You could go to Provincetown International Film Festival, not see one movie, and still have a great time.
Of course, that defeats the purpose of going to a film fest.
The point is, in case you don’t know it (or even if you do), Provincetown itself is the main attraction. For me, just going to the Box Lunch for a “Guac” wrap (no onions, extra hots, please) is worth the trip. And there are so many other restaurants, bars, coffee houses, shops to check out.
You could knock down a few brews and listen to tunes at the Old Colony Tap, a cool dive featuring local music and a slanted wood floor. You could head out to the dunes and do whatever it is nature people do (I like pavement). You could take the long walk down from the town center to Norman Mailer’s red-brick house at 627 Commercial St. Or you could just spend the day on one of the benches in front of Town Hall, and enjoy the sunshine and the parade of humanity passing by.
Ah, but then PIFF comes around for five days each June to make everything that much better. This year it runs from Wednesday, June 10, through Sunday, June 14.
Every year I look over the list of films and events to come up with a game plan. With multiple movies and events going on at once, tough decisions are necessary. This year, for instance, I came up with about 20 movies I’d especially like to see. I narrowed the list down to 10 — two each day — that would fit into a schedule along with a few events, including the Filmmaker on the Edge tribute to Ryan Murphy (“American Horror Story”), hosted by John Waters, on Saturday afternoon.
Among the movies I hope to see: “Soul Patrol,” a documentary about a Black special ops team that served in the Vietnam War; “Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders,” a doc about William Friedkin’s 1980 thriller “Cruising,” the real-life case on which it was based, and how and why the LGBTQ+ community protested the film; and “See You When I See You,” a dramedy about a family dealing with tragedy, directed by Jay Duplass and starring Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Hope Davis, Kaitlyn Dever and Lucy Boynton.
As usual, the fest includes films with a local angle, including documentaries about poet Mary Oliver and artist Suzanne Packard. And then there are the parties, where you can meet filmmakers and fellow film fans.
For the full schedule, tickets and more: provincetownfilm.org.
Recent releases
A quick look at films currently playing in theaters:
“Backrooms” (R, 110 minutes). Twenty-year-old Kane Parsons makes an impressive feature-film directorial debut with this surreal psychological horror movie, based on his web series. In it, a troubled furniture-store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) literally walks through a wall in his store basement and finds a seemingly endless series of large, fluorescent-yellow-lit rooms and hallways. When he goes missing, his therapist (Renate Reinsve), wrestling with her own personal issue, enters the same world in search of him.
Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in “Backrooms.” (A24)
Combining elements of David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” Parsons creates an unrelenting sense of dread as we try to understand what all of this represents. How we must navigate the maze of our interior lives in order to deal with trauma? How we struggle with the monsters within us? The dangers of A.I.? There are lots of possible interpretations, and Parsons makes us shudder as we consider them. *** (out of four)
“Obsession” (R, 108 minutes). Charles Foster Kane isn’t the only person to want to be loved. Writer-director Curry Barker blends gore and dark laughs in this chiller about a shy young music-store employee (Cooper Tomlinson) who uses a magic-shop toy to wish that the girl of his dreams (Inde Navarrette) will love him more than anyone loves anyone in the world. He gets his wish and — no surprise if you’re familiar with variations of “The Monkey’s Paw” — he soon regrets it. Let’s just say she becomes a tad clingy while having some hilariously awful ways of expressing her devotion to him. Warning to cat lovers: This might not be your cup of tea.
The film’s takeaways: 1) Be careful what you wish for; 2) You can’t always get what you want; and 3) Obsessive love is the path to disaster. ***
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” (PG-13, 132 minutes). The “Star Wars” franchise continues with Mando (Pedro Pascal), a helmeted bounty hunter who slaughters anonymous henchmen as if he’s John Wick, and his sidekick, silent Yoda Mini-Me Grogu. They’re on a mission to … well, if I went into the details my head would explode. Let’s just say it’s a mission involving the late giant-slug mobster Jabba the Hutt’s evil twin siblings and his gladiator son, Rotta (voiced by Jeremy Allen White).
Despite its draggy middle section, a bland Mando, and a too-cuddly Grogu, the film manages to be mildly entertaining due to some scary monsters, over-the-top action, and the complex and conflicted Rotta. **1/2
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” (PG-13, 119 minutes). Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return in this comedy sequel about corporate intrigue in the fashion industry. Updated from the 2006 original to deal with downsizing, consolidation, management consultants and the dangers of A.I., it still feels familiar with its sarcastic humor, good for some laughs. ***
“The Sheep Detectives” (PG, 109 minutes). Like the title says, sheep play detectives in this sweet, lighthearted comedy set in rural England. When a mystery-book-loving shepherd (Hugh Jackman) is murdered, his flock investigates, with several quirky townsfolk among the suspects. A nice break from sequels and horror at the cinema, “The Sheep Detectives” offers sly humor (two rough-and-tumble sheep are named Ronnie and Reggie, as in the Kray twins), while dealing with themes of death, memory and acceptance. ***1/2
“Michael” (PG-13, 127 minutes). Director Antoine Fuqua gives Michael Jackson the standard biopic treatment, focusing on his struggle to break free from his abusive, domineering father (Colman Domingo); his childlike personality; and his rise to superstardom, first with the Jackson 5 and then on his own. Missing: Any mention of accusations that Jackson sexually abused children, as the film conveniently ends in 1988 (though a sequel is reportedly planned).
Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson often plays his uncle with a stupefied expression similar to that used by Sylvester Stallone as the slow-minded sheriff in “Cop Land” (it worked much better for Sly). But he comes alive, capturing the charisma and showmanship of Uncle Mike, in the concert segments. The film beats us over the head with Michael’s desire to go solo (“I wanna be who I wanna be,” “I just want to do my own thing”) and references to his Peter Pan complex, but the music (“Human Nature’’) and stage sequences remind us of his brilliance. **1/2
** Click here for Tim Miller’s previous movie columns for Cape Cod Wave **
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Tim Miller, Movie Critic
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected]. Or you can ignore him completely.
