AFI Fest: “The Fire Inside” Packs a Surprising Punch

by Eurocheese

I have to admit that on the last day of AFI Fest, I was not particularly excited to see a boxing film. Oscar seems to have an affinity for the topic, but sports films in general don't resonate with me. Shame on me for underestimating Barry Jenkins as a screenwriter and for not having higher hopes for cinematographer Rachel Morrison’s directorial debut. The Fire Inside, much like its protagonist, proves itself again and again: It’s a compelling, smart drama with a scope that stretches far beyond the game.

The film is based on the true story of Claressa Shields who overcame obstacles all her life in Flint, Michigan on her way to becoming an Olympian...

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AFI Fest: Emotional Outbursts in “A Real Pain” and “Nightbitch”

by Eurocheese

Festering emotions were front-and-center in these two strong films at the festival, though they were expressed in very different ways. Both screenplays played with tone, though Nightbitch’s swings didn’t always land as successfully as A Real Pain's. In each film, one charismatic performance will be the top takeaway for most viewers..

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AFI Fest: “Hard Truths” Tackles Modern Social Anxiety in One of the Year’s Best Films

by Eurocheese

Mike Leigh is a filmmaker who has always evoked strong opinions, with your typical cinephile having their own takes on which films are strongest among his catalog. Certainly one of the highlights of his career has been Secrets & Lies, with the memorable pairing of Brenda Blethyn and his leading lady from this film, Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Her subtle work in that film, clashing against her brash co-stars, is often cited as one of the best performances from any Leigh film, earning her only Oscar nomination to date. Seeing her back in one of his leading roles, fans of the director and actress will be pleased to hear that their reunion brings us one of the best performances and films of the year.

Jean-Baptiste’s Pansy introduces herself to the audience by waking up screaming, and her intensity doesn’t dial down from there...

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AFI Roundtable - All of Us Strangers, American Fiction, Freud's Last Session

By: Chris James, Eurocheese and Abe Friedtanzer

Reunions happen in the most unlikely of places. In this case, three The Film Experience writers ran into each other at the World Premiere of Matt Brown’s film Freud’s Last Session at the AFI Film Festival.

The fun of festivals is always to find out what are the similarities in everyone’s schedules and the differences. Since Chris, Abe and Eurocheese were all seeing Freud’s Last Session, All of Us Strangers and American Fiction during the festival, we thought it would be fun to have a round table to compare and contrast their opinions on the films. What did they love and what did they hate?

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Chris Diary 2 - AFI Film Festival - Four Daughters, The End We Start From, The Summer With Carmen

by Chris James

The rest of the AFI Film Festival had plenty more highs and lows in store. Movies from many different countries and genres were well represented in the remainder of the slate. Of the potential Oscar contenders, I was able to catch Tunisia’s Oscar submission this year - Four Daughters. The documentary film is helmed by Kaouther Ben Hania, who previously earned an Oscar nomination in 2020 for The Man Who Sold His Skin. The other jaunt abroad I took could not have been more different. The queer Greek comedy The Summer With Carmen served a fun comedy set in large part on a nude beach. This provoked a good bit of emotional whiplash as I saw it right after the climate change disaster drama, The End We Start From.

What did we think of this trio of films? Find out after the jump.

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