The 14th edition of the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (JDIFF), held April 21-27 in Dubuque, Iowa, USA, has concluded. I’m talking about a highly regarded festival in terms of its central focus: independent cinema from around the world. The JDIFF awards the best in narrative film, documentary, short film, student film, acting ensemble, music (the use of it), and family film. Of course, there’s also the Audience Award—as there should be. I was able to see 24 of the 26 titles in its narrative film section: 19 from the USA, 2 from Canada, 1 from the UK, 1 from Bulgaria, and 1 from India-Tibet-Nepal. The organizers’ selection was solid, which allowed us to discover films of interest. This article summarizes what I consider to be the main contenders…
In Samuel Plante’s Nothing Wrong (Rien de mal, Canada), Andrea (Emma Elle Paterson), a woman in her twenties, gradually recovers from her drug addiction. She meets and becomes the girlfriend of Michael (Pierre-Luc Brillant), who is slightly older than her, and whom she perceives as an ideal man… until it is discovered, a year later, that he—secretly and consciously—is wooing Andrea’s younger sister, Claire (Rosalie Pépin), who is barely 14 years old. This triggers a drama that affects the lives of everyone in the family, and fractures the relationship between the sisters, since Claire doesn’t perceive Michael’s “closeness” (!) as abuse. Based on a true story. Nothing Wrong won the FIPRESCI Prize, as well as an Honorable Mention for Narrative Film.
In Steven Grayhm’s Sheepdog (USA), a war veteran (Grayhm) with emotional problems confronts his reality head-on when he interacts with his father-in-law (Vondie Curtis-Hall), an ex-convict. The film is sad, but gradually becomes inspiring. It is written and directed with genuine care and compassion for its subject matter: the emotional and relational situations, stemming from the traumas of war, of veterans returning home. Virginia Madsen is extraordinary in a supporting role. Sheepdog received the Narrative Feature Award.
In Jesse Stewart’s Piggy Duster (USA), a teenager (Julia Ma) and her stepfather (Brian Landis Folkins) are camping alone on a mountain almost 10,000 feet above sea level. The stepfather’s intention is to understand the reasons for the girl’s estrangement, seeking to restore a relationship that was always good, close, and healthy when she was a child. An accomplished, sensitive film about opening up after keeping quiet, about understanding after questioning, about living amidst complex circumstances. Poetry, and even a grizzly bear, can also be helpful in a jam. In Piggy Duster, the symbolic not only exists, but also functions and contributes.
In Brian Finucane’s Love Hides in the Open (UK), insecure young Travis (David Flanagan) quietly follows the beautiful Olivia (Nevena White), with whom he had a first date that very morning, through the streets. When she steals something, circumstances point to Travis as the culprit. Well written and highly enjoyable, this is a gentle comedy, somehow Woody Allen-esque, with typically British wit and propriety. It takes place in a single day, in the Cambridge university setting. It was filmed entirely on an iPhone.
In Evan Matthews’s Motherland (USA), the authorities of a new society relieve parents of the “burden” of raising their children, taking on the task of providing them with an “equity of resources and attention.” A solid, somber, and resonant film, it demonstrates how utopias like this, with their fraught policies disguised with values of “justice” or “freedom,” can prove to be dystopias. Motherland won the award for Best Acting Ensemble.
Caden Butera’s Recollection (USA) portrays an “ideal” world in which technology erases people’s traumatic memories. What’s really at work behind this is a hidden and immoral network of control, driven by profit. If science fiction is your thing, this well-made film offers mind-bending and surprising twists, although it may be about 10 to 12 minutes too long. Recollection received the Audience Award.
And finally, in Chris Messineo’s The Strange Dark (USA), a corrupt corporation attempts to blackmail a former employee (Caleb Scott) who stole data vital to predicting the future and, consequently, to controlling future events. When he can’t be found expediently, the corporation’s next target is Susan (Nili Bassman), the employee’s wife. This is an ingenious exercise in fantasy merged with science fiction, manipulating time and points of view amid humorous absurdities that expand the film’s scope and appeal.
As always, the hope is that all these films gain a lot of visibility and draw audiences, now that they’re starting to be shown.
Alfredo Naime
© FIPRESCI 2025