Cinephile Mike’s Indie Corner!!!
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Review by Cinephile Mike
“Strays” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not Released Yet
Director: Or Schraiber
Writer: James Rana
Starring: James Rana, Aizzah Fatima, Coleman Itzkoff and Stewart the Cat
“Happy Birthday, Papa.”
On his birthday, we meet Shamsul (played by Rana), an immigrant working as a rideshare driver to make money to support his family. As he begins his day, after birthday wishes from his family over the phone, he hears a sound that turns out to be a stray black cat. Not wanting this, he takes the cat outside, goes about his day, but this will not be the end of the cat. As he goes about his day, in a dialogue free performance, save his family and some fares, we follow Shamsul and the many passengers he drives around, and see him long for just a simple connection.
Being alone in a new country far from his family, he tries to be the best person he can, and we will see some interactions with fares that may not be of the norm as well as see him fantasize about different events that could be occurring to give him a semblance of home.
Rana is a very engaging performer evoking some characteristics of the silent film actors of the past where he conveys more with a look or expression than he would if he had dialogue to say. As the writer of the film, Rana chooses expression over dialogue and it works, especially in a funny scene with some oranges. In a short run time of about 11 minutes or so, we see his love of life, although he may be just as much a stray as that black cat or some of the fares he interacts with. Additionally, there are several moments of music that play in the reality of the situation that underscore the emotional range Shamsul goes through, and this adds a layer of beauty to the circumstances he is in especially during an enjoyable moment set at sunset of the Coney Island boardwalk, captured gorgeously by cinematographer, Adam Gundersheimer.
All in all, director Or Schraiber crafts a touching day in the life story that should leave viewers with a smile on their face. If you would like to watch “Strays” you have to wait a bit, as it is awaiting distribution.
Review by Cinephile Mike
Sirena’s Gallery (dis. BayView Entertainment) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Released 2021
Director: Christine Sloan Stoddard
Writer: Christine Sloan Stoddard
Starring: Christine Sloan Stoddard, Ghia Vitale, Disney Sebastien, Art Jones, Deniz Zeynap, Ben Nardolilli, Zach Bowman and Sherwood Buckley
“Loneliness is the universal new reality.”
Opening with a haunting musical number and images of a woman both in an empty park looking over a river, and then visiting a grave of an unknown individual, we quickly learn that this woman is Sirena. In the midst of the pandemic, returning home from El Salvador, we learn that her husband committed suicide and now in the midst of the most isolating time in recent history, Sirena must address this new loneliness. Working in a Virginia-based art gallery that she owns, the walls and floors are barren and emptied as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sirena must find a way to make a living as she is dealing with calls from the funeral home asking her for the remaining payments, plus interest, for her husband’s burial costs. Unfamiliar with social media and other marketing, we will see how Sirena learns how to create a social media presence and website complete with online store to sell artwork as a means to earn money, and engage with an entertaining set of clients from those who are wondering how to best matte and frame the work to one who even proposes a potential collaboration in the future.
Stoddard presents a unique view of the pandemic. Filmed during 2020, she shows images of abandoned streets, parks, town streets and various other settings. As we were all in lockdown, there wasn’t much to see, and she shows us just that. It helps to further her theme of loneliness and the fact that the only interactions we see are one sided phone calls with the funeral home, and the video calls with some clients, none with family of hers or her deceased husband. Spending her nights sleeping in the gallery, you wonder how this will shape up for her, and you can’t help but root for her. Also, other revelations that come to the forefront will have the same emotional gut punch to the audience of what she is dealing with.
At a short run time of 75 minutes, the film, while ambitious, unfortunately tries to accomplish too much. It almost feels like there are two films in one. We have the one film that shows how a woman attempts to deal with grief and loss in a pandemic, due to unrelated causes, which in and of itself is a heady topic, and then the other is the story of a woman trying to find a way to navigate a business in an industry that makes its most impact when people socialize and interact in person, as opposed to over a Zoom or Facetime call. Choosing a focus would have led to a more solid film. This isn’t to take away from Stoddard’s performance. She has a lot on her shoulders as she is the prominent character on film, and she has a very expressive face and vocal tone that supports her work and this is a nice teaser to see what else her voice can present. The other actors playing the clients provide some entertainment, however, the sound mixing unfortunately makes some of the conversations a little difficult to listen to. Additionally, while there is a story of loneliness, she bookends her film with interesting imagery of nature which was one of the few things that gave some comfort in the pandemic, if some have more weight for her given the allusion we have to her husband’s passing.
All in all, an interesting mix of recorded Zoom or Facetime calls with barren shots of Stoddard’s surroundings gives an honest tale of survival in the pandemic. If you would like to catch this film, as of this publication, the film is streaming with ads on Tubi.