BONE LAKE
World Premiere
Fantastic Fest alum Mercedes Bryce Morgan brings her latest in BONE LAKE, a psychosexual game of sex, lies, and videotape. Two very different couples find themselves double booked at a palatial lakeside Airbnb. Sage and Diego are in a relationship rut, while Cin and Will are hot and heavy. Awkwardness turns into friendship. When the four unlock three mysterious rooms, each has a theme that spurs trouble and begins a game of cat-and-mouse that turns the tables on everyone. BONE LAKE is here to titillate and transfix even the hardest-to-please genre fan.
Performances are fantastic across the board. Marco Pigossi and Maddie Hasson have an organic chemistry that draws you in. Their relatable personalities and quiet conflicts are perfect foils for Will and Cin. Andra Nechita and Alex Roe are master manipulators playing Will and Cin. They tap into Diego’s insecurities and Sage’s emotional/sexual frustration. Writer Joshua Friedlander gives them a divide-and-conquer playbook that will infuriate audiences, which is a compliment. This diabolical dynamic is juicy.
Clever camera work connected to the locks acts as a subconscious double entendre. The editing is a triumph. The FX team deserves a standing ovation. Genre fans might think they’ve caught on halfway through the film, but the reveal is clever, and it won’t be the last. BONE LAKE is a solid erotic thriller that pushes all the boundaries and buttons. Fantastic Fest 2024 is ready.
Fantastic Fest Website:
Logline: When two young couples are mistakenly double-booked into the same vacation rental their romantic weekend becomes a twisted maze of sex, lies, and survival.
Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Written by: Joshua Friedlander
Cast: Alex Roe, Marco Pigossi, Maddie Hasson, Andra Nechita
For all things Fantastic Fest 2024, 
A MISTAKE
Christine Jeffs writes, directs, and produces the adaptation of the best-selling novel by Carl Shuker, A MISTAKE. The film follows Dr. Elizabeth Taylor, a teaching surgeon whose resident falters during a routine cut. The script jumps right into the case in question. The next morning’s death of the patient begins an avalanche of questions, accusations, and steering misogyny. We witness the systematic attempt at taking down a successful female surgeon who challenges power.
Elizabeth Banks starts as a confident and calming presence in the OR. Amid the chaos, Banks walks a tightrope of mothering Richard through his doubts and defending her skills and judgment. As circumstances spiral, her protective, almost cold exterior begins to crack, and mistakes manifest outside the hospital. One scene with a dog will bring you to tears and puts Banks’s character on the other side of loss. It’s a subtly powerful performance.
The cinematography, especially the quiet moments, has an emotional impact. Jeffs masterfully captures the nuance of being a woman, particularly in any position of power. Words and actions somehow have an entirely different meaning if you are female. Jeffs highlights the infuriating double standards. A MISTAKE delves into the wildly erratic medical field, the human element of playing God, and noble pursuits.
WINNER
Zach Galifianakis is Reality’s activist-minded father, Ron. He plays a proud papa with a brilliant mind and passion for justice. The apple did not fall far. Galifianakis brings the sass in all the right ways. Connie Britton is Mom Billie Winner-Davis, someone I greatly admire. I followed her on social media once the story broke, urging others to retweet and signing petitions for the Biden administration to pardon Reality. Britton delivers a pitch-perfect performance as a Texas mother with the typical priorities before Reality’s arrest.
It’s an entire hour before we even touch on the infamous Russia document. The front end of the film gives us foundational reasons to root for Winner. Fogel skillfully injects humor into a story that appears authentically absurd from any sane outsider’s perspective. Jones’ narration sets the tone for the entire film. If you know Reality’s story, you understand what an indisputable hero she is. How this story got buried as quickly as it did will never cease to baffle me. 
SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
Director Reema Kagti brings TIFF ’24 audiences a dramatized version of the 2008 documentary Supermen of Malegaon. The film begins in 1997 and follows aspiring amateur filmmaker Nasir Shaikh and fellow hometown artists in Malegaon, India. SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON is a story of small-town dreams coming true. Get ready to feel all the feels.
THE CRITIC
Lush cinematography and lighting immediately draw you into the narrative alongside McKellen’s iconic voice. From the costumes to the jewel-toned sets, it’s a period drama fans dream.
Sir Ian McKellen is vicious and brilliant. Playing Jimmy Erskine, he is a rather vile curmudgeon who revels in taking down enthusiastic artists and their work. Jimmy is an unapologetic diva. The fear he leaves in his wake destroys careers with the stroke of his pen. McKellen succeeds in making audiences adore a genuine villain.
Frida Kempff brings TIFF 2024 audiences the true story of Sally Bauer, a single mother attempting to swim the English Channel in 1939. THE SWEDISH TORPEDO is a unique and multilayered sports docudrama. It will take you by surprise. 
Viktor wants to be a soldier, but his deafness prevents it. His late father instilled “the military spirit,” and by Miyamoto Musashi’s canonical The Strategy of the Samurai, Viktor aspires to a noble warrior philosophy. Facing rejection after rejection, he finally convinces the local army to take him on as a volunteer field photographer. This opportunity to pursue his talent changes his path forever.
Omari Douglas, Arthur Darvill, and Harriet Walter are perfectly cast. Each delivers a memorable performance. Colin Hanks gives Nathan an effortless sweetness so desperately needed in the circumstances. Susan Wokoma plays Gemma’s best friend, Ruth. She is a glorious balance of sense and sass. Billie Lourd is Nathan’s sister, Audrey. She’s flighty, fearless, and passionate. 
Aisling Bea is endlessly hysterical playing the straight woman to Lourd’s outlandishness. Her accessible nature makes you want to be her best friend. You are buying what she is selling. Lourd and Bea share a chemistry that is magic. I’d love to see a film of Wokoma, Lourd, and Bea doing anything together. 
Screenwriter Melissa Bubnic utilizes flashbacks to solidify the emotional stronghold between Gemma and Nathan. The editing is essential here. Reisinger gives audiences a unique examination of grief, love, and family. AND MRS is a romcom that is one-of-a-kind, built upon a surprising complexity. “Love waits for no one.” 
Ps-stick around for the credits. You won’t regret it.
RED ROOMS
Juliette Gariépy initially gives Kelly-Anne a quiet ferocity. Assume nothing about the character as she slowly reveals her sleuthing skills. Gariépy morphs into a startling presence, with each consecutive scene getting under your skin. Gariépy is disturbing. 
The juxtaposition of her photoshoot stills and those of security camera suspects is undeniably clever mirroring. Once the infamous video plays, the decision to focus on our protagonist and not the most gruesome acts almost makes the plot more invasive. The combination of the audio and your imagination causes you to turn away. Kelly-Anne’s skills keep her on a tightrope. One missed step, and the bottom drops out. 
The script is far more nuanced than at first glance. Plante delves into technology, the female fascination with true crime, and the repercussions of unresolved trauma. The more Kelly-Anne shares with Clementine, the more unsettled the audience. As a parent, RED ROOMS is a visceral viewing experience. It is simultaneously rage and despair-inducing. As a mother, putting that hat aside, as difficult as that may be, the film is indisputably brilliant storytelling. The hideous twists keep coming. RED ROOMS will hold you captive, whether you like it or not.
Kim Ho-jung is magnificent. Sara’s journey spans motherhood, friendship, sleuthing, romance, and identity. Ho-jung embodies silliness, anxiety, boldness, and worldly naivete. She masters each moment with ceaseless charm. She is a star.
In Luna Carmoon‘s debut, HOARD, it is 1984, and Cynthia and Maria live a trying existence. Mom is a hoarder with chaotic mood shifts. Maria exists in freefall, never knowing when she’ll be bullied or exposed to inappropriate scenarios. An accident leads to foster care. In 1994, teenage Maria latches onto a visitor and former foster as he attempts to tap into her unresolved grief and trauma.
Hayley Squires delivers authentic emotional distress. Hoarding is a trauma response and, often, a mental illness. Squires slides into that skin with astonishing ease. Her highs and lows are captivating.
Her and Quinn’s chemistry is glorious. Their unfiltered bond fascinates from start to finish. Together, their animalistic instincts create a healing trauma bond like no other.
Sook-Yin Lee
Joseph Kahn
THE BECOMERS
THE BECOMERS is bold, eschewing any societal norms. Have you ever seen an alien sex scene? Because you’re about to, and it is gooey. Russell Marl voices their backstory with a particular tone that perfectly encapsulates the film’s feel. Fritz Myers’ score is jarring and yet works perfectly. Myers also creates unique Alien vocalizations. The editing is delightful.
Isabel Alamin gives Francesca a tentative fear. She’s incredibly compelling. Molly Plunk and Mike Lopez‘s turns as couple Carol and Gordon. Their trust in Clark’s vision is evident. Plunk and Gordon embody the seemingly wacky premise and capture the sincerest longings within the slapstick comedy.
Noyes was not only a genius of design, but his knack for marketing was unsurpassed. His inventive thinking influenced more than you can begin to fathom. Furniture, war strategies, typewriters, gas stations, and computers all contain a part of Noyes’s brain. IBM would not be what it is today without Noyes, Paul Rand, and The Eames Brothers working in tandem and changing the technology field. The film’s design precisely mirrors the multiscreen technique they loved so much. Editor Kevin Jones delivers visual intricacy and intriguing simplicity in the narrative transitions.
After starting a family in New York City, a flat tire during a drive north led to New Canaan, Connecticut, becoming an international design community. I know this first hand, as someone raised in CT, starting a family in The Big Apple, and bidding on New Canaan houses inspired by Noyes only a year ago. Having ultimately settled in the town next door, I am lucky. I can drive 7.8 miles to visit his landmark home. As the granddaughter of a builder, niece of an architect, daughter of an artist, and fan of mid-century design, it’s all heavenly to me. 
ART OF A HIT
The location is a breathtaking French chateau. Director Gaelan Draper utilizes classic tropes, like empty door frames in the background, to build tension. We also experience scenes through Matt’s video camera lens. That slight variation does not disappoint.
The cast has electric chemistry. Allie MacDonald (Stage Fright) gives drummer Cristin seemingly effortlessly snark. David Valdes is the overzealous newbie bassist and music nerd. His energy is a fantastic counter to the OG members’ attitudes.
Ryan Donowho (
TORCHED
The doc jumps right with the Torch’s history. Within the first ten minutes, the audience understands the importance of creating a women’s ultimate league. Eschewing the claims that female sports aren’t profitable, ultimate players did it themselves because that’s how we roll. If you want something done right, ask a woman to do it. 
We meet Coach Austin, who immediately acknowledges his cis white male privilege from the get-go. Torch co-founder “Bonesaw,” a former touring rocker, is their greatest ally. From finding venues, graphic design, sponsors, you name it, he makes it happen. Director Hoag Kepner is also the film’s editor, colorist, and sound mixer. Hoag also arranged and composed much of the score, which makes sense as he is not only Bonesaw’s former bandmate but also his brother. This multi-talented family tree allows the players and TORCHED to thrive.
TORCHED–THE STORY OF THE AUSTIN TORCH trailer (YouTube): 
CLOSE TO YOU
CLOSE TO YOU
You must be logged in to post a comment.