At a late night laundromat, a young woman questions her current life path. “Spin,” directed by Jorge G. Camarena, is a visually rich character portrait that merges an ordinary night with surreal turns. There’s no dialogue — the film gets by on its vibey atmosphere (DP: Kadri Koop) and air of unease. We sense that the waitress is dissatisfied with her job and has other interests and goals (at one point, we see her reading a script). When a sequence of mysterious occurrences knock the woman out of her head, she is forced to react instinctively. The film creates a timeless quality with its dated laundromat, glowing neon lights, and 1950’s diner outfit (complete with blond wig), nostalgic but oppressive. -KA.
Director: Jorge G. Camarena. Cast: Jessica Park. Director of Photography: Kadri Koop. Editor: Mengyao Mia Zhang. Producer: Roxanne Griffith. Production Design: Xi Chen Chou. Score: Jonathan Zalben. Sound Design: Sealtiel Alatriste.
A man is caught with his pants down when terrorized by a force outside his bathroom stall. “Someone’s In Here,” directed by Ben Kitnick, is a horror vignette, minimal, well-executed and open for metaphorical interpretation. A man dressed in Khakis, a polo, and a fleece vest, takes care of busines...
An aspiring film director prepares for a play based on her complicated feelings toward her father. “An Athlete Wrestling a Python” is a Australian film by director Stephanie Jane Day, an incisive, darkly comedic character study on Julien. Her present preoccupations with the artistic process and c...
In Johannesburg, South Africa, we follow two young factory workers through an ordinary day on and off the job. “Casual Workers,” directed by Keagan Afonso, is a free roaming portrait, a day in the life. Periods of work are followed by periods of rest and leisure, smoking cigarettes, staring at th...
