And suddenly another year is upon us. It might not feel real, but 2021 has ushered itself in. Instead of hoping that this year is better than the last, we should work to create a better future for ourselves, and be the change that we want to see. Create new beginnings and tell new stories. And that’s the theme for this month's list — the concept of all that is new.
This month we bring you one series, two animated shorts, and two feature films. We hope that you find something here that piques your interest and which will make this grey January a little brighter.
Our first recommendation of the year comes from Carleton professor Dr. Aubrey Anable: How to With John Wilson (2020) a comedy television docuseries created by John Wilson and produced by Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman and Clark Reinking. Available on Crave and HBO, Professor Anable details her thoughts below.
Documentary filmmaker John Wilson embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery and cultural observation by covertly filming the lives of fellow New Yorkers while trying to share advice.
“The banal ‘how-to’ genre of YouTube videos gets turned into a genuinely insightful documentary series that is largely about New York City, social anxiety, and the absurdity of modern American politics. I went in blind and came out of the first episode a little confused — was that great or completely unethical, or both? By the time I finished the episode on scaffolding — yes, scaffolding — Wilson’s anxious, awkward, minutely observational style had won me over. He has a brilliant eye. Though his surreptitious shots of people on the streets of New York City can sometimes cross the line into meanness, the whole picture always resolves into something quite genuinely moving and insightful. Watch to the end of the season to see how Wilson documents the early days of the COVID lockdown.”
35 Shots of Rum (2008) is a French drama film directed by Claire Denis which stars Alex Descas, Mati Diop, and Nicole Dogué.
A widowed metro conductor, approaching retirement, lives with his beautiful grown daughter — the object of a neighbor’s romantic interest. The man’s former girlfriend also lives in their building and plays a role in their closely-knit lives.
Explicitly about new beginnings, 35 Shots of Rum, explores the difficulty of leaving our comfortable places and routines.
Sitting at 100 minutes, 35 Shots of Rum is available to stream on the Criterion Channel and Fandor.
Manivald (2017) directed by Chintis Lundgren is a Canadian animated short that is rife with drama and certainly worth your while.
Manivald, a fox, is turning 33. Overeducated, unemployed and generally uninspired, he lives with his overbearing, retired mother and spends his days learning piano while she makes his coffee and washes his socks. It is an easy life, but not a good one. Their unhealthy co-dependence is about to collapse when the washing machine breaks down and Toomas, a sexy and adventurous wolf repairman, arrives to fix it, and them.
With an animation style that is both fun and funky, Manivald gives you just enough visual hints to be drawn in, while still leaving you surprised with each new twist.
Only twelve minutes, Manivald is available to stream on the NFB website: here.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007) directed by Gábor Csupó is well known for being one of the saddest children’s movies around — nearly every review on Letterboxd makes a point of saying so — but it also contains such elements as suffering, loss, coping, and reconciliation, all important to the new beginnings theme and life in general.
Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school, so he’s very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences, including that she’s rich, he’s poor, and she’s a city girl, he’s a country boy, the two become fast friends. Together, they create Terabithia, a land of monsters, trolls, ogres, and giants and rule as king and queen.
Exploring the expense of a child’s imagination, Bridge to Terabithia allows one to fall into a tragic and majestic world. Starring Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, and Zooey Deschanel, the film runs 96 minutes and is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
An Italian short film, OTTO (2014, Salvatore Murgia, Dario Imbrogno) is darkly captivating and an important reminder going into 2021.
OTTO is a video created with the intention to talk in a metaphorical and abstract way about the natural circle of events, which often switches the rules of the characters involved.
My personal recommendation for this list is OTTO which is available to watch for free on Vimeo: here. Using stop motion and 2D animation, it’s hard to look away from OTTO, as black and white fight and interact, moving seamlessly from one image to the next. Going into January 2021 it’s a good reminder that endings will always lead to beginnings, and vice versa, a necessary and never-ending cycle.
Thank you for reading CU Film’s January rec list. All the film synopses were taken from Letterboxd, except for OTTO, which is from Vimeo, and How to With John Wilson from Wikipedia. Many thanks to Dr. Anable and my fellow Carleton students for providing the different films on this list.
Is there a movie, short film, or series that you’re really loving lately? Drop a comment below or direct message @mycufilm on Twitter/Instagram for it to appear in February’s rec list. The theme for February is affection and love, whether it be romantic, platonic, or familial.
This blog post was written by Lily Inskip-Shesnicky, a third-year film studies student at Carleton University, and the CU Film social media manager.
