Filmmaker Pablo Larraín has garnered a reputation for his particular use of style as seen in Oscar-nominated films “Jackie“ and “A Fantastic Woman.” His prolific nature, releasing on average two movies a year, combined with such an idiosyncratic vision doesn’t always prove a revelation. Case and point, earlier this year his English remake of “Gloria […]
A tender reminiscence about a Mexican man trying to fulfill his dreams in America after he suffers prejudice and heartbreak in his hometown of Puebla. Of course, he discovers through the years that he must deal with something similar in the U.S., but it is different enough that he is able to accommodate and make his
This story will put a chill in any mother’s heart. It shows a reality that is hard to believe, even though we all recognize that it springs from truth. I’m not sure, but I figure that the 13 year-old girl shows a kind of heroism and strong character that is uncommon in one so young. This is not
This is a gentle movie, a disquieting mixture of stunning, eloquently filmed scenes; warm, appealing characters; and profound grief in a pervasive thread running through it all. The film opens with a snowy landscape, eventually focusing on a primitive thatched wall with a rectangular window that looks like a black hole. To some extent the cinematographer Yves
Macabre thriller with some humor is how I would describe Beasts Clawing at Straws. It consists of a series of vignettes about a disparate group of people whom you gradually—only very gradually—realize are connected with one another. To make it more complicated, characters evolve across time, so that who you think they are in the beginning is different from how
The film captures an unusual coming-of-age story based in Sri Lanka, where the Tamils and the Sinhalese are at war with one another, a schism that reflects the one in families who firmly believe in dichotomous categorization of sexuality, making any other manifestation illegal. Arjie (played by Nand and Ingram as younger and older) seems to
One of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. It’s so well constructed, suspense is maintained throughout, and all the elements of filmmaking excel. As director, Edoardo Ponti (son of Carlo and Sophia), keeps a moving pace with the action, complemented by the cinematography (Angus Hudson), the music (Gabriel Yared), and above all the acting. It’s been almost
The Czech Republic’s submission to the Academy Awards that was short-listed from over 90 films to one of the ten, was also one of the films that prompted walkouts during Venice and Toronto film festivals. Director Václav Marhoul’s controversial black and white film The Painted Bird is adapted from the equally controversial author Jerzy Kosinski.
The moral ambiguity of “Corpus Christi” is one of it’s most compelling elements. A film I regret missing at TIFF 2019, despite it’s well promoted debut, is among the most provocative of this years International Films submitted for Academy Award consideration. From Poland, Jan Komasa directs the script by 27-year-old first-time feature film screenwriter Mateusz
Typically with Russian submissions to the Academy for International Film, you see dark, brutal, dramatic epics often focused on violence. Loveless and Leviathan come to mind. The Russian selection committee look to the future with promising 26-year-old director Kantemir Balagov, only on his third feature but already capturing three major awards at Cannes, two this