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The 54th Chicago International Film Festival comes to a close Sunday and will perhaps be remembered as one of the best lineups of films in decades.
With Oscar buzz surrounding many of the films and actors, screenings were sold out, and red carpets were packed with press and fans alike.
Viola Davis, Liam Neeson and Carey Mulligan were some of the shining stars to attend, and writers-directors Peter Hedges (“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”) and Steve McQueen (“12 Years A Slave”) enjoyed being a part of the Windy City’s festivities as they showed their newest creations to adoring audiences.
Many of the CIFF films premiered at the Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals, but in true Chicago style, the festival also featured films made right here in the Windy City such as “What They Had” by Elizabeth Chomko and “Olympia” by McKenzie Chinn, as well as giving screen time to foreign gems such as “Working Woman” by Michal Aviad and “The Shoplifters” from Japan by Hirokazu Koreeda.
What are the films you should put on your list to see in the coming months? I have the answer to that question along with hidden gems and a few films I am remiss to have missed.
Felix Van Groeningen co-writes and directs this heartbreaking and wrenching story of addiction based on the memoirs by David and Nic Sheff. We travel along David (Steve Carell) and Nic’s (Timothee Chalamet) journey, understanding how addiction happens and the toll it takes on a family, but more importantly, how relationships change and how far a father can be pushed.
It’s an artistic and poignant story with exceptionally authentic performances which will leave you speechless.
Peter Hedges (“Dan In Real Life”) tells a story of addiction, seen from a mother’s viewpoint in “Ben Is Back.” Hedges captures the tenuous lifeline of an addict and the lengths a mother will go to protect her son. Taking place during a 24-hour period, we witness the extremes between the beauty of love and the horrors of addiction.
Julia Roberts creates one of the most deeply layered and genuinely nuanced performances of her career, and Lucas Hedges finds yet another role in which he demonstrates his extraordinary skills as a gifted actor.
‘CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?’
Marielle Heller directs this truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story co-written by Nicole Holofcener and starring Melissa McCarthy as the forgotten best-selling author Lee Israel. Looking to find a way out of financial turmoil, Lee discovers she is a talented forger of eloquent letters from legendary deceased authors.
As she sells her wares, she takes on an unlikely friend and partner, Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant). It’s a story of friendship and lost love, giving McCarthy room to spread her wings as an actress with extraordinary range.
Richard E. Grant shines alongside McCarthy, adding a unique flavor and perspective to deliver a story that is as charming, engaging and heartwarming as it is entertainingly eloquent.
Elizabeth Chomko’s writing and directorial debut creates a dramatic, sometimes humorous, but always realistic depiction of how dementia affects not just one person, but an entire family in trying to do “what’s best.” Starring Hilary Swank (Bridget), Michael Shannon (Nick), Blythe Danner (Ruth) and Robert Forster (Burt), Ruth has become more difficult to care for, and Nick has reached a limit in helping his parents.
Calling on his sister from L.A., the family tackles one of the most difficult aspects of aging. With Alzheimer’s disease affecting about 5 million people in the United States alone, the ripple effect to others is almost immeasurable, yet this film captures the essence of many families’ struggles.
It’s a stellar cast with beautifully created characters and a script that will hit home as you see the future — whether a neighbor or maybe even your own family.
Sordid stories within the political arena seem commonplace these days, but just a few decades ago, the Gary Hart-Donna Rice scandal was enough to push the presidential candidate out of the race. What really happened in the mid-’80s? Co-writer-director Jason Reitman answers this question as he delves deeply into each of the characters’ backstory, giving us a thorough look at not only history, but perhaps even why we are where we are with the integrity of politics and journalism today.
Hugh Jackman transforms himself into Hart, supported by a standout cast, including Vera Farmiga as Lee Hart and Sara Paxton as Rice.
Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”) takes us back to his childhood in Mexico City, re-creating an artistic memoir and homage to the loving and strong women in his life. This symbolic film has a very loose narrative, allowing the viewer to be an observational participant in the film.
Seen through the eyes of a child, the sights and sounds, with no musical score, gives you an unusual perspective of 1970s Mexico, the clbad system and the love of humanity.
“A Private War,” a biopic starring Rosamund Pike, Asghar Farhadi’s (“The Salesman”) film “Everybody Knows” starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem and Michal Aviad’s “Working Woman” from Israel are all intense dramatic films not to be missed.
And created right here in the Chicago area are three wonderfully informative and entertaining films, two of which are documentaries, the other a lighthearted yet soulful look into what adulthood really means.
Gabe Polsky (“Red Army”) give us “In Search of Greatness,” in which he dissects why elite athletes truly rise to the top; Chicago area journalist Assia Boundaoui discovers her own family and neighborhood being targeted as possible terrorists based on their Muslim religion in “The Feeling of Being Watched,” and Mc- Kenzie Chinn writes and Greg Dixon directs a charming comedy with a touch of drama in “Olympia,” starring Chinn as she wrestles with a sick mother and her commitment to a boyfriend.
While I am remiss to have missed, “Green Book,” “Widows,” “Shoplifters,” “An Acceptable Loss,” and “Claire Darling,” these are certainly films I will be putting on my “must see” list for the coming months.
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