May 19, 2021

WIFF’s Weekend Watch List — 05/20

STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET (If you want to take a trip down memory lane) Vincent Georgie: As with most of…

STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET

(If you want to take a trip down memory lane)

Vincent Georgie: As with most of you, I grew up watching “Sesame Street” and I loved it. It was educational, funny and warm-hearted. This brand new doc is wonderful because it unpacks the incredible thought that went into this series around equity, diversity and inclusion via a gentle, fun and entertaining approach. We all need some positivity and sincerity right now, and this is the film to do it.

Synopsis: Go inside the hearts and minds of the “Sesame Street” creators, artists and educators who established one of the most influential and enduring children’s series in television history. With exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and more than 20 original interviews, filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo introduces audiences to a gang of visionaries who set out to entertain and educate young minds by harnessing the power of television with furry characters, catchy songs and a diverse cast.

Watch on iTunes

ALPS

(If you want something wildly original)

Vincent Georgie: Weird, funny and often disturbing, visionary filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (THE FAVOURITE and THE LOBSTER, among many other outstanding titles) is at his irreverent best. The strength of this film is the premise is so impossibly original that it fascinates you and ends up moving you. Buckle-up…

Synopsis: Actors start a unique business where they impersonate deceased people to help their clients through the grieving process.

Watch on Amazon Prime

Watch on iTunes

COMING HOME

(If you want a sweeping drama)

Vincent Georgie: Master filmmaker Zhang Yimou brings us one of his most visually beautiful, but also emotionally satisfying political sagas. I think Gong Li is one of the best actresses in the world, and her performance here is no exception. A very high-quality production.

Synopsis: Lu and Feng are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner during the Cultural Revolution. When Lu is released years later, he returns home to find his beloved wife has amnesia and remembers little of her past. Unable to recognize him, she still patiently awaits her husband’s return. A stranger within his own family, Lu is determined to awaken his wife’s memory through gentle displays of unconditional and eternal love.

Watch on iTunes

Watch on YouTube

DOUBLE FEATURE

TOUCHING NICOLE KIDMAN PERFORMANCES

Nicole Kidman continues to be the actress that takes the most risks out of any A-lister. While many of her leading role choices are more arch or even chilly, I want to point you to two films where her supporting role performances are warm-hearted, relatable and humane, and the films themselves are very satisfying.

LION

Synopsis: Saroo gets separated from his family at the age of five and ends up being adopted by an Australian couple. However, 25 years later, he returns to India to search for his birth parents.

Watch on Amazon Prime

Watch on Crave

Watch on iTunes

Watch on YouTube

BOY ERASED

Synopsis: Jared discovers that he is homosexual and tells his family. However, his father sends him to a conversion therapy camp where he is introduced to some questionable philosophy and methods.