Hello Hard Light faithful readers. We’re putting a cap on our New York Film Festival coverage with this newsletter full of reviews or quick takes and starting our brief coverage of Virginia Film Festival with a quick overview of what we’re seeing and what we can recommend from NYFF.
As always, if you have any questions about these movies, hit up the Hard Light account on Instagram, follow us on Letterboxd, or come talk to us at one of our many upcoming screenings!
Warner’s NYFF Reviews (cont’d)
As a reminder, I already covered Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Jay Kelly, and Sirāt because I typed the reviews up on the train back from NYC. They can be found here!
Blue Moon (2025) dir. Richard Linklater
I’ll start this off by saying, bravely, that I really love Ethan Hawke. First Reformed is among my favorite movies, and Ethan Hawke was in fact in attendance for my screening at NYFF. My review may be a little biased because of that, but I like to think it balances out because I know tragically little about musical theater. The movie is about Ethan Hawke playing songwriter Lorenz Hart, of Rodgers and Hart fame, but I effectively knew nothing about him going in. No worries because the movie goes above and beyond to explain his significance, perhaps to a fault.
This movie is kinda Ethan Hawke’s Capote. The nuanced performance as an effeminate artist is, like Philip Seymour Hoffman’s in Capote, phenomenal. But I do worry that if you’re not willing to buy into this specific world of the film, it’ll lose you quickly. It’s contained to a bar in NYC on the opening night of Oklahoma! just down the street. While most would be jovial about such a huge night, Hart was excluded from the project for the infamous Oscar Hammerstein so the film functions as a slow spiral in the vein of Secret Honor. There’s a little bit of My Dinner with Andre as he has long conversations with a bartender played by Bobby Cannavale (in case you needed a reason to watch it), student played by Margaret Qualley (in case you needed multiple reasons to watch it), and… E.B. White (?) but it’s mostly a lonely unraveling as Hart has his worst day at work. Ethan Hawke steals the show obviously. Cannavale is good to fine as he smiles and cracks jokes, while I found Qualley a bit over her head as her typical eye-rolling and lip-biting didn’t quite work here.
I don’t personally think this one has much awards potential outside of Hawke, but I do think he has a chance at an Oscar Nomination. It’ll depend how some of these winter releases (looking at you Marty Supreme) are received and how hard Warner Bros. pushes Leo vs Chase Infiniti, but I think he’s got a chance.
Nouvelle Vague (2025) dir. Richard Linklater
This one I was…. less enamored with, but it’s still a bit of a romp. Those who have seen the early Linklater knows he’s inspired by the French New Wave, so naturally he had to pay homage by.. creating a fictional making-of film for Breathless. It certainly has some high points–Zoey Deutch is great as Jean Seberg and artificially seeing some of the shots from Breathless is pretty thrilling when you see the “how” behind the shot– but it ends up just being just the Avengers for Letterboxd users. Think I’m kidding? I sat in the balcony at NYFF and people around me started applauding when Agnes Varda and Robert Bresson appear for a split second. It’s an overall light and breezy affair, but I wouldn’t say the film justifies its own existence unless you’re a big French New Wave head in which case, go for it! This is your Super Bowl!
I’ll say no awards here, but maybe the Globes will toss a screenplay award or something.
Rose of Nevada (2025) dir. Mark Jenkin
If you were one of the few who were already on the Mark Jenkin train–perhaps because of Neon distribution?–congrats. If you haven’t yet joined #themovement, there’s still time. Jenkin is a very specific director with very specific interests: Cornwall, 16mm Bolex cameras, maritime mysteries, and time/memory. If those things work for you, you gotta check out his stuff. I recommend Enys Men because it’s my favorite of the bunch, but they’re all good.
Anyway, unsurprisingly, Rose of Nevada has all of the above things included, plus a little more! It’s a bit of a time-loop mystery in the vein of Primer, but with the added elements of… boats, Cornwall, and shanty hooliganism. It stars your favorite arthouse actor’s favorite arthouse actor in George MacKay as a prospective sailor. One day, a lost ship returns to the village it departed from decades before with the entire crew missing. The town has lost most of its commerce from fishing over the years, so the obvious answer is to find a new crew and to take the ghost ship back out to water. Like most of Mark Jenkin’s films, it suggests a lot of things tied to this mystery, but it rarely answers questions outright, instead allowing the viewer to come to their own conclusions. The film is small and will likely only play at Movieland/Regal for a week or two at best, but if the above pitch sounds convincing, I recommend giving it a try for sure.
Dracula (2025) dir. Radu Jude
For those who aren’t familiar with Radu Jude, he’s a phenomenal Romanian director known for his intentionally prickly films. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn opens with an unsimulated sex scene for several minutes; unless of course you watch it on Hulu where it’s censored with a giant pixelated MS Paint box that comically moves around with jokes written on it. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World has a similar tone where the central character runs a pseudo-misogynist influencer account with an Andrew Tate filter in order to get money as a content creator. When I saw that his newest outing, Dracula, was getting mixed reviews for using AI imagery in the movie, I was unsurprised as Radu Jude is the type of director to shitpost with AI imagery.
His Dracula is an interesting project. Quite bad, but it has a frame narrative where a sucky director decides to have several AI bots write Dracula adaptations for the screen, so it sucking is an intentional act. The awful AI imagery throughout? Entirely mocking artificial intelligence and the whole film is trying to prove that human creativity can’t be replaced by the artificiality of technology or the blood-sucking capitalism of film-as-industry instead of art. The problem is that it builds this whole argument with the “master’s tools” which slightly undermines a bit of its argument. Regardless, it’s probably the perfect mix of Pasolini and Roger Corman, and it has jokes about Charlie Chaplin getting a blow job from Lilian Gish, so it’ll probably appeal to most who can bear the runtime.
Lewis’s NYFF Reviews
NYFF63 Report
3rd year attending
Saw many films, a few talks, and ate quite a bit of halal cart food. Laughed, cried, saw famous people (they’re just like us), got delayed by the subway, and had the time of my life. “But what about the movies?” you may ask. Or you may not. Idk. here’s my thoughts on the movies:
Personal Favorite: The Secret Agent, dir Kleber Mendonça Filho
The world of this movie is rich and immediately sucks you in. The widescreen cinematography is gorgeous, and there are a few narrative choices made that elevated this to a masterpiece in my eyes. Building off of topics explored in Pictures of Ghosts, Mendonça Filho has created a film that doesn’t just represent history, but asks us to consider how we interact with history every single day of our lives. Do we as a nation even know our own pasts? It’s a slow burn, but if you’re into that like I am, you’ll get a whole hell of a lot from this film.
Honorable Mentions:
The Love That Remains- dir. Hlynur Pálmason
so beautiful. A couple are separated, the mother is staying in the house with the kids while the dad lives on a fishing boat for long stretches of time. We see some time in their lives pass by. It’s quite simple on paper but explored in such a manner that you start to feel like you are a part of this family as well. I learned after the movie that the kids here are the director’s children, only adding to my love for this. I found this to be so moving and beautiful. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes movies that are still and/or meditative.
Father Mother Sister Brother- dir. Jim Jarmusch
Kindest movie of the year! A lovely triptych from downtownrocker turned wise ambient musician Jim Jarmusch, FMSB shows us three parts of what really is one story of fractured families and absent parents. It’s not an anthology film like Night on Earth or Coffee & Cigarettes, there’s an overarching emotional core that these separate families play a role in. It’s a lovely whisper of a movie. Jarmusch has always been a you love him or you don’t get it kind of filmmaker, but I love him. This was a wonderful entry into what I already felt was a strong filmography.
Dry Leaf- dir. Alexandre Koberidze
If you took Taste of Cherry and put it in a Dogme 95 blender you would get this movie. And that’s awesome.
I saw more walkouts for this than any other movie, but they’re all idiots. This is a stunning film. Shot on a Sony Ericcson phone from 2010, this pixelated road trip film follows a father looking for his daughter, who always seems to be just steps ahead. I had a cup of coffee at 8:30 PM at night and locked in with this. The cinematography is off-putting to some, but if you can appreciate it for what it is you can enjoy some stunning and beautiful imagery. The score adds to it as well, blending various genres and adding to the overall landscape of this movie. Did I mention ghosts?
Sound of Falling- dir. Mascha Schilinski
This made me so emotional. It spans 3 or 4 generations of women in a family and how generational trauma unites them. It goes out of order, it has its own flow, it demands that you meet it on its own terms, and I thought it was a masterpiece. I have very little I can say other than I do think this is worth giving a shot. If you allow yourself to get swept up you will have a riveting experience. Gorgeous cinematography and striking sound design as well.
Resurrection dir. Bi Gan
I still don’t know if I even liked this. It is so ambitious! It demands your attention and you Must see it!!! But I don’t know what to make of it still. & That excites me!
Shoutout to What Does the Nature Say to You? Dir. Hong Sangsoo and The Mastermind dir. Kelly Reichardt for the heartiest laughs of the fest. Shoutout to It was Just An Accident, If I had Legs I’d Kick You, and Sirat for making me feel like i couldn’t breathe. And shout out to SHOLAY dir. Ramesh Sippy for being the most fun I’ve had in a theater in a long time. Until next year!
Virginia Film Fest Preview – Warner West
Wednesday: I’ll be seeing Resurrection. It’s been my most anticipated movie since December, and I genuinely can’t wait. Come say hello if you’re one of the few who got tickets because it’s gonna be special. It’s a bit of a thin night, so I can’t vouch for others.
Thursday: I’m doing the The Testament of Ann Lee and No Other Choice pairing. They’re both buzzy films that I expect to get awards consideration. Brady Corbet/Mona Fastvold generally work for me, and Park’s last film Decision to Leave is one of my favs from that year. Multiple Hard Light folks loved Sound of Falling from NYFF, and I expect it to contend for Int’l Feature. I’ve mentioned Radu Jude’s silly farce in Dracula but I heard his Kontinental ’25 is much more grounded. I would be there if my schedule allowed it.
Friday: This is my “skip” night because I’ve tried all 5 days of VAFF before and it exhausts me with the driving. Unfortunately, the 3 movies from this slate that I’ve seen all overlap, so it’s going to be up to you what kinda night you wanna have. If you want to have an emotional night (mostly uplifting), I’d go with Sentimental Value. If you want to have an emotional night (mostly full of regret but with some great laughs!), I’d go with Jay Kelly. If you want to have an absolutely brutal emotional night (mostly full of hating yourself and biting your nails), I’d go with Sirât. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ve also heard good things about Peter Hujar’s Day and Ira Sachs typically works for me. Hedda should be good, but keep in mind it comes to streaming in a week or two so it’s more about the theatrical experience than early access. Whatever you choose to do, let me know! (especially if it’s Sirât lol)
Saturday: This is a full day, and I’ll be here all day so if you see me, say hello! I’m rolling with The Love That Remains (which Lewis also vouched for!), It Was Just An Accident, The Ice Storm, and Train Dreams. I really enjoyed Godland, so I expect The Love That Remains to work for me. I skipped It Was Just An Accident at NYFF, mostly out of spite that I couldn’t see the Panahi/Scorsese talk, so this is my chance to make up for missing it. The Ice Storm is a rep screening which I typically skip at VAFF, but it’s with a discussion from the screenwriter and Ben Mankiewicz from TCM, which is a cool opportunity. Finally, I read Train Dreams and really enjoyed the novel, but I found it difficult to imagine an adaptation, so I’m extremely excited for the film. Concerning other movies, I’m sure Sinners with the live performance and Frankenstein will both be fun, but I tend to avoid spectacle, so I’ll plug Metropolitan with director Whit Stillman in attendance and roll with Lewis’s recommendation of The Secret Agent. If you wanna risk La Grazia after the mess that was Parthenope, you’re a braver man than I am, Gunga Din.
Sunday: A short day as I’m only seeing Mirrors No. 3 and The Sting (again with Ben Mankiewicz). I’m a Petzold fan, and it’ll be nice to have the inside scoop on his new picture going into our upcoming screening of Phoenix. I’m extremely disappointed to miss out on Hamnet but it’s a Focus Features release, so I expect it to play in Richmond theaters for sure. I’m likely cutting the day short, but if I elected to stay, it’d be for Cactus Pears and Nirvanna the Band the Show The Movie. Cactus Pears is from our beloved friends at Strand Releasing and is sure to be a great time, and I’ve been a Matt Johnson believer since The Dirties, though I’ve admittedly never seen the Nirvanna the Band show. I’m pro-bit though, so this film sounds perfect for me.
I’ll be wearing various movie shirts and will be usually toward the front of the theaters so come and say hello! Otherwise, keep an eye out for our write-ups over the next few days and see what films we think our Hard Light fans will most appreciate. It looks to be a busy awards season so getting the advance sneak peak is always a ton of fun. Catch up with y’all in a few.
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