summary
- In this fantasy film, a surreal therapist guides a grief-stricken widower on a road trip to learn how to fly.
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The Secret Art of Human Flight
It is a unique indie gem that explores the complexities of grief through humor, imagination, and drama. - The quirky, small, fast-paced film may not appeal to everyone, but it will charm them with its honest and funny performances.
People deal with grief in different ways, and understandably, they don’t always do it with complete sanity. The fact is that even if we see it coming, we don’t always have the literal and metaphorical tools to deal with it and take the next step in life when tragedy does strike. Sure, you may think you’re equipped, but that’s all presumptive arrogance until the fateful day arrives. Then, you may find yourself swallowing your words and instead saying to the void around you, “What now?” Grief is the central theme of this book. The Secret Art of Human Flighta wonderful little indie gem now gets its digital release through the cutting-edge Kino streaming service.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival before being released worldwide, and is directed by HP Mendoza and written by Jesse Orenshein. The Secret Art of Human Flight Oscar nominee Paul Raci seesMetal sound) Taking advantage of grief in the guise of a surreal therapist, Kismet and Ben (Grant Rosenmeier) become involved in this innovative story that weaves together humor, fantasy and drama to ask the questions: How do we move forward, and how do we fly?
Life after love
The Secret Art of Human Flight (2024)
3.5/5
In the wake of a tragedy, a grieving widower (Grant Rosenmeier) turns to a mysterious self-help book on the Dark Web. Written by an eccentric guru (Paul Raci), the book promises to unlock the power to fly.
- release date
- July 5, 2024
- exit
- HP Mendoza
- the book
- HP Mendoza
- Distributor(s)
- Kino Lorber, Level 33 Entertainment
- A unique fantasy story that refuses to compromise, starring the great Paul Raci.
- Lucy DeVito steals every scene, and the entire cast is charming.
- It may be too weird, small, and have an odd pace for some.
Tragedy strikes a unique note in The Secret Art of Human Flightsince the widowed protagonist is not a middle-aged or elderly man, but a millennial whose wife was only 31 when she died. We only see the beautiful, vibrant Sarah (Rena Hardesty) in recorded videos that are either shared on social media or now belong to her husband Ben (Grant Rosenmeier) in his own mourning.
It makes for a unique story structure, as this is the only dose we get of Ben’s now-deceased partner, with director Mendoza cleverly interspersing clips to push the main story forward. In fact, we learn more about the couple’s complex relationship as Ben’s quest for inner peace continues. No, things weren’t always so good before Sarah’s death, Make the feature film more realistic and relatable.
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Grant Rosenmeier plays a man in a miserable mess.
Right from the start, Ben finds himself alone in a large, empty house. His reckless sister Gloria (a wonderful Lucy DeVito) and her nosy husband Tom (Niccan Robinson) try to keep Ben sane and—frankly—alive, but the young widower prefers to sit in his garden for days on end without food or water until someone finally comes to intervene.
His life is chaotic in other ways now.He's behind on his mortgage payments, the children's book business he started with Sarah is failing, and now the lead investigator in Sarah's asphyxiation case (a charismatic Rosa Arredondo) can't help but suspect that Ben had something to do with Sarah's death. After all, the life insurance policies they took out on each other when they were married aren't helping his case. What a mess, really.
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Paul Raci: The Shadow Healer
In many ways, history is a coincidence, and the random events that shape it can be similarly applied to how Ben’s remarkable story unfolds in this wonderful little indie film. Thanks to YouTube and its endless glory, the bedridden grieving man stumbles upon a viral video of a strange man literally jumping off a cliff and ascending back into the sky, as if he were flying. Wait, what?
The video’s comments scream “fake” and “bad photoshop,” but whenever grief strikes and makes our lives seem meaningless, the most random thoughts can take over our brains and give meaning to our existence again. As such, this wild clip leads Ben to the dark web, where he eventually discovers the suspicious identity of the man in the video: he’s called Mealworm (of course), and he’s… Played by the wonderful actor Paul Raci..
It helps to have a little star power behind my head, and that comes in the form of the above. Lucy DeVito and fear of the walking dead Maggie Grace Graduatewhich really adds a nice dose of “grace” to help balance out Ben's sometimes overwhelming weirdness in the face of Melworm. Grace plays Wendy, another sad-spirited local who takes a friendly liking to Ben after they meet as Melworm's “students.”
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The Secret Art of Old-Fashioned Independent Comedy Drama
Nothing in this world is free, and that includes Mealworm’s services to teach Ben how to “leave this world behind” and literally learn how to fly. Part of Ben’s flight training requires him to sleep nearly naked on the roof of his house, which the neighbors and Sister Gloria are not happy about. It’s all a quirky, indie comedy-drama that reminds us of the joys of low-budget cinema that can tug at our hearts and inspire us without the need for a Marvel-sized wallet behind the lens. It may be too weird and too paced for viewers who prefer those big-budget movies, but for others, it's a special treat..
Human flight has been explored as a symbol on the big screen in films such as man bird And Arizona Dreamand famous books such as Song from SolomonAnd The Secret Art of Human Flight It's a powerful addition to the pantheon. Maybe it will inspire dreamers to let go of those crazy feelings and forget about the haters and naysayers who once told them to “forget it.” Kids, don't try this at home, but we encourage you to indulge. My honest and moving portrayal of a surreal character. Who wants to pass on his daring abilities to others, especially to people like Ben (played to perfection by the hilarious Rosenmeier) who is suffering from a sad existential crisis.
From Level 33 Entertainment, you can rent or stream: The Secret Art of Human Flight On Kino+ below:
Watch on Kino+
