When I wrote about Burning earlier this year, I mentioned that East Asian cinema was having something of a “moment”. Well, that “moment” continues with Joon Ho Bong’s Palme d’Or (2019) winner, Parasite. A veteran of Korean cinema, Bong is probably best known here for 2013’s Snowpiercer. Sci-fi has been his forte, so Parasite is…
Epic in scope and set against the backdrop of the Cold War, Never Look Away spans some thirty years of German history and dramatic social change. It is loosely based on the life of renowned German artist Gerard Richter, widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary artists. The film opens in Dresden in…
Every detail was just perfect in the Finnish low-budget indie Euthanizer. From the first second this film intrigued me and managed to hold my full attention. Not only the magnificent acting of Matti Onnismaa and Hannamaija Nikander, as the bitter and sinister person Veijo and the strange figure Lotta whose sexual preference is also rather…
The Bar (El Bar) pretends to be a thriller comedy, but falls short on both levels. The film leans rather towards the comedy genre. But in terms of thriller, it’s a bit too weak. What’s actually the ultimate cause of the incident witnessed by a number of persons, isn’t really clear in the end. Are…
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) this isn’t. I found the absurdist My Big Gay Italian Wedding an embarrassment. Based on a long running off-Broadway play by Anthony J. Wilkinson, co-writer and director Alessandro Genovesi tells the story of a troubled trip to the altar. When Antonio (Cristiano Caccamo) pops the question to his boyfriend…
The 2019 German Film Festival is currently getting underway around the country. The festival aims to showcase the best new German cinema across all genres with a curated selection of 31 films. It all kicks off with Balloon (Ballon) by Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig. This film is a stranger-than-fiction story about two families trying to escape…
It’s rare that we get to see a film from Paraguay. It’s even rarer that this deeply conservative country would produce a film about two elderly lesbians whose relationship is undergoing something of a crisis. But that’s what we get in The Heiresses from writer/director Marcelo Martinessi. Chela (played by veteran theatre actress Anna Brun…
The Trouble with You is an absurdist French comedy that’s both clever and silly. I didn’t know whether to delight in its eccentricities or howl at its stupidity, so I flipped from one to the other and back again. Let’s be clear on one thing – the plot is ridiculous. Detective Yvonne Santi (Adèle Haenel)…
A quirky, subversive gem, Woman at War gives Icelandic cinema a platform on the world stage. It’s beautifully nuanced and skilfully performed by a small cast. Halla is a 49-year-old Icelandic woman. She’s a respected choir leader, who leads a mysterious double life. Her other self is a passionate environmental activist who flouts the law….
This year’s Moro Spanish Film Festival features 32 films from Spain and Latin America, including special presentations and events, innovative documentaries, and a spotlight on female directors. The fest screens nationally at Palace Cinemas from 16 April. It will feature two key program strands: New Spanish Cinema and Cine Latino. Opening with Javier Fesser’s Goya…
