Jay Weissberg - The Film Verdict

A Second Life

Posted by Jay Weissberg | Dec 4, 2021 | Cairo, Featured, Festivals |

A well-calibrated debut with a fine central performance, weaving together notions of class and familial betrayal when an impoverished mother sells her son’s kidney to a well-off family in exchange for a better life.

Daughters of Abdulrahman

Posted by Jay Weissberg | Nov 29, 2021 | Cairo, Festivals, Red Sea |

Predictably stereotyped characterizations still deliver some enjoyable moments in this female empowerment story that unfortunately also plays to the region’s homophobia but will be a crowd-pleaser in the Arab world.

Holy Emy

Posted by Jay Weissberg | Nov 22, 2021 | Festivals, Locarno, Thessaloniki |

A young Filipino immigrant in Greece with special healing powers is the focus of Araceli Lemos’ assured drama delving into questions of spirituality, belonging and sisterly bonds with a distinctively creepy edge.

Moneyboys

Posted by Jay Weissberg | Nov 19, 2021 | Busan, Cannes, Festivals, Jerusalem, Thessaloniki |

A high-end gay sex worker in China longs for the family affection he felt as a child in C.B. Yi’s beautifully crafted if not always satisfying debut that showcases the talents of actor Kai Ko.

Sisterhood

Posted by Jay Weissberg | Nov 17, 2021 | Festivals, Thessaloniki |

The hypocrisy of high school slut-shaming is the core theme of this strong feature debut boasting two exceptional performances and a layered script that’s distinctly Macedonian but with international resonance.

Author: Jay Weissberg

A Second Life

Daughters of Abdulrahman

Holy Emy

Moneyboys

Sisterhood