Every October, I’m brought face-to-face with some of the year’s most anticipated films at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. However, my favorite part of the festival begins after the curtains have closed, when heated discourse ensues. In honor of these moviegoer debates, I’ve decided to share some of my own hot takes from film fest 2023. Some of the films mentioned are still on embargo, meaning I can only share so much about them until they hit theaters.
That being said, Emerald Fennell’s gothic thriller, “Saltburn,” stole second place on my Letterboxd this film fest. The film follows Oliver Quick, a reserved college student, as he befriends a charming, affluent classmate, Felix Catton, and visits the boy’s family estate for a summer of secrets and debauchery. I felt like Alice as I was sucked down the “Saltburn” rabbit hole, seduced by Fennell’s startling visuals and provocative storytelling. When I wasn’t shielding my face from the film’s more unnerving scenes, my eyes were glued to the screen, waiting for the tension between Oliver and the Catton family to break. With its wild twists and turns, “Saltburn” constitutes multiple rewatches to unpack all of the mysteries that lie within its walls.
Unlike “Saltburn,” Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” stole my top spot at film fest through its heartfelt approach to comedy without the extra frills. “The Holdovers” cements itself in the bleak landscape of 1970’s boarding school, Barton Academy, where a grouchy instructor, Mr. Hunham, must spend winter break watching over his student, Angus, who’s been stranded for the holidays. Hunham refuses to sympathize with Angus’s situation, sparking an endless cycle of bickering and defiance from his student. A little bit of emotional wisdom comes in the form of Mary, the school’s head cook, who brings the two boys together while grieving a loss of her own. The modest atmosphere and well-timed wit of “The Holdovers” provided some much needed levity from a dark and eccentric film fest line up, proving that ostentation and shock-factor don’t always win out.
With great features come great flops, and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” found itself with the latter. Unlike its title suggests, the film does not delve into the psyche of Priscilla Presley, but rather, it chronicles the abuse she was subjected to. Coppola’s portrayal of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship, while accurate to the cycle of abuse, lacked fluidity, producing an underdeveloped narrative of patchworked moments. Not to mention, the film dragged along at a snail’s pace, sacrificing momentum to linger on drawn out interactions. The conclusion marked an abrupt end to a slow crawling story without any substantial character arc, Priscilla’s singular moment of growth occurring just before the credits. It’s possible that Coppola never intended to dive-deep into Priscilla herself, only hoping to show the reality of her situation. Regardless, the film was a missed opportunity to express something deeper.
Words by Alex Armbruster.
Graphic by Anca Dubalaru.