Josh Bell
This week’s fringe VOD releases explore tumultuous historical periods in Japan and Germany, personal battles for women’s reproductive health, and a monster going on a date.
Love, Danielle (VOD October 3; DVD October 7): This well-meaning dramedy could double as a PSA for getting tested for the BRCA gene, and that’s both its primary accomplishment and its primary weakness. Inspired by the actual experiences of star and co-writer Devin Sidell, the movie offers a sincere but often dramatically inert exploration of the aftermath of testing positive for BRCA. Thanks to her family history, Danielle (Sidell) already suspects that she’s a carrier for the gene that greatly increases the likelihood of developing breast cancer. After getting her results, she struggles with the decision to have preventive surgery, while dealing with mild family drama, including unresolved issues with her controlling mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and narcissistic father (Barry Bostwick). The interpersonal problems never seem particularly urgent, but Sidell and director Marianna Palka bring sensitivity to Danielle’s medical journey, which includes some stark real-life post-surgery footage. As Danielle’s sister, Jaime King is the movie’s bright spot, playing a clear-eyed, sharp-tongued cancer patient, and more of that spiky energy could have enlivened a mostly sedate movie. Grade: C+
Match (Tubi October 3): What if Leatherface’s mom made an online dating profile for him? That’s the initial twist in this delightfully messed-up horror movie, which doesn’t hide its influences (notably including Barbarian) but avoids feeling like derivative opportunism. Lonely singleton Paola (Humberly González) just wants to meet a nice guy, and she thinks she’s finally found him in the handsome, slightly old-fashioned Henry. But when she arrives at Henry’s house for their date, she’s instead greeted by his disturbingly enthusiastic mother Lucille (Dianne Simpson), who lures her in with vague excuses about Henry’s absence. Being catfished by a killer is a standard plot for true-crime thrillers, but Match takes the premise in increasingly demented directions, aided by Simpson as an enjoyably loopy villain and González as a gritty, determined protagonist. Prolific genre director Danishka Esterhazy (The Banana Splits Movie, 2021’s Slumber Party Massacre) delivers gruesome horror that occasionally borders on tasteless, balanced with some surprisingly tender character moments. Even someone like Leatherface is just searching for happiness, in his own misguided way. Grade: B+
Stella: A Life (VOD and Film Movement+ October 3): It’s difficult to find the right tone to depict the life of Stella Goldschlag, a German Jew who aided the Nazis in rounding up her fellow Jews during World War II. Director and co-writer Kilian Riedhof doesn’t exactly excuse Goldschlag’s actions, but he provides context for the impossible position she was placed in. A jazz singer and aspiring actress, Stella (Paula Beer) dreams of stardom even as the rights of Jews are being rapidly stripped away. She first goes into hiding with her parents, then hooks up with a forger who sells counterfeit papers to other Jews. It’s only after being arrested and tortured that she agrees to collaborate, and the movie takes far too long getting to that point. The disjointed storytelling sometimes feels like an extended highlight reel rather than a coherent narrative, and Riedhof loses momentum when shifting to the aftermath of Stella’s crimes. Beer’s fierce performance holds the movie together, making Stella alternately pitiable and reprehensible, with the messy complexity of real life. Grade: B-
Samurai Fury (VOD October 7; DVD/Blu-Ray October 28): The bombastic English-language title does no favors to this sprawling Japanese period epic, which has plenty of action but also takes its time establishing its historical context. Set in 15th-century Japan, Samurai Fury follows itinerant warrior Hasuda Hyoe (Ôizumi Yô) as he leads a rebellion that puts him in opposition to his old friend Honekawa Doken (Shin’ichi Tsutsumi), who’s taken the position of the shogun’s head of security. The first half is mostly about Hyoe taking on an unruly apprentice, with familiar beats of training montages and hard-earned wisdom. The rebellion ramps up in the second half, and writer-director Irie Yu introduces a range of supporting characters who don’t make much of an impact. The extended attack on the capital of Kyoto is impressively staged, although the action gets repetitive after a while, and the final showdown is underwhelming. There are some enjoyable stylistic flourishes in the 135-minute movie, including the spaghetti Western-influenced musical score, but it drags on the way to its multiple finales. Grade: B-
If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing (VOD October 14): It can’t be easy to get a feature film produced at age 19, but it probably helps that writer-director Sadie Bones is the daughter of veteran character actor Kevin Corrigan. Nepo baby or not, Bones demonstrates remarkable assurance, delivering a sweet if sometimes awkward coming-of-age dramedy. Maybe a teenager is the best person to capture the heightened emotions of that stage of life, which are heightened even further for recent high school graduate Sydnie (Aitana Doyle) when she discovers that she’s pregnant by her now-former boyfriend. Impulsively deciding to keep the baby, Sydnie embarks on a series of ill-advised efforts to get her life together, in a less hyperactive, Gen Z take on Juno. Doyle keeps Sydnie grounded and sympathetic even at her most entitled, and reliable supporting players David Krumholtz and Catherine Curtin provide sensible adult counterweights. The unfocused story takes too many detours, and the dialogue can be a bit strained, but those are mere growing pains for a young filmmaker with plenty of promise. Grade: B
