Fremont is making waves again

It’s not unusual for San Francisco and Oakland to bask in the glow and geographic respect of the Sundance Film Festival. But Fremont?

In the wake of Babak Jalali’s B&W surefooted indie “Fremont,” which made a splash at Park City, Utah, last year, the East Bay city once again landed on festival-goers’ maps, thanks to Sean Wang’s delightful coming-of-age feature debut “Dìdi (弟弟).”

The charming film, which Wang shot entirely in his native Fremont, follows the exploits of 13-year-old in the city and took home the audience award for U.S. Dramatic Feature and claimed the best ensemble special jury award at the just wrapped Sundance.

“Dìdi (弟弟)” is something of a Valentine to Fremont and is poised to put  its young filmmaker on the Hollywood fast track. Wang has been nominated for an Oscar for his documentary short “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,” which features his grandmother (she also appears in “Dìdi”).

It tops our roundup of 11 Sundance films tat stood out and could become box office gold.

“Dìdi (弟弟)”: Sean Wang’s quasi-autobiographical comedy/drama immerses us in the relatable the world of a socially awkward 13-year-old Taiwanese American skateboarder and nascent videographer in 2008 Fremont as he undergoes growing pains. It’s a full-on crowd-pleaser that’s equal parts funny and touching and avoids cheap sentimentality even if it winds up tearing you up at the end. Teen newcomer Izaac Wang and Joan Chen are perfectly paired to play a feuding son and mother who eventually find common ground. And it’s a treat to see nearby Golfland (Milpitas) receive some screen time.

“In the Summers”: This year’s program teemed with outstanding coming-of-age films. Arguably, the best of the lot came from director/screenwriter Alessandra Lacorazza, whose debut takes a clear-cut gaze back at four summers that two sisters spent with their volatile but loving father in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Lacorazza handles the passage of time with literary-like eloquence and the cast (rapper René Pérez Joglar is a standout) is in perfect emotional sync with the tone and the complicated texture of the material. The ending unexpectedly stabs you in the heart. The film captured the U.S. Grand Jury Dramatic Prize and the directing award.

“Kneecap”: Imagine chugging down a six-pack of Jolt Colas and chasing it with a couple belts of espresso. That jittery caffeine overload mirrors the addictive, go-for-broke style of filmmaker Rich Peppiatt, whose rowdy, randy film takes on members of an Irish rap group thumbing their noses and raising their middle fingers to authorities as they push for Gallic to be considered an official language. The film bloody well entertains from beginning to end. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh slay at playing themselves, hitting all the right comedic and dramatic notes. You’ll want to get the soundtrack right after viewing.

“Thelma”: Which actor stole the most hearts on-screen during Sundance? My money’s on 94-year-old June Squibb. The “Nebraska” star melted mine playing a befuddled scam victim who summons her inner Tom “Mission: Impossible” Cruise to ferret out the stinkers who demanded she pay a fake kidnapping sum to spring her adoring but anxiety-prone grandson (Fred Hechinger, also melting hearts). Thelma’s adventures with her assisted-living chum (the late Richard Roundtree) generated some of the best laughs from any film in the fest, and those scenes between grandma and grandson touched my soul.

“Sujo”: Living in fear wherever he goes, the resilient son of a murdered Mexican drug cartel member survives in the face of insurmountable odds and reckons with the sins of a father whose dangerous past might well become his own fatal future. Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez wrote and directed this perfectly rendered firecracker of a character study that Sundance voters justifiably honored as the best world cinema dramatic feature. Be on the lookout for this one; it’s an early contender for one of the best films of 2024.

“Sebastian”: A handsome young gay writer named Max (Ruaridh Mollica, in a star-making performance) intentionally blurs the lines between his individual truths and fictions in order to fashion a superior first novel. In Mikko Mäkelä’s provocative, sex-positive follow-up to his exceptional “A Moment in the Reeds,” Max poses online as Sebastian, a sex worker who’s ostensibly doing “research” and getting quite the education himself. But as he meets up with a variety of men, including a retired professor he grows fond of, his eyes open to others’ needs and desires and then his own. Mäkelä’s film is a tricky one as it navigates Max’s ambition and satisfaction both in the bedroom and in front of the laptop. It’s a fascinating sexual journey about accepting all facets of ourselves.

“Girls Will Be Girls”: A prestigious Himalayan school serves as the oppressive backdrop of filmmaker Shuchi Talati’s evocative sexual awakening drama, recipient of the audience award in the World Dramatic competition. Preeti Panigrahi received a Special Jury Award for lead actor for her portrayal of book-smart Mira — the first female perfect in the school’s history. She aces a tough role, expressing with nuance her character’s car wreck of emotions as she handles the burden of being held to a higher standard because of her gender. She also has a budding desire to play around with handsome new student Sri (Kesav Binoy). Talati never succumbs to obvious choices in her romantic scenes, and the result is a subtle coming-of-age film that reveals a lot more than most sexual awakening films.

“àma Gloria”: There’s always the one gem that tends to get overlooked in the celebrity sugar rush of Sundance. This is it. Director Marie Amachoukeli’s nuanced feature focuses on the evolving relationship between a child and her nanny after the latter returns to an island on Cape Verde where her own family lives and needs her. Sure, the story has been told before, but not in this manner — from the moody, playful perspective of 6-year-old Cléo (Louise Mauory-Panzani), a sweet kid who just can’t live without Gloria (Ilça Moreno Zego) in her Paris home with an extra-busy dad. When Cléo visits Gloria on her home turf, her child’s eyes open in wonder to a new world and, perhaps, a more expansive outlook on life itself. Mauory-Panzani turns in an Oscar-caliber performance.

“Exhibiting Forgiveness”: The fallout from a horrendous childhood and the healing power of art carry equal weight for very different reasons in artist-turned-filmmaker Titus Kaphar’s emotionally charged family drama, a powderkeg of a debut that refuses to ponder to trite, feel-great resolutions. André Holland roils with escalating turmoil as acclaimed painter Tarrell Rodin, a happily married father whose life turns complicated once his abusive dad (John Earl Jelks) resurfaces decades later. With strong support from Andra Day as Tarrell’s singer wife and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as his ready-to-forgive mom, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” doesn’t flinch from showing how dysfunctional familial relationships wound and scar repeatedly. But the film itself isn’t cynical and bitter, illustrating how art holds the power to not only help us process and recover but transform.

“Layla”: The constant code switching that an Arab drag queen (Bilal Hasna, perfectly cast) undergoes between their life with loyal, sometimes to a fault, friends in London and their tradition-bound, rarely seen family grows ever more trying, even tiresome. When a cute white gay businessman (Louis Greatorex) becomes Layla’s love interest, the code switching for both lovers escalates even more. Screenwriter/director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s debut feature sizzles in multiple ways, as a sexy celebration of queerness and as a shout out about our need to be true to ourselves wherever we go. Certainly, you’ll look at the uses of a drag queen’s high heel in a whole different light after watching.

“In a Violent Nature”: What was  hyped as the equivalent of a Terrence Malick slasher flick lives up – sort of – to that claim. Not entirely mind you as the camera often follows from the perspective of an unstoppable killer/monster Johnny who frequently uses very sharp objects to prey on campers, rangers, hikers and a crotchety old cuss in acts of vengeance for the evil that was perpetrated on him. Director Chris Rush’s well-shot gorefest (this is exceedingly gruesome stuff) mashes up all the slasher flicks for a bloody genre salute. The anticipation that a violent act will indeed happen gets unbearable at times. I think it’s destined to become a cult classic, and is a treasure trove referencing classics in the slasher genre.

“In the Land of Brothers”: The treatment of Afghan immigrants in Iran make for a compelling, heartrending subject in Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi’s decades-spanning beauty.  Both lyrical and emotional, it impresses both  visually and thematically as it tells a sad story on the historical legacy of being a refugee.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected]

It’s not unusual for San Francisco and Oakland to bask in the glow and geographic respect of the Sundance Film Festival. But Fremont?

In the wake of Babak Jalali’s B&W surefooted indie “Fremont,” which made a splash at Park City, Utah, last year, the East Bay city once again landed on festival-goers’ maps, thanks to Sean Wang’s delightful coming-of-age feature debut “Dìdi (弟弟).”

The charming film, which Wang shot entirely in his native Fremont, follows the exploits of 13-year-old in the city and took home the audience award for U.S. Dramatic Feature and claimed the best ensemble special jury award at the just wrapped Sundance.

“Dìdi (弟弟)” is something of a Valentine to Fremont and is poised to put  its young filmmaker on the Hollywood fast track. Wang has been nominated for an Oscar for his documentary short “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,” which features his grandmother (she also appears in “Dìdi”).

It tops our roundup of 11 Sundance films tat stood out and could become box office gold.

“Dìdi (弟弟)”: Sean Wang’s quasi-autobiographical comedy/drama immerses us in the relatable the world of a socially awkward 13-year-old Taiwanese American skateboarder and nascent videographer in 2008 Fremont as he undergoes growing pains. It’s a full-on crowd-pleaser that’s equal parts funny and touching and avoids cheap sentimentality even if it winds up tearing you up at the end. Teen newcomer Izaac Wang and Joan Chen are perfectly paired to play a feuding son and mother who eventually find common ground. And it’s a treat to see nearby Golfland (Milpitas) receive some screen time.

“In the Summers”: This year’s program teemed with outstanding coming-of-age films. Arguably, the best of the lot came from director/screenwriter Alessandra Lacorazza, whose debut takes a clear-cut gaze back at four summers that two sisters spent with their volatile but loving father in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Lacorazza handles the passage of time with literary-like eloquence and the cast (rapper René Pérez Joglar is a standout) is in perfect emotional sync with the tone and the complicated texture of the material. The ending unexpectedly stabs you in the heart. The film captured the U.S. Grand Jury Dramatic Prize and the directing award.

“Kneecap”: Imagine chugging down a six-pack of Jolt Colas and chasing it with a couple belts of espresso. That jittery caffeine overload mirrors the addictive, go-for-broke style of filmmaker Rich Peppiatt, whose rowdy, randy film takes on members of an Irish rap group thumbing their noses and raising their middle fingers to authorities as they push for Gallic to be considered an official language. The film bloody well entertains from beginning to end. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh slay at playing themselves, hitting all the right comedic and dramatic notes. You’ll want to get the soundtrack right after viewing.

“Thelma”: Which actor stole the most hearts on-screen during Sundance? My money’s on 94-year-old June Squibb. The “Nebraska” star melted mine playing a befuddled scam victim who summons her inner Tom “Mission: Impossible” Cruise to ferret out the stinkers who demanded she pay a fake kidnapping sum to spring her adoring but anxiety-prone grandson (Fred Hechinger, also melting hearts). Thelma’s adventures with her assisted-living chum (the late Richard Roundtree) generated some of the best laughs from any film in the fest, and those scenes between grandma and grandson touched my soul.

“Sujo”: Living in fear wherever he goes, the resilient son of a murdered Mexican drug cartel member survives in the face of insurmountable odds and reckons with the sins of a father whose dangerous past might well become his own fatal future. Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez wrote and directed this perfectly rendered firecracker of a character study that Sundance voters justifiably honored as the best world cinema dramatic feature. Be on the lookout for this one; it’s an early contender for one of the best films of 2024.

“Sebastian”: A handsome young gay writer named Max (Ruaridh Mollica, in a star-making performance) intentionally blurs the lines between his individual truths and fictions in order to fashion a superior first novel. In Mikko Mäkelä’s provocative, sex-positive follow-up to his exceptional “A Moment in the Reeds,” Max poses online as Sebastian, a sex worker who’s ostensibly doing “research” and getting quite the education himself. But as he meets up with a variety of men, including a retired professor he grows fond of, his eyes open to others’ needs and desires and then his own. Mäkelä’s film is a tricky one as it navigates Max’s ambition and satisfaction both in the bedroom and in front of the laptop. It’s a fascinating sexual journey about accepting all facets of ourselves.

“Girls Will Be Girls”: A prestigious Himalayan school serves as the oppressive backdrop of filmmaker Shuchi Talati’s evocative sexual awakening drama, recipient of the audience award in the World Dramatic competition. Preeti Panigrahi received a Special Jury Award for lead actor for her portrayal of book-smart Mira — the first female perfect in the school’s history. She aces a tough role, expressing with nuance her character’s car wreck of emotions as she handles the burden of being held to a higher standard because of her gender. She also has a budding desire to play around with handsome new student Sri (Kesav Binoy). Talati never succumbs to obvious choices in her romantic scenes, and the result is a subtle coming-of-age film that reveals a lot more than most sexual awakening films.

“àma Gloria”: There’s always the one gem that tends to get overlooked in the celebrity sugar rush of Sundance. This is it. Director Marie Amachoukeli’s nuanced feature focuses on the evolving relationship between a child and her nanny after the latter returns to an island on Cape Verde where her own family lives and needs her. Sure, the story has been told before, but not in this manner — from the moody, playful perspective of 6-year-old Cléo (Louise Mauory-Panzani), a sweet kid who just can’t live without Gloria (Ilça Moreno Zego) in her Paris home with an extra-busy dad. When Cléo visits Gloria on her home turf, her child’s eyes open in wonder to a new world and, perhaps, a more expansive outlook on life itself. Mauory-Panzani turns in an Oscar-caliber performance.

“Exhibiting Forgiveness”: The fallout from a horrendous childhood and the healing power of art carry equal weight for very different reasons in artist-turned-filmmaker Titus Kaphar’s emotionally charged family drama, a powderkeg of a debut that refuses to ponder to trite, feel-great resolutions. André Holland roils with escalating turmoil as acclaimed painter Tarrell Rodin, a happily married father whose life turns complicated once his abusive dad (John Earl Jelks) resurfaces decades later. With strong support from Andra Day as Tarrell’s singer wife and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as his ready-to-forgive mom, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” doesn’t flinch from showing how dysfunctional familial relationships wound and scar repeatedly. But the film itself isn’t cynical and bitter, illustrating how art holds the power to not only help us process and recover but transform.

“Layla”: The constant code switching that an Arab drag queen (Bilal Hasna, perfectly cast) undergoes between their life with loyal, sometimes to a fault, friends in London and their tradition-bound, rarely seen family grows ever more trying, even tiresome. When a cute white gay businessman (Louis Greatorex) becomes Layla’s love interest, the code switching for both lovers escalates even more. Screenwriter/director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s debut feature sizzles in multiple ways, as a sexy celebration of queerness and as a shout out about our need to be true to ourselves wherever we go. Certainly, you’ll look at the uses of a drag queen’s high heel in a whole different light after watching.

“In a Violent Nature”: What was  hyped as the equivalent of a Terrence Malick slasher flick lives up – sort of – to that claim. Not entirely mind you as the camera often follows from the perspective of an unstoppable killer/monster Johnny who frequently uses very sharp objects to prey on campers, rangers, hikers and a crotchety old cuss in acts of vengeance for the evil that was perpetrated on him. Director Chris Rush’s well-shot gorefest (this is exceedingly gruesome stuff) mashes up all the slasher flicks for a bloody genre salute. The anticipation that a violent act will indeed happen gets unbearable at times. I think it’s destined to become a cult classic, and is a treasure trove referencing classics in the slasher genre.

“In the Land of Brothers”: The treatment of Afghan immigrants in Iran make for a compelling, heartrending subject in Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi’s decades-spanning beauty.  Both lyrical and emotional, it impresses both  visually and thematically as it tells a sad story on the historical legacy of being a refugee.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected]