magical realism – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SPOTLIGHT October 2026: Zoey Martinson, Writer, Director, THE FISHERMAN

October 1, 2026October 1, 2026 Leslie Combemale Adam Carboni, Ghana's Volta region, griot, magical realism, Menominee Nation, spotlight, The Fisherman, Zoey Martinson

Zoey Martinson refuses to believe a story about hardship has to look or sound like hardship. Her feature debut, The Fisherman, is a magical-realist comedy shot in Ghana, with a wisecracking talking fish, a riot of color, and a fishing community facing displacement — and that story gets to be funny, vibrant, and fully human. Martinson goes to the places the Hollywood gatekeepers write off and finds the wit, the warmth, and the beauty that were already there. Then she turns the volume up loud enough for movie honchos to hear. She’s built her career on her own storytelling. The Fisherman is the proof. Now we can’t wait to see what she does next.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 3, 2026: THE BLUE TRAIL

March 28, 2026April 4, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, brazilian films, Cate Marquis, Denise Weinberg, Gabriel Mascaro, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, magical realism, Miriam Socarras, monique jones, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Rodrigo Santoro, sandie angulo chen, the blue trail

The film takes place in a near-future Brazil in which senior citizens are removed from their jobs and homes and relocated to the mysterious “colony” when they reach a certain age, to make more opportunities and resources available for younger people. Older folks are promised the chance to rest and be taken care of … but no one ever seems to see them again once they’ve been moved. Tereza (Weinberg), at 77, is self-sufficient and still working every day at her factory job when she learns that her number is up, and she’ll be colony-bound in just a few days. The deadline spurs her to take action, using her savings in pursuit of checking one item off of her very modest bucket list: She’d like to fly in an airplane.

Reviews

THE BLUE TRAIL – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 22, 2026March 28, 2026 Leslie Combemale brazilian films, Denise Weinberg, Gabriel Mascaro, magical realism, Miriam Socarras, Rodrigo Santoro, the blue trail

There’s a strong streak of magical realism that infuses the story of a 77 year old woman yearning to experience freedom and joy as she continues to age. Unfortunately, in this dystopian future, the Brazilian government sends all citizens to an elders colony, where, ominously, they’re never heard from again. Tereza (Denise Weinberg) is having none of that. She tries to sow her wildest remaining oats in the week she has left before being “sent away”, but discovers she has to have her daughter’s permission for even taking a flight with her own money. Thus ensues a personal odyssey to discover her next chapter, ageist government be damned.

Reviews

THE BLUE TRAIL – Review by Monique Jones

March 22, 2026March 28, 2026 Monique Jones brazilian films, Denise Weinberg, Gabriel Mascaro, magical realism, Miriam Socarras, Rodrigo Santoro, the blue trail

The Blue Trail has a lot of high points, most notably how it treats concepts like aging. Just because you have reached “elderly” status doesn’t mean life stops. In the film, 77 year old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) comes into her own, avoiding state sanctioned retirement and relocation to an elder ‘colony’ and instead learning more about herself and what she wants out of the rest of her life.

Uncategorized

THE BLUE TRAIL – Review by Cate Marquis

March 22, 2026March 29, 2026 Cate Marquis brazilian films, Denise Weinberg, Gabriel Mascaro, magical realism, Miriam Socarras, Rodrigo Santoro, the blue trail

The Blue Trail is a future-fantasy film that starts grim but then takes an unexpected turn. In a near future, dystopian Brazil, an authoritarian government flies planes overhead proclaiming that, for the good of families and the economy, all people reaching mandatory retirement age will lose their jobs and be transported to a retiree colony, where “they can relax” and families do not have to take care of them. It is all phrased as if it is being done out of respect and kindness, but 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) isn’t buying that happy talk – nor are many others around her.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 1, 2022: CLARA SOLA

June 25, 2022July 16, 2022 Jennifer Merin Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, clara sola, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Flor María Vargas Chavez, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, magical realism, Marilyn Ferdinand., Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Wendy Chinchilla Araya

The powerful need for expression and agency are at the heart of Nathalie Alvarez Mesen’s debut feature Clara Sola. The film centers on a 40-year-old Costa Rican woman named Clara (a mesmerizing Wendy Chinchilla Araya), whose deep connection to nature and animals seems to include the mystical ability to heal — but whose body and soul are constantly repressed, particularly by her devout mother, Fresia (Flor María Vargas Chavez). When Clara dares to test those constraints, the consequences are volatile.

Reviews

CLARA SOLA – Review by Pam Grady

June 20, 2022July 2, 2022 Pam Grady Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, clara sola, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Flor María Vargas Chavez, magical realism, motw, Movie of the Week, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Wendy Chinchilla Araya

At age 40, Clara (beautifully portrayed by Wendy Chinchilla Araya) lives in an almost childlike state, trapped there by her mother, Fresia (Flor Maria Vargas Chavez), who so dominates her daughter’ life that she won’t even allow Clara the spinal surgery that would relieve her of lifelong pain.