EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF
This aberrant, compelling behind-the-scenes documentary is a film within a film in which director Mo Scarpelli quietly and beautifully captures the convulsive relationship between young filmmaker Jorge Thielen Armand and his alcoholic father and leading man, Jorge Thielen Hedderich. They’re both on a journey in making a very personal film that digs into the painful past with art intensely imitating life. It’s a delicate dance Armand does with his dad while shooting, and the longer it goes, the more he wrestles with how to communicate with him. The issue is that communication is clearly neither of their strong suits.
Unbridled and vulnerable, El Father Plays Himself succeeds in its soul-searching through drunken altercations and, more so, in the quiet, tender moments. Scarpelli’s decision to sprinkle footage of Armand’s childhood videos is also quite effective, a peek into a small window of time that now feels so far away. Closure is always the ultimate goal, but for Armand and the audience – there’s much that stays unresolved. Still, it’s unmistakable that he’s seeking a more profound connection with his father through the lens of a camera.
SEE YOU THEN
Two former lovers – one a once bold artist who now sees herself as a boring mom and the other who has found herself in her transitioning – reunite after a decade to catch up. Taking place during an evening, co-writer/director Mari Walker‘s dialogue-heavy drama plays nice until turning nasty in its finale, when everything comes out in the open. It’s the only true rewarding part.
For most of See You Then’s short runtime, through intimate, vulnerable, and delicate conversations, we learn about Kris (Pooya Mohseni) and Naomi’s (Lynn Chen) lives now and why their relationship abruptly ended all those years ago. Unfortunately, there’s not enough written or presented on screen to be drawn in for the sake of forming a real connection to these characters and care what happens after tonight. On top of that, Walker’s ending doesn’t feel earned. It’s too neatly wrapped up for two people who are still trying to get their shit together.
For part one of our 2021 Atlanta Film Festival recap, click here.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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