By Roger Costa
SCIENCE FAIR
As we eyewitness loads of social and mental disorder affecting Millennials, this first-time collaborative work by Writers-Directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster feels so much comforting and lifts up our hope on the future of the young generation. They select top-excellency science students from many parts of the globe as they anxiously (and joyfully) prepare to compete on the world’s biggest science fair competition held in LA. Among the participants there is a 17-year-old Brazilian underprivileged student who developed a drug to combat the Zika Virus, a German boy who built a new technology for engineering mechanism, and other impressively gifted kids. The directors brilliantly compose an intimate and insightful portrait of eagerness and innocence, but mostly they simply look at how these young souls manifest their incredible, distinguished talent, passionately, as each individually pursue the idea of “giving it back to the world” as one of them states. Winner of the Audience Award at Sundance, Portland, San Valley and SXSW, it’s a heartfelt, feel-good inspirational film that captures the essence of family connection, a perfect reminder of the importance of education and the role of encouragement so desperately needed for a victorious future. (National Geographic. 9/14. Landmark at 57.)
ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970
A privileged ahead-of-his-time artist, illustrator, painter and photographer, Antonio lived among models and other revolutionary artists as an influential force while exploring the early days of disco music, sex and drugs in Paris and New York. Winner of the Best Director Award at DOC Fest NYC, filmmaker James Crump’s provocative and inclusive retelling of the infamous bohemian figure is built through footage images, photos and prints, as well as spontaneous commentaries by his collaborators and lovers (he was a very busy bisexual man) including Oscar-winner actress Jessica Lange and music icon Grace Jones. The result is a fabulous, fashionable and intriguingly sexy portrait of an era where freedom motivated a way of living. (Film Movement. 9/14. IFC Center.)
LOST CHILD
A soldier returns home looking for her brother and estranged father, in order to rest her consciousness in peace, and settle unsolved, dark secrets from the past. As she wanders around town, the hidden homes into the woods, bars and roads, she meets up with important key figures, eccentric and sometimes scary ones, but none will be of much help. Aggressive and determined, she won’t surrender to the obstacles, especially when she encounters a mysterious orphan boy and becomes attached to him. Both develop a tender, ambiguous connection seeking shelter in each other’s companionship. Leven Rambin gives a courageous, hypnotizing performance as the silently wounded and traumatized Army veteran. Her strong, luminous presence, as well as vulnerable sex-appeal, build up an irresistible complexity, setting fire on screen. She was named Best Actress at this year’s Taormina Film Festival, while writer-director Ramaa Mosley took in the Best Narrative award at Kansas City Film Festival. A refreshingly bold and haunted look at a dysfunctional family. (Breaking Glass Pictures. 9/14. Cinema Village.)
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