Cowboys - BFI Flare

 

When Jo and his father disappear in the middle of the night, his mother calls the police and soon there is a search party out looking for him. Born a girl, Jo knows he is a boy and only his father seems to understand him. But his father has his own his issues to deal with, taking pills to help his mental health, he just wants his son to be happy. But choosing to take drastic measures to ensure that, doesn’t always end well.

 

Transgender children have been a more recent topic of conversation, in magazines, newspapers, TV shows, documentaries and of course all-over social media. The debate whether children should be allowed to transition at a young age still goes on and varies from country to country. But the first step before all this is the child coming forward and saying they are transgender. Various films over the recent years have created stories around this subject but there hasn’t be one (that I can think of) that has the father of a transgender child escape into the wilderness so that they can protect them. Cowboys is a story about Jo and his parents, Troy and Sally and how they act.

 

Sasha Knight who plays Jo is a revelation. Comfortably fitting into the character and finding the vulnerable and joyful aspects. The most tender and heartfelt stand out moments in the film are definitely between Knight and Steve Zahn who plays Troy. The chemistry between the actors is what makes this film a delight to watch. Jillian Bell also shows she isn’t just a comedy actress as Jo’s distraught mother, Sally.

The desperate nature of both Troy and Sally and trying to understand who they are is given equal time on screen as well as Jo’s own story. Although we learn through fragmented flashback scenes as to how the father and son ended up on the run, on horseback in the wilderness, we never really see Jo’s quieter moments or his journey to how he knew he was a boy in a girl’s body. All of this is off screen and we are shown him uncomfortable in dresses and arguments with his mother. These would have been vital scenes if this was just about Jo but as this was about an action with consequences, Jo’s personal journey is not included in the story.

 

My First Summer - BFI Flare

 

Having grown up in isolation, Claudia finds herself alone and scared after her mother suddenly dies. By chance Grace stumbles into her home and her life, igniting a friendship and special bond in both of them. But as the girls become closer, so do the police, trying find out what happened to the reclusive author who used to live in the middle of nowhere. With the threat of Claudia’s discovery coming ever closer, the girls try to make plan but can they’re new found love survive this?

 

Each of the girls crave something and when they find each other, a piece of them is found. Claudia, having grown up with just her mother and dog, Tobey for company, companionship, you can understand that she’ll behave slightly strangely towards anyone. She is both in shock and a state of grief throughout the film which is only paused once she gets used to having Grace around. Grace has a difficult home life and seeks companionship. With a neglectful mother and the uncomfortable presence of her boyfriend, she has no desire to be at home. She also doesn’t seem to have any friends. The girls give each other what they need. They’re slow and gentle cautious romance feels inevitable from the moment they meet and it unfolds at a pace befitting their characters. Nothing is done in haste, including the unfolding of what happened to Claudia’s mother. The realisation of her suicide is revealed in hazy sun-soaked flashbacks but doesn’t give much away as why she planned it out in this way. More back story for Claudia and her mother would have been helped explain a few things, including their relationship but as the focus is the girls, its given to us as an afterthought.

 

The scenes where the girls are just enjoying summer, playing, decorating Claudia’s room, eating fruit in the garden are full of joy. Even the tentative moments, as they kiss for the first time are treated with such care. It’s as if the delicate nature of which we find Claudia is expressed throughout the film. A tender first love, over the long hot summer story that weaves in elements of the coming of age genre, bringing hope that this genre can still offer up surprises.

10 Years of She Likes Movies

On March 11^th 2011 I started a blog. I started it initially to chronicle the making of my final year film, Space Detective and then my dissertation on violence and its meaning in the Coen Brothers’ films. One of my favourite post titles, Operation Dissertation Hibernation, which was very accurate. I kept in my room writing, editing and then printing for 3 days, making an extra-large thermos of hot water so that I could make multiple cups of tea without going to the kitchen. Back then, I was still able to drink black tea. I would switch to green tea in the evenings and during the night if I decided to write later. On the fourth day I went and printed extra copies at the University (as far as I can remember) and then submitted it. It was an intense few day but the dissertation was complete. My film was complete. University was almost over. Little did I know that my blog would my constant companion, source and outlet for my writing and ultimately my gateway to other ventures. 

 

The original name for my blog was an inside joke between me and a friend and I had no intention of taking my blog any further than just writing a few silly stories, anecdotes and sharing my thoughts on films. Ever So Ethnically Confused was a place for fiction, film and reality (oh my). Through the blog and the blogging community I met other film bloggers, writers and critics. I was part of the female geek bloggers, taking part in Fandom Fridays. I was part of the Thursday Movie Picks group for a time, but couldn’t keep up with commenting and reading, there were a lot of us. I drifted away from the more fun side of blogging and tried to become more focused on writing about film. Stream lining to reviews, feature length (sometimes) posts and listicles of my own. I created my Afternoon Movie reoccurring posts as well as the VS posts and finally moved towards film festivals. But by 2016 I decided that I needed a name change and a slight redesign. I was now writing regularly for Vulturehound and an active member of the Park Circus Ambassadors Network, attending events and screenings so I needed to streamline my writing even more. She Likes Movies was my new identity. 

 

Since 2016, my blog and hopefully my writing has improved. I’ve written for more places, I’ve gained accreditation at festivals and I’ve covered countless films, either for myself and blog or other outlets, mainly Filmhounds (used to be Vulturehound). I’ve also expanded my knowledge, attending a film critics workshop, a film programmers’ course, going to more film festivals, big and small and stretching outside my comfort zone covering films in genres I wouldn’t have touched 6 years ago. I’ve also collaborated on a few pieces, done a few interviews and introduced a few films at special screenings, a particular highlight was getting to introduce The Big Lebowski at Cinema Rediscovered. On top of all this, I’ve also got to create my own zines! 

 

I said I was planning something special, ideally it would have been a screening or at least I would have tried to make than happen if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. So, instead, I created a book to commemorate 10 years of writing on my blog, 10 years of She Likes Movies.

 

 

This blog has been a big part of my writing journey, as cliché as it sounds, this blog is what got me love film again and find a pathway into what I really want to create. Although I set out to become a filmmaker back in 2011, I can return to the craft one day but at heart, I’ll always be a film critic and this blog is part of it. It’s been 10 years so here’s to the next decade of film!

 

The Greenhouse - BFI Flare

 

Grief is a difficult thing. Everyone grieves in their own way that others may not understand and interpret in other ways. The Greenhouse is a physical manifestation of one family’s journey through the past and present, centred around the death of a parent. 

 

On the weekend of her mother’s birthday, her siblings are coming back home, where Beth has never left. Still grieving for her other mother who died, Beth feels stuck where she is. But one day she enters the greenhouse which sends her back in time where she can watch moments in hers and her family’s life and she gets to see her mum again. But as she spends more time in the greenhouse avoiding her present, fractures and old arguments start to break through. 

 

The family dynamic is clearly set up within the first few minutes of The Greenhouse, giving us a great insight to how this family lives. With mums Lillian and Ruth at the head of the family, Beth and her other adopted siblings; Raf, Doonie and Drew seemed to have a rather harmonious life together. But outside their home there were issues faced. Things seems to have fallen apart after the death of Lillian yet Beth still can’t leave her childhood home or her mum Ruth. As the child left behind it feels as if the other siblings resent her for staying yet don’t feel guilty for going, leaving Beth stuck in limbo. The Greenhouse itself feels like a gateway, a limbo like area that joins the past and the present but it’s unclear how long this gateway has been there. There is a possibility it was created after Lillian’s death as Ruth is fully aware of its power yet didn’t share the discovery with Beth. Once the other siblings enter the greenhouse, they too see visions of the past, which Beth tries to prevent, not wanting them to see certain moments. This only ramps up the tension between the siblings. Not respecting how their sister grieves is one aspect of the story but this angst that has built up comes to a head, giving them all space to say exactly how they feel.

 

Another part of the story is how Beth and her best friend Lauren fall in love as teenagers but as young adults Beth is unwilling to go any further. She is unable to leave town with Lauren, therefore prolonging her own happiness and denying her own feelings for the sake of her two mums. This sacrifice is used against her by her angrier siblings to call her out for not being her true self, causing even more pain for Beth. The love story element does muddy the main story about the family slightly but it is necessary so we can see Beth as more than just the one who stayed behind.

 

Blending family grief with a science fiction twist in the form of time travel makes for a sombre watch at times, given the subject matter, but it is beautifully shot and the family members are well rounded characters are believable that they are an actual family.

Jump, Darling - BFI Flare

Fledgling drag queen Russell packs up his bags and leaves the city after a breakup. He ends up staying with his grandma out in the sticks under the pretence that he’s just collecting the car. Instead, a few days turns into a longer stay when he finds a gay bar in town, he meets someone new and believes he can take care of his grandma. But when realisations come to light, Russell has to decide what he really wants to do with his life.

 

There are different layers to this story, Russell and his Fishy persona are just one. On the surface it’s about an actor struggling to find an identity and cautiously embracing drag as a way to express himself. Then there’s Margaret, who faces being placed in an assisted living home and losing grip on her own life. There are also the flashbacks to how Margaret’s husband killed himself and the hint that Russell could end up on the same path. These parallel stories from the past and the present collide through half hazy dreams while Russell indulges in drink and drugs and then towards the end when Margaret goes through photographs of her younger self when she used to skate. Holding on to something creative is key here and whether someone is strong enough to keep going. 

 

One of the main aspects of the film is how artists are seen and how they view themselves. As Russell is an actor but can’t seem to find work, his boyfriend ends their long-term relationship because he doesn’t take Russell’s drag act as serious work. It doesn’t help that Russell is still finding his way and downplays his drag act as a ‘just a hobby’. His grandfather was also an artist or rather, he saw himself as an artist, according to Margaret, but couldn’t take the pressure and just drank. Margaret herself was an ice skater, she was so good that she could have taken her talent further but she didn’t, excusing her stopping for the war going on at the time. It seems that art and creativity flow in the family but doesn’t have positive outcomes. Russell is the one who has to break the chain and continue performing.

Jump, Darling is being streamed as part of BFI Flare from 17^th March

The Kid Detective

 

When Abe Applebaum was 12 years old he was the Kid Detective, everyone knew him. He solved all sorts of cases and was beloved by the town until his friend (and secretary) went missing. 20 years later, Abe is still a detective but now spends his days finding peoples’ cats, finding out whether someone is gay or not so the client can ask them out. Washed up, fed up, the town no longer thinks he’s the genius he used think he was. But when a girl asks him to solve her boyfriend’s murder, he’s thrown right back in the deep end and the past begins to catch up to him. 

 

 

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.