It’s wild to think that this will be my second time covering the Atlanta Film Festival in less than a year. But while the 2020 edition was happening as my theatre was closing for good, this year’s is occurring as my new theatre reopens. I cannot think of a better ring in to (hopeful) normalcy returning to the moviewatching experience than the 2021 Atlanta Film Festival, which will continue with the hybrid virtual/drive-in screening structure of last year’s, but add back indoor screenings at the Plaza Theatre, which has had socially-distanced indoor screenings since September.
As you can tell by the review list below, which will be filled out as the week and a half continues, I’ve already seen a number of films playing at the festival, many at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. I’ve also been able to see a few films early as part of my coverage. But that still leaves quite a bit to watch, and I’ll lay out some of the highlights of the schedule below.
Thursday, April 22
=“Together Together”– When young loner Anna (Patti Harrison) is hired as the gestational surrogate for Matt (Ed Helms), a single man in his 40s who wants a child, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love. This is the first screening of the Festival at 7pm in the Plaza Theatre.
=“SHORTS: Rush Hour”– Not unique to Atlanta and yet such an Atlanta experience – reencounter the tension, the anticipation, and the quiet self-reflection that happens in highway parking lots. I will be attending this 8:30pm short film block at the Dad’s Garage Drive-In location.
Friday, April 23
=“Socks on Fire” (Opening Night)- A poet composes a cinematic love letter to his grandmother as his homophobic aunt and drag queen uncle wage war over her estate in Hokes Bluff, Alabama. Director Bo Maguire will be in attendance at the 7pm Indoor screening at the Plaza, and there’s also a Plaza Drive-In screening at 8pm.
Saturday, April 24
=“SHORTS: Face to Face”– Feeling the loss of interpersonal connection? Rediscover the boldness and vulnerability of human interaction as these protagonists dare to see and be seen. I will be attending this short film block at 4pm at the Plaza.
=“Carterland”– In their feature film debut, CARTERLAND, the Pattiz Brothers examine the tragic, yet inspiring story of America’s most misunderstood president. While leading the nation through a series of unprecedented crises, Jimmy Carter also confronted climate change and championed social justice at home and abroad. This groundbreaking film draws on archival footage, experts, and insiders to reveal how Carter’s selfless leadership and moral integrity ultimately cost him the presidency. This special screening with be at the Carter Presidential Library at 8:15pm, and the film will also be available On Demand throughout the festival. (This was rescheduled for the same time on Saturday, May 1, due to inclement weather.)
=“Akilla’s Escape”– In the aftermath of an armed robbery, Akilla Brown captures one of the bandits, a fifteen-year-old Jamaican boy. Over the course of one grueling night, Akilla is forced to confront a cycle of generational violence he thought he escaped. One of my most anticipated films of the festival, this screening at the Plaza at 10pm will be my second of this Saturday.
Sunday, April 25
=“Clean Slate”– Striving to stay sober, recovering addicts Josh and Cassidy write their traumatic life events into a short film screenplay. The project is jeopardized when Cassidy relapses and is kicked out of the faith-based drug recovery center where the two men have lived for years. The aspiring filmmakers struggle to restore faith in each other, their families, and themselves, all while making a movie about their turbulent road of recovery. Another anticipated film for me, I will be going to the Plaza screening at 4pm.
=Awards Viewing Party– Do you want a break from the Festival? The Plaza at 7pm will be hosting a special Oscar viewing party in their “B” auditorium.
=“The Sleeping Negro”– Confronted with a series of racially charged incidents, a young black man must overcome rage, alienation, and hopelessness in order to find his own humanity. This will be playing at the Plaza Drive-In at 8:30pm if you’d like to continue with the new films.
Monday, April 26
=“Limbo”– Recently nominated for two BAFTA® awards for Best British Film and Best Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, LIMBO is a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience, set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. Reflecting the complexity of the movement of people across borders has been a long-held passion for director and writer Ben Sharrock, who spent time working for an NGO in refugee camps in southern Algeria and living in Damascus in 2009 shortly before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. There, he formed a network of friends whose personal stories inspired the film. Ahead of its 4/30 theatrical release date, this film from Focus Features will play at the Plaza at 7pm.
=“Landlocked”– Nick, a chef on the brink of opening his first restaurant, struggles to put his life back together following the loss of his mother. At his wife’s urging, he reluctantly reaches out to Briana, his estranged, transgender father. Seeking closure with both parental relationships, he invites Briana to join him on St. Simons Island, Georgia to scatter his mother’s ashes. Their journey across the American Southeast brings their tumultuous family history into full view and Nick and Briana must come to terms with the rocky emotional terrain of their pasts while determining a new path forward. I will be attending the Dad’s Garage Drive-In screening of this at 8:30pm.
Tuesday, April 27
=“SHORTS: The Great Beyond”– Let’s break free beyond our walls – it’s a new era, time for flights of fantasy and intrigue. Breathe deep and explore the extraordinary odyssey of the human and cosmic phenomena. This short film block will be available On Demand throughout the festival, as well as this 7pm screening at the Plaza.
=“Holler”– In a forgotten pocket of Southern Ohio where American manufacturing and opportunity are drying up, a determined young woman finds a ticket out when she is accepted to college. Alongside her older brother, Ruth Avery joins a dangerous scrap metal crew in order to pay her way. Together, they spend one brutal winter working the scrap yards during the day and stealing valuable metal from the once thriving factories by night. With her goal in sight, Ruth finds that the ultimate cost of an education for a girl like her may be more than she bargained for, and she soon finds herself torn between a promising future and the family she would leave behind. I will be attending this 8:30pm Drive-In screening at Dad’s Garage.
Wednesday, April 28
=“Dream Horse”– Experience the inspiring true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely race horse bred by small town bartender, Jan Vokes (Toni Collette). With very little money and no experience, Jan convinces her neighbors to chip in their meager earnings to help raise Dream and compete with the racing elites. Their investment pays off as Dream rises through the ranks and becomes a beacon of hope in their struggling community. Also starring Damian Lewis. This screens at 7pm at the Plaza.
=“Profile”– PROFILE follows an undercover British journalist in her quest to bait and expose a terrorist recruiter through social media, while trying not to be sucked in by her recruiter and lured into becoming a militant extremist herself. The unconventional thriller plays out entirely on a computer screen in the Screenlife format, pioneered by director Timur Bekmambetov. I will be attending the 8:30pm Drive-In Plaza screening of this film.
Thursday, April 29
=“Moon Manor”– Today is Jimmy’s last day alive. He has advancing Alzheimer’s, so he’s decided to die like he has lived – with intention, humor, and zest. In his last day on Earth, he’ll show an obituary writer, his death doula, his estranged brother, his caretaker, a surreal being, and the guests at his fabulous FUN-eral, that perhaps the art of living is actually the art of dying. Another one of my most anticipated films of the fest, I will be watching the 8:30pm Drive-In screening at Dad’s Garage.
=“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It”– RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT illuminates the humor and the grace of Moreno, as well as lesser-known struggles faced on her path to stardom, including pernicious Hollywood sexism and abuse, a toxic relationship with Marlon Brando, and serious depression a year before she emerged an Oscar winner. Moreno’s talent and resilience triumphed over adversity, as she broke barriers, fought for representation and forged the path for new generations of artists. This winning documentary, which I saw at Sundance, will be playing at the Plaza’s Drive-In theatre at 8:30pm.
Friday, April 30
=“Mogul Mowgli”– MOGUL MOWGLI is the debut narrative feature from award-winning documentary filmmaker Bassam Tariq. It follows the story of a rapper (Riz Ahmed) who, on the cusp of his first world tour, is struck down by an illness that forces him to face his past, his family, and the uncertainty of his legacy. I cannot wait to see this at 7pm at the Plaza.
=“A Fire Within”– A FIRE WITHIN chronicles the incredible true story of three Ethiopian women who immigrate to the U.S. after surviving torture in their home country, only to discover that the man responsible for their torture is not only living in the US but is employed at the same midtown Atlanta hotel as one of the women. This documentary will be playing at the Plaza’s Drive-In at 8:30pm.
=“Nine Days”– Will (Winston Duke) spends his days in a remote outpost watching the live Point of View (POV) on TV’s of people going about their lives, until one subject perishes, leaving a vacancy for a new life on earth. Soon, several candidates—unborn souls—arrive at Will’s to undergo tests determining their fitness, facing oblivion when they are deemed unsuitable. But Will soon faces his own existential challenge in the form of free-spirited Emma (Zazie Beetz), a candidate who is not like the others, forcing him to turn within and reckon with his own tumultuous past. Fueled by unexpected power, he discovers a bold new path forward in his own life. Making his feature-film debut after a series of highly acclaimed and award-winning short films and music videos, Japanese Brazilian director Edson Oda delivers a heartfelt and meditative vision of human souls in limbo, aching to be born against unimaginable odds, yet hindered by forces beyond their will… I’ve heard nothing but great things about this film, and I’m so excited to see it at 10pm at the Plaza.
Saturday, May 1
=“Only the Ocean Between Us”– Conceived as a cross-border film project from Another Kind of Girl Collective, ONLY THE OCEAN BETWEEN US follows four personal stories of resilience, displacement, connection, and ultimately enormous strength and power, from two Syrian directors in Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan, and two indigenous Shipibo directors in Lima, Peru. In first-person documentary style, each young filmmaker captured her unique landscape for the others to experience. What emerged from their cinematic exchange paints an unexpected story of sisterhood forged through the shared struggles of building home and family in the face of prolonged uncertainty. I’ll be watching this 1pm screening at the Plaza.
=“The Dry” (Closing Night)- Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life—a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound—the death of 17-year-old Ellie Deacon. Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected. As he struggles to prove not only Luke’s innocence but also his own, Falk finds himself pitted against the prejudice towards him and pent-up rage of a terrified community. This will be playing at 7pm at the Plaza (the screening I’ll be attending), and 8:30pm at the Plaza Drive-In.
=“Knock Knock”– In one night, in one room, three strangers–a thief, a retired policeman, and a delivery guy–are all present during the murder of the room’s occupant. As the trio tries to figure out this bizarre situation, the stakes are raised when they discover a huge pile of cash. They soon realize that the only way to get out alive is to unravel this mystery. What initially seems like a coincidence, turns out to be destined from the beginning. This will be playing at 10pm at the Plaza.
Sunday, May 2
=“Nine Days”– This will have another screening at the Plaza on the last day at 7pm.
=“Marvelous and the Black Hole”– Thirteen-year-old Sammy Ko’s family has been fractured since the recent death of her mother. She self-harms, vandalizes, and terrorizes her family with hair-trigger tantrums. All seems hopeless, until she meets an aging magician named Margot, and over time, Margot introduces her to the secretive world of sleight-of-hand magic. Their budding friendship encourages Sammy to open up to life and its magical possibilities. But, when her father decides to get remarried, Sammy embarks on a destructive bender that implodes her relationship with her family and new friendship. Ultimately, Sammy must use her newfound magic skills to bring her family back together and repair her friendship with Margot. This coming-of-age tale, which I saw at Sundance, will close out the Atlanta Film Festival screenings at its 8:30pm Plaza Drive-In screening.
2021 Atlanta Film Festival – The Reviews
“Alive”
“Raspberry”
“At the Ready”
“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It”
“Strawberry Mansion”
“Marvelous and the Black Hole”
“Sons of Monarchs”
“A Fire Within” (Review on 4/30)
“Snowy”
“The Letter”
“Limbo”
“Socks on Fire”
“Akilla’s Escape”
“Clean Slate”
“The Sleeping Negro”
2021 Atlanta Film Festival
Annoucement
What to See, Where to See It
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
