François Ozon is one of France’s leading filmmakers. His movies typically involve characters caught up in circumstances beyond their control, and often feature a clever twist (see, for example, his early Swimming Pool; or his more recent In the House). In By the Grace of God, Ozon strays from his usual style and into an…
Master filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has crafted an intricate personal story that spans more than 50 years in Pain and Glory. Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) is a veteran film director, afflicted by multiple ailments, the worst of which is his inability to continue filming. His physical condition doesn’t allow it and, if he can’t film again,…
A hard working wife and mother has her life is turned upside down in Michal Aviad’s Working Woman. Orna (Liron Ben Shlush) is happily married to Ofer (Oshri Cohen). They have three young children. Two months ago, Ofer opened a restaurant, but the business is struggling. Middle-aged businessman Benny (Menashe Nov) offers Orna work selling…
Shakespeare-like high drama melds with anthropological study in Birds of Passage. Directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Embrace of the Serpent) skillfully examine how modern issues affect the lives of an isolated clan of indigenous people in remote northern Colombia. The results are shocking yet sadly familiar. The people in question are the Wayuu. They…
The fact The Farewell even exists speaks to two things. First, the power of podcasting; because the movie probably wouldn’t have been made if director Lulu Wang’s real-life story hadn’t been featured on This American Life. And second, the rise of star Awkwafina (Ocean’s Eight) as an acting force. But the film does exist; which…
How can you stand up to a bully? That’s the question at the centre of the crime drama Dogman. Timid dog groomer Marcello is separated from the mother of his young daughter, whom he adores … and vice versa. He lives in a barren, downtrodden Italian neighbourhood and gets on well with everyone. To make…
Have you ever faked it? In the intriguing psychological thriller Who You Think I Am, a middle-aged woman creates a fake Facebook profile to lure a much younger man. He’s on the hook, and she’s besotted, but the pair never meet. She is teacher Claire Millaud (Juliette Binoche), who assumes the name of Clara. She…
Ánimas certainly isn’t an easy film. It also takes a while before you realize what’s actually going on. The film looks enormously artistic thanks to the quirky image setting. Scenes in different color palettes alternate. From intense red and bright orange to soothing green. I suppose it’s “a state of mind” related kind of thing….
This visually sumptuous but glacially paced coming of age drama tells the story of May (newcomer Nguyen Phuong Tra My), a 14-year old girl who is married off to Hung (Le Vu Long), a wealthy older landowner, to settle a debt. She is the man’s third wife. To cement her status she needs to produce…
Ricardo Darín (Wild Tales) and Mercedes Morán (The Motorcycle Diaries) play Marcos and Ana in An Unexpected Love. The long-married couple are led to question the true meaning of love after becoming empty-nesters. Their son Luciano (Andres Gil) is leaving his Argentine homeland to study abroad. When Marcos and Ana arrive at the airport to…
