If you’ve never been to a film festival before, now is the perfect time to do so (it is currently awards and film festival season). Film festivals provide unforgettable and fun experiences in the midst of the exhaustion. One usually does not have much time in between screenings, depending on how one schedules their festival lineup.
Milwaukee Film is in its ninth year, presenting the Annual Milwaukee Film Festival. The festival locations are the Oriental Theatre, the Downer Theatre, Avalon Atmospheric Lounge, the Times Cinema, and Fox Bay Cinema Grill. Furthermore, Milwaukee Film will commence operating the Oriental Theatre on July 1, 2017 and recently established the Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance (MFA). In short, Milwaukee is an ever expanding film scene.
Without further ado, the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival, days two and four recap.
Swim Team
The McQuay family founded the swim team, the Jersey Hammerheads – a diverse group of competitive swimmers on the autism spectrum. The team primarily consists of unique boys and we follow them to the statewide swim competition, even the Special Olympics. Swim Team easily pulls the heartstrings, regardless if one loves to swim and acquainted with someone with autism. A genuine example of overcoming adversity and still generates the delightful feeling afterward.
8/10
Mara’akame’s Dream
While the young Nieri dreams of becoming a musician, his predetermined destiny is a Mara’akame – a Huichol shaman and a cultural tradition demands him to undergo a spiritual journey in a big city. Despite the characters being difficult to connect to on a personal level, Nieri’s extensive journey is astonishing. From the respectable performances to the beautiful cinematography, Mara’akame’s Dream impeccably examines the Huichol culture.
5/10
Manlife
Merle Hayden preserves the spiritual and philosophical movement Lawsonomy, initially founded by airline inventor Alfred Lawson. Manlife will certainly hit home in spite the fact that one may not be directly involved with Lawsonomy. There was a couple who fell asleep during the screening right next to me. Mr. Hayden and Lawsonomy are far from a complete snoozefest – the intriguing subjects surprisingly deserve a sequel. Because Manlife features familiar Wisconsin highways and roads, it is akin to witnessing one’s hometown onscreen.
8/10
Quest
Filmed over a decade, Jonathan Olshefski follows the Rainey family through triumphs and tribulations in North Philadelphia. Quest easily reminded me of Boyhood, but replace with an African-American family. From the mesmerizing narrative to the flawless editing, the film is ambitious from start to finish. African-American narratives are rarely told onscreen and indeed, Quest demonstrates black lives matter, regardless of their predicaments. The world may be harsh, but persistence allows one to endure almost anything.
6/10
New Chefs on the Block
The mouth watering documentary explores the Washington D.C. food scene and the chefs attempting to open restaurants. Two restaurateurs are spotlighted: Aaron Silverman of Rose’s Luxury and Frank Linn of Frankly…Pizza!; however, the instant favorite is the latter’s inception story. In addition to New Chefs on the Block highlighting the restaurant business, the chefs provide significant advice that connects to all industries. Motivational at its prime, fairly heartbreaking at its lowest.
7/10
Shorts: That’s Life
The shorts program includes A Swedish Classic, The Fourth Kingdom, Plea, Good Luck, Orlo!, Three Red Sweaters, and Viola, Franca. Aside from Viola, Franca and Plea, the shorts program is underwhelming. The diverse selection does not save the fact that one will be wanting more following each film. In order to be able to care and appreciate the characters in each respective film, the films required to be feature length. Plea and Viola, Franca would boast Academy Award potential if feature length. Comprehensive Grade: 5/10
Please check out my Unrest review here and Stumped review here.
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