The Secret Art of Human Flight | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | H.P. Mendoza |
Written by | Jesse Orenshein |
Produced by | Grant Rosenmeyer Tina Carbone Benjamin Wiessner |
Starring | Grant Rosenmeyer |
Cinematography | Markus Mentzer |
Edited by | H.P. Mendoza |
Music by | H.P. Mendoza |
Distributed by | Level 33 Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Secret Art of Human Flight is a 2023 American fantasy comedy drama film written by Jesse Orenshein, directed by H.P. Mendoza and starring Grant Rosenmeyer.
After the sudden death of his wife, author Ben Grady falls into deep grief and ends contact with his sister Gloria and her husband Tom. While the widower is on the darknet, he discovers a mysterious self-help book written by an enigmatic guru named "Mealworm" who claims to have acquired the ability to fly. Ben wants to learn this too.
The Secret Art of Human Flight premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 8, 2023. [1] In March 2024, Level 33 Entertainment acquired the distribution rights to the film and was released in theaters in July 3, 2024. [2]
The film was one of the first to experiment with "digital live premieres" with KINO, [3] and was released on home video and streaming services on December 19, 2024.
The film has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews. [4]
Benjamin Franz of Film Threat called the film "…a staggering, poignant, graceful work of genius..." deeming it "the single most life affirming story you shall experience this year".
Peter Debruge of Variety also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "This high-concept, lo-fi indie drama could have gone spiraling off into insufferably eccentric territory, but instead remains grounded in its focus on a young creative type coping with the loss of his soulmate." [5]
Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film a 50/50 review and wrote, "Writer Jesse Orenstein and director H.P. Mendoza are good at poker-faced goofiness, and there's a characteristically excellent supporting performance by Sound of Metal star Paul Raci..." but also states "which is not the same thing as saying that it’s a great movie—it’s okay and sometimes better than that." [6]