Film: Simulated Reality, Language Documentaries, the New York African Film Festival

This week, we're delighted to premiere a new short film about the work of Michael Rakowitz. We also h

Feb 12, 2021 • View in browser

This week, we’re delighted to premiere a new short film about the work of Michael Rakowitz. We also have a ton of reviews for you; there are films about everything from simulation theory to Korean immigrants, a trans con artist, historical queer romance, and more. Enjoy!– Dan Schindel, Associate Editor for Documentary

Michael Rakowitz: Haunting the West

From "Haunting the West"

Hyperallergic is proud to present the premiere of Art21’s Haunting the West, a documentary short which profiles artist Michael Rakowitz. In his practice, Rakowitz recreates looted or destroyed Iraqi art with packaging for Iraqi food products, asking difficult questions about restitution and decolonization. Go and stream the film exclusively from us!

SPONSORED Japan Society and the Agency for Cultural Affairs Present 21st-Century Japanese Films 21st Century Japan: Films From 2001–2020 presents a wide-ranging selection of films celebrating the last two decades of Japanese cinema, streaming online February 5–25.

Latest Reviews

Does Humanity Live in a Simulated Reality? Rodney Ascher’s A Glitch in the Matrix surveys people who suspect that the world around us is an illusion. Dan Schindel

Through Its Characters, Malcolm & Marie Airs a Director’s Grievances with Critics One of the first movies made in quarantine, Sam Levinson’s latest project with Zendaya exhibits many of the problems facing the film industry. Kelli Weston

Minari Isn’t Really About the American Dream. It’s About US Empire. In Lee Isaac Chung’s drama, immigration should be considered through the lens of displacement and diaspora, with its characters exhibiting resilience rather than assimilation. Peter Kim George

Two Dramas Plumb the Depths of Women’s Midlife Chaos Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Time and My Little Sister are complicated films about complicated people. Eileen G'Sell

When a Con Artist Tried to Sell the "Car of the Future" The HBO true crime miniseries The Lady and the Dale argues that it’s just as important to highlight trans outlaws in addition to role models. Juan Barquin

Two Women Fall in Love in 1800s Upstate New York The World to Come distinguishes itself from the recent spate of historical queer romances with poetic dialogue and a dreamy tone. Dan Schindel

What to Stream

From "Koko: A Talking Gorilla"

This week’s streaming roundup covers documentaries that explore language and how it shapes our ways of thinking.The New York African Film Festival is underway, this year under the theme of “Recurring Dreams & Women’s Voices.” Check out the program, available to stream via Film at Lincoln Center and Maysles Documentary Center.

In this week’s video essay, Jacob Geller explores not just how different video games depict forests, but also the wider issue of how artists translate subjective experiences into concrete depictions in their work.

A Thousand Ways of Seeing a Forest

Until we can see you in the theater again, stay safe!

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