Scott Douglas Brown

In the wonderful documentary film "Purdah," we're presented with director Jeremy Guy's incredibly considered and life-affirming storytelling, which through gorgeous cinematography and music -- and the inspiring dialogue capture of its subject matter -- deftly exposes the true heart of the human condition. The characters within "Purdah" are represented by a family in India; they collectively remind us first-world viewers that our own articulations of obstacles are often articulations of privilege, and are not always universally relatable. Kaikasha Mirza wishes to play professional cricket, yet she hails from a Muslim family entrenched in the conservatism of long-standing tradition. Director Guy's lens has found a disarming, stardust-sprinkled accomplice in Mirza, a young woman who elicits our fascination in recounting her own hero's journey in this sports-driven doc which stands among our best told. Mirza is simply a highly compelling storyteller, and as her emotional journey twists in surprising ways, it elicits equal shares of compassion, laughter, and fascination. Western culture often turns away tales from other worlds, despite their sharing of plights so thematically similar to our own selfishly monopolized mainstream: "Purdah" in many ways is no different from our wonderful western world documentaries celebrating our greatest sports heroes. Yet it brings the added gift of eliciting a better cultural understanding of a world beyond our own, and one no less adept as our own in offering up bold lessons.

“Before The Dawn” explores the viewer-dependent interpretation of a school teacher’s empathy-turned-attraction for her adolescent student. Lila Kendy (Alana de Freitas) is Ms. Kendy to you, should you be seated in her Catholic school classroom. She’s presented as a committed educator, but her very real loneliness paired with her compassion for the struggles of youth summons in her a deep attraction to troubled student Jason (Jared Scott); a lad with great cheekbones who manages to be no less protypically pretty and actor-attractive than de Frietas herself in that Johnny Depp-ish, “21 Jump Street”-era sort of way. Soon, the two are flirting. Soon, they’re sexing. But this story isn’t sold as either a physical after-class tryst, or as a straight condemnation of their union tailored for PTA moms to rally behind. Instead, it’s presented unashamedly as true love felt between two isolated people coming together, which as we know also isn’t how the evening news (and potentially the court system) filters this forbidden tale. Of course, there’s a prerequisite third wheel in the film, too, as rejected teacher-incel hybrid Mr. Matthews (Houston Rhines) can’t self-check his own twisted, visceral condemnation to his discovery of it all. It will be fascinating to see how “Before The Dawn” is received by disparate film consumers -- will they, on the mere simplicity of principle, reject Lila's emotional and physical engagement of her student as deviant and immoral, and potentially straight-up illegal (we're shrewdly never provided with Jason’s age)? Or will they validate it by conceding that love -- even when society considers it utterly forbidden -- has a way of happening anyway? And as a whole different hairball, how will they process Lila’s strategic reaction to Mr. Matthews’ insidious behaviors? “Before The Dawn” is sure to prove polarizaring in these various ways. It’s a deceptively plain-faced but potentially incendiary telling of this inconvenient but not-uncommon social phenomenon, which is sure to lead to a divided room of viewers. That's certainly also the film’s coy ambition, as “Before The Dawn” provides for some ripe and engrossing post-processing.

With director Cati Gonzalez delivering true vision from behind the lens of the homeless street hustler film "Ekaj," her unique screenwriting is transformed into an equally unique and truly stellar indie movie. There’s a dreamlike state hovering over "Ekaj’s" homeless characters. Jake Mestre is a visually pretty, alien-like draw in the film's centerpiece role. Gifted with a detached but theatrical presence, Mestre proves he can hold a pose and a shy conversation, and his acting work is augmented by filmmakers who cut to complementing visual elements mid-scene, evoking a terrific sense of style and heightened visual interest. Presumably unscripted exchanges of dialogue, sporadic documentary-esque voiceovers, and a killer selection of songs augment "Ekaj’s" naturalism and prove wise choices for a film shot on rough-and-tumble city streets. Jarring camera work, quick-cut edits, and sometimes-abrasive lighting aren’t the solution for every film, but the masterful use of these storytelling implements lend a great visual discomfort to this spellbinding dramatic film. "Ekaj" is a dramatic urban film which isn’t here to bark sermons or club the viewer over the head with overt conclusions. Instead, it quietly charts forward-only growth for the film’s central character. This is a naturally poignant and engrossing movie.