An Unforgettable Dive Into Turmoil

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MOVIE REVIEW
Farewelling
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Genre: Psychological Thriller
Year Released: 2023
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director(s): Rodes Phire
Writer(s): Rodes Phire, Sarah McMaster
Cast: Cristen Coppen, Robert Thomas Preston, Rob Evors, Lauren Selman, Anna Briggs, Rachel Deutsch, Betsy Rushton, Autumn Noel, Anna Dahl, Marie Finch, Andrew John, Walter Cox, Ben Torkelson, Rodes Phire, Rachel Glago
Where To Watch: premieres June 24, 2023, at Dances with Film; tickets available here wwwdanceswithfilms.com

RAVING REVIEW: Allow me to introduce you to FAREWELLING. This film dives headfirst into the turmoil of our current era but does it with such panache that it’s like tiptoeing through a field of daisies amid a hurricane. It’s a dazzling dance between chaos and coping, and it’s no basic movie but a perceptive look into an unhinged world and a character who’s a mirror image of it. Tackling the worldwide pandemic in a way that doesn’t throw the pandemic in your face was an interesting premise. I have seen several pandemic-based movies already, and most are pretty similar. This one took its path and paved its own “rode,” if you will.

Our protagonist, Jenna, played with incredible finesse by Cristen Coppen, gives an unforgettable performance filled with many emotions. It’s not your usual big-screen psychological thriller but a deep dive into the psyche of a character grappling with her new reality. It’s like being a fly on the wall in her mind as she navigates an upended world. How do you portray the fallout of a world crumbling around you without showing the root cause?

A tragic event ripples Jenna’s life, a loss that will change her world forever. This personal tragedy becomes a parallel to the unfolding chaos on a global scale, a microcosm of the macro confusion. Coppen takes us on an unforgettable journey, exploring Jenna’s moral compass as it spins out of control amidst the chaos. Her powerful performance gets its premiere at the 26th Annual Dances with Films festival, a high-profile backdrop that perfectly melts personal crisis and societal turmoil.

Director Rodes Phire, the creative visionary who entered the art world at six years old, shows her devotion to the craft in her screenplays. Phire is an artist, actor, and director, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s finest, including Terry Crews, Ted Danson, and Jason Bateman. With an eye on reshaping cinematic narratives, Phire founded Unpaved Rodes, an entertainment house that flips the script, literally, by putting strong female characters front and center. But her impact isn’t limited to the silver screen. Phire spearheaded philanthropic efforts at Sundance Collab community and an Alzheimer-centric non-profit to lead the charge at Women of Cinematic Arts.

The key to her directorial approach is trust. She trusted her actors to inject authenticity into their roles. FAREWELLING, where Coppen navigates Jenna’s emotional minefield, creates a cinematic experience you will remember long after you finish the film. These moments highlight the magic when actors genuinely connect with their characters.

FAREWELLING, conceived by Phire and her team, isn’t just another film trying to ride the pandemic wave. It sidesteps the overused tropes of masks, vaccinations, and quarantine and instead gives a mental representation with raw, gut-wrenching emotions that the global crisis has stirred. The film’s inventive approach to capturing the fear, sorrow, and omnipresence of death and illness uniquely represents our current times.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The film is a stirring tribute to human resilience, a testament to our ability to keep going, even when hanging by a thread. It underscores the stark truth that, even though we put on a brave face, we might not cope as well as we appear. A poignant, thought-provoking tale spun with a twist.

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[photo courtesy of UNPAVED RODES]