Nick Schager Film CriticIt makes sense that one of the protagonists of “Materna” is a fan of Jean-Pierre Melville’s existential neo-noir “Le Samouraï,” given that David Gutnik’s feature debut is itself a tapestry of modern alienation and disaffection.
Charting the plights of four women whose paths eventually cross on a New York City subway train, Gutnik’s fragmented feature debut is rooted in fraught mother-daughter dynamics and intertwined issues of regret, resentment, racism, classism and homophobia.Having won prizes for best actress (Assol Abdullina) and best cinematography (Greta Zozula, Chananun Chotrungroj, Kelly Jeffrey) at the pandemic-pinched 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, it should entice audiences in search of distinctive art-house.
Read more on variety.com