Davey needs to win the high school QuizJam to help pay for his girlfriend Lex’s abortion. Habitually oblivious but generally well meaning, he's only a few answers away from the $125 they need. “Más Bowls,” directed by Max Tullio, is a well-drawn coming-of-age drama carried by its subtly affecting performances and well-rounded characterizations. Lex watches as her boyfriend competes in the quiz competition despite the fact that she’s come to detest him for the situation they’ve found themselves in. It’s a clever and unexpected setup centering a story of a splintering couple and their heavy life decision around a high school quiz show. Indeed Tullio’s film (co-written with Z.H. Gill) is crafted from its specificity and detail, and it allows its characters a healthy range of teenage naivety while maintaining vivid feelings of empathy. -KA. Directed by Max Tullio. Grace Durham as Lex. Andrew Greer as Davey. Cinematography by Andrew DeNatale. Edited by Zulema Toledo-Young and Max Tullio. Produced by Genevieve Scott. Associate Producer Paloma Perez. Written by Max Tullio and Z.H. Gill (Story by Z.H. Gill). Original Score by Obstacle.
A poetic essay film portraying Baltimore in a moment of reckoning, shown uniquely through humble observations and personal recollections. “Diary,” directed by Gillian Waldo, tracks the summer of 2020 with its nationwide cataclysms revolving around Covid-19 and police brutality. The film is presen...
In order to finally be seen, a forlorn teenager takes the biggest action of her life: auditioning to be church cantor at her Christian high school. Kate McCarthy directs “Look, Mira,” a coming-of-age comedy delivered with colorful verve, a sweet-natured take on not fitting in. Overly sensitive fr...
A L.A. couple takes a shortcut down a steep staircase while playing a question-and-answer exercise designed to rekindle intimacy. “Hellmouth,” directed by Gus Reed, is a dramatic vignette that’s vaguely unsettling, almost dream-like in tone, and shouldered by performances from Rhian Rees and Shan...
