Cinequest runs through through August 30. Here are the films that in the program that I hadn’t posted about yet:
Egghead & Twinkie: In this remarkably funny, sweet and genuine coming-of-age film, high school senior Twinkie (Sabrina Jie-A-Fa – real talent) is trying to navigate her sexual awakening as a lesbian, and goes on a roadtrip with her lifelong bestie, the neighbor boy who is now sweet on her. Perfectly paced, with just the right amount of whimsical animation sprinkled in, Egghead & Twinkie is an impressive debut feature for writer-director Sarah Kambe Holland. IMO this is one of the best coming-of-age films of the decade. World premiere.
Scrapper: Georgie, a precocious 12-year-old girl, thinks that she is independently living her best life, until the unexpected appearance of the dad she hasn’t known. In her first feature, British writer-director Charlotte Regan has created a deliciously charming character, played to roguish perfection by Lola Campbell. Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness) is very good as the dad. The screenplay, about loss, connection and second chances, is brimming with humanity. Won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema/Dramatic at Sundance.
Share? In this very funny think-piece, an unnamed Everyman (Melvin Gregg) finds himself locked up in his civvies in a high tech cell – and he’s on camera. Through trial and error, he learns that he can acquire necessities and on-screen social interaction with other captives, by performing for the camera; the currency is not unlike the likes and follows of social media. There are many layers of metaphor in this exploration of human behavior and the human appetite for bread and circuses. First feature for director and co-writer Ira Rosensweig. World premiere.
Destiny on the Main Stage: In this brilliant documentary, a female director (and almost all-female crew) chronicle four years in the lives of Dallas-area strippers – and it’s authentic and NOT sensationalist or exploitative. Hearing the strippers’ voices through a female lens/gaze/perspective is both novel and insightful. The strippers include both a 20-year veteran very comfortable in her vocation to a former stripper organizing to help women exit the business. And, of course there are the very young women who are puddles of bad choices. Over the four years, the subjects’ lives take some very gripping turns. This is a serious film that could become an audience favorite, too. Second feature for director Poppy de Villenueve. World premiere.
Kaymak: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Milcho Manchevski returns to Cinequest with his raunchiest and most overtly comedic film. Kaymak is a sex romp that explores both the imperative to parent and the elastic strictures of of monogamy. US premiere.
No Right Way: This affecting family drama is compelling without any tinge of soapiness and a remarkably promising debut feature for writer-director-star Chelsea Bo World premiere.
Fallen Drive: A very strong screenplay by first-time writer-directors Nick Cassidy and David Rice with complicated characters and a touch of ambiguity elevates this revenge noir. You’ll never guess the two characters driving off together at the end. World premiere.
This is the thirteenth year that I’ve covered Cinequest. My Cinequest coverage, including of past festivals, is on my CINEQUEST 2023 page.
