Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla in THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of the genial Italian comedy The Last One for the Road and the French melodrama Two Pianos.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • The Last One for the Road: the party never ends. In art-house theaters.
  • Two Pianos: he doesn’t know what he should want, but the women do. In theaters.
  • The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. In theaters.
  • Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Heel: don’t try this at home. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
  • La Grazia: it’s time to get past his malaise. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The Bride!: a funnier Bonnie and Clyde, with monsters.In theaters and VOD.
  • A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • Mercy: not as good as the premise. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV.
  • Magellan: slower than the slowest slow boat. Criterion.

ON TV

Laurence Tierney and Clair Trevor in BORN TO KILL

On May 10, Turner Classic Movies offers Born to Kill (1947). Lawrence Tierney (no cupcake in real life, either), plays the nastiest, most predatory and savage male character in film noir history. Set in the world of Reno quickie divorces, the characters seem to compete in demonstrating the most venal behavior; (spoiler: the psychopath played by Tierney wins.) Claire Trevor, the Queen of Noir, often wore flamboyant hats, but she just keeps topping herself in this film. Walter Slezak and Elisha Cook, Jr., play dregs of the underworld.

THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD: the party never ends

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Photo caption: Filippo Scotti (center front) in THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

In the genial Italian comedy The Last One for the Road, we get to meet two cheerful reprobates, whose only ambition is for their next drink. On the downside of middle age, Carlobianchi (Sergio Romano) and Doriano (Pierpaolo Capovilla) employ their wily charms to cadge free drinks from a bachelorette party and even impersonate a team of architects expert in historical preservation. Bill Clinton said he represented the folks who “work hard, follow the rules and pay their taxes“; Carlobianchi and Dori are not those people.

Carlobianchi and Dori have a close friend returning home after decades abroad, and they resolve to meet him at the airport. Because they’ve never been to any airports in the province of Venice, this precipitates a meandering road trip to find the right one. While crashing a college graduation party, the two meet a straitlaced architecture grad student Giulio (Filippo Scotti), and take him along.

Giulio protests that he has an important academic presentation the next day, but Carlobianchi and Dori insist on dragging him along on their hazy mission. Giulio really does need to loosen up, he’s blowing it with the young woman he likes by being just too uptight. Will the two old slackers succeed in debauching him? The road trip evolves into a semi-voluntary kidnapping. 

Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla in THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

The lengths that Carlobiachi and Dori will go to get another drink are funny; so is Giulio’s insistence that he is disembarking from their tour, despite never getting out of their car and calling an Uber, which any grown ass adult would do to “escape”.

The Last Round for the Road is a fun comic road trip, but there’s more here than it seems. The film begins with a factory worker’s entire work life rewarded with a Rolex, followed by a glimpse of how little that luxury watch really means to him. The industry of Carlobianchi and Dori’s old buddy Genio in masterminding a heist is not rewarded. Giulio’s passion for architecture and his academic discipline will surely pay off in professional success, but he takes notice that Carlobianchi and Dori, as aimless and irresponsible as they are, are enjoying a stress-free life. The party never ends.

The Last One for the Road, the second feature for director and co-writer Francesco Sossai, opens tomorrow at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles and releases more widely next weekend.

TWO PIANOS: he doesn’t know what he should want, but the women do

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Photo caption: Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Francois Civil in TWO PIANOS. Courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In the well-crafted French melodrama Two Pianos, concert pianist Matthias (three-time César nominee Francois Civil) returns to his hometown of Lyon after a decade abroad. Matthias is already in a mid-career malaise, but things get more complicated when he re-encounters his formidable mentor Elena (Charlotte Rampling) and his best friend’s wife Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz). Matthias, who had dated Claude just before his self-exile, is further rocked when he sees that her ten-year-old son looks exactly like him. A well-crafted melodrama ensues, albeit one with unconventional turns.

Two Pianos is the latest from French director Arnaud Desplechin, who made the delightful My Golden Days, which I loved, and then Ismael’s Ghosts, which although it was generally favorable critical buzz, I loathed. Desplechin has received uneven notices for his recent narrative features. He co-wrote Two Pianos.

The plot of Two Pianos pivots on an unforeshadowed surprise which clears the way for a conventional ending, which Desplechin thankfully avoids. This plot point is so unabashedly convenient that some viewers have found it off-putting. I uneasily went with it and was relieved when Desplechin steered the story away from what would have been corny.

Charlotte Rampling in TWO PIANOS. Courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Civil has the challenge of playing a protagonist of uncertain will, who spends much of his screen time hand-wringing and naval gazing. The audience will see that, in contrast to Matthias’ dithering, all of the female characters know exactly what they want – the iron-willed Elena, Matthias’ unsentimental mother (Anne Kessler), Claude’s bestie Judith (Alba Gaia Bellugi) and, eventually, even the vulnerable and temperamental Claude.

Nadia Tereszkiewicz has a sexy magnetism and a feral unpredictability that serves her well in Two Pianos and in the underappreciated Only the Animals.

Charlotte Rampling is a treasure, and her performance as the exacting Elena is one of the pleasure of Two Pianos.

I especially appreciated that the story is set in Lyon, a city underrepresented in cinema. Lyon, after all, is the third largest city in France and the place where Parisian foodies go to experience the best of French cuisine. It’s a wonderful city.

I screened Two Pianos for the 2026 SFFILM festival. It opens in theaters this weekend.

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Nathalie Baye in BEAUTIFUL LIES.

This busy week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of the emotionally gutting indie Omaha and the playful, dialogue-free Gondola, plus a remembrance of the great French actress Nathalie Baye.

And my coverage of both the SLO and SFFILM film festivals:

CURRENT MOVIES

  • The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. In theaters.
  • Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Heel: don’t try this at home. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
  • La Grazia: it’s time to get past his malaise. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Omaha: in the best interest of the children. In theaters.
  • The Bride!: a funnier Bonnie and Clyde, with monsters. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
  • Fackham Hall: silly, low-brow, and that’s okay. HBO Max (free), Amazon, AppleTV.
  • A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • Mercy: not as good as the premise. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV.
  • Magellan: slower than the slowest slow boat. Criterion.

ON TV

Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges in FAT CITY

On May 2, Turner Classic Movies presents John Huston’s under-appreciated Fat City (1972). Stacy Keach plays a boxer on the slide, his skills unraveled by his alcoholism. He inspires a kid (a very young Jeff Bridges), who becomes a boxer on the rise. Keach and Susan Tyrrell give dead-on performances as pathetic, sad sack barflies. Tyrrell was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Filmed in Stockton.

Susan Tyrrell in FAT CITY

OMAHA: in the best interest of the children

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Photo caption: Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis and John Magaro in OMAHA. Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment.

In the concise, searing drama Omaha, an especially devoted dad (John Magaro) has been financially ruined by his late wife’s final illness. He bundles their two kids into his barely drivable car for a road trip across the Great Basin toward Nebraska. The purpose of the road trip is mysterious, and even the whip-smart nine-year-old daughter can’t guess it. The emotionally powerful ending is shattering.

Omaha is a showcase for John Magaro (Past Lives). His inability to provide for his kids has filled him with desperation and profound shame, but he is determined to insulate his kids from his stress.

Magaro’s performance is in the same ballpark as his extraordinary turn in Past Lives, where his character, waiting to see if his girlfriend will run off with a childhood crush, puts on a mask of stoicism and civility while practically vibrating with anxiety. Before Past Lives, I had seen Magaro in The Big Short, The Many Saints of Newark and 18 1/2 without any appreciation that he was capable of work like this. Fortunately for us, Magaro is now getting even more high profile work (The Mastermind, Materialists, The Bride!).

Omaha is the first feature for director Cole Webley, working off a screenplay from Richard Machoian (God Bless the Child, The Killing of Two Lovers). Webley has a gift for portraying those seemingly minor life moments that tell the audience so much about relationships and motivations. Omaha is only 83 minutes long – and that’s perfect for this story.

I screened Omaha for the Nashvlle Film Festival and included it in my Must See at NashFilm. Omaha released theatrically last weekend in New York and more widely this Friday.

GONDOLA: funny, sweet, imaginative – and silent

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Photo caption: GONDOLA Courtesy of Frameline.

This charming comedy Gondola is the work of a unique filmmaker, German writer-director Veit Helmer, who has been making dialogue-free films in Central Asian nations for a decade. A gondola links two mountainsides in rural Georgia, and the two female gondola operators fall in love as they pass each other high above the valley.

It’s remarkable how Helmer is able to pack so many story elements into a film without dialogue. (I also love Helmer’s The Bra, which I tagged as just your average silent Azerbaijani comedy.) Gondola is ever funny, sweet and imaginative.

I screened Gondola for the 2024 Frameline film festival. Gondola can be streamed for free from kanopy and can be rented inexpensively from Amazon, AppleTV and YouTube.

Three Faces of Nathalie Baye

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Photo caption: Nathalie Baye in THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE

Nathalie Baye, one of the world’s most distinguished screen actors, died this week, leaving a formidable body of work. She was nominated ten times for a César, France’s Oscar-equivalent and won four times. Her over 100 screen credits included work with the greatest directors and in the most aspirational films, but also smaller movies and smaller roles.

Nathalie Baye in DAY FOR NIGHT

Here are three Baye roles that illustrate both the sweep of her career and her acting range:

  • Day for Night, Francois Trauffaut (1971). Truffaut himself plays a movie director trying to ride herd on a cast and crew whose egos, neuroses and libidos are running amok, and leads a strong ensemble cast with Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese and Tauffaut’s leading-man-in-residence Jean-Pierre Leaud. At age 25, Baye plays the script girl Joelle (a job now termed the script supervisor), who persists in her assignment while chaos swirls about her. They say that acting is reacting, and Baye’s performance as the focused cinephile brought her widespread notice. “I’d drop a guy for a film. I’d never drop a film for a guy.”(Currently hard to find, despite its place in Truffaut’s oeuvre.)
  • The Return of Martin Guerre, Daniel Vigne (1982). AT 34, Baye plays the 16th-century peasant Bertrande, whose husband had left a decade earlier. When the villagers hail the return of her husband after all those years, Bertrand, despite complicated feelings, takes up with him. After the couple is settled in and has had a child, the village is shocked by the appearance of Bertrande’s actual husband, revealing that the first guy is an imposter, and that Bertrande must have known. The imposter is put on trial. Amazingly, these are actual historical events and characters. This is the greatest of the Baye performances that I have seen; more on this later. (Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.)
  • The Flower of Evil, Claude Chabrol (2003). The 55-year-old Baye plays Anne, the second wife of a business mogul living in an estate outside Bordeaux. He presides over a family rife with poisonous relationships. Smugly entitled, Anne seeks local elective office, but her campaign becomes derailed by both a family secret about Nazi collaboration in the past and a real-life homicide in the present. As Baye’s Anne moves from petty status-seeking to desperation, Chabrol deliciously skewers the upper class. (AppleTV, YouTube.)

The marvel of Baye’s performance in The Return of Martin Guerre is that the audience needs to accept the possibility that Bertrande recognizes the returnee as her husband, and THEN realize that she knowingly embraced the imposter as her husband. She had to play the character both ways at once. These events occurred 300 years before photography, and people physically change over a decade, which explains the villagers accepting the resemblance between the imposter and the husband. Because the husband was a nogoodnik who abandoned Bertrande, we would expect her to greet his return with complicated feelings at first. Baye’s Bertrande was a triumph of ambiguity.

The Return of Martin Guerre matched France’s two biggest stars in their prime at age 34. The imposter is played by 17-time César nominee Gerard Depardieu, before he plunged enthusiastically into all seven deadly sins and disgraced himself with boorish comments about and behavior toward women.

Baye herself severely glammed down to play a medieval peasant. Baye was living with Johnny Hallyday (France’s greatest pop singer and the French Elvis) at the time and was part of France’s most sensational celebrity couple.

Baye liked to work a lot. I recently was surprised to see her as a minor character in some forgettable fluff (Downton Abbey: A New Era) and exclaimed “hey’,that’s France’s Meryl Streep!,

Nathalie Baye (left) in THE FLOWER OF EVIL

Movies to See Right Now

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Photo caption: Britt Lower in SENDER, playing at both the SLO Film Fest and at SFFILM festival. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of the historical epic Magellan and my continued coverage of the film festivals in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo – both under way now:

CURRENT MOVIES

  • The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen. In theaters.
  • Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
  • Heel: don’t try this at home. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
  • La Grazia: it’s time to get past his malaise. Amazon, AppleTV.
  • The Bride!: a funnier Bonnie and Clyde, with monsters.In theaters and VOD.
  • Fackham Hall: silly, low-brow, and that’s okay. HBO Max (free), Amazon, AppleTV.
  • A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
  • Mercy: not as good as the premise. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV.
  • Magellan: slower than the slowest slow boat. Criterion.

ON TV

Alain Delon in ONCE A THIEF

On April 27, Turner Classic Movies presents a sadly forgotten 1965 neo-noir, Once a Thief. In his first American movie, French leading man Alain Delon plays Eddie, an ex-con trying to go straight. He’s a got a wife (Ann-Margret), a daughter and an apartment in a downscale San Francisco neighborhood. Supporting his family is hard because an obsessively vindictive cop (Van Heflin) is harassing him and causing him to lose job after job. As Eddie becomes more and more desperate, his estranged brother Walter (Jack Palance) shows up with two equally scary confederates, trying to enlist Eddie in a heist.

You might reasonably think that Once a Thief is all about the dream pairing of Delon and Ann-Marget, then the two most gorgeous human on planet earth. Indeed, we see the two adoring each other in various states of undress, but their love is very innocent. It’s the supporting performances that elevate Once a Thief:

  • As his cop persecutes Eddie, the usually relatable Heflin makes Inspector Javert look kind.
  • Character actor John Davis Chandler, unsurpassed at playing weaselly psychos, plays the most unhinged fiend since Richard Widmark’s Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death.
  • Screenwriter Zekial Marko plays a dodgy beatnik who casts off lines like, “Lickity split talk talk jazz“. and, grilled about heroin use at his apartment, says “If they want a shoot a bit, that’s their bag, not mine. I’m clean. Check my lines. Just boo, grass, juice, straight, you know.”

The ending is suitably noirish. Along with the Anthony Quinn/Jackie Gleason/Mickey Rooney version of Requiem for a Heavyweight, Once a Thief is probably the darkest film directed by Ralph Nelson (Lillies of the Field, Father Goose, Charly). The French movie title translates as Killers of San Francisco.

Discoveries at the 2026 SFFILM Festival

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Photo caption: Inci Cefa Cingoz in Pinar Yorgancioglu’s THOSE WHO WHISTLE AFTER DARK at the SFFILM Fesitval. Courtesy of SFFILM.

There are plenty of big movies and big stars at year’s San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM). Last week, I previewed the fest with Getting Ready for the 2026 SFFILM Festival. Don’t overlook these three lower profile films – movies like these are the reason we go to film festivals.

  • Those Who Whistle After Dark: Newly retired museum director Mehli (Mufit Kayacan) is just settling into his retirement, with nothing to do except to get the apartment of his late sister ready for sale. Meanwhile, his social climbing wife Suzan (Hulya Gulsen Irmak) a surgical nurse, is aching for even more social status. His daughter Toprak (Inci Cefa Cingoz), after a breakup, has dropped out of her PhD program to write a novel, but now spends her time on-line gaming with her ex. Mehli is unsettled when ghosts appear in the sister’s apartment, but his retirement is going to be rocked by the secret schemes of his living wife and daughter. In her first feature, writer-director Pinar Yorgancioglu, brilliantly uses the device of the ghosts to skewer family dysfunction and social competitiveness in Istanbul’s professional class.
  • Sender: In this absurdist psychological thriller, Julia (Emmy-winner Britt Lower of Severance) receives a daily avalanche of deliveries from a thinly disguised e-commerce giant. Trouble is, she hasn’t ordered them. And the products are incoherently random. The delivery guy (David Dastmalchian) offers help, but there’s something unsettling about him. Who is placing the orders and why? As the cardboard packaging piles up everywhere in her home, Julia’s slow burning paranoia becomes more intense. Not much is more banal in post-pandemic America than getting an Amazon delivery, but writer-director Russell Goldman, in his feature debut, has turned it into something ominous and laden with menace. Also features Rhea Seehorn and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Britt Lower in Russell Goldman’s SENDER at the SFFILM Festival. Courtesy of SFFILM.
  • Two Pianos: In the latest from French director Arnaud Desplechin (My Golden Days, Ismael’s Ghosts), concert pianist Matthias (three-time César nominee Francois Civil) returns to his hometown of Lyon after a decade abroad. Matthias is already in a mid-career malaise, but things get more complicated when he re-encounters his formidable mentor Elena (Charlotte Rampling) and his best friend’s wife Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz of Only the Animals, The Crime Is Mine). Matthias is further rocked when he sees that the ten-year-old son of Claude, who Matthias had dated, looks exactly like Matthias. A well-crafted melodrama ensues, one with unconventional turns.

And here is one that I haven’t yet seen yet, but I think it’s a pretty good bet. The closing night film will be Power Ballad, the latest from John Carney, writer-director of Once, Sing Street and Flora and Son. Those three Feel Good movies all feature penniless Dubliners who discover themselves by harnessing their songwriting talents. The premise of Power Ballad is that a wedding singer (Paul Rudd) finds himself in an all-night jam with a no-longer-popular boy band star (Nick Jonas). Afterwards the wash-out revives his career with a monster hit. Did he steal the song from the wedding singer? The story resembles a real-life controversy.

The menu at the 2026 SFFILM Festival includes 150 films from 40 countries. Peruse the program and buy tickets at SFFILM. Here’s the trailer for Power Ballad.

Best of the 2026 SLO Film Fest

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Photo caption: Natasha Loring and Rob Mor in HOW TO DATE AGAIN, world premiere at the SLO Film Fest. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.

The 2026 SLO Film Fest opens on Thursday. I’ve screened over a dozen of the features, and here are three Must See indies:

  • How to Date Again: In this touching and funny romance, it’s been over a year since the death of his wife, and Michael (Rob Mor) is socially isolated, locked down by grief. His well-meaning dolt of a best friend gets him on a dating app, and after two very funny misses, he meets Leigh (Natasha Loring), whose tastes and sensibilities astonishingly dovetail with his. Michael, whose dating skills have become stale, awkwardly follows Leigh’s lead. A date morphs into an idyllic road trip to Morro Rock and the Madonna Inn. Haley Joel Osment is hilarious as an off-putting desk clerk, and will appear personally at the SLO Film Fest to receive an award. Sweet and poignant, this is an uncommonly truthful film. First feature for writer-director Matt Flanders, and the screenplay is very personal; (stick around for the closing credits). World premiere.
  • Adult Children: In this smart and insightful comedy, a couple is heading off on a European vacation just as the troubled adult son from the wife’s first marriage is wait-listed for a drug rehab bed. He needs supervision to prevent relapse, so his mom enlists his two sisters to fly in and babysit him. The couple’s 17-year-old daughter, twenty years younger than her half-siblings, opts out of the trip so she can finally get to know her brother and sisters. The three adult children fled the nest early after growing up free-ranging in the alcoholic chaos of their late father. The high-achieving, somewhat anxious, teen daughter comes from much more stable parenting. As the four settle in together, they find that maturity, direction and responsibility don’t automatically accompany chronological adulthood. It’s even revealed that the older daughters are posing as altruists to mask their own neediness. By turns funny and poignant, the story benefits from an excellent ensemble cast: Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), Thomas Sadowski (The Newsroom, Life in Pieces), Aya Cash (You’re the Worst) and Ella Rubin (Ani’s roommate/sister Vera in Anora). The real star here is the screenplay by seasoned actress Annika Marks; she is married to director Rich Newey, and this is their second narrative feature as a filmmaking team.
  • Sender: In this absurdist psychological thriller, Julia (Emmy-winner Britt Lower of Severance) receives a daily avalanche of deliveries from a thinly disguised e-commerce giant. Trouble is, she hasn’t ordered them. And the products are incoherently random. The delivery guy (David Dastmalchian) offers help, but there’s something unsettling about him. Who is placing the orders and why? As the cardboard packaging piles up everywhere in her home, Julia’s slow burning paranoia becomes more intense. Not much is more banal in post-pandemic America than getting an Amazon delivery, but writer-director Russell Goldman, in his feature debut, has turned it into something ominous and laden with menace. Also features Rhea Seehorn and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Britt Lower in SENDER. Courtesy of SLO Film Fest.

Here are some more recommendations:

  • The Fisherman: You haven’t seen anything like this delightful comedy from Ghana. The aging fisherman Atta’s (Ricky Adelayitar) only aspiration is to finally reach the status of boat chief in his seaside village. Just when it looks like his dream is unjustly denied him, he gets the help of a sassy talking fish. Carrying around an emotional support fish that only he can hear, he gets the help of three young villagers and the crew heads off for the bustling modernity of big city Accra, where Atta is the fish out of water. Can they hustle the funds to purchase of Atta’s own fishing boat? Atta’s relationships with his longtime partner and his daughter are explored in this playful peek into both traditional and modern Ghanaian society. And there’s a talking fish.
  • This Tempting Madness: In this briskly-paced thriller, Mia (Simone Ashley of Bridgerton) emerges from a coma, and can’t remember the fall that caused her critical injuries. She learns that her husband has been jailed for trying to kill her, but she can’t accept that explanation. She embarks on an investigation to find out what really happened, and begins to unspool the mystery, uncovering ever darker discoveries. Inspired (surprisingly) by a true story. First feature for director and co-writer Jennifer E. Montgomery.
  • The Musical: In this dark comedy, Doug (Will Brill of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is an aspiring playwright, making ends meet as a middle school drama teacher. He and his girlfriend Abigail (Gillian Jacobs of Community), another teacher, are “taking a break”, and he’s oblivious to the clues that she intends for it to be permanent. Hoping that their relationship will resume, he’s stunned to learn that she’s now dating their smarmy boss (a deliciously repulsive Rob Lowe). Stewing in bitterness, Doug plots an epic revenge. First feature for director Giselle Bonilla and writer Alexander Heller. West Coast premiere.
  • The Strawberry: Inspired by a true story, this moving drama explores end-of-life issues with clear-eyed authenticity. Recent widower Herb (Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H) receives a terminal diagnosis and resolves to maintain his dignity and resolve family relationships. This one’s a weeper. Farrell, himself 86, is excellent. The Strawberry was filmed in Cambria, and locals will recognize a popular ocean overlook and glimpses of the main drag. First feature for writer-directors Carlos and Kyle Plummer. West Coast premiere.
  • Valentina: Gregarious and fun-loving Valentina (Keyla Monterroso Mejia) is epically irresponsible with parking tickets. To recover her impounded car, she must raise some cash, despite being job-averse. What she has going for her is wily charm, a network of friends and family and the ability to expertly navigate her hometown of El Paso. Valentina is a showcase for the bubbly charisma of Mejia (Ashley in Abbott Elementary and Petra in The Studio). In her first feature, director and co-writer Tatti Ribeiro surrounds Mejia with a cast of non-actors and embeds political-awareness and remarkable verisimilitude in a comedy.

And here is one that I haven’t yet seen yet, but I think it’s a pretty good bet. The closing night film will be Power Ballad, the latest from John Carney, writer-director of Once, Sing Street and Flora and Son. Those three Feel Good movies all feature penniless Dubliners who discover themselves by harnessing their songwriting talents. The premise of Power Ballad is that a wedding singer (Paul Rudd) finds himself in an all-night jam with a no-longer-popular boy band star (Nick Jonas). Afterwards the wash-out revives his career with a monstrous hit. Did he steal the song from the wedding singer? Story resembles a real-life controversy. California premiere.

There are plenty more experiences at the fest, including features, workshops, six programs of shorts and, for the first time, episodics. Peruse the program and get your tickets at SLO Film Fest.

Aya Cash, Ella Rubin and Thomas Sadowski in ADULT CHILDREN. Courtesy of the SLO Film Fest.