ReviewsSIFF 2021 Review: “East of the Mountains” Opens Up a Road to ReflectionTom Skerritt shines as a widower looking to make an exit until he starts letting others in.byStephen SaitoApr 16, 2021
ReviewsSan Francisco Film Fest 2021 Review: An Artist Looks Towards New Horizons in Yaara Bou Melhem’s “Unseen Skies”A profile of Trevor Paglen, an artist specializing in examining mass surveillance, offers a reflection on a world of increasingly digital de...byStephen SaitoApr 14, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: A Crime Leaves Everyone a Victim in “When Claude Got Shot”An attempted robbery takes far more from a man than what happened on the night of in this potent look at breaking cycles of injustice in com...byStephen SaitoMar 23, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: “Spring Valley” Brings a Lot to the TableAn arresting doc illustrates how a snap judgment that made headlines revealed a legacy of racism. byStephen SaitoMar 22, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: Justine Bateman’s “Violet” Offers a Bold BreakthroughA female production exec has trouble giving herself the greenlight in this insightful and stylish character study.byStephen SaitoMar 21, 2021
ReviewsCinequest 2021 Review: “A Hard Problem” Raises Provocative QuestionsAfter the loss of a mother, a family faces the consequences of thinking for themselves in this intriguing sci-fi drama.byStephen SaitoMar 21, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: Mei Makino’s “The In-Between Girl” Goes Straight to the HeartA teenager finds her comfort zone in this cunning coming-of-age comedy.byStephen SaitoMar 18, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: A Search for Other Signs of Life in the Universe Finds Plenty of It on Earth in Nathaniel Kahn’s Spirited “The Hunt for Planet B”A lively look at the development of the James Webb Telescope, designed to uncover new exoplanets, shows the humans capacity to still dream b...byStephen SaitoMar 18, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: “The Drover’s Wife” Offers a Quite Different Little House on the PrairieThose sidelined for so long in Westerns take center stage in Leah Purcell's intriguing spin on the genre.byStephen SaitoMar 18, 2021
ReviewsSXSW 2021 Review: A Teenager Faces Extraordinary Growing Pains in Emily Cohen Ibañez’s “Fruits of Labor”Working the fields since she was 15, a high school senior balances work and school in this engaging doc about a vicious cycle.byStephen SaitoMar 18, 2021