BIBI (2023)
A gorgeous looking meditation on grief and loss, writer/director Christopher Beatty’s atmospheric thriller Bibi uses gothic elements in its story of a woman named Vivan (Elizabeth Paige in a riveting lead performance) and the troubled relationship she has with her teen daughter Bibi (Judith Ann DiMinni). Vivian has suffered psychological issues since childhood, when her father caused her sister’s death. Now plagued further by Bibi’s troubling behavior and the threat of danger from a constant intruder, Vivian is spiraling further downward. Seasoned viewers of psychological shockers may sometimes find themselves a step or so ahead of some of the proceedings, but the journey to the end of the film is one well worth taking thanks to gorgeous set design by Melissa Edmond and art direction by Alec Addalia, sumptuous cinematography by John W. Rutland, a compelling story and assured direction from Beatty, and a terrific performance from Paige with fine support from DiMinni.
WINTERTIDE (2023)
Director John Barnard’s Canadian film Wintertide gives viewers a main character not easy to root for in Beth (Niamh Carolan), a young anti-vaxxer woman who refuses to take medication designed to stave off the effects, including depression, of a world in which night and wintry weather is a constant. Part of this plagued populations is made up of “strays,” zombie-like people who wander about and are becoming increasingly aggressive — especially those who have been Beth’s one-night-stand partners. Another factor that makes it difficult to get behind Beth’s character is the fact that she is selfish and places those close to her in danger by lying to them about her true intentions. Barnard, who cowrote the screenplay with Carrie-May Siggins, invests his film with growing unease and dread as its characters try to stave off depression brought about by the plague with medicine, alcohol, and random sex. This is allegory regarding obvious recent pandemic events through a horror lens. The tone is heavy and dark, and viewers wishing not to contemplate in such a manner may find this film tough going. Wintertide is an interesting approach to those matters, though, and one that is well acted, particularly by Carolan, who does a solid job in a role not meant for viewers to easily warm up to.
Bibi and Wintertide screen as part of Cinequest, which runs August 15–30, 2023 in San Jose, California. For more information, visit https://cinequest.org/.
