Arts and Entertainment Archives

Culture Representation: Taking place in Italy, primarily in the city of Langhe, the dramatic film “Trifole” features an all-white cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: An elderly truffle hunter, who has dementia and defaulted mortgage on his house, gets an unexpected visit from his London-based, 28-year-old granddaughter, and their reunion starts off as rocky and turns into something meaningful.

Culture Audience: “Trifole” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and dramas about family members who reconnect during hard times.

Birba in “Trifole” (Photo courtesy of Cohen Media Group)

“Trifole” is a lovely and bittersweet drama about how an elderly truffle hunter with dementia has a reunion with his 28-year-old granddaughter, as he faces a housing crisis. The performances and cinematography are wonderful, despite a few erratic fever-dream scenes. “Trifole” requires patience from viewers because the first third of the movie starts out slowly. But once the movie gets going to the main part of the story, it’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions.

Directed by Gabriele Fabbro (who co-wrote the “Trifole” screenplay with Ydalie Turk), “Trifole” takes place primarily in the city of Langhe, in Italy’s Piedmont region. “The word “tartufo” is Italian for truffle, but the Piedmontese dialect pronounces the word truffle as “trifola.” The title of the movie is an offshoot of “trifola.” After being released in Italy in October 2024, “Trifole” had its international premiere at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival and later screened at the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

“Trifole” begins by showing a 28-year-old woman named Dalia (played by “Trifole” co-writer Turk) arriving from London to Langhe. She is showing up unannounced to the home of her elderly grandfather Igor Bianco (played by Umberto Orsini), who lives in a rural part of Langhe, near some woods that are known to a prime growing area for truffles. Dalia has made this trip because her worried mother Marta (played Margherita Buy), who is Igor’s daughter, asked Dalia to check up on Igor, who hasn’t been heard from in several weeks.

Igor was a very well-known truffle hunter when he was younger. But now, he is in failing health and has dementia. He lives in a cozy but ramshackle rustic house with no electricity and no central heating. Dalia finds out when she goes to Igor’s house and immediately sees that he is forgetful and sometimes disoriented. Igor often mistakes Dalia for Marta. And he says he can’t remember where his phone is, which is why he couldn’t be reached by phone.

Before Dalia arrived, Igor’s only companion was his loyal female dog Birba, a Lagotto Romagnolo, which is a dog breed that is known to be excellent truffle hunters. (In real life, the dog’s name really is Birba, and she is truffle-hunting dog who was in the excellent documentary “The Truffle Hunters,” which made the rounds at several film festivals in 2020, before being released in 2021.) In many ways, the absolutely adorable and intelligent Birba is a scene stealer.

Dalia and Marta communicate through phone video chats, although it is sometimes difficult for Dalia to get phone reception in this part of Langhe. Dalia knows Italian, but it isn’t her first language, and she’s not completely fluent in Italian. She knows enough Italian to communicate with Igor, who does not speak English.

Dalia quickly finds out that Igor is set in his ways and is comfortable living alone. At first, Igor resents Dalia being there because he says he can take care of himself and doesn’t need a caregiver. Igor admits that he’s feeling depressed because he hasn’t been able to find any truffles for months because of a rain drought.

Not long after Dalia arrives, Igor gets an eviction notice in the mail. Dalia has Marta read the letter to her over the phone. It’s how Dalia finds out that Igor stopped paying his house mortgage several months ago. He currently owes the mortgage lender €45,000, which is money that he and his family don’t have. Even though Igor has been cranky and difficult with Dalia, she has grown fond of him and is genuinely upset when Marta tells Dalia that because of Igor’s dementia, they have no choice but to put him in a nursing home.

During this bleak period of time, Dalia offers to help Igor with his truffle hunting. Igor is still holding out hope that he will find a truffle-rich area, nicknamed Jupiter, in the woods. Jupiter has become an elusive place to find and has become almost mythical.

At first, Igor refuses to let Dalia accompany him on his truffle-hunting excursions because he sees her hands and thinks her hands are too soft. Igor also tells Dalia that he has truffle-hunting secrets that he doesn’t want to share with anyone. But gradually, Igor changes his mind and takes Dalia with him when he goes truffle hunting.

Igor’s change of heart happens after Dalia opens up to Igor about feeling like a failure because she dropped out of college a number of years ago. She studied literature in college, but now Dalia says she feels empty, adrift and unsure of what her purpose is in life. Igor comforts her by saying, “You’re not fine, but you will be.” He then confides in her that he feels like an outcast in the community because he’s perceived as a mentally ill old man.

After Dalia and Igor become closer to each other, two things happen that change the course of the story: First, Igor falls down in the woods and injures a leg while truffle hunting with Dalia. Second, the drought ends with a rainstorm, which re-ignites hope that new truffles will grow. What happens next won’t be revealed in this review, but it’s an unpredictable ride that will keep viewers riveted if viewers are curious to see what will happen to Igor and Dalia in this story.

In many ways, “Trifole” is movie that is quiet when it comes to dialogue, because much of the story is centered on the relationship that evolves between Dalia and Igor, as they live in isolation. But the movie’s visuals and events speak loudly and give the story an immersive feel, as if you’re experiencing everything with Dalia and Igor. The story takes place during autumn, so there are many gorgeous and scenic shots of the Italian countryside that will make viewers want to visit this part of the world.

“Trifole” also shows the business side of truffle hunting, with some scenes taking place at truffle fairs and a high-profile truffle auction. Something major happens that takes the story in a tension-filled direction, although the editing shortcuts taken in this plot development might confuse or annoy viewers. Turk and Orsini, who have the most screen time in the movie, give admirable and convincing performances as Dalia and Igor. “Trifole” is about more than truffle hunting because this memorable film is ultimately about finding comfort in family love, in ways that might be unexpected.

Cohen Media Group released “Trifole” in select U.S. cinemas on November 14, 2025. The movie was released in Italy on October 17, 2024.

True Crime Entertainment: What’s New This Week

The following content is generally available worldwide, except where otherwise noted. All TV shows listed are for networks and streaming services based in the United States. All movies listed are those released in U.S. cinemas. This schedule is for content and events premiering this week and does not include content that has already been made available.

November 17 – November 23, 2025

TV/Streaming Services

All times listed are Eastern Time/Pacific Time, unless otherwise noted.

Netflix’s documentary film “The Carman Family Deaths” will premiere on Wednesday, November 19 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT.

Monday, November 17

“Sex, Money, Murder” (Season 1, Eight-episodes)
Monday, November 17, 12 a.m. ET, Hulu

“Fatal Attraction”
“A Cold-Hearted Killer” (Episode 1615)
Monday, November 17, 9 p.m., TV One

“Live PD: The Greatest Shifts”
Monday, November 17, 9 p.m., A&E

“Live PD: The Greatest Shifts”
Monday, November 17, 10 p.m., A&E

Tuesday, November 18

“American Monster”
“Mom Is Always Right” (Episode 1304)
Tuesday, November 18, 8 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Mother, May I Murder?”
“A Family Affair” (Episode 205)
Tuesday, November 18, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Who Hired the Hitman?”
“The Witch Doctor” (Episode 103)
Tuesday, November 18, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery

Wednesday, November 19

“Murdaugh: Death in the Family”
“The Man in the Glass” (Episode 108)
Wednesday, November 19, 12 a.m. ET, Hulu

“The Carman Family Deaths” (Documentary Film)
Wednesday, November 19, 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT, Netflix

“Scammed: Getting Even”
“Dr. Fraud” (Episode 105)
Wednesday, November 19, 3 a.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, Fox Nation

“Real PD: Kansas City”
TBA (Episode 302)
Wednesday, November 19, 8 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“For My Man”
“Fatal Error” (Episode 917)
Wednesday, November 19, 9 p.m., TV One

“Body Cam”
TBA (Episode 1002)
Wednesday, November 19, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Court Cam”
(Episode 912)
Wednesday, November 19, 9 p.m., A&E

“Court Cam: Top 5”
(Episode 913)
Wednesday, November 19, 9:30 p.m., A&E

“The Murder Tapes”
“Stage Fright” (Episode 1002)
Wednesday, November 19, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery

“Fugitives Caught on Tape”
(Episode 213)
Wednesday, November 19, 10 p.m., A&E

“Fugitives Caught on Tape“
(Episode 214)
Wednesday, November 19, 10:30 p.m., A&E

Thursday, November 20

“American Gangster: Trap Queens” (Episodes 406-410)
Thursday, November 20, 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT, BET+

“Ângela Diniz: Murdered and Convicted”
Thursday, November 20, 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT, HBO Max

“Police 24/7”
“Don’t Do Anything Dumb” (Episode 235)
Thursday, November 20, 8 p.m., The CW

“After the First 48”
“Under Pressure”
Thursday, November 20, 8 p.m., A&E

“Interrogation Raw”
“Murder on a Hunted Road” (Episode 412)
Thursday, November 20, 9 p.m., A&E

Friday, November 21

“Cops”
TBA
Friday, November 21, 6 p.m., Fox Nation

“On Patrol: First Shift”
TBA
Friday, November 21, 8 p.m., Reelz

“On Patrol: Live”
TBA
Friday, November 21, 9 p.m., Reelz

“20/20”
TBA
Friday, November 21, 9 p.m., ABC

“Dateline”
TBA (Epsidoe 3508)
Friday, November 21, 9 p.m., NBC

“Murder on Trial”
“Murder on a Haunted Road” (Episode 104)
Friday, November 21, 9 p.m., A&E

“Murder on Trial”
“Body in the Road” (Episode 105)
Friday, November 21, 10 p.m., A&E

Saturday, November 22

“On Patrol: First Shift”
TBA
Saturday, November 22, 8 p.m., Reelz

“On Patrol: Live”
TBA
Saturday, November 22, 9 p.m., Reelz

“Accident, Suicide or Murder”
“A Man in His Balloon” (Episode 601) **Season Premiere**
Saturday, November 22, 8 p.m., Oxygen

“The Death Investigator With Barbara Butcher”
“The Suitcase Killer” (Episode 109)
Saturday, November 22, 9 p.m., Oxygen

“48 Hours”
TBA
Saturday, November 22, 10 p.m., CBS

“Grave Secrets” (One-hour special)
Saturday, November 22, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery

Sunday, November 23

“Snapped: Behind Bars”
“Coty Hernandez” (Episode 303)
Sunday, November 23, 6 p.m., Oxygen

“Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins”
“Fighting for Her Life” (Episode 403)
Sunday, November 23, 7 p.m., Oxygen

“Killer Grannies”
“Granny’s Addiction” (Episode 103)
Sunday, November 23, 8 p.m., Oxygen

Movies in Theaters or on Home Video

“Zodiac Killer Project”

Directed by Charlie Shackleton

Release date: Friday, November 21 in theaters

Description from Music Box Films:

Filmmaker Charlie Shackleton ruminates on his unfinished Zodiac Killer documentary, playfully probing and unraveling true crime’s inner workings and deconstructing the ubiquitous genre with deadpan insight.

Radio/Podcasts

No new true crime radio or podcast series premiering this week.

Events

Events listed here are not considered endorsements by this website. All ticket buyers with questions or concerns about the event should contact the event promoter or ticket seller directly.

All start times listed are local time, unless otherwise noted.

No new true crime events this week.

Review: ‘Christmas Karma’ (2025), starring Kunal Nayyar, Leo Suter, Charithra Chandran, Pixie Lott, Danny Dyer, Boy George, Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter and Eva Longoria

November 16, 2025

by Carla Hay

Kunal Nayyar in “Christmas Karma” (Photo courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment)

“Christmas Karma” (2025)

Directed by Gurinder Chadha

Some language in Hindi with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in London and in Uganda, the musical film “Christmas Karma” (inspired by the novella “A Christmas Carol”) features an Asian and white cast of characters (with a few black people and Latin people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: Greedy and hateful financier Eshaan Sood, an Indian Ugandan immigrant living in London, rethinks his negative attitude during the Christmas holiday season when ghosts from the past, present and future show him his life.

Culture Audience: “Christmas Karma” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the book on which the movie is based, and musicals that have star power and little else to offer that’s entertaining.

Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, Boy George and Hugh Bonneville in “Christmas Karma” (Photo courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment)

“Christmas Karma” is a well-intentioned but misguided attempt to turn “A Christmas Carol” into a British Bollywood musical. The movie’s original songs are terrible, the acting is often cringeworthy, and this off-balance movie goes from bad to worse. The movie’s rewriting of the main character to have a refugee story is an admirable attempt to do something different from the original source material of “A Christmas Carol,” but this alteration is more awkward than seamless. In addition, the visual effects in Christmas Karma” are almost as tacky as the movie’s songs.

Written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, “Christmas Karma” keeps many other basic elements of “A Christmas Carol,” the classic 1843 novella written by Charles Dickens. The main character is still a miserable businessman who is both greedy (when it comes to his personal wealth) and stingy (when it comes to being generous to other people). In “Christmas Karma,” the main character has been changed from elderly wealthy bachelor Ebenezer Scrooge to middle-aged wealthy bachelor Eshaan Sood (played by Kunal Nayyar), who is bitter and unhappy in all aspects of his life. Instead of “Bah, humbug!” as an expression of disapproval, Eshaan Sood says, “Bah, quass!”

Eshaan (who prefers to be called Sood) is the owner of a financial investment company called Marley & Sood, which he inherited after his former boss/mentor Jacob Marley (played by Hugh Bonneville) died an untold number of years ago. During the Christmas holiday season, Sood doesn’t let the employees use the heating system in the office when it gets too cold. And to make things worse, he fires a group of employees who dare to complain about their dismal working conditions. Sood is also a terrible boss to his housekeeper Mrs. Joshi (played by Shobu Kapoor), whom he expects to work on holidays. He also refuses to give Mrs. Joshi a Christmas bonus. He tells Mrs. Joshi that she shouldn’t celebrate Christmas because she’s Hindu.

The only person who seems to like Sood is his loyal Marley & Sood employee Bob Crachit (played by Leon Suter), who struggles to financially support his wife Mary Crachit (played by Pixie Lott) and their four kids: Tiny Tim (played by Freddie Marshall-Ellis), son Peter Crachitt (played by Charlie Hodson-Prior) and the eldest son (played by Finn Guegan) and eldest daughter (played by Olivia Brody), who don’t have names in the movie. Tiny Tim is the youngest child, and he happens to be disabled. Sood reluctantly grants Bob’s request to get a salary advance to pay for Christmas gifts for Bob’s family. Sood’s rudely says to Bob: “Why’d you have so many kids then?”

Sood is very prejudiced against poor people and immigrants, even though he’s an immigrant who used to be poor. During the part of the story where he revisits his past, it’s revealed that he and his family were Indian immigrants living a comfortable life in Uganda untill they were exiled by Uganda’s dictator president Idi Amin, who ordered a mass deportation of Uganda’s Indian residents in 1972, with these exiles having only 90 days to evacuate. Eshaan Sood (played by Skanda Arun), who was 7 years old at the time, had to leave behind the family’s pet West Highland White Terrier with his Ugandan best friend Akiiki (played by Prince Mwangi), who was also 7 years old at the time. Losing his dog and his best friend broke Eshaan’s heart.

Eshaan, his widower father (played by Anil Desai), and Eshaan’s unnamed older sister (played by Inara Ansari), who was an adolescent at the time, relocated to London. Eshaan’s grandmother (played by Vaishali Morjaria) stayed behind in Uganda because she was too elderly to travel and was apparently exempt from the deportation for this reason. In her goodbyes to her family members, she gave young Eshaan a gift (which shows up later in the movie) and advised him: “With wealth, you’ll always have respect.”

Eshaan’s father died soon after the family arrived in London. Eshaan and his sister were put in the foster care system, where they lived in poverty and experienced hostility and racism. The movie shows Eshaan from the ages of 17 to 23 (played by Bilal Hasna), when he was known as Eddie Sood. During this period of time, he experienced heartbreak with his first love Bea Fernandez (played by Charithra Chandran), for reasons that are explained in the movie.

Sood’s sister is now deceased. His sister’s young adult son Raj (played by Shubham Saraf) has a wife and kids, but Sood wants nothing to do with them. Sood doesn’t respect Raj because Raj doesn’t make enough money to get Sood’s approval. In the beginning of the movie, Sood impolitely rejects Raj’s invitation to go to a Christmas party at Raj’s home. Sood also seems to be racist because he openly disapproves of Raj being married to someone who isn’t of Indian heritage. Raj’s wife Emily (played by Laura Baldwin) is white and British.

Just like the original story, the central character has a nightmare where he sees the ghost of Marley, who tells him that three more ghosts will also be visiting: The Ghost of Christmas Past (played by Eva Longoria), the Ghost of Christmas Present (played by Billy Porter), and the Ghost of Christmas Future (played by Boy George), who each shows Sood his life during these respective time periods. Marley tells Sood that Sood has a chance to change his life “before it’s too late.”

Porter is the only one of these ghosts who is a standout singer in the movie. Fans of Boy George will be disappointed to see that he doesn’t get a big solo song but has to warble alongside Porter, who steals every scene where Porter appears. Longoria, dressed as a Dia de los Muertos ghost and accompanied by a mariachi trio, makes sarcastic quips but doesn’t have a big musical moment as the Ghost of Christmas Past. And the less said about Suter’s off-key singing, the better. Danny Dyer has a supporting role as a singing cabbie, whose only purpose in the movie is to be just another person who experiences Sood’s obnoxious attitude.

Strangely, even though Nayyar is the star of this musical, he doesn’t sing any lead vocals or solos in this confounding movie. Nayyar is shown singing in some group performances, presumably to hide the fact that he doesn’t have the singing talent to sing lead vocals or solo vocals on any of the songs. It’s absolutely ridiculous to make a movie musical if the star/main character doesn’t even have any extended moments to sing solo or lead vocals. As for Nayyar’s spoken dialogue performance, it goes from mediocre in the beginning of the movie to very hammy by the end of the film.

“Christmas Karma” also makes some other odd choices, such as the character of Bob having more singing time on screen than the Ghost of Christmas Future. In other words, the “Christmas Karma” filmmakers made the foolish decision to make Boy George have less singing in the movie than an actor who doesn’t sing very well. Another inexplicable choice: Tiny Tim (a character who is supposed to be charming because he’s so humble) thanking the National Health Service in his list of thank yous/blessings and bragging in this not-so-humble statement: “I give the best hugs.” Why is Tiny Tim thanking NHS, when the movie clearly mentions that the Cratchit family is struggling to pay all of their bills, including Tiny Tim’s medical bills? Don’t expect this movie to answer that question.

This musical’s original songs (by Gary Barlow, Nitin Sawhney, Shaznay Lewis, Chadha, and Ben Cullum) have subpar lyrics and forgettable music. (Lewis has a small role in the movie as Carol, one of the backup singers for the Ghost of Christmas Present.) Songs like “Christmas Karma,” “Manz a Scrooge,” “A Gift Is Still a Gift,” “Money Talks,” “Pain of the Past,” “Rise Up,” “The Big Bah Quass Song” and “Favourite of the Year” do little to further the story and just highlight how low-quality the songs are. The film editing for “Christmas Karma” is so sloppy, there are several parts of the movie where the songs being performed don’t match up with the performers’ lip movements.

The backstory about Sood being a refugee from Uganda is meant to have tearjerking impact, but that impact is diluted by the time the movie gets to the very truncated section where the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Sood what will happen if Sood doesn’t change his mean-spirited and selfish ways. In fact, the backstory takes up so much of the movie, the sections with the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ghost of Christmas Future have increasingly diminished screen time in comparison. The movie’s song-and-dance numbers are more Hollywood than Bollywood, with only two songs (“The Big Bah Quass Song” and “Favourite of the Year”) getting anything like a Bollywood-styled production. Indian British bhangra singers Jassi Sidhu and Malkit Singh make cameo appearances as themselves.

Even if the movie’s acting falls short of being great, “Christmas Karma” should have had at least been able to deliver appealing and catchy original songs, but the movie utterly fails on this basic musical level. “Bend It Like Beckham” director Chadha is capable of making a good music-oriented film, as evidenced by the 2019 drama “Blinded by the Light,” an underrated gem that Chadha directed and co-wrote about a Pakistani British teenager who is passionate about Bruce Springsteen’s music. Unfortunately, “Christmas Karma” is an embarrassing misstep in her filmography that is more likely to irritate viewers than put them in a joyful holiday mood.

Ketchup Entertainment released “Christmas Karma” in select U.S. cinemas on November 14, 2025.

Review: ‘De De Pyaar De 2,’ starring Ajay Devgn, R. Madhavan and Rakul Preet Singh

November 16, 2025

by Carla Hay

“De De Pyaar De 2”

Directed by Anshul Sharma

Hindi with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in unnamed cities in India, the comedy/drama film “De De Pyaar De 2” (a sequel to the 2019 movie “De De Pyaar De”) features a predominantly Asian cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A 52-year-old financial investor has challenges in getting the approval of the parents of his 28-year-old girlfriend.

Culture Audience: “De De Pyaar De 2” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the first “De De Pyaar De” movie, and romantic dramedies where loathsome and toxic conduct is treated as a harmless joke.

Gautami Kapoor and R. Madhavan in “De De Pyaar De 2” (Photo courtesy of Yash Raj Films)

“De De Pyaar De 2” is an awful and irritating sequel about an age-gap romance that wants viewers to believe that the dishonest, manipulative and petulant main characters have relationships worth admiring. This comedy/drama’s tone is an uneven mess. The age gap isn’t the real problem in the movie’s central romance. The problem is that almost all of the movie’s characters are emotionally immature and are not fun to watch.

Directed by Anshul Sharma and written by Luv Ranjan and Tarun Jain, “De De Pyaar De 2” is a sequel to 2019’s “De De Pyaar De,” which was directed by Akiv Ali and written by Ranjan and Jain. Both movies fail to convince that the central couple has true love. Instead, the movie is just an annoying series of shouting matches and people telling lies to hurt each other until the inevitable outcome, which looks very phony and forced. “De De Pyaar De” means “Give Me Love” in Hindi, but disappointed viewers are more likely to think, “Give me my time back,” after watching this dreadful sequel.

“De De Pyaar De 2” (which takes place in unnamed cities India) begins with a montage summary of what happened in “De De Pyaar De.” In the first “De De Pyaar De” movie, 50-year-old financial investor Ashish “Ashu” Mehra (played by Ajay Devgn), who works in London, begins dating 26-year-old woman Ayesha (played by Rakul Preet Singh), which leads to complications and lies because Ashish brings Ayesha home to meet his family in Manali, India. There is no believable romantic chemistry between this couple.

At the time, Ashish was separated from his wife Manju Mehra (played by Tabu), who was living with their young adult children—son Ishaan Mehra (played by Bhavin Bhanushali) and daughter Ishika Mehra (played by Inayat Sood)—at the home of Ashish’s parents Veerendra Mehra (played by Alok Nath) and Suman Mehra (played by Madhumalti Kapoor). After a series of deceptions, everything worked out in the expected way. “De De Pyaar De” ended with Ashish saying out loud that now he and Ayesha have to get the approval of her parents.

That parental approval is the basis of the conflict in “De De Pyaar De 2.” As an example of how sloppy the movie’s screenwriting is, Ashish is now 52 years old, and Ayesha is now 28. But in the movie, Ayesha says that she’s been dating Ashish (who is now divorced) for only six months. It would be an understatement to say that the sequel’s timeline is off-kilter.

Do the “De De Pyaar De 2” filmmakers think viewers are too stupid to know basic math? The only people who might notice this contradictory timeline are people who know that Ashish was 50 and Ayesha was 26 in “De De Pyaar De.” But with a six-year time lag between these two movies, it makes even less sense to pretend that only six months have passed since the first “De De Pyaar De” movie.

After the montage summary of the first “De De Pyaar De” movie, “De De Pyaar De 2” shows Ayesha going back to visit her family in an unnamed city in India. Ayesha’s father Rakesh “Rajji” Khurana (played by R. Madhavan) is stern and judgmental. Ayesha’s mother Anju “Rajji” Khurana (played by Gautami Kapoor) is not as rigid in what she expects from Ayesha, but Anju ultimately goes along with the horrible lies and harmful schemes that Rakesh thinks up so he can control Ayesha’s love life.

Ayesha’s older brother Rohan (played by Tarun Gehlot) and his wife Kittu (played by Ishita Dutta) live with Rakesh and Anju. In the beginning of the movie, Kittu is pregnant. A very unfunny running joke in the movie is that Kittu pretends to go into labor whenever family arguments start, until this manipulation tactic no longer works. Kittu eventually gives birth to a girl, who has the misfortune of being born into this unpleasant family.

Rakesh and Anju repeatedly say out loud that they are progressive, modern and open-minded. However, their actions throughout the movie show they are very uptight and conservative when it comes to the type of man they think Ayesh should be dating. Everything in “De De Pyaar De 2” is like a throwback to a moldy old sitcom, including the movie’s extremely aggravating sitcom-sounding music score, which has very intrusive and distracting sound effects.

Ayesha doesn’t want to tell her parents right away that she’s dating a 52-year-old divorced man with two adult children. She gradually tells them this information in bits and pieces and leaves out his real age as the last detail that she reveals about Ashish, who is close in age to Ayesha’s father Rakesh. When Ayesha’s parents finally meet Ashish, they pretend to be accepting of him. But they secretly disapprove and plot to break up the relationship between Ayesha and Ashish.

Ashish’s closest friend Ronak Molta (played by Jaaved Jaaferi), who had a smaller role in the first “De De Pyaar De” movie, reprises his role as a confidant who’s supposed to give “common sense” advice to Ashish. It’s a useless role because the way these people act is the opposite of common sense. Ayesha apparently doesn’t have any close friends because no one tells her that she’s being an insufferable brat throughout the movie.

Ayesha’s parents bring back her childhood friend Aditya (played by Meezaan Jafri) into Ayesha’s life so that he can court her. Aditya is affluent, handsome and close to Ayesha’s age. Ayesha’s parents (especially her father) would prefer that Ayesha marry Aditya instead of Ashish. Other family members show up in the story, such as Aditya’s mother (played by Jyoti Gauba), Aditya’s father (played by Sameer Malhotra), Kittu’s mother (played by Meneka Arora) and Kittu’s father (played by Sanjeev Seth). You can easily predict the rest of this tedious movie that is severely lacking in originality.

One of the biggest problems with “De De Pyaar De” is its erratic tone. The first two-thirds of “De De Pyaar De 2” are like a wacky sitcom, while the last third of the movie is a weepy melodrama. The performances overall are mediocre-to-terrible. (It doesn’t help that the dialogue is excruciatingly bad.) As is the case with many terrible movies that have a flimsy plot, there are convoluted distractions that take up too much time. “De De Pyaar De 2” has a very bloated total run time of 146 minutes.

Worst of all: For a movie that’s supposed to be about love and romance, there is no true love shown in “De De Pyaar De 2.” Instead, the story is mostly about battles of egos, people hurting each other emotionally, and mean-spirited deceitfulness, with any “romance” looking very fake, due to the lack of chemistry between the co-stars who are supposed to be in a romantic relationships. There’s too much anger, sadness and dysfunction in “De De Pyaar De” for it to be a credible romantic movie. Trying to convince viewers that the central relationship is a wonderful love story is just one of the many lies that this horrible movie tells.

Yash Raj Films released “De De Pyaar De 2” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on November 14, 2025.

Review: ‘I Wish You All the Best,’ starring Corey Fogelmanis, Amy Landecker, Lena Dunham, Alexandra Daddario and Cole Sprouse

November 15, 2025

by Carla Hay

“I Wish You All the Best”

Directed by Tommy Dorfman

Culture Representation: Taking place in North Carolina, the dramatic film “I Wish You All the Best” (based on the novel of the same name) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans and one Asian) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A nonbinary teenager moves in with their older sister after being kicked out of their parents’ home, and the teen starts a new life during a period of self-discovery.

Culture Audience: “I Wish You All the Best” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the book on which the movie is based, and coming-of-age stories about LGBTQ+ people.

Miles Gutierrez-Riley and Corey Fogelmanis in “I Wish You All the Best” (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate)

“I Wish You All the Best” is a well-acted and charming coming-of-age drama about a nonbinary teenager who starts a new life after experiencing parental rejection. The movie is sweet-natured but unrealistic in some areas. That’s because after the teenager moves to a new city, the teenager doesn’t experience any prejudice from the people in this new city. The only bigotry/ignorance depicted in the movie comes from the teenager’s parents.

Written and directed by Tommy Dorfman, “I Wish You All the Best” is based on Mason Deaver’s 2019 novel of the same name. The movie (which is Dorfman’s feature-film diretcorial debut) had its world premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival. “I Wish You All the Best” takes place in North Carolina, primarily in the capital city of Raleigh. The movie was actually filmed in Los Angeles.

“I Wish You All the Best” begins with a brief montage of 16-year-old Ben De Bacher (played by Corey Fogelmanis) having a seemingly idyllic life. In this montage, Ben (who is nonbinary and whose pronouns are “they/them”) is very close to Ben’s parents: Ben De Bacher Sr. (played by Judson Mills) and Cathy De Bacher (played by Amy Landecker). All three are seen watching a movie together at home in a seemingly loving and supportive environment. But everything changes one night, when Ben comes out as nonbinary to Ben Sr. and Cathy, who are religious conservatives.

This coming-out scene is not shown in full detail, but only snippets are seen in flashbacks. All viewers know is that Ben’s coming out experience was emotionally painful, Ben’s parents rejected Ben, and Ben ran out of the home that night with no shoes on. Ben fled to a local convenience store, where Ben made a frantic and tearful call to Ben’s older sister Hannah Wallace (played by Alexandra Daddario), who lives in Raleigh. Ben tells Hannah what happened and asks her to take them to Hannah’s home, where Ben lives for the rest of the story. Ben’s 17th birthday takes place during this period of time.

Hannah, who is about 15 years older than Ben, lives with her husband Thomas Wallace (played by Cole Sprouse), who is a teacher at a high school in Raleigh. Ben and Hannah haven’t seen each other in 10 years because Hannah has been estranged from their parents, for reasons that are revealed in the movie. It should come as no surprise that liberal and open-minded Hannah has had her own issues with her conservative parents.

Hannah and Thomas (who is also liberal and open-minded) have an infant son named Cyrus, so Hannah is currently a homemaker. Thomas forges a permission notice from Ben’s parents so that Ben (who is a junior-year student) can be enrolled in the school where Thomas teaches. This type of forgery is illegal but is kind of glossed over in the movie because Ben’s parents accept that Ben wants to live in Raleigh with Hannah and Thomas. Hannah and Thomas eventually file an official application to become Ben’s legal guardians.

Ben is quiet and introverted and has an interest in fashion and art. Ben is very talented at drawing and painting portraits. Even though Ben is shy, it isn’t long before Ben meets three schoolmates who will become Ben’s closest friends: bisexual Nathan (played by Miles Gutierrez-Riley), queer Sophie (played by Lisa Yamada) and straight Meleika (played by Lexi Underwood), who considers herself to be an ally to LGBTQ people. All of Ben’s new friends are open about their sexual identities. Ben mentions later in the movie that Ben was a loner in Ben’s previous school.

Ben meets Nathan (who is a year older than Ben) when Thomas asks Nathan to give Ben a tour of the school’s campus. Nathan introduces Ben to Nathan’s friends Sophie and Meleika. Ben is immediately accepted into their social circle. In many ways, Nathan has a personality that is the opposite of Ben’s personality. Nathan is optimistic and confident. Ben is pessimistic and insecure. Ben and Nathan’s relationship evolves from a friendship into a romance.

The parents of Ben’s new friends are never seen in the movie, even though Ben sometimes spends the night at Nathan’s place. Ben, Nathan and their teenage friends never talk about what it’s like to be openly queer in their high school, which is a regular public high school, not an “alternative” school. The movie needed more realism in the teenagers’ conversations, which tend to be sitcom-ish and a bit superficial.

Ben gets mentorship from two adults who also happen to be queer: Ben’s nonbinary art teacher Ms. Lions (played by Lena Dunham) and gay transgender man Chris (played Brian Michael Smith), who is Ben’s supervisor at the senior citizen day camp where Ben gets a part-time job. It’s all so convenient how the only teachers/mentors who are shown interacting with Ben (aside from Ben’s heterosexual brother-in-law Thomas) are also queer. All of the cast members’ performances are very good (Fogelmanis and Gutierrez-Riley are the movie’s standout cast members), but the screenplay is the part of the movie that doesn’t ring entirely true.

Ben wears skirts and makeup in public and never even gets stared at by strangers. And although Raleigh is one of the more politically liberal cities in North Carolina (the city tends to elect conservative Democrats), it seems like a fantasy for the movie to depict Raleigh as a place where queer teens can go and not experience any hurtful prejudices from people who live there. Ben’s angst has mostly to do with how Ben feels about being rejected by Ben’s parents, who live in another city, which is unnamed in the movie.

Ben also gets lucky in Ben’s first romance as an openly nonbinary person because Ben’s partner Nathan is also openly queer and completely respectful to Ben. Ben’s biggest complaint about Nathan is Ben thinks Nathan is too cheerful. Ben experiences bouts of depression (in one part of the movie, Ben doesn’t leave home for a week and stays mostly in bed), but these mental health struggles are treated in a shallow way. Ben just gets a few stern lectures (not professional counseling) about this depression from the concerned adults in Ben’s life.

Many movies about LGBTQ+ people are centered on the hateful bigotry that LGBTQ+ people experience. It’s understandable if the filmmakers of “I Wish You All the Best” didn’t want to focus the movie on this type of harmful experience or for the movie to revolve around LGBTQ+ trauma. But at the same time, it’s far-fetched to erase the existence of this prejudice from the protagonist’s current community while positioning anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry solely as something from the protagonist’s past community, as represented by the protagonist’s parents.

Experiencing bigotry is a fact of life for anyone from a historically oppressed group of people. This type of toxic discrimination doesn’t magically go away by moving to a more politically liberal city. By refusing to address this reality, “I Wish You All the Best” does a disservice to its intended audience. However, if people are looking for a relatively lightweight approach to a coming-of-age story about a teenager who happens to be nonbinary, then “I Wish You All the Best” fulfills that purpose.

Lionsgate released “I Wish You All the Best” in U.S. cinemas on November 7, 2025.

Review: ‘Keeper’ (2025), starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland

Novembr 14, 2025

by Carla Hay

Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland in “Keeper” (Photo by Asterios Moutsokapas/Neon)

“Keeper” (2025)

Directed by Osgood Perkins

Culture Representation: Taking place in 2023, in an unnamed part of Canada, the horror film “Keeper” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with one Asian person and one Latina) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A medical doctor and a painter artist, who have been dating each other for one year, take a getaway trip to the doctor’s family cabin in a remote wooded area, where the woman in the relationship has terrifying experiences.

Culture Audience: “Keeper” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, filmmaker Osgood Perkins, and people who don’t mind watching vague horror movies that rush through a muddled plot reveal.

A scene from “Keeper” (Photo by Asterios Moutsokapas/Neon)

“Keeper” is a series of creepy and grotesque images in search of a coherent plot. Most of this mopey “cabin in the woods” horror flick is a boring waiting game for the biggest scares to happen. Although some of the visual imagery is unique, it’s not enough to make “Keeper” a genuinely interesting film because the story ideas are too underdeveloped.

Directed by Osgood Perkins and written by Nick Lepard, “Keeper” had the potential to be a terrifying mystery with fascinating characters. Instead, the characters are merely vague sketches of personalities with drab dialogue. And although horror movies often rely on having characters who make stupid decisions, the protagonist shows an astounding lack of common sense that’s all in service of the movie’s flimsy reason from why the protagonist is “stuck” in the woods.

“Keeper” is yet another horror movie about deadly things happening to people who are in an isolated wooded area. “Keeper” takes place in an unnamed part of Canada. The movie was actually filmed in Vancouver.

“Keeper” begins by showing a montage of four women in different time periods. Louise (played by Claire Friesen) is in 1788. Julia (played by Erin Boyes) is in 1956. Francis (played by Gina Vultaggio) is in 1978. Leslie (played by Christin Park) is in 1983. It’s the first indication that the horror in the story has been happening for centuries.

Each woman is seen with various expressions on their faces in these scenarios: (1) looking at a love interest for the first time: (2) being in a romantic relationship with this love interest; and (3) feeling disillusioned and disgusted by this love interest. No words are spoken in these montage scenes, and the person they are looking at is not seen on camera.

“Keeper” than fast-forwards to November 2023. Medical doctor Malcolm Westbridge (played by Rossif Sutherland) is taking his painter artist girlfriend Liz (played by Tatiana Maslany) to a remote wooded area where he family has owned a cabin and guest house for years. Liz is a city dweller who’s uncomfortable with being in rural environments. However, she has accompanied Malcolm on this trip because she wants to please him.

This will be the first time that Liz is going to this family property. It’s mentioned early on in the movie that Malcolm and Liz have been dating each other for a year. It’s actually the month of their one-year anniversary. Later, in a conversation between Malcolm and Liz, it’s revealed that the couple met when Malcolm bought one of Liz’s paintings.

Before going to the cabin, Liz is seen talking on the phone with her best friend Maggie (played by Tess Degenstein), who expresses surprise that “subway rat” Liz would want to be in this remote area for any length of time. Liz considers herself open-minded enough to try new things. She also thinks this could also be a romantic getaway trip.

Malcolm and Liz are affectionate with each other, but there’s some underlying tension between them. One of the first things that they see when they arrive in the cabin is a cake box on the front porch. Malcolm explains that the cake was left as a gift by the property’s female caretaker, who likes to give this cake as a “tradition.”

The first third of “Keeper” consists of monotonous conversations between Malcolm and Liz, who feels increasingly uncomfortable because she’s been having strange visions and dreams. An eerie scene in the movie shows Liz taking a warm bath and something unseen draws a heart on the steam-misted window behind her.

Malcolm and Liz get an unexpected visit from Malcolm’s younger cousin Darren (played by Birkett Turton), a sleazy and sexist jerk who stays in the guest house when he comes to visit. Malcolm was not expecting Darren to be there, but since it’s family-owned property, Darren feels entitled to show up whenever he feels like it.

Darren is accompanied by an Eastern European model named Minka (played by Eden Weiss), who doesn’t speak much English and is only there to be Darren’s most recent trophy girlfried. Darren is sure to announce to everyone that Minka is a party girl who likes molly (slang for Ecstasy), and he’s the one in control of the relationship because he pays for everything that she enjoys with him.

The chocolate cake that was in the cake box is on the kitchen counter. One of the few things that Minka says in English is when she nods toward the cake and tells Liz that the cake “tastes like shit.” It’s at this point that you know Liz is going to eat that cake.

And sure enough, after Darren and Minka have left, Malcolm persuades a reluctant Liz to eat a piece of the cake. Liz doesn’t want to eat the cake at first because she tells Malcolm that she doesn’t like chocolate. However, he convinces her to eat some cake by manipulating her into thinking that if she does it, it will prove that she’s loyal to him.

As soon as Liz eats the cake, you know things are going to get worse for her. A day or two later, Malcolm says he has to temporarily leave the cabin because of a work-related emergency. He tells Liz that an elderly patient named Mrs. Portnoy is coming out of a medically induced coma, and he needs to be there when Mrs. Portnoy regains consciousness. Malcolm leaves in the car that he and Liz took to get to the cabin, so Liz is now stuck with no transportation. You can easily predict that when Liz is alone in the house, there will be more jump scares and unexplained sightings.

One of the things that will alienate viewers from Liz is that when she has conversations, she has a smug and sarcastic attitude where she seems to think she’s the smartest person in the room. However, Liz isn’t as intelligent as she thinks she is because when things get to be too uncomfortable and frightening for Liz at the cabin, she only calls Maggie to give her a ride out of this place, as if Maggie is the only person who could possibly give her a ride. Hasn’t Liz heard of car services? Apparently, the filmmakers of “Keeper” expect viewers to forget car services exist.

“Keeper” then lumbers along until the last third of the movie, which is a parade of memorable but ultimately shallow imagery of certain beings that look like they would fit right in at an amusement park’s haunted house attraction. The movie’s visually striking cinematography (by Jeremy Cox) and effectively spooky music score (by Edo Van Breemen) are two of the few assets for “Keeper.”

The performances in the movie are serviceable, with Maslany as the only cast member who’s required to show a myriad of emotions. Maslany is certainly skilled at being a “scream queen,” but her Liz character just isn’t very believable with all of Liz’s lapses in logic. And it’s too easy to figure out very early in the story who the chief villain is.

In a story already filled with plot holes, the ending of “Keeper” seems cobbled together, like a screenplay that wasn’t completely finished before a deadline. “Keeper” also missed huge opportunities to tell more about Louise, Julia, Francis and Leslie. The movie couldn’t even make the protagonist a well-rounded character. And that’s why it’s not surprising that everyone else n “Keeper” is also just an empty vessel in a very flawed horror movie that has more style than substance.

Neon released “Keeper” in U.S. cinemas on November 14, 2025.

Review: ‘Jatadhara,’ starring Sudheer Babu, Sonakshi Sinha and Divya Khosla Kumar

November 13, 2025

by Carla Hay

“Jatadhara”

Directed by Venkat Kalyan and Abhishek Jaiswal

Hindi or Telugu with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in an Kerala, India, the horror film “Jatadhara” features an all-Asian cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A ghost hunter, who says he doesn’t believe in ghosts, fights a supernatural demon of greed.

Culture Audience: “Jatadhara” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and people who don’t mind watch idiotic horror movies.

Jhansi Laxmi, Naveen Neni and Sudheer Babu in “Jatadhara” (Photo courtesy of Zee Studios)

No horror movie fan should endure the sloppy and incoherent dreck that is Jatadhara. It’s a badly acted and tedious jumble of nonsense about a ghost hunter whose family legacy is tied to Dhanapisachini (a female greed demon), with tacky visual effects. Adding to the ridiculousness of it all are song-and-dance numbers that look very out of place.

Directed by Venkat Kalyan and Abhishek Jaiswal, “Jatadhara” was written by Kalyan. The movie has choppy film editing that makes this already messy story even messier. “Jatadhara” takes place in Kerala, India, where Malayalam is the official language. And yet, “Jatadhara” was filmed in Hindi and in Telugu. Don’t expect an explanation.

The movie’s main protagonist is Shiva (played by Sudheer Babu), a self-described ghost hunter, who says he doesn’t believe in ghosts. Shiva has a day job selling technology devices. Shiva has two sidekicks in his “debunking” ghost-hunting missions: Rajesh (played by Naveen Neni) and Janki (played by Jhansi Laxmi), a couple who get engaged during the course of the story.

The first half of “Jatadhara” drags with repetitive scenes of Shiva, Rajesh and Janki doing things like poking around caves and dark buildings with flashlights as they look for ghosts. In an early scene in the movie the trio goes into a factory that is supposedly haunted by the ghost of the factory owner, who allegedly killed and raped kids.

Even though Shiva says he doesn’t believe in ghosts, strange paranormal things are happening to him. At night, he wakes up to find his bed levitating. He also has unexplained nightmares. In one of the nightmares, he keeps seeing a woman holding a knife over a baby in a crib, as if she’s about to kill the baby.

None of these scenes are terrifying and just highlight how fake the movie’s visual effects look. After Rajesh and Janki get engaged, the movie then has a horrible and abrupt shift to a song-and-dance scene at Rajesh’s bachelor party, where Shiva and a random exotic dancers do some “bump and grind” dancing.

Shiva gets a love interest named Sithara (played by Divya Khosla Kumar), an archeological researcher. Shiva and Sithara have their “meet cute” moment when she pepper sprays him because she mistakenly thinks he’s going to harm her. Later on, Shiva and Sithara are officially introduced to each other because Shiva’s mother Devi (played by Indira Krishnan) knows Sithara’s unnamed mother (played by Rupa Laxmi). During this re-acquaintance, Sithara tells Shiva that she’s sorry for using pepper spray on him.

Shiva finds out that his bizarre paranormal experiences are the result of a family curse that awakened Dhanapisachini (played by Sonakshi Sinha) because someone in his immediate family got greedy for gold and offered Shiva as a sacrifice when he was a baby. The other people in his immediate family are his parents Devi and Vasu (played by Ravi Prakash), Shiva’s aunt Shobha (played by Shilpa Shirodkar), and Shiva’s uncle Balraj (played by Rohit Pathak). Devi is Balraj’s sister. Supporting characters in the movie include ghost hunter Manish Sharma (played by Srinivas Avasarala), priest/pandit Neelkanth Shastri (played by Subhalekha Sudhakar) and and an unnamed tantrik (played by Pradeep Rawat).

Much of the last third of “Jatadhara” has long-winded flashback scenes of the events that led up to the family curse. It’s a chaotic mishmash of people chanting rituals while sitting on a pentagram; a shrieking Dhanapisachini swooping around the room, as she sticks out her tongue and waves her arms around to try to scare people; cattle being sacrificed as part of the ritual; and people occasionally getting demon-possessed and doing things like licking blood off of the floor. Most of it looks silly instead of scary.

It all leads to an inevitable showdown between Dhanapisachini and Shiva, who obviously has to rethink his disbelief in ghosts. The movie’s characters and dialogue are very shallow, while the terrible acting makes everything worse. The only people who should be horrified from watching “Jatadhara” are the people responsible for making this embarrassing flop.

Zee Studios released “Jatadhara” in U.S. cinemas and in India on November 7, 2025.

Review: ‘The Christmas Ring’ (2025), starring Jana Kramer, Benjamin Hollingsworth and Kelsey Grammer

November 13, 2025

by Carla Hay

Benjamin Hollingsworth and Jana Kramer in “The Christmas Ring” (Photo courtesy of Fathom Entertainment)

“The Christmas Ring” (2025)

Directed by Tyler Russell

Culture Representation: Taking place in the U.S. state of Georgia, the dramatic film “The Christmas Ring” (based on the novel of the same name) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A widowed mother searches for a precious ring that has been a family heirloom for generations, and her search leads her to a jewelry store owned by a father and a son, who have very different intentions for the ring.

Culture Audience: “The Christmas Ring” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, the book on which the movie is based, and sappy romance movies that have low-quality filmmaking and unimpressive performances.

Kelsey Grammer in “The Christmas Ring” (Photo courtesy of Fathom Entertainment)

“The Christmas Ring” looks as authentic as a counterfeit trinket found at the bottom of a junkpile. This subpar, sluggish, and extremely predictable romantic drama belongs on the Hallmark Channel but instead was released first in cinemas as a blatant cash grab. This greed is the opposite attitude of what this treacly slog of a movie is preaching.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a predictable love story. But when it’s made into a fake-looking movie where the would-be couple has no convincing chemistry, and there’s too much cringeworthy acting from most of the cast members, it all becomes a time-wasting bore. There is absolutely nothing about this movie that has any spark of originality or compelling performances.

Directed by Tyler Russell, “The Christmas Ring” was co-written by Russell and Karen Kingsbury. The adapted screenplay is based on Kingsbury’s 2025 novel “The Christmas Ring.” The movie takes place in the Georgia cities of Marietta and Columbus. “The Christmas Ring” was actually filmed in Tennessee.

“The Christmas Ring” begins with voiceover narration from Vanessa Mayfield (played by Jana Kramer) with black-and-white footage re-enacting something that Vanessa says happened during World War II. Vanessa explains that a young U.S. Air Force pilot named Bill Bailey (played by Kyle Kupecky) was shot down in France during his World War II combat. Bill discovered a ring on the ground and kept it as a sign of hope that he would make it out of alive.

This antique ring has a gold band with diamonds encircling a ruby at the center of the ring. The ring has one word inscribed on it. It’s the most obvious word in a romance story, but the movie makes it look like finding out what this one-word inscription is will be a big mystery to solve. When the word is revealed, it’s done in a hokey way that is very underwhelming in this no-suspense story.

Bill made it out alive from World War II, and the ring became a family heirloom. Bill was also Vanessa’s great-grandfather. Vanessa is the widowed mother of a daughter named Sadie Mayfield (played by Megan Ashley Brown), who is in her late teens. Sadie is the only child of Vanessa, who lives in Columbus, Georgia. Sadie will soon be leaving home to attend her first year of college. Vanessa’s late husband Alan was a U.S. Army medic who was killed on duty three years ago.

Three years ago, after her husband died, Vanessa accidentally lost the family heirloom ring when she went skiing with Sadie. Vanessa says in the voiceover that losing this ring was one of the biggest mistakes she ever made. She’s been looking for the ring ever since. Vanessa has used the Internet for her search. But she’s also been looking for the ring in the old-fashioned way: by going to stores and shops in person to see if they have the ring.

One day, Vanessa is in Marietta, Georgia, when she goes into a store called Miller’s Antiques. The store is owned by widower Harold Miller (played by Kelsey Grammer) and his widower son Ben Miller (played by Benjamin Hollingsworth), who is about the same age as Vanessa. Ben has no children. Ben’s wife Clara died seven years ago. Harold’s wife died four years ago.

Vanessa meets Harold and Ben during this visit. The shop doesn’t have the ring that she’s searching for, but romantic sparks fly between Ben and Vanessa, who find out that they’re both widowed, and they flirt with each other. Vanessa and Ben exchange contact information and immediately start having a platonic friendship online and through phone conversations. This relationship stretches for five months into the Christmas holiday season, when most of the movie takes place.

With all these widowed people in this story, isn’t anyone divorced? Apparently not, because divorced people just don’t exist in this faith-based movie that’s obviously targeted to audiences who believe divorce is a stigma. Vanessa’s two best friends are also military widows: Leigh (played by Jessie James Decker) and Maria (played by Debbie Winans), who are this story’s version of a gossipy Greek chorus. Leigh and Maria gawk and giggle like teenagers when they talk about Vanessa’s inevitable romance with Ben.

The movie is filled with dreadfully dull dialogue that can put even the most die-hard romantic to sleep. Howard notices Ben’s attraction to Vanessa and says to him: “For what it’s worth, Ben, your mother and I always believed you’ll find love again.” Ben says with all the romantic enthusiasm of a worn-down pencil: “I’m starting to believe it.”

Vanessa is reluctant to tell Sadie about Ben because Vanessa says Ben is “just a friend.” Leigh and Maria don’t believe that Ben and Vanessa have only platonic feelings for each other. Sadie is busy at college and has a military boyfriend named Hudson (played by Austin Robert Russell), who is on active duty. Hudson is still alive because he and Sadie aren’t married. If you’re one of the main characters in this story, and you’ve been married, your spouse is now dead.

Meanwhile, the long-lost ring ends up at a certain store, where the ring is set to be sold for $25,000. Both of the store owners find out that the ring is Vanessa’s family heirloom. One of the store owners wants to sell the ring. The other store owner doesn’t want the ring to be sold and thinks it should be given back to Vanessa. Again: Don’t bother looking for any surprises in this drivel. It’s all so basic and uninspired, it’s really an insult to viewers’ intelligence.

There’s also a subplot about Vanessa being the president of a charity called Columbus Cares, which is having its big Christmas fundraising gala. In other words, this is an event where you know some type of spectacle will happen involving the story’s couple who are afraid to tell each other “I love you.” It goes without saying that Ben and Vanessa have a very chaste romance, so don’t expect anything sexual or scandalous to happen in this movie.

A too-long stretch of “The Christmas Ring” is Vanessa’s monotonous charade of trying to prevent Sadie from finding out about Vanessa’s relationship with Ben, even though you know that Sadie will eventually find out before Vanessa actually tells her. Sadie isn’t an underage kid who needs to be “protected” from the realities of her widowed mother dating someone. Sadie is an adult, but Vanessa seems to think Sadie is too young to handle knowing that Vanessa might have a boyfriend. It’s all so tiresome and corny.

And then there’s the typical romantic story cliché of one person in the couple who wants the relationship to be more romantically committed than the other person, which leads to tensions, arguments, and a probable estrangement. This conflict will then lead to a dramatic moment in the movie where true feelings are confessed. And you know the rest.

“The Christmas Ring” is obviously meant to be a heartwarming holiday romance story. But the story and the way this movie was made is so cynical and lazy in how it treats its audience like idiots, it’s likely to annoy some viewers who can see right through this uncreative sludge. People who want to get into the holiday spirit are better off doing something useful for a good charitable cause instead of wasting any time or money on this bland and lackluster movie.

Fathom Entertainment released “The Christmas Ring” in U.S. cinemas for a limited engagement from November 6 to November 20, 2025.

Review: ‘Die My Love,’ starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek

November 12, 2025

by Carla Hay

“Die My Love”

Directed by Lynne Ramsay

Culture Representation: Taking place in Montana, the dramatic film “Die My Love” (based on the novel of the same name) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A homemaker’s struggles with mental illness get worse after she experiences post-partum depression, while the father of her child and his family members feel helpless and unsure of how to cope.

Culture Audience: “Die My Love” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, filmmaker Lynn Ramsay and intense psychological dramas.

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in “Die My Love” (Photo courtesy of MUBI)

Don’t expect a crime drama when watching “Die My Love.” It’s a patchwork collection of memories and experiences about a troubled woman whose mental illness gets worse during her post-partum depression. Her co-dependent family members don’t know how to cope with it all. The acting is better than the story. Because of the difficult subject matter and because of the way it’s presented as a fever dream, “Die My Love” isn’t a movie for everyone. In fact, many viewers will dislike how “Die My Love” doesn’t have a conclusion that cleanly resolves the many problems of the main character.

Directed by Lynne Ramsay (who co-wrote the “Die My Love” screenplay with Alice Birch), “Die My Love” is based on the Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 “Die, My Love” novel. The movie changes the location of the story from rural France (the location in the book) to rural Montana, in an unnamed city. “Die My Love” had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Ramsay is known for making movies about people who have mental health issues. It’s not her best movie, but it’s certainly memorable for its disturbing but realistic depiction of how mental illness that isn’t treated consistently can wreck people’s lives.

“Die My Love” begins by showing a montage of an unmarried couple in their 30s who have relocated from New York to rural Montana. Grace (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is an aspiring writer. Jackson (played by Robert Pattinson) talks enthusiastically about playing drums, but he’s not a professional drummer. Instead, the only job that he’s depicted as having is an unnamed blue-collar job where he has to travel away from home and works three days a week.

Grace and Jackson have moved into a shabby house that used to be owned by Jackson’s uncle Frank, who is deceased. When Grace asks Jackson how Frank died, Jackson hesitates and then mumbles that he doesn’t know. Grace later finds out from Jackson’s mother Pam (played by Sissy Spacek) that Frank died by shooting himself. Frank shot himself in a body part that typically isn’t the place where most people commit suicide by gun violence. This information both fascinates and repulses Grace.

The opening montage goes from Grace and Jackson moving into this house, having sex, and Grace being pregnant. Grace gives birth to a baby boy, whose name (Harry) isn’t revealed until later in the movie. Harry is also the name of Jackson’s father (played by Nick Nolte), who had dementia and was alive when Grace was pregnant. Sometime before or after baby Harry was born, elder Harry died. Frank was elder Harry’s brother.

Grace has no siblings. Her parents died in a plane crash when she was a child. And if she has any living family members, they are not seen or mentioned in this story. The only family members that Grace has in this story are baby Henry, Jackson, and the biological relatives of Jackson. Grace not having any adult biological relatives whom she can turn to for emotional support seems to cause her to feel even more isolated and resentful of the fact that the only family members she has are because of Jackson.

“Die My Love” (which has a non-chronological narrative) is a series of scenes that show the unraveling of Grace, especially after she has post-partum depression. She loses interest in writing and neglects basic housekeeping responsibilities. She is an attentive parent to Harry when she’s in the right state of mind, but her mental illness causes her to do very unhealthy things to herself, which hinders her ability to give stable parenting to Harry.

Most of the movie is about Grace’s first year as a mother of baby Harry, but there are also several flashback scenes of that take place before Grace gave birth. Grace has hallucinations and dreams that are filmed in blue-gray lighting. Her hallucinations include having a secret affair with a neighbor named Karl (played by LaKeith Stanfield), who has a real-life non-sexual encounter with her that is very different from her fantasies about him. In real life, Karl is a married father who doesn’t know Grace very well.

Jackson doesn’t know how to deal with Grace’s mood swings and unpredictability. Jackson is portrayed as an unsophisticated guy who has simple needs and isn’t knowledgeable about topics that are too cerebral for him, such as psychology. Jackson loves Grace but he understandably gets frustrated when she verbally lashes out at him and eventually becomes a danger to herself.

For example, Grace accuses Jackson of infidelity when she has no proof. She calls him derogatory names when he doesn’t give her sex when she demands it. And she self-harms in ways that are very disturbing, such as throwing herself out of a glass door at the house. In another incident, Grace bashes her head against a mirror on the night that she had Jackson get married. (Jackson and Grace get married about six months after baby Harry is born.)

Pam offers to help as much as she can, but Pam is deeply in denial about what type of help Grace really needs. Pam thinks that all Grace needs is more rest. “Die My Love” is not an easy film to watch if viewers are expecting a certain predictable story arc. Lawrence and Pattinson give impactful performances that fall short of being extraordinary because of the movie’s repetitive nature. However, “Die My Love” succeeds in its depiction of what it’s like to be trapped in a self-destructive psyche.

MUBI released “Die My Love” in U.S. cinemas on November 7, 2025.