Editor’s Note: This article contains reference to death and mentions of sexual assault. 

At the Silverspot and Lumina theaters in Chapel Hill Oct. 19-23, Film Fest 919 celebrated its fifth festival with 21 different films representing 13 different countries. The festival has held four out of the last five best pictures, making it a local go-to for films you’re sure to hear about soon. Here’s a spoiler-free recap of seven films screened at the festival this year.

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery:”

Possibly one of the biggest upcoming films of the year, “Glass Onion” is riding the success of 2019’s murder mystery breakout “Knives Out” directed by Rian Johnson. This film lived up to the hype and expectations set by its successor. While “Knives Out” focused on old money folks and their absurdity, “Glass Onion” sets its sights on new money while avoiding all the usual satire we’ve seen before. Standout performances from this film include Daniel Craig returning as Detective Benoit Blanc and Janelle Monae as Andi Brand. Keep an eye out for the celebrity cameos; there may be a few too many. 

See this film with as many people as possible, whether in a theater over Thanksgiving week or in a living room packed with your friends when it premieres on Netflix before Christmas; the completely unexpected twists and turns in this film are delightful with a large crowd. Johnson was awarded Film Fest 919’s Distinguished Screenwriter award, joining Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland,” Anthony McCarten for “The Two Popes,” and duo Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch for “Red Rocket.”

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is in theaters for one week starting Nov. 23 and will premiere on Netflix Dec. 23. 

“She Said:”

This film follows the reporters investigating Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assaults and the article resulting. This is an intense story of reporting, celebrity and pain, and the film mostly handles this topic sensitively; inclusions of the reporters’ personal lives are important to the arc of this film but often undermine the story. New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor are portrayed well by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, respectively, who wrote the book by the same name this film is based on. Survivors of Weinstein’s assaults are celebrities, meaning their names are front and center. Ashley Judd plays herself and other survivors like Rose McGowan are portrayed by voice only.

The trouble with a film like this is the fact that this story broke only five years ago; it feels too recent and too high profile to have a real effect on the audience that the original New York Times article didn’t already have. In opposition to “Spotlight,” a similar story about the Boston Globe reporting an important and sickening article, the survivors and other names in that story aren’t nearly as memorable and known, and the film was also made many years after the story broke. However, “Spotlight” won best picture — maybe “She Said” is chasing a similar destiny. 

“She Said” is in theaters Nov. 18. 

“White Noise:”

Based on the foundational postmodern novel by Don DeLillo, “White Noise” is another Netflix feature from the festival and did not disappoint. This is Noah Baumbach’s first really high budget film at $80 million, but not his first time collaborating with Adam Driver and partner Greta Gerwig. For its postmodern themes and distinct style, DeLillo’s novel would be a difficult one to adapt to the silver screen, but Baumbach accomplishes that and more. This film is vibrant, fun and plays with DeLillo’s themes of consumerism and anxieties around death. 

Although I highly recommend this film, I also recommend reading up on the adapted novel beforehand — firstly because it’s a great book and will enhance your viewing of this film, and second because Hitler studies, caped academics and a mysterious airborne event might not be for everyone. That being said, this film features some of my favorite performances such as Driver and Gerwig as the Gladney couple, and all of their children, who give this film some added intrigue. 

The film also features Don Cheadle, Andre 3000 and Jodie Turner-Smith, all fun and interesting actors that breathe life into this movie. This film is one of the most fun of the year, even at its most existential. Stick around for the credits to see one of my favorite scenes of 2022. Give this film a shot, but go in with a grain of salt. 

“White Noise” is in select theaters Nov. 25 and will premiere on Netflix Dec. 30. 

“Saint Omer:”

Although it might not be a film to hit big this year, I would be remiss to not mention Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer,” a modern take on the myth of Medea and based on some true cases of infanticide. This film is the most intense of everything I saw at the festival, but my absolute favorite. This film could have been a typical intense courtroom drama with over-the-top acting and quick editing, but with director Diop’s documentarian background, this film utilizes a lot of long takes and intense, subtle performances. 

Highlights are Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanga’s performances; they’re both quiet and strong while maintaining a certain subtlety: two truly high caliber actors. Claire Mathon served as cinematographer on this film, and the similarities between this film and her other work, namely “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Petite Mamon,” are evident.

Featuring nuanced themes of motherhood, specifically Black motherhood, race, daughterhood and what justice really means, this film is not one to miss when it comes to theaters, even if that means seeking out a smaller arthouse theater. This film is France’s submission to the Oscars this year, so hopefully, you’ll keep hearing about this force of a film.

“Saint Omer” is in theaters Nov. 23. 

“Devotion:”

“Devotion” was Film Fest 919’s opening night film with director J.D. Dillard receiving the festival’s premier Horizon award. This film, based on the novel by the same name and the real life story, follows Jesse Brown, the Navy’s first Black carrier pilot played by Jonathan Majors alongside Glenn Powell as Tom Hudner. The film takes place during the Korean War and takes a surprising perspective on racism at this time; this isn’t a film about Jesse’s white squadron accepting him, but a story about Jesse overcoming internalized racism and the barriers presented to him because of his race. 

Majors is one of my favorite performers, and he has a lot to work with in this film and performs fantastically. Powell did what was required in this film, nothing more, nothing less. The real standout performance is Christina Jackson as Daisy Brown, Jesse’s wife. Separate from his eponymous devotion to his profession, Jesse is endlessly devoted to Daisy, and their chemistry sells this. This isn’t the typical war movie with its added attention to racism, and its elevated status makes it a great new blockbuster, perhaps following the success of “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“Devotion” is in theaters Nov. 23. 

“Armageddon Time:”

Written and directed by James Gray, “Armageddon Time” is semi-auto-biographical of Gray’s life in 1980s New York City. Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway all shine in this slice-of-life film examining racism and other discriminations in the wake of President Ronald Reagan’s election. 

This film, for me, fell pretty short. The aforementioned performances were good but never broke through to something really special. The film struggles to create a new and interesting take on discrimination; framing racial transgressions as affecting the white characters more than the Black ones may be true to Gray’s life, but it didn’t feel particularly fresh. Jaylin Webb does a pretty good job, but the other child performer, Banks Repeta as Paul, Gray’s self-surrogate, is the weakest performance on the cast and completely detracts from the film. It’s a nice slice of life, but “Armageddon Time” fails to become something truly interesting. 

“Armageddon Time” is in theaters now. 

“Empire of Light:”

Directed by Sam Mendes, cinematography by Roger Deakins, score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and a lead performance by Olivia Colman, “Empire of Light” has every element to make a great film, but the strange story and script, also by Mendes, lead this film astray. This film is about the magic of not just movies, but movie theaters, and also 1980s Thatcher-led England with rampant anti-Black discrimination plaguing Stephen (Michael Ward), an employee at a seaside movie theater.

One look at this plot and it’s clear Mendes lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down movie theaters indefinitely, and the concurrent George Floyd murder and social justice reckoning. Mendes works hard to combine these ideas, with subjects like mental health and relationships also pieced in, but too many ideas do this film a disservice and leave it a muddled mess with little to actually say about its topics. The direction, cinematography and score are still beautiful, and Ward and Colman are adept performers, but the script makes this film fall short. Those elements still make for a mostly worthwhile film, but don’t expect a completely feel-good movie, nor a nuanced look at its subjects. 

“Empire of Light” is in theaters Dec. 9. 

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