The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

New York CityNYC events & culture

Take Two Film Festival at Anthology Film Archives day two: Flat Chested and Shotgun amaze

Take Two Film Festival at Anthology Film Archives day two: Flat Chested and Shotgun amaze
13 April 2015
The editorial unit
Avatar
The editorial unit
13 April 2015

Overall, the pool of films for day two felt a bit weaker, which is the contributing factor to such an unsatisfactory response. There were about four films that bordered on unwatchable, including the last feature-length film of the festival, Wet Brownies, which resembled something high school kids make if left uncensored. However, there were also four exceptional standouts, some of which even raised the bar over films from day one.

flatchestedPart of the first block and one of the best films of the festival was Flat Chested, an amazing short that blended raunchy comedy, raw emotion and great acting to tell a story about a woman, Amanda, and her decision to get a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA gene mutation. The writer/director, Kristyn Benedyk, does an excellent job of creating a roller coaster of emotion as Amanda struggles through a bucket list specifically catering to her breasts. The short was a sweet tribute to womanhood and an intriguing look at commitment and endurance. 

1426211230413Then, in block two, there was Shotgun by Maverick Moore. This comedy short generated humor through unexpected breaks of the fourth wall, playful banter between characters and creative filmmaking techniques as it followed three girls driving around on some baron road. While the plot walked a line of merely being eh, the film was definitely a display of Moore’s filmmaking chops. He utilized the most creativity and technique out of anyone shown at the festival so far and, as a storyteller, proved he has a knack for comedic timing and character development.  

The third most notable film of 1426211422815the two blocks was definitely I Am Selma by Yossera Bouchtia. It was a story about a young Moroccan-American girl’s struggle with identity in the post 9/11 world, the film unapologetically dove into some serious themes like Muslim perception, Muslim perspective and what it means to be American. Bouchtia did a great job of thoroughly juggling so many themes in such a short time and boldly talked about topics that aren’t always being considered but deserve more attention.

The Q&As were substantially better but the films shown left this nagging question of credibility and reputation, especially with the last film of the night being that hard-to-watch feature Wet Brownies. After all, this is a festival that showed a block of films about a Korean man’s touching commitment to his mother with Alzheimer’s and a young American girl’s Muslim pride in an intolerant environment next to a movie where snorting crushed kidney stones and putting a vibrating cellphone on your crotch is funny enough to revisit over and over again. It’s just hard to imagine that out of 400 submissions and a search for diversity that these types of films all deserved to be sitting at the same table together.

★★★★★

Robert Malone
Photos: Take Two Film Festival

For further information about the Take Two Film Festival visit here.  

Related Itemsfestivalfilmshort film

More in New York City

Four New York theatre shows you need to see this winter

The editorial unit
Read More

Radio City Music Hall Rockettes star in New York Spectacular

★★★★★
Patricia Contino
Read More

Five bars in NYC to enjoy a classic cocktail

Mariana Howard
Read More

Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theatre

★★★★★
Mariana Howard
Read More

Othello: A Dance in Three Acts at American Ballet Theatre

★★★★★
Patricia Contino
Read More

The Flatiron Hex at Dixon Place

★★★★★
Patricia Contino
Read More

Kopecky at Mercury Lounge

★★★★★
The editorial unit
Read More

Merrily We Roll Along at the Astoria Performing Arts Center

★★★★★
Patricia Contino
Read More

High River Sauces presents the third annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo

★★★★★
The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Tips for creating a peaceful home
    Feature of the week
  • Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances
    Theatre
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Film offers a way of looking at the past, the present and the future simultaneously. That’s its wonder”: Sarah Beddington on Fadia’s Tree
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Five Days at Memorial
    ★★★★★
    apple
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Take Two Film Festival day one: Fancy Dress and Us, Naked stand out
Take Two Film Festival at Anthology Film Festival day three: going out with a bang!