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 Shadows off the beaten pathIndies, foreign, docs and shorts...
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THE BROKEN R |
THE LAST GUEST OF THE HOLLOWAY MOTEL |
TO DANCE IS TO RESIST
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| See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 1.Apr.26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The Broken R Rotacismo Review by Rich Cline | 
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 dir Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren prd Soledad Santelices Crovari scr Soledad Santelices Crovari, Nicole Moscoso Vergara, Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren with Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren, Julio Ricardo Ruales, Ines Eguiguren, Alejandra Ruales, Paula Crespo, Margarita Eguiguren, Maria Ines Eguiren, Romulo Guerrero, Adriana Salazar, Renata Arcos, Maria Corrias, Ro Ortega release UK Jun.25 sdf 25/Ecuador 1h24  Now streaming... |
 An autobiographical collage, this documentary is remarkably introspective as young Ecuadorian filmmaker Ricardo Ruales Eguiguren recounts the unusual details of his everyday life. This centres around a condition he inherited from his father and his struggle to accept his sexuality. What he comes up with is a hushed film that beautifully reflects his thoughtful personality. And it is packed with knowing observations that are easy to identify with. For 24 years, Ricardo avoided saying his name because of rhotacism, a genetic inability to pronounce the letter R. So he undertakes language therapy. Born deaf with Treacher-Collins syndrome, he has had multiple facial surgeries. But his introverted family rarely spoke about this. And due to their strong Catholic traditions, he never mentioned that he liked boys instead of girls. While shooting this film, he documents medical procedures to contextualise them. But his constantly changing face leaves him wondering who he is. At 27, he finally moves out and begins to live his own life. Mixing new footage with home videos, snapshots and animation, the film is visually fascinating, sparking our curiosity. Ricardo's father also has Treacher-Collins but, because his dad seemed unbothered by it and had no trouble making friends. Ricardo never had the courage to talk to him about it. So the film leans into the family's long silences, revealing connections in unusual ways. That feeling of silence remains with Ricardo no matter where he goes. So it's moving when he does have extended conversations with his parents, discussing his travel to study in San Sebastian and also talking about the nature of this documentary. Most resonant is how deeply Ricardo thinks about "all the things I couldn't pronounce and the things that remained silent for years out of fear of saying them". Even without discussing them, he and his father share singular experiences, so the harshest mirror in the house is his father's face. And he knows he created his mother's false image of him, because he hid himself from her knowing her feelings about homosexuality. Ricardo's narration has a poetic, revelatory tone, as he explores big questions with honesty. All of these things create a skilfully textured portrait of how Ricardo learns to see himself as he continues looking for his voice.
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The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel Review by Rich Cline |
Now streaming...
|  This is one of those riveting documentaries in which you join the filmmakers on an unpredictable ride, as new details continually divert the film's trajectory. Ostensibly telling the story of the shuttering of a landmark West Hollywood motel, directors Ramiel Petros and Nicholas Freeman discover an engaging protagonist in its final manager Tony Powell, an English football star who vanished without a trace more than 40 years ago. Tony Powell was a leading light for late-1970s Norwich City. Then he split from his wife and moved to America, eventually settling into life as a gay man in Los Angeles. Tony simply doesn't look back, and reluctantly opens up while speaking to the filmmakers. Then as they are filming him moving out of the Holloway Motel, he has a series of life-changing events, including spending a stint in hospital with a heart condition and the death of his beloved dog. So the filmmakers help him re-establish contact with his long-estranged siblings back in Britain. Cameras are with Tony for each of the key moments that follow. Every step he takes reshapes the documentary, even as act of making the film drives the story even further down this rabbit hole. New information constantly adds wrinkles, sending the story in a new direction that introduces a whole group of people into Tony's life. And his dry sense of humour infuses everything. It's exhilarating to watch him open up reticently to each new possibility, right to a final bombshell just as the final credits begin to roll. Each step in this journey is accompanied with key interviews, archival footage and snapshots that help paint a fuller picture of Tony's life than he seems to have himself. This includes a section about his former teammate, top footballer Justin Fashanu, the first professional player to come out as gay. His tragic story informs Tony's decision to cut all ties with his past. And we can easily identify with how delaying a decision can see weeks, years and decades so easily slip away. "I should have done this years ago," Tony says after his momentous reunion with his siblings. And further steps remind us that it's always worth taking that risk to mend a longstanding wrong. This is a remarkable film that traces an involving, hugely resonant story.
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| To Dance Is to Resist Review by Rich Cline |
|  dir Julian Lautenbacher prd Sasha Ongley with Jay LeReve, Vol'demar Kabus, Anita, Sasha, Dina, Kostia release UK Mar.26 flare 26/Ukraine 1h29 Now streaming...
|  Spanning four years in Kyiv from Russia's February 2022 invasion right up to the present, this documentary centres on two young men who demonstrate their resilience through eye-catching performance art. The film vibrates with a rave-style vibe, blending rehearsals and shows with fly-on-the wall scenes of everyday life, all under the constant threat of bombs. This is an engaging, evocative expression of personal freedom and, yes, resistance. As Russia begins attacking Ukraine, young couple Jay and Vol'demar take refuge in their bathroom, the safest place in their apartment block. This will become a regular experience over the following years. But it doesn't stop them from expressing their defiance two groups they are involved with: Community Motion dance collective and XXX Performance. Their events include colourful underground nightclubs, an art magazine and politically themed performance art in public spaces. And even if they feel worn out by the relentless bombings and the demands of their various projects, they refuse to give up. Filmmaker Lautenbacher reveals amusing details about Jay and Vol'demar, including their daytime jobs as actors and teachers, alongside newsreel footage reporting on the war. This is interspersed with fiercely artistic sequences that depict their performances mainly in extreme closeup, which is energising to watch but also leaves it tricky to see them in meaningful context. The rare wide shot beautifully reveals their impressively visceral choreography and striking makeup and costumes. And the mix of visual elements vividly depicts how a modern lifestyle can be disrupted by blackouts and other challenges. And it adds meaningful weight to the idea that artistic protests are important. Enjoyably, the film also includes home video clips of both Jay and Vova as children, playing with friends and dancing in shows. They also speak about how their parents reacted to their sexuality by throwing them out of their homes. Adding to the war's impact, Vol'demar comes from Donetsk, the region now occupied by the Russian army. These kinds of details make it particularly refreshing to see how playful they are both at home and while rehearsing with their friends, then dancing with abandon as a form of public statement. And the film also captures the sense that both of these young men still have hope for a next generation in their country.
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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL © 2026 by Rich Cline, Shadows
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