by A. Freedman, Staff Writer

Resurrection (dir. Andrew Semans)

It was Friday the 13th, and while I would usually be hunkering down for a few 80's horror movies, I was on my way to watch a new horror film- Resurrection, my first film of the 2022 Philadelphia Film Society SpringFest.  Debuting at Sundance, this Rebecca Hall led film was this year's Babdook, or Hereditary- touted as the newest nerve shredding "elevated horror" hit.

Resurrection opens with Rebecca Hall in corporate "girl boss" mode, counseling an intern at her high end Bio-Tech office job about how she should ditch the guy she's dating- too many red flags and he doesn't treat her right. A tracking shot follows Margaret (Hall) across the office floor as the credits roll, and she is in complete control of herself and her environment. She lives in a swanky new build condo with her daughter Abbie (Grace Kaufman), weeks away from her 18th birthday and set to go to college in the fall. One day, Margaret is at a boring work related seminar, when she notices someone from across the room. We guess he must be familiar, because for the first time, we see her look shaken. We haven't seen nothing yet. 

Played by the inherently unsettling Tim Roth, this gentleman keeps to himself but then starts to show up again...and again. Up to this point, this is probably the most that anyone should know going into Resurrection. Hall adds to her growing sub-genre of films in which she completely falls apart while those around her fail to understand what's going on. As a viewer, I had the exciting feeling of being on a familiar road but still having no idea whatsoever where it was leading. As the story unfurled, I couldn't quite believe what I was watching- but director Andrew Semans and co. make it work brilliantly by fully committing. By the end, I was on the edge of my seat even as I felt emotionally ill- some pretty high praise for a horror film! It is one of my tops of 2022 so far. 

Emily the Criminal (dir. John Patton Ford)

Saturday afternoon brought another excellent character study anchored by a strong performance- this time by Aubrey Plaza in Emily the Criminal. The Delaware native flaunts a strong North Jersey accent in this story of a Los Angeles gig economy worker with piles of student loans and increasingly little to lose. As the titular Emily, Plaza steps confidently into a serious role, in a manner that permanently altered the way I consider her talents. When Emily finds her way into higher paying work that is definitely illegal, we start to see the ways in which the risks expected in the criminal underground aren't all that different from the risks expected in the gig worker economy. With the help of her boss and colleague Youcef (played by an excellent Theo Rossi), Emily puts her skillset to use and climbs the ladder. Emily the Criminal starts to take the form of a rise and fall crime story like Scarface or Goodfellas- except there's nothing flashy or fun about the world of credit card fraud. Rather than living the high life, she is simply able to get her basic needs met for once, as an art school dropout saddled with the burden of a criminal record. But of course, it doesn't end there. 

It is a really strong, and particularly angry film- flippin' a big middle finger to all the systems we have in place that keep people like Emily trapped. She never has a chance with the rules as they are, so she has to make her own, no matter where they may lead her. 

2nd Chance (dir. Ramin Bahrani)

2nd Chance was up next, for a healthy dose of "stranger than fiction." The documentary debut from Sundance favorite Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo, Man Push Cart) follows the story of Richard Davis, a bankrupt pizzeria owner in 1960's Michigan who makes it big when he invents the modern bulletproof vest. Like Bahrani's other films, 2nd Chance is the story of an American outsider trying to carve out a little slice of the American dream for himself and his family. Unlike Bahrani's other characters, Richard Davis is wildly successful at this. It is probably because he is a white man with outsized confidence, a love of firearms and a passion for law enforcement- a few of the important items that can get you a golden ticket in America.

Bahrani steps into Werner Herzog/Errol Morris mode, and even gets an assist from producer Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act Of Killing, The Look Of Silence), all of whom make this kind of story their bread and butter. Davis is a larger than life presence, a deeply Herzogian character who directed several promotional films for his "Second Chance" company vests. He even tested the vests himself with a pistol at point blank range, hundreds of times over. Bahrani tells you up front, perhaps needlessly, that he sees in the rise and fall of Davis and Second Chance a metaphor for America. Yeah, we got that. Yet making subtext into text is a pretty Herzogian thing as well, so he's in good company. 

Navalny (dir. Daniel Roher)

Saturday night ended with Navalny, a CNN Films documentary about jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Free to the public and with local experts on Russian politics for a post screening Q&A, the event felt like the centerpiece of the fest. Daniel Roher's film follows Navalny and his family as he recovers from a near fatal poisoning, an attempt on his life by the Kremlin at the obvious direction of Vladimir Putin. While the documentary has the feeling of "content," and is perhaps made to be watched on your living room couch, a few key scenes elevate it. 

There is a now famous scene where Navalny- a charismatic performer- calls one of the men who likely poisoned him, and pretending to be a higher up in the Russian government, asks him to explain how his plan went awry. The guy spills all the beans, like an inept criminal out of a Coen Brothers film. It is not to be outdone by a heart racing finale in which Navalny finally arrives in Moscow for the first time since his poisoning, with his fate unclear, in a scene reminiscent of the airport pandemonium of Die Hard 2. Navalny's story is maddening and ultimately somewhat tragic- but as a documentary "thriller" about modern Russia, it is essential. 

Flux Gourmet (dir. Peter Strickland)

My final film of the fest came Sunday night, with Peter Strickland's newest film Flux Gourmet. With films like In Fabric and The Duke Of Burgundy, Strickland has cemented himself as a devotee of vintage euro-horror. He likes to play around in these elevated, farcical worlds, not unlike Yorgos Lanthimos. Flux Gourmet is about a group of musical performance artists, who specialize in an abstract form of sound known as "Sonic Catering"- who take up a month-long residency at a competitive institute. There they hone their craft, perform, receive feedback, and have a dramatic Behind The Music style social breakdown with a flatulent journalist in tow. 

As someone who has played in a few bands, it felt so true to the bizarre dynamics that pop up in groups who spend a lot of their time together. Maybe they don't get along, maybe they hate each other, but they also kind of need each other to achieve a mutual catharsis. Of course, this is all through Strickland's absurdly deadpan filter. It is a constant laugh riot, and features a freshly adult breakout role for not-so-little-anymore Asa Butterfield. 

SpringFest was a success, providing me with at least three movies on my very young best of 2022 list. Now, all eyes on October, and the main event.