POMO

Contemplation of life and death by talking to Death, embodied by a digital bird – sometimes small enough to fit in your ear and sometimes as big as a movie monster. And that’s just the beginning. The initial wonder of “what kind of film is this?" gradually subsides, giving rise to a predictable allegory of saying goodbye to a loved one and coming to terms with their loss. But why did the film’s creator choose such a naïve and childishly literal path? Similar to the flop Three Thousand Years of Longing, Tuesday is a bizarre, fantastical film that viewers may or may not like, as they see fit. [Miami FF]

The first half of Fallen Fruit presents the protagonist in his youthful fumbling as he comes out of a breakup, with no desire to work and no idea what the future holds. The film itself is slightly boring and just as fumbling, with feeble dialogue, the parameters of a student film and one WTF narrative misstep (two complete strangers catch a brief glimpse of each other through the window of a passing car and then text each other a few hours later). As a hurricane approaches, however, the protagonist’s parents join in the presentation of his day-to-day life, characters seen earlier in the film add more meaningful contours to the causes of his loneliness, and Fallen Fruit turns out to be an honest portrait of a young man living in Miami, a city whose exotic identity is aptly expressed with the wow effect that it initially provides, which conceals its darker, less hospitable side. [Miami Film Festival]

Stop! Or My Grandma Will Shoot! An endearing “action” comedy with a heart and an excellent June Squibb. The 94-year-old actress turns in an admirable performance as she combines a variety of humorous gestures with sensitive dramatic moments. The interplay between the characters comprising her family and the bad guys is formulaic yet effectively written, with a surprising choice cast in the role of the main villain. When it comes to comedies about the elderly, however, I personally prefer more sarcastic, culturally distinctive European films, such as A Man Called Ove. [Miami Film Festival]