PROVO
HEART | MIND THE GAP | US
US 2022, 87 min, Director: Emma Thatcher
Writer-director-star Emma Thatcher makes an arresting feature debut with this idiosyncratic love story that’s also a bitingly funny ode to the oddities of the American Midwest, and a lesson in forgiveness. After learning her estranged Mormon father is on his deathbed, self-destructive Liz (Thatcher) leaves her Chicago home, friend-with-benefits Geoffrey (Hunter Bryant) in tow, meaning to give the old man a piece of her mind one last time. What follows is an offbeat road movie, chock-full of witty dialogue, unexpected revelations, and beautiful handheld camerawork that recalls the films of Kelly Reichardt in its grainy golden-hour undertones. It’s difficult to think of another up-and-coming filmmaker as self-assured as Thatcher as she steadily navigates a delicate tightrope of difficult themes and tonal shifts. At once insightful and wistfully funny, the trip to Provo is a journey worth taking. —Aurora Amidon
PRECEDED BY SHORT FILM SMALL GAY TRAGEDY #1 (Rose Schlossberg, 4 min): When Rose finds new queers in her small town, she can’t believe her eyes.
EXPECTED GUESTS: PROVO Writer-director-actor Emma Thatcher, Producer Sarah Franke
