Jafar Panahi continues his own style of guerilla filmmaking in his latest feature, “It Was Just an Accident”. Panahi once again offers an incisive critique of the ruling regime in his home country, Iran. He has been arrested multiple times, imprisoned, and at one point banned from filmmaking on charges of “propaganda”. Yet he has continued to make movies in Iran, often in secret and with the help of outside distributors. Such is the case with his latest neorealistic work.

“It Was Just an Accident” has been widely lauded across the globe, even winning the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It now sits as France’s entry for Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards. His film offers a clear-eyed examination of dehumanization at the hands of brutal authoritarian regimes as well as the lasting psychological trauma that comes with it. More personally, it wrestles with ethical questions surrounding revenge and the grip it can have on someone.

Written by Panahi, the film opens with a man (Ebrahim Azizi) driving late at night with his wife and daughter. After accidentally striking a dog, his car runs for a few miles before breaking down, conveniently in front of a garage. The man walks into the garage, a noticeable squeak from his prosthetic leg sounding on every other step. A young mechanic kindly goes out to fix his car. But another man named Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) hides upstairs, terrified of something we don’t know.

With his car fixed, the man drives his family home with Vahid secretly following behind. Vahid stakes out the family’s house until morning and then follows the man into town. When the time is right, Vahid abruptly pulls up next to the man, knocks him unconscious, kidnaps him, and then drives him out to the middle of the desert. Once there, Vahid throws the man into a fresh grave and begins to bury him alive.

Up to this point, Panahi has kept us in the dark which adds a thick layer of suspense to his story. But he begins peeling back that layer as the man begs for his life. Through their exchange we learn that Vahid believes he has abducted a man nicknamed “Peg-Leg” who has seriously wronged him. But questions arise when the terrified man disputes his claims. And this launches the story into a borderline outrageous direction that juggles visceral human drama with pitch-black comedy.

Without giving too much away, Vahid sets out on a mission to verify the identity of the man he believes is Peg-Leg. Along the way he’s joined by a colorful group of characters: a bookshop owner named Salar (Georges Hashemzadeh), a wedding photographer named Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a young bride-to-be Goli (Hadis Pakbaten) and her fiancé Ali (Majid Panahi), and Shiva’s hot-tempered ex, Hamid (Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr). Each bring their own unique personalities and each have their own unique testimonies of Peg-Leg’s brutality.

Over time Panahi uses his characters to unveil Peg-Leg’s crimes which get more disturbing with each revelation. And while each remembers the haunting squeak of a prosthetic leg, they all struggle to know for sure if the man they are holding is the same man who ruthlessly tortured them. Their uncertainty leads to tension which Panahi uses to pose some weighty moral questions. Is there justification in their actions or are they blinded by their trauma and their thirst for vengeance?

Nothing about that synopsis sounds amusing yet Panahi finds ways to bring levity to the otherwise heavy subject matter. Not only does it lighten things up, but it adds another layer of authenticity. While “It Was Just an Accident” has a rebellious spirit that pleads to a nation’s conscience, it at times seems more existential than pointedly political. It makes the film more than a simple indictment of theocratic fascism. It has more human implications which resonate from its mysterious start to its hauntingly ambiguous ending.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Actor Bradley Cooper continues to make a name for himself behind the camera with his latest film, “Is This Thing On?”. As a director, this is Cooper’s third feature following his 2018 box office hit “A Star is Born” and his 2023 Leonard Bernstein biography “Maestro”. Much like his previous two efforts, the intensely hands-on Cooper once again shows his love for character-centric, emotionally resonant stories rooted in human experience. And similar to his earlier films, his latest reveals someone born to be a filmmaker who’s still looking for his first truly great movie.

“Is This Thing On?” is a form-fitting entry into director Bradley Cooper’s small but compelling oeuvre. It explores another complex relationship; it features another struggling protagonist; and it once again uses artistic expression as a key element in the main character’s journey. Cooper himself took the lead in his first two films. This time it’s Will Arnett, and he delivers the best performance of his multifaceted career.

The story begins with Alex Novak (Arnett) and his wife Tess (Laura Dern) agreeing to separate after many years of marriage. The split is amicable, but neither seems confident of what to do next, especially regarding their two young sons. They keep the news a secret for as long as possible, even hiding it from their eccentric best friends, the acerbic Christine (Andra Day) and her obnoxious husband Balls (Cooper). But eventually they’re forced to open up to their friends and family.

As the former couple attempt to navigate this awkward and confusing new phase, Alex is left lost and rudderless. He does his best co-parenting while trying to maintain some semblance of a friendship with Tess. But while alone, Alex struggles to find his identity. That is until he stumbles into a New York City comedy club during open-mic night. There he blithely takes the stage and to his surprise, he immediately wins over the crowd.

Alex begins frequenting the club, taking the microphone whenever he gets a chance. He discovers that he’s not only good at being funny, but performing stand-up offers him a cathartic release. It also becomes a way of processing everything he’s going through. Over time he begins connecting with other comics and finding a place within their tight, intimate community. Meanwhile Tess gets back into coaching volleyball – a passion of hers since her playing days.

Cooper’s willingness to spend time on Alex and Tess’s individual journeys has a significant impact on their story. As the two find happiness away from each other, they begin recalling the happiness they once shared. We see glimmers of it in their interactions, enough to make us wonder if they still have a shot together. But Cooper avoids the easy path, routinely reminding us of the anxiety and uncertainty often found in struggling relationships.

Ciarán Hinds and Christine Ebersole get some good moments as Alex’s loving yet opinionated parents. And there are several small supporting performances that energize Alex’s comedy group. But Arnett and Dern drive the movie, each bringing their own personality and sensibility to their characters. It’s an especially strong turn from Arnett who deftly juggles well-calibrated humor with emotional vulnerability. It’s a tricky role, but one he handles with awards-worthy know-how.

“Is This Thing On?” has occasional slow patches and a handful of second-half exchanges that seem yanked out of the blue. There’s also a certain odd cameo that is a little too distracting in the moment. But Bradley Cooper overcomes those gripes by giving us characters who earn our investment. He makes us care about them and their bittersweet journey in a way that keeps us involved till the end. And Cooper does it all while reinforcing himself as a filmmaker of such depth and passion that his movies demand our attention.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Phoebe Dynevor turned a lot of heads (including my own) in 2023’s “Fair Play”. She follows that gripping psychological thriller with the espionage thriller, “Inheritance”. Her latest is directed and co-written by Neil Burger who takes Dynevor on a globetrotting adventure, making stops at such signature world cities as New York City, Cairo, Delhi, and Seoul. But it’s the creativity at the heart of the filmmaking that sets the movie apart.

The story of “Inheritance” (co-written by Burger and novelist Olen Steinhauer) doesn’t break any new ground. But while its plot might feel a bit familiar, it turns out to have a little more substance than you might think. The somewhat conventional espionage movie beats share space with a heartfelt story about a young woman vulnerable from grief, letting her guard down in hopes of reconnecting with her estranged father.

But what stands out most is Burger’s guerrilla filmmaking and more specifically his experimental approach to shooting. “Inheritance” was shot entirely on a handheld iPhone with no gimbal and no external lenses. There were no boom operators, just wired lavalier microphones, and there was no special lighting. It all gives the movie an impressive vérité style as Burger puts aside traditional film vocabulary and goes with what he has called a “stolen aesthetic”. By that he means he had astonishing access to shoot unnoticed, whether on commercial airplanes, going through customs, or down crowded city streets.

This isn’t the first movie to be shot on an iPhone. But while others have been noticeably contained, “Inheritance” is the first to make a sprawling international feature. Dodging restrictions and permits, there’s almost an anxiety in the filmmaking which feeds the tension in its story. Then there’s the sheer visual craftsmanship which impresses on many levels. It’s more than a gimmick. It’s a storytelling tool that’s crucial to the immersion. At the same time you’ll find yourself struck by what Burger, DP Jackson Hunt, and editor Nick Carew are able to accomplish.

Dynevor plays Maya, a morose young woman processing the recent death of her mother. At the funeral, she and her sister Jess (Kersti Bryan) are shocked by the appearance of their estranged father, Sam (Rhys Ifans) who they haven’t seen in years. He immediately tries reconnecting with Maya, desperately hoping to make up for running out on them. Her instincts tell her not to trust him. But the pain of spending nine months watching her mother die leaves her open to giving her one remaining parent a second chance.

Sam works as a high-end international real estate broker and he offers Maya a job as his assistant. Despite her sister urging otherwise, Maya agrees to go to work for her father and the two fly off the Egypt. Burger does a good job arousing our suspicions but he leaves things vague enough to keep us guessing. What is Sam up to? What are his intentions? Are we overthinking his actions or is something more devious at work? It doesn’t take Maya long to wonder herself starting with the discovery that Sam is travelling under an alias.

But things really escalate when Maya and her father meet for dinner in Cairo. After he steps away to take a call, her phone rings. On the other end is Sam who her tells her to grab his iPad and quickly leave the restaurant. As she hurries out several police cars speed up and officers pour into the building. Her phone rings again and it’s Sam who informs her that he has been kidnapped.

Through a series of events Maya learns that her father has been kidnapped. And he needs her to retrieve something in India or his captor will kill him. So our protagonist is left with a decision – does she put herself in danger and help her father or does she take her sister’s advice and catch the first flight back to New York? Well, as you can probably guess, Maya chooses to help her dad in hopes of saving their newfound father-daughter reunion.

Dynevor is a terrific anchor. It’s clear from the very start that Maya is no superspy. She has no “particular set of skills” and she quickly finds herself in way over her head. Through Dynevor’s performance Maya’s fear, nervousness, and paranoia remains convincing to the point of being palpable. But the actress also conveys grit and fortitude which gives her character the drive to face what’s in front of her.

Once again, parts of “Inheritance” stick pretty close to the usual spy movie formula. Yet it offers no shortage of surprises both in its storytelling and its craft. Dynevor once again serves as a strong lead while a cryptic Ifans shows remarkable restraint. And then there’s the impromptu style and kinetic aesthetic which vividly captures exotic cultures one minute and thrills us with a wild motorcycle chase the next. Together it all helps make “Inheritance” a nice early year surprise.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Firmly planted as one of the year’s best films, “I’m Still Here” roots us within its tense and turbulent setting as good as any other movie you’ll see in 2024. Brazilian director Walter Salles, working from a screenplay by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, tells the powerful true story of Eunice Paiva, a wife and mother navigating through and eventually rising above a harrowing political whirlwind.

Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir “Ainda Estou Aqui”, “I’m Still Here” is set in Rio de Janeiro during the early 1970s amid an oppressive military dictatorship. In the Spring of 1964 the Brazilian Armed Forces carried out a coup d’état to overthrow embattled president João Goulart. The dictatorship that followed lasted 21 years and was marked by numerous human rights abuses including forced disappearances, torture, and executions.

Salles earns our investment early by dedicating a lot of screen time to developing the Paiva family. Eunice is the heart of the film and played with such emotional force by a brilliant Fernanda Torres. She shares a loving marriage with Rubens (Selton Mello), an engineer and former congressman. Together they have five kids – a son and four daughters, and all live in a lively two-story home near the beach.

The Paiva’s are a fun and vibrant family with members full of their own character, from the staunchly activist-minded Vera (Valentina Herszage) who heads off to London to study sociology to the intensely observant and news-conscience Eliana (Luiza Kosovski) whose grasp of their troubled world is beyond her years. Not only are they incredibly well written, both individually and as group, the performances are full of energy and heart.

But the family’s happy existence is interrupted one evening when a group of mysterious armed men show up demanding Rubens come with them to give “a deposition”. As he is escorted away, three men stay behind to keep watch over Eunice and their kids. A day passes without news from either Rubens or the government sanctioned agents who took him. As Eunice pushes for information, more men arrive and take her and Eliana, subjecting them to draining and abusive interrogations.

Eunice and Eliana are finally released but are left without any word on Rubens. The authorities play dumb to the point of denying Rubens was ever taken into their custody. The rest of the film follows Eunice’s search for the truth about her husband‘s abduction while at the same time doing everything she can to support and protect her children. It’s a powerful story based on true events and galvanized by Torres’ sublime performance – one of the year’s best.

Positioned as Brazil’s entry for Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards, “I’m Still Here” is a historical drama that is worthy of every consideration. It tells an intense, enlightening, and heart-wrenching story of a family’s survival under the watch of an oppressive regime. It’s expertly brought to life by Salles who makes several candid statements on Brazilian history while maintaining an affecting focus on human resilience amid great suffering. Don’t miss it.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS