James White (2015)

James White: Directed by Josh Mond. With Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Kid Cudi, Makenzie Leigh. James, a twenty-something New Yorker, struggles to take control of his self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges.

“I just did not expect… that. Great respect to Josh Mond. I think he took on an incredibly heavy film that managed to feel incredibly visceral in its portrayal. I could physically feel it, its last 30 minutes probably being the most uncomfortable film-watching experience of any film from 2015. What makes it work so well are the performances. Thereu0026#39;s such an innate authenticity and raw power to the castu0026#39;s work here. Iu0026#39;ve liked Christopher Abbott from what Iu0026#39;ve seen him in, most notably Girls. I never would have thought he was capable of what he did here though. Definitely one of the best performances of last year. Not a fun film to watch at all, but holding that as a criticism would be a complete disservice to everything the film does well.”