Canadian Premiere
A little goes a long way in this ingeniously conceived series of wry conversation pieces by writer-director Andrew Bujalski (Support the Girls; Computer Chess). Faced with the challenge of making movies under quarantine conditions, Bujalski came up with six two-handers, and then shot each actor separately—a technical feat he carries off with such casual elan you probably won’t notice it (though you might also infer a subtext about solipsism and the difficulty of making genuine connection). In the first sequence, Lennie James and 90s indie queen Lili Taylor wake up together after an apparently blissful one night stand. He immediately avows that he’s smitten. She’s more cautious. Somehow serial killers come up. Later that day, Taylor’s character checks in with her AA sponsor for guidance, and we learn much more about where she’s at. Scene three finds the sponsor at a parent-teacher conference, fuming because of what she’s found on her son’s cellphone. And so it goes, the baton being passed from one character to another in a kind of dramatic relay. Snappy writing, sharp performances, neat trick.
Q&A Oct 7 & Oct 9
Andrew Bujalski
Jason Schwartzman, Lili Taylor, Molly Gordon, Lennie James, Avi Nash, Annie LaGanga
USA
2022
English
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Romería
An orphan from a young age, 18-year-old Marina intends to pursue a university scholarship. The application, however, requires the signatures of her paternal grandparents, compelling her to embark on a pilgrimage and seek out the family she has never met.
Democracy Under Siege
As the USA turns 250, Oscar-nominated director Laura Nix considers the roots of the current political crisis with commentary from historian Heather Cox Richardson, progressive politician Jamie Raskin, and cartoonist Ann Telnaes, among others.
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
A chart topping pop star as one half of Peter and Gordon, Peter Asher was brother to Jane, brother in law to Paul McCartney, ran the Beatles' Apple, produced and managed James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and 10,000 Maniacs, to name just a few. He did it all.
Another World
This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.
Unforgiven
Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood) is face down in pig shit when we first see him. He's a bad farmer, but has a natural facility for killing people – a vocation to which he returns in a quest that combines both profit and justice. Or so he chooses to believe.
Credits
Executive Producer
Greg Stewart, Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Cody Ryder, Lance Acord, Sam Slater
Producer
Houston King, Dia Sokol Savage, Sam Bisbee
Screenwriter
Andrew Bujalski
Cinematography
Matthias Grunsky
Editor
Andrew Bujalski
Original Music
Jon Natchez