1942 a love story movie review

1942: A Love Story

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Anil Kapoor (Narendra Singh) Jackie Shroff (Shubhankar) Manisha Koirala (Rajeshwari Pathak) Anupam Kher (Raghuvir Pathak) Danny Denzongpa (Major Hisht) Pran Sikand (Abidali Baig) Chandni (Chanda) Raghubir Yadav (Munna) Sushma Seth (Gayatridevi Singh) Manohar Singh (Diwan Hari Singh)

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

A young Indian couple, both from wealthy backgrounds, find themselves caught up in the 1940's Indian revolutionary movement against their families whom are under the thumb a sadistic British general.

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1942: a love story.

Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra

The son of a politician loyal to the British rule falls in love with the daughter of a freedom fighter.

Anil Kapoor Jackie Shroff Manisha Koirala Anupam Kher Danny Denzongpa Brian Glover Pran Sikand Sushma Seth Raghubir Yadav Pramod Moutho Uday Chandra Shakti Singh Kamal Chopra

Director Director

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Producer Producer

Writers writers.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Editor Editor

Renu Saluja

Cinematography Cinematography

Binod Pradhan

Art Direction Art Direction

Nitin Chandrakant Desai

Composers Composers

Rahul Dev Burman Manohari Singh Babloo Chakravorty Gustav Holst

Songs Songs

Javed Akhtar

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

Hindi English

Releases by Date

15 apr 1994, 15 jul 1994, releases by country.

• Theatrical U

157 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Luke Thorne ★★★★★

Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala star in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s romantic drama as a young Indian couple who are both from wealthy backgrounds. But they find themselves caught up in the 1940s Indian revolutionary movement and this threatens to destroy their relationship. In Hindi with English subtitles.

The story concerns the son of a politician trustworthy to the British rule who falls in love with the daughter of an autonomy fighter. They are detached by the revolution when her father plans to kill a British general.

Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala both give superb performances in their respective roles as Narendra Singh and Rajeshwari ‘Rajjo’ Pathak, the two lovers who are separated due to the revolutionary moment but show plenty…

Review by Kriti ★★★

...I wasn’t the only one that wanted Manisha to end up with Jackie right????

Review by Hitarth Desai ★★★½

Crazy for the time it was made in. The look & feel of the film is so today.

Never knew that this film was such a blast. The first half of the film Bhansali'd so hard. Years before his first film, it is evident that the man behind the songs is going to be an unstoppable force. I was smiling throughout all the songs, they breath life, love, magic.. cinema. SLB x Binod Pradhan x R D Burman x VVC is truly a match made in heaven.

The film is the strongest when it sticks to the love story & the songs. Even the sad version of Kuch Na Kaho hits hard. However, the film falters with logic and didn't hold me…

Review by Sanjeet Singh

I think it rightly paved way for filmmakers who told romantic tales with a setting that drives those characters. Those settings just didn't exist for moral dilemma or told the socio-economic status of society and characters but they weren't regular. Of course there were many films that existed before this film, but the song pattern it uses may have inspired RGV to make Rangeela, apart from American musicals (just a theory).

Review by TajLV ★★★

Part of my Bollywood Challenge

Producer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra opens his film with a disclaimer, that "this is not a historical documentation of india's struggle for freedom but a work of fiction which is loosely based on events that rocked undivided india during the years 1919 to 1942." On the other hand, it most definitely is a political film, making a statement about India's fight for independence from the British Raj, portraying a classic romance against the backdrop of civil unrest.

The film opens with the hanging of a freedom fighter and then quickly goes into an extended flashback to shows us how this point was reached. Revolutionaries in Delhi are plotting to kill the ruthless British military commander General…

Review by divya

this has the worst white guy acting i have ever seen in my life

Review by Sailesh Dahal ★★★½

Such a beautiful visuals and location Manisha Koirala is too unique and gorgeous on her screen presence, you can't take off eyes from her.

Review by Param Raval ★★★

The angriest love story I've seen.

Clearly there are two movies here that hit different people differently. The innocent love story pit against violent nationalism, the tenderness of the beautiful beautiful beautiful songs in contrast with the exhausting frustration and boiling anger, characters with different motivations respecting their differences to unite against hate. It's to one's own preference. Some watch it for RD, some for Manisha Koirala ♡♡♡, some for the love, some for the anger. It's definitely an imperfect movie in many aspects (in story, structure, the simplicity in grandiosity trap on bollywood, the naive dialogue, etc etc.) but it is still, for the most part, a better mainstream crowdpleaser than many. The characters are all respected, they have…

Review by juhi ★★★★

I can watch this again and again just for the cinematography. the song sequences were sooo dreamy, I’m in love 💖

Review by Deepak Chazhoor ★★★★★

R. D. Burman’s soundtrack is out of this world and instantly takes me back to my childhood days in 1994, which makes this film hold a special place in my heart. It’s not just the songs, but Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s filmmaking sensibilities are at their peak here as well. The production design is spectacular, and Binod Pradhan’s aesthetic photography further adds to the appeal. The chemistry between Anil Kapoor and a gorgeous Manisha Koirala is fantastic and creates some spark on screen. Jackie Shroff’s extended cameo appearance deserves a special mention. The final act, especially the climax sequence, is a bit over the top, but that’s all right.

1942: A Love Story  is the quintessential Bollywood romantic melodrama. It’s a shame that I didn’t get to check this out sooner.

P. S.  The actor who plays Anil Kapoor’s comedic side-kick/chauffeur is none other than Raghubir Yadav.

Review by Kriti ★★★★

Surely has to be one of the most beautiful looking films of the 90s

While I do admit that I’m a a bit pulled towards the losing side of the love triangle that quite frankly never had a chance to begin with (Jackie Shroff really having a proto-rangeela moment here with his unrequited repressed yearning), the songs and the tone of the first half in particular are soooo dreamy and romantic, I can still ultimately embrace the actual romance we do have. RD Burman’s last gift to us was this stellar soundtrack paired with Javed Akhtar exquisite poetry, it’s no wonder the songs are as enduring as they are. The visuals are incredible, I especially love how every romantic song…

Review by Anshul Saraf ½ 4

It's been so long since I've watched a movie this horrible. Oh my God.

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1942 A Love Story

It was August 1942. The Quit India movement had gathered momentum. Protesters all over the country came out in large numbers and the thunderous cry of “Quit India” echoed across the nation. The response of the British became increasingly brutal and what followed was savage repression leading to unprecedented violence, lathi charges and ruthless firing on unarmed protesters. The country was quickly engulfed in flames and Kasauni, a small town in the Himalayan foothills, was no exception. It was in the midst of this savage turbulence that Nandu and Rajjo met for the first time and fell in love… a love that changed their lives forever… a love that was destined to be consumed by the raging fires of passion and liberation that swept the land. Because this was also the fateful time when a group of dedicated revolutionaries, led by the courageous and fiery Shubhankar, brought the spirit of freedom struggle to Kasauni, in pursuit of their sworn mission. Individuals no longer mattered, all that mattered was commitment to the cause. And so began an immortal saga… of freedom, of duty, of conflict, of sacrifice… and of love.

The film's original songs were composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. R.D. Burman won his last Filmfare Award for Best Music Director and Javed Akthar bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist. Kumar Sanu won his 5th consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer and Kavita Krishnamurthy won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, the first of her Hat-trick feat.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To

Pyar Hua Chupke Se

Kavita Krishnamurthy

Rooth Na Jaana

Kuchh Na Kaho

Rim Jhim Rim Jhim

Kumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurthy

Shibaji Chatterjee

Kuch Na Kaho [Lata Mangeshkar]

Lata Mangeshkar

Kuch na Kaho (Chrous)

- Anil Kapoor

- Manisha Koirala

- Jackie Shroff

- Anupam Kher

Film Fare Award for Best Music Director (1995) RD Burman

Film Fare Award for Best Music Director

Film Fare Award for Best Supporting Actor (1995) Jackie Shroff

Film Fare Award for Best Supporting Actor

Film Fare Award for Best Editing (1995) Renu Saluja

Film Fare Award for Best Editing

Film Fare Award for Best Cinematography (1995) Binod Pradhan

Film Fare Award for Best Cinematography

Film Fare Award for Best Sound Design (1995) Jitendra Chowdhary, Namita Nayak

Film Fare Award for Best Sound Design

Film Fare Award for Best Art Direction (1995) Nitin Chandrakant Desai

Film Fare Award for Best Art Direction

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1942: A Love Story (1994)

Directed by vidhu vinod chopra.

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Description by Wikipedia

1942: A Love Story is a 1994 Indian Hindi patriotic romance film starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Pran. The first Indian film to use Dolby Stereo, it was highly acclaimed for its music, songs, picturization, cinematography, lyrics and the portrayal of leading lady Manisha Koirala, a turning point for her career. The film received fourteen nominations at the 40th Filmfare Awards, winning nine.

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1942: A Love Story Reviews

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Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

1942: A LOVE STORY

In a small Himalayan town, Rajeshwari and Naren fall passionately in love — even as the world around them crumbles. But when a band of revolutionaries with a charismatic leader comes to town, the spirit of freedom threatens their future together.

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Love story framed by India's struggle for independence from British rule. Wealthy Naren and poor Rajjo fall for each other while their fathers play key roles on opposite sides of the struggle.

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1942: A Love Story is a 1994 Bollywood film starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, and Pran. The film was the first ever to be given a U/A rating while featuring a scene, previously considered inappropriate for young children, showing the actors kissing. The film was highly acclaimed for its music, songs, picturization, cinematography, lyrics and the portrayal of its leading lady Manisha Koirala, a turning point for her career. The film was released some time after the death of the music director, Rahul Dev Burman. The film received five Filmfare Awards. This is the first Indian film to use Dolby Stereo. The film is set in 1942, when the British Raj was declining. It was a time when many Indians were either working for the British or rallying in underground meetings and protests against them. In this atmosphere, Naren Singh (Anil Kapoor) falls in love with Rajeshwari "Rajjo" Pathak (Manisha Koirala). Their romance is shown developing in spite of the political and social unrest at the time. Wikipedia

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1942: A Love Story ( U/A ) 15/Apr/1994 Love, Drama 2hrs 37mins

Critics: 0 Panel: 0 User: 2304

Overall: 4.5 from 2304 users

Synopsis/Plot : The son of a politician loyal to the British rule romances the daughter of a freedom fighter. They are separated by the revolution when her father plots to assassinate a British general.

Director : Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Music Director : R.d. Burman

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T here are two kinds of songs in Hindi movies – one that you hope ends quickly so you can get back to the plot and one that takes the plot further. And then you have the third kind – it may tell the story or it may not, but you never, ever want it to end. And every song in 1942: A Love Story is that third kind of song.

It is also a testament to the old saying: Form is temporary, class is permanent.

The 1980s were not a good decade for Bollywood. Revenge dramas, kitschy masala, garish clothes and even more garish tunes defined the era. And the man who bore the brunt of this was, in many ways, music composer R.D. Burman.

The man who had churned out hundreds of soulful gems, flirtatious frothy hits, party and wedding favourites suddenly, in the mid-80s, found himself cast aside by commercial filmmakers in favour of newer composers, like disco favourite Bappi Lahiri.

Even when directors wanted to return to melody, like Mansoor Khan did for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), they opted for newcomers like Anand-Milind, even though Burman had expressed interest. Subhash Ghai, in fact, had even promised Burman he would sign him on for Ram Lakhan (1989), but eventually, he went with Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Gulzar’s Ijaazat (1987) did garner critical acclaim, but it wasn’t a mainstream film.

It was Vidhu Vinod Chopra who gave Burman a lifeline. First came Parinda (1989), which had hints of vintage Burman, but didn’t quite give him the comeback he so desperately wanted. Then, after a string of utterly forgettable films, came 1942: A Love Story .

Chopra has recalled on numerous occasions how no one wanted to take Burman on as composer anymore — to the point where HMV, the music label, told him that if he signed Burman for 1942 , they would not pay. But Chopra just knew that Burman was the perfect choice for his pre-Independence love story, and he persevered. The result, as we know, is pure magic.

The movie that gave a new generation their very own Pancham proved to be his way of saying, perhaps, that we didn’t deserve him. R.D. Burman died on 4 January 1994, before the movie released on 15 July. But the tunes he created for this movie remain favourites to this day.

In the week of his death anniversary, there is perhaps no better movie to remember him by than this one.

Also read:   R.D. Burman’s magic can make everyone from a grandma to an expat sing along

Love in the times of revolution

Set in the hill town of ‘Kasauni’, the movie follows the love story of Naren (Anil Kapoor) and Rajeshwari (Manisha Koirala). They exchange long gazes, flirt in a library and dance in the rain.

It all sounds idyllic — except this is 1942 , when the freedom movement was at its frenzied peak and cries of Quit India rent the air. It was also, as shown in the movie, when the British, to contain the rising tide of nationalism, relied on more and more brutality. Shoot-to-kill and indiscriminate firing punctuate the movie’s plot, and it is in this atmosphere that Naren, the son of a Raj loyalist who only wants to become a Rai Bahadur, meets Rajeshwari, the daughter of a revolutionary plotting to kill the British General.

One of the lovely scenes is where Naren’s family driver and friend Munna (Raghuvir Yadav) asks him: How can you think of love while Hindustan is burning? He responds that if everyone thought about love more, perhaps Hindustan wouldn’t burn. And then, of course, proceeds to describe the wonder that is Rajeshwari in words that have become an iconic example of young love and all its metaphors — Ek Ladki Ko Dekha , a song that shows Koirala and Kapoor at their freshest-faced and most exuberant.

In this movie, the songs don’t so much further the story or distract you as take you deeper into a scene, a thought, an emotion.

So Naren’s terror when he thinks Rajjo has left him, his relief when he realises she hasn’t, and the sheer need with which he clings to her needed a song that would allow the audience some room to breathe and mellow, but also be passionate and yearning.

The result? Only one of the most gorgeous love songs ever made — Kuch Na Kaho . This, by the way, was the first song Burman composed for the movie, and his first version, a jaunty, horribly chirpy number, was apparently so bad that Chopra, even while trying to be nice, couldn’t help but tell him it was s**t. Burman, so insecure, only asked if he was still signed for the film, and if he could get one more week. Chopra told him to take a year. He didn’t need a year. Within a week or two, he had created this slow-burning heat of a song.

In a year when the Bollywood box office was dominated by movies like Laadla , Raja Babu , Mohra , Krantiveer , Suhaag and Vijaypath and, of course, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, 1942: A Love Story stands out precisely because it isn’t big and loud (despite being a patriotic movie). It prefers to rely on a pair of young lovers dancing to the tunes of the master of love.

Also read:   In Kati Patang, director Shakti Samanta created magic with Rajesh Khanna & R.D. Burman’s music

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• Anil Kapoor
• Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Life reacts so sweetly to the old and golden era of Indian cinema. 1942 a love story brought a reality of melody.

He was ahead of time. Lot of composition has proven it.

He was ahead of time.

RD Burman’s music covered a wide spectrum. His cabaret songs with Asha Bhonsle can be a playlist of endless joy. And 1942 songs are lilting.

RD Burman , a music legend created many music Marvel’s that are going to last for many more centuries

There won’t be another RD Burman

The songs were, remain, exquisite. The movie had a sad, heavy feel to it, when I like only happy endings.

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• What is the release date of '1942: A Love Story'? Release date of Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff starrer '1942: A Love Story' is 1994-04-15.
• Who are the actors in '1942: A Love Story'? '1942: A Love Story' star cast includes Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala and Anupam Kher.
• Who is the director of '1942: A Love Story'? '1942: A Love Story' is directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
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Verona's Romeo & Juliet

Based on the real story that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, follows the greatest love story of all time, set as an original pop musical. Based on the real story that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, follows the greatest love story of all time, set as an original pop musical. Based on the real story that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, follows the greatest love story of all time, set as an original pop musical.

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Movie Review: This is her, now, in space: J.Lo heads to a new galaxy for AI love story in ‘Atlas’

This image released by Netflix shows Jennifer Lopez in a scene from “Atlas.” (Ana Carballosa/Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Jennifer Lopez in a scene from “Atlas.” (Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Sterling K. Brown in a scene from “Atlas.” (Netflix via AP)

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Let’s all be clear, if we weren’t already, that when it comes to Jennifer Lopez, it’s about the love story. Always the love story.

J.Lo the pop star, singing about rekindled love on her latest album, “This is Me … Now.” J.Lo the rom-com regular, making movies about seeking love (including the extremely autobiographical film of the same name.) J.Lo the real-life celebrity goddess, in countless headlines about … what else?

Love, for better or worse.

And so if we tell you that now, we have J.Lo in “Atlas,” playing a data analyst who travels to a planet populated solely by evil AI bots preparing to extinguish humanity, well, your only question really should be, “Where’s the love story?”

Glad you asked! Because there is one. It may not be with a human. It may actually be with a computer program. But there is one. Because “Atlas,” an often ridiculous sci-fi epic with dialogue cheesier than a Brie wheel but also an old-fashioned, human heart o’ gold, is a J.Lo movie. Through and through.

We’ll give the filmmakers some credit: “Atlas,” directed by Brad Peyton (“San Andreas”) is timely. And not just because Lopez has been in the news lately, but because the subject is AI — which has been in the news even more than Bennifer, believe it or not.

We begin our story on Earth, way off into the future, at a time where someone can say “Remember there used to be things called smartphones?” and everyone laughs. A montage of news reports informs us that things have not been going well for the human race. AI, created to advance humanity, has turned against it, killing over 1 million civilians.

The evil AI leader is Harlan (Simu Liu), who after turning on humanity has escaped to an unknown location far from Earth. But when an associate of his, Casca, is captured on Earth, the head of ICN, a coalition of nations fighting the AI menace, calls on Atlas Shepherd (Lopez) to help question him. Who better than the woman who’s devoted her life to the hunt for Harlan?

We learn Atlas is not a happy person. Also, she’s addicted to coffee – quad Americanos, to be precise. And she hates — absolutely hates — AI, for reasons unknown.

Anyway, Atlas deftly manages to obtain Harlan’s location from Casca, and soon finds herself begging to join a mission to his far-off planet to capture the villainous bot, with whom she shares a mysterious past connection. At first, mission commander Banks (Sterling K. Brown) objects strenuously, but quickly and rather illogically changes his mind. (Both Liu and Brown deserve much better roles than the generic, lifeless ones they’re given.)

Soon they’re off, to GR-39 in the Andromeda galaxy, where the ICN space rangers fall into a disastrous trap laid by Harlan. It’s here that Atlas meets the most important other person in the movie — well, not a person. It’s her AI software, who proves her crucial ally once Atlas is forced to crash land, in her mechanized battle suit, onto the planet.

The key issue is trust-building. Atlas, as we said, doesn’t trust AI. As the two get to know each other, the software gives himself (he has a “default” male voice) a name: Smith.

Atlas: “Is that really necessary?” Smith: “Names create an emotional reaction.” Atlas: “You’re a computer program.”

The plan consists of finding Harlan, defeating his dastardly plot to destroy humanity and getting off the planet – all while hopefully staying alive. At every step, Smith informs Atlas with all the data at his disposal how precisely desperate the odds are. This results in some amusing banter as Smith, voiced by Gregory James Cohan, “learns” sarcasm and humor.

As for Atlas, she needs to learn how to let down her guard – or rather, her brain walls. Her mistrust of AI leads her to stubbornly refuse (at first) Smith’s entreaties to use the “neural link” — a pathway into each other’s brains — that will vastly enhance Atlas’ chances of survival, combining her analytic capacity with Smith’s data access.

Harlan doesn’t appear until halfway into the movie, and we soon learn something about the tragic past he shares with Atlas. In any case, it’s Smith, not Harlan, that ultimately evokes real feeling from Atlas — and gives Lopez a chance to emote, which she does reasonably well given the mediocre dialogue. You could call it a futuristic triangle: Human, bad AI, good AI.

Who will win out? Our protocol, as Smith would say, doesn’t allow us to give spoilers. But you can guess one idea that emerges shining bright: It’s a four letter word that starts with “L.”

“Atlas,” a Netflix release, has been Rated PG-13 “for strong sci-fi violence, action, bloody images and strong language.” Running time: 118 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

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Tell Them You Love Me tells a complicated and painful story with grace

It’s been nearly a decade since Anna Stubblefield dominated the headlines; it’s been far longer since the incidents that sent her to jail went down. It felt like the Rutgers University ethics professor was everywhere in the fall of 2015, when she stood trial for sexual assault. Like many in that position, Stubblefield insisted she had consent; in fact, she said that the two were in love. But unlike those other suspects, the person she allegedly assaulted can’t confirm or dispute her claim. According to his family, he never could.

A new-to-the US documentary, Tell Them You Love Me , reveals that even after all this time, Stubblefield insists that she was innocent, and the man she was accused of assaulting is trapped inside a body that won’t allow him to express himself. There are times in the film that you might believe her. Or, more likely, you’ll believe that she believes that.

This doc, which aired in the UK in February and drops on Netflix on June 14, does one of the best jobs I’ve ever seen of truly telling all sides of a case — including the suspect’s — without selling anyone out. Given the remarkably loaded nature of the case, which is fraught with issues of gender, race, disability, culture, and consent, it’s a notable achievement from director Nick August-Perna.

The doc isn’t the type that surprises you with a shocking twist or big reveal, so everything I’ve told you in the grafs above won’t compromise your viewing. But if you’re someone who prefers an unfolding story, be warned that I’m about to go into details of a case you’ve either forgotten, misremembered, or improperly understood. You have been warned.

Now in his 40s, Derrick Johnson has always lived with his mother. The New Jersey man was born with with cerebral palsy, and has never been able to speak. He was diagnosed from a young age as significantly mentally impaired, and needs assistance to feed himself, move significant distances, or care for himself. He has always worn a diaper, and struggles to control his movements. But according to Anna Stubblefield, his intellect was merely muffled by his physical impairments, and he was able to communicate using a highly controversial assisted typing method called facilitated communication .

To be clear, this isn’t the same thing as the tools used by Stephen Hawking and others. Instead, an assistant guides the hand of the subject, seemingly cueing off barely perceptible movements, to type words and phrases. If that sounds a bit like the movement of the planchette of a Ouija board, you’re on the same track as FC’s multitudes of detractors . They say something called the ideomotor phenomenon , a psychological state of movement without realizing it, guides witchboard users and these alleged facilitators.

His middle class, Black family obviously loves and cares for him: his mother Daisy, who appears prominently in the documentary, expresses an early wish that Derrick could live a more typical life but loves him as he is. His brother, John, is now a college professor and was finishing his PhD as the details of the case began; he was also a caretaker for his brother, he affirms.

It was John who introduced Stubblefield to Derrick, we learn, after attending a seminar in which she discussed FC. She says she looked for an expert who could explore if the approach might help Derrick. When she couldn’t find anyone locally, she volunteered herself.

As Stubblefield tells it, as soon as Derrick had access to FC, he began to communicate freely, rejecting his birth name for another name, D-Man. She explains this without guile, and briefly, perhaps, this feels reasonable. Then we return to Daisy and John, who explain their dismay that this white woman came into their home and seemingly changed the name of their family member.

More and more incidents that suggest white saviorism are detailed openly by Stubblefield, while others are recalled by the Johnsons — a rejection of Daisy’s gospel music in favor of classical, for example. Even in this extreme situation, it feels familiar to any urban dweller who’s interacted with well-meaning white women of a certain age. It’s uncomfortable, and it should be, especially as Stubblefield’s apparent unconscious biases aren’t that different from award-winning narratives we’ve lived with — maybe even applauded — all our lives. (The way John says “The Blind Side ,” dripping with contempt…it’s bracing.)

The line between white savior and white predator has always been that thin, and Stubblefield seems to have stretched it till it broke. She explains, almost giddily, that the pair eventually fell in love, and embarked on a sexual relationship. After a time, she announced the relationship to Daisy and John. Fairly swiftly, they contacted the authorities, and Stubblefield headed to court.

As Stubblefield wasn’t disputing the actual details of the encounters, or any incidents brought forth by the Johnsons, the trial was as much over the validity of FC as it was anything. Through interviews with experts, investigators, and advocates within the disabled community, August-Perna dismantles the idea of FC with skill and confidence that never feels heavy handed or cold — which is certainly could have.

Who hasn’t dreamed that there was a way to reach people who otherwise seem unreachable? Who hasn’t worried about being trapped, unable to communicate, inside themselves? Taking away that hope could feel smirky or cruel in hands less sure. But with both Stubblefield and the Johnson family looking into the lens, we realize how that hope can be dangerous and delusional.

Ultimately, Tell Them You Love Me is about two crimes: the fraud of FC, and the sexual assault of a person incapable of giving consent. Both these crimes are enabled by layers of what I’ll call societal misconduct: racial power imbalances, the oft-unclear rights of disabled people, and even the disbelief that a woman can commit rape.

Stubblefield was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison, but was freed a few years later by an appeals court that agreed that proponents for FC were unfairly excluded from testimony in the original trial. She subsequently accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to time served. Even now, she maintains convinced that she was jailed for a great, star-crossed love affair, one unfairly cut short by a family who failed to understand their brother and son. It’s a stark expression of unrepentance, something that — like the rest of the events of the film — could have been played for shock, or sensation. Instead, it’s presented with quiet, firm belief. That might be the most unsettling thing of all.

Tell Them You Love Me

Recommendation: Watch

The case in favor:

• A bizarre tale, told calmly
• Subverts expectations and questions unconscious bias
• You won’t stop thinking about it and wanting to discuss it with others

The case against:

• FC is presented early on as a reliable tool, and only later is revealed as a likely fraud. That felt like a gimmick unbefitting this show
• I get the need to be concise (and applaud it!) But there are a lot of details to this story that I wish this doc had picked up. I recommend chasing it with this NYT story from 2015 and this follow from 2018 . (Both are gift links.)

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About the writer

Eve Batey is (with Sarah D. Bunting) the co-founder of Best Evidence. She’s a former deputy managing editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, was once the editor of Eater SF, and is currently a contributor to Vanity Fair (among other publications). You can find her on Instagram as @evelb or send pitches, tips, and fan mail to [email protected] .

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Happy discussing!

Monday 17th of June 2024

Wow. I understand the mom and brother's concern. To them he'd always been disabled. Anna saw a different side and connected with him in a different way. He asked to touch her breasts. And he wanted to be loved. After all, he has hormones like anyone else. So I don't believe she raped him. What did Anna stand to gain by the whole situation, really? Did anyone ask Derrick what he wanted?

All that was done wrong was done to Derek AKA Dman. He was not given a chance to live. By his family or by Anna.

@Omm, I agree. Anna didn’t come up with DMan - Derrick did that. In some of the photos you can see in his eyes that he is in there. In some, you can see he retreated. I am sure there are cases of people not just supporting an arm or wrist, but I don’t think that’s the norm. Anna should have been allowed to have all the people she has helped testify on her behalf.

Saturday 15th of June 2024

I don't think I can watch this, it's too infuriating!

Sharky (Heather)

Great, I will watch this tonight! I have a lot of Netflix stuff piling up, suddenly..

Falcon Lake Review: Come On In, the Water’s Fine

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Hit Man's Austin Amelio Agrees That Gary & Maddy Are Psychos and Breaks Down the Ending

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Director Charlotte Le Bon’s new film, Falcon Lake (now available on demand), was inspired by the graphic novel Une sœur ( A sister ) by Bastien Vivès. Le Bon uses the landscapes she became familiar with in her childhood, the regions of the Laurentides, northwest of Montreal, as the story’s new setting and the result is a rewarding coming-of-age film where latent desires gradually meet. This deeply nuanced film, which recently premiered at Tribeca Film Festival , uses a teenage crush as its baseline, foregoing the shocking fright nights that typically populate a cabin-by-the-lake tale.

That said, the moment you lay your eyes on that cabin, your mind is already expecting the worst. What a fright it is. It’s worn down. There’s no electricity. Who would stay there for a getaway? But 13-year-old Bastien (Joseph Engel) and his French-speaking family must call it home for a spell.

It’s here where Bastien meets 16-year-old Chloé (Sara Montpetit), the brusque daughter of his mother’s (Monia Chokri) best friend, Louise (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman). Suddenly Bastien and his younger brother (Thomas Laperrière) must share a bedroom with Chloé, whose penchant for staging death scenes and suggesting she sometimes “feels” the presence of ghosts becomes curiously alluring.

No Gore, Plenty of Intrigue

Falcon Lake is director Charlotte Le Bon’s first feature effort. She reportedly wanted to tweak the source material enough so that her main protagonist, Bastien, was challenged in his vacation setting. He speaks French. Most of the other kids around the lake don’t. But there’s something about Chloé he can’t escape. For starters, she’s older. But there’s a bit more there. Actually, there’s a “there” there in Chloé, and Bastien’s curiosity grows. So does Chloé’s. The girl can have her pick of a handful of hunky teens vacationing around the lake, but in Bastien, she finds, at first, an unlikely comrade, and a twin spirit of sorts. Pals they soon become.

Related: Best Movies of 2023 So Far, Ranked

Le Bon, who also wrote the screenplay, takes delight in surprising her audiences with soft frights, all the while suggesting that perhaps something more dreadful is lurking around the corner. What a tease it is — pretty much like a teen crush heading somewhere, or maybe nowhere at all. Something is stirred. In this case, it’s creative juices. One could easily tire of a lingering temptation that seemingly heads nowhere, but there’s something about Le Bon’s writing and directing that keep you invested in how things play out for Bastien and Chloé.

On that note, it’s important to note that the film was shot on 16mm print. The result gives this outing a refreshingly subtle and sometimes surprising aesthetic that digital would not allow. It adds to overall curiosity set into play here. If there’s any “gore” in this film, it’s beneath the surface, where these teens’ emotions slowly come to a boil. Then settle down, then boil again. Ah, youth.

An Inventive Coming-of-Age Story

Nobody will fault you if you find yourself drawing comparisons to Call Me By Your Name here. That outstanding 2017 Oscar-nominated film, which gave us Timothée Chalamet and a pre-scandal Armie Hammer, stood out for its exquisite pacing and the rich emotional underworld it explored in an unlikely romance. Falcon Lake is like that to some degree, and as the film enters its last act, there’s something wonderfully captivating about Bastien and Chloé that you just can’t shake. Joseph Engel and Sara Montpetit are fine young actors. They lose themselves in these roles. We care about what happens to them.

Related: Best Coming-of-Age Films of the 2010s, Ranked

When Bastien’s slight but significant betrayal of Chloé arrives in the script, you wonder where the story may be headed. What a welcome surprise it is to watch Le Bon moves through these moments, effectively capturing the heartache and vulnerability of teenagers. And surely, audiences will relate to Bastien’s awkwardness in a new situation, especially feeling like the outsider among all the “cool” kids.

The first few minutes of Falcon Lake will undoubtedly grab you. But the last 10 will stun you. Everything from the writing and the ways Le Bon captures these final moments is a work of a masterful pro. It’s hard to believe this is the director’s first feature endeavor. For most of the film you’re watching Bastien and Chloé connect more deeply and if there’s any doubt whether they will continue on that path — or not — the final shot will find you sitting back, jaw dropped. Bravo.

Falcon Lake, from Yellow Veil Pictures, is playing in select theaters and is now available on demand.

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How Paul Tremblay mined a lifelong love of scary films to craft new novel 'Horror Movie'

For high school math teacher turned author Paul Tremblay , a lifetime of watching scary movies has led to an acclaimed bibliography full of enjoyably creepy horror novels.

So with the title of his latest being “ Horror Movie ,” you know Tremblay’s not messing around. This spin on the “cursed film” trope centers on an art-house flick made in 1993 by a group of indie filmmakers but never released, outside of a few scenes put online. A fandom has grown around its legend, to the point that it’s being remade, and the only surviving member of the cast – who played a masked teen called “the Thin Kid” – is a producer. Through past and present perspectives, and the script of the film, Tremblay’s book is a slow-burn narrative of creative egos, disturbing circumstances and the tragedy at the heart of the original production.

Tremblay didn’t read for fun until his 20s, “so my very nascent early understanding of story and story structure was all through movies,” says the author, whose 2018 book “The Cabin at the End of the World” was adapted by M. Night Shyamalan into last year’s “ Knock at the Cabin .” Writing “Horror Movie” was “getting to break that apart and try to make a horror movie be a part of a book.”

The 52-year-old Tremblay, who’s working on the middle-grade horror novel “Another” (coming in 2025), runs down the cinematic chillers that influenced “Horror Movie” and inspired his own writing over the years.

Review: Stephen King knows 'You Like It Darker' and obliges with sensational new tales

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ was the initial ‘Horror Movie’ inspiration

Tremblay’s original impetus for “Horror Movie” came from an online conversation he saw about the 1974 slasher classic that mentioned the 2013 book “Chain Saw Confidential,” Leatherface actor Gunnar Hansen’s first-person account of what happened when making the movie. “It just sent me down a ‘Chain Saw’ rabbit hole. I read that book and they took so many chances on set, like what would've happened if the chainsaw slipped?” Tremblay says. “Then I just started thinking about the 1970s and the ‘90s, people making an independent movie and something went wrong, and that was just really the start of it.” (A chainsaw also heavily factors into the plot of “Horror Movie.”)

Tremblay mined “that raw, almost desperate energy" of indie horror movies, be it the arty works of A24 – the company known for the likes of “The Witch” and “Hereditary” – or the Dutch film “Borgman,” a “weird, messed-up movie” about a drifter taken in by an upper-class family. “I definitely wanted some of that same messed-upness” in "Horror Movie," he says.

Tremblay surrounded himself with possession films for ‘A Head Full of Ghosts’

When writing one of his books or short stories, Tremblay tries to tailor his entertainment consumption and surroundings to stuff that best serves his project. For 2015’s “ A Head Full of Ghosts ,” about a possibly possessed teenage girl featured on a reality TV show, Tremblay watched and rewatched “The Exorcist” and others of its ilk.

“I’m usually reading things that I think will sort of inspire ideas, too," he says. "I'm not too worried about the intrusion of other voices. In fact, I enjoy getting unexpected sparks from things.” (A movie version of “A Head Full of Ghosts,” which “scared the living hell” out of Stephen King , is in the works from producer Robert Downey Jr. and “Goodnight Mommy” directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala.)

‘The Cabin from the End of the World’ spawned from home invasion movies

Admittedly a “longtime scaredy cat,” Tremblay’s love of horror stemmed from watching 1950s and ‘60s black-and-white movies like “The Killer Shrews” that “would give me nightmares” when he was 7. To this day, he doesn’t like home invasion movies, “partly because they're so icky, they're so scary,” he says, but the ones Tremblay digs – the French film “Them,” “Hush” and the old Audrey Hepburn film “Wait Until Dark” – inspired him to do a book version of one with “The Cabin at the End of the World.”

“It was more messing around with, oh, it'd be really weird if the strangers showed up and started killing each other instead of the family," Tremblay says. "Why would they do that? That was just sort of a little bit of a logic puzzle for me."

‘Knock at the Cabin’ turned into a meta influence for Tremblay’s ‘Horror Movie’

The author visited the set of Shayamalan’s “Cabin” adaptation, which featured a significantly different ending than the book, and the author's experience so far in the movie industry informed the filmmaking bits of “Horror Movie” where the older Thin Kid is dealing with producers and directors to get a movie made. “I have enjoyed it, but it has been weird. It's been super-stressful at times, too,” Tremblay says. “The business side of it still just makes zero sense to me. That's fine, maybe it's not supposed to make sense to me.”

The writer admits some of the “Horror Movie” stuff is from personal stories, while others are anecdotal from other authors: “We novelists don't have a union so when weird things happen in Hollywood, our only revenge is to write about it."

The Surprising True Story of Hit Man

Glen Powell's new movie tells the very real story of a very fake assassin.

Hit Man is a remarkable, ingeniously sly work of fiction. But it's also inspired by and dedicated to the real Gary Johnson, who worked as a staff investigator for the Harris County district attorney’s office, posing as a gun for hire in the Houston area—despite the film’s charming New Orleans setting, this was in fact a Texas story—luring those who wanted to off their husbands, wives, or bosses, and putting them behind bars.

To understand Powell’s chameleonic Gary and devilish alter ego Ron, you have to get to know the actual Gary Johnson, who died in 2022 before he could see Hit Man . Here’s an explainer on his wild life and career, and how Linklater’s movie both embraces and departs from that reality.

Who was the fake hit man Gary Johnson?

Hit Man is in part an adaptation of a 2001 Texas Monthly story, also called “Hit Man,” by the celebrated journalist Skip Hollandsworth. It introduces us to Gary Johnson, at that time a “nice, quiet man” living on “a nice, quiet street in a nice, quiet neighborhood just north of Houston.” He has soft eyes and scholarly wire-rimmed glasses. Johnson lives by himself with two cats, named Id and Ego. He also has a small pond with goldfish and an intricate garden. He enjoys reading Shakespeare, Carl Jung, and Gandhi. He is a deep thinker.

Johnson is regarded by neighbors as unfailingly polite. But he has a secret: in his bedroom, he takes calls from a black phone whenever local police have a tip on someone looking to put out a hit. He goes into hitman mode.

How did Gary Johnson do his fake hitman job?

The Texas Monthly story covers Johnson’s 30-year career as a faux hit man, starting in 1989, as well as a stint teaching night classes on human sexuality and general psychology at a local college. He went by many names (Mike Caine, Jody Eagle, Chris Buck) while pursuing suspects looking for a man to eliminate their problem.

“He’s the perfect chameleon,” Houston lawyer Michael Hinton said of Johnson’s disguised performances. “Gary is a truly great performer who can turn into whatever he needs to be, in whatever situation he finds himself. He never gets flustered, and he never says the wrong thing. He’s somehow able to persuade people who are rich and not so rich, successful and not so successful, that he’s the real thing. He fools them every time.”

Johnson was able to flip the script according to whatever situation he was investigating. “If he is meeting a client who lives in one of Houston’s more exclusive neighborhoods, he can put on the polished demeanor of a sleek, skilled assassin who will not sniff at a job for less than six figures. If he is meeting a client who lives in a working-class neighborhood, he can come across like a wily country boy, willing to whack anyone at any time for whatever money he can get,” Hollandsworth notes.

Building on his psychology skills, Johnson was largely successful in this line of work by simply being the sympathetic ear his vengeful clients felt they needed. “I am always here for them,” Johnson told Texas Monthly . “I am always here to wait for their calls and listen to them tell me their dark secrets.”

As Hit Man notes in its closing moments, Johnson ultimately helped to secure over 70 arrests as an undercover agent.

Was the love story in Hit Man real ? What did the movie make up?

So, while the first half-hour or so of Linklater’s movie proves to be fairly faithful to Johnson’s backstory, the plot then takes some mischievous and fictional turns. (Hint: Spoilers for the film ahead.) Powell’s Johnson, in his persona of a hitman named Ron, gets wrapped up in a very real murder case when his client-turned-girlfriend Maddy Masters’s (played by the undeniably alluring Adria Arjona) abusive husband turns up dead… and things get even more violent when a fellow cop suspects him.

In reality, Johnson was never a murderer. “We made that part up,” the end credits of Hit Man tell us, also explaining that the real Gary Johnson was an “animal-loving Buddhist” and “the chillest dude imaginable.”

But imaginative as it is, Hit Man does pull at a factual thread in Johnson’s career here. The Texas Monthly story ends on a real-life twist, in which Johnson “did something out of character for him.” He got a call about a young woman who had mentioned to a Starbucks employee that she felt she needed someone to kill her cruel boyfriend in order to escape the relationship.

The thing is, Johnson did his research, and this woman had actually been regularly battered by said boyfriend, and was simply too afraid to try walking away. Instead of setting her up for a prison sentence, he got social service agencies and a therapist involved to help her safely leave the relationship and get shelter.

It might not be quite as cinematic as the darkly comic ending of Hit Man , but it was no less fascinating. Here was a fake hit man who, in Hollandsworth’s telling, had “just turned soft.”

“Just this once,” Johnson replied, giving the writer an “enigmatic smile.” Watching Hit Man , it’s hard not to be entranced by Powell’s own enigmatic smile, always politely hiding something.

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