Tahara (film)

Last updated
Tahara
Tahara 2020.jpg
Poster
Directed byOlivia Peace
Written byJess Zeidman
Produced byJess Zeidman
Dasha Gorin
Madison Ginsberg
StarringMadeline Grey DeFreece
Rachel Sennott
CinematographyTehillah De Castro
Edited byTroy Lewis
Olivia Peace
Distributed by Film Movement
Release dates
  • January 2020 (2020-01)(Slamdance)
  • June 10, 2022 (2022-06-10)(United States) [1]
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Tahara is a 2020 American drama film directed by Olivia Peace and written by Jess Zeidman. It premiered at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival and was released to wide audiences on June 10, 2022. Tahara received awards from Outfest, Newfest, and the Denver International Film Festival.

Contents

Plot

The movie stars Madeline Grey DeFreece and Rachel Sennott as high schoolers Carrie and Hannah who kiss at the funeral of a Hebrew School classmate who died by suicide. The girls’ grieving process gives way to a journey of self-discovery and sexual coming-of-age awakening as Carrie starts to develop feelings for Hannah. [2]

Cast and characters

Production

Tahara is the feature film debut for director Olivia Peace and screenwriter Jess Zeidman. [3] The movie is shot primarily in a square aspect ratio of 1.2:1. [4] At times claymation and animation are used to illustrate the lead characters' inner lives. [5] The cinematographer was Tehillah De Castro. [5]

Release

The film was released at Slamdance 2020 in January and later screened at NewFest 2020, TIFF, and Outfest 2020. [5] [2] Tahara was released in theaters on June 10, 2022. [2]

Reception

Tahara holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 31 critics' reviews. [6] Teo Bugbee of the New York Times selected Tahara as a NYT Critic's Pick and stated in the review, "This is a canny, compact portrait of teenage insensitivity, all the more riveting for its biting dialogue and funny performances." [3] In a similarly positive review, Film Inquiry's Kristy Strouse wrote, "Peace and Zeidman’s collaboration proves to be a touching, (heartbreaking at times) story that takes one day and shows the momentous connotations of it." [7] Autostraddle critic Drew Gregory praised the cast and writing: "It’s a cast that lives up to the obviously hilarious and subtly complex script from Jess Zeidman. There are enough jokes and hijinks that its depth and emotion surprise and continue surprising after the film has ended." [8] Alan Ng rated the film 8.5/10 for Film Threat and praised the comic aspects of the film: "I would also be remiss in not highlighting how funny Tahara is. The note-writing conversion during the memorial service is amazing, and the joke of it is present and never called out by the film. Then add the school counselor and her class handouts about how grief is handled in the Jewish tradition; it’s all priceless." [4]

Accolades

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>High Art</i> 1998 film by Lisa Cholodenko

High Art is a 1998 independent romantic drama written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, and starring Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell. It premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and saw a limited release in the United States on June 12, 1998.

<i>Swimming</i> (film) 2000 American film

Swimming is a 2000 coming-of-age drama film directed by Robert J. Siegel and starring Lauren Ambrose, Jennifer Dundas, and Joelle Carter. The film chronicles a summer in the life of Frankie, a teenager on South Carolina's Myrtle Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Greer</span> American actress (born 1975)

Judith Therese Evans, known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for her supporting roles in the films Jawbreaker (1999), What Women Want (2000), 13 Going on 30 (2004), Elizabethtown (2005), 27 Dresses (2008), and Love & Other Drugs (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Mitchell (director)</span> American film director

Mike Mitchell is an American film director, writer, producer, actor and animator. He directed the films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Surviving Christmas, Sky High, Shrek Forever After, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Trolls and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Maines</span> American actress and transgender rights activist

Nicole Amber Maines is an American actress, writer, and transgender rights activist. Prior to her acting career, she was the anonymous plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, in which she argued her school district could not deny her access to the female bathroom for being transgender. The court ruled in 2014 that barring transgender students from the school bathroom consistent with their gender identity is unlawful, the first such ruling by a state court.

<i>Teacher of the Year</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Teacher of the Year is a 2014 independent comedy film directed by Jason Strouse and starring Matt Letscher and Keegan-Michael Key.

<i>Lost Transmissions</i> 2019 drama film

Lost Transmissions is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Katharine O'Brien. It stars Simon Pegg, Juno Temple, and Alexandra Daddario. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019 and it was released on March 13, 2020 by Gravitas Ventures.

Brittani Nichols is an American producer, actress, comedian, and writer. In 2016, Nichols wrote, produced, and starred in the film Suicide Kale, which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest. She has written for the television programs A Black Lady Sketch Show, Take My Wife, Strangers, Drop the Mic, and Abbott Elementary. She served as Consulting Producer for The Circle and Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.

<i>After Midnight</i> (2019 film) 2019 American film

After Midnight is a 2019 American romantic monster film directed by Jeremy Gardner and Christian Stella and starring Jeremy Gardner and Brea Grant. The film follows Hank after his longtime girlfriend Abby leaves town unannounced, as he discovers that a mysterious creature has begun stalking him every night.

<i>Only</i> (film) 2019 film

Only is a 2019 American post-apocalyptic romance film, directed by Takashi Doscher and starring Freida Pinto and Leslie Odom Jr.

<i>Circus of Books</i> (film) 2019 documentary film

Circus of Books is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Rachel Mason, written by Rachel Mason and Kathryn Robson and starring Karen Mason, Barry Mason and Rachel Mason. The premise revolves around Circus of Books, a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California, and in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

<i>Shiva Baby</i> 2020 film by Emma Seligman

Shiva Baby is a 2020 American comedy film written and directed by Emma Seligman, in their feature directorial debut. The film stars Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a directionless young bisexual Jewish woman who attends a shiva with her parents, Joel and Debbie. Other attendees include her successful ex-girlfriend Maya, and her sugar daddy Max with his wife Kim and their screaming baby. It also features Jackie Hoffman, Deborah Offner, Rita Gardner and Sondra James in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Sennott</span> American actress and comedian (born 1995)

Rachel Anne Sennott is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her starring roles in the films Shiva Baby (2020), Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), and Bottoms (2023) and in the HBO drama series The Idol (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Seligman</span> Canadian film director and screenwriter

Emma Seligman is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Seligman is best known for directing the comedy films Shiva Baby (2020) and Bottoms (2023).

<i>Space Oddity</i> (film) 2022 film by Kyra Sedgwick

Space Oddity is a 2022 American romantic comedy science fiction film directed by Kyra Sedgwick and written by Rebecca Banner. It stars Kyle Allen, Alexandra Shipp, Madeline Brewer, Carrie Preston, Simon Helberg and Kevin Bacon.

Em Weinstein is an American television writer and director who also works in film and theater. They directed episodes of The L Word: Generation Q, and A League of Their Own. Weinstein has made several short films which have shown at festivals, and on Showtime's Spotlights series. Their work focuses on queer themes and stories.

<i>Bottoms</i> (film) 2023 film by Emma Seligman

Bottoms is a 2023 American teen sex comedy film directed by Emma Seligman, co-written with Rachel Sennott. It stars Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Dagmara Domińczyk and Marshawn Lynch. The film follows two high school senior girls who set up a fight club as a way to hook up with cheerleaders.

Make Up is a 2019 British psychological thriller film, written and directed by Claire Oakley.

Ruby Jean Cruz is an American actress. She has acted in various short films and television series including Mare of Easttown and Castle Rock, and most notably as Kit Tanthalos in Willow.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Theatrical: Tahara :: Film Movement". www.filmmovement.com. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bergeson, Samantha (2022-05-13). "'Tahara' Trailer: 'Shiva Baby' Breakout Rachel Sennott Is Back in Black for Dark Teen Comedy". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  3. 1 2 Bugbee, Teo (2022-06-09). "'Tahara' Review: Hierarchy at a Hebrew-School Funeral". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  4. 1 2 Ng, Alan (2020-02-12). "Tahara". Film Threat. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  5. 1 2 3 Reynolds, Daniel (2020-08-29). "In 'Tahara,' a Black Queer Jewish Teen Tackles Grief and Toxicity". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  6. ↑ "Tahara - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  7. ↑ Strouse, Kristy (2020-02-18). "Slamdance 2020: TAHARA & BIG FUR". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  8. ↑ Gregory, Drew (2022-06-10). ""Tahara" Is a Queer Teen Comedy with Death and Depth". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  9. ↑ "Outfest LA 2020 Highlights: Tahara & Cowboys - Season 1". OutMuseum. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.