Song of the Sierras (1946)

This Japanese Anime movie is about Kanna, a young girl who sets on a quest across Japan to discover her true identity.

Behind all the action, 'Space Sweepers' is a surprisingly heartfelt and progressive story about building community.

With the start of the new season we're excited for all of the April new movie releases, some of which our writers here will cover in individual reviews throughout the month.

The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.

So do I recommend that people see this movie, yes 100%, but do I think they are going to come out of it with 80 hot takes, yes 100%.

A K-9 police dog goes undercover to stop an illegal animal smuggling ring and learns a valuable lesson along the way.