Chicago Critics Film Festival (2023)

The 10th Anniversary Festival Screens May 5th - May 11th

The full lineup is available here for the 10th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival and it’s been an honor to work on the website updates this year for sure. The festival opens tomorrow, May 5th, at the Music Box Theatre, and runs through May 11th. I was there 10 years ago for the very first screening back in 2023 and I’ve only missed one festival when I lived in Michigan for a couple of years.

There’s so much to look forward to as always, most importantly, seeing colleagues and friends as we celebrate our love and passion for all-things movies. A lot of these are Chicago premieres and coming out early - featuring a slew of titles from independent directors that are coming off of festival screenings and a lot of buzz. I will be providing coverage of the entire event throughout and couldn’t be more excited. Last year, I did audio reviews but since I’m trying to keep up on writing - that’s the approach I’ll likely take this time. Here are just some of the titles I’m excited to see - be sure to get your tickets right here, right now.

Blackberry (dir. Matt Johnson)

It’s 1996, and Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and his business partner and best friend Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson - who will be there live at the screening for a Q&A right after) are on the edge of creating the world’s first smartphone. Unfortunately for them, they are less business savvy than they are tech, and struggle to keep their company, Research in Motion, afloat. Everything changes when cunning business man Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) agrees to join the company, bringing with him the money and experience needed to create and sell a prototype of their invention.

Brother (dir. Clement Virgo)

Propelled by the pulsing beats of Toronto's early hip hop scene, BROTHER is the story of Francis and Michael, sons of Caribbean immigrants maturing into young men. Exploring themes of masculinity, identity and family, a mystery unfolds during the sweltering summer of 1991, and escalating tensions set off a series of events that change the course of the brothers' lives forever. BROTHER crafts a timely story about the profound bond between siblings, the resilience of a community and the irrepressible power of music. Clement Virgo will also be there live in attendance for a live Q&A.

Past Lives (dir. Celine Song)

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance. Celine Song will be there live for a Q&A.

Master Gardener (dir. Paul Schrader)

Master Gardener is the latest film from writer/director Paul Schrader. Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) is the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, as he is to pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). However, chaos enters Narvel’s spartan existence when Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) as a new apprentice, unlocking dark secrets from a buried violent past that threaten them all.

Theater Camp (dir. Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman)

THEATER CAMP follows the eccentric staff running a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York. After its indomitable and beloved founder falls into a coma, they must band together with her clueless “crypto-bro” son to keep the thespian paradise afloat.

Shorts Programs #1 + #2 (programmed by Collin Souter)

There is always so much to look forward to, including films by directors I’ve never heard of, documentaries, shorts and lots of lively lobby conversations as well as meet-ups in the lounge. It’s just a grand ole’ time for Chicago-based cinephiles like myself and I’m proud to be a part of the Chicago Film Critics Association even if it’s mostly a part-time gig. Never thought that I would be lucky enough to know such talented writers and film critics like the ones who put this together and the others who do their part in promoting it. Also, that website is not too shabby :) See you all at the Music Box, May 5th-11th. That’s how I spend my vacation!