AFRICAN VIOLET
Set in Iran, this superb family drama has a picturesque sense of place and three central performances that flourish with authenticity. Shokoo (Fatemah Motamed-Aria) pulls her ex-husband Fereydoun (Reza Babak) out of a nursing home after finding out he was placed there by their kids. He’s going to be taken care of at her house that she shares with her current husband, Reza (Saeed Aghakhani), who isn’t too keen on the whole situation he now finds himself in. There may not be enough room physically nor emotionally for all of them under one roof.
While providing a look into Iranian culture and the characters’ home lives, director Mona Zandi Haghighi gently and empathetically shows how relationships and the roles played within them can and do change through the course of life. Her emphasis on motherhood and overall femininity is praiseworthy as well. What is most potent is the film’s more quiet moments where so much is said without saying a word.
KNOCK KNOCK
Knock Knock has loads of fun with its audience by laying out a narrative with characters who aren’t who they appear to be, resulting in an enjoyable guessing game down to the very last second. That’s probably precisely what writer-director Xiang Liu set out to do in his feature film debut. Centering around one night – a thief, a detective, and a food delivery guy all find themselves in a tumbledown apartment for different reasons. Is it coincidence or destiny?
Questions about how they got there and why are answered as layers are peeled away one by one. Murder, a ton of cash in a freezer, a deal gone bad – nothing but whopping trouble to be found. Liu does a sensational job at pulling you in and keeping you bemused while laughing at the lunacy these characters are being tossed around in. It’s for sure time well spent watching this high-grade mystery get solved.
Atlanta Film Festival 2021 Recaps
Also, check out the latest episode of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast, on which we talk about the festival as a whole:
Listen to “Ep. 74: The 2021 Atlanta Film Festival” on Spreaker.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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