In a span of 12 days, over 150 films from more than 50 countries will be seen by over 45,000 people…and I’m one of them. The 62nd Chicago International Film Festival is in full swing, bringing together film lovers from around the globe to share an experience under one roof, giving us stories from all walks of life that might just influence how we view the world. While I don’t have the time (or the financial means) to see EVERY title screening, here’s a look at some of the films I got the chance to check out:

Club Kid (US)

The kickoff to this year's festival was Club Kid, written, directed, and starring Jordan Firstman, who received this year's Breakthrough Award. And I must say, the award was well earned! I wasn't sure if the content creator known for "I Wanna See My Friends' Dicks" would win me over with his directorial debut, but this was a pretty solid family/gay drama. It's about a party promoter who loses his job around the same time he finds out he has a kid from across the pond. It’s sort of a yassified Big Daddy, but with less cutesy schmaltz and more complicated nuance. 

Everything Else Is Noise (Spain)

After starting with a cello practice playing over a five-minute uncut shot of a traffic jam happening just right outside and ending with an extended shot of a mother and daughter giggling in the kitchen while an off-camera conversation takes place in the dining room, it was clear the filmmakers behind this movie love juxtaposing different stories taking place at the same time. And that happens quite a lot in this movie, where life coincides even during the most random of events—connected by the aggravating sounds of construction, car horns, barking dogs, and loud music.    

The Riverbank (Brazil)

This thrilling drama combines the sensual with the severe, mixing explicit sexuality with vigilante violence so intense it'll have you sweating in the dark—as if you're cruising the mangrove forests of Recife alongside the film's protagonist! The cruiser in question is Izaquiel, a gay janitor who ironically gets one last chance of employment (let's just say he'd prefer doing other activities in the public restrooms he's assigned to clean) at an Evangelical church. During the day, he witnesses baptisms and sermons about giving yourself over to Christ, while at night, he roams the dangerous Brazilian jungle in search of bulky fisherman Jeremias. The encounters are carnal but come with a risk as a string of mysterious murders begin popping up all around them.  

Fatherland (Poland/Germany)

Directed by Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski (who won his second Best Director award at Cannes for this) takes us back to the height of the Cold War, following German novelist Thomas Mann and his daughter on a road trip across a Germany that's still clearing the rubble from WWII and its descent into fascism. Shot in beautiful black and white (as Pawlikowski did with Ida and Cold War), the prescient drama shows us the aftermath of one of mankind's most atrocious periods, from the perspective of one of Germany's most celebrated writers. 

No Rest For the Wicked (Denmark)

Just what you want from a Danish queer horror/romance period piece! Set in the Fahoe Islands in 1862, a fisherman comes to the rescue of a rugged whaler, only to be rescued himself (in more ways than one I might add). This movie has all the titillating action a period piece calls for: skinny-dipping fondlings, extended looks by the fireside, and quiet, heavy breaths in between games of tonsil hockey. Add in some ghost story folklore and a little spiritual possession, and you've got what looks like a cross between Call Me By Your Brokeback Mountain, a dash of Leviticus and Ghost, with just the tiniest splash of Invasion of the Body Snatchers!

The Difficult Bride (Bangladesh)

This film gives new meaning to the term "Bridezilla." As bride-to-be Zaineen begins an exhaustive string of Dhaka beauty rituals to prepare for her upcoming wedding, her sanity gradually dissolves as the rosewater toners and turmeric masks start piling on. The ASMR alone is worth checking out this supernatural drama, from the sound of acrylic nails gliding across golden necklaces to the slithery sounds of snails, snakes, and worms that appear out of nowhere. Are they a metaphor for Zaineen's world closing in, a manifestation of her deteriorating mental health, or some sort of commentary on the class cultural wars going on outside her privileged bubble? Or perhaps it's just typical wedding day jitters!

Look Back (Japan)

I've never been a fan of Manga, but perhaps I should check some out after watching this coming-of-age drama that's a live-action adaptation of famed manga artist Taksuki Fujimoto's semi-autobiographical one-shot. The passion and imaginative spirit of Japanese comics is captured in the relationship between two former rivals turned best friends, Fujino and Kyomoto, who aspire to become famous illustrators and encourage each other's creativity. Shot in 35 mm by Kore-eda-Hirokazu—director of former festival favorites Shoplifters and Monster—this film has plenty of whimsy, thanks to the chemistry of its charming actresses. 

Tricontinental, Letter to Open in Case of (Switzerland, Cuba)

To become a revolutionary fighter, you don't need money or a permit...only a cinema of truth. At least according to Michele Firk, a French film critic who left the Parisian film clubs of the mid-1960s for the political battlegrounds of the anti-imperialist movement, mingling with the likes of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and other activists from around the globe. While her manifestos have been largely forgotten, filmmaker Laura Cazador brings Firk's life back into the spotlight, during a time when Firk felt an urgency for action. The documentary pays homage to the "Third Cinema" movement as well, separating Firk's life into chapters referencing such classics as The Battle of Algiers, The Hour of the Furnaces, and I Am Cuba.

Tin Castle (Ireland)

The members of the O'Reilly family (Pa and Lisa, and their 10 children ranging from 4 to 16) somehow manage to live inside a small mobile home—the "tin castle" in question—off the side of a road. They're barely getting by, facing eviction, electrical outages, and possible imprisonment for the patriarch, who's also battling anxiety and depression. This engrossing slice-of-life documentary captures the ups and the downs of this family of Irish travelers and their daily experiences, riding on nothing but a little faith and the love they have for each other. 

Coming up, an Iranian drama with echoes of It’s a Wonderful Life, an unearthed documentary featuring luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance, and Pedro Pascal as…a sexy cellist? Stay tuned for more of my coverage of the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival!