Sean Baker’s Unseen Cannes Winning Movies Revealed! Top Picks of the Week Unleashed!

Greetings, I’m Mark Olsen and I’m thrilled to bring you another roundup of Only Good Movies.

This week, we’re excited to welcome back former Times film critic Kenneth Turan who had an interesting conversation with Polish director Agnieszka Holland about her latest film “Green Border,” which is currently playing in cinemas.

“Green Border” narrates the experiences of refugees from Africa and the Middle East attempting to cross into the EU via the dense forests between Belarus and Poland. The film sparked intense debate and backlash in Poland, including government interference, compelling the director to hire bodyguards full-time.

Holland, who is 75 and a three-time Oscar nominee, was in the midst of shooting her next project in Berlin when she spoke with Turan.

The film’s popularity led it to be one of the highest-grossing films in Poland that year. However, the audience’s openness to the difficult conversations raised by the film was even more significant for Holland. As she put it, “I had never engaged in such lengthy and profound discussions with viewers, many of whom stayed for hours after the screening. Our boldness in addressing these issues gave courage to many. It was deeply moving to witness this.”

Holland believes that challenges like the ones presented in the film need to be confronted directly. “Much like a decaying tooth, it worsens over time,” she said. “If not treated promptly, it’s lost. The past that hasn’t been healed is still very much alive.”

The Works of Sean Baker: ‘Tangerine’ and ‘The Florida Project’

Sean Baker’s recent Palme d’Or win at the Cannes Film Festival for “Anora” felt like a fitting culmination of his years of dedication to filmmaking and the broader independent film community in the U.S. With “Anora” set to hit the screens later in the fall, it’s an opportune moment for audiences to get acquainted with Baker’s distinctive and immersive style, which effectively blends fictional narratives with tangible realities, often using a mix of professional and first-time actors.

This weekend, New Beverly Cinema will be screening a double bill of two of Baker’s previous films — 2015’s “Tangerine” and 2017’s “The Florida Project.”

“Tangerine” was widely discussed when it was released, mainly because it was filmed on an iPhone with adapted lenses. (Viewing these images on a 35mm print at the New Beverly is said to be a remarkable experience.) The film offers a raw, up-close look at life on the streets of Los Angeles but also reflects a more considered and thoughtful approach. It follows two transgender women, Alexandra and Sin-Dee (Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), who are searching for the person who had an affair with Sin-Dee’s boyfriend while she was in prison.

The film encapsulates the everyday hustle of street life while maintaining a uniquely vibrant, slapstick energy.

Taylor, in an interview at the doughnut shop that served as a key location for the film, said, “No one wants to sit in a theater full of people sobbing. It definitely portrayed life around Donut Time, but it’s also about the characters.”

“The Florida Project” delves into a different subculture, this time on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida, in the shadow of Disney World. A 6-year-old girl named Moonee (Brooklynn Kimberly Prince) lives with her mother in a motel called the Magic Castle. For Moonee, the run-down motel becomes a magical playground, managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe, in an Oscar-nominated performance).

As Justin Chang put it in his review, “’The Florida Project’ shares ‘Tangerine’s’ keen sense of interest in marginalized subcultures, but it goes a step further: Scene by scene, it constructs one of the most vibrant and authentic portraits of childhood I’ve ever seen. Envision a Sunshine State spin on ‘Los Olvidados’ or ‘Bicycle Thieves,’ doused in pastel colors and sprinkled with Pop Rocks, and you’ll get a sense of the peculiar, sun-kissed beauty of Baker’s achievement. He has crafted a stunningly realistic film that is as effervescent as a sugar rush.”

The Debut Film of Annie Baker: ‘Janet Planet’

“Janet Planet,” the first film by renowned playwright Annie Baker, is a soft-spoken movie that slowly reveals a surprising emotional depth. Set in Western Massachusetts in the summer of 1991, Janet (Julianne Nicholson) is an acupuncturist and single mother whose summer plans are disrupted when her 11-year-old daughter, Lacy (Zoe Ziegler), unexpectedly returns home from camp. The two engage in a subdued power struggle, as Lacy demands her mother’s attention while also realizing that Janet has her own life.

Times theater critic Charles McNulty reviewed the film, noting, “Despite the film being titled ‘Janet Planet,’ it’s Lacy’s story. Baker captures the girl’s internal development with the patience of a horticulturist. The camera never tries to extract more from Lacy than what is truthful in the moment. Childhood has rarely been depicted as so uncompromising.”

In a profile of Nicholson by Tim Grierson, Baker said, “Julianne can portray multiple emotions at once. She can depict someone who’s feeling intense emotions while also disassociating. Someone who loves her daughter but also feels alienated from her. Someone who’s attentive but also distracted. It was crucial for the character to have these contradictions — you need an actor who can play these contradictions, and she does that effortlessly.”

Additional Highlights

‘Last Summer’ by Catherine Breillat

“Last Summer” is French filmmaker Catherine Breillat’s first film in a decade. It continues her tradition of challenging audiences with deep explorations into the turbulent dynamics between genders, with a particular focus on generational differences. “Last Summer” is an adaptation of the 2019 Danish film “Queen of Hearts” — brought to life by producer Saïd Ben Saïd, similarly to Brian De Palma’s “Passion” — where a middle-aged female lawyer embarks on an affair with her teenage stepson.

Léa Drucker’s relentless portrayal of Anne, a woman whose life spirals out of control as she succumbs to forbidden passions, anchors the movie. Despite betraying everyone in her life, she remains all too human, perhaps more so because of her poor decisions.

Even at 75, Breillat hasn’t lost her penchant for risk-taking, deftly and humorously exploring situations most would hope never to encounter. (And indeed, “Last Summer” would make for a thrilling double feature with 2023’s “May December.”)

Cousin Collective at Now Instant Image Hall

Another intriguing event is taking place at the Now Instant Image Hall on Saturday night, featuring a presentation by the Indigenous artists collective known as Cousin. The program will include Victor Masayeva Jr.’s 1985 “Itam Hakam, Hopiit,” a celebration of Hopi traditions, premiering in a newly remastered Hopi-language version.

The screening will also include the Los Angeles premiere of Rhayne Vermette’s 2021 film “Ste. Anne,” which tells the story of a reunion between two siblings shot at a series of historical sites.

Both artists are scheduled to attend, with a discussion following the screenings.

‘Josie and the Pussycats’ at Vidiots

On Monday, Vidiots will be screening 2001’s “Josie and the Pussycats,” presented by actor Jessica Williams, with a Q&A with writer-directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. This film, though it could have been a forgettable piece of intellectual property, was transformed into a joyful, witty delight. It follows a small-town band of three friends (Rachael Lee Cook, Rosario Dawson, and Tara Reid) who find themselves at the mercy of powerful music industry executives (Alan Cumming and Parker Posey, both suitably outrageous) who want to commercialize them.

In his original review of the film, Kenneth Turan wrote, “A lighthearted bubble-gum movie about the adventures of an all-girl band, ‘Josie and the Pussycats,’ much like the nostalgic Frankie and Annette beach movies, benefits greatly from its enthusiastic performers and their catchy music. It’s clearly targeting a teenage audience, but if anyone older happens to drop in, they won’t be any worse for the wear.”

Turan also, somewhat ironically, fell into the film’s trap when he noted the movie’s “record-breaking number of product placements,” adding, “You might argue that a film aiming to mock modern life’s commercialism needs to plaster corporate logos everywhere, but it’s unsettling how cleverly ‘Josie’ manages to profit from the very thing it’s ostensibly ridiculing. It’s a powerful reminder that behind almost every frame of even the most innocuous film, there’s a Hollywood cash register.”

At the time of release, Rachel Abramowitz delved into this very topic. As Elfont said, “I don’t think we’re cynical in the movie, that we’re saying all this stuff is evil. I think all we’re saying is be aware that this stuff is happening and make a choice. But the joke does continue outside of the movie theater.”

“It’s like, where does the movie start and where does product placement begin and end?” added Kaplan.

Further News

The Academy Invites 487 New Members

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 487 new members, spanning 57 countries this week.

Invitees include actors Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Sandra Hüller, Jason Clarke, and Greta Lee, as well as directors Justine Triet, S.S. Rajamouli, Jamie Babbit, Minhal Baig, Cord Jefferson, Alice Diop, Emma Seligman, Celine Song, and Boots Riley.

Josh Rottenberg, in his coverage of the new invitees, noted, “Including the new class, women now make up 35% of the Academy’s members, with 20% from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, maintaining and slightly improving upon last year’s figures. If all invitees accept their invitations, the Academy’s total membership will increase to 10,910, including 9,934 voting members.”

Elliott Gould Pays Tribute to Donald Sutherland

Following the recent passing of actor Donald Sutherland, I had the chance to talk to actor Elliott Gould about his friend and colleague. Both had their breakthrough roles in Robert Altman’s 1970 hit “MASH.”

When asked to describe their unique chemistry, Gould said, “Our relationship was all about nature, human nature, and being a human being. And we never intellectualized about it. We couldn’t have been more diverse. As far as I’m concerned, so long as I’m living, Donald will always be with me.”