Why Commit to 'The Lovers'?

The Lovers

(USA, 94 min.)

Written and directed by Azazel Jacobs

Starring: Debra Winger, Tracy Letts, Melora Walters, Aidan Gillen

Debra Winger and Tracy Letts in The Lovers.
Robb Rosenfeld. Courtesy Mongrel Media

There’s little reason to commit to The Lovers. It’s a shame that this intimate two-hander blunders since it’s an admirable effort on many fronts. The Lovers casts Debra Winger (remember her?) and Tracy Letts (Indignation) in refreshingly substantial roles as Mary and Michael, a married couple for whom passion’s long stalled. It might have set Sundance ablaze had it starred H&M models in skinny jeans—or given the audience at least one character to root for by the end.

The Commune: In Good Company

The Commune (Kollektivit)

(Denmark/Sweden, 111 min.)

Dir. Thomas Vinterberg, Writ. Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm

Starring: Ulrich Thomson, Trine Dyrholm, Martha Sofie Wallstrøm Hansen, Helene Reingaard Neumann, Fares, Magnus Millang

Trine Dyrholm in The Commune
Courtesy Pacific Northwest Pictures

After hitting a career-high with his sumptuously sensitive adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd (one of this blog's favourite films of 2015), Danish director Thomas Vinterberg heads home with The Commune. It’s a true homecoming in several ways for the director who, along with Danish enfant terrible Lars Von Trier, is one of the names behind the stripped-back, no frills Dogme 95 style. Far from the Madding Crowd might be as far from the chastity of the Dogme school as a filmmaker can get (aside from Marvel movies), but Vinterberg finds higher ground after the bigger project. The Commune draws upon Vinterberg’s childhood experience of growing up in a commune and the filmmaker interrogates his relationships with women in this excellent period drama/love triangle that adapts the filmmaker’s unique voice to the accessible sheen of mid-sized prestige pics like Madding. It’s one of the year’s best and most surprising films.

Contest! Win Run of Engagement Passes to See 'The Commune' in Toronto!

Danish auteur Thomas Vinterberg (Far from the Madding Crowd) returns with the acclaimed drama The Commune. The film tells a bittersweet tale of a family that decides to explore alternative living when Anna (Trine Dyrholm, who won a well-deserved Best Actress prize at Berlin last year) suggests communal residence as remedy to their big empty house. The Commune opens Friday, May 19 in Toronto at TIFF Bell Lightbox from Pacific Northwest Pictures and in the spirit of communal cinema, we have run of engagement passes to see the film! Answer the trivia below for your chance to win!

Hot Docs 2017: Festival Wrap-Up and Picks for 'Best of the Fest'

Step - My pick for 'Best of the fest' at Hot Docs 2017
Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

That’s a wrap for Hot Docs! Another festival is in the can. There’s a simplicity to covering Hot Docs that can’t be beat in Toronto and perhaps that’s purely the relaxed attitude of the documentary crowd. Complete coverage may be found over at the POV Hot Docs hub and while we’ve been busier than ever cranking out two issues back to back before Hot Docs, it’s nice to be back here at Cinemablographer after six weeks of winter. Big thanks to the programmers, staff, volunteers, publicists, and filmmakers for another good festival.