aswathama movie review 2023

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Aswathama movie review: Naga Shaurya’s action thriller is engaging, but needed a better ending

Aswathama does have a lot going in its favour. It sticks to what it wants to say without meandering too much.

Language: Telugu

The premise of Naga Shaurya’s latest action thriller, Aswathama , is quite unsettling, especially when you think about its eerie similarities to a real-life incident which rocked Hyderabad a few months ago.

Although the story, written by Shaurya, is not exactly inspired from the same incident, the emotional undercurrent throughout the film, where family members panicking over the disappearance of young women, and people looking for answers when there are none, captures the fears and anger quite well.

Directed by Ramana Teja, Aswathama is an engaging action thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seat. However, there is also an inherent problem with the story. It does not find a great twist to end the story on a high.

The film follows the journey of Ganaa (Shaurya), who returns to India for his sister’s engagement. However, soon, he realises that something bad has happened to her, which leads him to trace the culprits. What shocks him even more, in the course of his investigation, is his sister is not the lone victim. The rest of the story is about how Ganaa connects the dots to find out why scores of young women have been disappearing for no reason, and why, when they wake up, they find themselves in a hospital.

The biggest strength of the film is the sense of urgency which it creates soon after the protagonist, Ganaa, is introduced. Teja, the director, hardly gives us enough time to get familiar with the characters. And before we know it, Ganaa is racing through the streets in Vizag to find out who had been harassing his sister, and also uncover the suspense behind why she does not remember anything.

It is not just the narrative that keeps you at the edge of the seat but also a major credit for that goes to Shaurya. After playing a series of roles where he played the boy-next-door, the actor has reinvented himself as an action hero, and the transformation works quite well. More than the writing, it is the way and the pace at which the scenes unfold that make you invest emotionally in the story. Editor Garry, who had earlier worked on Goodachari, Evaru, and Kshanam , does not let you sit back even for a moment, especially in the first half of the film. Ghibran’s background score is thrilling to say the least.

And then, there is Jishnu Sengupta, who keeps the film together in the latter half with his cold-hearted approach to play the role. There is a scene in particular, where he invites a bunch of people for lunch at his house. The way Jishnu pulled off that scene is fascinating. His character is insane and a psychopath in every sense, but he looks and behaves like a true gentleman. Maybe, that is what makes his performance so memorable. Advertisement

Newcomer Sargun Kaur, who played Shaurya’s sister, is a good find. She is delivers a noteworthy performance in her brief but important role. Mehreen, who plays Shaurya’s romantic interest, fits the role of a young woman who is caught in a tricky situation.

Yet, there are a bunch of glaring problems with the film, especially in the second half. After a superb first half, the moment the suspense is revealed, it leaves you with a lot more questions than answers. The villain’s backstory, in particular, seems meek in the larger scheme of things. It does not explain why he continues doing what he does even after all those years.

Perhaps, nothing else in the story is as disappointing as the  climax itself. After all those twists and turns, where we are rooting for the hero, the way he figures out the culprit is quite bland. And quite frankly, by the time the film ends, you do not quite feel the same high which the film leaves you with at its interval point.

For all its flaws, Aswathama does have a lot going in its favour. It sticks to what it wants to say without meandering too much. If only it had found a better way to end the story, and not reveal its suspense in such a simple manner!

Rating: ***

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Aswathama Review: An Okayish Thriller

Movie: Aswathama Rating: 2.5/5 Banner: Ira Creations Cast: Naga Shaurya, Mehreen, Posani, Jisshu Sengupta, Harish Uttaman, and others Story: Naga Shaurya Music: Sricharan Pakala Background music: Ghibran Cinematography: Manoj Reddy  Editor: Garry BH  Action: Anbariv  Producer: Usha Mulpuri Directed by: Ramana Teja Release date: Jan 31, 2020

“Aswathama” is Naga Shaurya’s first film as a scriptwriter and the young actor has also invested time and effort to build six-pack abs to portray the character in this film. So, he went all his out to promote this movie and create a buzz around it.

Let’s find out whether it meets the expectations.

Story: Gana (Naga Shaurya) returns from the USA to Vizag to attend his sister Priya’s engagement ceremony. A day after her engagement, she tries to commit suicide but Gana saves her.

He comes to know that she’s pregnant but she’s not aware of how did it happen, who did this.

Her would-be (Prince) is understanding and gets it aborted. Several other such cases in the city keep happening and Ghana decides to solve the mystery and catch the culprit.

More shocking turn of events unfurls as he investigates further.

Artistes’ Performances: Naga Shaurya has done a good job as a responsible brother. Naga Shaurya is convincing in his action avatar.

But the one who steals the show and makes this thriller watchable is Bengali actor Jisshu Sengupta. His casting has made a huge difference to this predictable character. He is suave as a doctor at the same time is cruel as a psycho.

Newcomer Kaur as sister and Harish Uttaman are okay. Other actors including Mehreen have not added any value. 

Technical Excellence: The background score and sound design are the main highlights among the technical output. Action stunts (by Anbariv) are designed well, simple but effective. The film has decent technical and production values. 

Highlights: Villain’s role Some gripping moments

Drawback: Starting scenes and romantic thread Logic-less moments Lack of motive for the villain's cruelty

Analysis In the recent past, several Telugu thrillers hit the screens which were made sincerely without much deviating from the central point.

Bellamkonda’s “Rakshasudu” was one such gripping thriller. Naga Shaurya “Aswathama” is designed in the same mould.

Naga Shaurya had written the basic script while the director and another writer had taken the credits for the screenplay.

The basic point - using a banned medicine, a doctor makes young women unconscious then impregnates them - sounds a little bizarre.

This film works when you are okay with the central point of a psycho making girls pregnant by raping them when they were unconscious.

If you disgust with this thought, it doesn’t appeal. But, as a thriller, this is fairly engaging as it holds the interest. 

The film slips whenever family sequences come and heroine Mehreen appears. They are lousy scenes. Plus, the film lacks effectiveness in the final portion as we don't find the motive for the villain. Also, the second half lacks the tension that was built up in the first half.

Once the villain is revealed, proceedings have become slower and also foreseeable. But the ‘father’ angle has saved it from predictability. But the thrilling factor goes missing here. In Bellamkonda's "Rakshasudu", finding the villain was so thrilling. That is missing here. 

The entire final sequences are saved by Bengali actor Jisshu Sengupta. However, there are many gory sequences and excessive violence. Some close shots of a rape victim with a camera zooming in on her chest should have been avoided.

On the whole, ‘Aswathama’ is an okay thriller with some gripping moments. It could have been better more care was taken in final portions.

Bottom-line: Hit and Miss

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Aswathama Movie Review

Article by Satya B Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 3:47 pm, 31 January 2020 | Updated on 12:28 am, 4 May 2020

2 Hrs 13 M   |   Thriller   |   2020-01-31

Cast - Naga Shaurya, Mehreen, Jisshu Sen Gupta and others

Director - Ramana Teja

Producer - Usha Mulpuri

Banner - Ira Creations

Music - Sricharan Pakala

Naga Shaurya turned writer for his latest home production Ashwathama. It is a thriller that is reminiscent of last year’s release Rakshasudu. Shaurya does his best but it turns out to be a film that only works in parts. What’s It About? Gana (Shaurya) is in search of a serial sex offender who operates anonymously. Gana’s sister is one of his victims and he is hell bent in finding the invisible villain. The film is about how Gana gets to the monster. Performances: Naga Shaurya has tried action for the first time and he is convincing in this new avatar. Mehreen has a very limited role. Jisshu Sen Gupta steals the show with his effective portrayal of a psychotic doctor. None of the remaining star cast got noteworthy characters. Technicalities: Ramana Teja’s direction is uneven as he shines in some sequences and looks amateurish in others. A tightly woven screenplay is a must for films like this and Ashwathama’s screenplay seems half baked. Songs are needless and not even one song is worth listening to again. Background score by Ghibran is very good. Camera work is also good considering the limited budget. Action scenes are shot well. Editing is okay. Production values are neat. Thumbs Up: Tense moments Jisshu Sen performance Thumbs Down: Uneven Screenplay Weak Climax No Motive For Villain Analysis: Ashwathama is a different film for Naga Shaurya who usually does romantic entertainers. However, it doesn’t offer much freshness concept wise. It closely resembles Bellamkonda Srinivas’s Rakshasudu, which is a superior thriller in every aspect. Naga Shaurya, who penned the story for Ashwathama has incorporated contemporary elements like sexual violence against women and also did some research regarding how the crime is operated. Hero has a strong motive to go after the villain, but he uses brawn than brain in his investigation. Logic goes for a toss in this entire search mission. However, the anonimity of the villain holds the interest and make it partly engaging in the first half. The villain is shown post intermission with a gruesome scene that makes you cringe in your seats. Raping a corpse in a mortuary is a disgusting intro to his character. One would expect a strong motive for him to act like a monster. Proper explanation is not given to his psychotic behavior. While he operates his crime with so much care, the protagonist finds him very easily once his character is revealed. This is where Ashwathama falls flat as the protagonist is hardly challenged in his pursuit of finding the bad guy. The screenplay writers should have taken a cue from Tamil filmmakers that are doing fabulous job in making tense thrillers out of similar concepts. Ashwathama is an okay thriller that has a few engaging moments and a solid performance from Jisshusen, but doesn’t have enough to keep you engaged all the time. It is a movie that suits for home viewing than thetarical experience. Verdict:  Ashwathama falls flat

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Release date : January 31, 2020

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5

Starring :  Naga Shaurya, Mehreen Pirzada, Prince, Posani Krishna Murali

Director :  Ramana Teja

Producers :  Usha Mulpuri

Music Director :  Sricharan Pakala

Cinematographer :  Manojh Reddy

Editers : Garry BH

Ashwathama is a film that needs to click at any cost as Naga Shourya is going through a dull phase. The film has released today and let’s see whether it lives up to all the hype or not.

Gana(Naga Shourya) returns to India for his sister’s engagement. Right when the function is going to take place, his sister attempts to kill herself. Gana saves her and shockingly finds out that she is pregnant and the father to her child is unknown. A helpless Shourya starts investigating this case and finally nabs the culprit. How does he do all this forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points:

Naga Shourya makes a terrific transformation from a lover boy to an action hero. His screen presence, body language, and performance in fights and emotional scenes is very good. He looks macho in an action avatar and proves that he can carry an entire action film on his shoulders. All his scenes with his sister are pretty good.

Mehreen does not have much to do but plays a good supporting role. The action episodes and interval bang is the biggest highlight and sets up the interval bang perfectly. Prince was effective in his small role and so were other cast of the film.

The first half has adrenaline pumping moments and they have been handled quite well. One of the biggest highlights of the film is the Bengali actor Jisshu Sen Gupta. He is on another level and brings a scary effect to the proceedings. The way he is brought into the film and the manner in which Jisshu performs is very good.

Special mention to the action choreography which is spot on and has been executed well. BGM by Ghibran is top notch and elevates the proceedings quite well. The family emotions are decent.

Minus Points:

So much tension is created in the first half about who is behind the crime and this twist is revealed right after the interval. Things could have been prolonged a bit to keep the suspense intact. Because of this, the rest of the film becomes predictable.

Also, after facing so much tension to find the villain in the first half, the hero finds him with just a small clue in the last fifteen minutes which looks a bit over the top.

The second half has good moments of the villain but the hero-villain face off is just hurried up on the audience and things are ended in a jiffy. Some more investigation scenes and action episodes would have made matters even special.

Technical Aspects:

Music by Sri Charan is just okay as some hit songs could have made matters better. The camera work is quite impressive as Vizag, action sequences and investigation scenes have been showcased quite well.

Dialogues are good and so was the production design. The film has a rich feel as the makers have not compromised on the making. Story by Naga Shourya is pretty good as he has kept the logics intact and his script also has a good emotional angle.

Coming to the director Ramana Teja, he makes a good debut and has made the film on a sensible note. The good part is that he did not deviate with the story line much. If he had handled the film well in the second half with crisp narration, things could have been quite impressive.

On the whole, Ashwathama is an emotional thriller with a riveting first half. Naga Shourya leads from the front and is superb in his action avatar. But the film bogs down in the second half with predictable scenes and hurried up climax. However, that does not mean the film becomes dull. It has some well packaged thrills and ends up as a decent watch this weekend.

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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Home » Movies » Aswathama »

• 6 OTTplay Rating
• 2 Hr 11 Min

Gana returns to his hometown of Visakhapatnam from the US for his sister Priya's marriage but is shocked to find her attempting suicide, as he learns that she is pregnant but is doesn't know the identity of who impregnated her. Gana explains this predicament to her fiancé Ravi, who is understanding of the situation, and helps Priya get an abortion — promising to keep this a secret. Gana compels Priya to move on and forget about the past, and she gets happily married. Following the marriage, Gana violently interrogates men who have troubled Priya in the past, who aren't responsible for the impregnation; but uncovers a series of crimes against women. Directed by the debutant Ramana Teja, Aswathama is a Telugu action-thriller film starring Naga Shourya in the lead role, who also provides the story of the film. The film also features performances from Jisshu Sengupta, Mehreen Pirzada, Sargun Kaur Luthra, Harish Uthaman, Prince Cecil, and Jayaprakash among others. With songs from Sricharan Pakala and a score from Ghibran, the film has been produced by Usha Mulpuri under the banner of Ira Creations.

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‘Anora’ Review: Sean Baker’s Whirlwind Sex-Work Romance Sparkles Like the Tinsel in Its Leading Lady’s Hair

The director of 'The Florida Project' reaffirms his knack for spotting talent — and suspending judgment — in casting Mikey Madison as an exotic dancer who thinks she's found her whale.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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The uncut gem of this year’s Cannes competition, “ Anora ” is a rowdy Safdie-style movie about two cultures (Russian and American), two languages (Russian and English) and two currencies (money and sex). Like countless Hollywood fantasies that have come before, it tells the story of how young people from different worlds fall in love, run into immediate obstacles and deal with the consequences — except the couple in this case consists of a New York stripper and the reckless son of a Russian oligarch. How long would you give it?

Popular on Variety

After a few one-on-one visits to his opulent pad (a waterfront mansion with maid service and private security), Ani finds herself negotiating the rate for a week of exclusive attention. They settle on $15,000, cash upfront. Baker isn’t coy — but nor is he pervy — about the transactional sex between these two, presenting it without judgment. Neither degrading nor glamorous, Ani and Ivan’s sessions are instead gently humorous. She tries to get to know him, while Ivan mostly wants to get off, turning his attention to video games or TV as soon as they’re done.

Eager but inexperienced, Ivan races through lovemaking like some kind of spastic rabbit, and after a few such disappointments, Ani offers to slow things down and instruct him a bit. It’s right about then that Ivan tells Ani that he’s in love … and a short time later that he suggests they get married. At this point, Ani is caught up in the extravagant YOLO vibe Ivan gives off — a kaleidoscope of partying out and sleeping in that’s infinitely better than her working-class home life (briefly glimpsed between shifts at the club). Ivan flies Ani to Las Vegas, where the wedding chapels are open 24 hours. Some people go to Vegas and get a tattoo; she gets a four-carat rock and a marriage certificate.

It’s right about here that a Cinderella story would end “happily ever after.” Not “Anora.” Baker’s just getting started. Ani’s dream lasts for all of 45 minutes, and then Ivan’s parents get wind that their prodigal (and profligate) son has married a “prostitute,” as she’s frequently misidentified. They’re outraged by the shame that Ivan has brought upon their family, although Madison is so sincere in the role of Ani, it’s hard to see their side of things. Sure, Ani’s eyes widened when when she saw the view from Ivan’s bedroom or the collection of luxury vehicles in his garage. But she’s no gold-digger. (And so what if she were? He’s got his currency, and she’s got hers. She’s also American, which means a fast track to a green card.)

There’s still a feature film’s worth of excitement to come, as Ivan’s godfather, Toros (Karren Karagulian), gets involved, dispatching a pair of thugs — a fellow Armenian named Garnick (Vache Tovmaysan) and the Russian-speaking “gopnik” named Igor (Yura Borisov). Baker brings the same spontaneous, seat-of-your-pants energy to “Anora” that he did to “Tangerine” before this, making what follows every bit as impulsive and unpredictable, captured in delicious, slightly oversaturated widescreen. The audience is on Ani’s side, but there are no “bad guys” here — just concerned family and friends understandably alarmed by Ivan’s actions.

With a wispy, little-girl voice like Dakota Johnson’s and the cat-fight intensity of Tura Satana (“Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”), 2022 “Scream” actor Madison surprises as Ani. Working where she does, her character has every reason to be cynical, and yet, Ani still believes in true love, even if Ivan hardly seems deserving of her faith. Beneath her sparkling hair tinsel and butterfly nails, she’s smart and resourceful, representing in this one unforgettable character the ambitions and obstacles of centuries of sex workers. Baker has always had an instinct for spotting talent, and here, he doesn’t have to show Madison pole dancing à la Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers” for audiences to buy into the authenticity (it may actually be an advantage that she’s not already a star, or impossibly proportioned). We read Ani as real, and we feel deeply invested in how this shotgun wedding plays out.

For his part, Eydelshteyn brings a spindly Timothée Chalamet-like quality to the role of Ivan, adapting his body language to the way Ani sees him: Prince Charming at first, but increasingly pathetic once his parents are invoked. Familiar face Karagulian has appeared in all Baker’s features, but gets his biggest role yet as a man unwilling to risk his privileged connection to the Zakharov clan for Ivan’s high jinks. Quietly stewing on the sidelines is Borisov, who looks like he could kill someone (Ani insists he has “rape eyes”) but winds up being the only one genuinely interested in bridging the gap between their two worlds.

Taken alone, “Anora” is a profane kick. But seen in the context of Baker’s recurring fixations — from “Starlet” to “Red Rocket” — it stresses his belief that sex work is real work, that it’s more central to society than society wants to admit, and that by identifying with those we typically objectify, we can’t help but love them.

Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival, May 21, 2024. Running time: 139 MIN.

• Production: A Neon release of a Neon, FilmNation Entertainment presentation of a Cre Film production. Producers: Samantha Quan, Alex Coco, Sean Baker. Executive producers: Ken Meyer, Clay Pecorin, Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Milan Popelka.
• Crew: Director, writer, editor: Sean Baker. Camera: Drew Daniels.
• With: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan. (English, Russian dialogue)

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‘Hit Man’ Review: It’s a Hit, Man

Glen Powell stars in one of the year’s funniest, sexiest, most enjoyable movies — and somehow it’s surprisingly deep, too.

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By Alissa Wilkinson

If I see a movie more delightful than “Hit Man” this year, I’ll be surprised. It’s the kind of romp people are talking about when they say that “they don’t make them like they used to”: It’s romantic, sexy, hilarious, satisfying and a genuine star-clinching turn for Glen Powell, who’s been having a moment for about two years now. It’s got the cheeky verve of a 1940s screwball rom-com in a thoroughly contemporary (and slightly racier) package. I’ve seen it twice, and a huge grin plastered itself across my face both times.

That’s why it’s a shame most people will see it at home — Netflix is barely giving it a theatrical release before it hits streaming even though it’s the sort of movie that begs for the experience of collective gut-splitting joy. Oh well. If you can see it in a theater, it’s worth it. If not, then get your friends together, pop some popcorn and settle in for a good old-fashioned movie for grown-ups.

The director Richard Linklater and Powell collaborated on the “Hit Man” script, which is loosely based on Skip Hollandsworth’s 2001 Texas Monthly article about Gary Johnson, a faux hit man who actually worked for the Houston Police Department. In the movie version, Gary (Powell) is a mild-mannered philosophy professor in New Orleans with a part-time side gig doing tech work for law enforcement. One day, he is accidentally pulled into pretending to be a hit man in a sting operation, and soon realizes he loves playing the role.

Or roles, really: The more Gary gets into it, the more he realizes that each person’s fantasy of a hit man is different, and he starts to dress up, preparing for the part before he meets with the client. (If this movie were solely constructed as a de facto reel demonstrating Powell’s range, it would work just fine.) Then, one day, pretending to be a sexy, confident hit man named Ron, he meets Madison (Adria Arjona, practically glowing from within), a put-upon housewife seeking his services. And everything changes for Gary.

A great deal of the enjoyment of “Hit Man” comes from simply witnessing Powell and Arjona’s white-hot chemistry. Seeing Powell transmogrify from nerdy Gary to five o’clock shadow Ron and back again is both hilarious and tantalizing, while Arjona has a big-eyed innocence crossed with wily smarts that keeps everyone, including Gary, guessing. Multiple layers of deception keep the movie from feeling formulaic — you’re always trying to keep track of who thinks what, and why. Eventually, when “Hit Man” morphs into a kind of caper comedy, part of the joy is rooting for characters as they make choices that are, at best, flexibly ethical. In doing so, we get to be naughty too. In a movie starring a philosophy professor, that’s especially funny, a wry joke on us all.

But there’s more surprising philosophical depth in “Hit Man” than meets the eye. While on the surface it’s more or less a romantic comedy, beneath the hood it’s a coming-of-age story for Gary, whose life has stagnated. After a divorce, he lives alone with his two cats named Id and Ego and a large collection of plants; his students make fun of him for driving a Honda Civic, and he eats cereal for dinner. Gary is perfectly content with his life, or at least he thinks he is. But it slowly becomes clear the simplicity is less choice and more comfort zone. He’s lost himself somewhere along the way. He’s ruled out the possibility of surprise and adventure. Being a fake hit man gives him the possibility of inhabiting other selves, other lives — of trying on identities for size.

The question of the self — where it resides, whether we’re stagnant or able to change — has long been a fixation for philosophers, and Gary is no different. He declares his “primary interest” to be “the eternal mystery of human consciousness and behavior.” At the start of the semester, he tells his students that they’ll be challenging the notion of the self that semester, from social identity to close relationships. “What if your ‘self’ is a construction, an illusion, an act, a role you’ve been playing every day since you can remember?” he asks them, smiling. Teacher, teach thyself.

That inquiry is woven throughout “Hit Man,” which takes a definite point of view on the subject. Yes, the self is changeable — but it takes a bit of bravery to discover who you want to be. What’s more, no man is an island. The self doesn’t change when we grit our teeth and decide to be different, but when other people see us, recognize who we are and decide to love us for it.

Don’t get me wrong. I can imagine some enterprising philosophy teachers constructing extra credit assignments around “Hit Man,” but it definitely doesn’t feel like homework. You don’t even have to pick up on the headier bits to have a load of fun. It’s radiant and loose and confident, the kind of movie that you can just tell was a blast to make, which makes it a blast to watch. As our overstuffed big-budget era starts to falter, let’s hope they start making movies like this again.

Hit Man Rated R for a few artfully shot sex scenes, some bad language and a bit of hit man work. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. In theaters.

Alissa Wilkinson is a Times movie critic. She’s been writing about movies since 2005. More about Alissa Wilkinson

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American Fiction Ending Explained

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• American Fiction is now a streaming success after winning an Academy Award.
• The movie ranked 10th on Reelgood's Top 10 overall streaming chart for May 16-22.
• Praised by critics and audiences, the film was called one of the best of 2023, with 93% critic and 96% audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.

American Fiction , an Oscar-winning movie from 2023 with a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, is now a streaming success. Written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his feature debut, based on the 2021 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, the film follows a frustrated novelist who writes a stereotypical and satirical "Black" book as a joke, only for it to be misinterpreted as a serious piece of literature and published to critical acclaim and commercial success. Jeffrey Wright leads the American Fiction cast alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, and Leslie Uggams.

Now, months after winning an Academy Award, the film has become a streaming success. For the week of May 16-22, American Fiction ranked 10th on Reelgood 's Top 10 overall streaming chart and 5th on their Top 10 movies streaming chart . In terms of movies, American Fiction finished ahead of The Idea of You , Unfrosted , and Anyone But You , but was beaten by The Iron Claw and Dune: Part Two . Check out the full Top 10 lists below:

American Fiction is streaming on MGM+ and Prime Video.

American Fiction Was One Of The Best (& Most Overlooked) Movies Of 2023

With rave reactions from critics and audiences, American Fiction was widely considered one of the best films of 2023, though it hasn't received quite as much attention as it deserves. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023, where American Fiction reviews praised the film for its stellar performances, pointed humor, and insightful storyline . As a result, it has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, and an even stronger 96% score from audiences, who also thoroughly enjoyed its ability to evoke laughter and introspection in equal measure.

Cord Jefferson's American Fiction is nominated for Best Picture. Here's what happens at the end of the film and what it means thematically.

American Fiction went on to receive five nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Score, with Jefferson winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. Its performances also received recognition, with Wright nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Brown for Supporting Role. However, American Fiction didn't perform as well at the box office compared to its fellow 2024 Best Picture nominees .

With $23 million at the box office on a small $10 million budget, American Fiction was the lowest-grossing movie among the 2024 Best Picture nominees (not counting Netflix's Maestro ), finishing behind Anatomy of Fall ($35M), Past Lives ($42M), The Holdovers ($44M), The Zone of Interest ($49M), and Killers of the Flower Moon ($157M), not to mention Oppenheimer ($976M), and Barbie ($1.4B). However, with American Fiction now becoming a streaming success, it may partially make up for it being previously overlooked at the box office.

Source: Reelgood

American Fiction

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Based on the novel by Percival Everett, American Fiction is a drama film that stars Jeffrey Wright as author and English Professor Thelonious "Monk" Ellison. With his students lacking cultural sensitivity and publishers rejecting his novels, believing them not to be "Black enough," Monk returns to his hometown where he witnesses a new young Black author who has created an instant best seller. As he attempts to ignore the success of another, he reunites with his family, where tragedy and chaos begin to consume them.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, anatomy of a fall.

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It turns out that there’s still life in the courtroom drama if it’s a marital one, too. Justine Triet ’s “Anatomy of a Fall” starts with a traditional mystery but becomes an analysis of a different kind of fall than the literal one at its center. It’s about the decline of a partnership and how often these marital falls can happen in slow-motion, over years of resentments and betrayals. At its center is a stunning performance from Sandra Hüller , possibly the best of the year, as a woman who finds herself in the middle of a nightmare when a French court indicts her for the murder of her husband. This movie won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year because it’s more than a mere mystery—it’s an examination of a marriage from all angles while embedding the idea that we can never fully comprehend anyone but ourselves. It’s a daring, long film that sometimes feels too chilly and self-indulgent, but it builds to a series of scenes that hit like a punch. Or when a fight with a partner goes a little too far.

Hüller plays Sandra, who is introduced by giving an interview about her life as a famous author—Triet’s film plays fascinatingly with the idea that writers inherently use the people around them in a way that makes them unique, making the profession of her protagonist important (and I don't think it's coincidental her lead couple share the names of their performers). As the interview goes on and gets arguably a bit flirtatious, loud music begins to pump from above in this remote, snow-surrounded cabin in the French Alps. It’s her husband Samuel ( Samuel Theis ), playing an instrumental version of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” of all things. On repeat. And louder and louder. He’s aggressively trying to derail the interview, and he succeeds. The interviewer leaves, and their son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) takes the dog Snoop for a long walk. When he returns, he finds Samuel in the snow, a bloody wound in his head. Did he fall from the attic in which he was working? Did he jump? Or was he pushed?

For the next two-and-a-half hours, “Anatomy of a Fall” almost procedurally details the investigation and trial around Samuel’s death. Every decision made not just that day but over much of their marriage is scrutinized by people who have never met Sandra, Samuel, or Daniel. Rarely has a film captured how much personal baggage comes flying out when a death is ruled inconclusive. Samuel’s therapist testifies that he wasn’t suicidal, but, of course, he only saw what Samuel wanted to show him. The interviewer is asked to comment on the state of a woman she just met that day. What does she know about their lives? We only ever see part of a person’s mental state. At times, it feels like Sandra’s personality is on trial. Then again, some evidence that she’s responsible is pretty compelling.

It may sound like Triet is playing a mystery game with “Anatomy of a Fall,” but she's never manipulative or withholding, and the film actually improves when one casts aside a bit of the gamesmanship that a lesser filmmaker would have relied upon when telling this story. Yes, there’s a puzzle to be solved here, and I believe it does get solved, but that’s not what matters. Triet is trying to interrogate how couples communicate or fail to do so and what that failure can lead to in the end. It’s important that neither Sandra nor Samuel speak in their native tongue—they find common ground in English—and that Daniel suffers from reduced eyesight from an accident. We don’t fully understand each other. We don’t fully see each other.

Hüller is stunning, keeping much of Sandra’s motives and half-buried skeletons internal. She has clearly considered every aspect of this character—it’s such a calibrated, lived-in performance that one can feel the backstory work in almost every scene. How does a woman like Sandra arrive at a point where her husband is suddenly dead and her entire life is on trial? And what does that do to her? She never resorts to melodrama, so when the film emotionally climaxes in an intense flashback, it’s shattering in its realism. There’s a vastly inferior version of “Anatomy of a Fall” that leans on overcooked melodrama and mystery—this one is all about character, and it’s the trust between Triet and Hüller that grounds every single scene and holds it all together.

Sometimes, it seems like 151 minutes is more than this story needs, but that length adds to how this is more like literature than genre storytelling. The length lets us really feel the cold in Sandra and Samuels’ home—the chill in the air from both the snow outside and the warmth that has drained from this family. How do we get over resentment? Infidelity? The sense that we don't trust our partners? Or, worse, that they don’t care? “Anatomy of a Fall” asks deep questions about its characters, but gains its most power by recognizing it doesn’t have all the answers.

This review was filed from the Toronto International Film Festival. “Anatomy of a Fall”  opens on October 13 th .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

151 minutes

Sandra Hüller as Sandra Voyter

Milo Machado-Graner as Daniel

Swann Arlaud as Maître Vincent Renzi

Saadia Bentaïeb as Maître Nour Boudaoud

Jehnny Beth as Marge Berger

Samuel Theis as Samuel Maleski

Antoine Reinartz as L' Avocat général

Camille Rutherford as Zoé Solidor

Anne Rotger as La Présidente

• Justine Triet
• Arthur Harari

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• Laurent Sénéchal

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The 21 movies we hated in 2023 — and how to watch them, if you must

You already know what the must-see movies are. Here are the ones to hate-watch.

Watching a good movie is great. But writing — or reading — about a bad one can sometimes be even more fun. Here are 21 of the year’s worst films: dreck that couldn’t even get two stars from our critics. A few of them are still in theaters. (How is that even possible?) The rest can be streamed, if you dare.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

“In ‘Quantumania,’ sprightly pacing and lighthearted humor have succumbed to the turgid seriousness that plagues so much of the comic book canon . Granted, Paul Rudd still projects irresistible likability as Scott Lang, the onetime thief who as Ant-Man is the tiniest member of the Avengers team. As ‘Quantumania’ opens, Scott is reading from his new memoir, ‘Look Out for the Little Guy,’ in a cheeky montage set to the theme from ‘Welcome Back, Kotter.’” — Ann Hornaday

Where to watch: Disney Plus

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

“The CGI varies wildly. Sometimes it’s like watching two different movies : one with a budget that would allow for vibrant creatures, diving headfirst into a brilliant new world, and another that looks like a sequel to 2007’s ‘Beowulf.’” — Olivia McCormack

Where to watch: In theaters

Cocaine Bear

“‘Cocaine Bear’ isn’t so much a movie as an idea — a synopsis, an elevator pitch, a thumbnail description: bear + cocaine — that has somehow metastasized into the collection of footage that arrived in theaters. … It’s the length of a feature film. You have to buy tickets to see it. It was directed by Elizabeth Banks. And it stars Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, all of whom are actual actors. But it isn’t really a movie.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus , Google Play , Prime Video

“Spanish artist Salvador Dalí was a towering figure in 20th-century art history, as famous for his surrealist paintings as for his larger-than-life personality. So how, you might wonder, could a biopic about him — especially one starring Sir Ben Kingsley as the flamboyant provocateur with a paintbrush — be dull? Unfortunately, ‘DalíLand’ is just that. Directed by Mary Harron from a screenplay by John Walsh, the thoroughly unengaging film is a remarkable achievement, but only considering the misspent potential of its juicy source material.” — Pat Padua

Where to watch: Hulu

Fingernails

“The agony of love or, rather, of not knowing whether your beloved loves you (and, by corollary, whether you really love the one you’re with) is treated metaphorically in Christos Nikou’s ‘Fingernails,’ a fable that takes the kind of eccentric, delicate poetry of the filmmaker’s lovely first feature, ‘Apples,’ a meditation on grief, memory and identity, and hammers it into applesauce .” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus

Five Nights at Freddy’s

“Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike, a young man struggling to retain custody of his elementary-school-age sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), after the death of their mother and abandonment by their father. At night, Mike dreams of his missing brother, trying to solve the mystery of his abduction years ago. After losing yet another job, he reluctantly accepts a gig working the night shift as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a theme restaurant loosely inspired by the Chuck E. Cheese franchise. There, Mike finds himself discovering new leads about his brother’s kidnapping in his dream world — yes, he’s sleeping on the job — while encountering the decaying animatronic figures that once enlivened the pizzeria. … Exactly who is this movie for? Ten-year-olds who have somehow developed a passion for both ‘Mindhunter’ and sappy Disney Channel movies about siblings?” — Olivia McCormack

Where to watch: Peacock

“Dispiritingly, in a movie that stars two of today’s most talented young actors, ‘Foe’ is defined not by human drama but by a pervasive sense that neither [Saoirse] Ronan nor [Paul] Mescal is actually playing a real human being. Each of their characters comes across as an automaton in service of the film’s larger themes of — ironically — selfhood and individuality.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Prime Video

A Good Person

“Taking on such hot topics as distracted driving, substance abuse and teen pregnancy, ‘A Good Person’ plays like a two-hour public service announcement . In this wildly uneven melodrama by writer-director Zach Braff, no member of the talented ensemble cast is entirely able to navigate its messy plot. That a few actors do manage to stay afloat for occasional breaths of air seems like a divine miracle. But for much of the film, God is not in the details.” — Pat Padua

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus , Google Play , Prime Video , YouTube

Haunted Mansion

“Director Justin Simien seems to have taken inspiration from Tobe Hooper’s ‘Poltergeist.’ (This was equally true of Simien’s ‘Bad Hair.’) The filmmaker uses similar setups and camera tricks to reference the 1982 masterpiece of PG-rated horror. It’s not a bad idea. Tasked with adapting family-friendly scares into a widely appealing film, ‘Poltergeist’ is an understandable touchstone. But Simien hasn’t mastered the tonal juggling act here: ‘Poltergeist’ was both funny and scary; ‘Haunted Mansion’ is neither. While Hooper’s film used the suburban California setting to critique consumerism and the promise of early Reagan-era America, Simien’s film plays like an extended advertisement for an amusement park attraction.” — Lucas Trevor

Infinity Pool

“Set in the fictional country of La Tolqa, and filmed on the Adriatic coast of Croatia — with the actual geographic location masked by signs written in a made-up alphabet of unintelligible squiggles, and a police chief (Thomas Kretschmann) who speaks with a German accent — ‘Infinity Pool’ throws up all kinds of red flags that the resort community in which it takes place is not somewhere anyone in their right mind would ever want to stay. For one thing, the tale unspools during an annual festival, known ominously as the Summoning. It involves the wearing of hideously deformed masks, available in the gift shop, that look like props from a violent home-invasion slasher.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Mafia Mamma

“Born in that treacherous genre wasteland between mobster movie and midlife rom-com — and centering on a woman scorned who gets her groove back after inheriting a criminal empire — ‘Mafia Mamma’ is a strange hybrid of the Godfather films, ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ — all of which are explicitly named-checked in the featherbrained screenplay by J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, TV writers known for their work on such sitcoms as ‘Not Dead Yet,’ ‘A.P. Bio’ and ‘Kevin From Work.’” — Michael O’Sullivan

Magic Mike’s Last Dance

“If you thought ‘Magic Mike XXL’ was disappointingly market-driven — and we did — brace yourself against the back of your chair for this finale , which bumps and grinds and thrusts itself at you like, well, a fake police officer at a bachelorette party. The pandering symptoms of sequelitis are full-blown here. Oh, and it’s also completely bonkers. … [Channing] Tatum has laid-back charm in spades, but he works so strenuously to be likable, supportive, nurturing, deferential in this role — and, let’s not forget, an object of sexual desire, flipping the dynamic of the male gaze 180 degrees — that he’s practically overheating.” — Michael O’Sullivan

“Not many contemporary actors would be able to stand toe to toe with the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum, not to mention Elliott Gould — but Liam Neeson would seem to have as good a chance as any. Alas, Neeson’s portrayal of filmdom’s most famous private detective in the eponymous ‘Marlowe’ doesn’t just fail to enter the pantheon, it misses it by a mile .” — Ann Hornaday

The Marvels

“Despite its progressive bona fides, ‘The Marvels’ is so fueled by fan service and formula, like pretty much everything in the MCU these days, that it gives short shrift to such basics as narrative comprehension. Watching the movie from the standpoint of a normie — that is, someone who doesn’t eat, sleep and breathe this stuff — can sometimes feel like you’ve become stranded on the wrong side of one of those closing wormholes , in a parallel universe where nothing makes sense.” — Michael O’Sullivan

“The biggest flaw in ‘ Napoleon ,’ it turns out, is the actor who plays him. It’s difficult to understand why [Ridley] Scott would cast Joaquin Phoenix — one of the most subtle, recessive, almost fey actors working today — to play someone with such a commanding temperament.” — Ann Hornaday

“Not every screenplay that makes the Black List, the annual tally of unproduced film scripts most liked by industry insiders, is going to be a gem. Case in point: The 2010 Black-Listed ‘Paint’ by Brit McAdams, the story of a Bob Ross-like artist , played by Owen Wilson, who, after hosting an educational public television painting show for more than 20 years, experiences a crisis of confidence when a younger artist (Ciara Renée) is hired for the time slot immediately after his. … That is because there is nothing especially Bob Ross-ian about Wilson’s Carl Nargle, other than his fright-wig hair, bedroom-voice narration and propensity for painting the same mountain landscape over and over and over.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire

“It’s worth comparing the film to ‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,’ from which [Zack] Snyder takes his aesthetic cues. At each turn, it feels like the filmmaker is trying to one-up George Lucas, to deliver a version of the first Star Wars film on steroids. But ‘Moon’ frequently falls short, like a picture of a picture, mimicking images and character types but failing to capture the heart and magic of its predecessor. It’s a film stripped of joy and whimsy , instead pursuing a tone of self-seriousness. Would it kill him to put a single joke in?” — Lucas Trevor

Where to watch: Netflix

“Over the course of an evening , Hal [Christopher Abbott] and Rebecca [Margaret Qualley] maneuver and spar — verbally and physically — over his decision to fire her and her reluctance to accept the dismissal. There is sex, in a manner of speaking, involving Hal cleaning what already appears to be an immaculately clean bathroom floor, in his underwear, with a toothbrush, but there is nothing hot about it. (Rebecca remains nearby, without ever touching Hal. It’s the mental stimulation he needs, according to her, not physical.)” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Prime Video , YouTube

“ The new film opens in Manhattan , where four survivors of the last film, who have dubbed themselves the ‘Core Four,’ have relocated to escape bad memories. (Would that I were so lucky.) The Carpenter sisters, Tara and Sam (Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera), are joined by brother and sister Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown), along with various roommates and love interests, played by Liana Liberato, Jack Champion and Devyn Nekoda. Did I say roommates and love interests? Make that suspects. Almost every character — including Sam, who dispatched [the Ghostface killer] in the 2022 ‘Scream’ and is the daughter of the 1996 film’s killer — is not to be trusted.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Paramount Plus

“Hugh Jackman plays Peter, a middle-aged New York attorney who as ‘The Son’ opens has embarked on a new life with his partner, Beth (Vanessa Kirby), and their new baby when his ex-wife, Kate (Laura Dern), shows up to let Peter know that Nicholas, their 17-year-old son, has been skipping school. Red flags abound in a story that turns out to be about adolescent depression, as well as adult self-deception, generational trauma and wobbly boundaries: Peter, a fixer by nature, is convinced he can get Nicholas back on track by virtue of good intentions and sheer force of will. What ensues is a slow-motion wreck that the audience can see coming down Madison Avenue, complete with a Chekhovian trope that’s as on the nose as it is breathtakingly offensive.” — Ann Hornaday

“Even Hugh Grant, delightful in the role of an Oompa-Loompa — a miniature creature seeking restitution from Willy [Wonka] for the cocoa beans our hero has harvested without permission — is underused, entering the film late and then hardly given any screen time . Only Olivia Colman and Tom Davis, as grifters who trick Willy into indentured servitude, make much of an impression. But in their case, it’s for overacting.” — Michael O’Sullivan