Odessa Rae – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

CHOSEN FAMILY – Review by Betsy Pickle

October 8, 2024October 8, 2024 Betsy Pickle Andrea Savage, Chosen Family, heather graham, julia stiles, Odessa Rae, Thomas Lennon

A cute romantic comedy with a split personality, Chosen Family has a point to make, but it’s almost too busy going for jokes to decide what it is. Written and directed by and starring the likable and eternally youthful Heather Graham, Chosen Family combines family dysfunction with supportive, steadfast friendships, the fraught world of entrepreneurship, the perils of searching for a suitable romantic partner, the toxic nature of divorce and the scary power of the internet. (Is this a rom-com or a documentary?)

Festivals Reviews

DEFIANT (TIFF 2023) – Review by Peg Aloi

September 11, 2023September 22, 2023 Peg Aloi Bucha, defiant, Dmytro Kuleba, documentary, Karim Amer, Kyiv, Odessa Rae, TIFF 2023, Ukraine war

This enthralling documentary is a timely examination and chronicle of the war in Ukraine, beginning in the days before the Russian invasion. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Karim Amer and produced by Odessa Rae, Defiant is fast-moving yet thoughtful, look at the many issues defining a volatile war that has the potential to affect all of Europe. The juxtaposition of the deeply personal traumas affecting the Ukrainians under attack versus the global perception of the war is writ large here, and it is this dramatic contrast that gives powerful depth and scope to the film.