“Vivarium” Presents Go-Nowhere Parenting
Vivarium is an uncomfortable and startling look at how easily progress devolves in the face of overwhelming stress.

Spectacular film by successful director Dhimitër Anagnosti. Three people, Sergeant Rahmiu (Ndrek Luca), Islam (Reshat Arbana), and Bepini (Bujar Kapexhiu) hijack a military ship to emigrate to Italy. Along the way they encounter opposition in the sailor Skender Guri (Rikard Ljarja), who wants to turn the ship back to Albania. 4 people representing different layers of the postwar Albanian society merge and collide offshore, unfolding the political conflicts of that era.
Vivarium is an uncomfortable and startling look at how easily progress devolves in the face of overwhelming stress.
Carolina Caroline follows Caroline (Samara Weaving), a bored young woman dreaming of escaping a small Texas town where nothing ever happens. When she meets Oliver (Kyle Gallner) at her workplace while he is conning the owner, she sees her perfect opportunity to get out. Their whirlwind romance strongly echoes Bonnie and Clyde, as the two quickly embark on a bank-robbing spree.
Highlighting the many ways in which AFF 2023 illustrated that the queer experience is not a monolithic one.
The power of a talented female director like Patty Jenkins and an overall diverse cast is what makes this film worth watching for me.
The one-way journey went to the desert that refused to offer an answer or a transcendence.
A few episodes in, I realized the most prominent theme of In The Long Run wasn't culture, race or even finding independence--but the idea of belonging.