Programmers' Picks: Laura Good

Falcon Lake

They say that all first love stories are ghost stories. Canadian actor-turned-director Charlotte Le Bon explores this idea with an eerie sense of foreboding in her first feature, Falcon Lake. There is a wonderful collision of genres in this atmospheric cottagecore gothic that breathes new life into coming-of-age tropes. 

I Like Movies

Like all great comedies, Chandler Levack’s I Like Movies is incisive, truthful, and razor-sharp. This quirky, nostalgia-infused love letter to movies is set at a video rental store in the early aughts and acts as a time capsule of millennial teen life.

Until Branches Bend

Until Branches Bend is a zeitgeisty, confident, and visually evocative debut from longtime short filmmaker and accomplished production designer Sophie Jarvis. It’s a psychological drama about one woman’s desire to have her voice heard and an apt social commentary.

Coyote

Coyote is a naturalistic family drama about a widower who puts his dreams on hold when he unexpectedly becomes the guardian of the grandson he didn’t know he had. A poignant ode to unexpected roads and new beginnings.

SIFF ShortsFest 

This year’s short film programming is a stunning snapshot of emerging trends in cinema from around the world. There are some really exciting new voices to check out.

To Kill A Tiger

This stark look at the fight against rape culture and systemic misogyny is relevant in every country around the globe. It’s gut-wrenching and blood-boiling but also manages to be both galvanizing and hopeful.

Opponent

The mysterious yet knowing story structure of this portrait piece deftly reveals a man that is straddling two worlds, in more ways than one. It’s anchored by a layered and deeply felt lead performance from Peyman Maadi (A Separation).

A Room of My Own

I was taken with this film's quiet sense of intimacy and messy humanity. It’s a raw and beautiful look at the brief relationship between two women that leaves them both forever changed.