Fantasia’s 30th Anniversary Must Watch Films

 Fantasia’s 30th Anniversary Must Watch Films

Every summer, I start the season off by counting down to the Fantasia International Film Festival.

My countdown actually started earlier this year in April, before any film was announced, as Fantasia debuted their killer 30^th anniversary poster.

Featuring my favorite Shakespeare play, MACBETH, and the three Grey Sisters from Greek mythology, artist Donald Caron depicts three generations of sorceresses, one for each of Fantasia’s three decades. They gather joyously around a cauldron, summoning the festival’s iconic Cheval Noir through tendrils of mist.

It’s a stunning visual to showcase how Fantasia has spellbound genre filmmakers and film-goers alike for 30 years.

This year I expect nothing less than from over 100 filmmakers from across the globe.

The only bad thing about Fantasia – I can’t catch every film they offer.

However, I always have a list of a few films I don’t want to miss.

So grab some popcorn and get comfortable as we take a look at the magic that will start July 16.

 

My 7 Films to Watch

 

BUDDY

Writer/Director – Casper Kelly

As a child, many of us may have looked up to a children’s TV character, but along with that love, there was probably also an apprehension to that character. There was usually something that just seemed a little off, and if you were to meet that character in real life, your first instinct was to probably hide over running to give a hug.

Writer/director Casper Kelly used this common conundrum to create BUDDY.

It’s always fun to take look back at childhood trauma, right? Plus, you get Keegan-Michael Key as Buddy so you get some comedic relief too.

SYNOPSIS:

Trapped inside the off-kilter world of a ’90s children’s television show, a young girl (Delaney Quinn, IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU) and her friends fight to escape a bloodthirsty, control-freak dinosaur mascot named Buddy (Keegan-Michael Key, KEANU). This is his world. They’re just (barely—and not always) living in it. Buddy can bend time and space. When wounded, he can heal himself. The show has gone on for years, through generations.

 

FERINE

Writer/Director – Andrea Corsini

I am not mother. Partly due to choice; the other part due to medical reasons. But any film that dives into motherhood fascinates me. Maybe because I haven’t and won’t get to experience it, and I feel the need as a woman to support the (blessing/burden) that is unique to us.

I can’t wait to see how FERINE tells the story of motherhood.

SYNOPSIS:

Excited to explore a new chapter in life, wealthy and influential art collector Irene (Carolyn Bracken, ODDITY, YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER) has just adopted a baby through a surrogate arrangement. This exploration will take on unexpectedly darker shapes when a sudden tragedy shatters Irene’s world, grief tearing through her to such paralyzing extremes that primal, violent instincts begin to guide her in ferocious ways. Her path fatefully crosses with Dama (Caroline Goodall, SCHINDLER’S LIST, HOOK), a lavishly wealthy trafficker of exotic predator animals. Dama recognizes that Irene has become a mercurial predator herself. A morbid bond forms between them. Few in the vicinity will be safe.

 

THE FOX

Writer/Director – Dario Russo

 

Jai Courtney blew me away in DANGEROUIS ANIMALS and I’m curious to see how he does in this black comedy around masculine insecurity.

SYNPOSIS:

Set in a parallel reality where animals talk, hustle, swear, and scheme, THE FOX opens with Nick (Jai Courtney, DANGEROUS ANIMALS, THE SUICIDE SQUAD) discovering that his fiancée Kori (Emily Browning, AMERICAN GODS, SLEEPING BEAUTY) is cheating on him. Forced to come to terms with the fact that their relationship has simmered, he’s devastated. All seems hopeless until Nick captures a fox (Olivia Colman, THE FAVOURITE, THE LOBSTER), who offers unconventional marital advice in exchange for being let free. That advice? She tells him of a magic hole that he should push Kori into, with a promise that she’ll emerge a changed woman. One who will adore him unconditionally, and who will never, ever leave. Not exactly a man of depth, Nick thinks it just may be the thing to do, unaware that there may be a bigger plan in play.

 

MOTHERWITCH

Writer/Director – Minos Papas

 

If you have read any of my past reviews, you may see a pattern, and that is I LOVE folktales, fairy tales, mythology, and any re-imagining or retelling of them. MOTHERWITCH is another film set to explore motherhood, but it is also a re-visioning of Demeter’s story and her loss of Persephone.

SYNOPSIS:

Eleni (Margarita Zachariou), a painter, is isolated from her wider community, consumed by unbearable grief after losing all three of her children in a senseless accident. In desperation, she enters into a Faustian pact with feminine chthonic forces to bring them back. To do so, she must gain the trust of a lonely and abused local boy, Michalakis (Sifis Katsoulakis), a fellow painter seeking refuge from his violent father. Yet once the ritual is enacted, the real nightmare begins, as Eleni’s psychic wound spills outward into the surrounding community through the manifestations she has unwittingly invited in.

 

PAPAYA

Director – Kellen Priscilla

 

You may be wondering if this film has accidentally been included to my list which already has some pretty heavy themes. It’s not a mistake. Lately, I’ve been drawn back to the whimsy of children’s books and how they can help influence younger generations. I saw this brightly colored film and immediately wanted to devour it.

SYNOPSIS:

A tiny papaya seed from the Amazon sees the light of day, and begins to dream of flying like butterflies, and seeing the world. With the help of the natural elements, it remains in constant motion, which not only prevents it from taking root, but also allows it to travel across Brazil. It will, of course, discover colors, animals, insects, birds, and the Amazon rainforest with its exceptional biodiversity, but it will also catch a glimpse of humanity, agriculture that is not always ethical, and the devastation wrought by cities on natural habitats. Is it possible for a papaya seed to change the course of events? Often, all it takes is being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, all it takes is knowing where to put down roots.

 

THE PERIL AT PINCER POINT

Writers/Directors – Jake Kuhn, Noah Stratton-Twine

 

Humor is good for the soul and is needed now more than ever. To see a dry-humored film that “will have Monty Python fans feel right at home” on Fantasia’s program is something I don’t want to miss.

SYNOPSIS:

Jim Baitte, a perpetually unmotivated sound designer, is working on the latest production from celebrated yet tyrannical B-movie auteur P.W. Griffin. Tasked with capturing audio to elevate the film's climactic finale, Jim is sent to the remote island where the movie was shot. Once there, he finds himself drawn into the islanders' strange customs and bewildering folklore. As reality begins to blur with fiction, Jim must decide just how much he is willing to sacrifice in pursuit of the perfect sound.

 

WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR

Writer/Director – Katagiri Eriko

 

It can be difficult to do any kind of retelling of the werewolf myth. However, I appreciate the angle director Katagiri Eriko is going for and I am eager to explore it.

SYNOPSIS:

Eriko Katagiri’s WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR starts with a dream. A red-headed doll, a steamy glass, and the sounds of summer mix in with a grandfather clock. Miki, a 27-year-old working in an architectural firm, wakes up in her small apartment, pulled out of her sleepy memory. Miki’s world is quiet and strange, but it will soon be interrupted by a transformative experience that will change her forever. Miki’s life, a kind of daze of memory, dream and reality, starts to collapse. As she pieces together what happened to her, she starts to have memories of a wolf bite, but no one believes her. Katagiri’s film tackles feminine isolation and alienation in a unique and powerful way. The film has a languid numbness; a strange rhythm that’s both uncomfortable and infectious. Viewers who allow themselves to be carried into Miki’s mind will soon find themselves pulled into one of the most unique werewolf stories ever put on the big screen.

 

The 30^th anniversary of Fantasia International Film Festival will be held July 16^th to August 2^nd. Visit https://fantasiafestival.com/en/ to see the entire program and purchase tickets.

The Bearded Girl Interview

The Bearded Girl

Q&A with Jody Wilson & Anwen O'Driscoll 

 

THE BEARDED GIRL was my favorite film from the 29th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival. (Go see my review here)

The fairy-tale like magic wrapped around this coming-of-age story was exactly what I needed to watch this year.

I may be past the growing pains of my youth, but I turned 40 this year. And with it, a lot of changes I was not ready for. Funny how that happens.

And it's even funnier that life threw this gem of a film my way. It was the warm blanket I needed.

So now I'm honored to share my Q&A I was lucky to have with the talented Jody Wilson (writer/director) and Anwen O'Driscoll (actress who plays Cleo).

 

Theresa Dillon (TD): Jody, why tell a coming-of-age story with a sideshow aspect?

Jody Wilson (JW): I think it has easy visual cues of otherness that anyone can relate to because it's not super personal for any one audience or person so they can safely relate to these characters.

Then there’s these visual otherness cues and devices that tell the story simply. My intention was simple but beautiful and kind of interesting. So, you have this backdrop and palette that's already super beautiful with all of the elements of tents and the colors, and you get to really lean in and be free with your art direction and costumes and all of that juicy stuff that's so nice to look at.

And then you can tell simple stories that have messages in them for people to be able to hopefully relate to, because there's a safe space between the people and the subject matter.

 

TD: Were you a fan of FREAKS?

JW: Oh yeah, I've seen FREAKS. Interestingly enough, and this surprises people sometimes, I'm not a circus freak. But I love FREAKS. That was a fantastic film. But one of the things, even when we were on set with our art department, anytime someone brought in something that was purple, I would feel like it felt too much like THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. I was like, we can't have that. Even the tent had to be a different color because it had to feel like, “Is it a circus? Is it a freak show? What the heck is this place?”

 

TD: THE BEARDED GIRL definitely had a different vibe to it, and the way you portrayed it, it felt as if the sideshow had been there a while before you even got some of the backstory of this community, and whether the outside community likes it or not. You also have a common theme of the absence of a strong father figure. What was your intention for making this creative choice?

JW: It's so interesting because I have a very close relationship with my dad, and so I told him before we shot this is “It’s not about you, obviously, dad.” It's just an easy way to talk about feelings of abandonment. Instead of using both parents, it was more of a silent character. He starts the film because on the recording at the beginning, that's his band. So he starts it and then finishes it, because the song that they sing at the end is a re-imagining of that song. He's always there, and Blaze’s dad is always there looming over and it's the patriarchal influence that we feel as women, as men, as children, as everyone.

I'm a feminist, but I'm also a feminist in terms of equal space being taken up. And we are all influenced by our fathers and our mothers, or the lack thereof of them in our lives. It's like an abandonment wound.

It was also a device that was a relatable subject for a lot of women, of young girls too. Craving male attention and things that are a little more cliche in a sense. That was my intention with the whole film. Tell a simple story well and have it create space for people to be able to have their own feelings with it.

So, yeah, that's the father thing and I'm glad that you noticed that.

 

TD: Yes, I did and it felt very much like your own fairy tale that you're telling. Because most fairy tales, there's always one parent too. 

So question for you Anwen, you delivered a very honest portrayal of Cleo’s struggles of coming into her own and being her own person. I remember going through that in my late teens, early 20s. My 20s were a mess. How did you get into Cleo’s head?

Anwen O'Driscoll (AO): Well, I feel like anyone can truly, like you were saying, relate deeply to it. And I feel like everyone kind of goes through that thing of finding something that doesn't fit within your world about yourself, and you go and seek outside validation from other people. And that can stem from non-supportive, unhealthy or just like not learned family base, because everyone has these core wounds about themselves. Everyone has core wounds.

And you know, if parents aren't healed enough with theirs or accepting of theirs, it passes on to the child, and then the child will pass it on to their child, and this kind of cycle continues and I feel like I could just relate to the very kind of common human feeling of just seeking outside validation before you know who you are, because when you're younger, you're piecing everything together.

What I always like to say is that we're kind of like paper mache creatures, because we take pieces, especially when we're younger and teenagers, of just like colors and memories and aspects of someone else that we really like, or our parents or our siblings or our best friends or art that we love, and we're just kind of like taking all of these little paper mache pieces and building ourselves as a human with these little moments in time. And I feel like that time is where you're most susceptible to negative things and negative voices in and around you and you don't want to take on those pieces, or you're scared to, but it happens inevitably.

There was a lot of pressure on Cleo to take up the mantle and be a leader and have this life that was completely set up for her, and has been generations and generations of what this is. So she just kind of felt not safe and not able to explore herself as an individual, especially with the fact that her mother has her own core wounds and can't read, but Cleo doesn't know that, because that's a core wound that she won't admit to anyone. Cleo just thinks she just doesn't want to hear her own ideas. So she feels trapped. She's like, “Why would I want to start this life and be this person that was set up for me when you don't even want to hear my ideas? I want some control in my life.”

The pressure is going to make her implode. And eventually, a big outbreak is going to happen, and she’s going to run away and explore and find validation another way. But because she didn't have the tools in her toolbox to properly heal or accept herself, she kind of walked into the exact same situation of hiding again and not being able to show her true colors or talk about her own ideas with Blaze.

She's in a position that's almost the same as when she had her beard in her own community, and just kind of coming to that realization that you need to look within and heal within, to be able to healthily communicate what you want around you and take up your own space. So I just really related to that because it's so human. And I also love fantasy and magic and Jody's an amazing world builder. It’s a beautiful, simple message that everyone experiences and can relate to through this colorful, magical world. I was obsessed with it and wanted to be part of it immediately.

 

TD: If you were Cleo, would you have stayed and just continued on with the tradition, or do you think you would have probably run away too to break away and figure out what it was you wanted?

AO: I feel like I would have done a similar thing because I have. When I was a little child, I think I ran away because I was like, “Oh, my mom doesn't love me.” Nothing she ever did showed that, because my mom kicks ass and is supportive and an awesome person. But as a child, all of the people around you, their voices get in your head, and if people, if kids, bully you, it really cuts deep. And you don't tell your parents. You just kind of sit with it and live with it because you're embarrassed, and everything around you is just so huge when you're younger. All these experiences - nothing is small, everything is so big and dramatic. So yea, I did the same thing. I ran away with my sister and I think we ran to McDonald's, which was like an hour or two-hour walk in town. Anyway, I came back. I was like, “Sorry, mother.”

I feel like I would do the same thing. I definitely have looked outside for validation, and sometimes catch myself doing it to this day, especially with how social media is structured, and you know, comparing yourself to other people, only seeing the best about people's lives. It's easy to get caught up in that. And it's just about reminding yourself and doing projects like this and working with Jody, who is just fantastic, and I think brilliant. It's just a lovely reminder, because I feel like when I was filming it was a reminder for me as well, which I hope the audience takes away just that - remember to come home to yourself.

 

TD: For both of you, how important is family and generational traditions in your life?

JW: Family is very important in my life. My family is big and colorful and kind of crazy and all of the things, but very, very important. I grew up in Alberta in a rural kind of setting and in Jasper, which isn't as rural. They always say your first film is very much like an autobiography of some sorts. My family has a huge influence on just the way I think. And I always laugh thinking that the bearded girl is the queer art kid regurgitated life of growing up with cowboys.

I'm the only artist in my whole family. I grew up in a cowboy family, both sides, so there's a lot of horse stuff. Animals are huge in my family. And just allowing people to live the life that makes them happy, the old school kind of cowboy mentality.

AO: My family came from Ireland, like seven generations ago, and we're some of the first white settlers in Banff, Alberta. I think that sense of adventure kind of stayed with us and definitely passed down to me and just wanting to make life as big as I could.

I feel like my family also is very, very quirky. We're all artists. All of us are actors, and my mother's a writer and a director, and my siblings are getting into directing, and we all draw and do art. We work closely together and want to collaborate on projects and films and pictures and stories and things like that. They're my best friends. I'm kind of an introvert and a little bit awkward and have difficulty connecting with people, or sustaining friendships, because I can go into hermit mode. But my whole family's like that, and we're all artists and we relate to each other so deeply and it's always a riot in the house when we get together. They’re my foundation. Family is so important to me, I don't even know where the heck I would be without them.

 

TD: Absolutely. So, Cleo and Lady Andre are obviously very strong characters to watch. And tghey both have a very strong character arc. But what I really love with the story is there's a lot of smaller, quirky characters that you just kind of latch on to and you're like, Ooh, I like them. They're fun. It just adds to that fun story and imagination and magic. Do both of you have a favorite out of these characters?

JW: The smaller character I get the most excited about on screen is probably Josephine.

TD: Is it from the kid version as well?

JW: Yeah, the conception of that character. Both actresses played her so well and so similarly. I think she's hilarious. Like, when she comes on screen, I get happy, so I think maybe she's my favorite.

AO: I am struggling to pick a favorite, because I think everyone is so unique and different that I feel like I can't choose a favorite. I really love them all. Working with everyone was so incredible and each scene and working with each actor kind of felt like a totally different universe each time, because they just created this different life and energy and pacing. Everyone was so oddball and quirky that I loved it. I laugh at everything Keenan does, who plays Blaze, he's so ridiculous. I love Sky who plays Josephine. I love Jess. I can't choose. I love everyone. They're all just so uniquely different that it's hard to choose. They're all their own different universes.

 

TD: Yeah, I think that's what made the story that much stronger is you don't have the same personalities throughout. So if you had to have your fortune read today, what do you hope it reveals?

JW: I would hope that it would say that I was going to have a very strong family of my own coming into the picture and that I would be creating and would be able to be making movies constantly for the rest of my life.

AO: Yes, I would hope for a castle my family can live in and make movies and art together for the rest of our lives. A big castle in beautiful, cool mountain country. Yeah, we like magic. I'm very into magic and fantasy. So anything that's kind of like fantastical, I’d love something like that.

 

TD: For your next projects, are you going to stay within a similar genre or do you plan to go down some different routes? I know Jody, you did the special effects on THE LAST OF US so I’m curious to see what the next thing is coming for both of you. And selfishly I really did enjoy Cleo and would love to see her next chapter. But it's a good story on its own that also doesn’t need a sequel.

JW: I think for me, THE BEARDED GIRL is lighter than a lot of the other stuff that I write. I have a sci-fi series that I've been working on for a while and trying to package up right now. And then I have, like, a period vampire movie that’s a Western and it takes place in a brothel during the gold rush. So they're both a little darker but you'll probably find some dry humor and similar styling. I also made a short called INDIGO. Even though it's very different from THE BEARDED GIRL, it has similar things and style. Those are my two projects that I'm working on.

AO: I have season two of a show that I’m on called BET. We got announced for season two a few weeks ago, so we'll be doing that soon. And it’s an adaptation of a manga universe that already exists and we went into, like a Scott Pilgrim-type editing style and frames. It’s quirky and I'm happy to still be in odd, quirky art making.

 

 

 

Fantasia International Film Festival - Week 2 Film Reviews

Fantasia International Film Festival Film Reviews

Week 2

Sadly, the 29^th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival is coming to close on Sunday.

But I’ve got more films for you to put on your watch list, as well as the big Cheval Noir Award winner, MOTHER OF FLIES.

Grab that popcorn and let’s get started!

 

MOTHER OF FLIES

Written and Directed by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser (The Adams Family)

MOTHER OF FLIES took home Fantasia’s top honor, the Cheval Noir Award for Best Film, the first feature from the United States to win Fantasia’s Cheval Noir Award for Best Film in the festival’s 29-year history.

The film is a haunting, poetic look at death, and a project that hit close to home to The Adams Family and their own experiences battling and surviving cancer.

Shaken to her core after being diagnosed with cancer, young Mickey (Zelda Adams) turns to necromancy to heal herself after conventional medicine fails to help. Her father, Jake (John Adams), is skeptical but his skepticism takes a backseat to support his daughter’s decision.

Solveig (Toby Poser), a witch in the Catskill Mountain forests, guides Mickey through a journey of discovery, ritual, and blood. But what Mickey doesn’t know is Solveig’s past and her relationship with death.

The cinematography is beautiful and the soundtrack only heightens the experience that Mickey goes through with Solvieg.

Solveig’s rituals aren’t for the weak in the stomach and may be a bit triggering for some.

Additionally, the film purposefully shows and tells the parallels between witchcraft and religion.

With the line “One day to die, three days to rise,” many with think of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, when it happens to be the general rule for necromancy. As Solveig’s past gets revealed over the course of the film, religion’s hypocrisy is sharp and poignant.

MOTHER OF FLIES is a film that will hit hard for some viewers; others may not enjoy the folk horror aspect and want something more.

But MOTHER OF FLIES is a stunning feat of storytelling.

Shudder picked up MOTHER OF FLIES so watch for its upcoming release.

The Adams Family also provided Fantasia viewers with a personal note about MOTHER OF FLIES, and it just goes to show how much devotion goes into these indie projects.

FILMMAKERS’ NOTE

The human body has a habit of dying — too soon, too late, often painfully.

As a family whose personal narratives serve as fuel for our imaginations, it was only a matter of time when we faced our stark history - every family’s history, really - with cancer. Beyond the visual conversation about life, death, and the transformative (and sometimes dangerous) powers of belief systems, this film is a bold middle finger raised at our own ugly experiences; to transform pain into something new, resurgent, alive - and yet, inevitably, still brutal.

We had the most wonderful time bending concepts of being alive, being dead, and the liminal realm between the two, which fed our exploration of necromancy in connection with two women who have very intimate relationships with death.

At the crossroads of breath, body, and belief lies magic. Mickey’s body grows death inside of her, and so she desperately believes in a magical cure offered by a witch in the woods. Solveig, slithering between states of raw bone and fully fleshed body, wields her death-magic - but for whom? Behind every trick hides truth; behind all pain waits love.

MOTHER OF FLIES, shot almost entirely in the Catskill Mountain forests we call home, is our fairytale manipulation of the darkly shadowed, yet love-lined pathways between a human life and death.

- The Adams Family

 

HELLCAT

Written and Directed by Brock Bodell           

HELLCAT received a Special Jury Mention in the New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature 2025, and it was well deserved.

And while I want to share my full range of emotions watching this fresh, unique film, the less you know about HELLCAT, the better.

In return you’ll get a high stake, tense film that will leave you guessing and then blow your mind with a surprise ending. It’s one of the top film endings I’ve ever seen.

I predict HELLCAT will be a film that gets talked about in genre circles for years to come. Don’t get left out of that circle!

 

THE WAILING

Directed by Pedro Martín-Calero

Written by Pedro Martín-Calero and Isabel Peña

THE WAILING is a very different, profound film experience.

The first 5 minutes of the film jolts you and you’re not quite sure what you’ve got yourself into. Then the rest of the story ebbs and flows and builds up to a heartbreaking ending.

Co-scripted by Isabel Peña (THE BEASTS, THE CANDIDATE), THE WAILING was part inspired by the writing of Mariana Enríquez and “is a nightmarish supernatural allegory for the structural violence that continues to permeate society.”

In modern-day Madrid, Andrea’s world is being turned violently upside-down, haunted by a terrifying entity that she can neither see, understand, or explain. Twenty years ago, thousands of miles away, in La Plata, Marie is being tormented by the very same presence. A third woman, Camila, has a gut-wrenching understanding of what’s happening, but nobody will believe her. In their darkest moments, each will hear the same, terrible sound. A ghostly wailing will overwhelm their senses.

THE WAILING is told in chapters from four different female points of view. They all build up to shocking conclusions but the ride to get there starts to feel slow during Chapter 2 until you reach the climax of the film. This slowness makes one of the essential characters feel more flat than the others.

Additionally, as each story does get wrapped up, I had some lingering questions as the credits rolled.

For film goers who enjoy slow burns with a shocking reveal, this is a great film to check out.

 

THE WOMAN

Directed by Hwang Wook

Written by Hwang Wook and Lim Dong-min

THE WOMAN is a fascinating character-driven thriller.

It all starts with an innocent exchange of strawberries and a secondhand appliance. The encounter takes a dark turn for Sun-kyung when it precedes her classmate’s suspicious suicide. She suspects the owner of the vacuum is involved with his death, and she’s willing to prove he’s guilty of it.

It is very hard to like the main character, Sun-kyung. From the beginning, something just feels off.

And that is what makes this psychological story so intriguing to watch. Just as you think you know where the story is going, or you figure out a hidden clue, something happens that you are not prepared for.

Additionally, the commentary on fake news hits hard as the repercussions come to light.

This a great film for character study.

 

 

HAUNTED MOUNTAINS: THE YELLOW TABOO

Directed by Tsai Chia Ying

HAUNTED MOUNTAINS: THE YELLOW TABOO is a layered narrative that explores love, grief, and the emotional burdens we all carry.

Chia Ming and Yu Hsin form a deep bond through hiking, so deep that Chia Ming plans to propose during one such trip. However, the journey does not unfold peacefully. A mysterious force targets Yu Hsin, repeatedly taking her life in horrifying ways. Chia Ming, unfortunately, is trapped in a time-loop and forced to witness her death over and over, yet powerless to stop it. What went wrong? Why Yu Hsin? Everything seems to start from another hiking incident that happened on this very mountain years ago.

HAUNTED MOUNTAINS: THE YELLOW TABOO is inspired by Mountain Gremlins, one of Taiwan’s scariest urban legends from the 1970s involving an evil spirit, wearing a yellow raincoat and bamboo hat, who is said to appear in heavy fog. Those who make eye contact or follow their guidance, often vanish without a trace.

This urban legend is one of Taiwan’s three major supernatural myths. And HAUNTED MOUNTAINS: THE YELLOW TABOO retelling of the myth is both disturbing and heartbreaking.

For in this retelling, spirits don’t just stick around for vengeance and unfinished business.

A layered time-loop story can feel tedious in most films, but  HAUNTED MOUNTAINS: THE YELLOW TABOO makes it work, and worth the ride. One of the biggest reasons it works for this film is its ability to show true humanity and the impact of grief differently and effectively in each layer.

This is a sad but well-written story to watch unfold. Stay watching past a few of the credits for a surprise revelation.

 

FOREIGNER

Written and Directed by Ava Maria Safai

MEAN GIRLS fans, meet FOREIGNER, its bubble-gum horror cousin.

Yasamin (Rose Deghan), or Yasi, is an Iranian teenager who wants to fit in. She lives with her father, Ali (Ashkan Nejati), and her grandmother, Zoreh (Maryam Sadeghi). She’s new to Canada and worries she won't make any friends at her new high school. On her first day, she meets a trio of pastel-clad chirpy girls: “Queen Bee” Rachel (Chloë MacLeod, SUGAR ROT) and her followers, Emily (Victoria Wadell) and Kristen (Talisa Mae Stewart, THE CASKET GIRLS). They are intensely interested in Yasi, having never met an Iranian person before, and their insidious racism pushes her to assimilate into white Canadian culture.

Yasi desperately wants to fit in, so she does whatever it takes to become a 2004 cookie-cutter teen like her new friends and dyes her hair blonde like her late mother and Sarah on her favorite sitcom. But those golden locks aren’t a golden ticket to acceptance. When her fading Iranian identity awakens a dark force within, Yasi becomes defiant to her family, rejects her culture, and threatens to destroy her loved ones and the new life she’s building in Canada.

FOREIGNER starts off like any bubbly, teen movie. Parts even feel similar to MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING.

But as soon as Yasi experiences her first day of school, the vibe quickly shifts and viewers get pulled into an eerie, uneasy world of racism and assimilation. It’s a fresh look into what immigrants are consistently faced with when moving to a different country. It’s especially eye opening as most of the statements or acts may come across as innocent, but they are anything but that.

The best piece of imagery to show this is the box of hair dye Yasi purchases called “Die Blonde.”

FOREIGNER is Ava Maria Safai’s first feature film, and she should be a voice on your radar.

 

 

BURNING

Directed by Radik Eshimov

BURNING is a gripping mystery told using a very well-done, thought out Rashomon effect.

In the midst of the chaos of a neighborhood fire, gossip starts in a local convenience store. People are wondering why such tragedy would happen to a family that was already on the brink. A drunk, a neighbor, and his wife each offer a different story. Farida (Kalicha Seydalieva), the mother-in-law, practiced black magic; Asel (Aysanat Edigeeva), the wife, lost her mind; or maybe Marat (Ömürbek Izrailov), the husband, was worn down by life. What went wrong? Perhaps, the fire was lit long before.

Each story changes the main villain behind the fire, but they never feel redundant as each offers new clues into what led to this tragedy.

When you do get to the truth, it’s even darker than expected.

But the real gut punch is the reveal that today’s human nature would rather speculate than get involved to know the truth and make a situation better.

It’s an impactful film about the consequences of our in-actions.

 

 

THE UNDERTONE

Written and Directed by Ian Tuason

THE UNDERTONE is one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. And it is still lingering under my skin.

What do you do when you have limited time with your dying parent? You wait. And that’s what Evy (Nina Kiri, THE HANDMAID’S TALE, THE HERETICS) does as her mother lies on her deathbed, at home instead of a hospice.

This deathwatch is solitary, but she has The Undertone, a paranormal podcast she co-hosts with her friend Justin, where she’s the resident skeptic to his more open-minded views. They explore “all things creepy,” which helps her concentrate on something other than her mother’s inevitable passing.

When Justin receives an email with ten mysterious audio files from an anonymous sender, the duo listens to them on air. Each recording becomes increasingly sinister, and Justin starts to hear disturbing discoveries with nursery rhymes and weird sounds. As Evy does some personal investigation into the audio files, her mother’s house soon becomes a claustrophobic nightmare.

The build up of tension and anxiety are top-notch in THE UNDERTONE, mainly due to director Ian Tuason’s camerawork and skin-crawling sound design. The viewer never leaves the house. Not even when Evy leaves for one night. My stomach hurt once the credits rolled.

Religion, religious symbols, icons and myths are key to increasing viewers’ anxiety as they go down the rabbit hole with Evy and Justin. Many viewers may have done similar searches in their past – but with far less detrimental consequences.

Mother and child relationship dynamics go deep in THE UNDERTONE, with Evy coming to some devastating conclusions that lead to a climax and ending that completely overwhelms the senses.

There may some lingering questions once you are able to walk away from the film, but it will continue to haunt you in subtle ways.

I haven’t been this shook by a film since PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

I highly recommend you do not watch alone, and trust me, you won’t want to leave the lights on when you go to bed.