Author name: Michael Elsaesser

Where is the line between a film’s self-indulgence, and camp? I wanted to like this film. I tried to like this film. As a cinema studies student, I was primed to enjoy this film’s premise: a director sharing his life through an on-camera interview, as the complications of his character begin to unfold. Yet, I […]

The rise and fall of a northeast princess In a cinematic environment where many audiences feel they can only be entertained by big-budget blockbusters, Anora explodes into the landscape reminding viewers of the medium’s power to make individual stories into large-scale epics.  Anora was written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker (whose previous works include

Families forged out of ensembles Riff Raff: Families are… complicated. The messiness which arises from poor communication has produced numerous comedies through time. However, the experience you get when combining family comedy with a bunch of assassins is uniquely felt in Dito Montiel’s new film Riff Raff.  The film features an all-star ensemble with Jennifer