RELATED: What to Expect at the 2022 Milwaukee Film Festival
1. Breaking Bread
2020 | PLAYING ON APRIL 26 AND MAY 3
I love the unifying quality of food. Whatever our differences, we can put them aside while we gather for a meal. This is partly what draws me to this movie – a look at the connection made between Arab and Jewish chefs in Haifa, Israel, as they work together to produce an Arabic food festival. This is about making connections irrespective of religion and politics. It’s also about amazing food. – Ann Christenson, Senior Dining Editor
2. Utama
2022 | PLAYING ON APRIL 22, 23 AND 27
My first film festival experience was a 2009 showing of The Gift of Pachamama at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison. The film was a stirring character study of a Quechua Bolivian family, their anachronistic salt-cutting craft and a kind of intergenerational road trip, albeit on llamas. Pachamama has stuck with me all these years later, so I’m intrigued by the similar milieu of Utama, a Sundance prizewinner centering on an elderly Quechua couple whose way of life is threatened by drought. – Chris Drosner, Executive Editor
3. Girl Picture
2022 | PLAYING ON APRIL 26, 27, 28
I took a class in college about growing up, where we analyzed coming-of-age media (i.e., Lady Bird, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, etc.), so now I find myself drawn to the genre and love putting on my film-critiquing hat to watch them. This Finnish film is about a group of teen girls who, over the course of three weekends, “navigate their happy, free, confusing and sometimes heartbreaking passes at romance” – and it promises to be led by three “hilarious” performers. A must-see for me! – Brianna Schubert, Associate Digital Editor
4. Bitch Ass
2022 | PLAYING ON APRIL 24 AND 27
This film draws inspiration from Black horror flicks of years past – think Blackula and Bones. And while I’m not the type who likes to go to the movies to get the s*** scared out of me, I do love a campy horror film, which this one seems to be. The story presents childhood board games with a bloody twist in a gang recruitment effort gone wrong. It even includes an appearance from the original 1992 Candyman‘s Tony Todd. – Alli Watters, Culture & Digital Editor
5. The Good Boss
2021 | PLAYING ON MAY 1
Javier Bardem stars in this Spanish corporate satire as a factory owner trying to win a business award. The farcical comedy has been getting great reviews since it’s San Sebastian premiere in September, and has racked up a record-breaking number of Spanish film awards. Now, it’s made it to the U.S., and I’m excited to see what it has to offer. According to reviews, Bardem delivers one of his best performances yet, which is high praise considering the caliber of movies he’s made. – Archer Parquette, Managing Editor
6. The Pursuit of Perfection
2021 | PLAYING ON APRIL 28 AND MAY 5
Four Japanese chefs on a quest for culinary perfection. How can you lose with a premise like that? Especially when one is a former Iron Chef. This film explores the diversity of the food scene in Japan – from molecular gastronomy to a kaiseki-style meal composed of multiple courses. In Japanese, with English subtitles. – AC
7. The Pez Outlaw
2022 | PLAYING ON APRIL 21 AND 22
The documentary formula of eccentric people doing eccentric things is rich with promise, and the endorsement of the folks at Milwaukee Film has elevated my expectation of this caper of international Pez intrigue. The title character is Steve Glew, a Michigan man of the 1990s who goes down the weird-collection rabbit hole so deep he ends up “The Pezident,” a cutthroat global smuggler of Pez dispensers. Sweet. – CD
8. Medusa
2021 | PLAYING ON APRIL 22, 29
“A girl squad who hunts and attacks women who’ve sinned” – creepy, yes, but it also immediately peaked my interest in this film. About a church that demands women be nothing less than “perfect,” the Brazilian film is a mix of fantasy and horror, and looks at the interaction of gender, politics and religion. – BS
9. Memoria
2021 | PLAYING ON APRIL 24
Last year, the New York Times described this film as one of “the best movies you’ll see this year.” And the Milwaukee Film team tells us that the movie “demands to be seen, and heard, on the big screen.” Seeing as the film was released last year, this may be one of the few opportunities to see it in a theater in Milwaukee. It’s a drama about a Scottish woman (played by Tilda Swinton) who experiences a mysterious syndrome while exploring the jungles of Columbia. – AW
10. Watcher
2022 | APRIL 30 AND MAY 4
Chloe Okuno is a rising horror director, who co-directed last year’s V/H/S/94. Watcher is her debut feature, and it stars Maika Monroe, best known for starring in the phenomenal horror movie It Follows. Monroe’s character, Julia, moves to Romania with her boyfriend. After a series of murders hit her city, she starts to think that her neighbor — a creepy peeping Tom — might be a serial killer. Monroe’s horror chops are undeniable, and I’m excited to see what this debut director brings to the table. – AP
11. Cat Daddies
2021 | APRIL 24, 25, 26
I have to admit this is one of the films I’m most excited about, because, come on… cat daddies? This opus explores the tender relationship between nine men and their feline companions. A true tale of “meowscilinity”– their term, not mine, but I love it. – AC
To see the full 2022 lineup, go to the Milwaukee Film Festival website.
