The Defendant
Litigante is a family D-R-A-M-A. It concerns a single mother who is trying her best to balance work, her energetic son who is a victim to mean kids at school, and her mother who is dying of cancer.
The trick is making these seemingly everyday events have impact on the audience. I’m sure people can find something to relate to. The single mother fights with her mother and sister. By the end, she seems so fatigued, but the film wraps up beautifully.
The main actress has a sort of quiet strength that is inspiring. The film is a perfect piece for quiet reflection and for me to sort through my feelings on my own family.
Vegan alert:
Antonio, the child, peels deli slices to feed to the dog.
Bull
Bull is rough around the edges. It features Krystal, a middle schooler, whose mother is in jail. She has a younger sister and lives with her grandma. Krystal gets into all sorts of trouble too young: boys, drugs, etc. Wherever trouble is, you will find her.
There is some racist talk from her friends featured to set up the story that Krystal and her friends are poor, white, and uneducated. She befriends an older African American gentleman; Krystal wants to learn bull riding from him.
Listen, there have been a slew of poor, white girl films recent: Little Woods and American Honey included. I am always excited to check out films from new auteurs who are women. However, this movie was not for me. It did not pay off for me in any way. Moreover, I’m surprised that it was at Cannes.
Vegan alert:
-A dog eats chickens
-Reference to milking cows
-Chicken abuse (dead chickens shown + girls put chicken seed on boys’ shorts so the chickens will peck in the area of their genitals)
-Boys throw eggs
-Bullfighting featured
-Pork rind on BBQ
-Mom wants bacon cheeseburger
-Hangover drink with egg
As Happy as Possible
I had a schedule set today, but life had other plans. I went to this screening last minute, almost blindly. However, I trust the Acid selection and decided to give this film a chance.
It’s very erratic yet well-meaning. The director introduced the film with a quote from Jean Cocteau, yet this film is wild and crazy — not in a bad way, just in an almost trying too hard way.
Estelle Meyer (Jess) is not a great actress, but very energetic. The film features other unknowns. It’s a great start for director Alain Roust. A totally random viewing. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays at festivals.
Vegan alert:
-Cooked trout
-Seafood reference
More on Letterboxd and Twitter