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‘100 NIGHTS OF HERO’ (2025) A tantalizing feminist fable

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

100 NIGHTS OF HERO

Filmmaker Julia Jackson delivers one of the year’s best with her luscious tale of female power in 100 NIGHTS OF HERO. A wager between two scheming friends becomes a wicked love triangle. Cherry is a lonely wife whose husband has yet to bed her. Her husband intentionally abandons her with his tawdry friend, and the ruse is afoot. Cherry feels lost and overwhelmed. Her wise maid, Hero, steps in with storytelling to save her mistress from straying.

Religious and political parallels are undeniable magic. The dialogue is a modern version of a bawdy Shakespeare comedy, cleverly tongue-in-cheek and playing right into toxic masculinity. Even our three main characters’ names are pure, double-entendre delight. 100 NIGHTS OF HERO weaves fable, witchcraft, and feminism seamlessly.

Xenia Patricia‘s cinematography is exceptional. Gorgeously framed tableaus pull you into this world. Sofia Sacomani‘s sumptuous, eye-catching production design features jewel-toned walls and exquisite (and intentionally cartoonish and morbid) stained glass. Susie Coulthard‘s costuming mesmerizes with an almost sci-fi twist on medieval garb. Every visual aspect is delicious.

This cast is extraordinary. Felicity Jones plays both Narrator and Moon, her voice the consummate guide. Charli xcx is unrecognizable as the elegant and vital Rosa. Nicholas Galitzine is philanderer Manfred. His audacity perfectly walks the line between funny and obnoxious. Each oversexualized beat is chef’s kiss.

Maika Monroe is a genre icon. The role of Cherry finds Monroe as a naive, virginal wife attempting to ward off her new guest’s forward wooing. This sexual awakening suits her chameleon talents beautifully. Emma Corrin plays the titular Hero. Her take-no-shit persona is a hilarious set against the shenanigans. Corrin captivates with her quick wit, oftentimes with little more than a glance.

100 NIGHTS OF HERO is the epitome of indie storytelling. It makes a statement about the patriarchal fear of a woman’s power. You will lose yourself in this film.

Ps Stay through the credits for one final treat.

100 NIGHTS OF HERO Trailer:

100 NIGHTS OF HERO – In Theaters THIS FRIDAY

Written and Directed by Julia Jackman

Based on Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel The One Hundred Nights of Hero

The New York Times Bestseller Is Available Now Wherever Books Are Sold

Starring

Emma Corrin (NOSFERATU, “The Crown”)

Nicholas Galitzine (RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, THE IDEA OF YOU)

Maika Monroe (LONGLEGS, IT FOLLOWS)

Amir El-Masry (LIMBO)

Charli xcx (THE MOMENT, ERUPCJA)

Richard E. Grant (CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, SALTBURN)

Felicity Jones (THE BRUTALIST, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING)

For more IFC coverage, click here!

‘ARREST THE MIDWIFE ‘ (DOCNYC 2025) A powerful look at another reproductive right being mandated by ignorance.

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

ARREST THE MIDWIFE

Filmmaker Elaine Epstein follows the case of Elizabeth Catlin, a midwife charged with 95 felony counts after the death of one baby. However, Liz is not the first or last midwife to find themselves in court.

The Mennonite community uses midwives as per tradition. Liz is part of a tight group of women that serve these mothers and their families. Suddenly, Yates County begins targeting one midwife after another, putting further stress on the health and safety of women.

The state of NY has increased the requirements of education to maintain accreditation. Liz and her fellow care providers are CPMs (Certified Professional Midwives), each assisting in 100s of births, but according to NY State, that isn’t enough to exist legally.

We don’t get the details of Liz’s specific case until halfway through. When you hear them, your jaw will drop. No one in their right legal mind would ever bring charges against Liz. Going against their tradition of staying within their community, the Mennonite women come to court, write letters, and travel down state in drives to support advancing legislative change. Women supporting other women move the needle.

As a mother who had two births in Manhattan, I envy the homebirth experience 9 years after my first birth. At 35, the term geriatric pregnancy was insulting enough. After numerous ultrasounds and tests, when my son was in crisis during my 16 labor, all that science went out the window, leading to an emergency c-section. Birth trauma is real.

The film is a beautifully structured freight train of activism. Our rights are under attack. This is another example that most of us weren’t even aware of. ARREST THE MIDWIFE is a prime example of how a state’s rights governance hurts its population. Whether it’s midwifery or abortion, this causes care deserts, leading to a high likelihood of deaths. You cannot watch this film and tell me this isn’t a story about body autonomy. ARREST THE MIDWIFE is a fierce feminist film about choice in the face of another oppressive patriarchal and capitalist structure. Let women choose.

Director: Elaine Epstein

Producers: Elaine Epstein & Robin Hessman

Running Time: 82 minutes

Caught between the law and the well-being of the Amish and Mennonite families they serve, midwives in upstate New York operate in a healthcare desert—risking jail time simply for providing critical care. As their midwives are arrested, the women from these insular communities break from their traditions to become unexpected activists, fighting for systemic change.

With exceptionally rare and intimate access, director Elaine Epstein crafts a powerful David-and-Goliath story of resilience and resistance. Set against the backdrop of America’s maternal health crisis and the erosion of reproductive rights, ARREST THE MIDWIFE is both a poignant portrait of a community in crisis and an urgent call to protect every woman’s right to choose how she brings the next generation into the world.

For all things DOCNYC, click here!

ARREST THE MIDWIFE

‘THE END OF QUIET’ (Tribeca 2025) Hardwired disconnection.

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

THE END OF QUIET

Filmmakers Kasper Bisgaard and Mikael Lypinski bring Tribeca 2025 audiences documentary, THE END OF QUIET, a thought-provoking exploration of human connectivity. In an isolated town in West Virginia, the world’s largest radio telescope can pick up the murmurings of signals across the universe. To achieve this, the telescope resides in the Quiet Zone, the only place in the U.S. where Wi-Fi and cell phone signals are not permitted.

Part 1: The Quiet

Through the everyday lives of its residents and the beauty of the sound design by Freja Printz and Mathias Gaarde Mikkelsen, the audience experiences what the world might be like without round-the-clock communication. Dr. Jay Lockman, an astronomer at The Green Bank Observatory, has lived in town for over two decades with his wife. He has accepted that technology could eventually disrupt any messages from beyond our atmosphere.

How do they fight the boredom? Brionna and her gun enthusiast grandfather, David, spend time together shooting his 37 guns and rifles and blowing things up. Choosing to reside in The Quiet Zone due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity, Clover and her dog, Beautiful, live for landline phone calls from her husband, who lives abroad. Her original poetry also serves as beautiful transition audio. A lonely but contented elderly vet named Willard spends his days drinking a lot of coffee and attending local funerals. Kirsten, 17, and Frankie, 23, are a young, engaged couple who dream of having a child.

Part 2: The Noise

Halfway through the film, we jump three years, only to discover that there are 70-80 Wi-Fi Hotspots within 2 miles of the Observatory disrupting the data. Oh, how times have changed. Willard has passed away. Clover is now almost entirely estranged from her long-distance husband. Our young couple now has a tiny toddler, Leo. It is unclear if they are still together. Our grandfather figure has tumbled down the right-wing rabbit hole, beginning a rift between him and his granddaughter, Brionna. It is honestly such a cliche.

The film delves into disconnection and isolation as much as the bleak effects of doom-scrolling. What would happen if the global grid ceased to exist? With so much new technology dependent on Wi-Fi, would society remain civil? A study of connection in every sense, THE END OF QUIET begs some of the most massive questions in the universe and beyond.

World Premiere

The End of Quiet

Documentary Competition

Feature | Denmark | 83 MINUTES | English | English subtitles The end of quiet

THE FILM IS SUPPORTED BY
DANISH FILM INSTITUTE
THE SWEDISH FILM INSTITUTE
DEN VESTDANSKE FILMPULJE DR

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Kasper Bisgaard & Mikael Lypinski

PRODUCED BY Sara Stockmann
CO-PRODUCED Daniel Pynnönen
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY Mikael Lypinski
MUSIC COMPOSED BY Uno Helmersson
EDITED BY Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, Johan Löfstedt SFK
SOUND DESIGN BY Freja Printz, Mathias Gaarde Mikkelsen

For all things Tribeca, click here!!

‘AN EYE FOR THE EYE’ (Tribeca 2025) A brutal blame game seeped in patriarchal injustice.

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari‘s Tribeca 2025 documentary, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, tells the story of Tahereh, an Iranian woman who murdered her husband following 18 years of abuse. One shocking night leads to Hossein’s strangulation and secret burial inside their home. After 14 years in prison and two years out on bail, now Hossein’s family, specifically his brother Bashir, gets to decide Tahereh’s fate – accept a blood money payment or order her execution.

While hearing details from Tahereh, we witness the ongoing negotiation process. Ms. Jabarzegegan, an anti-execution activist, convinces Bashir to lower his settlement demand from 1.5 billion tomans ($36,000) to 800 thousand tomans. But two weeks after the verbal agreement, Bashir dies of a heart attack. His arrangement was never notarized. Now, it falls onto the shoulders of his son, a young man much more influenced by his new grief and the words of his elders. Tahereh and her children are running out of time.

Behind the two families battling for their desired outcome is the initial police investigation and the suggestion that Tahereh hired a hitman. But, not just any hitman, a man the police want to suggest was her lover. This question hangs in the air like a dark cloud, but Tahereh proclaims she would rather be known as a murderer than a whore. That is somehow worse in her community.

Eshaghian and Jafari use the investigative narrative as a thread throughout the film. The film opens with the discovery of the body and the subsequent search for who and how. Crime photos are relatively tame if you are an avid Discovery ID watcher.

The blame game between the families is difficult to watch. The cherrypicking of religious teachings is incredibly infuriating. Watching Tahereh’s youngest son openly show emotion over his childhood terror will wreck you. He has to hear potential donors, the police, the courts, and his religious leaders tell him again and again that 18 years of domestic abuse is not an excuse for murder.

The gender disparity looms large. The patriarchal structure defies humanity. This is not just an Islamic issue. All over the world, women are killed by abusers after authorities do nothing to protect them when they reach out for help. Statistics do not lie. Tahereh says something that sums up their entire journey. “I killed him once, he killed us a thousand times.”

Directed by Tanaz Eshagian and Farzad Jafari

Producers: Christoph Jörg, Katayoun Arsanjani, Joey Marra, Gelareh Kiazand

Co-Producers: Kasper Lykke Schultz, Andreas Dalsgaard

Executive Producers: William Horberg, Zhang Xin, David Cowan, David & Nina Fialkow, Tanaz Eshaghian

With the support of the Danish Film Institute
Editors: Soren B. Ebbe, Hayedeh Safiyari

“An Eye For An Eye” follows Tahereh, a mother of three in Tehran who, after being repeatedly denied a divorce, decided that her only way out of an abusive marriage was to murder her husband.

Under Sharia Law, when a murder is committed in Iran, the family of the victim gets to decide whether to execute the murderer – an eye for an eye – or to grant them total forgiveness in exchange for a “blood money” settlement. The story unfolds after Tahereh has been released from serving her prison sentence and negotiations begin with her in-laws to decide her fate.

“An Eye For An Eye” is a complicated murder mystery, that quickly pivots into a ticking clock thriller as Tahereh and her son race around Tehran to scrape together the money in time to save her life. It culminates in a high-stakes courtroom drama as judgment day arrives, and both sides of the family stand before a judge to complete their negotiation – when they leave the room, she will either be free for the first time in her life or be sentenced to death.

In Farsi with English Subtitles

84 minutes. AN EYE FOR AN EYE AN EYE FOR AN EYE

For more Tribeca coverage, click here!

‘LEMONADE BLESSING’ (Tribeca 2025) In the name of the hormones, holiness, and home life.

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

LEMONADE BLESSING

Chris Merola brings Tribeca 2025 audiences a film about the communal commiseration of growing up. LEMONADE BLESSING follows the product of divorce, John, as he tries his best to navigate the complexity of raging hormones, an overbearing, devout mother, and Freshman year at a private Catholic School.

Torn between his deeply religious mom, a self-centered father, horny friends, and the rebel girl who pushes his mortality to the brink, John must decide what matters most, who he is, and where to draw the line.

Skye Alyssa Friedman gives Lilith the extravagant sass she requires to exert increasing control over John’s behavior. But in reality, Lily is a feminist. She tells John what she likes and how she feels and dreams beyond the oppressive male-dominated culture that surrounds her. Friedman owns this role with a ferocity that dazzles. Jake Ryan is relentlessly charming. John wavers between guilt, anxiety, and hormone-driven, sacrilegious stunts. Ryan lives in this character. His vulnerability makes him an absolute star. Friedman and Ryan have perfect chemistry. They are deliciously awkward and authentically connected in their side-by-side self-discovery.

As a product of eight years of Catholic school, I decided early on that my values did not align with the monotonous rituals, ancient books, and the close-minded teachings inside. I saw, even at 14, the misogyny and patriarchal structure, and knew it was not what I wanted. As droves of people of all generations abandon organized religion, LEMONADE BLESSING challenges a system hellbent on rules often ignored by the men in charge of enforcing them.

While the film is definitely about power, your moral compass, and the perversion of religion, LEMONADE BLESSING delves into the chaos and bumbling of teenage years with grace, humor, and lived-in experience as a Catholic kid. Merola deftly tackles blame, manipulation, defiance, honesty, and the complexity of unconditional love, delivering a delightfully nuanced coming-of-age story to Tribeca 2025 audiences.

Feature | United States | 100 MINUTES | English

Director: Chris Merola

Producer: Chris Merola, Raza Rizvi, Aruba Sülzana, Samuel Ashurov

Screenwriter: Chris Merola

Cinematographer: Harrison Kraft

Composer: Daniel Futcher

Editor: Abhineet Kumar, Edouard Fan

Executive Producer: Chris Merola

Associate Producer: Cameron Olsen

Co-Producer: Taryn Gates

Sound Design: Shubhi Sahni

Cast: Jake Ryan, Jeanine Serralles, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Miles J. Harvey, Michael Oloyede, Todd Gearhart, Keith William Richards

For all things Tribeca, click here!

SXSW 2025: This year is all about kicking ass and making names with new filmmakers taking the leap.

Posted on March 2, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

SXSW 2025

SXSW 2025 is back with a vengeance. Brimming with talent new and old, the festival grows each year, giving audiences what they love. This year is no exception with Film and TV’s coolest, latest, and greatest. On the docket are hotly anticipated titles like DEATH OF A UNICORN with its insane ensemble cast, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively return in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR, and Peter Cilella‘s Midnighter DESCENDENT. Take a peek at some of the films we’re watching this year…

For more info on SXSW 2025 click here!

ODYSSEY

Director: Gerard Johnson, Producers: John Jencks, Isabel Freer, Matthew James Wilkinson, Patrick Tolan, Screenwriters: Gerard Johnson, Austin Collings

Natasha Flynn is an estate agent on a mission—and she’s going to make a killing. Cast: Polly Maberly, Mikael Persbrandt, Jasmine Blackborow, Guy Burnet, Ryan Hayes, Charley Palmer Rothwell, Kellie Shirley (World Premiere)

ARREST THE MIDWIFEDirector: Elaine Epstein, Producers: Elaine Epstein, Robin Hessman

The arrest of midwives in a rural healthcare desert ignites an unexpected rebellion: Amish and Mennonite women who break from tradition, and emerge as fierce political activists fighting for reproductive justice and birthing rights. (World Premiere)

GLORIOUS SUMMER (Poland)

Directors/Screenwriters: Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak, Producers: Maria Gołoś, Monika Matuszewska

A sun-drenched renaissance palace. Three women remain in a carefree state of limbo, tended to by an unseen, all-providing system. But as cracks in the paradise begin to appear, they are faced with a choice: escape or remain in the perfect illusion? Cast: Magdalena Fejdasz, Helena Ganjalyan, Daniela Komędera, Weronika Humaj (World Premiere)

DEATH OF A UNICORN

Director/Screenwriter: Alex Scharfman, Producers: Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Alex Scharfman, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page

A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. Cast: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes (World Premiere)

REELING

Director: Yana Alliata, Producer: Jack Forbes, Screenwriters: Yana Alliata, Amy Miner

After a life altering accident, Ryan struggles to fit in with old friends and family at a birthday luau but the celebration boils over when he uncovers the missing memory of when his life took a tragic turn. Cast: Ryan Wuestewald, Hans Christopher, Nikki DeParis, Fabrizio Alliata, Makena Miller, Nyah Juliano, Michael Carter (World Premiere)

BABY DOE

Director: Jessica Earnshaw, Producers: Holly Meehl Chapman, Jessica Earnshaw

At 22, Gail gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Decades later, she’s arrested for murder, even though she says the baby was stillborn. Baby Doe explores the fallout when young women cannot accept the reality of an unplanned pregnancy. (World Premiere)

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD

Director: Eli Craig, Producers: Marty Bowen, John Fischer, Wyck Godfrey, Screenwriters: Carter Blanchard, Adam Cesare, Eli Craig

A fading midwestern town in which Frendo the clown, a symbol of bygone success, reemerges as a terrifying scourge. Cast: Katie Douglas, Will Sasso, Cassandra Potenza, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Verity Marks, Dylan McEwan, Daina Leitold, Vincent Muller, Kaitlyn Bacon (World Premiere)

TEASER TRAILER LINK:

DEAR TOMORROW (Denmark, Japan, Sweden)Director/Screenwriter: Kaspar Astrup Schröder, Producers: Maria Helga Stürup, Katrine A. Sahlstrøm

In Japan, where loneliness has become a national crisis, the film follows three individuals battling isolation. Through a volunteer chat service, compassionate connections, and government initiatives, they find hope and paths to reclaim their lives. (World Premiere)

FOR WORSEDirector/Screenwriter: Amy Landecker, Producers: Amy Landecker, Bradley Whitford, Valerie Stadler, Jenica Bergere, James Portolese

Fresh off a messy divorce, a 50-year-old sober mom tries to rebuild her life and stumbles into a new beginning after finding herself at a Gen Z wedding behaving like a 25-year-old drunk bridesmaid. Cast: Amy Landecker, Bradley Whitford, Nico Hiraga, Gaby Hoffmann, Ken Marino, Missi Pyle, Kiersey Clemons, Claudia Sulewski, Simon Helberg, Liv Hewson (World Premiere)

O’DESSA

Director/Screenwriter: Geremy Jasper, Producers: Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O’Dessa is a rock opera about a farm girl on a quest to recover a family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a dangerous city, where she must use the power of destiny and song to save her true love’s soul. Cast: Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall, Pokey LaFarge (World Premiere)

CREEDE U.S.A.

Director: Kahane Corn Cooperman, Producers: Innbo Shim, Kahane Corn Cooperman

Welcome to Creede – a remote mining town with no stop light, a theater company and 300+ folks at 9,000 feet. This unlikely setting – with its miners, ranchers and theater people – offers an unexpected lens on divisions felt by Americans everywhere. (World Premiere)

THE SURRENDER

Director/Screenwriter: Julia Max, Producers: Mia Chang, Lovell Holder, Julia Max, Ian McDonald, Robert J. Ulrich

When the family patriarch dies, a grieving mother and daughter risk their lives to perform a brutal resurrection ritual that will bring him back from the dead. Cast: Colby Minifie, Kate Burton, Neil Sandilands, Vaughn Armstrong, Mia Ellis, Pete Ploszek, Chelsea Alden, Alaina Pollack, Riley Rose Critchlow, Lola Prince Kelly (World Premiere)

UVALDE MOMDirector: Anayansi Prado, Producers: Ina Fichman, David Goldblum, Screenwriters: Anayansi Prado, Pablo Proenza

When a school mass shooting rocks a small town in Texas, a mom desperate to save her kids is launched into the public eye. She speaks out against a system that never protected her. The community challenges these powers and exposes those who failed to protect its most vulnerable – children. (World Premiere)

IDIOTIKA
Director/Screenwriter: Nastasya Popov, Producers: Tess Cohen, Camila Mendes, Rachel Matthews, Saba Zerehi, Nastasya Popov

In this sharp, irreverent comedy, a disgraced fashion designer with a dangerously low credit score, Margarita (Anna Baryshnikov) enters a reality show with a six-figure cash prize to save her babushka’s West Hollywood apartment. But as the competition intensifies, slick producer Nicol (Camila Mendes) pushes her to spin her family’s struggle into spectacle, forcing Margarita to decide whether to play along or take control of her own narrative, one unhinged look at a time.

Cast: Anna Baryshnikov, Camila Mendes, Julia Fox, Benito Skinner, Saweetie, Owen Thiele, Galina Jovovich, Mark Ivanir, Nerses Stamos, Ilia Volok (World Premiere)

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE (Canada)Director: Matt Johnson, Producers: Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol

When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008. Blah blah blah blah blah. Cast: Jay McCarrol, Matt Johnson (World Premiere)

BROTHER VERSES BROTHER

Director: Ari Gold, Producers: Michelle Stratton, Starr Sutherland, Screenwriters: Ari Gold, Ethan Gold, Lara Louise, Brian Bell, Herbert Gold, Tongo Eisen-Martin, John Flanigan

Synopsis: Inspired by Francis Coppola’s concept of Live Cinema, Brother Verses Brother is a radically personal musical odyssey. Combative twin musicians hunt for their dying poet father, in an improvisation performed by the director’s own family, and presented as an unbroken real-time shot through the streets of San Francisco.

One brother seeks love, while the other seeks an audience. But as night falls and their father remains missing, their increasingly frantic safari leads them from the secret haunts of the Beat poets into the heart of their family. Their tale becomes a testament to the power of music, the bonds of brotherhood, and the lifeblood of a city – experienced by the viewer in real-time.

Cast: Ari Gold, Ethan Gold, Lara Louise, Brian Bell, Herbert Gold, Tongo Eisen-Martin, John Flanigan (World Premiere)

OUT FOR DELIVERYDirector/Screenwriter: Chelsea Christer, Producers: Clinton Trucks, Alexa Rocero, David B. Lyons

When terminally ill Joanna makes the difficult decision to pursue end of life options through the Death With Dignity law, the systems set up to make her death peaceful and dignified become the opposite. (Texas Premiere)

BAGGAGE (Australia, United Kingdom)

Director/Screenwriter: Lucy Davidson, Producers: Vanessa Batten, Amy Upchurch

Anthropomorphic suitcase best friends bring their emotional baggage on holidays. (International Premiere)

For SXSW 2025’s entire lineup, click here!

For all things SXSW 2025 and beyond from Reel News Daily, tap this!

‘THE BUILDOUT’ (2025) A gorgeously shot, nail-biting genre-bender

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

THE BUILDOUT

Filmmaker Zeshaan Younus has been the talk of the town on the festival circuit with THE BUILDOUT. The film follows two close friends scouting the Southern California desert, searching for a new site for their religious group. That is only the beginning.

Cameron and Dylan are not the first to set foot on the land. Timelines cross. The two friends document what they find on a camcorder. In the isolation, they discover more questions than answers, and the viewer travels down a rabbit hole of unnerving chaos.

Jenna Kanell gives Cameron a feisty edge that reminds me of Robin Tunney in Empire Records, appearance and all. There is a visible aversion to the hyper-religious nature that Dylan openly expresses. Hannah Alline (Adult Swim Yule Log) is Dylan. Alline brings an almost unwavering, psychopathic faith as a recovering addict. Kanell and Alline share a beautifully organic chemistry. They are perfect foils for one another. They share an unresolved trauma bond within a larger mystery.

The audience holds its collective breath with only drips of information at any given time. The eclectic camera work by Justin Moore is jarring in the best way possible, delivering a continuously menacing vibe. (Don’t think I missed your EP credit, Emily Bennett!) Matt Latham‘s editing is emotionally dizzying and brilliant. This entire team knew precisely what they were doing. Younus creates characters that captivate, backed by a story that digs its talons into your brain. THE BUILDOUT will have you begging for more.

The Buildout Trailer:

The harrowing, horrifying festival favorite

THE BUILDOUT

arrives on all VOD platforms February 25th

The acclaimed, dramatic thriller stars Jenna Kanell (TERRIFIER, RENFIELD) and Hannah Alline (DC’s Doom Patrol, ADULT SWIM YULE LOG)

Something is happening in the desert. The epicenter is a strange tent, humming with an imbued esoteric energy. What is found within its walls is incomprehensible.

We first meet Dylan and Cameron as they barrel deeper into the desert. One knows exactly where they’re going, the other one is doing their best to be a good friend.

On a road trip fueled by junk food and documented by a handheld camera, the women traverse a landscape that feels more like Mars than Earth – the California Desert. This is their last chance to get back – back to what they used to be. Today, they are but mere fragments of their former selves; weighed down by the looming presence of a shared tragedy.

A story of rebirth, recovery, closure, and accountability propelled forward by an esoteric conduit. This women-led narrative follows the tectonic shift of a friendship over one fateful day. In the face of the unexplained, they lean into their truest selves and come face-to-face with an unnerving discovery.

THE BUILDOUT is a meditation taken from behind the handlebars of a speeding motorcycle. It aims to bridge the gap between found footage and traditional cinematic storytelling while leaning into strong, capable, and unapologetic characters.

The debut feature from distributor Ethos Releasing, THE BUILDOUT is written and directed by Zeshaan Younus and stars Jenna Kanell, Hannah Alline, Natasha Halevi, Michael Sung Ho, and Danielle Evon Ploeger.

Category Archives: Religion

‘100 NIGHTS OF HERO’ (2025) A tantalizing feminist fable

100 NIGHTS OF HERO