The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival begins on May 11th and runs through May 21st, with select films screening on the SIFF Channel May 22-28. UW Film Club will be covering as many films as possible so that you know which films to see! Throughout the festival, this article will be regularly updated with capsule reviews for festival films. Check back every few days to see what’s new!

The Blue Caftan 

In her sophomore effort as a director, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani crafts an emotional and patient film surveying the depths of repressed desire, death, and those who live on in its wake. The Blue Caftan revolves around married couple Halim (Saleh Bakri), a skilled craftsman who has quietly hid his homosexuality for decades, and Mina (Lubna Azabal), his loving but very ill and slowly dying wife. Intimate closeups of the vivid textures of life – flowing silk, wrinkled skin, extravagant golden embroidery – all paint a picture of the richness of life, both in the depths of its pain and the profundity of love and happiness. It’s a wonderfully subtle queer film that gives its characters the courtesy of avoiding suffering the cruelty of others and reminds us of the beautiful stories which exist beyond our typically rigid artistic geographic bounds.

4/5 STARS

-PJ Knapke

You can visit SIFF’s page on The Blue Caftan here. The film will be streaming on the SIFF channel May 22-28.

The Incredible Shrinking Man

After being exposed to a combination of pesticides and nuclear radiation, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is diagnosed with a medically unprecedented degenerative disease that causes him to perpetually shrink in size. As Scott becomes smaller and smaller, the scope of director Jack Arnold’s vision grows inversely; the film weaves between the genres of domestic drama, body horror, fantasy and adventure, before concluding with a shotgun blast of cosmic existentialism that makes The Incredible Shrinking Man a truly unforgettable B-movie experience. (Screening held in remembrance of Seattle Times critic John Hartl)

5/5 STARS

-Harrison Hall

You can visit SIFF’s page on The Incredible Shrinking Man here. The film was screened in person and is not available to steam the rest of the festival.

Seven Samurai

The marriage of Akira Kurosawa’s signature humanism and calculated action spectacle results in one of the most intelligently plotted war films of all time, as the titular Seven Samurai defend a peasant village against a group of 40 bandits. In Seven Samurai, every skirmish has meaning, and every death bears weight in the intricate tides of war. Supported by a career-best performance from the indomitable Toshirō Mifune–as well as Kurosawa regulars Takashi Shimura, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, and many, many, more— Akira Kurosawa’s genre-defining samurai classic is every bit as brilliant as its legendary reputation would suggest. (35mm screening in remembrance of SIFF programmer Ruth Hayler).

5/5 STARS

-Harrison Hall

You can visit SIFF’s page on Seven Samurai here. The film was screened in person and is not available to steam the rest of the festival.

Year of the Fox

Year of the Fox is a poignant feminist film that follows a girl coming-of-age in the immensely wealthy town of Aspen, Colorado from director Megan Griffiths. Ivy (Sarah Jeffery), the adopted daughter of a successful and wealthy scientist, is caught in the middle of her parent’s divorce. Spending the next year flying between her mother in Seattle and her father in Aspen, Ivy begins to realize the pitfalls of being a young woman in a privileged party town and the reality that our parents are not necessarily the people we believe they are. Year of the Fox is a powerful film that explores the nature of young womanhood. Sarah Jeffery gives an in-depth and nuanced performance of wealth and privilege and how that plays into gender inequality.

3.5/5 STARS 

-Sarah Kelley

You can visit SIFF’s page on Year of the Fox here. The film was screened in person and is not available to steam the rest of the festival.

Past Lives

This complex and devastating romantic dramedy from writer/director Celine Song in her directorial debut follows two childhood friends over two decades as they navigate transcendent love, long-distance relationships, and the regrets of your younger selves as a result of growing up. As a young Nora, played by Greta Lee, immigrates to Canada from South Korea. she leaves behind her best friend, Hae Sung. Many years later, Nora moves to New York and reignites a long-distance relationship with Hae Sung which she quickly ends in pursuit of greater ambitions in America. Finally, an older and married Nora meets Hae Sung in person for the first time in over 20 years. What starts out as a long-time meet up stirs up feelings of lost loves and discussions of fate. Past Lives makes sure that you walk away teary-eyed with a newfound appreciation for the possibilities of intimacy that occur from something as small as bumping into a person in the street.

4.5/5 STARS

-Drew Favors

You can visit SIFF’s page on Past Lives here. The film was screened in person and is not available to steam the rest of the festival.

Passages

Director Ira Sachs newest film Passages – a tidy exploration of a complicated bisexual love triangle headed by a narcissistic film director – is by far the most quintessentially European film of the festival, and probably of the year. Starring Franz Rugowski, Ben Whishaw, and Adèle Exarchopoulos, with Rugowski as the self-obsessed filmmaker, the film follows him as he bounces from his husband (Whishaw) to his new, exciting fling (Exarchopoulos) and back again with little regard for anyone’s feelings but his own. The film’s foremost triumphs are in its slice-of-life construction, which foregoes the need to root any of the characters’ actions in any sort of past justification, and its boundless horniness across the sexuality spectrum – both of which serve to make the film an intriguing ride throughout.

3.5/5 STARS

-PJ Knapke

You can visit SIFF’s page on Passages here. The film was screened in person and is not available to steam the rest of the festival.

The Grab

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite returns from her recent forays into narrative film with a new documentary about the quiet efforts of the wealthiest and most powerful multinational corporations and countries to take control of the world’s arable land and water supply. The investigative film dives into the politics, history, and security concerns over this recent trend and forebodes a violent future as a result of these practices. Although certainly an important examination of an even more important subject that often approaches a legitimate critique of the material conditions which create this reality, the film falters on a few fronts in regard to its central focus on the primary investigative journalist and its reverence for the Western security state. It ultimately fails as an activist documentary to challenge the global capitalist system which enables the reality it portrays, yet it remains a solid and important informational piece.

3/5 STARS

-PJ Knapke

You can visit SIFF’s page on The Grab here.

When It Melts

A story told in two timelines, When it Melts follows a young girl named Eva (Charlotte De Bruyne, Rosa Marchant) during a summer that spun out of control and her adult self attempting to reconcile with those memories many years later. The film has some pacing issues, feeling a little slow at times, but the final scenes are worth the build-up to get there. Even if the ending feels inevitable, the preceding events still culminate in a pulse-pounding emotional finale. Director Veerle Baetens showcases a case study in the nature of trauma to follow you, no matter how far you try to run from it. When It Melts also exemplifies the effects of the male gaze on young girls and the disastrous effects of a “boys will be boys” mentality. Definitely be sure to check the trigger warnings on this one, while an important film and subject matter, it sure isn’t an easy watch.

4/5 STARS

-Sarah Kelley

You can visit SIFF’s page on When It Melts here. The film will be streaming on the SIFF channel May 22-28.

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes

Perhaps one of the greatest musicians who ever lived, Max Roach’s rich, seven-decade career pushed the boundaries of American music from the beginning of his career in the 1940s until his death in 2007. Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes thoroughly traces the life and career of the groundbreaking virtuoso drummer, composer, activist, teacher, and leader in American music. The film features interviews from legends such as Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Randy Weston, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Fab 5 Freddy, and Sonia Sanchez. Directors Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro incorporate rich and diverse audio clips, images, interviews, and archival footage which allow a viewer to get to know Roach–his personality, his musical style, his collaborations and friendships with other influential Black creatives, his devotion to activism, and the tragedy and hardships that punctuated his life. The film expertly outlines the socio-political context of Roach’s life and career, and how Roach spoke out against the horrific injustices against Black Americans through his music and activism. Quoting Sonny Rollins, “[people] needed the music…like a hunger”–Roach’s music is incredibly moving, innovative, political, and virtuosic. Immensely powerful and informative, this documentary frames the life and legacy of Max Roach, and is a must-see for any fan of music and music history.

4.5/5 STARS

-Natalia Valvano

You can visit SIFF’s page on Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes here. The film will be streaming on the SIFF channel May 22-28.

Satan Wants You

Satan Wants You follows how the global Satanic Panic was ignited when a young woman and her psychiatrist published the now discredited memoir Michelle Remembers in 1980. The book relied on Lawrence Pazder’s use of recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle Smith’s memories of her abduction and ritual abuse by a Satanic cult in Victoria, BC. The result from the publication of the book was a nationwide fear in the 1980s and 1990s about Satanists harming children, eventually growing into a conspiracy theory surrounding a global Satanic cult. Directors Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams create a highly intriguing documentary about the creation, publication, and aftermath of Michelle Remembers. The film explores the events surrounding Michelle Remembers through interviews with those who knew Michelle and archival footage from the time period. The film investigates manipulation, moral panic, and conspiracies, focusing on the sudden spread of the Satanic Panic and how it affected American society. This documentary is certainly made for a modern audience and contextualizes how widespread misinformation relates to extremist events occurring today; even if this last point was awkwardly added at the end of the film, it allows the viewer to understand how historical events have parallels today.

4/5 STARS

-Natalia Valvano

You can visit SIFF’s page on Satan Wants You here. The film will be streaming on the SIFF channel May 22-28.

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy

Inspired by Glenn Frankel’s book Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic, the documentary Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy reflects upon the context and legacy of the influential film Midnight Cowboy. Using archival audio and footage from both the film and the time period, as well as interviews, the film contextualizes Midnight Cowboy in the setting of turbulent 1960s America and reveals how the film ventured into new territory. The film features interviews from participants in the film, including Jon Voight and Brenda Vaccaro, and incorporates the voices of Dustin Hoffman, John Schlesinger, and others to paint a picture of the lead-up to and creation of Midnight Cowboy. Despite the interesting content, the documentary is quite shaky. The organization of material and interviews are quite convoluted, repetitive, and disjointed, and it rarely identifies video and audio clips. Despite these factors, the film is still worthwhile for fans of Midnight Cowboy as it provides a very in-depth look into the history behind a highly influential film.

2.5/5 STARS 

-Natalia Valvano

You can visit SIFF’s page on Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy here.

Theater Camp

Based on a 2020 short film of the same name, Theater Camp follows a finance bro (Jimmy Tatro) struggling to keep his mother’s summer camp afloat after she falls into a coma. The somewhat silly premise lends itself perfectly to the mockumentary format and the realities of a children’s summer theater camp. Usually when a film puts too many jokes during heartfelt moments it can seem corny, but it actually worked here. Featuring original music, laugh-out-loud funny jokes and incredible performances from both season pros and young newcomers, this is not a film to miss. Directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman are experts at blending comedy, documentary and “live” theater into an unforgettable overall experience.  Former and current theater people will find the pitfalls of theater productions depicted intimately relatable. Normal (non-theater) people may even find themselves cracking a smile or two.

5/5 STARS

-Sarah Kelley

You can visit SIFF’s page on Theater Camp here.

Chile ’76

Actress Manuela Martelli’s directorial debut Chile ‘76 is a patient political thriller set in the milieu of Pinochet’s US-backed military dictatorship – a world full of atrocities seen but not spoken of. At the center of the story is Carmen (Aline Kuppenheim), a middle-aged upper-class housewife on family vacation who is called upon by a local priest to nurse back to health a young dissident in total secrecy. What follows is a subdued, pastel-infused slow build of paranoia, emphasized by the film’s bizarre yet pulse-pounding electronic score. The film triumphs in its separation from the violence under the surface and thrives off the fear of being watched.

4/5 STARS

-PJ Knapke

You can visit SIFF’s page for Chile ’76 here.

The Eight Mountains

Returning to the world of European film after his first foray into Hollywood in 2018 with Beautiful Boy, Belgian director Felix van Groeningen with partner Charlotte Vandermeersch make their way to Italy in The Eight Mountains. A massive tale – visually, spatially, emotionally, and in the breadth of time it captures – the film details the profound yet grounded journey of Pietro, an urbanite from Turin, and Bruno, from an isolated mountain village. Over the course of four decades, the film captures an incredibly moving story of self-discovery, friendship, regret, and longing, in both a thoroughly literary and painterly manner. Despite its scale, it is deeply intimate above all else – a truly wonderful film.

5/5 STARS 

-PJ Knapke

You can visit SIFF’s page for The Eight Mountains here.

Gaga

Although most Americans are most certainly unaware, Taiwan has many thriving indigenous cultures distinct from the ethnically Chinese population, who share similar struggles with many indigenous cultures around the world. In her newest film, GAGA, indigenous Atayal director Laha Mebow aims to capture the stories of her native culture in the modern day with a tidy family drama. Full of laughs, fights, loves, and losses, the film explores the struggles and triumphs in keeping indigenous culture alive, as well as the difficulties and retaining traditional values in a world which seems intent on passing them by without a glance. The family dynamics and enervating performances from all the actors makes the film a supremely worthwhile watch.

3.5/5 STARS

-PJ Knapke

You can visit SIFF’s page on Gaga here.

DEMIGOD: The Legend Begins

From the opening frame, DEMIGOD: The Legend Begins is a unique visual spectacle to behold. Utilizing the PiLi International house style, director Huang Wen-Chang adapts the tradition of Taiwanese budaixi storytelling to the cinematic medium in a relentless, blood-splattered fusion of puppetry and wuxia. Following swashbuckling swordfighter/acupuncturist Su Hua-Jen on an epic journey of revenge, DEMIGOD is a steady exercise in escalation, as our protagonist finds himself battling assassins, demons, kaiju, and more as he pursues an artifact of divine celestial knowledge. DEMIGOD is very much beholden to the tropes of its genre roots—for better or for worse–but its breathtaking puppetry and art direction makes for a one-of-a-kind experience worth checking out.

3/5 STARS

-Harrison Hall

You can visit SIFF’s page on DEMIGOD: The Legend Begins here.

20,000 Species of Bees

A moving and heartfelt portrayal of a young girl’s journey in her gender identity, 20,000 Species of Bees follows Lucia (Sofía Otero) as she spends the summer exploring her identity surrounded by her extended family, who all have their own opinions about her journey. This film is truly emblematic of the reality that hate is taught and that kids will accept and understand differences way easier and more readily than adults. Lucia’s cousins and friends her age used her preferred name and pronouns with little prompting or questions, it was the adults who struggled with letting Lucia be herself. Overall, this was a heartwarming and beautiful film featuring incredible performances from its young actors.

4/5 STARS

-Sarah Kelley

You can visit SIFF’s page on 20,000 Species of Bees here.