Inspired by true events, Melina León’s debut drama is a captivating vision of unredeemed humanity.
Ela Bittencourt
Ela Bittencourt is a critic and cultural journalist, currently based in São Paulo. She writes on art, film and literature, often in the context of social issues and politics.
Posted inArt
Dorothea Lange’s Humanist Vision
In Lange’s photography, human ingenuity and grace triumph over the unspeakable blows of the Great Depression and other social oppression, even when hope is in short supply.
Posted inBooks
Ana Mendieta, a Feminist Pioneer, in a New Light
In Radical Virtuosity, Genevieve Hyacinthe brilliantly reframes Mendieta’s celebrated works, yet for a book so rooted in race, the final analysis feels only half-full.
Posted inBooks
The Radical, Playful, and Primal Perspectives of Michael Snow
Edited by the late, great Anette Michelson and Kenneth White, the essays in Michael Snow refresh our notions of experimentation.
Posted inFilm
At Sundance, Tracing the Potential of Visual Art as an Agent of Change
Rounding out our Sundance coverage, here’s a look at some of the most exciting visual arts-focused films that debuted at the festival.
Posted inFilm
Mining Indigenous Myths and Languages to Contemplate Life’s Meaning
Sky Hopinka’s rapturous feature-length debut, małni—towards the ocean, towards the shore, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, elaborates on his previous explorations of Chinuk Wawa while hewing to a more linear structure.
Posted inArt
Fernanda Gomes Creates a Surreal Domestic Space With Her Abstractions
Gomes, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, often works from home, where daily, mundane objects are not distinguished from sculptural pieces.
Posted inFilm
A Showcase of Boundary-Crossing Brazilian Cinema
Kicking off today at Film at Lincoln Center, the series presents a body of work that’s particularly heartening when one considers the encroachments on freedom that Brazilian cinema must now confront.
Posted inFilm
Familiar Yet Strange: Shorts From This Year’s Projections Showcase at the NY Film Fest
Devoted to experimental film and video work, the annual sidebar presents a range of shorts that explore the negotiation of identity in manners both playful and stark.
Posted inBooks
How Surrealism’s Playful Aesthetic Was Deeply Political
The Surrealists’ insistence on irrationality was not a sport, but an attempt to engage in the political debates of their time.
Posted inFilm
A 14-Hour Documentary on Female Filmmakers Illuminates and Frustrates
Seeking to upend the male-dominated canon but directed by a man, Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema defies some hierarchies while reinforcing others.
Posted inFilm
The Best Experimental Shorts at the Toronto International Film Festival
The festival’s vaunted Wavelengths section features films about different concepts of performance.