SHE DANCES (Tribeca 2025) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

The dramedy She Dances is a tender gem, a father-daughter duet with subtly affecting performances from Steve Zahn and his daughter, Ashley Zahn, in her feature debut. Director Rick Gomez, cinematographer David Morrison and editor Copy Toland make creative use of split screens to show how father and daughter are more alike than they realize, even when they’re apart, whether microwaving dinner to watching home movies. (The Zahns’ real-life footage of their kids when they were small adds a heartfelt touch.) The emotion and verve of the dance performances comes across even in wide shots, yet the film also sits with quieter moments.

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AWFJ Movie of the Week, December 5 – December 9, 2016: La La Land

La La Land, the latest from director Damien Chazelle, is an homage to the acid-bright technicolor extravaganzas of old Hollywood. Romantic and swoony to be sure, but leavened with a modernist twist that cuts the schmaltz. Opening Dec. 9, AWFJ’s Movie of the Week is La La Land. Read on…

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