Elena
“Elena” means a personal dream, relevant and emotional
By Jenny Alvarez
Photos Agency
Elena, a young Brazilian woman, moved to New York with the same dream her mother had: to become a film actress. She left behind a childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also left Petra, her beloved seven-year-old sister. Over time, Elena’s calls and letters home trailed off, until one day they stopped entirely. Years later, Petra also becomes an actress and heads to New York in search of her destiny, but also in search of her troubled sister. She remembers and imagines Elena through home movies, letters, a diary, and dreamlike sequences full of longing. As she tries to unravel the mystery of her sister, their stories overlap and begin to blur, challenging us to discover truths about forgiveness, loss, catharsis, and love. A film between documentary, diary, and fever dream which delves into the abyss of one family’s drama, revealing at once the inspiration that can be born from tragedy. It’s a sensitive film and heartbreaking story full of courageous that takes you inside Petra’s mind. In some scenes, Elena is in New York City, a city that reflects a cinematic dream combined with urban poetry especially for a well structured and personal documentary directed by Petra Costa.
“Emoticon” flirts with nature of human identity
By Jenny Alvarez
Photo Cortesy
From co-writer/actor/director/producer Livia De Paolis. De Paolis stars alongside Michael Cristopher (American Horror Story, Ray Donovan), Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominee Carol Kane (Hester Street, Sleepwalk with Me), multiple Golden Globe-nominee Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Burning Season), Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black, Open Vacancy), and Miles Chandler (The Longshots, The Education of Charlie Banks). Elena Gallenti (Livia De Paolis) is an anthropology graduate student struggling to compete her thesis on ‘modern means of communication.’ All that changes when she meets her new boyfriend’s (Michael Cristofer) teenage kids (Miles Chandler and Diane Guerrero), who are going through their own journeys of self-discovery. Through these relationships and the help of her PhD advisor (Carol Kane), Elena comes to a better understanding of how to navigate love and intimacy in the digital age. Ultimately they develop a bond that strikes a balance between the old world and the new, and everyone’s longing to find true emotional sense in both. In 79 minutes Elena has emotional struggles trough several series of scenes in which she’s seen interacting with her thesis advisor (Carol Kane). The adolescent performances show how they interact with their emotions and communication among them and their world. Also the story deals with unexpected pregnancies and how they can turn lives upside down in a heartbeat as well as the joys and pitfalls of trans-generational relationships. “Emoticon” isn’t bad, but in the end it just doesn’t reach down deep enough for something gritty and true.
