Ninja Thyberg’s film replicates a common plot structure for classic porn as it follows a young performer entering the business, but its focus is on the labor involved.
Justine Smith
Justine Smith is a freelance film writer based in Montreal, Quebec.
Posted inFilm
Reckoning with Israeli Censorship Through Autofiction
Ahed’s Knee is the latest film by Nadav Lapid to use a fictionalized version of the filmmaker to inveigh against societal injustice.
Posted inArt
What the ‘Karen’ Meme Shows About Declining US Exceptionalism
While there’s room for debate about who is and is not a Karen, one critical component is the stench of entitlement and a pressing need to appeal to authority.
Posted inFilm
Unearthed Interviews Shed New Light on Truman Capote
Ebs Burnough’s documentary The Capote Tapes uses hundreds of hours of newly discovered interviews about the infamous author to take a deeper look at his life.
Posted inFilm
What Has Become of Film and TV’s Many Attempts to Dissect Hitler?
After decades of works about the Nazi dictator, “Who was Hitler?” becomes a less interesting question than “Why do we care so much?”
Posted inFilm
How the Myth of Barack Obama Overtook the Man (and the Politician)
A new HBO film introduces a level of nuance to its depiction of the president that’s been sorely lacking in most portrayals.
Posted inFilm
75 Years On, How Cinema Remembers the Holocaust
With those who directly experienced the events dwindling in number, films about the Holocaust must now grapple with what “Never forget” truly means.
Posted inFilm
How Those Who Lived Through the Holocaust Have Testified in Film
While narratives depicting the Holocaust present fixed versions of events, testimonial films tend to be more open-ended, and pose more profound questions.
Posted inFilm
How Movies Have “Witnessed” the Holocaust Over the Decades
Since cameras were first pointed at the concentration camps, filmmakers have faced challenges in how to respectfully and meaningfully depict atrocity.
Posted inFilm
In Remote Russia, Willem Dafoe Confronts His Demons
Abel Ferrara’s Siberia is an alternately nightmarish and transcendent journey through the subconscious.
Posted inFilm
How Canada’s Most Glamorous Adult Theater Has Survived
The Cinéma L’Amour in Montreal hearkens back to the Golden Age of Porn.
Posted inFilm
There Should Be Oscars for Documentary Editing, Photography, and More
The Academy would do well to expand its recognition of nonfiction.