Fleeting moments rushing into the unforgivable vortex of time, all of which would be lost forever if not for the presence of a camera, comprise Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s “Tendaberry,” a ravishingly lyrical portrait of both a single young life and a centuries-old locale converging in the present. These timelines collapse in Anderson’s debut feature, which flies with a formally unbound spirit, as fragments of lifetimes buried in photos and videos come together by way of idea association rather than strictly linear parameters. The one clear marker of a forward chronology are the title cards that announce the changing seasons.
Commanding this choreographed medley of swirling imagery is headstrong Dakota (Kota Johan), a 20-something Afro-Latina singer-songwriter living in Brooklyn, New York. Sultry moments of loving domesticity, of spontaneous sex, and comfortable silences with her Ukrainian boyfriend Yuri (Yuri Pleskun) fill the first chapter. But when Yuri’s father has...
Commanding this choreographed medley of swirling imagery is headstrong Dakota (Kota Johan), a 20-something Afro-Latina singer-songwriter living in Brooklyn, New York. Sultry moments of loving domesticity, of spontaneous sex, and comfortable silences with her Ukrainian boyfriend Yuri (Yuri Pleskun) fill the first chapter. But when Yuri’s father has...
- 1/30/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Variety Film + TV
A soulful coming-of-age story with far more on its mind than the here and now, Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s Tendaberry is an ambitious directorial debut mixing various storytelling forms to achieve its poetic patchwork of ideas. Combining recollections of the past, a present way of life, and hopes for the future through the eyes of 23-year-old Dakota (Kota Johan), it follows her journey juggling romance, work, friendship, and family. The nature of its scattershot hybrid approach––incorporating narrative, documentary, and archival materials––results in certain passages feeling a bit stretched, but the cumulative effect is one of an impressive new voice.
Hopping around Brooklyn with a strong focus on the Coney Island area, Tendaberry doubles as a portrait of the city, one that marvels at its bustling joys as much as it exudes frustrations with the rough-and-tumble nature. Beyond just a shared fascination with the locales, the film evokes an...
Hopping around Brooklyn with a strong focus on the Coney Island area, Tendaberry doubles as a portrait of the city, one that marvels at its bustling joys as much as it exudes frustrations with the rough-and-tumble nature. Beyond just a shared fascination with the locales, the film evokes an...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Tendaberry, the feature debut from writer-director Haley Elizabeth Anderson, follows 23-year-old protagonist Dakota (first-time actor Kota Johan) throughout an entire calendar year as she experiences day-to-day life in New York City. Specifically, Dakota and her boyfriend Yuri reside in the South Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, which is alight with sunbathers and Coney Island-bound tourists in the summertime, but otherwise very quiet—save for the constant hum of ocean wave and gulls—during the off-season. A permanent air of loneliness engulfs Dakota when Yuri travels back to Ukraine to […]
The post “When You’re Filming in the Streets of New York, There’s No Need To Pretend”: Haley Elizabeth Anderson on Tendaberry first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “When You’re Filming in the Streets of New York, There’s No Need To Pretend”: Haley Elizabeth Anderson on Tendaberry first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/23/2024
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Tendaberry, the feature debut from writer-director Haley Elizabeth Anderson, follows 23-year-old protagonist Dakota (first-time actor Kota Johan) throughout an entire calendar year as she experiences day-to-day life in New York City. Specifically, Dakota and her boyfriend Yuri reside in the South Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, which is alight with sunbathers and Coney Island-bound tourists in the summertime, but otherwise very quiet—save for the constant hum of ocean wave and gulls—during the off-season. A permanent air of loneliness engulfs Dakota when Yuri travels back to Ukraine to […]
The post “When You’re Filming in the Streets of New York, There’s No Need To Pretend”: Haley Elizabeth Anderson on Tendaberry first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “When You’re Filming in the Streets of New York, There’s No Need To Pretend”: Haley Elizabeth Anderson on Tendaberry first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/23/2024
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
One of the stand-out directorial debuts of the Sundance Film Festival this year is Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s Tendaberry, which premiered yesterday as part of the Next section. The film takes a poetic, hybrid look at life in Brooklyn through the eyes of Dakota (Kota Johan), a 23-year-old juggling romance, work, friendship, and family. We’re pleased to exclusively debut the first clip from the film, featuring an early scene between Dakota and her boyfriend (Yuri Pleskun) before he heads to Ukraine.
Here’s the synopsis: “When her boyfriend Yuri goes back to Ukraine to be with his ailing father, twenty-three year-old Dakota navigates her precarious new life, surviving on her own in New York City. When Yuri goes missing, Dakota discovers that she is pregnant and must make a decision between holding on to the past and forging her own future in the midst of her South Brooklyn universe,...
Here’s the synopsis: “When her boyfriend Yuri goes back to Ukraine to be with his ailing father, twenty-three year-old Dakota navigates her precarious new life, surviving on her own in New York City. When Yuri goes missing, Dakota discovers that she is pregnant and must make a decision between holding on to the past and forging her own future in the midst of her South Brooklyn universe,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
#1. "Heaven Knows What" (May 29) (Film Page) Directors: Ben Safie and Joshua Safdie Cast: Ron Bruanstein, Eleonore Hendricks, Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, Yuri Pleskun Criticwire Average: B+ Why is it a "Must See"? Indiewire's review of "Heaven Knows What" dubbed it a must-watch, with chief film critic Eric Kohn calling it, "A bold attempt to explore drug addiction through behavior." The film comes from Joshua and Benny Sadfie ("Daddy Longlegs"), whose visions of New York City are as strange as they are inspired, and it was awarded the International Confederation of Art Cinemas prize at last year's Venice Film Festival. #2. "Slow West" (May 15) (Film Page) Director: John Maclean Cast: Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Alex Macqueen, Brooke Williams Criticwire Average: B+ Why is it a "Must See"? John Maclean's beautifully lensed and powerfully acted modern western took...
- 4/30/2015
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Heaven Knows What Red Band Trailer. Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie‘s Heaven Knows What (2014) red band movie trailer stars Ron Braunstein, Eleonore Hendricks, Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, and Yuri Pleskun. Heaven Knows What‘s plot synopsis: “Harley loves Ilya. He gives her life purpose, sets her passion ablaze. So when [...]
Continue reading: Heaven Knows What (2014) Red Band Movie Trailer: Arielle Holmes is Addicted...
Continue reading: Heaven Knows What (2014) Red Band Movie Trailer: Arielle Holmes is Addicted...
- 3/17/2015
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
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