Chicago writer and director Kris Rey’s newest film “I Used to Go Here” will premiere and cater to Chicagoans thanks to Elevated Films and The Music Box Theatre as it will be shown at ChiTown Movies Drive-In Theater on Wednesday, July 29 with a live Q&A. For ticket informaiton, visit: DRIVE IN TICKET INFO If you can’t make it, don’t despair, as you can still catch it virtually via online rentals beginning Friday, July 31 through the Music Box’s Virtual Cinema program. For info, go here: VIRTUAL TICKET INFO

“I Used to Go Here” depicts Chicagoan Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs) as a mediocre author who has published her first book to less than favorable reviews. However, a former writing professor, David (Jemaine Clement) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale invites her to speak at her alma mater. Boosted slightly by this, Kate returns, but soon finds herself immeshed in students’ lives, reliving her past and coming to terms with her present and her future.

Kate’s superficial confidence with the lack thereof bubbling just beneath the surface is the the attribute which allows her to change over the course of the film. 10 years have passed since she graduated and each and every interaction with students punctuates her lack of success and how time quickly flies by. The students look up to her, but deep down she knows she doesn’t deserve their respect that is until she connects with Hugo (Josh Wiggins), a student who lives in her old house and has her old room. From this point, Kate ingratiates herself into their world, attempting to turn back the hands of time.

Jacobs portrays Kate beautifully as a woman who has been recently dumped and her life is in neutral, but she’s looking for a way to shift things into high gear and on the right path. Her ability to hone in on the awkwardness of each and every situation finds just the right note of humor to make you not only laugh, but also connect with her.

The secondary stories within the film all support Kate’s story arc, but they also add humor and heart to the film. April’s role (Hannah Marks) provides the mirror image for Kate which instigates jealousy and anger. But looking in the mirror, she is also able to finally see her reflection which provides one of the most poignant moments in the film. Tall Brandon (Brandon Daley) is just downright funny and his connection with Hugo’s mom is at once strange and hilarious providing balance within the story as Kate begins to wake up to the realities of her past. Wiggnins is a standout as Hugo with an incredibly natural performance that is both witty and charming. He also finds a level of unexpected maturity that is authentically portrayed giving his character depth and complexity.

Rarely do you find just attention to detail in supporting characters that become equally important to the lead role, but Rey expertly does so. She also has a comedic knack for how we all perceive our pasts, but it is with Kate’s former crush on David that really accentuates how our memories sometimes deceive us. Seeing someone through experienced and adult eyes is jarring when our memory recalls a less jaded viewpoint; one filled with hope and the power of youth. Within all of these actions and interactions, Kate, in her own way, grows up.
Rey’s wisdom within the film is like looking into a crystal ball that comedically yet poignantly tells one woman’s life story. Who doesn’t look back on our college years and wish we had the wisdom of life’s experiences now to impart on our younger selves? And Rey deftly commits to this storyline with a character who is lovable yet at the same time we shake our heads at her decisions and laugh.

“I Used to Go Here” is a film that many of us can relate to, but if you went to SIU-C, you’re going to truly walk down memory lane. Rey’s succinct story telling creates an innovative and entertaining film, but with Jacobs in the lead role this movie becomes an even more memorable one.

Thanks to the Music Box Theatre Virtual Cinema Program, you can see this one week earlier than its Video On Demand Release.

4 Stars

Can one woman save Iceland and stop the envrironmental devastation from a large industry? Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) certainly thinks she can, but is she ready for the consequences and the unexpected interpretation of her actions? The film’s universal message is an entertaining and thought-provoking one as the writers Benedikt Erlingsson and Ólafur Egilsson maintain a sense of whimsy throughout the film.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

Halla is tough as nails as we meet this woman who reminds us of a Marvel superhero, Hawkeye, bow and arrow in hand as she expertly stops the electrical flow to an aluminum processing plant, Rio Tinto. As a major producer of this mineral and economic influencer of the country, her actions momentarily paralyze the region. The political action from around the world takes notice and with a small circle of friends who help her, she ups her game, intent on making people wake up to how we are devastating our earth.

On the surface, Halla appears to be a typical middle-aged woman, living life and teaching a choral group. Beneath that exterior lies a rebelliously intelligent woman with a heart of gold. Her goal of saving the world is a lofty and pure one, but as we soon learn, it may be at the cost of her immediate happiness. She finds that perhaps saving one might be as important as saving the world.

This is a gorgeous film as it captures the beauty of Iceland with its mountains, waterfalls, moss-covered lava rocks, streams, and indigenous people. Balancing dramatic elements and serious subjects such as climate change, dirty politics, the economy, and fighting big business with elements of comedy is a tough act, but director Benedikt Erlingsson does so with ease. No matter the scene, whether it’s running through the countryside away from her enemies, carrying out her well-planned acts of destruction for the greater good, or swimming with her twin sister at a community pool, a trio of musicians accompanies her. Initially perplexing, the band is there to augment her feelings and while the viewer and Halla are aware of their existence, no one else is. Additionally, we meet a hapless Spanish hiker who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but this helps divert attention away from Halla, the benign woman who people think could never be responsible for such acts of “terrorism.”

The action in the film picks up quickly as Halla runs from the U.S. experts that have come in to save the political day and find the group that is responsible for interfering with the industry of Iceland. It becomes a cat and mouse game, heightening the anxiety of the viewer as Halla must use her intellect and common sense as well as her family connections, which if you’re familiar with Iceland, cousins are everywhere, to make her mark and save the world from eminent doom.

Geirharðsdóttir’s performance is exquisite as she expertly portrays a woman of both physical and intellectual strength. Her depth of character is equally extraordinary as she allows us to peel away the layers, revealing who she was and what is truly missing in her life. It is this element, becoming a mother to an orphaned girl, that is her crossroads in life. Again, balance is an element not only in the film, but in the main character which ultimately connects us with her emotionally. We believe in her, we are empathetic as she is outraged by the consequences of her actions, and most importantly, we root for her to win…one woman at war with the powers that be.

“Woman at War” is a gorgeously thoughtful, intense thriller filled with just the right touch of comedy throughout to give us an entertaining film that has social relevance to our world today. The twists and turns it takes will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Can one woman make a difference? Check it out at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago and other theaters nationally to find out.

4/4 Stars