Festival Of Cinema 2023: Stars

This year we get the opportunity to review some movies at this year's Festival of Cinema located in Queens. We finally got the opportunity to screen "Stars". We first heard of this film at this year's Winter Film Awards but missed the screening due to a technicality. Now we got the opportunity and must say it's a good film not great because it have its flaws but it is watchable. The film is about a group of homeless women who are also addicted to various drugs and a undercover police officer who is in the shelter to protect women and clean up crime. Based on Doron Braunshtein's play the movie which is shot in black and white shows that all money is actually good in the end.

They share a room and go by nicknames to hide from their lives such as Madonna, Oprah, Martha Stewart, Lauren Hutton and Lucifier. New York City is the perfect background as we see these women in their daily routine either fighting among themselves, prostitution or gambling to escape their own troubles. The screenplay written by Mars Roberge who also directed this feature may seem a bit long but the ending (which is violent) is worth the stay. The cinematography is great and the city gives the film its gritty and grainy look of despair and looking for hope. The acting was good but some roles like Lauren Hutton could have been more developed. That was a flaw where there wasn't enough back story on the characters and the cops dialogue to us seem dry. The highlights are Rah Digga who played "Oprah" and Miley Rose who played "Madonna" they practically carries the film with their performances.

In the end, Stars is a great love letter to the people who makes New York City the greatest show on Earth. However past that there should have more to digest and some trimming to be made. At 108 minutes may be a bit much due to some unnecessary fluff like the arrests and dialogue between Lauren Hutton's love and his children. Like we said it is good but could be better.