Now that a trailer has finally been released, I would like to heave your attention towards what will surely be one of the unsung gems of the movie year.
Annabelle Attanasio’s “Mickey and the Bear” won the Grand Jury Prize at this past March’s SXSW Film Festival. This feature-length directorial debut, about a strong-willed teenage girl (Camila Morrone) navigating a loving but incredibly intense relationship with her veteran father, is the kind of gritty, American-infused realism that is sorely missed these days in American cinema. At its finest, it is carried through by a phenomenal star-making performance from Camila Morrone, a star-actress-in-the waiting, if there ever was one these days. Whilst, Attanasio, whose beautiful eye for realism will take her a long way in her career as a director, finds the brute emotional force between father and daughter that makes her film pack a wallop during its final few scenes.
“Mickey and the Bear” will be released at the Film Forum in New York City on November 13, at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles on November 22, and nationwide on November 29. It will get lost in the flood of all the Oscar-bait about to be released in theaters these next few months. I am not sure why the people behind this jewel of a movie decided that November would be a good time to release Attanasio’s film, alas, make sure not to miss it.
For Schrader, AI solves the curious practical filmmaking problem he had. How about just creating Black people? No casting calls, no agents, no actors turning down the roles.