The Chicago Int'l Film Festival Lineup is Here!
Commentary and recommendations from your local amateur movie dude.
Hey friends, been a while since Big D over here has given you some sweet, sweet content (though believe me, the drafts are a-plenty). I’m happy to provide an update that I did indeed survive uterine surgery and the world is still pretty terrible. That said, here is some not-terrible news: The Chicago International Film Festival lineup has been announced!
Often around this time of year, friends ask me, “Daniella, what movies do I need to watch to keep up with awards season/that are worth my time?” And readers, there is no question that gives me a greater sense of purpose. Since I don’t currently get paid to drown myself in nonstop cinema consumption, I make due with movie podcasts, movie news, festival recaps, and Letterboxd rabbit holes. Additionally, I’ve had the pleasure of becoming more acquainted with the festival circuit throughout the pandemic (scaling down/eliminating virtual screenings is bad for everyone, in my opinion — and that’s as someone who lives and dies by the in-theater experience) and have been able to check out some early screenings and get those tastes of the festival circuit.
But how about the big-name Film Festival in our own little town of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA? Her and I go back a little ways.
The Chicago International Film Festival (which I will now refer to as Chi Film Fest from here on out) isn’t exactly one of the more famous ones. There’s Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, TIFF, Telluride — and that’s without even leaving our continent. Taking place mid-late October, Chi Film Fest is merely a stop on the awards circuit. Rarely housing a premiere, often missing Awards Season movies all together (September is when Oscar-hopeful releases tend to roll out in earnest), Chi Film Fest can feel a bit rote. That said, not every cinephile living in the third largest city in the country is able to pull off the financial commitment of trekking to Park City in January, and for us, how could anything be more exciting than our own city’s celebration of film?
I volunteered with Chi Film Fest a few times (alongside a couple other festivals) in college as a means to hopefully get in on the festival experience. I wasn’t exactly rolling in dough, even later on while maintaining my minimum wage grocery store deli clerk job, but splurging on a couple screenings, and seeing a couple more for free as a volunteer was pretty nifty, especially when it was my first real taste of going into a movie I’ve never heard of, with no knowledge on what it’s about, and feeling transformed.
That movie was the 2013 film Stockholm, a Spanish dark dramedy directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, whose newest film As Bestas (“The Beasts”) will be featured at this year’s festival, and who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017 for his short film Mother. The film was my last volunteer shift that year, and I invited my friend to join me in watching it. Sorogoyen arrived outside the theater to introduce his film and was greeted by none other than me. I would later work full-time for an arts and culture festival with many high profile presenters, and it’s always amazed me how for every A-List Actor ushered in through back hallways and private green rooms, there’s an up-and-comer artist who just waits in the lobby with the volunteers, hoping for instruction. He was kind and humble, and did his best to make small talk with us in English. My friend and I watched the movie among an audience of maybe fifteen people. To this day, it’s one of my favorite films, though until recently, it was impossible to watch anywhere else. It had very few other festival screenings in North America, and it never streamed here, was never available for rent, and wasn’t even on a Region 1 DVD. Finally, sometime within the last year, it arrived on Tubi. Tentatively, I recommend checking out this subversive Boy-Meets-Girl thriller for free, though a part of me wonders if I were to watch it again if the experience would be the same. There’s something so wonderful about being in the right place and the right time to catch a piece of art, only for it to live singularly in your mind.
I’ve had some fun other screenings in the past at Chi Film Fest; usually, with my limited college budget, it was movies I hotly anticipated through name recognition or niche geekdom (anyone else who was psyched for The Last Five Years film adaptation?) while unable to afford seeing any of the actual buzzy opening, closing, or centerpiece films.
My last Chi Film Fest before the pandemic is yet another cherished memory. At the time, my job directly conflicted with the Chi Film Fest schedule. It was 2019, and I was more on top of my movie news — aware of more directors, more international work, more local work, more horror, more queer work, etc. But I just couldn’t make it. It was the first year I could afford to go properly, but nearly every night, I was working. But on one evening, my shift freed up and I was no longer needed. It was the Chicago premiere of Knives Out. My office was just a 15 minute walk from the downtown AMC that the festival takes place at. Knives Out was sold out, but I wanted to see the movie bad, I was free, and Rian Johnson was going to appear in person. Fuck it, I decided, let’s see if this doofus can score a rush ticket.
I was first in line for Rush. It was my lucky day. I got a seat up front, directly across from where Rian — and a surprise appearance from local favorite Michael Shannon! — would appear. I had a blast. Watching a riot of a movie in a full theater is just as beautiful as watching a hidden gem in an audience of under 20. It’s all special, us experiencing this thing together. I didn’t have a chance to meet Rian Johnson as he was already being escorted to the second screening, but I got to briefly speak with Michael Shannon in his bearded, eccentric glory. I told him I was a fan of all of his work, but I needed him to know that I especially adored his cameo in David Wain’s They Came Together, perhaps one of the funniest movie moments in my recent memory. Shannon scrunched his face up for a second in thought, and then said “OH, right! With Rudd?”
And friends, that’s why:
This pandemic is far from over no matter what Dark Brandon says, but attending Chi Film Fest’s hybrid festival last year was one of the happiest experiences I’ve had since we first locked down in 2020. What was even better is how much I was able to share with my loved ones. I took my mom to see Bergman Island and learned that she actually watches a fair bit of international films in her spare time. My dad and I went to the drive-in screening of The Harder They Fall and got to have a shared experience of being underwhelmed. I cried to The Worst Person in the World in the comfort of my living room, feeling glad I could experience this movie and tell everyone I knew to give it a chance. Perhaps most memorably, I watched Drive My Car — a film I hotly anticipated since reading its reviews from Sundance 2021 — and quickly came out with it as my favorite movie of the year, getting a chance to bring friends to experience it themselves as soon as it had its limited release in theaters.
Freshly pricked with new bivalent, I’ve renewed my membership again and am now figuring out my watch schedule and who to bring. It’s an interesting lineup this year (in an interesting year for Awards Season movies) that I suspect may have some late additions on the horizon. And don’t worry, if you want to see the Don’t Worry Darling mess for yourself, there’s no need to wait for a festival — that spectacle comes to a theater near you this weekend.
Without further ado, here are some recommendations and comments on the Chi Film Fest lineup from your Chicago-dwelling, movie-loving, pretentious former deli worker.
The Big Ones
All said and done, usually when folks aren’t dolling out hundreds to watch a full slate of films, they go for the big dogs; the Oscar-likelies, the #Trendings, the Famous Curiosities.
Let’s walk through which of these will be at Chi Film Fest, who appears to be missing, and why this year’s release schedule is a little strange. (In alphabetical order…)
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh girlies to the front, we got a new one! Okay, okay, so my relationship with Mr. McDonagh is complicated. As a gal with a theater degree, I’ve got a soft spot for his gnarly works such as The Pillowman and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (the latter of which I did a monologue from in high school, an absolutely demented assignment to give a 16 year-old). I’m not crazy about some of his filmography, which often times feels like Guy Ritchie trying to make a Coen Brothers film. That said, In Bruges is perhaps his finest masterwork, and that movie’s pairing of Colin Farrell (who is having a fascinating career run) and Brendan Gleeson reunite for the Banshees of Inisherin. McDonagh is often at his best when his commentary stays on the interpersonal level where, if anything, systemic flaws are the catalyst for a person’s implosion, rather than the driving villain of the story. The Banshees of Inisherin seems to fall squarely in that camp with a return to Éire and supporting roles rounded out by Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul) and my personal favorite weird-little-guy, Barry Keoghan.
Side note: I know a lot of people love McDonagh’s last movie, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. In spite of the serious subject matter, I can’t get over how much the billboards made me think of The Snowman starring Michael Fassbender.
Call Jane
In all likelihood, Call Jane probably won’t make it very far in the Awards race (if at all), but this movie has had some consistent buzz since its Sundance premiere that has only become all the more appropriate with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This tale of a housewife (played by Elizabeth Banks, finally getting to try for serious roles) getting involved in an abortion network may not be the protest movie we need, but reviews indicate this dramatization of a chapter of history helmed by the writer of Carol may be a welcome reminder of what collective power can accomplish in troubled times.
A Compassionate Spy (I guess?)
I will be completely honest, I had never heard of this movie until this lineup was announced. Regardless, this documentary has been slated as the festival opener, has evidently been making the festival rounds, and is the latest from director-producer Steve James, the filmmaker behind Hoop Dreams and a staple of the Chicago documentary community — largely credited to his work with Kartemquin Films. It’s an interesting choice to open the festival (even with the Chicago ties), but I’m giving it a Big One label as a featured presentation and possible Oscar contender for Best Documentary. Documentaries aren’t really my bag (more on that below), so take this commentary as you will!
Decision to Leave
We are getting into some meat and potatoes, here. Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook returns with his much anticipated feature film follow-up to The Handmaiden. Other than a couple of short films, Park’s only work since The Handmaiden was the miniseries The Little Drummer Girl, a *inhales very deeply* UK adaptation of a John le Carré novel starring an accent-wielding Michael Shannon, Miss Flo(rence) Pugh, and Alexander Skarsgård that attempts to dive into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict/occupation/whatever stance this miniseries tries to take. So.
Park Chan-wook is famously brutal in his filmmaking through his legacy defining work such as Oldboy and cross-continent cult hits like Stoker. His newest may subvert expectations by depicting a sweeping romance in the midst of this procedural mystery-thriller. Regardless of the genre, Park’s work promises to be unlike anything else you’ve seen.
Devotion
I first saw the trailer for Devotion ahead of a Nope screening on Labor Day, and all I could do is groan. I don’t care much for war movies, biopics, or war movie biopics, and I’m really not here for Diverse Representation in Inspirational War Propaganda™.
It also just looks cheesy and overly sentimental. Allllll that said, Jonathan Majors is one of the more exciting actors working today, and Chi Film Fest is featuring a tribute with Majors in person as part of the screening. Also, Chicago film critic Robert Daniels wrote quite a positive review of the movie, and he’s an opinion I deeply respect. Maybe Devotion will be an Awards Season surprise?
Empire of Light
Speaking of War Propaganda, I was pleasantly surprised by director Sam Mendes last feature 1917, a movie I fully expected to be annoyed by. Empire of Light is probably nothing like 1917 and so far appears to be not very good. It doesn’t help that Mendes’ sentimental work will likely be compared to The Fabelmans as both are personal period pieces about the magic of cinema in competition for awards from longtime acclaimed directors — and people seem to like The Fabelmans a helluva lot more. Olivia Colman is in this, though?
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
A populist inclusion, Glass Onion promises a star-studded romp and more of Daniel Craig’s delightful accent. I’ll likely be there to bring my Chi Film Fest experiences full circle. Plus — this sequel will be presented with a career award to scene-stealer Kathryn Hahn, who is always a delight and rarely receives her due.
My Policeman (aka Don’t Worry Darling’s spiritual cousin)
All signs point to this gay period drama being really bad, but if you’re easily won over by stories about closeted, repressed cops, or as interested as I am in just how bad of an actor Harry Styles is turning out to be, it could be worth the price of admission.
The Whale (woof)
I have not seen The Whale, so I cannot comment on the ethics of The Whale with any accuracy. This is tough and troubling ground, especially if you were aware of the popular Chicago run of the original play at Victory Gardens in 2013 and have had feelings about the conceit ever since. Regardless of the film’s artistic approach to the subject matter — a 600-pound man with a passively-suicidal binge-eating disorder attempts to reconnect with his daughter after abandoning her and her mother to pursue a relationship with his male student — reviews and conversations around the film have already brought out the absolute worst in people’s barely covered hatred and/or patronization of fat people. Additionally, Brendan Fraser (in his comeback role, RIP Batgirl) is not 600 pounds. In addition to that addition, the way people have discussed Fraser’s comeback is bizarre to say the least. Allegedly (I say out of obligation, though I personally believe to be true), Fraser was blacklisted from Hollywood after calling out his experience of being sexually assaulted. I think his return to starring roles is certainly cause for celebration, but the way people have begun to discuss his return reflects the way fat people are discussed, even in the most positive of circumstances: Like a poor puppy in need of protection and pity.
As a survivor of sexual assault, I celebrate Fraser’s return and that his return is a momentous moment of taking back power, not of being #Brave, not of coming back from the experience as fragile or delicate. He’s a grown man who went through something horrible. We can treat him like a grown man AND like someone who went through something horrible. Surviving the worst doesn’t turn you into a wilting flower, it turns you into someone who survived the worst.
Similarly, being fat isn’t inherently a tragedy. The worst effects of fatness are systemic — in the way you and your body are treated. We do not need stories that invoke you to weep on how this poor man is so poor for being fat and so brave for being vulnerable especially because he’s so fragile, he’s basically glass, he could break at any minute, but also he won’t because he’s so fat it’s disgusting, but maybe we’re disgusting for thinking it’s disgusting, and this poor, brave, sad, brave man should make us into better people because now we know that fat people actually have feelings and every moment they dare to be fat is so very brave, and so very sad. Oh, and he’s gay, so it’s like twice as horrible.
I really like Black Swan. I will judge The Whale on its merits after seeing it, and I know fat critics who have spoken favorably of the movie. The Whale is practically guaranteed to be one of the top Awards contenders, so for any of us who care, we will have to listen to all of this discourse for weeks on end. I recommend either seeing the movie and getting it all over with so you can think about other things, like what to get your niece for Christmas or who you’re voting for in the upcoming municipal elections, or waiting until August 2023 when you see it on a streaming site and think “Oh yeah, that movie. Huh. Yeah, I got a couple hours to kill.”
White Noise (woooooooof)
I am a Film Bimbo and I am not in grad school, so I have never read Don Delillo’s supposedly unadaptable satirical book White Noise, but there’s a lot of things about this movie that have got me excited: 1) When Noah Baumbach makes a good movie, he makes a really fucking good movie, 2) Greta Gerwig’s hair, 3) Adam Driver apparently looks like he has been made up to be identical to Noah Baumbach. Living for whatever self-criticism that is supposed to represent, 4) The book coined the term Airborne Toxic Event, which is the name of a band with at least three songs I really like, 5) The budget for this movie is bananas — rumored to be nearly $140 million! — for an A24 co-production part of a Netflix distribution deal adapting a book written predominantly through dialogue. Reviews have been favorable so far. It likely won’t win everyone over, but no doubt White Noise will be a heavy contender in this year’s Oscar race and a topic of conversation upon its Netflix premiere on December 30.
Women Talking
Sarah Polley hasn’t made a movie in a long time. The actor-turned-filmmaker’s last film was a decade ago with the shattering documentary, Stories We Tell. I love Polley’s work and how she handles narratives about women in transition in a way that is both completely out in the open, yet impenetrable. Women Talking boasts a cast that includes Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, and focuses on the women of a contemporary Mennonite community navigating how to take years of coordinated abuse at the hands of the men into their own hands. Early reviews of the film are overwhelmingly positive and tease the chance of Polley finally receiving recognition industry-wide as more than an indie darling.
A note: Sarah Polley released a memoir called Run Towards the Danger earlier this year, which features a powerful essay about her experience as a child actor working with Terry Gilliam on the set of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. You can read this excerpt now at The Guardian — a read which I highly recommend.
Women Talking (About Films on Letterboxd)
Okay, so that covers the flashy titles! But what about the hidden gems? The festival favorites? What are the movie gals saying about some of these lesser known upcoming films?
Broker
Song Kang-ho supremacy! When Parasite won Best Picture in 2020, it may have been a history-making breath of fresh air, but notably missing from the masterpiece’s incredible circuit was any recognition of the tremendous acting featured in the modern classic, particularly from loyal Bong Joon-ho collaborator Song Kang-ho (also a regular collaborator of the previously mentioned Park Chan-wook). Song’s newest star-vehicle is a drama directed by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda who is held in high esteem for works such as After Life, Shoplifters, and Still Walking. You may have not heard of Hirokazu, but that shouldn’t stop you from seeking what sounds like a challenging and touching collaboration between two of the best working figures in film.
Close
Maybe you’ve caught Lukas Dhont’s previous film Girl on Netflix, but it isn’t exactly the most beloved by critics. Dhont (a queer, Belgian filmmaker) previously tried his hand at the coming-of-age story of a young trans girl aspiring to become a ballerina. Though award-winning, the film has attracted heat for its misery-porn, objectifying approach to transness. Dhont is back, though, with Close — another coming-of-age tale, though perhaps one the young director is more qualified to tell. The movie has been quietly earning praise since its premiere at Cannes where it took home the Grand Prix, and has since been picked up by A24 for distribution… a curiously gentle choice amongst a slate of far more transgressive releases from the hip distribution/production company that still has people convinced has a paint-by-numbers style (it very much does not!) Close has had far more success with critics so far and is poised to nab a Best International Feature spot this year at the Oscars, and perhaps will even be A24’s attempt to recreate the success of Moonlight.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Sure, this isn’t a new release, but as we continue to celebrate the work of Michelle Yeoh, who wouldn’t want to miss this special screening of one of her most famous works.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Out of all the films on this list, this one has the most potential to (pun reluctantly included) blow up as the sleeper must-see picture of the festival circuit. There’s a lot to be excited about here: The movie is a fictional adaptation of the 2021 book of the same name that draws attention to radical climate activism that targets the corporations destroying the planet (that’s an overly-simplified summary of the book, as I said, I’m not in grad school). The movie is the sophomore effort of Daniel Goldhaber, the director behind Cam, one of the coolest thrillers of the last few years. The movie is also a heist film! About sabotaging a pipeline! That’s just so damn cool. Above all, How to Blow Up a Pipeline has already quickly drummed up buzz since it’s premiere less than two weeks ago at the Toronto International Film Fest. If the early reviews are correct, this one is a must-see. Don’t expect it to break into the Awards conversations, though.
A note: For anyone hoping their ecoterrorism movies are genuinely radical, Goldhaber shared in a Q&A that a high-up in the U.S. Bureau of Counterterrorism was involved as a consultant. Whether you agree with the level of radical activism portrayed or not, we should all be a little weary of films made with government involvement, especially when they address issues such as the climate crisis.
Leonor Will Never Die
I had the pleasure of getting to catch this virtually as part of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival lineup… and unfortunately, I screwed up my screening window, and only caught the first third. Learn from my lessons, all! Double check the screening windows! Leonor Will Never Die is a Filipino love letter to the magic of movies that will never receive the same attention as say, The Fabelmans or Empire of Light. Quirky, stylized, and emotional — give this one a watch for something truly unique.
Nanny
I had the pleasure of getting to catch this virtually as part of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival lineup… and actually got to watch all of it in its entirety. While I had some gripes with some of the movie’s lack of subtlety, when it works, it’s unlike anything else. This lush, folk horror film about motherhood and the American Dream will stick with you long after the run time. Plus! The movie’s captivating star Anna Diop will be celebrated in-person with a Rising Star Award. Well earned!
The Wonder
Little did anyone know that Miss Flo(rence) Pugh has another movie making the rounds this fall. The Ireland-set period piece about faith and medicine comes from Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, whose filmography is a wonder all of its own: A thriller about a trans woman working through her grief, a late-in-life coming-of-age comedy (and it’s later English-language remake) about a free-spirited divorceé, and an erotic drama about a lesbian love affair in an Orthodox Jewish community (a movie I found trite and unbearable, but a lot of other people liked). Not content to be pigeonholed to one type of story, there’s no predicting how The Wonder will sit with audiences, but Florence Pugh hasn’t put in a bad performance yet — and that’s worth the watch itself.
You Had My Curiosity…
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the large slate of interesting sounding movies that may not have generated discussion, but sure generate curiosity — and that’s the fun of a film festival!
I previously mentioned The Beasts (As Bestas) from Rodrigo Sorogoyen, which has been well-reviewed so far, and stars French actor Denis Ménochet, who you may recognize as the poor farmer from the opening scene in Inglourious Basterds.
I don’t know much about the movie Aftersun, but it’s another A24 acquisition and has received glowing reviews in spite of its understated premise. All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is literally about consuming hallucinogenic earthworms. The Polish film EO is from the POV of a donkey. Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke play brothers in Raymond and Ray. There’s a lot to dig into.
How About Those Documentaries and Shorts?
I am very bad at watching both documentaries and shorts, but I recommend that everyone make an effort to watch documentaries and shorts.
As always, keep up with my film diary and informal reviews on Letterboxd where I’ll be logging all my Chi Film Fest exploits.
I am my own editor, so if you find any typos — keep them to yourself! Kidding, but really ask yourself if it’s worth it.