Portland International Film Festival 2021

Everything in the End courtesy of piff If you knew that the end of the world was imminent, how would you spend your final days? Personally, I’d probably spend them taking edibles, listening to my favorite music, and eating my weight in Girl Scout cookies. But Everything in the End, part of this year’s Portland […]

Hunger Ward courtesy of PIFF I’ll be straight up: Hunger Ward was an extremely difficult watch. That’s what makes it all the more essential viewing. Hunger Ward examines the effects that Yemen’s ongoing civil war is having on its most vulnerable population: children. The short but nevertheless impactful documentary provides an inside look into two […]

Holy Frit! Courtesy of PIFF [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] Holy Frit! is a two-hour documentary about making stained-glass, and… wait, wait, wait! It’s actually a lot more interesting than you may think—but not always in the […]

Death of Nintendo courtesy of piff [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] If you were a kid during the 1990s, it’s going to be hard for you not to enjoy Death of Nintendo, a coming-of-age tale set in […]

Who’s On Top Courtesy of PIFF [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] Who’s On Top follows a small group of LGBTQ+ Oregonians whose stories of personal struggles are interspersed with their journey towards Mt. Hood’s summit. The documentary […]

[This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] Let’s cut to the chase: I LOVED Rehab Cabin. The characters, despite being bumbling, self-absorbed kidnappers, are my people. In addition to being full of LOLs, it’s also a sweet meditation on […]

La Tienda courtesy of piff [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] Now in its 44th year, this year’s Portland International Film Festival features six different collections—or “blocks”—of short films. Entries from local, national, and international filmmakers give viewers […]

For Madmen Only courtesy of piff [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] While often scorned (aaaaand sometimes for pretty good reason!), improvisational comedy gave birth to nearly all your favorite movies and TV shows, and it’s where your […]

A Machine to Live In courtesy of piff [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] Brasilia is a planned city. Constructed in the late 1950s as part of a Brazilian government plan to make a capital city that was […]

Minari courtesy of piff [This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.] Filled with the ups and downs of everyday life, Minari is a portrait of a Korean family as it grows up, grows old, and grows apart. In a […]

If you were a kid during the 1990s, it’s going to be hard for you not to enjoy Death of Nintendo, a coming-of-age tale set in early 1990s Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. As its title suggests, this movie is heavy on 90s nostalgia, with Reebok Pumps, idolization of the Chicago Bulls, and […]

Holy Frit! is a two-hour documentary about making stained-glass, and… wait, wait, wait! It’s actually a lot more interesting than you may think—but not always in the way the director may have intended. Like many artists, Tim Carey is technically talented, but unable to find that magical “thing” that launches painters to greatness. So he […]