Christopher Abbott – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SPOTLIGHT March 2025: Mona Fastvold, Filmmaker, Oscar Contender, THE BRUTALIST

March 1, 2025March 4, 2025 Christina Jeurling Birro best original screenplay, Brady Corbet, Christopher Abbott, female directors, female screenwriters, Mona Fastvold, oscars 2025, Sondre Lerche, spotlight, The Brutalist, The Sleepwalker, vox lux

2025 not only elevates Fastvold into Hollywood’s Oscar pantheon, this year will see the release of a new feature, a femme-centric truth-based musical biopic about Ann Lee, the leading founder of the Shaker movement, who was proclaimed the female Christ by her followers. Again, Fastvold and Brady Corbet collaborated on the script, but this time she is directing and he is credited as a producer. Amanda Seyfried stars in the titular role, and the ensemble includes Christopher Abbott and Tim Blake Nelson. Working in an equal and ongoing filmmaking partnership with Brady Corbet, Mona Fastwold is utilizing the full repertoire of her talents and skills to take full command of her career. The AWFJ March 2025 SPOTLIGHT is on Mona, and we look forward to experiencing more of the Fastvold cinematic universe!

Reviews

WOLF MAN — Review by Susan Kamyab

January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 Susan Kamyab Christopher Abbott, julia garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Stefan Duscio, Wolf Man

Early reactions called this film a hardcore, terrifying watch. Outside of a couple of jump scares, Wolf Man lacks fear, suspense, and most importantly, fun. We don’t expect a film like this to be groundbreaking or have an amazing story, but at the very least, provide some entertainment. The film is slow, spending most of its time sitting around in the dimly lit home waiting for the dad to turn full werewolf. This might have to do with Whannell’s attempt at a “deeper” story about how to parent and love your child. But this message is completely lost on audiences, as the film never finds its footing and the actors never fully commit to their performance. Both Abbott and Garner deserve more from their script and it’s evident, they showed up for the paycheck and nothing more.

Festivals Reviews

SANCTUARY (TIFF 2022) – Review by Ulkar Alakbarova

September 19, 2022October 23, 2025 Ulkar Alakbarova Christopher Abbott, margaret qualley, Micah Bloomberg, Sanctuary, Zachary Wigon

Has a thought such as ‘stop the world I want to get off’ crossed your mind while watching a specific film? A film that you have no clue what it’s about; neither its concept nor what it tries to tell you? The film that you have no words to describe. I will tell you what I planned to write about Zachary Wigon’s Sanctuary – this is just a phenomenal film that you won’t be able to not tell your friends about. So just go and watch it. End of review. But as a film critic, I should probably do better than that.