Gus Van Sant's Constant Thematic and Cinematic Elements
The differences in these films could not be more blatant, and yet Gus Van Sant has found a way to portray the same messages and use the same techniques in each.

Mia, 12, is spending her vacation at a lake in the Black Forest with her parents, who have been separated for years, and their new partners. While the adults try to keep things light, Mia escapes more and more often into the forest, where she meets a mysterious boy. On the morning of her birthday, Mia disappears. The fragile family structure is turned upside down and Mia's new freedom becomes increasingly dangerous.
The differences in these films could not be more blatant, and yet Gus Van Sant has found a way to portray the same messages and use the same techniques in each.
The trouble with Yara (2021) is that in its attempt to tell the whole story, it struggles to tell a consistently engaging story.
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This fantasy musical movie is an origin story about the title character.
The gentle, emotional nuances of Evan’s coming-of-age story would have been so beneficial to have incorporated into the life of a POC character. Showing a Black, Asian or Latino young man that is afforded the space to be vulnerable, flawed and sensitive while driving a compelling and widely-loved narrative would have been a game changer.
A consumed-by-rage woman travels from universe to universe to avenge the death of her daughter by brutally killing her murderer over and over again. And that's all that she does.