What's On
Are We Good?
Affable curmudgeon Marc Maron jokes his way through grief, trying to make sense of the world and his comedy following the death of his partner. A cantankerously poignant, wryly funny cri de coeur from one of the most genuine comedians in the business.
With Hasan in Gaza
A time capsule of Gaza in 2001, With Hasan in Gaza presents rediscovered footage of everyday life before devastation. Assembled by Kamal Aljafari, one of Palestinian cinema’s most formally daring and poetic voices, the film resists erasure through memory.
The Shadow Scholars
Academic ghostwriting is a billion-dollar industry, just not for those doing the writing. Directed by Eloïse King and executive produced by Steve McQueen, this is a gripping documentary about brilliance, erasure, and global inequality.
Jay Kelly
In Noah Baumbach's wise and witty comedy, George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a world-famous movie star touring Europe with his friend and manager, Ron (Adam Sandler). Faced with nagging dissatisfaction, Jay starts to ask himself some tough questions.
Skin of Youth
Ash Mayfair’s romance gives us San (Trân Quân), a trans woman saving up for gender affirmation surgery, and Nam (Võ Diên Gia Huy), her macho lover. They fight for their freedom and dignity against a society in which the odds are stacked against them.
Father Mother Sister Brother
Jim Jarmusch returns to the anthology format he mastered in earlier films with this triptych of tales involving parents (Tom Waits and Charlotte Rampling) and their grown children (among them, Adam Driver, Vicky Krieps and Cate Blanchette).
Image: © Vague Notion
Nesting
Adjusting to her new life as a mother after the traumatic birth of her son, Pénélope witnesses a violent robbery that triggers visions of her sister’s death. Chloé Cinq-Mars’s debut feature is a tense psychological thriller exploring postpartum depression.
The Scout
This charming film presents a core sample from the life of a NYC location scout: leafletting, awkward interviews, and traffic trouble galore... The social interactions, which range from cozy to creepy, are portrayed with a casual, ingratiating naturalism.
What Does That Nature Say to You
VIFF mainstay Hong Sangsoo returns with another winner: a symmetrically designed, deceptively casual delight. An extended, drunken encounter between a poet and his girlfriend’s family progresses toward revelation — with many amusing stops along the way.
