The essentialism of Hannah Fidell’s first feature, “A Teacher”—remaining close on the rash behavior of one character to the exclusion of other narrative niceties—sounds like a dangerous choice, until you see the performance by Lindsay Burdge. Minimalist, meet maximalist. In a wealthy Texas suburb, Diana becomes obsessed with one of her students after starting an ill-starred, illegal affair. Burdge’s tense, taut, tactile presence is not reduced by psychology or amplified by melodrama: she wants, she needs, she seethes, she bleeds. Burdge amazes. 75m. (Ray Pride)
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
A Drag Getting Old: A Review Of Indiana Jones 5 In the protracted opening couple of reels, a very young, computer-crafted Harrison Ford plays a younger cultural marauder who first encounters the dull MacGuffin of the title.
Uncanny Ally: A Review Of M3GAN "M3GAN" sells itself in its first handful of seconds in how it introduces the handiwork of roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, "Get Out") and her present product, PurrPetual Petz from Funki.
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