Swimming with, while photographing, polar bears in Nir & Menkin's PICTURE OF HIS LIFE

The title of this new documentary, PICTURE OF HIS LIFE, serves a dual purpose. It does indeed offer a (rather limited) picture of the life of famous wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum at the same time that Mr. Nachoum is desperately trying to take a photograph that will become the most important that he has produced because no one has ever managed it before. That would be a shot taken while swimming in the water along with a polar bear.

As written, directed and produced by Yonathan Nir and Dani Menkin (shown above, with Mr Nir on the right), the film begins with some interesting information about polar bears that sets the scene for pretty much why the film is being made and what it, along with Mr. Nachoum (shown below), wants to accomplish.  The photographing of the polar bears while swimming would seem even more difficult these days, as climate change is greatly limiting the diet of these major carnivores and thus making it even more dangerous to be near them.

TrustMovies has enjoyed a couple of Mr. Menkin's earlier films (Dolphin Boy -- co-directed with Nir -- and On the Map) a great deal, but one of the things he appreciate least in a movie is undue padding. Picture of His Life is so full of this that what just might make a 30-minute short has been unconscionably stretched to 75 minutes (with nearly ten of these used for opening and ending credits!)

Even the information, interviews and photos we're given about Nachoum's earlier life and wartime experiences are repetitive, while some of the dialog we hear could hardly be more obvious and stale: "I think, when you go underwater and you're attacked by animal, this affects you." Duh.

The psychology is maybe a little cheapjack, as well: Regarding that polar bear, "I think Amos sees his dad in it," someone notes along the way.  Amos is indeed an impressive guy -- there's no getting around that -- and so is his work, which we see something of here. But since there seems not all that much to be said, they simply say it over and over again. (After hearing that Amos does not like to talk about his wartime experience, we also get, "What happened to Amos in the army is a mystery to me.")

Even the interviews with the "experts" include a little too much blather, although the visuals presented -- of Amos shooting a shark, crocodile, anaconda, leopard seal and more -- are certainly impressive. But the faux suspense built up around the question of whether our guy will be able to get that polar bear shot borders on embarrassing.

The final sequence of the mom and her two cubs in the water, however, may just be worth all your time. It's lovely and amazing. From Oded Horowitz/Panorama Films, in English, Hebrew and Inuktitut, Picture of His Life opens in virtual cinemas in New York City, Los Angeles and elsewhere this Friday, June 19. Click here for information on how to procure a viewing.

The celebration of a man, a mime and his artful teaching in the documentary, CREATING A CHARACTER: The Moni Yakim Legacy

If you've attended the drama division of The Julliard School (or are old enough to have seen one or another of the early productions -- American or international -- of the hit musical Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris), the name Moni Yakim will be familiar to you, if not indelibly imprinted on your psyche. Otherwise, just like TrustMovies, when you first hear his name, you'll draw a blank.

Once you've viewed the very interesting combination of biography, history, hagiography and appreciation that combines to make CREATING A CHARACTER: The Moni Yakim Legacy, you'll easily remember this name, along with the fellow (shown above and below) who has it.

Rauzar Alexander (shown at bottom, left), a filmmaker whose work I do not know, is credited as director here, and the end result is very much worth seeing and savoring.

Yakim's Julliard-educated students and fans have included the likes of Jessica Chastain, Anthony Mackie, Oscar Isaac, Laura Linney (shown at bottom, right), Kevin Kline, Michael Stuhlbarg and -- most recently Alex Sharp (above right), who went almost immediately from graduation to starring in (and winning a Tony for his trouble) the Broadway version of the London transfer, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. These are but a few of the now famous actors whom Moni has taught, and whom we hear from during the documentary.

While their praise is effusive and no doubt sincere, the most interesting portions of the film have to do with the Israeli-born (when it was still Palestine) Yakim and his wife and collaborator, Mina (above, left); their history via some fine archival footage, as performers and especially as mimes under the tutelage of Marcel Marceau; how they came to America with the inspired help of famous acting teacher Stella Adler (who hated mime and felt it had no place in real theater!); and Moni's most famed endeavor, directing the hit show, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, in New York City and then internationally.

How he ended up teaching at Julliard under John Houseman (with whom he famously and often disagreed) is also a fascinating tale. All of this is told crisply and quickly, and Mr. Yakim emerges from it all seeming to be one of those unusual performers who either has not an enormous ego, or who has learned how to control or hide it cleverly enough. He appears to love teaching more than anything else -- except maybe living itself, which he and his wife seem to have managed quite well.

As an ex-actor myself (with training from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in NYC), I can vouch for the sort of exercises Mr. Yakim puts his students through, though I must say that his seem to be a lot more difficult, even excessive, that anything we had to contend with back in the early 1960s when I was a student. Still, watching Alex Sharp training and then performing in that unusual play, both he and what he went on to do would seem to be the absolute embodiment of what Mr. Yakim has trained him for.

If nothing else -- and there's a lot else here -- the documentary should prove a magnet of sorts for attracting a ton of interested drama students to The Julliard School. Distributed via First Run Features and lasting just 76 minutes, Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy opens virtually this Friday, June 19. Click here to learn how you can view this new film.  Update: We've just learned that the film will become available on DVD & VOD, the latter via (Apple TV and Amazon) on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.  

A trans tale like few others -- Jeanie Finlay's SEAHORSE: THE DAD WHO GAVE BIRTH

Since the movie under review here is a documentary, rather than science fiction, readers can pretty quickly figure out that SEAHORSE: THE DAD WHO GAVE BIRTH must indeed involve a woman who transgenders to a man and then, even so, gives birth to a baby. Although the film most reminded me of a 1968 play by Colin Spencer, Spitting Image, that my ex-wife and I saw in New York City back in 1969, it is indeed a piece of non-fiction that tracks the decision by this then-30-year-old male named Freddy McConnell, to first be inseminated via the sperm of an unknown donor and then carry to term and give birth to her/his own child.

As produced, directed and with some footage shot by Jeanie Finlay (shown at left), the documentary moves pleasantly along, skirting much depth or profundity, and even seeming to prefer not to get close to anything dark or negative.

Although we get some of Freddy's family history, and meet his mom and step-dad ("Mom's an extrovert who's got this family of introverts," he tells us with a smile), it would appear, from what we see and learn here, that McConnell has so far had a pretty easy time of transgendering.

He does want to keep news of his pregnancy from leaking out to the town in which he and his family live. Oh, yes: And the young man -- one C J -- with whom Freddy was to share and raise this child suddenly backs out of the arrangement for reasons we never learn. Other than all that, though, things are going swimmingly.

It takes about half the film before Freddy finally gets pregnant. From that point, he is besieged by morning (or, as he calls it, "all-day") sickness, the usual bizarre hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy, a little self-doubt countered by his mom's encouragement (that's she, below, right), and finally the reappearance of C J, whom now, we are told, is going to be the new family's faithful friend.

It's not that we necessarily want to learn more negatives here. God knows, most trans folk have enough of those in their lives already. But the nagging question, "Who are these people?" crops up often enough in this relatively short movie that its insistence on bouncing along the surface becomes more and more annoying. Post his child's birth (in water), all seems well once again for Freddy, his new family and his old.

All has not gone quite as Mr. McConnell migh have wished, however. The movie does not go into any of this, but if you would like to learn more, you can click here and peruse an article from Britain's newspaper, The Guardian, at which Mr. McConnell worked as a journalist.

Visually speaking, Ms Finlay gives us a nice look at a duck gathering material for a nest plus a few too many shots of birds flying (freedom, you know) and that titular seahorse, the species in which it is the male who does the birthing.

From 1091 and running just 86 minutes, Seashore: The Dad Who Gave Birth will be available -- to rent or buy -- via digital or VOD this coming Tuesday, June 16.

Lucas Heyne's MOPE takes you behind-the-scenes at a dismally low-end porn studio

Said to be based on a real-life incident (don't watch the trailer unless you want just about every piece of important information given away in advance), MOPE, the 2019 film that made its debut at last year's Sundance festival (do they accept every movie submitted these days?), directed and co-written by Lucas Heyne, enters a world of (and spends way too much time with) depraved and stupid people acting in depraved and stupid ways.

Other than that, however, the film is just about as entertaining and edifying as you might expect.

Mr. Heyne, pictured at left, has failed to find the right (or much of any) tone for his film, resulting in its appearing to go over the top in terms of character, plot and performance -- and then stay that way throughout. Which makes the whole thing a lot less enjoyable or endurable than we might prefer.

Even the refusal to show any full frontal (in a film about the porn industry yet!) seems a weak and unnecessary cop-out. We do get one disembodied shot of a cock via video screen; otherwise, the main tool of porn remains consistently and prudishly just out of range, even and especially when the characters disrobe.

Our two main characters, Tom (played by Kelly Sry, above, left) and Steve (played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, above, right) initially seem like oddball slackers given to watching porn and imagining that they could become -- despite their much-commented-upon, small-sized sexual equipment -- major porn stars. What they are and will stay are mopes, which the movie defines at the outset as "bottom-tier porn performers who do the dirtiest, most depraved work in the business."

Indeed they do, but it is all neither as ugly (except for the initial scene in which a porn actress gets jizzed on by a large group of mostly unpleasant-looking men) nor as amusing as the filmmakers may have hoped. From time to time the movie's funny, in a black, bleak, sometimes ironic manner, but because that tone keeps fidgeting from one mood to another to another, as our would-be idiot heroes keep tripping over themselves in the dumbest ways possible, any sympathy built up quickly dissipates, while the comedy fizzles and/or the would-be drama goes sideways. Until, that is, the blood-letting begins. And that, one suspects, is the reason this movie got greenlit.

The film's biggest "star" is David Arquette (above), playing a successful porn director whom our boys con into imagining they have something to offer him, but once his couple of scenes are over, this character disappears. The real star here is an actor named Brian Huskey (below), whom I've seen multiple times during his long and fertile career, but until now, he has not had a role big enough to grab my attention. He certainly does here, playing the seedy, creepy lowest-of-the-low-end porn producer who is happy to use our two nitwits until one of them proves too much for even the likes of him. Mr. Huskey does wonders with the role.

As do the other actors on view. In fact, these good performances somewhat make up for the problematic concept, script and direction on view. As in porno in general, the women's roles are merely for show and for servicing the guys, though the actresses certainly do what they can with the material. The saddest role goes to Tonya Cornelisse as the late-in-the-game, addict girlfriend of Steve.

As the increasingly nutty Steve, Mr. Stewart-Jarrett is believable moment to moment, yet the script makes him so beyond-the-pale so soon and so often that it is difficult to believe anyone would put up with this guy for nearly as long as they do. It is, finally, Mr. Sry who brings what caring and heart that Mope can manage. He makes Tom the only remotely "good" guy on view: kindly, helpful, and even -- in the realm of technology, at least -- intelligent.

And then the dismal script has him, in an "inspirational" moment, telling Steve, "You can do this!" "This" turns out to be leading a gang-bang on Steve's own girlfriend. Well, it's all just ironic black comedy, right? Barely.

From Quiver Distribution, Mope opens via digital streaming everywhere across the USA this Friday, June 12.

A gift for gay pride month: Daniel Karslake & Nancy Kennedy's superlative documentary, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO

Tackling the little-seen subject (among several here) of a "good" and highly religious couple who end up placing their religion and their idea of "god" above that of the welfare of their child, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO -- anyone whose religious life included heavy study of the Bible's new testament will immediately know where those words come from (for those who don't, this is explained near the finale) -- offers up an extremely cogent and moving study of family relations when that family includes children who are on the GLBT spectrum.

As directed and co-written by Daniel Karslake (shown at right) and co-written and edited by Nancy Kennedy (below), the documentary covers four very different families -- different not only in their choice of religion but in how they respond to the needs of their children.

While they do the best they can, the results are very different, and the choice of these four families by the filmmakers proves to be both inspired and inspiring -- and in one case almost unbearably moving.

In two cases, the child in question is merely gay, in the other two he/she is transgendered. That TrustMovies uses the word "merely"  above makes further plain to him how far the GLBT movement has come during his lifetime, as well as making clear the still enormous difference (and continuing struggle) between being accepted as gay, lesbian or bisexual and being so as a transgendered human. The move does not beat this idea to death, but it does make certain that the viewer is aware and appreciative of it.

The film begins by introducing us to the Robertsons, Linda and Rob, first as young marrieds (above) who are deeply involved in their Evangelical Christian church, and later as a family with four fine children, one of whom, Ryan, lets them know during his early teen years, that he is gay.

We soon meet the Porchers (above) and the McBrides (below), both of whose offspring eventually becomes transgendered. The stories told here are as much about the effects and reactions of this "otherness" on the parents as on the kids themselves. Which is as it should be, since it is the parents who exert the most control over their children and can force the situation into something they may regret for life.

Since most viewers will not be familiar with the gay and trans children shown here, or for that matter with their parents (I was not, at least), the filmmakers wisely lay out the stories in a smart narrative form. What we learn about these families -- in one case, as with the Baez-Febos family, shown below, and the major event that their child becomes a part of -- consistently surprises us and often pulls us up short. We get a lot more than the merely "expected" here. The purpose of this documentary may be to change the viewpoint of as many people as possible, but the manner in which it does this is exemplary: it never raises its voice but still consistently draws us in.

The filmmakers clearly knew how to gain the trust of their subjects, and they in no way betray that trust. They also know how to film professionally; their movie is a pleasure to view. Consequently, we're immersed into all these lives (that's the Porchers' son Elliot, below),

but especially into the lives of that couple we first met, the Robertsons (shown below as their older selves). Their story, of a family so torn between fundamentalist religion and love for their son that they make decisions -- like conversion therapy -- that will impact everything, forever.

We've already seen a number of films, both docs and narratives, dealing with the impact of this conversion therapy on the kids who went through it. It's a rare one, however, that gives us the parental viewpoint -- and does it so thoroughly and so well. While what the Robertsons have to answer for may be a terrible burden, what they are doing with this burden proves a wondrous thing.

This month will see a ton of GLBT offerings released for the yearly Gay Pride time. If any one of these is better -- more important, inclusive and hugely moving -- than For They Know Not What They Do, I shall be surprised. (Among the advocates -- for the open and kindly type of religion offered by certain figures such as Jesus of Nazareth -- interviewed in the film are, above, Bishop Gene Robinson and, below, Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis.)

From First Run Features and running a succinct 92 minutes, the documentary hits virtual theaters this Friday, June 12. Click here and scroll down to visit the various theaters nationwide and to learn how you can view the film. 

NOTE: This film wil appear on DVD, iTunes 

and Amazon VOD September 15, 2020

Nudity, sex, dance (and a little psychology) combine in Boaz Yakin's unusual fim, AVIVA

If I can help it, I will never miss a film by Boaz Yakin. This fascinating, accomplished director and writer (not always within the same film) has given us a raft of good movies, with each of his directorial efforts in a different genre. What his films have in common, seems to me, is their placing an outsider at the center and having him/her eventually -- often at great, if not pyrrhic, cost -- win the day. His latest, AVIVA, as per usual, is not simply in another genre; it mashes up several into something that seems pretty much sui generis.

Mr. Yakin, shown at right (some years back), is always as interested in content as in visuals, but Aviva may be the most visual of all his films, even if not nearly his best.

There's a stunning shot of hands on mugs on a table early on followed by several of the kind of memorable images that, when you think of this film later on, you will probably call to mind -- one of which appears just below. (His cinematographer this time around is Arseni Khachaturan, with film editing by Holle Singer.)

For a good while during this film, thanks to everything from the very hot looking men and women, the copious amounts of nudity (often male and full-frontal, prudes be warned), the sex scenes, the openness to both hetero-and homosexuality and the enormous contribution of dance (much of it quite good) to the film, this seemed to TrustMovies to be the most fun he has had at the movies all year. Then, somewhere around the midway point, repetition begins to set in (along with the nagging sense that there is less here, content-wise, than meets the eye and mind), and Aviva comes subsequently only fitfully to life. Though when it does, it can still prove pretty magical, off and on.

The problem, to my mind, is that the movie's strengths and weaknesses go hand in hand with its director's own, because, I suspect, this film is giving us Yakin's own story and struggle. Although there are four actors credited with playing, sort of, two roles -- that of the titular Aviva (both the female and male versions) and Eden (again, the male and female) -- really, I think, these are all just sides of Yakin himself, who wrote and directed the piece and who is clearly struggling with identity, sexuality, commitment, growth and all the rest of it. (Who of us is not? Though some of us maybe don't realize this yet.)

The biggest problem here is that Yakin seems to identify most, and understandably so, with the male version of Eden (played by a most attractive and nicely hung actor/dancer named Tyler Phillips, above, who is making his movie debut) and who has to deal throughout with a kind of hang-dog attitude in which guilt, coupled to the inability to rise above this and grow up, leads to his growing tiresome and beginning to bore the bejesus out of us. He waffles and he wavers and he can't commit and he's pretty much of an asshole, overall.

While the female Eden, played by Bobbi Jene Smith (above, center left) rather echoes her male counterpart, Ms Smith at least supplied the choreography and some of the fine dancing, she also supplies a lot more energy and pizzazz than does Mr. Phillips, and so watching her is not such a drag. She, along with her companion and co-choreographer Or Schraiber (see below) also appeared together in the 2017 documentary, Bobbi Jene.

The title role, female version is essayed by an attractive and appealing Russian-born actress, Zina Zinchenko (above), while the male version is played by hottie, dancer and co-choreographer (the aforementioned Mr. Schraiber, below), who brings a vast quantity of sex appeal and dance knowledge to the proceedings. (Don't worry if all these sexes and characters seem confusing. Eventually they run together into a kind of sameness, some of which is no doubt intentional on the part of Yakin; the rest of it simply follows.)

Dance is just about everywhere here, and sex is, too. (To his great credit, the filmmaker does not stint on the homo over the supposedly more important role of the hetero, the point being that it is all one.) The production design is spectacular, with locations in Paris, New York and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the word love is tossed about so carelessly and often that you'll realize the filmmaker -- like so many of us -- is perhaps vamping, while he learns the meaning of the word.

And when, toward the end, a character screams out, "Please! We can't do this anymore," you'll probably agree. At a near two-hour running time, shorter would have been better. Particularly when that male version of Eden is, to use Bill Maher's description of Donald Trump, such a "whiny little bitch." Still, as with just about everything Yakin has given us, when it's good, it is so good, that I would watch it all over again.

From Outsider Pictures and Strand Releasing, Aviva, in all its too-long glory, will hit virtual theaters this coming Friday, June 12. Click here and then scroll down to find the virtual theaters across the country in which the film will play. (There will be a free live-stream Q&A on Saturday, June 13; Sunday June 14; and Saturday, June 20. Click here for more information.)