol Dysinger’s observational filmmaking allows these girls to be themselves in a culture that doesn’t often count them as people at all; an epilogue to the forty-minute film shares just what an impact has had on the community it serves since its inception in 2008, and it’s a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak reality.

When Michael Brown was killed by police officers in August, 2014, a nation watched as the Ferguson community grappled with such a racially charged tragedy. On the ground, community members responded by protesting or grieving or, in the case of battle rapper Bruce Franks, Jr., by running for State Representative. In Sami Khan and Smriti Mundhra’s St. Louis Superman, Franks navigates the rarely worn path between his mostly forgotten neighborhood in the city and the hallowed halls of the State Capitol. On a mission to affect change for his constituents, he galvanizes anti-gun violence laws and challenges the status quo of a mostly white, mostly Republican legislative body, all while raising a young son of his own. Franks’ story is a deeply American one, where a citizen can step into an influential role and represent the people when those who had been entrusted to do just that fail.

A featured short film in The New York Times Op Docs section, Walk Run Cha-Cha is a sweet story of a couple making the most of their retirement years as they learn to dance the cha-cha of the film’s title. Written and directed by Laura Nix, the short film follows Paul and Millie Cao, Vietnamese immigrants who’ve spent the last forty years building their lives and raising their children in America. Dig a little deeper, though, and Nix exposes us to their dramatic backstory, fleeing their home country in the midst of the Vietnam War, sorting out just how to make a new life when you have to leave everything behind and reconnecting years later. Twenty minutes spent with Paul and Millie is as charming as it is inspiring, watching these two reclaim this life for their own, even after all its put them through.

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Posted By: Lisa Trifone · In: Movies

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lisabeesa

Two years ago today, I was coming off what - until Two years ago today, I was coming off what - until that point - was the biggest adventure of my life. I bought a home. I turned 40. I spent a month in Paris. I’d hit a new career milestone. Life was every bit what I imagined it could be. 

Then I walked into a first date with a guy I met on the internet and very quickly realized my (our!) best adventure had just begun. 

Two years of getting my goat (and delighting in it), because you love to see me laugh. Two years of not just making dinners but plating them, too, because you know I like a pretty plate. Two years of grand gestures not because you’re big on gestures, but because I am.

I thought I had it all figured out, and I think I would’ve been fine if you’d never walked into my life. But good grief am I glad you did. ❤️
🎄 Holiday Playlist! 🎄 It's my favorite trad 🎄 Holiday Playlist! 🎄

It's my favorite tradition (of so many!) of the season: my annual holiday playlist. Twenty-four songs. Two hours of tunes.

Sabrina Carpenter and The Kinks. My Morning Jacket and Kacey Musgraves. Ben Folds and Bette Midler and Bad Religion. 

You can listen on Spotify at the link in my bio!

Happy, happy holidays to you and yours. Wishing you a joyful season!
I’d watch Pablo Larrain’s version of paint dry I’d watch Pablo Larrain’s version of paint drying, but thankfully his latest biopic of a famous, troubled woman (after JACKIE and SPENCER) is a far more engaging fever dream of passing time and missed opportunities.

MARIA, featuring a performance by Angelina Jolie that vibrates with vulnerability, is not perfect but it is fascinating. 

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My phone yelled at me this morning that I was out My phone yelled at me this morning that I was out of storage space, so over a couple cups of coffee I went back through this year’s photos and videos to purge what I don’t need on my device. 

Stumbled on this snap Brian took of me over dinner back in…June?…and honestly, I just love it. I love the way he sees me and I love the way I look when I see him. ❤️

Take care of each other. That’s all.
Eight years ago this week, @justin.f.brady and I w Eight years ago this week, @justin.f.brady and I went to see @waitressmusical on Broadway, and after the show we were treated to full band karaoke with die-hard fans. 

At the end of the show tunes lovefest, @sarabareilles—who wrote the show’s music and was hosting the karaoke—took to the mic to perform Brave, and it was more cathartic than I think any of us realized in the moment. 

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I’ve thought about (and talked about) that moment a lot in the years since - it’s a great story! But especially today, as we’re on the eve of another monumental Election Day, I am imploring anyone reading this who may still be unsure or may not yet have a plan to be brave and vote for the person who is NOT a convicted criminal, serial sexual assaulter, con-man and dictator-in-waiting. @kamalaharris is the only way forward.

We can get back to debating policy in four years. For now, please vote for humanity, for democracy, for decency and for sanity. I wanna see you be brave.
Signs of life! 👋 I feel like I’ve been in a Signs of life! 👋 

I feel like I’ve been in a fog the last week or so, and it’s going to last at least through Tuesday…but I’m here, I promise!

Got to catch @musictheaterworks’ LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (with the lovely @yersha_la_la_la for company!) and it was delightful. Great production with just a hint of that community theater patina, a bit rough around the edges. (Is it just me or is that S in “Florist” totally upside down?!)

Full review coming soon at @thirdcoastreview!
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