Author: Laurie Coker

Having watched Christy at its opening-night screening at the Austin Film Festival (with writer-directors David Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes in attendance, alongside the real-life Christy Martin), I walked away both exhilarated and deeply moved. The film stakes its claim not just as a sports biopic but as a profound meditation on identity, power, and survival.… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Christy: a profound meditation on identity, power, and survival.

Screening at this year’s Austin Film Festival, Yesterday Island starts with something as simple as a midnight phone call. It gradually moves into more unusual territory—a darkly comic tale about failure, self-deception, and being both physically and emotionally stranded. Writer-director Sam Voutas brings his offbeat style to the story, although this one feels more focused,… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Yesterday Island: an award-winning, darkly comic tale

Watching American Baby was a deeply emotional experience for me. As a grandmother of a clever and determined young girl who sometimes has that “it won’t happen to me” attitude, this story struck a nerve. The film’s realism is unrelenting—so genuine that it can be tense to watch at times—but that honesty is exactly what… Continue reading AFF 2025 – American Baby: heartbreaking and eye-opening

Having visited Japan twice and fallen in love with its blend of quiet elegance and modern energy, I was instantly captivated by Rental Family—a film that explores both the poetry and contradictions of life in Tokyo. Director Hikari portrays the city not as a neon-lit spectacle, but as a deeply human landscape, full of small… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Rental Family: Fraser delivers a luminous, deeply grounded performance

Miles Away, which premiered at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, is one of those quiet, surprising films that sneaks up on you. Written, directed, and led by Jackie Quinones, it’s both simple in concept and remarkably layered in execution. The story unfolds almost entirely inside a car, where Jess—a rideshare driver with faded Hollywood dreams—spends… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Miles Away: quietly moving and, in the end, surprisingly uplifting

You’re Dating a Narcissist! screened at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, and while it’s not the kind of film that reinvents the romantic comedy, it’s an undeniably fun and lively ride. The setup is straightforward: an outspoken psychologist, played by Marisa Tomei, races to Los Angeles with her best friend (the always energetic Sherry Cola)… Continue reading AFF 2025 – You’re Dating a Narcissist: not groundbreaking, but it’s witty, fun, and relatable

I had the pleasure of seeing Ethan Bloom at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, and it turned out to be one of those quiet surprises that sticks with viewers long after the credits roll. On the surface, it’s a modest coming-of-age film about a middle school boy grappling with faith, grief, and first love—but what… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Ethan Bloom: a simple story, big heart, and a lasting impression

Some films subtly creep under your skin, tightening their hold until you realize you’ve been holding your breath. Cruel Hands, directed by Al Kalyk and co-written with Matthew Kalyk, is one of those films. I saw it at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, and although I couldn’t stay for the Q&A afterward, the story has… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Cruel Hands:

Having taught Shakespeare for thirty years, I approached Hamnet with both anticipation and caution. The life of William Shakespeare, as most scholars understand, can almost fit on a postage stamp—an extraordinary creative legacy paired with a frustratingly sparse historical record. So, when Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel premiered, I knew I wasn’t… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Hamnet: a haunting and heartfelt act of imagination