Coda’s ongoing coverage
of the 2025 Phoenix Film Festival & International
Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as
part of these festivals.
THE SILENT PLANET – Directed by Jeffery St. Jules
In the future, Theodore (Elias Koteas) is serving a life sentence of isolation and hard labor on a distant planet when a new prisoner Niyya (Briana Middleton) arrives. The two are made to confront each other as well as their own pasts through a cloud of confusion and paranoia.
Firstly, if our future
selves someday actually find an inhabitable planet, rich with some sort of rare
and precious mineral, it’s completely on-brand for humanity to immediately turn
said planet into a prison. This part I found quite realistic. I responded quite
well to the way the rest of this film played out as well. It gives the audience
plenty to chew on, while still propelled forward by a tense and action-packed
plot.
Essentially, the film
seeks to explore the ideas about the helplessness of self-awareness in extreme
isolation and the power of companionship. In this, it does a great job.
The plot and these ideas
are expressed through the two very touching performances of Koteas and
Middleton. I especially appreciated Koteas’ restraint and vulnerability here. I
felt for him and the context clues (or lack thereof) given by the script keep
us as confused and distraught as his character is.
I’m sure the film will
be seen as a bit too slow for many, but I didn’t mind the pace. I could see
myself revisiting it.
JOIN THE CLUB – Directed
by Kip Anderson and Chris O’Connell
Activist Dennis Peron helms the first cannabis dispensary in the country, daring law enforcement to prosecute in pursuit of the legalization of medical marijuana. This documentary tells the story of his activism.
This was an incredibly captivating
and fascinating film. Peron’s story perfectly coincides with this country’s historical
battle for LGBTQ rights. Peron, in San Francisco’s Castro District, fought
along side with Harvey Milk in the 70’s. Then continued his staunch activism
throughout the AIDS epidemic in the 80’s and 90’s. This was the reason for his
passion about the medicinal benefits of cannabis. He makes his case
convincingly in the film through archival footage of various news reels as well
as the last known interview, filmed shortly before his death in 2018.
His story really becomes
the perfect vehicle to tell several broader stories about our country’s rich
history of failing to ensure equal justice. It works well because he was right
in the thick of every fight.
The film also can’t help
but tell the story of law enforcement’s long history of staying on the wrong
side of justice and compassion. To the film’s credit, it gives plenty of
runtime to several members of the police department and federal prosecution to
tell their side. They take this opportunity and it’s clear that they still feel
as though they did no wrong, even as their own words work against them. I also
appreciated how well this film illustrates activism’s necessity to violate unjust
laws. It’s something that we may need a refresher course soon.
40 ACRES – Directed by R.T.
Thorne
The family of farmers defend their home against outside threats in a post-apocalyptic world of food scarcity.
The first thing that struck
me here was how the group of farmers (women and minorities) was cast as a sort
of ‘role reversal’. Then very quickly, I had to check my own inherent biases
and realize that it says a lot about us culturally (and me) that this type of
casting is seen as ‘against type.’
The family lives a life
of isolation and paranoia of any outsiders, all members trained in survivalism
and combat. This safety is threatened by groups of roving militia-type raiders,
looking to invade their and neighboring farmlands.
The secondary conflict
introduced is that their crops are beginning to show signs of rot. This serves
as a metaphor for the festering infestation that happens in a community,
plagued by tribalistic fear and isolationism. It reminds me of how rural people
in this country are force fed twisted views of urban areas, perpetuated by
their curated bubbles of social media and right-wing news sources. Perspectives
need to be refreshed from time to time with the insights colored by outside experiences.
The expansion of community and sharing of ideas is how our species has evolved
for the past 200,000 years or so. Restriction of this, because of fear or
hatred, proves detrimental to these groups.
But I digress. Even if
you’re watching this for no other reason than the visceral effectiveness of the
genre, you won’t be disappointed. The third act treats us to a trio of merging showdowns
of the most badass and bloody intensity. Both visually and choreographically,
the action sequences are well engineered and executed.
40 ACRES has been acquired
by Magnolia Pictures and I’ll be looking forward to rewatching it upon its release.
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