Megan McLachlan continues her coverage of the Bentonville Film Festival with a visit from Elmo, a Sesame Street documentary, and Lucy Liu’s awards-worthy performance in Rosemead.
Many icons have graced Bentonville this week, but Elmo might have been the one everyone was most excited about — adults and children alike!
At the Outdoor Geena Davis Theater at The Momentary, I, a childless adult, sat with other families and children, as we collectively waited in the 90-degree heat for Elmo to emerge from his black box like Punxsutawney Phil. When he finally did, he played “Elmo Says” with the crowd, and when Elmo Said to stand, I found myself standing with the children, hanging on to the red monster’s every word. He introduced Ms. Davis so they could read her new children’s book together — The Girl Who Was Too Big for The Page. It was adorable (and Geena was even dressed like the character, Sheila).
Elmo put me in the mindset for my first film of the day, Ernie Bustamante’s Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon.
The Nostalgic and Sweet Street Smart Lets Sonia Manzano Tell Her Story of Life on Sesame Street
Bustamante’s documentary about Sonia Manzano’s rise to street fame as “Maria” is a sweet trip down memory lane. Somehow, he managed to select every clip I cherished as a child, including Maria and Luis’s “Hola” number (I was always obsessed with her pink dress), and I didn’t know that Manzano wrote that particular sequence. The doc follows her from an actress in Godspell to Maria to writing her own show for PBS, Alma’s Way. It really reiterates what an American icon she is and how she’s influenced generations of people.
As Bustamante’s first film, Street Smart captures the spirit of Sesame Street. It takes its time telling her story, pausing to breathe, while also outlining the lessons learned from Manzano’s storied career. During the Q&A after the film, the director remarked that it was three years to the day that he had started talking to Manzano for the film. And surprisingly, one of the biggest influences for Street Smart was his friend and Pose showrunner Steven Canals, who championed this doc from the beginning.
“This is a tool for why public media is important,” said Bustamante.
In July, he said there will be a sneak peek of the film at Comic Con.
Rosemead Movie Sets Festival Abuzz with Lucy Liu’s Quietly Powerful Performance
Bentonville Film Festival Rising to the Challenge Award winner Lucy Liu blew me away in Eric Lin’s Rosemead. Based on an LA Times article and stunning true story, Liu plays Irene, a mother with cancer who’s trying to help her schizophrenic son Joe (Lawrence Shou). You’ve never seen her like this before. Known for her steely gaze and confident swagger, Lucy Liu is nowhere to be found in Rosemead, as Irene limps and lumbers, looking exhausted with every shuffle.
Set in the city in Los Angeles County, Rosemead is a love story between a mother and son, with Irene facing unbelievable personal and cultural challenges. Just years prior, Irene’s husband passed away from cancer, and now she’s raising a young man with special needs on a time limit with very few options to support his well-being. The film also excels at capturing Joe’s fear and confusion, featuring exceptional sound design direction from supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer Josh Heilbronner.
It’s best to go into this film not knowing a lot, but during the Q&A after the film, it was remarkable to learn that co-screenwriter Marilyn Fu wrote the script while 6 months pregnant with twin boys.
“Frank Shyong’s article and the script are so heartbreaking” said Lin. “I felt this was a story that had to be told. It was something I related to, and shedding a light on it could help other people. Lucy was the top of our list to be in it.”
“It’s a story about love,” said Liu. “It’s about her connection with her son and what she believed was the best choice for her. There’s a lot of doubt and stigma about mental illness in our community and a lot of communities. Shining a light on this and understanding that this is a story that does not have to happen — the win for us is that we can see this and see what we can do differently.”
Rosemead ended up taking home the Best Narrative Feature Award for the 2025 Bentonville Film Festival and is still seeking distribution.
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