sxsw 21 – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SUBJECTS OF DESIRE (SXSW 21) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 19, 2021March 20, 2021 Leslie Combemale Black feminist culture, canadian films., documentaries, India Arie, Jennifer Holness, Ryann Richardson, Subjects of Desire, sxsw 21

A feature documentary debut from Canadian writer/director Jennifer Holness, Subjects of Desire examines the history of beauty for women in the Black community both culturally and aesthetically, and what kinds of impacts that perception of beauty has had on the Black women of today’s America. Fascinating, educational, and insightful, Subjects of Desire should be seen widely and considered thoughtfully by people of all colors, not least to make small inroads in reframing the weight placed on Black women to contort themselves into what is expected of them. They deserve to celebrate themselves completely free of a societal judgment which is seated in hundreds of years of racism.

Festivals Reviews

THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON (SXSW 21) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Leslie Combemale australian films, Leah Purcell, Rob Collins, sxsw 21, The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson

In Australia, the first laws against domestic abuse were passed in the 1970s. Back in the 1800s, it wasn’t seen as a crime. That’s the era in which Indigenous writer/director/lead actor Leah Purcell’s film The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson takes place. The film takes the Australian romantic myth of frontier freedom and egalitarianism for all, and blows it to smithereens, giving audiences a bleak look into the challenges for indigenous people and women of the time.

Festivals Reviews

WOMEN IS LOSERS (SXSW 21) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Leslie Combemale lissette feliciano, lorenza issa, sxsw 21, women is losers

There’s no doubt that Women is Losers is a crowd pleaser, especially with Lorenza Izza as its lead. Given the current numbers released each month on job loss and potential evictions from those effected by the pandemic, this optimistic indie and quasi-fairy tale will be great viewing for those needing a reminder that, contrary to the Janis Joplin’s lyrics that inspired the film’s title, women can be winners.

Festivals Reviews

THE LOST SONS (SXSW 21) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Leslie Combemale documentaries, Paul Fronczak, sxsw 21, the lost sons, true crime, Ursula MacFarlane

In Ursula MacFarlane’s documentary, The Lost Sons, lead subject Paul Fronczak, searching for his own identity, walks the line between curiosity and egocentricity in a way that is often off-putting. Fronczak’s personality is part of what is being examined in this convoluted true-crime story about newborn abduction, family secrets, and identity. The film will be most appreciated by diehard genealogists, but it has an extended running time that is far too padded to keep any other armchair detectives or true crime nuts engaged.

Festivals Interviews

Mary Wharton on TOM PETTY, SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL FREE and her Sauce Boss (SXSW 21) – Leslie Combemale interviews

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Leslie Combemale Mari Keiko Gonzalez, Mary Wharton, music documentaries, sxsw 21, tom petty somewhere you feel free

The film uses recently discovered archival footage of Tom Petty filmed between 1993 and 1995 during the making of his seminal album Wildflowers, which has since become a classic. Late last year, the other half of the songs recorded for what was originally intended to be a double album was released. In this movie, we witness recording sessions, Petty plays parts of many of those songs, discusses their inspiration, and indeed at various points is in the moment of creation. The film represents a point in Petty’s life where he is exploring new aspects of his musicianship and reinventing himself both personally and professionally.

Festivals Reviews

SEE YOU THEN (SXSW 21) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Leslie Combemale lynn chen, Mari Walker, Pooya Mohseni, See You Then, sxsw 21, trans

Trans writer/director Mari Walker’s first narrative feature is a confessionalist character study called See You Then, a story that takes place largely over one evening between two people with a complicated history seeing each other for the first time in over a decade. the film is an unusual drama in both subject matter and representation, and it is told by a voice too often silent in films about trans issues. Here’s hoping it finds a larger audience and wider distribution.

Festivals Reviews

THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON (SXSW 2021) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas australian films, Leah Purcell, Rob Collins, sxsw 21, The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson

It might be hard to watch The Drover’s Wife and resist the temptation to draw parallels with Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale. Like The Nightingale, the film pivots around the relationship between a man and a woman from very different cultural and social positions based largely on their perceived race. Gendered violence and a revenge also feature heavily, but The Drover’s Wife deviates from The Nightingale significantly if only due to their very different histories, both in terms of their productions and their broader cultural legacies.