Tag: filmstriben

Aftersun (2022) | REVIEW

Frankie Corioo (L) and Paul Mescal (R) in Charlotte Wells’ AFTERSUN — PHOTO: A24.

Directed by Charlotte Wells — Screenplay by Charlotte Wells.

There is no getting around the fact that I am extremely late to the party when it comes to Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun. Frankly, there are two reasons for that. Firstly, the 2022 film was released in February of 2023 in my region, so I would always be late to the party for this film which was first released at the Cannes Film Festival in May of last year (and which was already one of the most celebrated films in critics’ circles long before Danes would even get the chance to see it). Secondly, its local release back in February was inconvenient for me, as it came out at a time when I was preparing myself for something quite time-consuming (and potentially draining) in the first half of the year, as well as the fact that I was also scrambling to cover new 2023 releases at that time. I was, honestly, overwhelmed at that time — both in my daily life and by the hype that had snowballed rapidly for months with no end in sight. 

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Influencer (2023) | REVIEW

Emily Tennant (Left) and Cassandra Naud (Right) in INFLUENCER — PHOTO: Jackrabbit Media.

Directed by Kurtis David Harder — Screenplay by Tesh Guttikonda and Kurtis David Harder.

Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer takes place in Thailand where we meet Madison (played by Emily Tennant), the titular influencer, who is documenting her journey through the country as a way to promote her profile as an influencer. In Thailand, she meets CW (played by Cassandra Naud), a young American woman, who Madison befriends. CW excitedly shows Madison the local hotspots and they hit it off, with Madison trusting CW enough to open up about her own frustrations with her boyfriend, Ryan (played by Rory J. Saber), who was supposed to be there with her. One day, Madison returns to her hotel in Thailand to find that it has been broken into and her passport has been stolen. Madison has to stay for a few additional days, so she decides to hang out with CW more. CW decides to sail them to a remote, deserted island with no cellphone coverage. Here Madison gets back in touch with nature, but she is also about to find out how dangerous it can be to be disconnected from the online life she has built for herself.

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