Greetings again from the darkness. The mistreatment of kids is something that causes a physical reaction for me. It’s not just the intellectual and emotional effects – my entire body reacts by shifting into some mode that’s a cross between aggression, sickness, and denial. No matter how much we wish child trafficking wasn’t occurring, we know that it is … and reminders are crucial in keeping the awareness and discussions (and kids) alive. That’s the role of the first feature film from writer-director Mohit Ramchandani.
Jesus (Ari Lopez) is a young boy in Mexico dreaming of a future as a star soccer player. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father seizes the chance to let his son pursue his dreams in the “new world” by attending a soccer camp. Everything has been arranged by a shady, Mustang driving character who most of us would never trust. However, Jesus’s father is desperate for his son to have an opportunity for a better life.
A non-verbal Jesus is excited right up until he’s frightened. He’s dumped at a ragged house and led to the room lined with others of all ages who are slumped over sewing machines. This sweat shop is run by El Jefe (Alfredo Castro) and his foreman Cesar (Andres Delgado). To ensure we don’t miss the “sweat” shop label, the actors are often coated in absurdly giant beads of fake sweat. It’s the closest to comedy we get.
What occurs in the dark, dank world of sweat shops and child slave labor is portrayed here as indescribable misery. We see the long and unbearable working conditions of the kids, along with the harsh punishments that occur if one steps out of line. Elena (Renata Vaca) flirts with Jesus as teenagers do … until she’s whisked away and sold into child sex slavery. The only ray of hope we as viewers see is Officer Stevens (Jason Patric, an actor I erroneously predicted stardom for after watching THE LOST BOYS in 1987), a renegade local cop who senses criminal activity in the home, despite his superiors continually telling him to back off.
Inspired by a true story (actually too many similar stories), Ramchandani’s film portrays the disgusting side of migrant child labor, child slavery, sex slavery, human trafficking … whatever term you prefer. He tells us 12 million children have been victims of slavery. There are also a couple of other interesting factors: the bad guys aren’t all Caucasian, greed is a driving force, and all involved (not just the kids) have dreams. El Jefe dreams of an acting career. We see Cesar studying his SAT prep book, and Jesus juggles visions of glory in soccer with nightmares of some evil tribal figure. The list of Executive Producers includes Tony Robbins, Linda Perry, and Thomas Jane. The brutal loss of childhood innocence is difficult to watch and concludes with a plea for action from young actor Ari Lopez.
In theaters August 30, 2024
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. As a lifelong avid baseball fan, I recall the 1973 season when relief pitcher Tug McGraw (father of country performer and actor Tim McGraw) elevated the phrase “You Gotta Believe” to the rallying cry for his New York Mets team that year (they ultimately lost the World Series to the Oakland A’s). So, I’ll admit to a touch of skepticism when I saw this was a baseball movie. Director Ty Roberts and writer Lane Garrison previously collaborated on 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS (2020) and THE IRON ORCHARD (2018), and after watching this one, I’ll give them full credit for bringing very human stories of real people to the screen.
Greetings again from the darkness. It seems wrong (and a bit cheap and obvious) to use the word “unorthodox” to describe this latest movie from writer-director Nathan Silver (STINKING HEAVEN, 2015) and co-writer C. Mason Wells. However, that description fits … even if a bit too perfectly. The word also accurately describes the look and camera work from cinematographer Sean Price Williams, using harsh close-ups for immediacy and a filtered soft look for connection.
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s understandable if this movie makes you consider whether penguins might make better friends than people. David Schurmann directs a script from Kristen Lazarian Paulina and Lagudi Ulrich that is ‘inspired by a true story’. By now, we all recognize this as code for dramatic license has been taken, and it’s up to the viewer to differentiate fact from fiction.
Greetings again from the darkness. Losing a parent is a difficult time that most of us will deal with at some point. Sorrow and guilt and anger are typically part of the grieving process, and that’s precisely what writer Brett Ryland and director Robert Schwartzmann (THE ARGUMENT, 2020) show us. For those who have been through it already, it’s likely to bring back emotions that will always be there, and for those who haven’t experienced this yet, it serves as a cautionary tale.
Greetings again from the darkness. Billed as “a fictional story inspired by true events”, the film pretty obviously draws from the 2014 case where aesthetician Dawn DaLouise was accused of plotting the murder of rival Gabriel Suarez. This is the first feature film from music video director Austin Peters, who co-wrote the script with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan (all first-time screenwriters). Although there is some entertainment value here, the inexperience of the filmmakers shines through, leaving us wishing for a bit more heft.
Greetings again from the darkness. Some slack and a certain level of compassion is due director James Marsh’s (Oscar winner for MAN ON WIRE, 2008) biopic on the enigmatic writer Samuel Beckett. The reasons no other filmmaker has previously attempted to profile Beckett are on display here, right alongside the reasons he remains such a fascinating figure. The screenplay from Neil Forsyth features surprisingly little of Beckett’s own work, and instead, generally breaks his life into three categories: his foundation as a writer, his work in the French Resistance, and the weight of his romantic life.
Greetings again from the darkness. The Troubles of Northern Ireland were a 30-year political and social conflict that officially ended in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement. Even today, the pain and memories and divisions remain. Writer-director Rich Peppiatt’s film is set in 2019 (West Belfast) and is billed as a “mostly true story” involving controversial hip-hop group Kneecap and the push to make Irish an official language. Early on we are told, “A country without a language is only half a country.”
Greetings again from the darkness. Ten years ago, no one would have thought twice about a preacher traveling to a remote island with the given mission of converting souls – both indigenous and British – to Christianity. But much has changed in those 10 years, and writer-director Lee Tamahori (hit and miss with NEXT, 2007; DIE ANOTHER DAY, 2002; ALONG CAME A SPIDER, 2001; THE EDGE, 1997) and co-writers Michael Bennett and Shane Danielson take head-on on the “white savior” backlash that’s surely coming their way (not from me).
Greetings again from the darkness. Creativity is such an intangible topic … so esoteric in nature that those most driven by it are likely misunderstood by everyone else. The second feature film from writer-director Nicole Riegel (HOLLER, 2020) focuses on a talented, yet frustrated troubadour living in Cincinnati.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 