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Available on demand, See You Then is within that genre I love about the conversation of your life, centering in this film on two exes getting together years after their breakup. Uniquely, this film features an Asian American lead (Lynn Chen) and a trans woman (Pooya Mohseni), meeting up years after their breakup and after her transition. While the LGBTQ+ aspect is a portion of the story, it resides with equal weight to the trauma of a break-up, paths not taken, and the wonder of what if. I think what makes this conversation-of-your-life genre work is how messy, complicated, and visceral the conversation can get, and this film delivers. In this indie film, the camera angles seem awkward at times, though I think it's partially to share the awkwardness of the moment.

Premiered at Sundance, Radical is based on the true story of a inspirational middle school teacher in an impoverished town in Mexico. Comparisons to Stand & Deliver, Dead Poet's Society, and other films based on inspirational teachers are inevitable, and perhaps you can anticipate beats in a film like this. Eugenio Derbez (who played the music teacher in CODA) is wonderful as the teacher Sergio Juarez, using unconventional means to teach about sixth grade and life. The child actors across this movie are astounding, as the director lets us see this world from both the teacher and the students. This film will undoubtedly open the floodgates about teachers and people who took the time to believe and inspire you.

The Persian Version centers on a mother-daughter relationship, while walking through Iranian-American culture and history, family secrets, trauma, and love. While engaging, this disjointed movie starts as a comedy and then gradually amps up its depth as a drama. While the comedy and the drama are both worthwhile stories, they sit imperfectly together in this film, effectively two separate movies. And yet, for its two narratives, The Persian Version serves a love letter for the strength and resilience of immigrant women and their daughters, especially the fierce Iranian women still fighting for their rights today.

Premiered at Sundance, Theater Camp is a mockumentary of a theater summer camp in the Adirondacks, where chaos ensues when the son of the longtime director takes the reins. The casting was great, particularly the numerous child actors that joined the improv in this film. Unfortunately, this movie is just not for me. The jokes and humor come fast and furious, though with mixed results. From the reviews, it seems Theater Camp is the Sundance favorite among former theater kids turned adults. As I'm not a theater kid and the mockumentary schtick is showing its age (with the exception of Abbott Elementary which is stellar), I just couldn't get into this movie.

Magazine Dreams centers on a body builder gripped by ambition, toxic masculinity, and violence. Jonathan Majors shines in Magazine Dreams for nearly every frame of this film, well-suited by bringing his even-more-buff body builder physique with the talent to bring the complex vulnerability and intensity to the Killian Maddox character. Because of the directions of this film, it's a difficult watch. As mentioned in the Sundance Q&A by writer:director Elijah Bynum, the movie rides the edge in keeping the audience's empathy for the character. Undoubtedly it may be a push too far for some viewers. There are a lot of ideas in this film, some of which feel tonally off or extraneous to the core, but it's impossible to look away from this movie.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a bold, visual mosaic of a Black girl/woman's life in rural Mississippi, a summation of individual memories of love, heartbreak, grief, and life events told in a nonlinear stream of consciousness. Cinematically, the patient film stays longingly on key moments of her life, most typically moments of connection in embraces or holding hands. The music of nature and strings peacefully bind the movie together. Story wise, I found this movie very hard to get engaged in. Indeed, as a reflection of life, memories do not organize themselves in linearly, instead being a composition of moments at different times for periods long and short. But with little narrative to draw us in and care about Mack and the characters, these patient moments of longing instead often felt unnecessarily slow. I give the filmmaker credit for this bold vision and I appreciate the film on those merits, even though ultimately this film was not for me.

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project is breathtaking visual masterpiece, blending her poetry, vintage film, and current day footage to tell the life and journey of a master poet. On one level, it's visually captivating, impossible to look away. At its core, it's a powerful composition of Giovanni and poetry across the decades. Though some poetry and vignettes are 50+ years old, the words and power are undeniably timeless, speaking across generations, races, and spaces. I didn't want this documentary to end and it will undoubtedly spark new explorers, including myself, into Nikki Giovanni's writings.

"Good Luck To You, Leo Grande" hits a particular genre of movie that I like, the conversation of your life. I'm not sure if that's the appropriate name, but I heard that expression in "Spanglish," a moment when Adam Sandler and Paz Vega finally have the talk that they'd be waiting for. Another good film in that style is "The Trouble with the Truth," a dialogue between Lea Thompson and John Shea at a restaurant for almost the entire movie. Or further back "Same Time Next Year" is the oldest movie I can think of using that style, starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. In this movie, Emma Thompson is a widowed, former religion teacher that hires a sex worker played by Daryl McCormack. With that backdrop largely held in a hotel room, this movie may not be for everyone, but it's the conversation between them that makes the film interesting. I wanted to see this movie at virtual Sundance last year, glad I finally got to see it.

Available on Blu-ray, digital, and briefly back in theaters, The Woman King is a largely enjoyable film focused on the Dahomey tribe and the Agojie, its elite women warriors. As an action film, the fight choreography is far better than the fantasy Dora Milaje women warriors in Wakanda Forever. The movie centers on several women warriors, using the younger character's origin story to introduce us to this world. The movie has some pacing issues, starting strong, becoming sluggish in the second half, and ending strong.

The movie received a hypocritical amount of criticism for its liberties on history. One criticism claiming that it downplays the tribe's role in the slave trade is misplaced, when it's clearly called out multiple times in the movie. Further, if you can handle the liberties on history by The Last Samurai, Gladiator, and pretty much any "history" movie ever made, you can handle this. Viola Davis is excellent in this film, along with Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu. Though the title is eventually explained, I think it might be confusing and inadvertently turn some people off.

A Man Called Otto stars a curmudgeonly Tom Hanks frustrated by his neighbors and changing neighborhood, at least according to the trailers. It's actually a lot darker than that.

Trigger warning: suicide

Otto is suicidal for reasons that become apparent in the film. For all of the light hearted moments, the dark nature makes it challenging to enjoy the film. Further, separate from the themes not shown in the trailer, there's not much surprising in this otherwise predictable tearjerker screenplay. Though I have not seen the original movie A Man Named Ove or read the book, it appears the original movie had the decency to share the nature of the movie.

Premiering at Sundance, A Thousand and One tells the story of a mother and son, navigating against hardship, the weight of New York City policies, gentrification, and a secret. There's a feeling of tension throughout the film, waiting for what may happen to Inez and Terry, though it also evokes the edge and breathlessness that comes with living with the weight of poverty and NYC racism. For its beats about NYC history, the film serves reminders of the barriers faced by Black families in Harlem in 1990's and into 2000's. If there is a criticism, there are moments when the script could have been tighter, perhaps a bit more time with Terry. Teyona Taylor is a star for carrying so much of the emotional weight across this film, but also William Catlett as Lucky plus Josiah Cross and Aaron Kingsley Adetola as Terry are stellar.

Premiered at Sundance, Cat Person is based on the viral New Yorker short story of the same name, as a college student played by Emilia Jones navigating a new romance, red flags, and horrifying turns. Tonally, this film is unsettling from the beginning, as Margot's mind wavers between fantasy and foresight, reading the tea leaves of text messages, favorite movies, and behaviors to determine if a new love interest is a quirky boyfriend or a dangerous threat. One particular scene is extraordinarily chilling, first uncomfortably comically to viscerally frightening themes about consent and sex that I've never seen in film. The final quarter of the film amplifies the tone beyond the rest of the film, ending awkwardly, which prompts me to wonder how it aligns with the story version.

Premiered at Sundance, Jamojaya portrays an upcoming Indonesian rapper and his father/former manager, wrestling with grief, independence, whether to let go or hold on, and staying true to one's self. While there's a certain predictability with the music career storyline, the movie shines for the unique depth and pain brought to the screen in the father-son relationship. This film can be somewhat slow, particularly when the focus is on the music story over the father-son story. Indonesian star Yayu Unru delivers a breathtaking performance as the father, cascading emotions of grief and love for his family.

Premiered at Sundance, Shayda centers on an Iranian woman trying to preserve normalcy during Nowruz for her 6 year old daughter in Australia, while trying to escape the manipulations of her separated, abusive husband. Shayda immediately feels personal, and it is director/writer Noora Niasari telling the story of her own mother. While the movie centers on the mother, the daughter's own eyes and experience are brought to life. A brief sequence filmed from the child's perspective is particularly chilling. While this story is intimate and personal as a moment, it also feels timely as Iranian women today courageously protest and risk their lives for rights richly deserved. Performances are stellar by Zar Amir Ebrahimi and child actor Selina Zahednia.

Premiered at Sundance, Bad Behaviour is a disappointing morass about a former child actor and her daughter dealing with their complicated past experiences to find the loving bond and meaning they've been looking for. Despite a stellar cast with Jennifer Connelly and Ben Wishaw, this rudderless film with two separate storylines that eventually intersect is a meandering disappointment. Did I really just watch two minutes of characters just ordering breakfast? There's a glimmer of an interesting take on mother and daughter relationships, though nothing is plausible and it's hard to care about any of its characters.

Premiered at Sundance, Shortcomings is a delightful romantic-comedy delivered by first time director Randall Park, based on the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine. From the first scene, it squarely expands the lens of Asians and Asian Americans from the Crazy Rich Asians mystique to a rom-com story in Berkeley and New York City with unique, yet relatable characters that happen to be Asian American. There's a deliberate intimacy created with conversations at regular diners, restaurants, and bars, in search of love, growth, and challenging conversations. Justin Min brings wonderful nuance to what could've otherwise been a caricature in different hands. Sherry Cola and Ally Miki are exceptional. I loved this movie.