Greenpoint Film Festival Movie Reviews

by Ella Burns

From the marketing to the people to the location the Greenpoint Film Festival had an alluring aura. Drinks were served, and a DJ played music as you walked out of the theater. The celebration never stopped. The staff, filmmakers, and audiences were welcoming and enjoyed discussing the films together.

I had the pleasure of attending two of the festival’s programs. The Centerpiece program focused on the Spanish filmmaker Àlex Lora Cercós and two of his films: The Masterpiece and Unicorns. His short film, The Masterpiece, won the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. The Indigenous Wisdom program screened the feature film Miwene, directed by Keith Heyward, Jennifer Berglund, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga, and Obe Nenquimo Nihua.

The Masterpiece (La Gran Obra)

Leo and Diana, a wealthy couple, encounter two scrap dealers at a recycling center. Salif and Yousef, a father-son duo, offer to take their junk off their hands. Ignoring Leo’s concerns, Diana invites Salif and Yousef to her home for more recyclables.

The Masterpiece (pictured above), directed by Àlex Lora Cercós,touches on immigration, class, and race in a short time frame. Language plays a particularly important part in the film as the characters change the language they speak depending on who they are talking to as if everyone has a secret to keep from one another. The eerie shots and lack of understanding of each character’s true motivation make it difficult to trust anyone.

Unicorns

Isa is a young, queer, and polyamorous woman who follows an artistically extravagant lifestyle. Her boyfriend, Guillem, wants to be in a monogamous relationship, but Isa doesn’t causing him to break up with her.Eventually, the pressures of her work, family, and romantic life build and become increasingly difficult for her to manage.

Unicorns tackles the complications of young women’s lives, especially in the digital age. The desperate need for validation from Isa’s boss or mother or people online rings true. At times, the film seemed to be tackling far too many issues at once which made it difficult to keep up. However, the messiness of Isa’s character and her wrong decisions made the film exciting to watch.

Miwene

Miwene follows Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga, a young Waorani woman living in the Amazonian rainforest.The Waorani people have a strong tradition in oral storytelling that Gange uses throughout the film to share her story, as well as her grandmother’s story.

Miwene is a touching story, but vital in filmmaking where indigenous voices need to be heard. Originally, Jennifer Berglund and Keith Heyward wanted to tell a story about climate change and what the Waorani people are doing to “save” the Amazon and their culture. The two realized they were asking the wrong questions, and then two Waorani women and (aspiring) filmmakers, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga and Obe Beatriz Neenquimo Nihua, transformed the film into an exploration of the Waorani people and their stories.

Miwene presents Gange’s life and community through beautifully composed shots of the land, songs her grandmother sings, and the tragedies Gange’s family faces. This captures an intensely intimate side of the community that welcomes the viewer as one of them. Making it even more devastating when the film introduces the exploitation of Waorani land and the Amazon rainforest by oil companies, loggers, and settlers. The evolution of this film’s narrative highlights the importance of Indigenous perspectives leading the conversation on their terms.

The Greenpoint Film Festival created a chic and lively environment for both the filmmakers and the audience. After the directors spoke at their Q&A, they stuck around to grab drinks and talk to whoever was interested. Mingling and networking has never been so easy and pleasant. Overall, the festival was an absolute joy, and I will be looking out for next year’s lineup!

Originally published at http://behindtherabbitproductions.wordpress.com on August 26, 2024.