Ben Schnetzer – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SWIPED (TIFF) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

September 29, 2025June 11, 2026 Valerie Kalfrin Ben Schnetzer, biopic, Bumble, dan stevens, disney, hulu, Jackson White, Kim Carmele, Lily James, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, sexual harassment, Swiped, TIFF 2025, Tinder, Whitney Wolfe, workplace toxicity

The drama Swiped peeks behind the scenes of the dating app Tinder, where a bright young woman who helped launch its success finds she can’t “swipe left” on the misogyny and sexism. Unfortunately, viewers might want to “swipe left” on this film. In portraying the career of Whitney Wolfe Herd, who weathered a scandal after Tinder to become the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, the film skims over a lot. It feels like flipping through several browser windows without reading them.

Festivals Reviews

SWIPED (TIFF 2025) – Review by Rachel West

September 16, 2025September 15, 2025 Rachel West Ben Schnetzer, biopic, Bumble, dan stevens, disney, hulu, Jackson White, Kim Carmele, Lily James, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, sexual harassment, Swiped, TIFF 2025, Tinder, Whitney Wolfe, workplace toxicity

Whitney Wolfe appeared to have it all. A smart, business-savvy young woman full of ideas who knew how to work a room full of tech bros to earn herself a place as Tinder’s lone female co-founder. It seems like a tech fairytale come true, full of female empowerment and triumph. But for Wolfe, it was more akin to a nightmare full of misogyny, toxic men, harassment, and sexism. Her story is the basis for the new film Swiped, directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and starring Lily James as the real-life Wolfe.

Reviews

THE GRIZZLIES – Review by Diane Carson

November 23, 2020November 25, 2020 Diane Carson anna lambe, Ben Schnetzer, canadian films., emerald macdonald, inuit, lacrosse, miranda de pencier, motw, Movie of the Week, the grizzlies

The Grizzlies travels to the Inuit Kugluktuk for an inspirational story. Director Miranda de Pencier establishes historical context through 1920s and 30s sixteen millimeter footage shot by her grandfather in the Canadian Arctic. Now, in the twenty-first century, this area has the highest suicide rate in North America. And flying into remote Kugluktuk to complete community service requirements is recent university graduate Russ Sheppard.

Interviews

Miranda de Pencier on THE GRIZZLIES, Authenticity and Women in Film – Jennifer Merin interviews

August 12, 2020August 18, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments anna lambe, Ben Schnetzer, canadian films., emerald macdonald, inuit, lacrosse, miranda de pencier, motw, Movie of the Week, the grizzlies

The Grizzlies is based on the inspiring true story of a group of students in a small, struggling Arctic town and centers around the experiences of a recently graduated White teacher, Russ, working his first job as a high school history teacher in the isolated Inuit town of Kuluktuk, where the hardships of life far exceed its joys. In this inspiring tale, Russ and the students are transformed by the power of sport and hope. Canadian filmmaker Miranda de Pencier is an award-winning actress, producer and director. The Grizzlies, which premiered at TIFF and won the DGC Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, is her feature film directorial debut.

Reviews

THE GRIZZLIES – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

August 6, 2020August 9, 2020 Susan Wloszczyna 0 Comments Ben Schnetzer, canadian films., inuit, miranda de pencier, motw, Movie of the Week, the grizzlies, will sasso

The Grizzlies, about a real-life lacrosse team of Inuit high-schoolers in a small Arctic town in Canada, has much more at stake than just winning or losing. It’s about living rather than dying in a colonized community where a diamond mine is the main source of income and few opportunities exist for the marginalized indigenous people who reside there. Drugs and alcoholism are rampant as are domestic abuse and teen suicides.

Reviews

THE GRIZZLIES – Review by Loren King

August 6, 2020August 9, 2020 Loren King 0 Comments Ben Schnetzer, canadian films., emerald macdonald, inuit, miranda de pencier, Movie of the Week, the grizzlies, will sasso

From the opening title sequence featuring vintage photos of the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic, The Grizzlies is rich in cultural specificity and in an atmosphere that’s both gritty and beautiful. The remote Canadian town is bleak and barren save for a few desolate shacks where kids with no futures commit suicide at alarming rates and where adults regularly pass out drunk on sagging sofas.

Reviews

THE GRIZZLIES – Review by Jennifer Merin

August 4, 2020August 12, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments anna lambe, Ben Schnetzer, canadian films., Cinema Citizen, emerald macdonald, inuit, lacrosse, miranda de pencier, motw, Movie of the Week, the grizzlies

Canadian filmmaker Miranda de Pencier’s The Grizzlies, a truth-based sports narrative set in the Canadian arctic, is a story centered around the experiences of a recently graduated White teacher, Russ, working his first job as a high school history teacher in the isolated Inuit town of Kuluktuk, where the hardships of life far exceed its joys.

Reviews

THE GRIZZLIES – Review by Nikki Baughan

August 4, 2020August 9, 2020 Nikki Baughan 0 Comments Ben Schnetzer, canadian films., inuit, miranda de pencier, motw, Movie of the Week, the grizzlies

While this poignant true life story of a young teacher who changes the lives of the troubled indigenous students he encounters may initially seem like another white saviour narrative, sensitivity and realism ensure it never succumbs to that cliche.