Tag: Tribeca Festival

Review: ‘I Was Born This Way,’ starring Carl Bean, Billy Porter, Lady Gaga, Dionne Warwick, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Estelle Brown and Martha Payne

October 31, 2025

by Carla Hay

Carl Bean in “I Was Born This Way” (Photo by Jed Alan/I Was Born This Way Production LLC)

“I Was Born This Way”

Directed by Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard

Culture Representation: The documentary film “I Was Born This Way” features a predominantly African American group of people (with a few white people) who discuss the life and career of Carl Bean, who went from being a professional singer to becoming an archbishop LGBTQ activist.

Culture Clash: Bean (who experienced racism, homophobia and sexual abuse) was often misunderstood, degraded and underestimated when fighting for causes that he advocated.

Culture Audience: “I Was Born This Way” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in documentaries about lesser-known civil rights activists from the LGBTQ community.

A 1977 promotional photo of Carl Bean in “I Was Born This Way” (Photo courtesy of I Was Born This Way Production LLC)

“I Was Born This Way” is a worthy tribute to Carl Bean, who was an archbishop, former disco singer, and overlooked pioneer in LGBTQ civil rights activism. The documentary’s old interviews with Bean (who died in 2021) and others make it look a bit outdated. These interviews don’t lessen the film’s intentions or the quality of the stories told in the documentary, but “I Was Born This Way” gives the impression that the filmmakers didn’t get more recent interviews before this documentary was released in 2025.

Directed by Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard, “I Was Born This Way” had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. Bean sat down for an exclusive interview for the documentary, which uses his storytelling as the driving narrative. Several other people who knew Bean and/or were influenced by him are also interviewed for “I Was Born This Way.”

Bean (who is quite a raconteur in this documentary) died of a prolonged undisclosed illness on September 7, 2021. He was 77. Throughout the documentary there is animation showing re-enactments of the stories that Bean and other people tell because many of the stories don’t have enough photos or other archival footage to serve as visual demonstrations. The animation (which is competently made and has some melodramatic moments) might get various reactions from viewers, since this animation takes up a great screen time in the documentary.

The documentary “I Was Born This Way” begins by showing Billy Porter arriving at the home of Chris Jones, who is an archivist of recordings that Bean did when he was a disco/R&B singer in the 1970s. Chris Jones is the son of the late Bunny Jones, who wrote Bean’s most famous song: 1977’s “Born This Way.” Porter and Chris Jones meet each other for the first time and greet each other warmly.

Why is Porter at Chris Jones’ home? The documentary shows Porter there to hear unreleased recordings made by Bean and look at some rare memorabilia of Bean. Porter comments in the documentary, “I’m excited to hold history in my hands. This song [‘Born This Way’] was very important … for little gay boys like me.” Much later in the documentary, Porter is seen re-recording the Bean song “Liberation,” a song that was supposed to be the B-side to “Born This Way” but was unreleased because the lyrics to “Liberation” were considered “too gay” at the time.

Grammy-winning musician and Oscar-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has this to say about “I Was Born This Way,” when he comments on the song while looking through vinyl records at a music store: “This song was ahead of its time …. This one song started a revolution.”

In the documentary, Bean tells his life story in chronological order. He talks candidly about his troubled childhood (he grew up in Baltimore), where he survived bullying from his peers, physical abuse from his father, sexual abuse from an uncle (his father’s brother), a suicide attempt by overdosing on pills, and the traumatic aftermath of his mother’s death from a then-illegal abortion. Bean was raised by his godparents because his biological parents were too young when they became parents to Bean.

Bean says, “From a young age, I knew I was different.” He adds, “Music oozed out of me.” Bean mentions that Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (best known for the 1956 hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”) had a tremendous influence on him to want to become a professional singer. Bean also says that when he was a child, he was sexually abused “too many times to count.” bean says when he told his father about the sexual abuse, his father severely punished him. During Bean’s childhood and for much of his life, Bean says he was plagued by frequent nightmares of being chased by a phantom.

Bean’s sister Martha Payne, who says Bean’s childhood nickname was Sammy, has this description of what Bean was like as a child: “He liked doll houses, cheerleading, baton twirlin. He never pretended to be anything other than he was.” When Bean was bullied by his peers, Payne says that he took it in stride. “When he was singing, he was at his happiest.”

As a teenager, his suicide attempt led to him being put in a psychiatric ward at a hospital, where his mother happened to work as a custodian. Bean remembers his mother assuring him during this hospital stay that there were other queer kids who existed too. She encouraged him to become a singer.

After he was discharged from the hospital, he went to live with his mother, who had two other kids living with her. Bean says this change in his living situation meant that his socioeconomic status went from “middle-class to working-class poor.” While living with his mother, Bean says he got to know a lot of gay and transgender hustlers and sex workers, who accepted him and made him feel like he was part of a community.

Sadly, tragedy struck when his mother died of an illegal abortion. And to add to this devastating loss, Bean says he was forced to testify against the nurse who administered this abortion when the nurse went on trial for murder. Bean moved to New York City after the trial ended.

The middle of the movie chronicles Bean’s up-and-down journey through the music business. After moving to New York City, he became a gospel singer in Harlem’s Christian Tabernacle Choir. Dionne Warwick, Cissy Houston and Estelle Brown were his mentors at the time. Warwick and Brown are interviewed in the documentary.

Warwick says she was impressed very early on with Bean: “He had an incredible voice” Brown says, “I learned a lot from Carl regarding homosexuality.” Brown, who was a member of the gospel group the Sweet Inspirations, mentions that she was a closeted lesbian for most of her life, but her friendship with Bean helped her to eventually come out and live openly as a lesbian.

According to Bean, he got tired of his hard-partying lifestyle in New York City, so he relocated to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. He also took his music in secular direction by deciding to perform R&B and later disco. Bean formed a band called Carl Bean and Universal Love, where he was the lead singer. And although the band was signed to ABC Records, which released the band’s 1974 album “Universal Love”), the band couldn’t break through to widespread commercial success. Universal Love drummer Royal Anderson is one of the people interviewed in the documentary

Bean then launched a solo career as a Motown Records artist during the disco craze of the late 1970s. “I Was Born This Way” (written by Chris Spierer and Bunny Jones) was originally recorded by singer Valentino in 1975. Bean’s 1977 version of the song, which was a hit on the disco charts, stood the test of time longer. Bean is singer more likely to be associated with “I Was Born This Way,” which is credited with being the first gay anthem to become a mainstream hit. In the documentary, Iris Gordy—a former Motown Records executive and a niece of Motown founder Berry Gordy—makes brief comments about Bean and “I Was Born This Way.”

Why was “Born This Way” co-written by a woman who identified as heterosexual? Chris Jones explains in the documentary that his mother Bunny Jones had a hair salon and knew a lot of gay/queer people because of the salon. Fun fact: Bunny Jones was the first black woman to own a nationally prominent recording studio in the United States: She founded Astral recording studio in 1971, in New York City’s East Harlem district. Bunny Jones also founded Gaiee Records, which released Valentino’s version of “I Was Born This Way,” and she subsequently sold Gaiee to Motown

Disco’s popularity, like Bean’s music career, eventually faded. He then made a career transition to being a full-time LGBTQ activist. In 1985, he founded the Minority AIDS Project as a way to help people of color during the AIDS crises. And in response to seeing many LGBTQ people being shunned and bullied by church communities, Bean founded his own queer-friendly ministry— Unity Fellowship Church—and became an archbishop. Unity Fellowship Church, which began in Los Angeles, has expanded its congregations to other U.S. cities.

Lady Gaga gives an emotionally candid interview in the documentary about how her hit song “Born This Way” (the title track of her 2011 second album) was directly influenced by Bean’s version of “I Was Born This Way.” She admits that she didn’t know much about Bean when she first heard the song. Lady Gaga (who is outspoken advocate for LGBTQ people) comments, “When I learned about what Carl did not just as a singer but as an activist, it made my heart explode.”

The most meaningful parts of the documentary aren’t about the glitz and glamour of showbiz but about how Bean took his pain as an abuse survivor and channeled it into many positive things in his life, including helping people who are often mistreated, abused or neglected. The documentary includes footage of Ben doing some of this activism, as well as his interactions with his vibrant Unity Fellowship Church congregation. Bean’s close confidant Rev. Dr. Russell E. Thornhill is interviewed in the documentary.

Although documentary shows Bean going into details about many aspects of his life, he doesn’t reveal anything much his love life except to say that he’s gay. Bean briefly mentions he’s been been heartbroken many times, but he doesn’t go into specifics. He takes the same approach about his health issues. Ultimately, “I Was Born This Way” did not have to be a “tell-all” documentary. The movie capably shows that Bean left a very admirable and impactful legacy that changed many people’s lives for the better.

Jungefilm released “I Was Born This Way” in Los Angeles on October 30, 2025.

Review: ‘Billy Idol Should Be Dead,’ starring Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Perri Lister, Keith Forsey, Jane Broad, Tony James and Brendan Bourke

October 28, 2025

by Carla Hay

Billy Idol in “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” (Photo courtesy of Live Nation Productions)

“Billy Idol Should Be Dead”

Directed by Jonas Åkerlund

Culture Representation: The documentary film “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” features a predominantly white group of people (with one African American) talking about the life and career of British rock star Billy Idol.

Culture Clash: Billy Idol (whose birth name is William Broad) found fame first with the pop-punk band Generation X and later achieved greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s, but his life was troubled by drug addiction, messy love affairs, a dysfunctional family, and career lows.

Culture Audience: “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of Billy Idol, 1980s rock music, and documentaries about celebrities who have longevity in showbiz.

A 1983 photo of Steve Stevens and Billy Idol in “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” (Photo courtesy of Live Nations Productions)

As a documentary, “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” is essentially a cinematic update of Billy Idol’s 2014 memoir, with some added perspectives and a few new revelations. It’s meaningful in some areas and shallow in other areas. Although the movie’s title is attention-grabbing, this title won’t age well when Billy Idol is actually dead. It’s a mostly conventional and solidly made documentary that will be eye-opening only to people who know almost nothing about Idol.

Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” has a title that refers to the many near-death situations that Idol has experienced, including drug overdoses in the 1980s and a 1990 motorcycle accident that caused him to get several broken bones. Idol (whose birth name is William Broad) has candidly talked about a lot of his past misdeeds and his recovery from drug addiction in many interviews over the years (such as his 2001 episode of “Behind the Music”) and in his 2014 memoir “Dancing With Myself.” “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” (which had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival) has the same confessions, except it has more people from Idol’s life giving their points of view.

Idol (who was born in Stanmore, England, on November 30, 1955) grew up in a middle-class home. His mother Joan Broad was a homemaker. His father William Broad Sr. was a salesman. Idol has as a sister named Jane Broad, who is interviewed in the documentary. Joan (who died in 2020, at the age of 92) is also interviewed in the documentary, which is an indication of how many years it took to make this film. William Broad Sr. died in 2014, at the age of 90.

In the documentary, Idol describes his father as “a very reserved salesman” who didn’t approve of Idol wanting to be a rock singer. Idol quips, “I’m probably a glorified salesman. The only difference is I make my own product.” Jane Broad has this to say about Idol’s late-teen years: “There was a year or two when my dad didn’t speak to Billy. Billy was going through a phase that my dad didn’t understand.” Idol says much later in the documentary that his father eventually accepted Idol’s career choice after Idol became an affluent rock star, but his father and other family members were very troubled by Idol’s drug addiction.

Joan recalls Idol’s first attempt to look like a rock star was very different from the spiky-haired, bleach-blonde punk that has been his image for decades: “He had John Lennon specs and long hair in those days. He looked terrible.” Idol describes himself as being an average student in school who deliberately didn’t apply himself to reach his full potential because he was interested in things other than school. A famous story about how Idol got his stage surname was that one of his school teachers wrote an evaluation of him that described him as “idle.”

Idol came of age when the punk scene in England was thriving, and he wanted to be part of the action. He says his parents were horrified that he decided to drop out of college to join a punk band. In 1976, after a brief stint as the guitarist for a band named Chelsea, he became the lead singer of Generation X, a band that mixed the attitude of punk with pop-friendly rock songs. Gene October, the former lead singer of Chelsea, is interviewed in the documentary. October is credited with advising Idol to wear contact lenses instead of glasses and to change Idol’s hair color and image into being a sneering blonde punk.

Although some people dismissed Generation X as a pretty-boy punk band because of Idol’s good looks, the group managed to gain popularity because of its live shows. A record deal with Chrysalis Records soon followed. From 1976 to 1981, Idol was a member of Generation X, which released three studio albums when the band existed: 1978’s “Generation X,” 1979’s “Valley of the Dolls” and 1981’s “Kiss Me Deadly,” which was actually Generation X’s fourth recorded album. The band’s third recorded album was shelved and released 17 years after Generation X broke up: the 1998 album “K.M.D. – Sweet Revenge.” The “Generation X” and “Valley of the Dolls” albums were modestly successful in the United Kingdom, but “Kiss Me Deadly” and “K.M.D. – Sweet Revenge” were flops.

The Who guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend gives an interview in the documentary, where he talks about seeing Generation X perform at the Roxy nightclub in London, early in Generation X’s career. “They were really brash and confident and charismatic,” Townshend remembers. “At the Roxy, there was that sense that people were coming there to learn to be punks.”

Idol says that the British punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols were huge influences on him and Generation X. The documentary has interviews with former Sex Pistols lead guitarist Steve Jones and former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, but their brief interview clips don’t have much information to add. Jones says he remembers when Idol was in a punk band called the Bromley Contingent. Cook says about England’s punk scene in late 1970s: “All these bands came from out of nowhere.” The documentary doesn’t mention that Jones, Cook, Idol, and former Generation X band member Tony James became on an on-again/off-again band called Generation Sex, beginning in 2018.

Generation X is mostly remembered for being the band that originally recorded 1981’s “Dancing With Myself,” a song that Idol co-wrote after seeing a guy in a Tokyo nightclub dancing with his reflection in a mirror. Idol re-recorded and released the song as a Chrysalis Records solo artist on his 1981 EP “Don’t Stop,” and it became one of Idol’s signature hits. “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” is the only documentary to have interviews with Idol and his former Generation X bandmates James (bass) and Derwood Andrews (lead guitar), who are each interviewed separately.

James, who used to be in the band Chelsea with Idol, says that there were two factions in Generation X. Idol and James were Generation X’s chief songwriters, who bonded because they were both from middle-class backgrounds. Lead guitarist Andrews and drummer Mark Laff were from working-class backgrounds and bonded with each other. Because Idol and James were the main songwriters for Generation X, they wielded most of the power in the group. Andrews and Laff left Generation X in 1979 because of creative differences and power struggles in the band.

Idol admits in the documentary: “I hijacked Generation X, really. That last Generation X album is the first Billy Idol solo album, really.” James says there was another reason why the band eventually broke up in 1981: “Heroin made us drift apart.” James says when he first met Idol, Idol didn’t smoke, drink alcohol, or do drugs, but that changed quickly. James comments, “I think he felt a pressure from people to be Billy Idol, to be credible.”

Brendan Bourke, a former Chrysalis Records executive who worked closely with Billy Idol in the 1980s, tells a story in the beginning of the documentary about how he saw two different sides of Idol when he first met Idol in 1981. Bourke remembers picking up Idol at John F. Kennedy Airport after Idol decided to relocate to New York City as a solo artist. Bourke says that Idol was very quiet but became very different when Idol was in his full Billy Idol “rock star” persona. “He wasn’t Billy Idol until he was coked up,” says Bourke. “The alcohol and the drugs fueled that persona.”

Idol went public years ago about his drug problems. He says that although he abused many drugs in his life, heroin was his biggest addiction. It was an addiction he battled for most of the 1980s. He overdosed on heroin multiple times. In the documentary, Idol describes a 1984 overdose where he “turned blue.” He remembers the people who were with him at the time brought him up to the building’s roof to stay conscious and didn’t want to call for medical help because they were afraid it would turn into a public scandal that would ruin Idol’s career.

Idol says that when he started doing heroin, many other people in the music scene were also doing heroin. Idol comments that he and other heroin users he knew didn’t think at the time that heroin was very dangerous, and they were using heroin to get into a different mindset. Idol comments, “You think, ‘Maybe [heroin] will unleash something.'”

Former Generation X band member James says that Idol’s heroin addiction started around the same time that Idol got romantically involved with British dancer/choreographer Perri Lister, who would become the mother of their son Willem Broad, born in 1988. Lister (who appeared in some of Idol’s videos, such as 1982’s “White Wedding” and 1984’s “Eyes Without a Face”) had a tumultuous relationship with Idol from 1980 to 1989. Idol (who has never been married) and Lister were living in Los Angeles at the time of their final breakup.

Lister is interviewed in the documentary but doesn’t admit to any role in Idol’s drug addiction. She describes him as “the love of my life,” but says they both cheated on each other during their on-again/off-again relationship. Lister says that Idol was much more jealous and more controlling than she was, and the breaking point for her was when he continued to date other women after the birth of Willem. She also describes Idol as having two sides to him and says his “demon side” would come out when he was in the midst of drug binges.

Much of “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” covers the typical “height of success” and “debauched excess” stories that are in many celebrity documentaries. As many people already know, Idol became a huge star as a solo artist and had his biggest hits in the 1980s, including “Dancing With Myself,” “Eyes Without a Face,” “Rebel Yell,” “To Be a Lover” and his cover version of “Mony Mony.” Idol’s last big hit album was 1990’s “Charmed Life,” which spawned the hit single “Cradle of Love.” He was one of the artists who became synonymous with the early years of MTV (which launched in 1981), as their mutual popularity was fueled by a lot of media exposure and the music videos that MTV used to have in heavy rotation.

At the time, Idol’s drug addiction was an open secret in the music industry but was kept well-hidden from the general public. His biggest public controversies had to do with a few of his music videos—for example, “Dancing With Myself,” which featured exploding zombies, was at one point considered too violent for MTV—and his reputation for being a promiscuous playboy. Idol freely admits that he was living like a sex addict and makes no apologies for it, but he doesn’t go into explicit details in the documentary.

He’s more forthcoming about his drug addiction and tells a story about relapsing during a trip to Thailand, where he says he caused $75,000 in hotel damages. Idol says he briefly cleaned up his illegal drug use after his 1990 motorcycle accident, but it took him many years after that to get clean and sober from heroin and cocaine. His family members tried to help as much as they could, but Idol says the decision to quit and recover has to start with the person who has the addiction. He says he’s quit hard drugs in 2003, but he still admits to smoking marijuana on a regular basis.

Idol also says he’s at peace with his failed attempts to become a movie star. Because of his motorcycle accident, he lost out on playing the T-1000 villain role in 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (a role that went to Robert Patrick), while Idol’s role as Jim Morrison’s friend Cat in 1991’s “The Doors” movie was drastically reduced from being a significant supporting role to a glorified cameo. Idol talks about parting ways with manager Bill Aucoin (who was Generation X’s manager from 1980 to 1981, and who was Idol’s manager from 1981 to 1986) because Idol blames Aucoin for ruining Idol’s chance to have the starring role in the movie adaptation of author Nik Cohn’s 1975 “King Death” fantasy novel, a story about an assassin who becomes a famous entertainer.

Idol claims that Aucoin was addicted to smoking crack cocaine and took the “King Death” movie away from a major studio, in order to make “King Death” an independent film, but the movie never got made. Idol says, “After that, Bill Aucoin disappeared from my life.” (Aucoin died in 2010, at age 66.) Freddy DeMann became Idol’s next manager, but he didn’t last long as Idol’s manager. DeMann says in the documentary: “I knew Billy had severe drug problems, and that’s probably why I was called in.” No one in Idol’s current management team is interviewed in the documentary.

Idol also briefly comments on his 1993 “Cyberpunk” album being a bomb, by saying that it was an album that was ahead of its time in predicting what would become the Internet’s massive influence on society. Idol changed his hairstyle to short dreadlocks for his 1993 “No Religion” tour to promote the “Cyberpunk” album, but he changed it back to his signature spiky hair after the album flopped, and he’s kept that same hairstyle ever since. Idol didn’t release a new studio album after “Cyperpunk” until 2005’s “Devil’s Playground.” “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” has some occasional comments and clips of Idol’s music released since “Cyberpunk,” but the documentary knows that most of the public’s interest in Billy Idol revolves around his 1980s career peak.

Steve Stevens, Billy Idol’s longtime guitarist who became his best-known songwriting collaborator, is interviewed in the documentary, but there’s not nearly enough of him in the movie. It’s perhaps the movie’s biggest flaw: There’s not enough information in “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” about Idol’s songwriting or how he made his hit albums. Unfortunately, the quotes from Stevens that are used in this documentary are utterly forgettable. Keith Forsey, the music producer who worked with Idol for most of the 1980s, is interviewed, but he doesn’t have much information that’s new or insightful.

The documentary’s updated information includes Idol discovering in 2023 that he has a son named Brant Broad, who was born from a brief fling that Idol had with a fan in the mid-1980s. Idol’s daughter Bonnie Blue Broad, whom Idol fathered with another fan during Idol’s 1984 “Rebel Yell” tour, discovered Brant through a DNA test. The end of the documentary shows Idol with all three of his children and being a doting grandfather to the children of Brant and Bonnie.

Celebrities who are interviewed in the documentary mostly give gushing comments about how Idol was an influence to them. These famous fans include Miley Cyrus, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, Duran Duran bass player John Taylor, Guns N’Roses bass player Duff McKagan, and Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump. Cyrus says, “I watched Billy Idol like I watched porn. There’s no one hotter or who radiates more sexuality than Billy Fucking Idol.”

Grammy-winning producer Nile Rodgers tells a funny story about how he and Idol were hanging out a nightclub in New York City sometime in 1982, and they saw David Bowie sitting at a table by himself. Idol was eager to meet Bowie and introduced himself and Rodgers to Bowie. Just as he was shaking Bowie’s hand, Idol vomited, and then acted like the vomit was no big deal. Rodgers said that’s when he knew that Idol was one of the “coolest” people he ever met. Rodgers says this meeting led to Rodgers working with Bowie on Bowie’s 1983 smash album “Let’s Dance.”

Other people interviewed in the documentary include former MTV executive John Sykes, “Dancing With Myself” music video director David Mallet, Billy Idol friend/producer John Diaz and Billy Idol friend/personal assistant Art Natoli. The documentary has some anime-styled interludes instead of actors doing re-enactments of the stories told in the movie. “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” is competently made and is a very good introduction for people who are unfamiliar with Idol. Longtime fans will also like some of the interviews. However, it’s not an entirely comprehensive documentary since it tends to let Idol’s “bad boy” stories overshadow further insights into how he created music in his heyday.

Fremantle Media and Live Nation Productions released “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” in select U.S. cinemas on October 24, 2025.

Review: ‘Twinless,’ starring Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney

September 22, 2025

by Carla Hay

Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney in “Twinless” (Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

“Twinless”

Directed by James Sweeney

Culture Representation: Taking place in Portland, Oregon, and in Moscow, Idaho, the comedy/drama film “Twinless” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few Asians and African Americans) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: Two men become close friends after meeting in a therapy group for people grieving over the deaths of their twins, and one of the men has very disturbing secrets.

Culture Audience: “Twinless” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and dark comedies that are quirky and artistically made.

Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney in “Twinless” (Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

“Twinless” is a compelling mix of a twist-filled psychological thriller and a wickedly dark comedy. Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney give knockout performances as two friends who have a co-dependent relationship after meeting in group therapy. Some of the plot reveals are more surprising than others, but “Twinless” will still make viewers think about how grief and low-self-esteem can cause people to do extreme things.

Written and directed by Sweeney, “Twinless” had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and them screened at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. “Twinless” takes place mostly in Portland, Oregon (where the movie was filmed on location), and briefly in Moscow, Idaho. The story’s timeline is about one year and is told in non-chronological order.

In “Twinless,” Roman (played by O’Brien) and Dennis (played by Sweeney) meet in a Portland therapy group for people who are grieving the deaths of their respective twins. Roman has recently lost his identical twin Rocky (seen in flashbacks and also played by O’Brien), who died when Rocky was mowed down on the street by a hit-and-run driver. Roman’s permanent residence is his hometown of Moscow, Idaho, but he decided to stay a while in Portland (where Rocky lived) to settle some of the legal matters related to Rocky’s death.

Dennis says that he lost his identical twin Dean in a car accident. Dennis tells Roman that Dennis feels tremendous guilt about Dean’s death because Dean had been rushing in his car to pick up Dennis at an airport. Dennis feels that if he hadn’t scolded Dean over the phone for being late, then Dean might not have been speeding, and Dean might still be alive. Dennis says that he and Dean were so close, they were roommates in college.

Roman and Rocky were identical twins but had very different bachelor lifestyles, which led to Rocky and Roman being estranged at the time of Rocky’s death. Rocky was openly gay, had a comfortable job at a tech design firm, and was an intelligent college graduate who spent some time studying in Japan. By contrast, heterosexual Roman is a less-than-smart high school dropout, is frequently unemployed, and directionless in his life. Roman is the type of person who is unaware that his hometown of Moscow in Idaho isn’t the only city in the world with the name Moscow.

Before temporarily relocating to Portland, Roman lived with his prickly mother Lisa (played by Lauren Graham), who is in such deep grief over Rocky’s death, she’s in the type of depression where she finds it difficult to get out of bed. Roman, who always felt inferior to Rocky, perceives Lisa’s depression as an indication that she loved Rocky more than Roman. Other supporting cast members who have standout roles include Dennis’ perky and friendly co-worker Marcie (played by Aisling Franciosi), who works as a receptionist; a gay man named George (played by Chris Perfetti), who had been dating Rocky not long before Rocky died; and Charlotte (played by Tasha Smith), the wisecracking leader of the twin grief support group.

Dennis (who is openly gay and very sarcastic) and Roman (who is heterosexually macho and plain-speaking) quickly become close friends who bond over the losses of their respective twin brothers. About halfway through “Twinless,” it’s revealed that one of these pals has very dark and disturbing secrets that he wants to keep hidden by any means necessary. The well-paced and tension-filled “Twinless” (which has excellent cinematography from Greg Cotten, including artistic use of split-screen imagery) is a fascinating portrait of warped personal reinvention and how it can’t solve someone’s problems if that person still feels empty inside.

Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate released “Twinless” in U.S. cinemas on September 5, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on October 3, 2025.

Review: ‘Relay’ (2025), starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James and Sam Worthington

August 28, 2025

by Carla Hay

Riz Ahmed in “Relay” (Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street)

“Relay” (2025)

Directed by David Mackenzie

Culture Representation: Taking place in New York City and in New Jersey, the dramatic film “Relay” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some people of Middle Eastern heritage and a few African Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A mysterious loner, who works as a broker in financial settlements from corrupt companies, who uses a relay phone service for disabled people and finds himself getting personally involved with a whistleblower who has damaging information about a data provider company.  

Culture Audience: “Relay” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in well-acted thrillers about people fighting a corrupt system.

Lily James in “Relay” (Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street)

“Relay” has plenty of suspense and intrigue in this drama about a secretive broker of corrupt companies’ financial settlements and how he gets personally involved with a client. The movie goes a bit off the rails with a plot twist that’s hard to believe. Despite any flaws in the screenplay, the principal cast members carry the movie with their engaging performances.

Directed by David Mackenzie and written by Justin Piasecki, “Relay” had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and its U.S. premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The movie was filmed on location in New York City and in New Jersey, where the story takes place. It’s the type of movie where viewers should be paying attention to certain details, particularly in the beginning of the movie, in order to fully understand the plot twisty.

“Relay” begins by showing a transaction taking place in a New York City diner. A man named Hoffman (played by Matthew Maher) nervously enters the diner because he’s there to hand over a file of paperwork to someone. The person he’s meeting a corporate executive named McVie (played by Victor Garber), who has the smug and arrogant attitude of someone who’s accustomed to getting his way in life.

Before he hands over the file, Hoffman says to McVie about meeting McView in person: “I thought I’d get to see what evil really looks like, but you look like anyone else.” Hoffman gives the file to McVie and tells McVie that Hoffman’s representatives have a copy of the paperwork. Hoffman warns McVie that if anything happens to Hoffman, law enforcement will get a copy of the paperwork.

Hoffman then asks McVie to take a photo with him. McVie obliges this request and then leaaves. What is going on here? It’s later revealed McVie is an executive from Optimo Pharmaceuticals, and Hoffman is a whistleblower who handed over a phamaceutical report that had damning evidence about the company’s corruption. In exchange, Hoffman was paid a secret financial settlement.

The person who brokered this deal is someone whose name isn’t revealed until the last third of the movie. His name is Ash (played by Riz Ahmed), an enigmatic loner who works as a broker between corrupt companies that want to pay secret financial settlements to whistleblowers. Ash is not an attorney. His personal background information is revealed later in the movie.

After the paperwork exchange between Hoffman and McVie, Ash follows Hoffman through Grand Central Station. To disguise himself from anyone who might be following Ash, Ash changes his clothes from looking like a public transit worker to an everyday guy wearing a hooded sweatshirt and baseball cap.

When Ash goes back to the dingy apartment where he lives and works, he gets a phone call from an unidentified man who says: “We have the report back. You’ve been paid for your services. As long as Hoffman sticks to his side of the deal, we’re done. And by the way, message from my boss: ‘You’re parasitic scum.'”

Meanwhile, a research scientist named Sarah Grant (played by Lily James) has an in-person consultation meeting at the office of a New York City attorney named Mr. Morel (played by Seth Barrish) to see if he would be interested in taking her employee whistleblower case. Sarah explains that she was a senior research scientist at a St. Louis-based data provider company named Cybo Sementis, where she worked for almost 10 years.

Sarah worked on a team that was developing a new wheat strain resistant to insect predation, through precision breeding. The team noticed possible human food data issues and dangerous side effects. Sarah raised these issues with the company’s senior management. As a result, she was demoted and eventually fired.

Sarah took evidence of the company’s corruption and still has this evidence. Mr. Morel says that if she took any company records without consent, it could be considered theft. Sarah says she’s aware of this, which is why she wants to return the evidence in exchange for a confidential financial settlement with Cybo Sementis. Mr. Morel says his law firm wouldn’t be able to take a case, but he knows of “unofficial channels” that can settle this matter.

Mr. Morel gives Sarah a phone number to an anonymous answering service that turns out to be the way to contact Ash. In order to keep his identity and any phone conversations that he as untraceable as possible, Ash uses the Tri-State Relay Service, a call center for hearing-impaired, nonverbal, or have other disabilities. At the Tri-State Relay Service, telephone agents speak words that a caller types out on a screen.

The Tri-State Relay Service has a privacy policy to not record or document the phone calls that come through the company’s call center. And the people who use the relay service are guaranteed confidentiality. Ash is not disabled but her uses the relay service so he doesn’t have to have his voice (disguised or undisguised) heard by the people he’s communicating with on the phone .

A great deal of “Relay” is about the conversations that Ash and Sarah have using Tri-State Relay Service. Ash establishes some rules early on his conversations with Sarah. His number one rule is to obey his orders exactly, no matter how strange the orders might be. It’s all very “cloak and dagger” but Ash has reasons to believe that all of he and his whistleblower clients should be paranoid.

Sarah is constantly being followed by a shady group of four people who appear to work for Cybo Sementis: Dawson (played by Sam Worthington), the group’s leader, sometimes acts like he’s a law enforcement official when he tries to get information. The other people in the group are Rosetti (played by Willa Fitzgerald), Ryan (played by Jared Abrahamson) and Lee (played by Pun Bandhu), who all use various tactics to keep tabs on Sarah. This quartet also seems to want to undermine Ash.

“Relay” has a “race against time” aspect because Cybo Sementis is on the verge of being acquired. The company is valued at $3.2 billion. Needless to say, the company is under intense pressure to squash any negative information before this sale. Sarah’s evidence is damaging enough to permanently ruin Cybo Sementis.

There are many unanswered questions about Ash with only a few details given during the course of the movie. One of them is that he goes to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. His AA sponsor is a woman named Wash (played Eisa Davis), who helps him when he’s going through some tough moments.

Ash has a rule to not get emotionally involved with his clients. But over time, he becomes very attracted to Sarah. There are early signs of this attraction when Ash keeps looking at the dating app where Sarah has a profile, and he checks her social media to see what kind of social life that she has.

“Relay” can get a little repetitive and dragged-out over this document exchange. The movie stretches the plot because the settlement negotiations (with Dawson as the negotiator for Cybo Sementis) are difficult. The terms of the settlement keep changing. Ahmed and Lily are the obvious standout cast members, because the relationship between Ash and Sarah is the driving force of the story.

When “Relay” is at its best, the performances, editing and cinematography elevate the movie. The plot twist doesn’t ruin the film but it does seem like a twist that’s very contrived and brings up questions that “Relay” doesn’t bother to answer. However, up until this point, “Relay” delivers as a tension-filled thriller that has a lot to say about the dirty business of white-collar corruption.

Bleecker Street released “Relay” in U.S. cinemas on August 22, 2025. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on August 11, 1025.

Review: ‘East of Wall,’ starring Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle

August 26, 2025

by Carla Hay

Tabatha Zimiga in “East of Wall” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

“East of Wall”

Directed by Kate Beecroft

Culture Representation: Taking place in South Dakota, the dramatic film “East of Wall” (loosely based on the lives of real people) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some Native Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A widowed mother struggles to keep her horse ranch in business, as she deals with family issues and the dilemma of whether or not to sell the ranch.  

Culture Audience: “East of Wall” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in movies about horse owners and female-led working-class ranch families who are not often depicted in movies.

Jennifer Ehle in “East of Wall” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

“East of Wall” is a quietly impressive “slice of life” semi-biographical drama about the struggles of a widow to keep her ranch in business and her family intact. Some viewers will think the movie is too slow-paced, but the performances have real grit. Many of the “East of Wall” cast members are non-professional actors who are depicting versions of themselves.

Written and directed by Kate Beecroft, “East of Wall” had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where the movie won the NEXT Audience Award. “East Wall” also screened at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The movie takes place in the Badlands region of South Dakota, where “East of Wall” was filmed on location. Beecroft got the idea for the movie after spending time at the real-life South Dakota horse ranch of the movie’s protagonist.

“East of Wall,” which is filmed almost documentary style, shows a few weeks in the life of Tabatha Zimiga (playing a version of herself) and the people who are closest to her. Tabatha is a widow whose husband John died the previous year. His cause of death is revealed later in the movie. The movie is titled “East of Wall” because Tabatha lives in an unnamed town that’s east of the city of Wall, South Dakota.

Tabatha (who has a feisty but empathetic personality) inherited a 3,000-acre horse ranch that was previously owned by John. She lives at the ranch with her three biological children: son Skylar (played by Wyatt Mansfield), who’s about 17 or 18; daughter Porshia (played by Porshia Zimiga, Tabatha Zimiga’s real-life daughter), who’s about 15 or 16; and 3-year-old son Stetson (played by Stetson Neumann), who is non-verbal. John was the biological father of Stetson, while Porshia and Skylar have different biological fathers who are not in their lives.

Tabatha was an underage teen when she had Skylar. As for Porshia’s biological father, what happened to him is described later in the movie. Tabatha’s youngest child Stetson is technically the heir to the ranch, but since he isn’t old enough to operate it, Tabatha has taken ownership of it. The ranch’s horses are healthy and trained, but they’re not the types of horses that can be considered racing champions or high-breed show horses.

Several wayward teenagers (about seven to nine boys and girls), who are orphaned or who have neglectful parents, also live at the ranch. Some of the teens are almost like unofficial foster children who live at the ranch full-time, while others live at the ranch part-time and come and go as they please. The teenagers help Tabatha, Porshia and Skylar with taking care of the horses and the rest of the ranch.

Tabatha is especially close to a teenager named Jesse Stanz (played by Jesse Thorson) and wants to become his legal guardian. Jesse’s father has been in prison for the past three years. Jesse’s biological mother is unable to take care of him for reasons that aren’t stated in the movie.

Jesse has some issues at his school: He’s close to failing because of an absentee problem. An early scene in the movie shows Tabatha scolding Jesse to be responsible and attend his classes, so he won’t flunk out of school. Much later, “East of Wall” shows Tabatha and Jess in a family court to hear a judge’s decision on whether or not Tabatha can be Jesse’s legal guardian.

Another member of this unconventional family is Tabatha’s bachelorette mother Tracey (played by Jennifer Ehle), a chain-smoking, hard-drinking raconteur who is proud of her homemade moonshine. Tracey doesn’t want to be a traditional grandmother, but she provides no-nonsense emotional support to the people in her life who need it. Tracey is also very protective of her loved ones.

Tabatha has a live-in boyfriend name Clay (played by Clay Pateneaude), whom she’s been dating for the past 18 months. Clay, who’s about 10 years younger than Tabatha, gets along well with everyone and works on the ranch as a horse trainer. He is a loyal and respectful partner. However, in this movie, Clay doesn’t have enough screen time for viewers to get to know more about him.

Much of “East of Wall” is about showing the process of selling the ranch’s horses at horse shows. Porshia and some of the other teenage girls do horse-riding tricks at these shows, in order to entice customers. The teenagers also film themselves riding the horses, or the horses running around at the ranch. The teens post these horse videos on TikTok, as a marketing technique.

Despite these extra efforts to boost sales, Tabatha’s horse ranch is struggling to stay in business because Tabatha’s horses are selling for less than what she needs to make profits. One day at a horse show, Tabatha gets a highly unusual sale for one of her horses: The horse that was being auctioned off went from a $2,000 bid to a $7,000 bid from an enthusiastic buyer.

The buyer is a smooth-talking rancher named Roy Waters (played by Scoot McNairy) from Fort Worth, Texas. After buying the horse, Roy sends a thank-you note to Tabatha and tells her that the horse is great. And then, days later, Roy shows up at the ranch unannounced.

Roy is amiable but he eventually reveals he has an ulterior motive for this sudden friendliness: He wants to buy Tabatha’s ranch. He assures Tabatha that she and all the current ranch workers will keep their jobs under his ownership. Roy also promises that he will give the ranch major upgrades because he can afford it.

Tabatha could really use the money that Roy is offering, and she likes the idea of someone else paying for the upgrades that the ranch needs. However, Tabatha is hesitant to sell the ranch because she wants to keep the ranch ownership in her family. Tabatha feels that selling the ranch would be betraying the legacy of her late husband John.

Roy is especially friendly to Porshia in a slightly creepy way. It’s not because he’s trying to take advantage of Porshia like a predator. Porshia figures out quickly that Roy had a teenage daughter who committed suicide. Without saying it out loud, Roy thinks Porshia reminds him of his daughter. Tabatha isn’t completely comfortable with why Roy likes to spend time with Porshia.

“East of Wall” ambles along, with stops and starts into scenes that look scripted, while other scenes look very improvised. Some of the film’s scenes are very mundane, while others crackle with emotional intensity. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Tracey, Tabatha and several local women are gathered around a fire and share traumatic stories from their personal lives.

“East of Wall” also admirably depicts relationships between the three generations of women in Tabatha’s family. Tracey, Tabatha and Porshia all have mother/daughter squabbles with each other. But they all have an unshakeable love for each other, amid their painful scars from abuse and trauma.

There’s not much of a plot in “East of Wall.” And there are no real surprises in the movie. But thanks to the cast members’ performances—particularly Tabatha Zimiga and Ehle, who are very compelling to watch—”East of Wall” has a raw, authentic and lived-in quality to it. The movie is a not about making any grand statements about life. It’s about showing what people can do when life doesn’t go smoothly and there aren’t always easy answers to problems.

Sony Pictures Classics released “East of Wall” in select U.S. cinemas on August 15, 2025. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on August 4, 2025.

Review: ‘The Rose: Come Back to Me,’ starring Woosung ‘Sammy’ Kim, Dojoon ‘Leo’ Park, Taegyeom ‘Jeff’ Lee and Hajoon ‘Dylan’ Lee

August 7, 2025

by Carla Hay

Dojoon “Leo” Park, Taegyeom “Jeff” Lee (in white suit), Woosung “Sammy” Kim and Hajoon “Dylan” Lee in “The Rose: Come Back to Me” (Photo by Richard Hama/Wavelength Productions)

“The Rose: Come Back to Me”

Directed by Eugene Yi

Some language in Korean with subtitles

Culture Representation: The documentary film “The Rose Come Back to Me” (filmed from 2023 to 2024) features a predominantly Asian group of people (with some white people) who are connected in some way to The Rose, a South Korean rock band.

Culture Clash: The members of The Rose have had battles with their former record label, their former management and various personal issues in their aim to stay true to themselves to not be exploited.

Culture Audience: “The Rose: Come Back to Me” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in documentaries about independent rock artists and music from South Korea.

Taegyeom “Jeff” Lee, Hajoon “Dylan” Lee, Dojoon “Leo” Park and Woosung “Sammy” Kim in “The Rose: Come Back to Me” (Photo by Richard Hama/Wavelength Productions)

“The Rose: Come Back to Me” is a formulaic but charming biographical documentary about this resilient rock band. The concert scenes are electrifying. And the Rose band members are forthright about their flaws. The movie hits a lot of familiar beats about the ups and downs of music artists who experience conflicts and challenges while trying to hold on to artistic integrity and creative freedom.

Directed by Eugene Yi, “The Rose: Come Back to Me” had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The documentary was filmed from late 2023 to early 2025. There are also archival clips from other sources.

“The Rose: Come Back to Me” begins with a highlight from The Rose’s career so far: the band’s first performance at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. Fittingly, the song performed in this scene is The Rose’s “Back to Me.” The movie then shows the band’s story and how the Rose got to this milestone festival gig.

The Rose was formed South Korea in 2017. The band had quick success that year when the band’s music video for the single “Sorry” became a viral hit on You Tube. The Rose also grew its fan base through touring. The band signed with J&Star Company, a combination of a record label and a management company. By the end of 2018, The Rose had released two EPs: “Void” and “Dawn,” which yielded the respective hit singles “Baby” and “She’s in the Rain.” Then, there was the 2019 singles compilation album “Red,” which included the title track. All were hits in South Korea.

Although “The Rose: Come Back to Me” is very much about the band, the movie has very good editing that allows each member of The Rose to tell his personal story. All of the members of the band were born in South Korea. However, lead singer Woosung “Sammy” Kim was raised in the Los Angeles area, and is the only member of The Rose who is a U.S. citizen.

The four members of the band are:

  • Woosung “Sammy” Kim, born in 1993, is the band’s charismatic lead singer. He had a background in DSP Media training to be a K-pop artist (he came in third place on South Korea’s “K-Pop Star” in 2012), but he quit the K-pop training program in order to pursue a music career that is authentic to who he is. In a documentary interview, Kim says that he had a “yo-yo diet” and felt “depressed” during K-Pop training experience. “I felt like a robot,” he adds.
  • Dojoon “Leo” Park, born in 1993, is the band’s guitarist/keyboardist and is credited with being the driving force for the band’s songwriting. Park started out as a street busker in the 2010s and was also briefly a DSP Media trainee in K-pop.
  • Taegyeom “Jeff” Lee, born in 1994, is the band’s bass guitarist, who has a sensitive and deep-thinking personality. His father, San Hyung Lee (a former professional musician), who is seen playing music with Jeff in the documentary, encouraged Jeff to become a musician. In the documentary, Jeff (who is also actor) candidly talks about his mental health struggles with depression.
  • Hajoon “Dylan” Lee, born in 1994, is the band’s drummer. He is the quietest one in the band and the one who says the least about his personal life. However, its obvious that rhythm section members Dylan and Jeff have a close bond with each other.

Kim (who met Park through K-pop training) was the last one to join The Rose. Park, Jeff and Dylan were previously a busking trio named Windfall. The documentary includes The Rose discussing one of the band’s most difficult challenges. In 2019, The Rose sued J&Star Company for lack of payment. J&Star Company countersued. The lawsuit put The Rose on a forced hiatus, during which Park, Jeff and Dylan went into South Korean military service, which requires South Korean able-bodied South Korean male citizens between the ages of 18 to 28 to serve for 18 to 21 months.

After the lawsuit was settled in The Rose’s favor in 2022, The Rose signed with new management Transparent Arts. The band regrouped and mounted a resurgence, with the release of the albums “Heal” (2022) and “Dual” (2023). The Rose’s EP “WRLD” was released in May 2025. The band members express camaraderie with each other and gratitude for their fans throughout the documentary. Although the band’s hiatus and legal battles were emotionally stressful, the members of The Rose also say that these learning experiences made them stronger when the band members reunited.

“The Rose: Come Back to Me” keeps the documentary interviews limited to the band members and people in The Rose’s inner circle. Kim’s mother Hannah Persi is briefly in the documentary, where she shows some childhood photos of him. Music producer Zakk Cervini and Transparent Arts executives Daniel Park, Rachel Seokyung Lee, Kirby Lee, Kevin Nishimura, James Roh and Virman Coquia are among those who share their positive thoughts on The Rose. Nishimura, Roh and Coquia had fame in the 2010s, as members of the hip-hop group Far East Movement (best known for the 2010 hit “Like G6”), and they mention that they want to help give Asian artists the types of opportunities that didn’t exist for Far East Movement.

During songwriting sessions, the documentary shows Park taking the lead for composing music and melodies, while Kim is the band’s chief lyricist. As such, Park and Kim seem to have a special bond with each other, just like rhythm section Jeff and Dylan are closer to each other than the other members of The Rose. It’s an interpersonal dynamic that the band accepts and doesn’t try to change.

However, in the documentary, The Rose doesn’t hide that there’s been internal friction because Kim, as the heartthrob lead singer, gets most of the attention. It’s mentioned in the documentary that J&Star Company attempted to drive a wedge between Kim and his band mates because J&Star Company wanted Kim to leave The Rose to become a solo artist. Kim refused to leave The Rose, but band relations got so bad at the time, J&Star Company would only communicate with the band through Kim. This dysfunction led to harmful gossip and a lot of tension, says Kim.

The band also talks about weathering the storm of controversy that erupted in 2023, when Kim’s 2016 arrest and conviction for marijuana possession were made public. Kim pled guilty to the charge and received a suspended sentence for possessing a small amount of marijuana. South Korea’s travel visa approval laws are stricter than other countries, when it comes to approving a visa for someone with past drug conviction. Kim’s drug conviction could have put The Rose’s touring plans in jeopardy. He has made several public apologies, but the documentary shows he still feels a little guilty about how this drug conviction could have ruined the band’s ability to do performances outside of South Korea.

Earlier in his life, Kim overcame another major obstacle. In the documentary, he talks about when he was a teenager living in the United States, his dream was to become an American football player. However, after he dislocated his shoulder while playing football and had surgery, medical professionals told him that he could no longer play football. To cope with his disappointment, he started to listen to more music, which he said healed him emotionally and set him on a path to becoming a professional musician.

In a documentary interview, Park vividly remembers an experience in his busker days, when he took a risk and sang Jason Mraz’s 2005 song “A Beautiful Mess,” instead of better-known pop tune that would’ve gotten Park more audience donations. Park says he was so nervous to perform this song, he started singing it with his eyes closed, but when he opened his eyes, he saw about 30 people standing in front of him and enjoying his performance. Park says that was a moment when he learned to trust his musical instincts.

It’s a recurring theme in the movie: Artists staying true to themselves, even when when it’s easier to make money by following trends or when there are naysayers, critics and so-called “experts” telling the artists to do something that is not authentic. “The Rose: Come Back to Me” has the expected scenes of the band performing, rehearsing, writing songs and interacting with fans. But the movie’s biggest inspiration and takeway is that this band survived and thrived by not compromising who The Rose is.

Wavelength Productions will release “The Rose: Come Back to Me” in Los Angeles on August 8, 2025. CJ 4DPLEX will release the movie worldwide sometime in 2026.

Review: ‘Oh, Hi!’ (2025), starring Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, and John Reynolds

July 23, 2025

by Carla Hay

Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon in “Oh, Hi!” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

“Oh, Hi!” (2025)

Directed by Sophie Brooks

Culture Representation: Taking place in upstate New York, the comedy/drama film “Oh, Hi!” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with one multiracial/Asian person and one African American) representing the middle-class.

Culture Clash: During a romantic getaway trip during a weekend, a woman finds out that the man she’s been dating doesn’t want a serious relationship with her, so she ties him to a bed and tells him to give her 12 hours to change his mind.

Culture Audience: “Oh, Hi!” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of stars the movie’s headliners and quirky romantic satires.

John Reynolds and Geraldine Viswanathan in “Oh, Hi!” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

“Oh, Hi!” would’ve been better as a short film. However, this dark comedy is an effective satire of desperation to be in a committed love relationship. This movie is a counterpoint to reality dating shows that force happy endings for questionable romances. “Oh, Hi!” isn’t for everyone. It’s the type of movie that people who dislike it will really hate it. It’s not a movie that’s easy to love, but it’s best appreciated by people who are more likely to tolerate or like unconventional dramedies about romance.

Written and directed by Sophie Brooks, “Oh, Hi!” had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and its New York premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The movie takes place in upstate New York, where “Oh, Hi!” was filmed on location. It’s a movie that could easily have been a play because most of the story takes place at one house and has a very small number of people in the cast.

“Oh, Hi!” begins by showing the two people at the center of the story as they take a romantic getaway trip by car to the lakeside farmhouse that they’ve rented for a three-day weekend. Iris (played by Molly Gordon) and Isaac (played by Logan Lerman), whose occupations aren’t mentioned in the movie, have been dating each other for four months and seem to be very happy together. During the car ride, where they take turns driving, they sing along to “Islands in the Stream,” the 1983 hit duet recorded by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.

On the way to the house, they stop to buy strawberries from an outside stall. The seller is a farm vendor named Syd (played by Diana Irvine), who openly flirts with Issac, who also flirts back. Iris notices this flirtation and looks a little uncomfortable. It’s the first sign that Isaac might not be as enamored with Iris as she is with him. When Isaac drives away, he accidentally knocks over the vendor stand.

At the lake house, things start off very well. Iris and Isaac are sexually intimate, they have fun frolicking in the lake, and they cook meals together. They have playful conversations about a variety of topics.

While Iris and Isaac are swimming and kissing in the lake, they have a tense encounter with a grumpy neighbor named Steve (played by David Cross), who stands at the edge of the lake and scolds them because he thinks they’re having sex in public and tells them it’s illegal. Iris and Isaac deny this false accusation, as Iris points out that she’s wearing a one-piece swimsuit, so it would be hard for them to be having sexual intercourse at that moment. Steve walks away but still acts as if he’s the self-appointed neighborhood watch patrol.

When Isaac and Iris first arrived at the house, they noticed that the bedroom closet had some sex bondage gear, including a bondage outfit and handcuffs. Iris and Isaac decide to try out some of this bondage in their next sexual encounter. Isaac agrees to be have his hands handcuffed to the bed.

After they have sex, Iris tells Isaac: “I didn’t expect things to be this easy. Our first trip as a couple.” Isaac shakes his head as if he can’t believe what he’s hearing. He tells Iris, “I think you’re great. I’m just not looking for a relationship right now.” Isaac quickly finds out that this is not the smartest thing to say to Iris while he’s handcuffed to a bed.

Isaac and Iris then argue about their expectations for the relationship. And it’s obvious there was major miscommunication between them. In a previous conversation that’s not seen in the movie, Iris had told Isaac that she wouldn’t have unprotected sex with him if he was sleeping with other women. Isaac thought Iris meant she wouldn’t have unprotected sex with him if he was having unprotected sex with other women. He didn’t think Iris meant that she expected Isaac to be in an exclusive relationship with Iris.

Iris is reeling from finding out that Isaac doesn’t want the type of relationship with her that she wants to have. She refuses his repeated requests to uncuff him. Instead, Iris leaves the room to call her unnamed divorced mother (played by Polly Draper) to tell her that the man she thought was her exclusive boyfriend doesn’t want to have that type of relationship with her and doesn’t even want them to be considered a “couple.” Iris’ mother tells Iris that men sometimes don’t know what they want, and she advises Iris to convince Isaac to be in the type of relationship that Iris wants.

And then this is the part of the movie that people will know if they want to continue watching: Iris takes this advice too far by telling Isaac that she won’t uncuff him because he needs to give Iris 12 hours to try to change his mind. Most of “Oh, Hi!” shows what happens during the time that Isaac is handcuffed to the bed. If that doesn’t spark your curiosity, then “Oh, Hi!” is definitely not the movie for you.

The movie’s opening scene actually shows what happens 33 hours after the car trip, when Isaac is already unwillingly handcuffed. Iris’ loyal best friend Max (played by Geraldine Viswanathan) shows up at the house for a friendly visit. When Iris answers the door, Max says, “Oh, hi!” A worried-looking Iris confesses to Max: “I did something bad.”

The movie then circles back to that moment when Max arrives and finds out what Iris did to Isaac, who is still handcuffed to the bed. Max has brought her laid-back boyfriend Kenny (played by John Reynolds) with her. After some debate and discussion, with full knowledge that this situation is the crime of unlawful imprisonment, it’s decided between Iris, Max and Kenny that it’s better for them not to risk letting Isaac go because they know he will report this crime to law enforcement.

Any comedy in “Oh, Hi!” is intentionally cringeworthy and not traditional laugh-out-loud joking. Lerman is entirely believable as the perplexed and increasingly alarmed Isaac, while Gordon (who is one of the producers of the movie) handles the role of unhinged Iris with a certain aplomb. Although the movie has a scene where Iris and Isaac briefly talk about past heartbreaks, there’s nothing in that conversation that could prepare or warn Isaac about what Iris ends up doing to him.

“Oh, Hi!” isn’t a horror movie. It’s very much a satire that makes some sly digs at the age-old romantic movie stereotype of someone in a relationship who doesn’t want to be fully committed to the relationship, while the other person in the relationship wants a full commitment. Many people in these situations feel trapped and forced to make a decision within a certain time period. And there are many reality dating shows that create the same scenario that Iris creates for Isaac, except these shows don’t handcuff people to beds.

The most ridiculous part of “Oh, Hi!” involves a spell ritual where Max contacts a self-described witch friend named Cynthia (played by Sabrina Friedman-Seitz) for assistance. It’s a distracting detour that thankfully does not take up most of the movie. “Oh, Hi!” is a somewhat strange and often-unpredictable film that’s mostly watchable for anyone who is interested to see how this story ends. Don’t expect anything too extreme, because even among the absurdity, “Oh, Hi!” still has some uncomfortable truths that are grounded in reality.

Sony Pictures Classics will release “Oh, Hi!” in U.S. cinemas on July 25, 2025. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on July 7 and July 23, 2025.

Review: ‘Everything’s Going to Be Great,’ starring Allison Janney, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Bryan Cranston, Jack Champion and Chris Cooper

July 12, 2025

by Carla Hay

Bryan Cranston and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth in “Everything’s Going to Be Great” (Photo by Peter H. Stranks/Lionsgate)

“Everything’s Going to Be Great”

Directed by Jon S. Baird

Culture Representation: Taking place from 1989 to 1990, in Ohio, New Jersey, and Kansas, the comedy/drama film “Everything’s Going to Be Great” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people and on Asian person) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A husband and a wife, who have opposite personalities and work as managers of regional performing arts theaters, juggle conflicts in their marriage and conflicts between their two teenage sons, who also have opposite personalities.

Culture Audience: “Everything’s Going to Be Great” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of stars Allison Janney and Bryan Cranston and sometimes-quirky stories about people who love musical theater.

Chris Cooper and Allison Janney in “Everything’s Going to Be Great” (Photo by Peter H. Stranks/Lionsgate)

“Everything’s Going to Be Great” sometimes struggles with balancing comedy and drama in a story about an eccentric family of regional theater managers. However, the principal cast performances enliven an occasionally trite and wandering narrative. The family dynamics in the movie are consistently believable.

Directed by Jon S. Baird and written by Steven Rogers, “Everything’s Going to Be Great” had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The movie takes place from 1989 to 1990, in Ohio, New Jersey, and Kansas. “Everything’s Going to Be Great” was actually filmed in the Canadian province of Ontario.

In the beginning of “Everything’s Going to Be Great,” it’s the spring of 1989 in Akron, Ohio. Buddy Smart (played by Bryan Cranston) is in a middle-school principal’s office with his 14-year-old son Lester “Les” Smart (played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Principal Franklin (played by Cady Huffman) in a meeting to discuss some disciplinary issues about Les at this school. Les is a school misfit who has made some people uncomfortable.

As Principal Franklin explains to Buddy, during a physical education class that was discussing angina during a CPR training session, Les blurted out that “Vaginas make his flesh creep,” says the principal. In Les’ history class, he was assigned a one-page report on the Manifest Destiny. Instead, he turned in a nine-page musical titled “Les Wiz,” set during the French Revolution and inspired by “Les Misérables” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

Buddy scoffs at these complaints and doesn’t think that they’re serious enough for the school principal to have this meeting. “Isn’t nine pages better than one?” Buddy somewhat sarcastically asks Principal Franklin. The principal asks Les to leave the room so that she can talk to Buddy privately.

Principal Franklin tells Buddy that he has to consider the possibility that Les is gay. She says it in a tone as if being gay is something to be ashamed of or is a mental health problem. Buddy says defiantly, “In theater, we don’t care about people’s race or sexuality. [We care] only if they are talented.” Principal Franklin tries to finish the sentence by saying the word “Christian” when Buddy says “talented.”

In the hallway, outside the principal’s office, Les imagines that he sees the late playwright/composer Noël Coward (played by Mark Caven) and is having a conversation with him. Les has these types of short imaginary conversations with different deceased celebrity entertainers throughout the movie, including actress Ruth Gordon (played by Chick Reid), actress Tallulah Bankhead (played by Laura Benanti) and playwright/novelist William Inge (played by David MacLean). It’s a fairly cute gimmick that is sometimes distracting in this movie.

After the meeting with the school principal ends, Les complains to Buddy, “I hate this school. No one gets me.” Buddy tells Les, “You’re a weirdo. It’s not their fault.” Buddy also says that when he was Les’ age, he was an actor too and didn’t fit in at his school either. Buddy assures Les that Les will find “his people” when he goes to high school.

How much of a musical fanatic is Les? During live performances at the theaters that his parents manage, Les frequently walks on stage uninvited and unannounced and joins the cast in performing. An early scene in the movie shows Les doing this type of “stage crashing” during a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof.” These interruptions annoy the cast, crew and Les’ mother, but Buddy is more tolerant because he understands Les’ enthusiasm.

Things in the Smart family household are also fraught with tension because Buddy and his wife Macy Smart (played by Allison Janney) are financially struggling and are having many arguments about it. Although the spouses share a love of musical theater, they have opposite personalities. Buddy is an optimist who believes that their problems will eventually be solved. Macy is a pessimist who has become jaded and bitter that they haven’t been able to achieve their dream of producing Broadway musicals.

Buddy and Macy are also fundamentally different when it comes to religion. Buddy is an atheist or agnostic, while Macy is a devoutly religious Christian. Conversations in the movie give indications why Buddy is not religious. It’s mentioned that Buddy’s single mother abandoned him when he was 4 years old, and he was raised by two aunts who were religious fanatics and very cruel to Buddy.

Buddy and Macy have another son—16-year-old Derrick (played by Jack Champion)—who is the opposite of Les. Derrick is a popular football player with a steady girlfriend at his high school, he hates musical theater, and he’s very heterosexual. When an opportunity comes up for the Buddy and Macy to relocate to New Jersey to manage the regional Barn Theater, Derrick is the only one in the family who doesn’t want to move from where they live in Ohio. “All I want is to play football and lose my virginity,” Derrick says.

This job opportunity comes with risks and challenges. It’s a temporary job where the Barn Theater’s owner Ed Monroe (played by Michael Hanrahan) has hired them for the summer to see if Buddy and Macy can boost the theater’s dwindling business. If Buddy and Macy and turn around the theater’s fortune for the better, the spouses will be hired on a permanent basis and get the opportunity to manage his Players Theater in Milwaukee.

Buddy is the most enthusiastic person in the family about this new job offer, but Macy is worried and isn’t easily convinced that it’s is a good idea. For starters, they can’t afford a place to live in New Jersey. And if they don’t get hired on a permanent basis, they’ll be financially ruined.

After some back-and-forth arguing between the spouses, Macy agrees to this relocation. Les is obviously excited about the move because he doesn’t like his life in Akron. In New Jersey, the Smart family ends up illegally squatting in a house. Macy found out through a real-estate connection that the house’s owners will be away for a while and don’t have anyone checking up on the house.

“Everything’s Going to Be Great” shows what happens when the Smart family unexpectedly has to move in with Macy’s farmer brother Walter (played by Chris Cooper) in Macy’s home state of Kansas. The movie takes a much more serious tone during the scenes where the family is in Kansas, and the focus shifts to how Les and Derrick adjust to life at their Kansas high school. Simon Rex has a small but pivotal role as a Barn Theater actor named Kyle.

“Everything’s Going to Be Great” has many of its best-acted scenes with Cranston as Buddy, an unconventional dreamer who is a loving parent but who is often so consumed with his passion for musical theater, it’s taken a toll on his marriage. Whether Buddy is playing bagpipes with Les on a front lawn or encouraging Les’ musical aspirations, it’s a great depiction of unconditional parental love. Janney gives a realistically acerbic performance a Macy, who has become resentful that her life did not turn out the way that she expected and who has insecurities about her physical appearance.

Ainsworth’s portrayal of Les is impressive, even though the movie seems like it can’t decide between telling the story from Les’ perspective or the perspective of his parents. Les’ imaginary conversations with some of his dead idols sometimes seem out-of-place and make him look like a “twee fantasy” kid when there could have been a better exploration of his creative side. There’s that brief mention in the beginning of the movie that he wrote a “Les Wiz” musical, but then the movie doesn’t show any more indications that Les has an artistic side to him, other than being an actor. Any flaws in “Everything’s Going to Be Great” are outweighed by the movie’s mostly capable and engaging way of depicting a family that you can easily imagine as being inspired by people who existed in real life.

Lionsgate released “Everything’s Going to be Great” in U.S. cinemas on June 20, 2025. The movie was released on digital and VOD on July 11, 2025.

Review: ‘Sovereign’ (2025), starring Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Mann, Nancy Travis, Martha Plimpton and Dennis Quaid

July 9, 2025

by Carla Hay

Jacob Tremblay and Nick Offerman in “Sovereign” (Photo courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment)

“Sovereign” (2025)

Directed by Christian Swegal

Culture Representation: Taking place in 2010, in the United States, the dramatic film “Sovereign” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some Latin people and black people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: Jerry Kane and his 15-year-old son present debt-elimination seminars for the anti-government sovereign citizen movement, and they become embroiled in increasingly dangerous law-breaking activities.

Culture Audience: “Sovereign” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, true crime movies and dramas about radical anti-government extremists.

Dennis Quaid in “Sovereign” (Photo courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment)

Based on true events, “Sovereign” is a tension-filled drama about the mental unraveling of an American anti-government extremist and the indoctrination of his teenage son. The movie has an effective depiction of disillusionment that spirals into violence. The discontent shown by the father isn’t entirely felt by the son, who begins to show indications that he doubts his father’s radical beliefs.

Written and directed by Christian Swegal, “Sovereign” is his feature-film directorial debut. The movie had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. “Sovereign,” which takes place in 2010, is based on the true story of widower Jerry Kane and his teenage son Joseph “Joe” Kane, whose fates are shown at the end of the movie. Jerry Kane and Joe Kane were part of the sovereign citizen movement, which believes that an individual’s rights supersede many government laws.

“Sovereign” (which was filmed in Arkansas) changes a few details in the movie from what happened in real life. In the movie, Jerry Kane (played by Nick Offerman) and Joe Kane (played by Jacob Tremblay) have life-changing encounters with law enforcement in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In real life, these encounters took place in West Memphis, Arkansas. In the movie, Joe is 15 years old, not 16 years old, which was the age that the real Joe Kane was at the time certain events took place in 2010.

Jerry is constantly angry at the government and believes that governments can’t be trusted because “they lie to you.” He speaks in deliberate and measured tones, that can turn into shouting when he loses his temper. Jerry has a parenting style where he praises introverted Joe (his only son) but also gruffly teaches Joe to follow and believe everything that Jerry says. Jerry calls Joe a “boy genius” but Jerry has contempt for Jerry’s deceased father. Jerry tells Joe that Jerry’s father “turned into a coward” who believed in following government rules.

Joe’s mother died when Joe was 10 years old. The movie doesn’t state her cause of death, but in real life, she died of pneumonia. “That’s the one thing your mom and I did right,” Jerry tells Joe. “We made you. You are a true love child.” There are indications that Joe is starting to doubt what Jerry teaches, but Joe’s needs to have his father’s respect and approval prevent Joe from openly questioning Jerry.

People in the sovereign citizen movement don’t believe in paying taxes or following laws and other government rules. One of the things that Jerry tries to instill into Joe is that as state citizens, they don’t have to follow federal laws. But Jerry also comes up with excuses not to follow state laws too. For example, Jerry doesn’t have a driver’s license because he thinks he has the right to drive without a license simply because he knows how to drive.

In the beginning of the movie, the Kanes’ mortgaged house is in foreclosure. A financial institution called Sun Mutual Bank will seize ownership of the house, which will be auctioned off in 30 days. Jerry owes $38,400 plus interest to the bank.

“The bank is just a clearinghouse,” Jerry tells Joe. “They don’t hold the underlying note.” Jerry says that he’s going to file an affidavit of truth to get back control of the house. Jerry has trained Joe (who is homeschooled) on what to do if officials show up at the house when Jerry isn’t there. Later in the movie, Jerry is shown representing himself in court. It goes as badly as you would expect.

Jerry used to be a roofer, but he currently makes money by doing traveling seminars with Joe on how to eliminate debt. These seminars are really just lectures on the sovereign citizenship movement and how to avoid paying debts by ignoring laws. These speaking appearances preach to the converted or try to recruit those who are curious and interested.

Jerry and Joe wear white suits at these seminars, as if they’re actual preachers. But what they preach is a radical form of government resistance that includes telling followers that the name that the government has for someone is merely a “straw man” that doesn’t reflect that person’s true identity. Jerry says during a seminar lecture: “What we’re after is not fighting. It’s conquering. I mean, I don’t want to kill anybody. But if they keep messing with me, I’m afraid that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Meanwhile, as Jerry is mentoring Joe in the business of being a recruiter in the sovereign citizen movement, another father is also mentoring his son who is in his father’s same line of work. John Bouchart (played by Dennis Quaid) is police chief of the Tulsa Police Department, where his son Adam Bouchart (played by Thomas Mann) is a police officer. John, who has a no-nonsense personality on the job, first encounters Jerry in a police interrogation room after Jerry gets pulled over on the road for traffic violations and is arrested.

Jerry’s financial struggles and his feud with the bank and set off a chain of events that turns into a tragedy. Jerry’s rage at the government also has a lot to do with his troubled background (including previous criminal record) that is mentioned but not fully detailed in the movie. Jerry seems to blame government for the death of his baby daughter named Charity, who was born several years before John was born. A scene in the movie shows Joe getting upset when Jerry prays out loud to Charity while Joe is in the same room.

In another scene in the movie Jerry mentions that he has an addictive personality and he’s been “clean and sober” for several years. Whatever substances that Jerry was addicted to in the past, “Sovereign” shows with unflinching intensity that he is now addicted to the sovereign citizen movement. One of his enablers is a sovereign citizen movement follower named Lesley Anne (played by Martha Plimpton), who has a “friends with benefits” relationship with Jerry. Lesley Anne doesn’t hesitate to bail Jerry out of jail when he calls her for help.

Because “Sovereign” is intensely focused on the relationship between Jerry and Joe, female characters the movie aren’t fully developed. John and Adam have happy marriages, but John’s wife Patty Bouchart (played by Nancy Travis) and Adam’s wife Jess Bouchart (played by Ruby Wolf) are stereotypical loyal wives of cops. Joe has a crush on a teenager named Candace Jeffers (played by Kezia DaCosta), whom he keeps track of on social media but he’s afraid to tell his father about this crush.

Thanks to capable filmmaking and standout performances from Offerman and Tremblay, “Sovereign” skillfully gives viewers a sense of the emotionally claustrophobic environment that Jerry puts Joe in at home and during their travels. The film is also a study in irony, because even though Jerry frequently rants about how oppressive the government is, Jerry has a very oppressive way of raising Joe. Some of the movie’s pacing is a little slow, but “Sovereign” builds an atmospheric tone of dread by showing that whatever war Jerry thinks he’s in, there are ultimately no real winners.

Briarcliff Entertainment will release “Sovereign” in select U.S. cinemas, on digital and VOD on July 11, 2025.

Review: ‘Surviving Ohio State,’ starring Dan Ritchie, Mike Schyck, Mark Coleman, Al Novakowski, Mike DiSabato, Adam DiSabato, Colleen Marshall and Ilann Maazel

July 7, 2025

by Carla Hay

Dan Ritchie in “Surviving Ohio State” (Photo courtesy of HBO)

“Surviving Ohio State”

Directed by Eva Orner

Culture Representation: The documentary film “Surviving Ohio State” features a predominantly white group of people (with one African American) who are connected in some way to the accusations and lawsuits against Ohio University that allege that the university covered up decades of student sexual abuse by a doctor employed by the university.

Culture Clash: Some of the estimated thousands of survivors of Dr. Richard Strauss (who committed suicide in 2005) have come forward with harrowing stories of university officials not doing anything when they heard complaints that Strauss was a sexual predator who targeted male students for sexual assaults.

Culture Audience: “Surviving Ohio State” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in documentaries about getting justice for sex crimes that were enabled and covered by well-known institutions.

Mike Schyck in “Surviving Ohio State” (Photo courtesy of HBO)

“Surviving Ohio State” (about Ohio State University’s responsibilities in an employee’s longtime sexual abuse of students) makes a clear and convincing case that enabling and covering up crimes are just as heinous as the crimes themselves. This powerful documentary doesn’t uncover a lot of new information but it has interviews with the people who matter the most: the survivors. Because there was ongoing litigation against Ohio State University (which is based in the city of Columbus) at the time this documentary was released, officials who have been named as enablers declined to comment for the documentary. But even if there hadn’t been litigation, it’s easy to see why these accused enablers won’t publicly comment for a documentary because of all the damning evidence that has already been presented.

Directed by Eva Orner, “Surviving Ohio State” had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The movie chronicles the sexual abuse accusations about Dr. Richard Strauss, who was employed by Ohio State University (OSU) from 1978 to 1998, the year that he retired from OSU. Strauss was a medical doctor at OSU’s Athletic Department and at the Student Health Center for most of his tenure at OSU, but he was also a professor at the university. It is believed that he sexually abused thousands of male students from the 1970s to the 1990s. An independent investigation commissioned by OSU revealed in 2018 that the first known reported abuse happened in 1979.

Strauss was never arrested or sued for any of these accusations against him. He committed suicide by hanging himself in 2005, at the age of 67. The abuse survivors interviewed in the documentary say that Strauss abused them when they were OSU students from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Most of the documentary’s interviewees used to be on OSU’s wrestling team. Many of those interviewed are plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit against OSU.

The survivors interviewed are:

  • Dan Ritchie, who was an OSU wrestler from 1988 to 1992
  • Mike Schyck, who was an OSU wrestler from 1988 to 1993
  • Mark Coleman, who was an OSU wrestler from 1987 to 1988
  • Rocky Ratliff, who was an OSU wrestler from 1995 to 1997
  • Will Knight, who was an OSU wrestler from 1991 to 1996
  • Mike DiSabato, who was an OSU wrestler from 1986 to 1991
  • Adam DiSabato (Mike DiSabato’s younger brother), who was an OSU wrestler from 1988 to 1993
  • Al Novakowski, who was an OSU hockey player from 1987 to 1988
  • Stephen Snyder-Hill, who was an OSU non-athlete student from 1991 to 2000

All share similar stories about how they were proud to be students at OSU (whose team name is the Buckeyes) because of OSU’s reputation of being a school what regularly won national championships. But their pride also came with the shame of knowing that Strauss (who was a trusted doctor because of his “nice guy” image, his work experience and his credentials) sexually abused them during medical examinations, which they all say was an “open secret” at OSU. Because the abuse was so accepted by the university, many students did not come forward to report the abuse at the time it was happening.

Another reason why many of Strauss’ victims didn’t come forward at the time the abuse was happening because Strauss had the power to decide if they were “fit” to participate in OSU athletics. It’s mentioned in the documentary that Strauss seemed to particularly target students who had athletic scholarships that the students needed to attend the university. Strauss also usually targeted students who were sexually inexperienced and naïve. These students often came from small towns and had sheltered upbringings.

Most of the survivors describe Strauss’ sexual abuse as unwanted fondling of their genitals, which he would lie to them about by saying the fondling was necessary to check if they had hernias. He would do this fondling even if the student was there for a reason that had nothing to do with genitals. Whenever Strauss was questioned about this inappropriate touching, his standard response was he was just being “thorough” in his examinations.

His accusers say that Strauss often asked them inappropriate and illegal questions about their sex lives. He also never used gloves and always made sure that he did the sexual abuse in the dark with no one else in the room. Some of his victims (such as Novakowski) say that Strauss’ abuse went beyond fondling and turned into rape.

And because it was Strauss’ word against any the word of victim who reported the abuse, Strauss was more likely to get away with it when there was no evidence. Knight comments in the documentary about Strauss’ abuse: “It was a dirty little secret that we just tiptoed around, and we just dealt with it because we were Buckeyes.”

Strauss was also allowed to regularly take locker room showers with OSU’s male athletes from several sports departments, and he would openly masturbate in front of the athletes during these showers. And not all of the accusers were students. Frederick Feeney, who was a wrestling referee from 1988 to 2024, breaks down in tears when he describes having one of these shower sexual abuse incidents perpetrated by Strauss, who Feeney says fondled Feeney on the rear end during this abuse.

The survivors all say that many officials knew about the abuse but did nothing when complaints about Strauss were reported. Russ Hellickson (OSU’s wrestling head coach from 1986 to 2006), Jim Jordan (OSU’s wrestling assistant coach from 1986 to 1994) ,Dr. John Lombardo (OSU director of sports medicine from 1990 to 2004), and Dr. Ted Grace (OSU head of student health from 1992 to 2007) are all mentioned as enablers who were responsible for helping keep Strauss employed by OSU, despite the now-uncovered hundreds of complaints against Strauss when Strauss was employed by OSU.

Hellickson, Jordan (who is now a U.S. Representative) and OSU declined to comment for this documentary. However, “Surviving Ohio State” has archival news footage of Jordan repeatedly denying that he knew about these complaints when Jordan worked for OSU. The documentary has some footage of Lombardo, Hellickson and Grace in videotaped depositions from 2019 regarding the lawsuit where Mike DiSabato is the lead plaintiff for a group of former OSU athletes. Grace is the only OSU official who gets some credit in the documentary for eventually being the first OSU official to take disciplinary action against Strauss, but whatever Grace did to hold Strauss accountable wasn’t enough to completely terminate OSU’s employment of Strauss.

Several of the survivors say that their shame and reluctance to come forward had a lot to do with the macho culture of being a male Buckeye athlete who was expected to be tough. Many of the survivors say when they went public about the abuse, many people did not believe that the abuse happened because they think the athletes would have and should have punched and or physically defended themselves against Strauss, who was not tall or muscular. However, what these critics often forget is that Strauss had power and influence over his victims’ enrollment at OSU. Anyone who physically attacked him could be expelled and/or arrested. Many of his abuse survivors didn’t want to take the risk of getting in that type of trouble.

“Surviving Ohio State” also addresses the issues of adult male sexual abuse victims usually getting less sympathy and less support from society than sexual abuse victims who are children (of any gender) or women. As an example, the documentary compares and contrasts the settlement offers in similar sexual abuse lawsuits against universities. Ritchie says in the documentary that he believes he and other plaintiffs got lower settlement offers because they were adults when Strauss was said to have abused them.

Pennsylvania State University offered $1.5 million to each of the plaintiff victims who were children when the unversity’s former football coach Jerry Sandusky (who is prison for various sex crimes) used the university campus to sexually abuse children who were part of the Second Mile, which was Sandusky’s non-profit athletics group for children. Michigan State University offered $1.2 million to each of the women and girls who were victims of the university’s former athletic department doctor Larry Nassar, who is a convicted sex offender serving the rest of his life in prison. By contrast, OSU offered $250,000 to each victim of Strauss. This offer was rejected by the plaintiffs, who also rejected a settlement clause where OSU would not admit to any wrongdoing in how it handled the accusations against Strauss.

The documentary also has accusations and suggestions that Strauss illegally gave steroids to OSU athletes. Several of the interviewees say that Strauss gave them what Straus said were vitamin B-12 injections, but what these former OSU athletes how believe were steroid injections. Ironically, Strauss was a nationally recognized steroid expert who wrote medical reports and was interviewed on TV about the dangers of steroid use. Strauss was never arrested or sued for these steroid accusations.

Some of the interviewees, such as Ritchie and Novakowski, say that Strauss’ sexual abuse of them were the reasons why they left OSU before they could graduate, but they were afraid to tell their families the real reasons at the time. The emotional and psychological damage for survivors has gone far past any college careers. Coleman says that many of the survivors have had divorces, mental health issues (including suicide attempts) and addiction issues that they all attribute to being directly or indirectly caused by the trauma of Strauss’ sexual abuse.

In this documentary that has very bleak and harrowing information, perhaps one of the most encouraging and positive outcomes is that several of the survivors formed informal support groups for each other. Novakowski says that many of the survivors no longer trust medical doctors, which means that many survivors might not be getting the medical treatment that they might need. “Surviving Ohio State” could have included information about any professional therapy that the survivor interviewees might or might not be receiving to deal with their trauma.

Also interviewed in the documentary are NBC4 Columbus TV anchor Colleen Marshall, civil rights attorney Ilann Maazel, journalist Jon Wertheim, and Csilla Remenyik-Smith, who was an OSU fencer athlete from 1981 to 1984. Remenyik-Smith’s mother Charlotte Remenyik was an OSU fencing coach (for male and female students) from 1978 to 1999 and was the first faculty member to make formal complaints about Strauss to OSU, which did not action against Strauss until 10 years after Remenyik made her first annual complaint against him.

In 1996, OSU terminated Strauss from his positions with OSU’s Athletics Department and OSU’s Student Health Department. However, OSU allowed him to keep his job as a tenured faculty member in OSU’s School of Public Health until Strauss voluntarily retired in 1998. OSU’s excuse for stalling in investigating the complaints was that Remenyik was reporting hearsay and gossip with no evidence. Maazel comments, “If there’s one thing OSU is good at—other than football—it’s deceit.”

Although “Surviving Ohio State” is very thorough in how it presents these survivor stories, the movie doesn’t delve far enough into the backgrounds of Strauss and the enablers to give more context for their horrific actions and cover-ups. The documentary does not answer many unanswered questions about who Strauss was outside of his job. Still, there’s enough information in the documentary to show that full justice has yet to be served to the survivors, many of whom might never find peace.

HBO premiered “Surviving Ohio State” on June 17, 2025.

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