Independent Films
Get Low and getting to the truth
By Hiram Lee, September 22, 2010
In Get Low, a man arranges to have a living funeral so that he can hear what everyone would say about him after his death while he is still alive.
An Ozark noir: Winter’s Bone
By Tom Blair, June 29, 2010
Winter’s Bone is a remarkable work, with stunning imagery and a good dose of social insight.
The Last Station: Not a film about Tolstoy
By Clare Hurley, February 20, 2010
The Last Station, a lavishly produced period piece that glows with a faux authenticity, sheds little light on what made Leo Tolstoy one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century, and of all time.
Nowhere Boy: No surprises in John Lennon biopic
By Richard Phillips, February 19, 2010
Director Sam Taylor-Wood’s 98-minute first feature explores John Lennon’s teenage years in Liverpool.
State of Play: More of Washington’s conspiracies
By David Walsh, April 28, 2009
State of Play is a political thriller, based on a mini-series broadcast by the BBC in 2003. The filmmakers have transposed the events to the US and condensed six hours to two. The general shape of the events has remained the same.
Sugar: baseball and struggle
By Alan Whyte, April 16, 2009
Sugar is a fictional account of an aspiring pitcher from the Dominican Republic, played by an actual player, Algenis Perez Soto. The filmmakers, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson), have cast a number of players in the film.
Billy the Kid: “Can you see inside me?”
By Joanne Laurier, March 31, 2009
Billy the Kid is an unusual independent film, about a teenager in a small town in Maine.
An interview with Jennifer Venditti, director of Billy the Kid
By Joanne Laurier, March 31, 2009
The WSWS spoke recently with Jennifer Venditti, director of Billy the Kid.
Rachel Getting Married: Something, but not everything
By Hiram Lee, November 29, 2008
The latest film from director Jonathan Demme and first-time screenwriter Jenny Lumet is a moving story about a troubled daughter's return to her family. While intelligent and sincere, the work is not without its limitations.
An interview with Li Yifan, director of The Longwang Chronicles
By David Walsh, October 20, 2008
We spoke to Chinese filmmaker Li Yifan, through a translator, in Vancouver on October 1.
Interview with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, directors of Lorna’s Silence
By David Walsh, September 29, 2008
The WSWS interviewed Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne at the recent Toronto film festival.
Toronto International Film Festival 2008—Part 5
The Dardenne brothers: but what about the “extenuating circumstances”?
By David Walsh, September 29, 2008
This is the fifth and final part of a series devoted to the recent Toronto film festival (September 4-13).
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