By Matt Neglia
The 2020 New York Film Festival is now over and it was surely one for the ages. Due to COIVD-19, not many people knew what direction the festival would take. Featuring a combination of drive-in and virtual screenings with a reduced slate from previous years, the festival did their absolute best to still put on a festival which would match the standard they've provided in the past. While the film selection itself maybe left a bit to be desired, the virtual screening process for press was easy and seamless throughout with great communication from all parties involved. If this goes on next year, maybe I'll have to look into renting or purchasing a car because I certainly miss the communal aspect of seeing a movie at Alice Tully Hall with a crowded room full of people. Having 48 hours to view each film and with very limited time on my hands due to other commitments and thinking I could cover this festival without taking off from my day job (a poor decision in hindsight) I was still able to catch twenty films at this year's festival. Click below to see my ranking of the NYFF58 films I saw this year. 20. The Salt Of Tears 19. Gunda 18. Notturno 17. Malmkrog 16. The Calming 15. Beginning 14. David Byrne's American Utopia 13. The Truffle Hunters 12. MLK/FBI 11. Time 10. French Exit
The last film I saw at NYFF58 was also the most divided I've felt on any movie I saw at this year's festival. While "French Exit" provides Michelle Pfeiffer with a deliciously fun role that is worthy of her talents and has thrust her into the Oscar discussion once again, the movie around her is perplexing and often frustrating. I'm warming up to it as time rolls on. I found it to be quite humorous in the moment with some fascinating characters worth exploring in this bizarre look at depression. A few tonal issues and muddled storytelling decisions held me back from fully loving this but Pfeiffer's performance is so good that it's standing out enough to barely crack my top 10.
9. Night Of The Kings
A celebration of storytelling with a dangerous ritual that keeps you engrossed throughout, wondering where the story will take us next, "Night Of The Kings" is Ivory's Oscar submission this year and it sure is a memorable one. Taking place in a correctional facility in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan, a new prisoner (Koné Bakary), is selected by Lord Black Beard ("Les Miserables'" Steve Tientcheau) to keep the other inmates entertained or risk chaos and the loss of his own life. As the tension ratchets up and we wait to see what the eventual outcome of this red moonlit night will be. Not perfect by any means but it is so well directed by Philippe Lacôte, with some powerful images & dazzling sequences.
8. I Carry You With Me
"I Carry You With Me" gripped me with its opening frame and took me on a beautiful journey of young love, through decades and across countries. Featuring some of the best cinematography of the festival, its third act reveal completely shocked me and made me fall even more in love with Heidi Ewing's story and her choices as a director. This was the last movie I was supposed to see at Sundance earlier this year (but I chose to board my plane with time to spare instead of waiting till the last possible minute) and I can tell you all that the wait was definitely worth it. This is one which I will surely carry with me.
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March 2021
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