Anatomy of a Fall, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, May December, American Nightmare

- Anatomy of a Fall [2023] - 95

Courtroom dramas, I feel, are largely played out in terms of being original here in 2024. There’s a formula of revealing evidence, making allegations, and calling surprise witnesses that we’ve all seen… and somehow all still get tricked by. Not everything has to be original to be compelling. With that said, Anatomy of a Fall is both original, compelling, and extremely smart; even while adhering to a pretty strict structure. Lead by excellent performances from Sandra Hüller [nominated for her role], and Milo Machado Graner [somehow not nominated], Anatomy of a Fall follows the prosecution of a wife after the strange death of her husband. With a somewhat rocky relationship behind them, the courts see her involvement as a straight line to jail… but things are rarely as simple as they seem. While I do feel that certain aspects of the film are a little cookie cutter, the overall presentation of it is really stellar and I can’t wait for more work from this team.

- Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey [2022] - 81

I think it says a lot about either my viewing habits or the world at large [maybe both] that I’d largely describe Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey — a documentary about a child marrying Mormon cult out of Utah — as “another cult documentary”. If you’ve seen one, you’ve kind of seen them all… and that’s a weirdly cynical thing to think. Go humanity 🥳. That said, even though almost every twist and turn in this was telegraphed more clearly than microwave cooking instructions on a TV dinner, this was still an engaging and interesting ride. The role conditioning plays on the human experience is absolutely wild and the dangers of that are on full display here. While its overall conclusion lacks a little depth, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is definitely worth your time if you’re looking for a little homegrown horror.

- May December [2023] - 60

From the same director as the very “ok” 2015 film, Carole, May December is the epitome of “fine” this time around. A story about a teacher who goes to jail for sleeping with a 7th grader and subsequently starts a family with him, there’s an interesting and compelling narrative here on gaslighting, manipulation, and unhealed trauma. While the film does attempt to address these things in some clever ways, it never quite commits to any one method and ends up being sort of meandering and pointless. Most of the time it presents like an intentionally anachronistic dark comedy, but it often gets lost in its larger message and approach to actually say or do anything effective. Overall, I’d say that May December wanted to be Jackie [also staring Natalie Portman] or Spencer, but never really committed itself to being a little dry and straight to be intentionally meaningful. Instead, it’s just a little dry, a little goofy, a lot boring, and a little too long.

- American Nightmare [2024] - 87

American Nightmare is the epitome of the “don’t talk to cops” movement. A documentary following a crime one might describe as “especially heinous”, American Nightmare shows the dangers of confirmation bias when wielded by law enforcement. Effectively edited, told, and displayed, American Nightmare is moving, extremely frustrating, and outright terrifying as you watch those sworn to "protect and serve” fail their jobs over and over and over again; even going so far as to blame the victims themselves on national television. This is a story about “the system” doing what it does best — protecting itself at the cost of those who rely on it — and the fallout that can create. Easy recommend.