Loving (2016) ****

A historical drama, Loving is a beautifully composed piece of filmmaking. It is the true tale of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, married at a time when, in some parts of the USA, including their home-state of Virginia, such unions were against the anti-miscegenation law. Their case, picked up by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ultimately made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting in a landmark 1967 ruling.

Hidden Figures (2016) ****

What makes Hidden Figures work is that rather than use symbols and metaphors, the plot focuses on vignettes of strife; of moments that feel real, of anger, fear, bravery and love. Combine all this with excellent acting; never trespassing into melodrama, and you receive a memorable film. Kudos go also to the supporting cast, including Costner, Dunst and the others. Much like the work done at NASA, while the three leads may take the glory, the success of pulling such a story together, is team-work.

La La Land (2016) ****

La La Land is a tale of two wannabes in a city of dreams, where many try, yet relatively few achieve fame. Gosling plays a rebellious musician, who dreams of opening his own club, and revive classic jazz. Stone’s character is of an aspiring actress, one of many in LA. The two meet and end up falling in love.

Jackie (***) 2016

A biopic, Jackie, directed by Pablo Larraín to a screenplay written by Noah Oppenheim, presents episodes in the life of Jacqueline Kennedy. The story focuses primarily on her character before, during, and in the hours and days following the JFK shooting. Cleverly weaved as a newspaper interview, conducted about a year after the slaying, the plot interlaces memories from Jackie’s early days at the White House, with reflections of the events during and after the assassination

Manchester by the Sea (2016) *****

Like an onion, slowly being peeled layer by layer to reveal a forever bleeding heart, Kenneth Lonergan, the writer-director of Manchester by the Sea, presents us with the clumped past of the film’s lead character; Lee Chandler, a reserved janitor working in Quincy, Massachusetts. Yet people are rarely what they seem.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016) ***

Despite its flaws, The Edge of Seventeen is refreshing. It follows Nadine, first as child, and then as a teenager turning into a young woman, in an environment she finds, for the most part, hostile. While featuring a familiar coming-of-age theme, what makes this film work is a strong performance by its lead character, played by Hailee Steinfeld. It also relays, maybe moreso than some other films in the genre, that peculiar age, where the world seemed quite two-dimensional.
The Edge of Seventeen can be a journey on memory lane for some of us, or simply a snapshot of today’s young generation. It also makes one realize that while much had changed, a lot remained the same.