Film Inquiry Magazine
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Film Inquiry is a progressive, independent film magazine that aims to redefine film journalism. We publish in-depth, high quality articles written by a diverse group of people; without falsely baiting your attention, we offer genuine, passionate insight into the world of film.
Film Inquiry Magazine
2d ago
Back in the inauspicious days of 2020, the Glasgow Film Festival played host to a new feature film from Canada called James vs His Future Self. It was directed by Jeremy LaLonde and starred Daniel Stern (of Home Alone fame) and Jonas Chernick. It was the first of their movies to appear at the Festival, but certainly not the last. If you have been in and around the Glasgow Film Festival these last few years, the latter name will certainly be familiar to you. Chernick has become something of a staple at the Festival since 2020, returning no less than four times over five years. Directo ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
3d ago
Friday, October 13, 1972. Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, en route from Uruguay to Chile, crashed in the Andes Mountains. Of the total number of people on the plane – 5 crew members and 40 passengers (including 19 members of the Old Christians Club rugby team) – only 16 survived. 72 days full of resilience, friendship and hope.
This tragic story has served as the plot for J.A. Bayona‘s new film: Society of the Snow. Not only did it inspire this Spanish director, but it also inspired Frank Marshall for his film Alive: 1993 movie featuring John Malkovich and Ethan Hawke. Both stories have someth ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
6d ago
This SXSW pairing is female-directed and led, a documentary of an inescapable trauma and need for justice and a story of three girls trying to escape their circumstances. Each has a powerful intent, both about daring women taking on the system.
An Army of Women (Julie Lunde Lillesæter) An Army of Women (2023) – source: SXSW Festival
Julie Lunde Lillesæter’s An Army of Women is an inspiring if not difficult-to-watch documentary, primarily because of the power of its effect, making it required viewing. There’s a resiliency that comes through the storytelling. It’s empowering director Julie ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
6d ago
A discomforting film that feels like a lump in your throat, Birdeater is relentless in its ability to disarm and disturb.
Written and directed by Jack Clark and Jim Weir, it is a well-crafted thriller that ups the pressure in what should be a relaxing and celebratory weekend, turning it on its head.
To put the plot simply: a soon-to-be bride joins her husband on his bachelor party retreat in the Australian outback. However, Birdeater is anything but simple. While there, Irene (Shabana Azeez) lets some truths about her relationship with Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) out. It speaks to some da ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
1w ago
Proving to be much more than a simple exercise in gimmick filmmaking, Tina Satter’s Reality is a competently designed narrative that swims in a lake of muddy realism. Anchored by Sydney Sweeney’s understated performance, the film details the arrest of National Security Agency translator, Reality Winner, who famously leaked information about potential Russian interference during the United States election in 2016. With a script based off the actual transcripts of her interactions with FBI agents, Reality is a fully realized imagining of these exact words. Working within the confines of what was ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
1w ago
The adventurous spirit of The Goonies and Time Bandits lives on in Riddle of Fire, the charmingly homespun feature debut of filmmaker Weston Razooli. Shot through with the warm amber hue of nostalgia—and not just because it was captured on Kodak 16mm film, with all of the rich color and texture that entails—Riddle of Fire is a giddy romp through the woods of rural Wyoming that harkens back to the best kid-focused fantasy flicks of yesteryear, the kinds of original movies that modern Hollywood has largely abandoned in favor of bloated blockbusters based on established intellectual property. But ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
1w ago
The Promised Land opens in 18th century Denmark where the king looks to coax settlers to the Jutland Heath. If they can tame the wilderness, it will make it suitable for farming and, thereby, civilization. Director and Co-writer Nikolaj Arcel worked with Mads Mikkelsen about a decade ago with The Royal Affair, and their follow-up finds them working in an overlapping historical milieu.
When we meet Ludwig Kahlen, it’s easy to read this as an archetypal Man vs. Nature saga. Mikkelsen even proved his mettle in something as recent as Arctic — a modern-day iteration if you will. However, as w ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
1w ago
Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner (Amour Fou, Little Joe) is back with a new movie that takes pointed aim at the dual concepts of self-care and self-sacrifice. Starring Mia Wasikowska in a delightfully bizarre performance as a teacher introducing her privileged pupils to the concept of “conscious eating,” Club Zero focuses on a group of students full of youthful idealism and the desire to improve the world around them—a desire that is hijacked by Wasikowska’s character and transformed into something far more sinister. Warning: this film features many scenes of disordered eating that are discusse ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
1w ago
The action genre is alive and well here at SXSW. With last year’s secret screening of John Wick: Chapter 4 being a huge hit, with an unforgettable experience with the crowd (Shoutout to the woman who yelled “GET UP KEANU!” during the movie), it felt only natural to try to go bigger in 2024.
Three of the biggest headliners this year are action movies, featuring some of the craziest balls-to-the-wall fist fights and stunts that must be seen on a big screen. The best part about it is we have ourselves three completely different types of movies. Frankly, they are all worth your time, for their own ..read more
Film Inquiry Magazine
1w ago
Desert Road is a surprisingly taut sci-fi tale that’ll draw you in and won’t let go. Its intelligence lies in its ability to merge genres and deliver a uniquely bewitching narrative that features a star-making lead performance.
Our newest time-travel film is unlike one you’ve seen before, urging an inventive script and unforgettable heroine. It’s a banger and it’s also has a soulful resonance that ensures this ghost story will continue to haunt.
source: SXSW Film Festival
Clare (Kristine Froseth) is driving from LA to Iowa on California State Route 190. She’s headed home after feeling di ..read more