In West Berlin in 1989, Manny Jumpcannon prowls his dingy apartment phoning various degenerates from his past. Maxwell McCabe-Lokos directs and stars in “Midnight Confession,” a darkly funny character study which paints a remarkably full backstory of deceit from a series of unsolicited phone calls. He calls himself Tiger, and he’s on to some new “self-help jazz” which has prompted him to reach out to the old gang hoping to make amends. From the jump, his efforts are wobbly and unconvincing; the more he speaks, the more we learn about his patterns of dishonesty, past and current, with others and himself. Not getting the responses he’s hoping for, he doubles down on his distorted view of the past, claiming victimhood while seeking sympathy, hanging tight to the same manipulative tendencies he’s apologizing for. McCabe-Lokos is a fascinating figure of underground cinema, both as an actor and director — we featured his previous short, “Ape Sodom” and he also stars in Eva Michon’s “All Shook Up” — and his new film further cements his incisive brand of miserabilism, care of perfectly authentic performances and vivid scene-building, costuming, set design, and visuals. -KA. Director: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. Writers: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos & Rob Benvie. DoP: Cabot McNenly. Production Design: Elliot McCabe-Lokos. Composer: Joseph Shabason. Editor: Duff Smith. Cast: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Breeda Wool, August Diehl, Anna Cordell.
Anne gathers herself for a job interview, a casual one at a coffee shop, but still a job interview. When her potential new employer arrives, a smooth, well-dressed man named Georg, giving off all the social cues of a first date, she’s caught off-guard and scrambles to react. Brilliantly observed ...
Over the course of a year, two Parisians fall in and out of love. Lee Manansala directs “One Year of Khadijah and Pauline,” an eloquent study of a relationship shot in lovely black and white and rendered with grace and intelligence. Told in three parts, the film examines the ups and downs of Khad...
A young woman flees to Paris and relinquishes her blackness in pursuit of personal freedom. “White Girl in Paris,” directed by Tajayona, is a poetic exploration of race, a powerful set of visuals that stake claim to a black woman’s opportunity to be young and carefree. She puts on a costume, pran...
