
After being kicked out of his strict Mormon home, 17-year-old AJ finds himself lost on the streets of Atlanta. Desperate and naive, he’s taken in by Baby Girl, an 18-year-old Black trans sex worker whose sharp instincts have kept her alive. She offers him shelter in a squat house and teaches him the hustles of survival—stealing, dealing, and navigating the unforgiving city. Under the watchful eye of Daddy, Baby Girl’s volatile pimp, AJ is drawn deeper into a world both thrilling and dangerous. The two form an intense bond—part friendship, part mentorship, part something unspoken. But when their friend Pedro contracts HIV and gets government aid, AJ and Baby Girl are forced to confront a brutal reality. As their nights blur into neon-lit highs and whispered fears, one reckless choice threatens to change everything—forcing them to decide how far they’ll go to escape a life that never wanted them.
“To be universal, you have to get specific”: while the film does not attempt to provoke discussions about queerness or race, those watching closely may find something resonant in Sorrentino’s love letter to the Naples of his youth.
Could you use some hearty laughs? Then you’re in the right place! Enjoy this selection of diverse international comedies.
"THANK YOU, Zach Creggar!" Back in 2022, this now established star in the horror film genre gave us the quirkily creepy, unexpectedly funny (at times!) cinematic gem that was "Barbarian". It felt like a cool breeze just washed over us as, for ONCE, the much traversed roads these films tend to go with got an upgrade of uniqueness without sacrificing the ambiance of uneasiness you desire.
Alongside A Drowning Man, I Signed The Petition, 3 Logical Exits, and A World Not Ours, A Man Returned continues to paint a realistic portrait of the Refugee Crisis that eschews the Western gaze and stereotype. These are real portraits painted by a director with lived experience, cultural connection and an amazing eye for visuals.
Shudder’s Host (not a particularly original title, I must say) attempts to bring the spooks to “the quarantine generation” by presenting us with a scary Zoom call during lockdown.