Tiny Reviews Department: Aftersun, M3GAN, Glass Onion, Women Talking and The Fabelmans

• AFTERSUN

It is a character study. More than a movie, it is a memory put on celluloid and it feels deeply personal. In fact, Aftersun is not a movie to watch, it is a movie to inhabit, because it plays in its own form, in its own voice, without any worries about what audiences might think. It is also beautiful thanks to a beautifully crafted cinematography work by Gregory Oke that assures you always feel you are scoping a very private moment from one (or both) leading characters here. As for the acting, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are both tremendous! Mescal proves he is one of the best actors of his generation here - his is an amazing sensibility and self-awareness that allow him to be this emotionally naked and raw on-screen. He embodies the tragedy and the inner sadness and chaos of Calum and deliver it in cinematic magic form! As for Frankie Corio, she delivers one of the best child-performances you'll ever see in years - she is able to match Mescal in what I would call "acting maturity", something that allows her to "read" the character and just become the character. She's an effortless performer and she never misses one note when the film is carried on her shoulders without Mescal's support. Charlotte Wells crafted a very special movie and you can feel how deeply personal it is. A sensitive directing approach that primes character development and a filmmaking voice you can hear in every frame. Bravo!

RATING: 9,5 / 10

• M3GAN

It's a slasher... comedy! And this is not a negative review. M3GAN is highly entertaining and it never takes itself too seriously, yet it is quite smart as a satire and quite iconic in the LGBTQ+ culture field. The premise looks (and works) a lot like a Black Mirror TV series episode, but M3GAN works because of its highly charismatic lead character - M3GAN herself is iconic! From educational issues, to grief, to the new technological needs, the movie criticizes it all without being too rocky. It is more of a dark comedy rather than a horror flick and it works beautifully this way. Allison Williams  delivers a good performance as the independent working woman who suddenly has to raise a child because of life-changing events and she does try to carry the movie, but she is overshadowed by the doll (played by Amie Donald in body and Jenna Davis in the voice). A collection of trendy tunes, good comedy line deliveries and a series of engaging killing scenes keep every audience member on the seat. M3GAN is the new horror princess and she's ready to slay!

RATING: 7 / 10

• GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

The new Benoit Blanc led adventure (coming from the success of 2019's Knives Out) is something that feels quite fresh in the murder-mystery dominion. To be clear: Glass Onion is a blast! Quite entertaining, quite clever, quite well-acted and it never loses its pace - it builds quite nicely to keep the audience engaged. The script is sharp and it elevates a "common" murder mystery investigation to a social satire. It is an "eat-the-rich" satire - in fact, I believe it achieves the social commentary Triangle of Sadness tries to do, but it does it nicely, without saying the audience what to thing. Daniel Craig and Kate Hudson are fantastic here, but it is Janelle Monáe's show - hers is a big-screen magnetism and raw acting that manages to stand-out from the all-star (impecable) ensemble cast.

RATING: 8,5 / 10

• WOMEN TALKING

Gripping! Sarah Polley's Women Talking is a movie that goes straight to your throat and chokes you slowly during its running time. It's a visceral tale of women debating about their role in the world, their rights and the fights and suffering they have to endure just because they were born women. On the personal side, I must say the source material (the novel by Miriam Toews) is quite good and Sarah Polley goes to its heart in order to extract its essence - the result is a beautiful script, with excellent dialogue and some gut-wrenching lines. To deliver the script, Polley assembled an impressive cast, which delivers some of the best ensemble acting performances you'll ever seen: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckey, Judith Ivey and Ben Whishaw are simply outstanding and they are backed by strong acting coming from Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod and the always reliable Frances McDormand. A beautiful score by Hildur Guðnadóttir elevates the movie, while I had some problems with the decolour cinematography by Luc Montpellier. The movie is a drama, but it often works as a parable and it balances itself between moments of pure emotion and racional thoughts, which makes it so unique.

RATING: 9 / 10

• THE FABELMANS

The story that took the great Steven Spielberg so many years to put onscreen - The Fabelmans is an enjoyable cinematic (semi)autobiography that is always good, but never achieves greatness. There are the usual Spielberg trademarks here: the beautiful cinematography work by Janusz Kaminski, the score by John Williams and the editing style of Michael Kahn, all Spielberg frequent (and reliable) collaborators; and a story with a younger lead at its center. The film feels more personal and less detached from the characters' inner dramas than the director's previous works - you feel The Fabelmans might be his most mature-toned film to date, despite the sweet nostalgic heart it carries. It's a movie about movies, about the passion for moviemaking, about the need to tell stories and to put your heart in your craft. It's also a love letter to Spielberg's parents and to his roots, an ode to his naïve years. The narrative is nothing special, really - "boy wants to make movies and his parents marriage is on the rocks" - but it tells the audiences a message of hope, hard work and a "never give up from your dreams" that uplift the whole movie. It is quite well acted: the young Gabriel LaBelle carries most of the movie, while Michelle Williams is always given the best scenes - it must be an homage to Spielberg's love to his mother - and the actress takes every opportunity to make it one of her signature performances. She is a dream to watch on-screen and she overcomes the tricky beats of a woman in her many stages of depression. Paul Dano is also a constant and strong presence as the low-key hard-working father, but he's so good and he brings a lot of soul to Mr. Fabelman. And then, there's Judd Hirsch... who's the scene-stealer and makes for an impactful monologue that determines the central message of The Fabelmans. The Fabelmans is a good old-fashioned family drama. It's worth the watch.

RATING: 7,5 / 10