sj w
nice to see a differnt type of film, low budget style feels like a documentary. if you consider the time then its rather interesting.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
11/14/23
Full Review
Kevin L
This hit pretty hard. Clearly an early 'no budget' indie filmmaking project. It's an interesting mix of video formats, historical video and photos, mock news, and music in a pop culture context.
The acting is dated and 'no budget' as well. While there are two-three good performances, most everyone else seems to be trying to act like they think people act...or something.
Strong stuff for the pirate movie making approach taken by director Lizzie Borden, who would go on to direct the fine film "Working Girls" and not one but two movies that have 0% ratings on RT.
2.8 stars
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/26/23
Full Review
william k
Sensationally rousing feminist sci-fi drama is made in a vivid cinema verite style with a superb indie soundtrack (title song by Red Krayola) and with the irrepressible Adele Bertei; an instant classic of radical political cinema of which it is sad to say, they don't make them like this anymore.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A documentary-style drama set 10 years after the "Socialist Revolution," Born in Flames is just as relevant today as it was in 1983 and is well worth a watch. The film follows two feminist factions in NYC: one headed by young, white, punk, lesbian Isabel (Adele Bertei), the other by older, black, activist, Honey (Honey). Although the USA has gone through "the first true socialist democracy the world has ever known," (How many times are we gonna hear this one?) many women, especially racial and sexual minorities, still don't believe they have been provided with the benefits of the change and engage in pamphleting, wheatpasting, protests, subversion, and eventually, terrorism. The style shot both like a documentary, but also like an investigation on the women — Adelaide (Jean Satterfield), one of Honey's followers, becomes a focus of the investigation. There is a "gender war" aspect to the film — when a woman gets gang-assaulted in broad daylight, a patrolling, whistle-blowing group of bike-riding women come to her aid — but it avoids an opaque narrative and instead shows the inner struggles of the movement, i.e. those that want more moderate, political means of equality (as they admit life now is much better than it was pre-revolution), while others demand a direct action approach. There are too many political issues to discuss in a "pocket review," but one that bends the typical Leftist narrative in 2021 is the abolition of prisons. Here, rapists and sexual assaulters don't go to prison and instead are "rehabilitated," as their affliction is considered mental illness or a disease, much to the chagrin of NYC's women, who get no treatment or support. While this change from punishment to rehabilitation is a product of the socialist revolution — something socialists today would largely support — it's one of the many embers that ignites the feminist-revolution's ardor. The other notable socialist policy is the President's (Bill Tatum, a black President in 1983) "wages for housework" concept; a concept that might excite Andrew Yang, but our protags reject as a "pacifying" maneuver. Lastly, a most presciently, the ending involves bombing the World Trade Center… I did watch this on TCM, which had an interview with the director, Lizzie Borden, and she stated that the activists (terrorists) solely bombed the antenna on top of the WTC. I think Born in Flames is ripe for a remake concerning the numerous gender issues in 2021 (trans, TERFs, vagina-owners, birthers, et al.), but is a provocative and entertaining watch as is.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Another odd one from Lizzie Borden.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Not a great film, but has some great ideas and moments. Honestly it's mostly just edited poorly, this could easily be recut and come out more coherent. That theme song is hillaaaaaarious though.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
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