Movie reviews

SMALL WORLD

Watchable. Jessica Sara Witeńko (12-year-old Ola) is incredible, certainly a rising star. It's also finally a Polish movie where the protagonists speak decent Russian and English - owing to Agata Deka's translation. The number of perversions is typical for Patryk Vega so you can bet on getting shocked a few times. The movie's gripping for the whole 117-minute duration. But elements taken out of horror flicks, e.g. he killed her and she got up again and the whole Satanic cult idea are a wrong turn. As is obnoxious Catholic propaganda where a victim of sex trafficking decides to have a baby of an unknown pedophile and on return to her home country goes to Church even before seeing her mother. All the subplots of the finale are far-fetched but meet your sense of justice - you'd love things to end this way for real. Cathartic.

JEKABS, MIMMI UN RUNAJOSIE SUNI (JACOB, MIMMI AND THE TALKING DOGS)

Watchable. The animation style gives off an artistic vibe, especially the way the backgrounds and the dogs are drawn. The evil developer plot is trite but with good Polish vocal work in the dubbing, the story kept simple and autumn-like palette it's pleasant to watch. The level's suitable for children. 

LUX AETERNA

Watchable. Gaspar Noé has created a feminist extravaganza ending in his favourite exuberant style. This 51-minute film has amassed cases of sexploitation of women of all ages. And across ages. It's shocking how the women put up with it, unable to cope, how they still crack on with their work, but also how men pit them against one another. But the form these issues are presented in, while original: split screen or stroboscopes, is a miss. Firstly, a film about shooting a film never works. Secondly, first it wears you down with talking heads, next with following 2 images simultaneously, finally with stroboscope lights. I felt relieved when it ended. 

AFTER WE FELL

Watchable. A silly, cheesy and forgettable tale with beautiful and stylish Josephine Langford and tattooed athletic type Hero Fiennes Tiffin, lovely shots, easy ambient music. Only the ending - the story is to be continued - complicates family issues for Hardin and is about the most interesting bit. When you see Hardin and Christian Vance sitting together in the bar the framing says it all, you know what to expect.