Crisp Criticism - "The Florida Project", "Call Me by Your Name", "Downsizing"

by

Julien Faddoul

The Florida Project ***

Set over one summer, a precocious six-year-old girl courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her inept but caring mother, all while living in a cheap motel across the street from Disney World.

Exquisite, intuitive depiction of the hidden homeless, living week-to-week, as seen through the eyes of children. Comparisons to the European neo-realist films of the late 50s are undeniable, and Baker orchestrates his meandering episodes – shot on 35mm – with an unshakable mix of joy and distress.

d – Sean Baker

w – Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch

ph – Alexis Zabe

pd – Stephonik Youth

m – Lorne Balfe

ed – Sean Baker

cos – Fernando Rodriguez

p – Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Kimberly Prince, Bria Vinaite, Caleb Landry Jones, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, Macon Blair, Karren Karagulian, Sandy Kane

Call Me by Your Name ***

In Northern Italy in 1983, a seventeen year-old boy begins a romantic relationship with a slightly older man, a visiting intern of his father’s.

Wise, Rohmeresque, gorgeously composed and acted account on the minute nuances of human passions. It exhibits an authenticity concerning both sexual desire and cherished companionship that is rarely seen on screen. It also marks its director’s most mature work to date.

d – Luca Guadagnino

w – James Ivory   (Based on the Novel by Andre Aciman)

ph – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

pd – Samuel Deshors

ed – Walter Fasano

cos – Giulia Piersanti

p – Rodrigo Teixeira, Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman

Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois, Vanda Capriolo, Antonio Rimoldi

Downsizing **

A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.

Truly a strange, half-baked brew, and one that merits admiration for its unconventionality alone. The fun here is in the details, as opposed to its narrative, which sets up its central premise brilliantly and then completely collapses into a hole of liberal finger-wagging and distasteful stereotypes.

d – Alexander Payne

w – Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

ph – Phedon Papamichael

pd – Stefania Cella

m – Rolfe Kent

ed – Kevin Tent

cos – Wendy Chuck

p – Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Mark Johnson

Cast: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Rolf Lassgård, Ingjerd Egeberg, Udo Kier, Jason Sudeikis, Margo Martindale, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Dern