27 OctOber 3-9, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | of workers, the plight of Indian women, and the protection of minorities such as Indian Muslims, are clearly and skillfully articulated here. But it’s the more magical elements of All We Imagine As Light, felt in the mysterious depths of Kerala and the wistful scenes of Mumbai in twilight and early morning, that make the film truly luminous. Despite being the first film from India to screen in competi- tion at Cannes in 30 years, the country will sadly not submit the film to the Oscars, likely due to politics. Even so, it’s a worthy, empa- thetic film that plenty will adore. 2 p.m. Sun- day, November 3, at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables. A Real Pain Two anxious Jewish cousins, unemployed slacker Benji (Kieran Culkin) and gainfully employed family man David (Jesse Eisenberg), take a heritage trip to Poland — what could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot. From getting off at the wrong train stop to making things awkward with the locals, this odd couple has as many humorous scrapes as they do heartfelt moments on the way to mak- ing sense of their family’s history and their own personal issues. The closing night film at this year’s edition of Gems, A Real Pain, di- rected by and starring Eisenberg, is a comedy about an identity suffused with tragedy, a film that reminds us that Jewish culture is rooted in hardship and harrowing suffering. It’s also a lovely travelogue through the picturesque na- tion of Poland that will make you want to book a flight to Warsaw faster than you can say mishpocha. 8 p.m. Sunday, November 3, at Regal South Beach, 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Blitz Few artists have taken on the history of their home country quite like British director Steve McQueen. The London-raised video artist cut his teeth with the film Hunger, a devastating, unconventional biopic of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, and later produced the excellent anthology Small Axe to tell stories of Black Brits living in London during the reggae gen- eration of the 1960s and ‘70s. He’s even taken on other countries’ history with 12 Years a Slave and his last film, the Amsterdam-set Ho- locaust documentary Occupied City. Now, he’s taking on possibly the most important, my- thologized event in the last 100 years of British history: the Battle of Britain. Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan as a young mother searching for her missing son during the Nazi bombardment of London, is expected to be an epic, inclusive retelling of a moment that defined the UK’s national conscience. It’s also going straight to Apple TV+ after a limited theatrical run, meaning Gems may be your only chance to see it the way it was meant to be seen. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 30, at Silverspot Cinema Downtown, 300 NE Third St., Ste. 100, Miami. The Colors Within One of the few animated films screening at this year’s Gems is this beguiling feature from veteran director Naoko Yamada, famed for her work with Kyoto Animation on beloved shows like K-On! and A Silent Voice. Her new film, The Colors Within, sees her working with the fast-rising studio Science Saru (DanDaDan, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) on a story about a girl who can see colors. Catholic school student Totsuko has synesthesia, giving her the ability to visualize another person’s unique hue. When she encounters the color of her classmate Kimi, she’s inspired enough to start a band. Filled with lovely visuals and catchy indie-pop jams, this is one film you’ll probably like the color of. 5:15 p.m. Sunday, November 3, at Silverspot Cinema Downtown, 300 NE Third St., Ste. 100, Miami. Men of War Mere weeks after elections in Venezuela ended with a disputed result and a crackdown on dissent from the Maduro government, the Cocaine Cowboys team of Billy Corbin and Jen Gatien are about to enter the fray with their latest documentary about a man who tried to overthrow that very regime. Men of War sketches a portrait of former Green Beret Jor- dan Goudreau, whose quixotic attempt to lead a Bay of Pigs-style mercenary invasion of the South American nation — supported by Mi- ami-based dissidents — ends in disaster. Fol- lowing up on recent current events-focused projects from the Rakontur crew, including looks at Jerry Falwell Jr. (God Forbid) and Lev Parnas (From Russia With Lev), it doesn’t get more “ripped from the headlines” than this. 7 p.m. Friday, November 1, at Regal South Beach, 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. The Room Next Door Until last year’s short film Strange Way of Life, famed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar had never made a movie in English. It seems he was testing out his expertise with the language. His latest film, The Room Next Door, is also in English, but this time, it’s feature-length, marking his true debut with the language. Swapping sunny Madrid for snowy New York, the film stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore as a sick woman and her caretaker daughter. As the recipient of the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, Almodovar’s feature will serve as the opening-night screening at Gems. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 30, at Koubek Center, 2705 SW Third St., Miami. Miami Film Festival Gems. Thursday, Octo- ber 30, through Sunday, November 3, at vari- ous locations; miamifilmfestival.com. Pick a Pearl — Any Pearl from p24
