@maxkleger.bsky.social
That’s a wrap on #DFF48! Always one of my very favorite times of the year, been a bit hectic this year but still saw some great films. Best six below, because why not:
#DenverFilmFestival
#DenverFilmFestival
November 10, 2025 at 3:06 PM
That’s a wrap on #DFF48! Always one of my very favorite times of the year, been a bit hectic this year but still saw some great films. Best six below, because why not:
#DenverFilmFestival
#DenverFilmFestival
RESURRECTION: Fairly staggering, with the opening segment being the highlight by far and probably the best thing I’ll see this year. Not every section knocked me out to the same degree, but the total work is a high achievement #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM
RESURRECTION: Fairly staggering, with the opening segment being the highlight by far and probably the best thing I’ll see this year. Not every section knocked me out to the same degree, but the total work is a high achievement #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
PETER HUJAR’S DAY: A literal day-in-the-life that works precisely because of how tossed off it feels. Mundanity that becomes meaningful through its telling, which of course can be a function of art. Gorgeous throughout, and loved Hall’s subtle work #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
PETER HUJAR’S DAY: A literal day-in-the-life that works precisely because of how tossed off it feels. Mundanity that becomes meaningful through its telling, which of course can be a function of art. Gorgeous throughout, and loved Hall’s subtle work #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: RESURRECTION #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Now seated for: RESURRECTION #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE: Rides the fine line between schlocky and masterful, and comes out mostly on the right side. Bravura pieces mix with a certain amount of hokiness, but this is kind of unforgettable and tells a distinctly feminine founding tale #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 10, 2025 at 12:27 AM
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE: Rides the fine line between schlocky and masterful, and comes out mostly on the right side. Bravura pieces mix with a certain amount of hokiness, but this is kind of unforgettable and tells a distinctly feminine founding tale #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
THE SECRET AGENT: Fucking great. Tense and measured, yet also relaxed and sumptuous. Vividly renders its time, place, characters, and incidents; this is thrilling filmmaking, and in service of something melancholy but extraordinarily lively #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 10, 2025 at 12:17 AM
THE SECRET AGENT: Fucking great. Tense and measured, yet also relaxed and sumptuous. Vividly renders its time, place, characters, and incidents; this is thrilling filmmaking, and in service of something melancholy but extraordinarily lively #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: PETER HUJAR’S DAY #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Now seated for: PETER HUJAR’S DAY #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
SHORTS 2: Some selections that are a bit heavy handed, without much interesting going on below the surface. Did enjoy “Teddy” as gentle portrait, “As if Swallowed by Earth” as slowly bubbling horror, best was “Follow Me Wherever I Go” as dark comedy #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 9, 2025 at 9:57 PM
SHORTS 2: Some selections that are a bit heavy handed, without much interesting going on below the surface. Did enjoy “Teddy” as gentle portrait, “As if Swallowed by Earth” as slowly bubbling horror, best was “Follow Me Wherever I Go” as dark comedy #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND: Polar opposite of the previous film, this is a masterclass in drawing and sustaining interest purely through color, cutting, movement, and sound. Very sharp in its exploration of genre, and engrossing throughout #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 9, 2025 at 9:13 PM
REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND: Polar opposite of the previous film, this is a masterclass in drawing and sustaining interest purely through color, cutting, movement, and sound. Very sharp in its exploration of genre, and engrossing throughout #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
HAMNET: Bland, both in terms of an obvious and manipulative narrative as well as filmmaking that lacks any kind of friction while leading one along beat by beat. Performances fine, but a frictionless experience #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 9, 2025 at 9:08 PM
HAMNET: Bland, both in terms of an obvious and manipulative narrative as well as filmmaking that lacks any kind of friction while leading one along beat by beat. Performances fine, but a frictionless experience #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 9, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Now seated for: THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: THE SECRET AGENT #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Now seated for: THE SECRET AGENT #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: SHORTS 2 ROOTS & RECKONINGS #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Now seated for: SHORTS 2 ROOTS & RECKONINGS #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
NO OTHER CHOICE: Park indulges his zany side more than I would say suits him, even while hewing close to how dark this premise gets. Still as formally accomplished as can be expected, with cuts and wipes and dissolves as magnificent as any out there #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
NO OTHER CHOICE: Park indulges his zany side more than I would say suits him, even while hewing close to how dark this premise gets. Still as formally accomplished as can be expected, with cuts and wipes and dissolves as magnificent as any out there #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
TWO PROSECUTORS: A narrative that is completely pre-ordained, which is the point. There is a flatness to the filmmaking which serves the crushing inevitability of what we see unfold, even while making this wholly didactic. Perfectly fine #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 5:06 PM
TWO PROSECUTORS: A narrative that is completely pre-ordained, which is the point. There is a flatness to the filmmaking which serves the crushing inevitability of what we see unfold, even while making this wholly didactic. Perfectly fine #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
COVER-UP: A bit boilerplate in how it progresses chronologically, but the draw is spending time with the prickliness if Hersh himself. His questioning of the point of the film itself becomes its primary interest, and ultimately makes it worthwhile #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
COVER-UP: A bit boilerplate in how it progresses chronologically, but the draw is spending time with the prickliness if Hersh himself. His questioning of the point of the film itself becomes its primary interest, and ultimately makes it worthwhile #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 4:43 AM
Now seated for: REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: HAMNET #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Now seated for: HAMNET #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
SENTIMENTAL VALUE: I can never fully embrace Trier’s storytelling, which always strikes me as a bit calculated in terms of signposting where things are going and what each character’s function is. But I still fell on the side of some admiration here #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 1:18 AM
SENTIMENTAL VALUE: I can never fully embrace Trier’s storytelling, which always strikes me as a bit calculated in terms of signposting where things are going and what each character’s function is. But I still fell on the side of some admiration here #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
TRAIN DREAMS: Parts of this hit the evocative feeling of a life lived in the midst of time’s unsentimental progress; other aspects seem to strain for meaning against the film’s form. Somewhat mixed, but pro in the end #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 8, 2025 at 1:02 AM
TRAIN DREAMS: Parts of this hit the evocative feeling of a life lived in the midst of time’s unsentimental progress; other aspects seem to strain for meaning against the film’s form. Somewhat mixed, but pro in the end #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: NO OTHER CHOICE #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 6, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Now seated for: NO OTHER CHOICE #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
SHORTS 1: Some lovely works, nothing a complete knockout but probing films about connection and expression. Standouts were “Tessitura” and “Your Opinion, Please,” examinations of different types of communities grappling with themselves #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 4, 2025 at 10:42 PM
SHORTS 1: Some lovely works, nothing a complete knockout but probing films about connection and expression. Standouts were “Tessitura” and “Your Opinion, Please,” examinations of different types of communities grappling with themselves #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: COVER-UP #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 4, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Now seated for: COVER-UP #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: SENTIMENTAL VALUE #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 2, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Now seated for: SENTIMENTAL VALUE #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
Now seated for: TRAIN DREAMS #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival
November 2, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Now seated for: TRAIN DREAMS #DFF48 #DenverFilmFestival