Our take
Krisha opens with the image you see above, a bright yet stark portrait of the lead of the movie, staring with defiance at the camera.
You are invited into the world of an unpredictable 65-year-old who returns home for Thanksgiving after a long disappearance. Her family greets her with mixed emotion, and her nephew (played by the director of the movie), doesn’t even want to be near her.
In fact, Krisha is played by the director’s real-life aunt. His mother and grandmother also star in the movie. And the story is inspired by real-life pain: a member of his family who was a recovering addict and who fell back into drugs after a family reunion.
This is a low-budget but high-dedication movie. The director, Trey Edward Shults, is a disciple of Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life, Knight of Cups), whose style will be easily recognizable to those familiar with it.
What it won
Cannes
1 nom
Spirit Awards
1 win
Nat. Board of Review
2 wins
NYFCC
1 win
LAFCA
1 win
The story
When Krisha returns to her estranged family for Thanksgiving dinner, past demons threaten to ruin the festivities.
Elsewhere
"Shults displays a bold visual and dramatic sensibility with his impressionistic rearrangement of time and his repertory of darting, whirling, plunging, and retreating camera moves, which seem to paint the action onto the screen."
— Richard Brody
"Tough to stomach, but incredible talent in front of and behind the camera."
— David Jenkins
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
Good acting but truly it was almost too painful for me to watch.