FILM REVIEWS:
F1 (USA 2025) ***½
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
F1 (marketed as F1 the Movie) is a 2025 American sports drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski with a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger, from a story the two developed. It is based on the Formula One World Championship, created in collaboration with the FIA, its governing body.
It is best to know a bit about what Formula One means in racing in order to appreciate the pains the filmmakers have researched and gone into the making of their film F1. Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of motorsport since its inaugural running in 1950 and is often considered to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules all participant cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix. Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed roads. A points scoring system is used at Grand Prix to determine two annual World Championships: one for the drivers, and one for the constructors, now synonymous with teams. Each driver must hold a valid Super Licence, the highest class of racing licence the FIA issues, and the races must be held on Grade One tracks, the highest grade rating the FIA issues for tracks. Oscar Winner Brad Pitt plays one such high-profile driver, a maverick with attitude, but one super good, including possessing experience and baggage in the field. F1 effectively blends human drama and racing excitement in a film that impresses.
Sonny Hayes (Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, had a severe crash that forced him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines while working as a taxi driver. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.
Director Joseph Kosinski is no stranger to the action film genre, with box-office hits like TWISTERS, TRON LEGACY and TOP GUN: MAVERICK in his resume. Kosiski knows how to up the ante in audience excitement. The sound mixing is evidence of the fact. Some layers can be heard on the soundtrack. Amidst the action, there is thundering music, race announcements and dialogue all mixed together instead of just a one-layered soundtrack. The music is by Hans Zimmer.
F1 premiered on June 16, 2025, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 27, during the weekend of the Austrian Grand Prix. F1 is a solid action piece for adults, not geared to teens or kids. The film, actually an excellent film, has so far received positive reviews from critics.
Trailer:
FAMILIAR TOUCH (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Sarah Friedland
FAMILIAR TOUCH is a very sad real-life drama that everyone can relate to. It is about Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), an octogenarian woman, as she transitions to life in assisted living, contending with her relationship to herself and her caregivers while dealing with cognitive decline. Almost everyone has a parent or at least knows of one who is ageing and suffering from some form of dementia like Alzheimer’s. This coming-of-age drama centres on Ruth.
The film begins as the audience sees Ruth preparing a delicate breakfast, obviously for herself and someone special. She snips off fresh herbs from her potted plant to add that little extra to that breakfast. What seems to be her date, as she perceives, turns out to be her son instead, as Ruth cannot fully remember the person. Her son has arranged for his mother to settle in a retirement home, which she had agreed upon, and obviously has forgotten.
Feeling adrift among fellow residents, Ruth gradually connects emotionally with care workers Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle Smith) and Brian (Andy McQueen). Through gentle interactions—hand‑grounding, cooking, and supportive listening—she regains a sense of embodiment and selfhood, even as memory fades
At this point in the film, the audience also pities the son, as his hands are tied and he needs his mother to be cared for, even though he cannot do the task. And Ruth is not helping either, either from not remembering, not due to her fault, but also due to her stubbornness, which is due to her fault. The film moves at a slow pace, but the emotions are real and actress Chalfont is marvellous as Ruth.
Though the film still falls into cliched territory, the story can still feel familiar. In the segment in which a caregiver in the facility first attends to Ruth, one can tell the two are going to bond, especially when the caregiver is struggling with her life as well. As Ruth used to work as a chef before her dementia, one can tell she is going to show her stuff in the nursing home’s kitchen. Thus, one can predict how the general story or each segment will unfold. It takes no genius to figure this out, a point that might create some impatience for some audience in what can be described as a slow-burning drama.
FAMILIAR TOUCH treads too much into familiar territory, having been seen many times before in films focusing on dementia or old age. However, the director’s slow pace, allowing the audience to observe Ruth’s every moment, turns out to be surprisingly effective. The film is aided by Kathleen Chalfant’s moving performance as Ruth,
FAMILIAR TOUCH had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2024, where it won the Lion of the Future, and the Orizzonti section Best Director and Best Actress prizes. It is scheduled to be released on June 20, 2025, by Music Box Films in the United States. It begins its run in Toronto on the 27th of June at the Bell Lightbox.
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