CCFF 2024 preview
In it’s eleventh year, the Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) has now become a staple amongst the many film festivals that occur throughout the year in the Windy City. It remains unique in that it is still the only film festival curated by film critics with films selected from various film festivals over the past year. For those who couldn’t make it to Fantastic Fest, Toronto, Sundance, and SXSW, this festival, located once again at the historic Music Box Theatre, is a steal of a deal. It’s also typically where I first encounter a good number of the films that wind up on my year-end Top Ten Films of the year list.
From May 3-9, film enthusiasts will have access to a wide variety of shorts, features, and documentaries, along with a couple of select anniversary screenings. Many of the screenings will be followed by a Q&A discussion by those involved in the making of the film (actors, writers, producers, and/or directors). Overall, it’s an ideal place to experience new films and meet like-minded film enthusiasts.
The entire lineup and ticket info can be found here.
CCFF opens with a screening of A24’s “Sing Sing”, which stars Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (“Rustin” and “The Color Purple”) and closes with Chicago-made Sundance Film Festival breakout “Ghostlight”. Talent from both films will be in attendance for discussions. Other anticipated screenings include “I Saw The TV Glow” (also from A24), a psychological horror thriller from writer/director Jane Schoenbrun, who will be in attendance.
The program includes three documentary features and two midnight screenings; the festival’s two short film programs feature a total of thirteen film premieres including the latest animated short film from Oscar® nominee Don Hertzfeldt (full shorts program descriptions online here).
In addition to the more than 20 acclaimed new feature films and two short film programs making their Chicago premieres, the festival will present several anniversary screenings, including a 30th anniversary screening of Gillian Armstrong’s “Little Women” (1994); a 25th anniversary screening of Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead” (1999) starring Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette, both in 35mm; and a 20th anniversary screening of the classic anime sci-fi drama “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” (2004).
Filmmakers and special guests expected to attend and participate in post-film Q&As include Paul Raci (“Sing Sing”); Pamela Adlon (“Babes”); KiKi Layne (“Dandelion”); and Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan (“Ghostlight”). For Shorts Program # 1, local filmmakers Jack Dunphy (“Bob’s Funeral”) and Lori Felker (“Patient”) will all be guests for their respective Q&A discussions.
More information on the complete schedule and anticipated special guests is below and online; festival passes and individual tickets are also available online here.
Below you will find some highlights as well as brief reviews of the some of the films I’ve been able to see in advance.
THE DEAD DONT HURT
A Western written and directing by Viggo Mortensen, who stars along with Vicky Krieps? Sign me up! Mortensen is primarily a supporting player here with the the focus on Krieps as the protagonist. Set in 1860s, the story follows Holger Olsen (Mortensen), a Danish carpenter and recent immigrant to America, who meets French-Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy (Krieps) while in San Francisco. She’s courted by an obnoxious aristocrat, but it’s no surprise when she takes off to Nevada with Holger (after all, it’s Viggo). They settle on land just on the outskirts of a town, run by a pushover mayor (Danny Huston) and a local, Alfred Jeffries (Garret Dillahunt), who seemingly has more pull without a badge or office – too bad he has an unstable sociopath for a son (Solly McLeod, in a woefully one-note role). Mortensen follows the independent and resilient Vivienne closely, especially when his character takes an invite to join the Civil War, leaving her with scared and miserable townfolk. As expected, Krieps is great and the reason to watch “The Dead Don’t Hurt”, even if Westerns aren’t your thing. She brings quite a bit of nuance to her role and speaks volumes with a single expression. The rest of the cast consist of W. Earl Brown and Ray McKinnon, both of whom were in “Deadwood”, so they fit in just right in a Western. While I’m not convinced the storytelling needed the time jumps Mortensen utilizes, there’s a certain lyrical quality and maturity to the tone of the film that can be appreciated and anyone who appreciates Mortensen and Krieps should check this out.
RATING: ***
screening on Sunday, May 5th at 2pm
FLIPSIDE
Either middle-aged filmmaker Chris Wilcha’s documentary “Flipside” is a bit too meandering for my tastes or it lands a bit too close to home. As Wilcha revisits the titular New Jersey record store (we all know the kind: where boxes upon boxes of vinyl cramp narrow aisles and the manager has certain habits that have developed over the years) he worked at as a teenager, he discovers the place that was once a haven for new music discoveries is now a mess. As he tries to assist in reviving the store and get new customers in, Wilcha winds up revisiting his own abandoned projects/ideas that could be revisited as well. From his time working with Ira Glass on This American Life to his admiration of local jazz photographer Herman Leonard (and more), “Flipside” takes a strange and unwieldly examination of personal interests, vocations, unfinished projects, and projects that never launched. Perhaps the underlying message here is that there is a whole lot of undiagnosed ADHD out there, especially the creative types.
RATING: **1/2
screening Monday, May 6th at 9:45pm
WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Ryan (Nick Stahl) is a talented albeit struggling chef who arrives at a lavish villa hidden in a remote Latin American village with gambling debt looming over his head. He’s there to visit an old pal from culinary school, who’s been doing quite well for himself as a exclusive chef to elaborate high-priced dinner parties. When Ryan seizes an opportunity to take his friend’s identity, he suddenly learns that he’s in over his head. This is the first feature from writer/director Nicholas Tomnay since 2010’s “The Perfect Host”, so he’s clearly got a thing for dinners gone array. When the truth is revealed at the top of the film’s second act, we are reminded of the title and also how there usually is a catch if something seems like too good of a good thing. Playing out like a “Twilight Zone” episode, “What You Wish For” is a horror tale that certainly delivers a consistent unnerving tone, despite a few head-scratching moments and some predictable beats.
RATING: **1/2
screening on Tuesday, May 7th at 4:30pm
GOOD ONE
Each year I hope to discover a new, whether it’s a director or an actor, and in the drama “Good One”, I’ve found both. Writer/director India Donaldson confident and observant debut feature offers an authenticity to the father-daughter dynamic that conveys spot-on realism. The modern-day story follows 17-year-old, Sam (Lily Collias, making an impressive acting debut), who sets off on a three-day backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad, Chris (James Le Gros) and his oldest pal, Matt (Danny McCarthy). There was supposed to be a fourth camper on the trip, but Matt’s teenage son bailed due to his parents current divorce drama. We soon learn that neither of these men would be ideal camping partners. The two have a longstanding friendship, but anyone can see that some behavior is problematic and uncalled for. Sam is astute for her age, and attempts to mediate the complaints and quarrels she hears, she winds up experiencing a definite awkward uncomfortableness that should be dealt with. “Good One” is a poignant look at a moment when a child’s trust in the adults they should be able to rely on is betrayed at the same time respect is lost. Donaldson concludes with no resolution, because it’s clear can’t be one. The film is enhanced by beautiful cinematography and a stellar cast, particularly Collias.
RATING: ***
HANDLING THE DEAD
Based on a novel by “Let the Right One In” author John Ajvide Lindqvist, this contemplative Norwegian horror mystery is adapted by first-time director Thea Hvistendahl and the author himself. Their story is sparsely told, revolving around three families who experience their recently deceased loved ones suddenly awaken one hot and muggy summer in Oslo. The film doesn’t focus on the why or how, but rather the what – as in, what are the family members going to do with such a bizarre and unnerving situation? There’s a mother who reawakens after a fatal car accident, an elderly woman who comes back to the love of her life on the same day as her funeral, and a grandfather unearths his grandson from his gravesite in hopes of pulling his daughter out of her depression. The weight of devastation, desperation, and grief collide for all of the families, while the overall tone of the film feels like a dirge rather than a lamentation. For most of the film, which is something of a reunion for “The Worst Person in the World” stars Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, even though they never share a scene together, the titular undead aren’t the rabid flesh-eating zombies we’ve come to expect. They are predominately catatonic and looked after by loved ones in the hope that they will return to normal. Overall, it’s a beautifully shot film with earth tones and seasonal lighting, but while the slow pace aligned with the tone, it also derailed me more than a few times.
RATING: **
screening on Wednesday, May 8th at 9:45pm
The complete lineup for the 11th annual Chicago Critics Film Festival is here, including screening dates/times and special guests expected to attend. Explore the entire schedule and secure tickets/passes in advance at http://www.chicagocriticsfilmfestival.com.
