There is something alarmingly earnest about Anna Kerrigan’s debut feature outing Cowboys. How would one, a conservative parent, react when his/her child turns out to be gender-nonconforming. We are talking about a child, not a teenager facing the so-called hormonal fluctuations. The mom is in denial and the dad attempts […]
‘Breaking Fast’ review – a refreshing cross-cultural romance
Not very often do we come across films that are specific about their causes and cultures. This particularity (which has numerous layers to it) makes director Mike Mosallam’s Breaking Fast a unique film to come by. The subject of the story Mo (a super-efficient Haaz Sleiman). He is Muslim and […]
‘Summer of 85’ review – François Ozon’s queer romance leaves a distinct sense of déjà vu
Seconds into François Ozon’s Summer of 85, the cat is let out of the bag. Teenager Alexis alias Alex (Félix Lefebvre) – the protagonist and the narrator – is in trouble linking to the death of someone close, presumably his lover. New to Normandy, Alex is capsized while sailing in […]
‘The Strong Ones’ review – a romantic sojourn to Chilean countryside
I love it when gay romances are not set in an urban setup. It is even more alluring if they are surrounded by sea or an equivalent water body. The lushness of landscapes, the mystery of the sea, and the conservation of the society around are bound to generate a […]
‘Cicada’ review – a personal story that lovingly embraces its characters
It is fascinating when cinema dares to emotionally bare its protagonists. In directors Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare independent fare Cicada, we are invited to the broken world of Ben (Fifer). The young queer Caucasian man with dreamboat looks by his side might look as regular as any person with […]
‘A Bedsore’ review – a South Korean domestic drama about ageing and loneliness
Old-age is not always as smooth as we would want it to be. In director Hye-jung Shim’s Korean language film A Bedsore, we see life crumbling down for a dysfunctional upper-class family. The trigger to all chaos is what the title suggests – a bedsore. Life is not a bed […]
‘The Girl Who Left Home’ review – an emotionally potent musical melodrama
Performing arts, food, entrepreneurship, and a semi-dysfunctional family. How do you link them all smoothly? If you quiz director Mallorie Ortega on this, she might suggest that you read the screenplay of her latest film The Girl Who Left Home. Set in the suburban United States, Orgeta’s musical dramedy is […]
Filmy Sasi To Cover The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Happy to announce that Filmy Sasi will be covering the 36th annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival taking place from September 24 to October 31, 2020. Below are excerpts from the press released issued by the organizers: September 14, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA The largest festival of its kind in Southern California, […]
Top 10 Picks from Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2017…
Mumbai city’s much-loved Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has come to an end. This year at its 19th edition, the festival attracted film buffs and fraternity members as always. The Mumbai Film Festival, as certain delegates would vouch for, is different from other Government-run festivals in India. The organizers – […]
‘Apostasy’ review – a distressing portrait of family ties and rigid orthodoxy
Jehova’s Witnesses – One Christian denomination that’s been generating curiosity in me for long. Even in India where Christianity is a minority and Witnesses even fewer in number, it has always intrigued me on how they indulged in door-to-door preaching and pamphlet distribution, both of which involved pretty direct religious […]