cezaratataru Shot like a home movie and just as interesting you would be better off doing just about anything than watching this pointless mess. Masturbate or rob a store. Literally ANYTHING. Every conflict in this film is presented with so little context that it makes it impossible to care about and there is no real narratite through line, just a collection of scenes that seem to be picked at random at times. I would say more but there is nothing to talk about. I want my 83 minutes back.

Movie_Muse_Reviews The unpleasant dynamics and tensions that many families navigate during the holidays can sometimes be downright horrifying. "Krisha," the story of a woman reunited with her family after she estranged herself many years ago in order to face her demons, is a stark reminder of how traumatic confronting the past can be.Starring his aunt (Krisha Fairchild) and featuring himself and many of his family members, filmmaker Trey Edward Shults has gone extremely personal for his debut feature (based off a short of the same name). The film has a documentary-like feel at times and the family dynamics that play out on screen seem unusually authentic and genuine. Yet underneath it all, Shults works with camera technique and a non-traditional score to remind us how unsettling and difficult this is for his title character."Krisha," the film and the character, slowly becomes unhinged over the course of the film. Shults' script smartly denies us the amount of background information we'd like to have; we don't need to know exactly what she's done or what her problems were to be able to observe how frazzled this environment makes her and how confronting these long- ignored but deep-rooted relationships could dismantle her mentally and emotionally.Shults begins and ends his film with close-ups of Krisha's face giving an indiscernible expression, perhaps with the goal of empathy. Normally we would empathize with the "normal" family members and in many ways we still do, but Shults stays close to Krisha in nearly every moment of the film and gives us piercing access to who she is. Fairchild rises up to meet the challenges that level of intimacy places on an actor. We see Krisha's discomfort and pain, and the sadness when her desire to make things right hits the roadblock of the pain she caused others in the past. When tension does turn over to drama, the way it plays out feels impressively true to life. Shults clearly plays loose with his script, allowing these unseasoned actors to draw on their own experiences (and perhaps some actual family dynamics) and improvise dialogue. Even if you haven't had a family member melt down in front of everyone, there's a raw truth to the way tense scenes between people play out. That authenticity only makes "Krisha" all the more haunting.Shults' direction and editing, however, is really the star of this film. He has strong instincts in terms of suspense, creating that slow build and unhinging of his film in the most simple of ways. Even in the most mundane of scenes, he draws forward any tension lurking beneath the surface. He also allows us to see, hear and experience things as the overmedicated mind of Krisha does, yet the techniques are not heavy-handed. He even plays with the chronology of events, weaving together scenes to focus on the emotional arc of the story as it pertains to Krisha rather than feeling beholden to how everything builds up in real time. The result is a much stronger portrait of Krisha and what's truly happening at a deeper level.Filmmakers that can wield tension and suspense in this way have the skills to tell just about any story well, which bodes well for Shults' career. If he can turn the story of a troubled woman relapsing at Thanksgiving into what you might argue is a horror film that at times verges on Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream," the sky's the limit.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Amina Kasumov I've been highly anticipating the film, It Comes at Night, opening in theaters on June 9th. From watching the trailer alone, I was impressed by the look and feel of the film. It Comes at Night is only the second feature film by director/writer, Trey Edward Shults. His first feature film was released in 2015 entitled, Krisha. This film follows a woman named Krisha as she sets out to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her family. Krisha has been estranged for her family for ten years, apparently due to a substance abuse problem she used to have. Newly clean, Krisha reaches out to her sister with the hopes of reconnecting with her family and regaining their trust. However, it seems that Krisha is still battling her demons, and a downward spiral is imminent.Read more on my blog - http://sffilmbuff.blogspot.com

framptonhollis As an aspiring filmmaker, I cannot help but feel as if I relate to the debut filmmaker Trey Edward Shults. This film is heavily stylized and intense, and I feel that if I were able to make my own low budget film it would turn out to be something like this. The film focuses on extreme emotions, making the audience feel somewhat warm and humored at first, but completely crushed by the final shot. The film is overall extremely ambitious in its approach, due to Shults' use of long takes, black humor, and an atmosphere that contains both heavy realism and surrealism. "Krisha", one of the finest and funniest films to come out last year, is not only a beautifully made film but also the most earth shatteringly heartbreaking portrait of addiction since "Requiem for a Dream". It takes place during Thanksgiving as a family prepares for the holiday. One somewhat special member of the family has visited this year, Krisha, an old woman who has been absent of their presence for 10 years. This brilliant, harrowing shocker combines elements of humor and horror to craft a modern miracle. Unfortunately, this masterpiece is quite obscure and underrated-but I must urge anyone stumbling across my review to check it out immediately! It is a jaw droppingly fantastic work of art.