FILMS from AFAR

A nimble blending of past and present footage and testimonies from key first-hand sources offers a devastating exposé of a controversial and ongoing movement in this documentary. Pray Away opens to the sound of pouring rain and closes on disturbing statistics about the lasting impact of conversion therapy; in between, the mood remains purposefully melancholy. Interviewees bring the statistics to distressing life with honest revelations about deeply personal experiences. A former teen subject of the therapy describes her self harming in detail, a previous national spokesperson lets the camera into a private counseling session that has for nearly a decade helped her grapple with her former role in the movement, and others lay bare the anxiety and depression that resulted from years of denying their own truths. As one man, who had been the most public face of successful conversion therapy for years before he was photographed at a gay bar, put it, changed behavior (getting married, not acting on his homosexual impulses) never equaled changed feelings. Now, these former "ex-gay" leaders of the movement, all of whom have since admitted their true sexuality, say all they can do to make amends is to speak up loudly against conversion therapy. One fascinating aspect of the movement depicted in the film is its profound intertwining with Christian faith, which wrapped sexuality, gender, relationships, and love up with shame, guilt, obedience, and God's approval. It's powerful when one "survivor" demonstrates how faith has also been part of her healing process, and she and her fiancée are wed in a beautiful church in the film's second half. The movement is also shown to have picked up political steam during the George W. Bush administration and among conservative leaders of that time. The documentary makes no attempt to balance its own stance, and one subject becomes the unwitting anti-hero. A self-described former transvestite, Jeffrey McCall offers to pray with passersby at a strip mall, provides apparently unqualified therapy to concerned parents, and organizes a "Freedom March" to spread the word of his own salvation through Jesus. McCall presumably agreed to be included in the film, while other contemporary leaders of the movement declined. He seems to be positioned by the makers of the film as the continuation today of all that the former leaders denounce. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This feel-good romantic comedy combines an incredibly likable cast, a sweet story about falling in and out of love, and a blissful island setting. Resort to Love might not break new ground in the genre or leave you philosophizing, but its location, diverse cast, and enjoyable pop soundtrack -- including songs performed by leads Milian and Pitts -- offer novel appeal. The film also maturely balances comedy with realistic emotion. There's humor here, including some slapstick, but the filmmakers make a wise decision to play some of the more important scenes straight. The climactic fight between two women and a man's tender vows at his wedding are two honest and heartfelt scenes that help lift up this pleasant rom-com. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Judging by how seared into Eddie Braun's young imagination Evel Knievel's 1974 attempt to rocket across an Idaho canyon was, this film could leave a similarly lasting impression on viewers today. Disney seems to be banking on that with Stuntman, a documentary built around Braun's three-and-a-half-year odyssey to complete Knievel's daredevil stunt 40 years later. Yet the actual rocket launch in September 2016, when Braun was 54, passed without quite as much glory as the Knievel original, partially because no major network was willing to broadcast the potentially fatal event live. If you Google "Snake River jump" today, most of the results are about Knievel's, not Braun's, attempt. The film does a great job of showing how the idea began to seem more and more foolhardy over time, especially when a first test rocket failed to launch. Eddie's struggle to find a sponsor to help finance the venture provides an interesting sequence in the film where he schmoozes executives at a racetrack. Stuntman is also successful at building up suspense around the day of the launch, though anyone who was paying attention to the event already knows how it ended. Eddie is also a pleasant enough protagonist, but he doesn't open up quite as much as you might hope. As he fights back tears on his way to the rocket on launch day, viewers are reminded of this film's core debility: it's never really able to answer the key question of what motivates this man to do this death-defying job. He talks about paying the bills; his colleagues mention his unique bravado; and he says he wants to enjoy the "exhilaration" ("thrill" is "too cheap" a word, he notes). But a person who risks his life as a day job, beyond the singular rocket event and despite a loving family at home, is a special kind of person. It would have been fascinating to dig deeper into what really makes this stuntman tick. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Megan Rapinoe always made a compelling public spokesperson for her team's legal case for equal pay, and she once again takes a starring role in this documentary about the case. LFG bets heavily on her star power and an interest in some of the key members of the team by organizing the bulk of the reel around talking head interviews. One effect is that the film could make this case feel ultimately more about the current celebrity team members than the larger historical significance it actually has, even though they themselves insist a win is about future generations of female athletes. The documentary is structured by days over the course of more than a year, from spring 2019 to spring 2020, effectively illustrating how the US Soccer Federation bungled the case and drew it out unnecessarily -- and the toll it took, seen in real time, on the players. Even if you know the outcome, getting there makes for a painful watch. The film will undoubtedly strike a chord with many viewers. One memorable segment comes when McDonald describes how at one point she was earning less than $15,000 as a professional soccer player and couldn't support her son without taking on additional part-time jobs. Curiously, of all the women interviewed, the directors only delve more deeply into Rapinoe's and McDonald's backgrounds and family lives. The team's lawyers make clear and credible arguments for the women's case of discrimination. Some points are highlighted by statistics, though these are run through rather quickly. There are plenty of insightful moments and some exciting clips of archive footage, especially from past matches and celebrations. Three montages stand out: one in which celebrities, politicians, and other athletes give their support for the women's case; a second highlighting trailblazing female athletes in other sports; and a series of clips over the end credits showing young girls displaying their mad soccer skills (and some Rapinoe-style hairdos). Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Iliza Shlesinger and Margaret Cho make a very funny duo, and while this collaboration isn't great cinema, it's an amusing and well-paced hour and half of entertainment. The few laugh-out-loud scenes in Good on Paper involve the pair together -- an over-prepared stake-out and a misguided interrogation come to mind. The film flashes every now and then, Seinfeld-esque, to Shlesinger doing stand-up routines related to the movie's storyline, which we're told is "a mostly true story." These inserts could have fallen flat or pulled the viewer too far out of the action of the story, but since she's playing a stand-up comic and the routines are part of her character's story, it works. In the film, the comedian's act revolves around questioning gender roles: Why when women do certain things are they judged so much more harshly than men? The inserts are funny especially in the context of the story being told. A final sequence involving a courtroom battle feels out of tone for the rest of the film. Ryan Hansen captures just the right mix of weird and harmless to make his character believable and only slightly creepy, keeping things from getting dark. Beyond the devious beau, it's a good bet that some of what Shlesinger's comic deals with in Good on Paper -- like a drunk "bro" telling her she's funny "for a girl" and the jealousies and struggles of forging a career in the entertainment industry -- are also "a mostly true story." Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Charming characters, attractive settings, and universal messages balance a familiar storyline inspired by the same Chinese fable as Aladdin in this enjoyable animated film. Wish Dragon is propelled by the sweet relationship between its two main characters -- kind, generous 19-year-old college student Din, who has his whole life ahead of him, and cynical, sarcastic Long, who has already lived thousands of years. The film's illustrated Shanghai setting provides a lot to look at. Characteristic "shikumen" dwellings are overshadowed by a city shown growing up across the river as if in a time-lapse video. As Din flies around on Long's back, they weave through towers and clouds, soaring high above stalled traffic and interlaced bridges. An emotional sequence where the normally humorous Long recalls his sad life on earth is sketched in translucent outlines. That scene, and a climax involving several deadly fights for the teapot and control of the magic dragon, are a bit darker than the rest of this fun, light, and positive story. Some viewers might have wished for a little less action, though the film's makers suggest some of the kung fu fight scenes were made in tribute to producer Jackie Chan. There's humor sketched into the art, like when Din is kicked out of a fancy clothing store called "Nomani" and goes to another called "Nomoney." The action has similar fun asides, like when Din falls from a rooftop and lands on a toilet, then kindly stops to put the seat down before moving on, or the goofy way one of the henchmen never takes his hands out of his pockets and does everything with his legs and feet. A running joke involves Long discovering modern-day contraptions like a cell phone, airplanes, TV sets, traffic, and delicious but shrimp-free shrimp chips. These are all part of the charm, and the blending of tradition and modernity, in Wish Dragon. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

Gina Rodriguez gives a powerful performance as a flawed but resilient and courageous woman trying to save her kids, but other elements of this high-concept thriller fall short. Awake seems in a hurry to plunge us into mayhem at the expense of a bit more time spent developing its story and characters. Most people in the film, besides Rodriguez's Jill and her two kids, are introduced only to be killed off or promptly forgotten. This is disappointing in a couple of cases, where characters could be intriguing (like the mother-in-law, played by Frances Fisher, or Barry Pepper's pastor) or just deserve a more satisfying resolution (like Shamier Anderson's Dodge). The movie focuses squarely on the darker side of human nature, not just after the "event," when people are randomly and brutally killing one another, but even before. Jill has lost custody of her kids over an apparent drug problem and she continues to sell stolen pills, her husband died at war, her mother-in-law is sick and needs medicine, their pastor is a recovered drug addict with the scars to prove it, and so on. Even the central concept of the film is given short shrift. The idea of what might have caused the apocalyptic scenario is briefly mentioned but not explored. It makes some sense that the sleep-deprived humans haven't fully figured out what happened in a matter of days, but it also feels like the writers just didn't deem an explanation necessary. Similarly, there is social critique implied in the film (a play on the idea of being "woke," a reference to the military's inhumane use of sleep deprivation during interrogation, a discussion of people believing repeated information as fact), but these are only dangled as ideas. Instead, the film lurches from one violent scenario to the next. Many of the film's scenes are indeed disturbing, especially when the young girl is involved, and the movie manages to sustain suspense and tension for most of its 97 minutes. At the very least, Awake won't put you to sleep. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

The teen girl buddy movie is having a moment -- from Booksmart to Never Rarely Sometimes Always to Unpregnant, the latter two with premises not dissimilar to this film's. What Plan B brings to the genre is more diversity and a gleeful urge to push the boundaries. Its two charismatic leads (played by newcomers Victoria Moroles and Kuhoo Verma) face a variety of stereotypes and ethnically-insensitive comments. Most of these are played for laughs, like the idea of an "Indian mafia" that young Indian Americans can't escape, or a character's secret penchant for Christian rap. At one point, one of the stars deadpans, "Is this what White privilege feels like?" There are also subplots about a lesbian character fearing the repercussions of coming out, and the pressures teens feel to live up to their parents' and peers' expectations. Unfortunately, the characters don't reveal these inner feelings and motivations until more than an hour into the movie. For its first half, Plan B feels more like a series of ideas and situations strung together. Some of these are very funny, but others are decidedly less so. Rachel Dratch has a cameo as a clueless sex ed teacher promoting female abstinence, and an overachieving teen mind-melds hilariously with a drug dealer when they're both high. Sequences like one involving grown men frightening two teen girls with racist sexual taunts, young adults drugged out of their minds at a house party, or a playground drug dealer dropping his pants for oral sex all feel a bit aggressive for a high school movie. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

There's something reassuring about Pink's presence, and this latest entry to the rock documentary genre hits that point home in multiple ways. Directed by The Greatest Showman's Michael Gracey (who also executive produced Rocketman), Pink: All I Know So Far skillfully combines video from the performer's 2019 "Beautiful Trauma" world tour with significant film of her in hotel rooms with her husband and two young kids. There’s also first-hand interview material, spliced in as voiceovers and black-and-white footage, and a limited amount of archive material. Two segments are particularly memorable. One is when Pink is talking about the day her kids will see through her tough, world-famous exterior to the fragile human she really is, a voiceover set to images of her in a harness and flying free during rehearsals high above an empty Wembley Stadium. Another is when she reads tweets and emotional letters from fans, for whom the persona of Pink clearly provides inspiration and encouragement (one says Pink is the reason she didn't commit suicide). The gist of the film comes in precisely that contrast of the mega-production Pink and her team of 250 are putting on, and the not-so-quiet family moments, where we see "Alecia" and her husband, former motorcross competitor Carey Hart, grappling with their whirlwind of a 2-year-old son and their more introspective 8-year-old daughter. The kids don't care if Mommy has just put on an exhausting, sold-out show for 80,000, or if Mommy catching their fever would shut down a multimillion-dollar venture; they just want her attention. Pink memorably pinpoints how mothers never stop worrying about their kids, even while they're at work, and we see her juggling that with the "mega-responsibility" of being "the boss" on a massive tour. According to this documentary, she’s excelling at and enjoying both, though of course most moms don't have private jets and full staffs, and the documentary doesn’t show us the people making everything run smoothly behind the scenes -- those carrying and expertly unpacking her 17 suitcases at each stop along the tour, for example. Still, Pink comes across as hard-working, talented, and fully dedicated to both her fans and her kids, and as far as pop icons or rock-umentaries go, it's a unique combination that makes for a compelling watch. Read the full review Common Sense Media.

With obvious nods to Hitchcock, this film creates suspense through a blend of unpredictable characters, plot twists, ominous music (by Danny Elfman), and gloomy settings seen from odd angles. Like so many psychological thrillers before it, The Woman in the Window wants to make us question who and what is real. The actual violence is less important (or interesting) -- and comes later in the story -- than the palpable sense of menace and the uncertainty of who presents what threat. The tale turns on Anna, an unreliable witness with psychological problems whose abuse of alcohol and medications fuzzes her perceptions. The always-versatile Adams offers a solid performance that fuels the film and compensates for other, less-developed characters. Her Anna is at once heartbreaking and infuriating, a believable Everywoman who has lost her will to live, but the essential details of what drove her to the life of a recluse are kept from us for more than half the movie. There are also themes in the film concerning motherhood and a mother's role, adding to the emotion and contributing to our uncertainty about Anna's state of mind. The men are mostly there to menace, except for two (perhaps coincidentally both Black): her apparently-estranged husband, and the kind detective assigned to her case. The story is structured by days over the course of one autumn week, with Anna repeating rituals (including passing out each night and awaking startled each morning) and only halfheartedly seeking help. There's mention of a previous suicide attempt. The film's production design is all about the mood: Anna lives in a cavernous, jewel-toned brownstone where she keeps the lights constantly dimmed. She's often glimpsed from peculiar angles and reflected in mirrors as she wanders the dark house in her pink bathrobe. The structure and setting are effective enough to put you on edge, uncertain how events will unfold but sure something bad will happen. When it does, it feels almost anti-climactic; proof again that the waiting is the hardest, but maybe also the best, part. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This drama may start from a familiar premise, but it quickly evolves into a thought-provoking, suspenseful, and skillfully acted drama. By interlacing Steve's pre-prison life with the unfolding of his court case, Monster proposes meta-narratives about truth, perspective, storytelling, and memory. Steve, a film student, begins narrating the movie as if reading from a script ("Interior. Holding room -- Day"). It's a clever concept and fortunately not overused. This is his story, but the fact that he's telling it -- as his film teacher notes in a discussion of Rashomon -- means we're only getting his perspective. We know we should perhaps question his reliability as a narrator, but that's not easy considering what a sympathetic character he's made out to be. "He looks like your son," he assures us himself. When we hit a scene where even his loving father looks uncertain about Steve's innocence, it's jarring. There's suspense in how 17-year-old Steve and his loving, comfortable, highly-educated family will hold up under the stress of the accusations and the terrifying conditions of life in prison. In a panic, Steve asks himself, "Who would you have to become to survive 25-to-life in here?" There's suspense in trying to grasp how the facts of what happened on the night of the crime will unfold. And there's suspense, of course, in the trial, particularly considering Steve is a young Black man -- he "looks the part," as the prosecutor chillingly puts it. The film has an obvious message about the presumed guilt and unfair prosecution of Black men, though it's careful not to generalize innocence either. In a movie about a wannabe movie-maker, symbolic choices of lighting and framing are also to be expected. Steve's life before prison is captured in warm autumnal tones, a contrast to the cold grey of the courtroom scenes, where White and Black characters are dressed in white and black. There's no space for grey in the court of law, we're told, yet this film works precisely because it exploits the grey area between fact and fiction, memory and truth, guilt and innocence. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.

This film effectively creates a sense of malaise and provides at least a couple of jump scares by combining a dramatic storyline with layered characters and an evocative setting. The spirits haunting the Claire family in Things Heard & Seen are sufficiently spooky, and there is one chillingly violent scene, but viewers should expect more of a complex, character-driven slow boil than an edge-of-seat thriller. The characters and ambience are what give this film its soul and ultimately its suspense. Charming and handsome college professor George looks perfect on paper, but the film doesn't take long before raising doubts about him and the young couple's marriage. The floppy-haired, khakis-clad Norton is perfect for the role, but Seyfried is the film's real star. As the wide-eyed but world-weary main character, she does a skillful job expressing Catherine's emotional evolution over the course of the film. There are layers to Catherine that complicate and deepen the character, such as a history of disordered eating and a bristling against gender expectations of 1980, including the impetus for her marriage, the abandonment of her career, the gradual distrust of her husband, and a timid exploration of feminism. Another rationale behind the film's period setting is to allow for a time before cell phones or internet research, absences which further isolate the characters and keep them in the dark. Catherine begins unraveling the mystery of their seemingly-haunted house by visiting the local historical society, going to the library, talking with neighbors. This is where supporting cast come in, to provide explanations, support, and warnings. F. Murray Abraham and Rhea Seehorn, who play two of George's colleagues drawn to a deeper connection with Catherine, bring gravitas to the cast. The younger locals, played by Stranger Things' Natalia Dyer and Colony's Alex Neustaedter, are sketched more superficially and used mainly as plot devices; Dyer's character practically disappears mid-film. Academic life also feels a tad stereotyped here, but George's specialization in the work of nineteenth century painter George Inness, who flirted with the mystical ideas of Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg, provides the entrée for supernatural themes. These inform the film's ending, which could disappoint some viewers, especially after such a patient, detailed build-up of story and characters. Read the full review at Common Sense Media.