By Jennifer Merin, Womens Enews
Topping the September calendar is the fascinating political documentary “Last Days in Vietnam,” by filmmaker Rory Kennedy, best known for “Ethel” (2012), the moving portrait of her mother, and the searing expose “Ghosts of Abu Gharib” (2007).
Rory Kennedy’s documentary “Last Days in Vietnam.” Credit: Courtesy of Hugh Doyle
This new film of hers is set during the military evacuation of Saigon in 1975, as North Vietnamese troops advanced on the city. It spotlights U.S. diplomats and soldiers who defied White House orders to evacuate only U.S. citizens and risked being charged with treason in order to airlift their South Vietnamese comrades to safety and freedom. The well-connected Kennedy, the youngest of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy’s 11 children, intersperses insightful interviews and revealing archival footage to shed light on some shining examples of heroism during a dark chapter of U.S. history. This must-see opens Sept. 5.
Another top hit early this month is “Rocks in My Pockets,” which opens today, Sept. 3. In it feminist filmmaker Signe Baumane offers a brilliant and soul-searching animated autobiographical investigation of how her family’s genetics and history, beginning with her grandmother’s experiences in Latvia and carrying through to her own arrival in New York City, underlie her ongoing suicidal tendencies. The film presents a deeply emotional and disturbing subject in a most entertaining and enlightening way, thanks to Baumane’s uniquely clever and stylish animation and her beautifully nuanced and witty narration. Baumane is a first-rate cinema auteur. This very humane animation is destined to become a classic. Go see it.
Now, on to other movies opening soon.
Opening Sept. 5
“Innocence” is an allegorical horror tale about Beckett (Sophie Curtis), a teenager who’s not only coping with grief over her mother’s death, but also battling vampire demons at her new school. Director Hilary Brougher co-scripted with Tristine Skyler based on Jane Mendelsohn’s popular young adult novel. Stylishly shot, well performed and engaging but a bit plot heavy.
“God Help the Girl” is another coming-of-age fantasy; this one set in Scotland and set to music. Teenage Eve (Emily Browning) is a lonely outcast who feels she doesn’t fit in anywhere except when she’s singing. She spends the summer shaping herself and two similarly disengaged school chums into a pop band that bursts into song whenever, but without generating much excitement or toe-tapping. The cast is talented but the film is a big snooze owing to its simplistic story, wimpy characters and sappy music. The title should be “God Help the Film.”
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