Tag Archives: death

‘MOLA: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss (SXSW 2025) A thoughtful exploration of grief AND a celebration of life.

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SXSW 2025_Website-SEO-3Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss

Mola-2

Filmmakers Martin Brauen and Yangzom Brauen give SXSW 2025 audiences many things in their intimate documentary Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss. Kunsang Wangmo is a firecracker. A Tibetan nun exiled from her homeland in 1959 to escape the Chinese occupation turns 100, and her final wish is to die in her homeland. The film explores respect, a stunning cultural snapshot, and generational healing.

The audience gets a boot camp lesson in Buddhism. The religion relies on the concept of embracing life to achieve full consciousness. In this practice, death is more fulfilling. Mola displays respect for all creatures through prayer and everyday gestures, some as small as encouraging flies to feast upon her leftover fruit.

Archival footage from Tibet is equal parts magical and devastating. Mola recalls her life’s journey in voice-over narration. Her harrowing escape to an Indian refugee camp as a young mother is difficult to hear but hauntingly parallels the current global upheaval. Twelve years later, a move to Switzerland with Sonam and Martin changed everything, finally providing well-deserved stability and forty-five years of family life.

Mola_ A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss_ - [schedule.sxsw.com]However, the underlying generational trauma manifests in a contentious mother-daughter relationship. Mola uses humor and cutting words as shields. Patrick Kirst‘s score captures each beat, whether melancholy or joy. Sonam wishes for her to stay for all the reasons one would expect a loved one to feel.

Mola’s birthday wish is to go home. Martin works diligently toward obtaining a visa for her return to Tibet. After months of back-and-forth emails, Mola begins a new adventure in her homeland, while Sonam starts a new stage of grief. Watching her mother experience pure joy after 40 years is draining. Six months later, the Chinese government denied Mola’s visa renewal, but she is ready to return to Switzerland. Unsurprisingly, Mola’s health rapidly declines upon her return, and a new wave of acceptance falls upon the shoulders of the entire family. Witnessing the decline of a loved one is something you can never prepare yourself for.

There is something peaceful about MOLA. Its quiet, contemplative nature delivers an unexpected universality. It honors the life of a woman whose faith extended until her last breath.

MOLA - A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss portrait

Kunsang Wangmo – known as “Mola” to her family – is a Tibetan nun exiled from her homeland in 1959 to escape the Chinese occupation. Now 100 years old, and after living with her daughter Sonam in Switzerland for the past 45 years, she decides her last wish is to die in Tibet. This is the story of a mother and daughter coming to terms with this phase in Mola’s life, and Sonam and her husband Martin’s journey to make Mola’s last wish come true.

Molafilm.com

Mola Trailer

Yangzom Brauen

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Yangzom is an award-winning Film & TV Director recognized for her short film Born in Battle, which won UNESCO and audience awards. She has directed over 30 hours of TV, including NCIS LA, Hawaii Five-0, and American Horror Stories. A bestselling author of Across Many Mountains, she’s a passionate Tibetan Freedom advocate, fluent in five languages.

Martin Brauen

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Martin Brauen (b. 1948) is an anthropologist, curator, and author specializing in Tibetan, Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Japanese cultures. Former chief curator of the Rubin Museum in NYC, he has curated nearly 100 exhibitions and authored many works, including The Mandala. A filmmaker, he explores cultural traditions through films and 3D animations.

Credits

Directors:

Yangzom Brauen, Martin Brauen
Executive Producer:

Sonam Brauen, Martin Brauen, Yangzom Brauen, Daniel Stanca-Di Marco, James Haygood, Michael Raimondi
Producer:

Katherine LeBlond
Screenwriter:

Yangzom Brauen, Martin Brauen
Cinematographer:

Martin Brauen, Yangzom Brauen
Editor:

James Haygood, Samir Samperisi
Sound Designer:

Peter von Siebenthal, Arlind Sermaxhaj, Eliot Martig
Music:

Patrick Kirst
Principal Cast:

Kunsang Wangmo, Sonam Dolma Brauen, Martin Brauen
Additional Credits:

Co-Producer: Kevin Merz, Co-Producer: Samir Samperisi, Co-Producer: Silvana Bezzola Rigolini, Co-Producer: Michael Beltrami, Co-Producer: RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera

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‘DEATH EDUCATION’ (Sundance 2025 short) An undeniably thought-provoking and respectful lesson.

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Sundance 2025 banner logoDEATH EDUCATION

死亡教育课

WORLD PREMIERE

Death Education red bags Sundance 2025

Yuxuan Ethan Wu‘s Sundance 2025 short DEATH EDUCATION has no soundtrack. Wu’s cinematography and Tairui Zhu‘s location sound set the tone for the entire film. This pensive piece opens in quiet stillness, then transitions into jarring images of things the public never sees — a sterile metal morgue of a funeral home and the cremation of an unknown child. 

death education students Sundance 2025The Chinese tradition of Tomb Sweeping Day gets a stark contrast as teacher Jianbo Qian brings his students, grades 7 to 12, to a communal burial for unnamed ashes. Each one carefully handles a red bag filled with the remains of people unclaimed by loved ones. It is an exercise exploring death, respect, and reflection.

Death Education Sundance 2025Heartbreaking, eye-opening, and thoughtful, in thirteen minutes, DEATH EDUCATION has an unshakable impact. It begs you to think beyond your comfort zone. It is a beautifully universal lesson in empathy.

DEATH EDUCATION: CHINA, 2023, 13 min. In Mandarin Chinese. Directed by Yuxuan Ethan Wu; Field Producer: Zheng Hua; Cinematographer and Editor: Yuxuan Ethan Wu; Sound Design: Dave Cerf; Location Sound: Tairui Zhu; Sound Mix: Guodong Zhang; Colorist: Fu Shu; Poster by Qin Zhaoying.

Remaining DEATH EDUCATION Screenings:
Tuesday, January 28th
3.00 p.m.

 

Broadway Centre Cinemas 3
Saturday, February 1st
8.10 p.m.

 

Megaplex Redstone 2
January 30 – February 3
Sundance ONLINE

SYNOPSIS

In China, on the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, families visit graves to honor their ancestors. It’s a moment for the living to connect with the dead, where the words on tombstones tell stories of lives lived and relationships formed. Yet, in funeral homes, there are unnamed ashes— some belonging to children as young as two years old, others left behind for decades. These unclaimed ashes, without names or histories, remain forgotten, with only the date of their cremation marked. Through the ritual of a communal burial, Teacher Jianbo Qian seeks to open up the conversation about death for his students, many of whom are encountering this subject for the first time. The attending students, ranging from seventh to twelfth grade, pick up red bags of scattered ashes, reflecting on the emotions of loss and grief.

FILMMAKER: Yuxuan Ethan Wu (吴雨轩)

Ethan is an emerging filmmaker and photographer based in the Bay Area. He graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts Production and a minor in Photography. Born and raised in Changsha, China, Ethan has lived in various cities, including Beijing, Boston, and New York City. He frequently travels between the U.S. and China and is currently residing in Palo Alto, where he is pursuing an MFA at Stanford University in the Documentary Film Program. His work has been featured by major news outlets, such as Phoenix New Media, Tencent, NetEase, and TJ Sports. His documentary films have been showcased at renowned international festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival, and art house venues like the Anthology Film Archives.

For more Sundance coverage, click here!

A Shudder Original review: Thomas Marchese’s ‘FROM BLACK’ is a Faustian look beyond the veil

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FROM BLACK

Cora is a recovering drug addict who lost her son due to her negligence five years prior. The film opens with a shocking crime scene and a traumatized, bloodied, and rambling Cora in the sheriff’s office. How did we get here? Cora spins a tale of otherworldly proportions filled with grief, regret, and chance. How far would you go to see your loved one again?

Writer-director Thomas Marchese and co-writer Jessub Flower dive into the subgenre without apology. When grief counselor Abel offers Cora the opportunity to see Noah again, her response is an immediate “Yes.” Anyone that sits in sadness understands the answer. Spellbook, chalk drawings, and salt circles in tow, Abel guides Cora on a step-by-step journey of possible redemption. The audience is smart enough to know there are stills attached. That never lessens the intensity of the plot.

Anna Camp plays Cora. She is unrecognizable in this role. Audiences usually recognize her perky personality and blonde hair. Raven-haired and emotionally battered, Cora brims with complexity. Camp allows herself to dive deep into grief and regret. It is an out-of-the-box performance for her, and she is magnificent. I’d love to see her in more dark roles. She can handle them.

The addiction and trauma allegories are particularly evident in Cora’s final moments. While I had the overall plot pegged early on, the finale surprised me. Duncan Cole’s intense cinematography, combined with Luigi Janssen’s ominous score, grabs you by the throat from the beginning. The editing is a triumph that keeps you poised on the edge of your seat. A Faustian look beyond the veil, FROM BLACK is a grief-fueled nightmare. It will satisfy every level.

FROM BLACK is now streaming exclusively on SHUDDER

Review: ‘ADULT LIFE SKILLS’ finds humor in overwhelming darkness.

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ADULT LIFE SKILLS 

**Winner of 2016 Tribeca Film Festival’s Nora Ephron Prize**

Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is comfortable living in her mom’s garden shed making funny videos all day, but as she approaches 30, she starts feeling the pressure to move on and “grow up” without compromising her youthful spirit.

There is something whimsical about Adult Life Skills that takes hold of your heart. Jodie Whittaker plays Anna, a woman on the brink of turning thirty living in the backyard shed of her family’s home. Attempting to hold on tight to her childhood, she pushes back on growth as she is still reeling from the death of her twin brother. Reliving her relationship through the wonderfully absurd movies they created together for their website, Anna reluctantly takes a lonely neighbor boy (whose mother is dying of what we presume to be cancer) under her wing. Through his growing attachment, she learns to assess her emotional journey and come to terms with her reality. Whittaker is charming and honest. Each beat has depth and humor under the very real sadness. The surrounding ensemble of female family and friends pushes Adult Life Skills to the next level of indie darling. It’s a creative film version of depression. It delves into the mind of sadness with a visually interesting and fully uniquely fleshed out storyline The soundtrack is catchy and haunting as hell. On the whole, Adult Life Skills is simply lovely.

In Theaters and On Demand January 18, 2019 

Starring: Jodie Whittaker (“Doctor Who”) and Edward Hogg (“Harlots,” “Misfits”)

Written & Directed by: Rachel Tunnard

Review: ‘JAMES WHITE’ makes escaping reality impossible.

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Josh Mond’s

JAMES WHITE

Starring Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

James White poster

If you’ve ever watched someone die from cancer… if you’ve ever seen the downward spiral of a loved one… if you’ve ever been lost in a haze a grief and confusion, JAMES WHITE will speak to you. What does a young man, flailing in his own existence, do to cope with the idea that one of these days, his mother will not get better? Is escapism the answer? Josh Mond‘s directorial debut lets us into the skin and brain of one man’s story.

JAMES WHITE

JAMES WHITE- Christopher Abbot & Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

As James’ mother’s health deteriorates, his ne’er do well lifestyle is forced to come to an end, but not before attempting to escape reality after the death of his estranged father. Triggering a getaway trip to Mexico with friends to avoid dealing with life, this drug, alcohol, and sex addled stay comes to an abrupt end when a call from Gail forces him to return to the couch of his childhood NYC home and take care of Mom 24 hrs a day. Struggling to put his bad boy behavior on the back burner, James walks the line between telling the world to fuck off and dropping his very existence to protect the woman he loves most in the world. As the plot progresses, we learn the this is not his first go round with mom’s illness. Do we forgive his behavior because of this? That’s for the individual to decide.

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

Mond’s script is partially based on his own experiences with his own mother. It is unapologetic and raw. You cannot take that away from Mond. No arguing that the film is ever dull or full of shit. It goes there fast and hard. Using cinematographer Mátyás Erdély was a genius move. Having recently seen Son of Saul at this year’s NYFF, his literal in your face, ultra close-up style of shooting, gives James White the immersive feeling the script calls for. I cannot imagine the film being in any other style. From the opening sequence, scored to perfection by co-star Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, with it’s organic feel and LOUD introduction, we immediately enter the world of a man who is grasping at straws to figure out who he is and what kind of person he wants/needs to be.

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Christopher Abbott gives an purely award-winning performance. His truth is on his sleeve 1000%. Somehow, through all the distasteful behavior he exhibits, you love him. Scott Mescudi is outstanding. As James’ best friend and long time player inside the family, his genuine interactions with Christopher and Cynthia feel so authentic, it’s almost hard to believe that this film isn’t a documentary at moments. Cynthia Nixon‘s portrayal of Gail is epic. With the film’s structure presented from month to month like chapters in a book, we are privy to the physical and mental changes her character endures. No matter the form of media, Nixon creates her own presence and we are lucky enough to witness it. The entire cast deserves all the accolades in the world, as does Mond for delivering a bold story.

JAMES WHITE will capture part of your soul. It allows you to let go and perhaps forgive yourself for past transgressions. Do yourself a favor and see this film.

 

Nominated for Three IFP Gotham Awards:

Christopher Abbott (Best Actor)

Josh Mond (Bingham Ray Breakthrough Actor Award) 

Audience Award

About JAMES WHITE

James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother (Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of his life. As the pressure on him mounts, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely.  The directorial debut of MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE producer Josh Mond,  JAMES WHITE, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where it was the winner of the “Best of Next” Audience Award, is a confident and closely observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother and son.  Abbott’s strong central performance is aided by a stellar supporting cast featuring Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Ron Livingston (DRINKING BUDDIES). Shot on location in New York City with an intimate visual style, JAMES WHITE follows its lead into deep, affecting places while still maintaining its fragile humanity. 

The Film Arcade will release JAMES WHITE on November 13th 

New York Film Festival 53 Review: ‘MIA MADRE’

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NYFF 53 bannerMIA MADRE_1304Impending death of a loved one is something we’ll all face in our lifetime. Everyone deals with it on their own very personal way. In Nanni Moretti‘s new feature MIA MADRE, Margherita knows her mother is on the verge of death, but is in the kind of denial that turns her world into a tailspin. Trying to separate her professional life and her home life is not working. Relationships with her volatile American actor, her loving brother, young daughter, and her film, are all in jeopardy as she flails through feigning normalcy.MIA MADRE_1252Margherita Buy is beyond brilliant as our lead. Never a false moment or a skipped beat. her presence is perfection and the story is relatable on every level. John Turturro’s outstanding performance as over the top American actor Barry Higgins is equally captivating. His boisterous sense of importance is the perfect foil to Margherita’s slow emotional unraveling. The film’s impact is pretty massive. It will stick with you long after you leave the theater. It’s a true study in human behavior.MIA MADRE_1228jpgIn the press conference immediately following the screening, Nanni Moretti and John Turturro sat down to chat about the experience. Moretti crafted this script when his own mother became ill while he as editing one of his films and later passed away. He explained that Margherita Buy was his first choice to play the leading lady, and that he felt that it would be more interesting to play the story out through a female character. As he was writing and shooting, his catharsis also occurred in his portrayal of the character Giovanni, Margherita’s brother. “Giovanni is the character I wanted to be (in real life), but I’m not.” This quiet, grounded performance speaks volumes and is another gorgeous emotional counterbalance to Margherita.

There was a whole lot of improv on the set. I asked John if it was complicated to switch between fluent Italian and English in the same monologue stream or if that was precisely how Nanni had written the dialogue. John revealed that Nanni asked him to memorize all the lines in Italian, go back and learn them again in English, then once he had a true sense of who ,Barry Huggins was, he had the freedom to play within the languages. He admitted it was incredibly complicated. Let me assure you, it is deliciously effective.

MIA MADRE is a beautiful film. One that we, at Reel News Daily, highly recommend.

  • Directed By Nanni Moretti
  • 2015
  • Italy/France
  • Italian and English with English subtitles
  • DCP
  • 106 minutes

Margherita (Margherita Buy) is a middle-aged filmmaker who has to contend with an international co-production starring a mercurial American actor (John Turturro) and with the realization that her beloved mother (Giulia Lazzarini) is mortally ill. Underrated as an actor, director Nanni Moretti offers a fascinating portrayal as Margherita’s brother, a quietly abrasive, intelligent man with a wonderfully tamped-down generosity and warmth. The construction of the film is as simple as it is beautiful: the chaos of the movie within the movie merges with the fear of disorder and feelings of pain and loss brought about by impending death. Mia Madre is a sharp and continually surprising work about the fragility of existence that is by turns moving, hilarious, and subtly disquieting. An Alchemy release.

Showtimes

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

9:15 PM

Standby Only

VENUE

Francesca Beale Theater Alice Tully Hall