Cinequest 2022: Here are 10 films to see at famed San Jose festival

The last time Cinequest raised the curtain — in person — for its annual South Bay celebration of innovative filmmaking and cinematic connection was in early March 2020. It got off to a strong start but had to cancel midway through due to the COVID-19 spread.

Nimbly, Cinequest co-founder/CEO Halfdan Hussey, along with board members, programmers and others on the team, cooked up Cinejoy, the virtual arm of Cinequest. It went on to entertain movie fans from near and far during tough times and gave filmmakers a platform for their work.

This year, Cinequest returns to an in-person festival, offering a staggering 220 movies, including world, national and area premieres as well as a strong representation of Bay Area filmmakers, actors and more. Special programs and events, as well as live music and comedy, are also on the lineup. And the festival is featuring for the first time a beer and wine garden.

Cinequest kicks off Aug. 16 with Jim Gaffigan getting presented with the fest’s first of two Maverick Spirit Awards — its highest honor — at a screening of his film “Linoleum,” in which he plays the host of a kids’ TV show who decides to build a space rocket and venture into space (what could possibly go wrong?). The other Maverick Spirit Award winner is Alison Brie (Aug. 17, with the screening of her film “Spin Me Around”).

Should you have missed Cinejoy’s standout program from March, you’re in luck too. Most of the films featured in that virtual fest are included in the in-person screenings.

Here are some films we heartily recommend.

“Trust:” A matriarch’s suicide reunites three neurotic siblings for an awkward funeral and then the reading of a shocker of a will. The brief amount of time that nursing student Kate (co-writer Jennifer Levinson) spends with recovering alcoholic Josh (Heston Horwin) and hypochondriac diva Trini (Kate Spare) — the trust’s executor — is for the best since these meetups only collapse into bitter screaming matches. Director/co-writer Almog Avidan Antonir’s debut feature, receiving a world premiere, does cover familiar terrain but “Trust” sports a fearless attitude and is never dismissive about the issues at hand or the festering problems this family and its disowned father (Linden Ashby) have failed to work through. The cast is first-rate in this gutsy indie with a strong message about how it sometimes is best to uproot from a dysfunctional family tree in order to maintain your own sanity. Screenings: 6:45 p.m. Aug. 19 and 2:15 p.m. Aug. 23 at Hammer Theatre; 10 p.m. Aug. 26 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“Spin Me Round”: Cinequest bestows its other Maverick Spirit Award to multi-talented Alison Brie, an actor and screenwriter whose memorable work enlivened such adored series such as “Mad Men,” “Community” and “GLOW.” She more than deserves it. Brie shows her range as co-writer and star in this indefinable genre-hopper set at a kooky work retreat in Italy where star employees at a chain American restaurant gather for a bit of team-building. One of the lucky workers is restaurant manager Amber (Brie), who attracts the eye of the flirty founder, played with smarm by Alessandro Nivola. What seems headed for a romantic thriller takes a fast U-turn into other directions. It works. This marks Brie’s second successful collaboration with director/co-screenwriter Jeff Baena (“Horse Girl”) and their “Spin Me Round” makes for a pleasant diversion punched up by an engaging cast and a scene-stealing cameo from Aubrey Plaza. Screening: 7:15 p.m. Aug. 17, Hammer Theatre.

“Ashgrove”: What appears to be yet another dreary dystopian countdown to annihilation segues into a multi-dimensional portrait of a crumbling marriage. “Ashgrove” is all the better for it. Amanda Brugel sinks her teeth into the role of brilliant and burned-out scientist Dr. Jennifer Ashgrove, who’s married to a laid-back, creative-type Jason (Jonas Chernick, who co-wrote the thoughtful screenplay). She feels the unbearable burden of being the likely savior of humankind after finding a solution to a deadly virus. Her husband and doctor force her to journey to a country house where the couple needle each other and fall for each other again. “Ashgrove” commits to focusing on the human factor of a futuristic calamity and does it with tenderness and poignancy. Director/co-screenwriter Jeremy LaLonde draws out exceptional performances from Brugel and Chernick. Screenings: 9:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at California Theatre; 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“Peace in the Valley”: With only his second feature (the first was the astonishingly good “God’s Waiting Room,” in which he starred), director/writer Tyler Riggs raises the voices of the unheard — small-town Americans who are barely getting by. Riggs, an actor and former model, opens “Peace” with a grocery store mass shooting where the husband of “Peace’s” main character is killed. Left to move forward with their 10-year-old son, Ashley (Brit Shaw, giving a raw performance) is a mess and and clings to the memories of her slain firefighter husband who died trying to stop the shooter. Her husband’s twin brother, Billy (Michael Abbot Jr.) complicates Ashley’s life. “Peace in the Valley” doesn’t get into the politics of gun violence, instead focusing on the after-effects of unthinkable acts of violence and how they can forever change those left behind. Screenings: 2:15 p.m. Aug. 24 at Hammer Theatre; 7:15 p.m. Aug. 29 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“Out in the Ring”: Although it could use some tightening up, Ry Levey’s documentary, getting a world premiere, illuminates the triumphs and troubles of those in the professional wrestling community who were closeted, those who were out and proud and those who were straight but adopted a gay persona. Built around insightful interviews with LGBTQIA+ wrestlers along with footage of them in action, Levey’s engrossing documentary provides a fascinating look at some colorful characters and their quest for self expression in a sometimes homophobic arena. Screenings: 2:50 p.m. Aug. 21 at Hammer Theatre; 2:45 pm. Aug. 25 and 1:45 p.m. Aug. 27 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“The Smoke Master”: Andre Sigwalt and Augusto Soares’s epic comedy is the festival’s gonzo delight, an irreverent crowd pleaser that is guaranteed to plaster a dopey grin on your face as it celebrates stoner and martial arts movies in one well-rolled effort. In Brazil, the Chinese mafia targets martial-arts-in-training brothers Gabriel (Daniel Rocha) and Daniel (Thiago Stechinni). After Daniel gets roughed up, it’s up to Gabriel to learn from the reclusive “smoke master,” a pot-smoking teacher who uses cannabis as his guiding light. It’s a ridiculous premise, but that is kind of what makes this debut feature a winner. Also, Rocha’s terrific in the lead. Screening: 9:20 p.m. Aug. 24 at Hammer Theatre; 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“Tehranto”: Charismatic leads Sammy Azero and Mo Zeighami spark up this Toronto-set charmer, playing tentative Iranian-Canadian immigrant sweethearts whose views on their heritage clash. A narrator serves to fill in the family history of scrappy medical student Badi (Azero) and well-to-do artist Sharon (Zeighami). In his feature debut, the versatile Faran Moradi serves as director, screenwriter and editor. He handles it with ease while illustrating the chasm that exists between immigrants who are still tied to their homeland and those who have left it behind. Screenings: 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at California Theatre; 4:15 p.m. Aug. 19 at 3Below Theatres; 9:40 p.m. Aug. 28 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“What We Do Next”: Most filmmakers take well over two tortured hours to work through the complex themes that screenwriter/playwright and director Stephen Belber addresses in his well-acted thought-provoker. In a taut, never-harried 77 minutes, Belber ponders how politics grounds noble, if flawed, intentions and encourages ethical lines to be violated. Karen Pittman, of Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” digs into some chewy dialogue as New York councilwoman Sandy James, whose questionable interaction with a released con who gunned down her abusive dad comes back to haunt her. The past resurfaces when a desperate Elsa (Michelle Veintimilla)  gets released, and wants some help. Adapted from Belber’s play, “What We Do Next” co-stars Corey Stoll as hotshot attorney Paul, who’s been crushing on Sandy and likes playing the savoir. There’s a lot to savor and digest in this morality play that is filmed and acted so well. Screenings: 7:15 p.m. Aug. 18  at Hammer Theatre; 5 p.m. Aug. 19 at California Theatre.

“Dealing With Dad”: Tightly wound, overachieving daughter Maggie (Ally Maki) hops on a plane for home so can help her belligerent, unlikable father (Dana Lee) who is now bedridden and despondent after losing his job. She recruits sad-sack brother Roy (Peter S. Kim) — whose wife recently ended their relationship — and they reunite with  game-playing brother Larry (Hayden Szeto) who hasn’t moved out yet. Screenwriter/director Tom Huang goes too broad with his players and situations at times, but most often “Dealing With Dad” hits it target, being both funny and squirm-inducing, particularly when it involves Maggie’s racist dad targeting her Black husband, Jeff, during a fractious Thanksgiving. Screenings: 7 p.m. Aug. 19 and 4:15 p.m. Aug. 22 at California Theatre.

“Land of Dreams”: In the barely distant future, the U.S. Census Bureau requires select workers to collect and collate dreams of Americans. The agents do this by dropping by at residents’ homes. Sounds suspicious, right? It is, and in Shoja Azari and Shirin Neshat’s barbed-wire satire, Iranian American census worker Simin taps into America’s subconscious, a rattlesnake’s nest slithering with prejudices and fears. Simin (Sheila Vand) stops in on a crackpot preacher (Christopher McDonald), crackpot rich folks (including Isabella Rossellini in a TV screen) and gets a hunky, seen-it-all bodyguard (Matt Dillon, spouting wisdom and sex appeal) in the process. “Land of Dreams” is indeed David Lynch-light weird, but it does have a point, highlighting how America remains hamstrung by archaic, racist belief systems and governmental ineptitude. Screening: 7 p.m., Aug. 24, Hammer Theatre.

Honorable mentions

“Last Chance Charlene”: Shot in Redwood City and written, directed and co-starring one of its residents — Tony Gapastione — this dramedy immerses us into the frazzled mindset of an L.A. actor/screenwriter (Allison Ewing) whose life has gone off the rails in the aftermath of her brother’s suicide. It’s a liberating, funny and truthful dramedy. Screenings: 1:45 p.m. Aug. 21 at California Theatre; 6:15 p.m. Aug. 27 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“Fanga”: In this hypnotic brooder of an adult adaptation of “The Beauty and the Beast” story, writer/director Max Gold sends us to the stark Icelandic land that will make you shiver and tremble. Screenings: 4:30 p.m. Aug. 20 at California Theatre; 4:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“Continue”: After a suicide attempt (graphically depicted), an L.A. woman (screenwriter and director Nadine Crocker) tries to get a foothold on life. Hard stuff, but well done. Screenings: 3:50 p.m. Aug. 20 and 4:20 p.m. Aug. 22 at Hammer Theatre; 5 p.m. Aug. 27 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“We Were Hyphy”: Antioch native Laurence Madrigal’s debut documentary zips through the history of the born-in-the-East-Bay hyphy movement, which encompasses hip-hop, sideshows and ghost-riding, and “going-dumb”-dancing, fashion trends, slang and more. It’s a dynamic overview and is born to be seen with a Bay Area audience. Screenings: 2:20 p.m. Aug. 20 at California Theatre; 2:45 p.m. Aug. 28 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

“The Allnighter”: In this quasi-romantic drama, a brainy astrophysics student (Owen Beckman) goes along for an eventful ride with an enigmatic pawn shop employee (Gretchen Lodge). Be prepared for some surprises. Screenings: 6:45 p.m. Aug. 21 and 2:45 p.m. Aug. 24 at Californian Theatre.

“Salma’s Home”: Three strong female characters anchor Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker Hanadi Elyan’s debut feature about a tug-of-war over the meager assets of a husband/father. It’s humorous and heartfelt. Screenings: 4:25 p.m. Aug. 21 at California Theatre; 4:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at 3Below Theatres; 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Pruneyard Cinemas.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

CINEQUEST

When: Aug. 17-25

Where: Various theaters in San Jose and Campbell

Tickets: Most screenings $9-$14, special events, $15-$20, passes run $179-$650

Contact: Tickets, complete schedule and more information, www.cinequest.org.