A coming-of-age tale about a twelve-year-old Muslim girl named Eshal in Marawi is set amid an age-old culture of inter-familial dispute. Rido, as it is called, is characterized by a series of violent and fatal retaliation to avenge a reproach or injustice-real or imaginary-among disputing clans, crossing generations.
The “gay best friend”, an age-old trope, has been done in countless films and television series. Ranging from one-note (Sex and the City's Stanford and Mario) to nuanced (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Tituss), the gay best friend exists to support and advise the main protagonist, with their conflicts swept to the side.
It's not love. It's Obsession. The hook of this movie is the tension between wanting to be loved and the fear of being all-encompassed by that love. It plays on men’s typical (though certainly not universal) inner-conflict
Films can alleviate alienation by presenting realities where the viewers feelings are shared by onscreen characters. 'The Little Mermaid" film can be interpreted as a transgender story.
Complex relationships between mothers and daughters are far from a new concept, whether the strain comes from abandonment, beliefs, or trauma. In My Only Wish, an Incluvie Film Festival submission, Brenda Gutierrez’s take on her character’s maternal divide comes in the form of abandonment.
Tara Thorne’s film is equal parts emotional and comedic, illustrating the beauty and the pain of long term relationships.
“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.
