Movie reviews

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TRUTH DETECTIVES

Recommended. Incredible how precisely technology can identify what and where. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International crime solving methods look like "CSI" but cleaner: panoramic photographs, compiling a story from thousands of photographs taken in different parts of the city at different times, drones, satellite imaging, ground probes, specially developed algorithms, electric current X-raying soil. For me it was also quite revelatory how many actions constitute war crimes. The film shows human rights violations 100% detected. The future looks bright and science fiction has come real.

ASK THE SEXPERT

Watchable. A cheerful film about a celebrity sexologist in India, where ignorance in these matters is striking at times and calls for education. Sharp-witted, much beloved by his readers and fought against by a lady promoting chastity among hormone-fuelled youngsters. Even his most ardent opponent is presented light-heartedly. Without the gravitas that most human rights films carry but refreshingly light.

STRONGER THAN A BULLET

Recommended. The film takes the propaganda out of the images of the Iran-Iraq war replacing smiling young soldiers with realistic shots of torn limbs and stories of an ocean of blood. Former soldiers describe how, amid the reek of gunpowder, corpses were fragrant to them so they even slept under dead bodies for warmth and bullet protection. Powerful stuff.

In the Q&A with the director she said the Iranian revolution was what they called "a stolen revolution" since first, after 2500 years of monarchy leftists and women fought for democracy. But the religious regime took over the rebellion manipulating people and destroying intelligence.

BENDING THE ARC

Recommended. "Rich people must have no sex lives because they are always trying to screw the poor" as one of the doctors jokes. Luckily not always. One of the protagonists after several years of volunteer work in Haiti, Peru and Romania got appointed, by President Obama, President of the World Bank. Another one became the Minister of Health in Rwanda. The 20 year struggle for treating the poor was emotionally charged and involved overcoming financial and bureaucratic obstacles week by week but has led to such an efficient health system in Rwanda that Ebola can be contained immediately. Leaves you deeply moved and optimistic like them. There are a few mid-credits.

12 JOURS (12 DAYS)

Watchable. Unnecessarilly prolonged beginning. The meetings with the judge checking whether the psychiatrists' opinion allowed to release the patients from involuntary hospitalization are much engaging. However a bit disturbing as well since most of those people appear to be perfectly sane. It also raises a difficult question of whether an individual can take their own life. In Poland a sane person can commit a suicide, it appears in France even healthy people can't. It was also dispiriting to see how the patients got those issues. Many were homeless, raped or bullied at work. What's missing in the film are the psychiatrists whose opinions the patients frequently contest.

SYRIE: LA GUERRE SILENCIEUSE (SILENT WAR)

Watchable. Assad's regime spares no one. Women are frequently imprisoned when the state forces can't find their husbands. And it's impossible to survive the detention unscathed. All victims talk about the same: beatings during the day, rapes at night. A Syrian Army defector says male soldiers have something put in their food after which they stay awake for 72 hours full of energy. I didn't like the way some of the violated women spoke - as if only Muslim women found rapes traumatic. Also, even survivors are never free again. What society is it that the victims' families kill the women instead of surrounding them with care and exacting revenge on the perpetrators?! No solution is given. You just leave feeling injustly blamed and helpless, though with the knowledge that Assad's regime is even more brutal than ISIS.