Sweet Ending To Sarasota Film Festival

 

By Mark Pukalo

The final day of the 2026 Sarasota Film Festival offered three more strong movies and made you crave a handful of mint chocolate cookies for the ride home.

Well, they apparently make many kinds of Girl Scout cookies these days, but any would do after watching a delightful documentary about the yearly business pursuit for pint-sized young girls.

"Cookie Queens" drew standing ovations at Sundance in January and did not disappoint at Ringling College on Sunday afternoon. Director Alysa Nahmias mixes the comedy and sweetness of four girls from different sections of the country with the economic aspects of the cookie quest.

Olive is a 12-year-old going on 30 and a high seller from Charlotte who aspires to be a Supreme Court justice (put her on the list now). Nikki, 9, is the youngest of three family girl scouts from Chino, Calif. with a lot of spirit. Shannon Elizabeth, 8, is an optimistic young lady from El Paso and adorable 5-year-old Ara plays the piano like an adult and struggles with Type-1 Diabetes.

Jennifer Sims, one of the producers for the film, was in attendance on Sunday and said it was a huge undertaking to pick the girls and the families to go on this journey. They succeeded.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are executive producers on the film that was picked up by Roadside Attractions and will be in theaters this summer. You must hide a few happy tears during the film, but you walk out of the theater with a smile.

The final film of the day "Late Fame" featured the great Willem Dafoe as a former New York poet, who had moved on in life after some early success. Ed Saxberger is "re-discovered" by a poetry fan and brought into his eclectic young literary group. Saxberger must learn to deal with this new "fame," while he navigates modern day art.

It is a movie that is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but it is entertaining. Dafoe never fails to find the essence of his character while Greta Lee (left with Dafoe) is fabulous as a mysterious young actress who joins the group and befriends the smitten Ed.

In between the cookies and Dafoe, "Westhampton," was a bit more solemn. It follows a filmmaker who travels back to his hometown many years after his life was shattered by a car accident many blame him for. Though the trip home is to clear out personal items from his parents' house that has been put on the market, it allows him a chance to potentially exercise some demons. It is a little too vague at times, but is a worthwhile watch.

In all, I was able to see 14 movies over an eight-day span in Sarasota. There were about 15 more I would have liked to see, but I could not fit them into my schedule. Hopefully, this is the first of many more film festivals. The Festival staff was wonderful.

All 14 movies are worth your time. Here's how I rated them. 

The Best - Carolina Caroline, Cookie Queens, I Want Your Sex, Late Fame, Steal This Story, Please.

Low Expectations, High Reward - The Floaters, On the End, Deepfaking Sam Altman, Charliebird.

Good, not great - Soul Patrol, Omaha, Westhampton, The Last One for the Road, Anne Packard: An Actor's Resolve.

Weaving, Hoffman Hit HRs at Sarasota Film Festival

 

By Mark Pukalo

Director Adam Carter Rehmeier made a movie that became a cult classic in 2020 and followed that up with a fun, semi-autobiographical film by the pool in 2024.

The awkwardly funny and ultimately heartwarming "Dinner in America" was released during covid and took awhile before word of mouth found it an audience while "Snack Shack" drew positive reviews from most critics and did reasonably well at the box office.

Two years later, Rehmeier has taken his directing to a new level with a modern day Bonnie & Clyde-like film "Carolina Caroline" - showed at the Sarasota Film Festival on Thursday night before its wide release date on June 5.

Rehmeier's film was one of four viewed on Thursday and Friday - two with star-studded casts and a pair with unique independent feels. 

Carolina Caroline could have been just another crime drama on the road, but co-stars Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner had such good chemistry that it made the film seem authentic. Gallner creates a smarter, more confident, version of the con man he played in Dinner in America while Weaving's Caroline is both sexy and vulnerable.

This wasn't a film with many twists and turns, but Rehmeier kept your attention with a simple script that pulled you into the fated love story. This movie might not be in awards discussion at year's end, but it is an entertaining 90 minutes for move fans.

It was a rough 2025 for Weaving with awful scripts in "Eenie Meanie" and especially "Borderline." But 2026 may turn her career in the right direction with "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come," "Over My Dead Body" and this performance.

Cooper Hoffman could have a big year as well. The son of the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is slowly moving toward the top of  list of young leading men. He made his debut in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza," played Dick Ebersol in "Saturday Night," and killed it last year in "The Long Walk."

However, this could be a major breakout year for Hoffman with the upcoming "Poetic License," "Artificial" and perhaps "The Chaperones." His best performance in 2026 may end up being in the erotic comedy "I Want Your Sex," which showed Friday in Sarasota. It is scheduled for a wide release July 31. Go see it. It's a wild good time.

Hoffman blends obsession for his sexually dominant boss Olivia Wilde along with a sense of humor. Charli xcx, Mason Gooding and especially the appealing Chase Sui Wonders (right, with Hoffman) add a bundle of laughs supporting the two leads.

Director Greg Araki mixes the comedy with eroticism just right and examines relationships in modern days. A movie like this can go over the line, but Araki finds the comfort zone and gets laughs throughout.

Carolina Caroline and I Want Your Sex were the most entertaining films on Thursday and Friday in Sarasota, but the two other films viewed had plenty to offer as well.

"The Last One for the Road" is a quirky Italian comedy/drama about two middle-aged men who go on a bar-hopping road trip with a random young male student. It has plenty of laughs and allows all three main characters to learn a little about the essence of life. It won't make my top five of the festival, but I'm glad I saw it on Thursday when "Bunnylovr" was canceled.

"Charliebird" was an entirely different experience on Friday. Director Libby Ewing's feature film debut won the US Narrative July Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and you can see why.

It is a simple film about a music therapist at a Children's Hospital who forges a close relationship with a teenage patient that brings back her childhood traumas. Samantha Smart (left) wrote and starred in the film that is playful, but very emotional. Gabriela Ochoa Perez is outstanding as the young Charlie.

It's disappointing that a moving, independent film like this does not get more run in theaters. The one thing my Tampa area needs is a good independent movie house. 

Yes, there are a few venues in the area (Tampa Theater for one, sometimes Sun-Ray near USF) that play some of these types of films, but they also seem to feel the need to show the blockbusters. Instead we get long runs for crap like "Melania," "Him" and "Friday Nights at Freddys 2" at AMC.

I'm not naive. They need to make money and there are not enough people with open minds that will spend money to see these films consistently. I just wish it could be different. At least streaming can fill the gap at times.

If you can find Charliebird at some point this year, give it a watch and see what you think. 

For more information, check out https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.

 

Amy Goodman, Sambot Highlight Tuesday SFF

 

By Mark Pukalo

It was a day for documentaries at the Sarasota Film Festival on Tuesday and all three proved well worth the time.

"Steal This Story, Please!" the story of independent journalist Amy Goodman and the plight of modern day media, hit the highest note to end the day.

Emmy award-winning directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal put together a fair, detailed documentary on Goodman, who pulls no punches in her honest reporting on difficult issues for her show "Democracy Now!" But it also documents the current problems that independent journalism must deal with in the corporate media age.

Lessin, who was in attendance with her mother at the screening, said they were going to call the film "Chasing Amy," but that was taken. The project took many turns along the way as new issues deserved attention. 

The most compelling part was Goodman's reporting on the Indonesian massacre in East Timor. Her "Democracy Now!" story on the Chevron-Nigeria oil dictatorship was maddening as well. It all worked and kept your eyes on the screen.

No doubt, the right wing will call this leftist propaganda. That's a lie. It's even handed and does not put any words in people's mouths. We need more Amy Goodmans. Unfortunately, we've got a ways to go to pull out of the media abyss we are living in. That made the movie a bit sad.

The film will be in the Tampa area in early June. It is already slated for Sun-Ray Cinema near USF, starting June 5. Take a ride, but stay away from the popcorn (unless they have vastly improved it since I first tried it. lol).

We started the day with an epic documentary about the Vietnam War's first black ops team, which reunited after 50 years, called "Soul Patrol." The veterans talk about their memories, revealing some untold stories while trying to deal with mental wounds.

J.M. Harper, who directed a very good documentary in 2024 called "As We Speak" about rappers being prosecuted for their lyrics, won the directing award for US documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival in January for Soul Patrol. It is a moving film that drags a bit at times, but is essential for lovers of history to see.

In between those two serious and powerful documentaries, came Adam Bhala Lough's "Deepfaking Sam Altman," an entertaining journey to learn more about AI. Lough, who was nominated for two Emmys for his HBO mini series "Telemarketers," is the main character in the story as he tries to get an interview with Open AI CEO Sam Altman.

After striking out for months, Lough travels to India to find a tech who puts together an AI version of Altman (Sambot) to interview. The whole process is more about entertainment than information. Lough is never able to interview the real Altman, but becomes somewhat attached to the AI version.

The first review I saw was from Roger Ebert's site and the critic panned Lough's movie. Then I investigated the writer - Matt Zoller Seitz - and saw he did not include the masterpiece "One Battle After Another" in his top 10 for 2025. He also had the pretentious "Life of Chuck" in the 10th spot.

Seitz was probably looking for Deepfaking Sam Altman to be a different movie. Most of the other critics who reviewed the film took it like me. You just sit back and enjoy it.

I have seven more movies to view at the Festival. For more information and the schedule, go to https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.

 

Under The Radar Films Shine At SFF Sunday

 

By Mark Pukalo

Expectations did not meet reality at the Sarasota Film Festival on Sunday.

One film that was highly anticipated turned out to be a bit thin, and two lesser-known movies were well worth the time.

"The Floaters" started the day and left me with a smile while the gritty "On the End" stayed with me on the long ride home. "Omaha," which has received strong reviews for its emotional punch as far back as the 2025 Sundance, seemed to be missing something on the road to a soul-crushing ending.

In between, a large crowd viewed "Anne Packard: An Artist's Resolve" about the life of the famous 92-year-old painter who spent most of her time in Provincetown on Cape Cod. It was an interesting, well shot and expertly edited documentary from Arthur Egeli (Art Thief). Packard (right) is a real piece of work.

However, the day started with an enjoyable, unique summer camp film from director Rachel Israel. Nomi (Jackie Tohn) loses her job as the front girl of a rock band and desperately takes a job with her friend at a Jewish summer camp.

Nomi is given a group called "floaters," who are not signed up for anything special at the camp. The film hinges on how compelling these kids are and they deliver. They are smart and, at times, very funny. It is kind of predictable that the outcast girl (Nina Bloomgarden) and the grumpy outcast boy (Judah Lewis) get together, but it all works. 

There is just enough smart humor to carry the story along. It is sort of a poor man's "Theater Camp" - one of my favorite movies of 2023. Israel sprinkles in the religion enough that you notice it, but it does not stand out. This film might not fill the theaters. However, if you see it on a streaming site or Fandango, give it a watch. It's a lot of fun.

On the End takes a little getting used to. It's based on the true story of a down-on-his-luck, hoarding mechanic (Tim Blake Nelson) who owns beachfront property in Montauk. A local realtor and the town are harassing him to sell while he welcomes a spirited woman he met online (Freckles) to his home.

Freckles (Mireille Enos, left), a fellow diabetic in worse condition, adds a real spark to the film and Tom's life as they fight the snobby town officials. It's not for everyone, but if you give it a chance, it has a big heart. Like The Floaters, it might not fill seats, but director Ari Selinger made a film worth the time for move lovers.

Omaha is not a bad movie at all. In my opinion, it is just a bit of a missed opportunity. It follows a widower (John Magaro), who packs up his two kids and the dog for a trip from Utah to Nebraska after the house is foreclosed on. There are some stops along the way and the kids (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis) are wonderful.

While the sound system where I viewed the movie was a bit of an issue, the story needed more depth before the big reveal at the end. We know he's depressed. He lost his wife and had some obvious financial issues, but we need to know more - maybe with a few well-placed flashbacks. The run time is just 84 minutes, so another 10-15 would not have hurt.

A second viewing at some point may change my opinion a bit. Those who watch 200 movies per year should watch Omaha and see what they think. Magaro never disappoints.

The festival continues through Sunday. For more information, check out https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.

28th Sarasota Film Festival Has Little Of Everything

 

By Mark Pukalo

The 28th Sarasota Film Festival will offer an interesting menu of premieres, highly-regarded movies that debuted at other major events and a large, diverse group of documentaries.

The April 10-19 Festival opens with Renny Harlin's "Deep Water," about a plane that crash lands in shark-infested waters, forcing the passengers to go into survival mode. Former Kiss front man Gene Simmons produced the film.

A film named "In the Hand of Dante" with an all-star cast including Al Pacino, Gal Gadot, Oscar Isaac and John Malkovich ends the festival. The drama involves a poem, a priest and a mob boss.

In between is a variety of films for every movie lover's taste. Here is a look at just some of the 47 features and 39 shorts available at several locations.

The movies in the running for the Narrative Feature Competition include "The Scout," "Two Pianos," "Late Fame," "Honeyjoon" and "Charliebird."

Late Fame (left), with the great Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee (Past Lives) was featured at the Venice and New York Film Festivals and received solid reviews. Charliebird, about a small-town story of a music therapist who confronts her past when working with a new patient, sounds very intriguing.

The Documentary Feature Competition category is loaded, led by "Cookie Queens," "The Trial of Alec Baldwin," "Soul Patrol," "Nuisance Bear" and "A Portrait of a Postman." 

Cookie Queens, a coming-of-age story about Girls Scout cookie seasons will be interesting, along with an examination of the hysteria around the accidental shooting by Alec Baldwin on a movie set. Soul Patrol features a black special ops team from the Vietnam War reuniting to tell their stories.

There are many others that caught my eye or came well-reviewed from previous film festivals. You can check out the entire list at https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/

"Omaha" (right) first played at Sundance in 2025. It packs an emotional punch as a widowed father takes his kids on a road trip after their house is foreclosed on. John Magaro, who always makes a film better, is the lead. Have some tissues ready from what I hear.

"Fish Fry & Fellowship" is a documentary about a church fish fry which brings together a diverse group of people who talk of their memories of segregation.

"Give Me the Ball!" is a documentary about the Hall of Fame tennis star Billie-Jean King.

"Arthur's Box" is a feature about a night shift doorman's normal life being forever changed by the arrival of a new tenant.

"On the End" centers on Montauk mechanic who meets a wild diabetic woman named Freckles online and opposites attract.

"Deepfaking Sam Altman" is a documentary where the director interviews an AI version of Altman to try and find answers.

"She Runs the World" (left) is a sports documentary on one of the greatest American track stars of all time - Allyson Felix.

"Steal this Story, Please!" examines the world of independent journalism with a pioneer in the industry (Amy Goodman).

"The Last One on the Road" is a feature about small-town Italian criminals who go on a bender with a random college student.

"Bunnylovr" received some mixed reviews at Sundance 2025, but the premise is interesting about an online sex worker dealing with increased pressure from clients. Sounds like a Sean Baker film and the always watchable Rachel Sennott supports lead Katarina Zhu.

"Carolina Caroline" Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner star in a drama about a small-town girl who falls for a con man and goes on a crime spree. It was first seen at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival. We'll see if Gallner can create a character similar to the one in the under-appreciated "Dinner in America."

"I Want Your Sex" (On top of story) drew rave reviews at Sundance earlier this year. A young man (Cooper Hoffman) becomes the sexual slave of an iconic artist (Olivia Wilde) and does not quite know what he got himself into. It's a wild ride.

"Normal" (right) stars Bob Odenkirk as a sheriff who takes a job in a small town, thinking it will be a good break for him. But the town's name does not describe the community. Just saw the trailer for this at a movie on Thursday (Undertone).

"Westhampton" sounds like an interesting story about a man who was responsible for a bad accident returning to the town where it happened. It debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.

There's so much more. Check out the festival website for info on all the films, the sites and the special events.