Movie reviews

MALA ZAGLADA (A MINOR GENOCIDE)

Recommended. Absolutely harrowing from the early minutes. Genocide gets compared to torturing and murdering animals in abattoirs. In addition the genocide is presented from the viewpoint of children. Also the question of the type of death is mentioned - one from a bullet with no rape and no torture is a light one. The whole thing is very emotional but the poignant bits are intertwined with fragments of a holy mass or conversations which gives you respite from the agonizing images and descriptions. War is depicted as an abstract and versatile concept. And as unavoidable since it lets people vent their evil which is hindered in peaceful times. It's also striking how a childhood trauma gets perpetuated in adult life and passed on the next generations, especially in case of the survivor daughter who's scarred with the fear of war for life.

AS BOAS MANEIRAS (GOOD MANNERS)

Recommended. A werewolf tale set in modern day São Paulo but retaining all the elements of a fairy tale. Starts with the effects of a one night stand and then fast forwards by 10 years. The 10-year-old wolfie is cute but ravenous. Technically superb. A beautiful story of motherly love, compassion and social exclusion. 

The movie will be released online only: on Tongariro's own channel, on VoD and on Vectra.

The "Mario" trailer is promising - looks like it's going to be a well-paced football drama, with good-looking actors, gay love and attempts to prevent a scandal. 

OCTOBER

Watchable. Typical Bollywood means a lot of good music and the movie becoming even better after the interval. This one's different. Out of 5 listed songs only one is played... over the final credits. It's a shame since the song's beautiful. The first part is totally engrossing: the reckless trainee, his smart female colleague and all the things he does wrong, the accident scene - you just can't take your eyes of the screen. Later the dilemma of how long one should be kept on life support somewhat resembles the very recent Alfie case from Britain. But after the interval the pace slows down and emotions fade. That's where the enchanting music should come in but it doesn't. At least the new generation of actors is excellent. The future of Indian cinema is safe. It doesn't change the fact this one is mediocre.