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IMAD'S CHILDHOOD

Recommended. Shocking how badly you can corrupt a child. A 4-year-old in love of rifles and slaughtering dogs who finds killing "normal" - after two years with ISIS. Can the damage be reverted?

E STATA LA MANO DI DIO (THE HAND OF GOD)

Recommended. As usual in Paolo Sorrentino's movies, it's not about the story but stunning  images and memorable scenes. Sensual Patrizia acted by Luisa Ranieri, excellent Filippo Scotti as Fabrizio are the engines of the tale. The World Cup of 1986 enlivens the time. The scene where the director tells the boy he needs to have something to say to make movies should be shown in all film schools as an instruction tool. Stunning views of architecture of and of the Bay of Naples are entirely compelling. Cinema topography, acting, the 80s make this movie irresistible. 

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I'M SO SORRY

Watchable. I learnt that: 20 cm of top soil was removed in the Fukushima cleaning, living being severely deformed is agony, mass abortions were conducted after the Chernobyl catastrophe, people who stayed there were living alone for 30 years. But the whole thing drags badly.

THE CAVIAR CONNECTION

Recommended. It'll get you immediately interested in Azerbaijan. And Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. You'll hear of international singers who get $1m for a three-song gig, of how the rulers bribed the European Council, their dynastic presidency where the family members own the oil, hotels and major industries, foreign observers describing ballot stuffing as well as organized elections. An eye-opening, top-notch investigative documentary, with excellent cinematography and good pace. 

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ENEMIES OF THE STATE

Watchable. Who trumped up evidence? US secret service or the hacktivist? Is he a master of deception himself? Or both a hacktivist in possession of secret information and an Internet pedophile? Engaging, well-paced. A bit convoluted though and open-ended.

The file was a bit too quiet at times, I had to resort to subtitles. 

EL SILENCIO DEL TOPO (THE SILENCE OF THE MOLE)

Watchable. On the slow side. It details the work of a real life of a double agent too humdrum to thrill. Several scenes are pointless, don't bring anything to the narrative, just protract it. The film definitely could do with some trimming. Family memoirs and long passages should go.

IN HIS IMAGE

Watchable. Shocking from the start but for most of the film you trudge after widows and grieving parents. The whole process of getting the baby conceived appears only to prolong the mourning. Extracting someone's sperm after his death - possible up to three days, reaching out to a bereaved family to suggest such an extraction, having 6 children and considering it normal by the society - an effect of the ongoing war? The whole motivation to  have children is appalling as well: "otherwise what's the point of meeting each other".

החייל הטוב (THE GOOD SOLDIER)

Watchable. The film's not entirely clear and it's only gradually that you learn who the Break The Silence are and how they operate.

THE KING'S MAN

Watchable. A touching opening leads to a Bond-scale blockbuster. Some scenes render the cliffhanger term an understatement. As with previous parts, it's a comedy. Though some jokes are heavy handed, there are plenty of better little gags, e.g. with accents or the hilarious climb. Historical events are woven into the action, e.g. the attempt to poison Rasputin with cyanide. Meticulously enacted reality is seen and heard also in the period language or uniforms. Too many protracted fights didn't quite appeal to me. There's a mid-credit - luckily a sequel's on the cards.

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JUJU STORIES

Recommended. Set in Lagos. Based on juju news from newspapers. 3 totally different, yet all engaging stories. The tummy trope combines the three. But the film plays with its own structure also with props: in the first story she pays for mortuary water, in the second he picks it up. Top-notch acting. Surprisingly Vivaldi's score is played out at some point. Riveting and unusual in its form.

A Hausanist's presentation followed. The golden era of Nigerian cinema was in the years 1950-1980. Later Nollywood came in: hand-held camera, edited while shooting, without post-production - 1000 such films per year. "Juju Stories" were shot like back in the golden era. The Africanist went on about magic in African culture. A curious fact is that Nigerian politicians wear fetishes from a babalao round the arm.

 

STOP FILMING US

Watchable. Barely. I do agree some things are unacceptable, e.g. filming a child naked. There's an interesting mention of the Congolese who wouldn't believe Ebola was real, thinking it was invented by the white man to make money. The main topic of who should film and photograph Africa and how poses a vital question. Silly it's discussed years after Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "Decolonising the Mind". The whole thing though is overtalked. At some point you think they're going to compare two directors' footage - that does not happen. They rabbit on about it again. It drags awfully, made as if they haven't heard of cutting. In fact, this is a very French way of making films, especially documentaries. So they haven't decolonised their own  minds.

LOKATORKA (THE TENANT. YOU CAN'T BURN US ALL)

Recommended. Gripping from the opening and repeatedly shocking with the scale of lawlessness. Łukasz Targosz's music is unnoticeable but builds tension almost surreptitiously. Perfect cast. Creepy baddies, even Piotr Głowacki acts and is made to look evil, like an apex predator. The story's harrowing, on the edge of being tear-jerking. Worst of all, it's based on facts. Skillfully written witty banter is even more impressive in the context. A curious fact is the tenant is watching "Wieloryb z Lorino" ("Whale from Lorino" in one of scenes - a documentary I've written about before which depicts a very poor community in the north of Russia which is abandoned by the system just like the eponymous tenant. 

JULLEMANDENS DATTER 2 (ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU)

Watchable. The first instalment was very pleasant but lacked the touch of magic. This one is a mixed fare too. The first half comprises of a quest. The characters are quite stiff and even the good ones, including the mum, look hostile. At least the Santa Claus academy has a fairy-tale location: Harry-Potter-like, even an owl and cats are there. The second half takes place in an icy land, where the Sami save the protagonists' lives. Yet the best bit is a subplot of a mother with a spoilt kid - a great depiction of contemporary narcissistic mother kind.

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MOTHER, I AM SUFFOCATING...

Watchable. An artistic, poetic slow film. Shot in black and white, it makes use of contrast, e.g. in the mesmerising shots of swaying crop, but also of light and texture, e.g. mud on the road glistens. The content is a letter of a refugee to her motherland. Evocative acting adds to the atmosphere. Imagery draws on Christianity, sound on Islam but also VR porn is implied at some point - it taps into Africa of many cultures. It encourages a search of interpretations. Still, its ambiguity and slow pace make it a difficult watching and it was no surprise when many viewers walked out in the middle. 

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ARICA

Recommended. The documentary watches like a thriller. Outrageous how hard it is to obtain justice. It also ruins your image of Sweden as a state in the forefront of environmentalism and equality. Frightening how manipulative and callous Boliden's managing minds are. Hidden racism may partly explain the indifference to the victims.

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LINGUI, LES LIENS SACRES (LINGUI: THE SACRED BONDS)

Watchable. A Chadian drama showing that women can only rely on each other. A positive message makes it heart-warming. Beautiful attires. Cinematography occasionally makes use of perspective which renders the images almost 3D.

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ON THE DIVIDE

Recommended. While the documentary presents both sides of the abortion divide, the picture that emerges is one of hypocrisy and even hostility of the 'pro-life' activists and of the Church community's superficiality. Certainly the pro-lifer who used to be a tattooist is all about appearances - up to a point. On the other hand, the pro-choice folks seem more inclusive socially and more commonsensical in their thinking. The film is undoubtedly some food for thought. 

AYA

Watchable. I'm not sure how much of it is a true documentary and how much is staged. It portrays a lazy teenager living an idyllic life, except for minor family squabbles, on the island of Lahou which is going to be devoured by the rising sea. Her new life in Abidjan is fun again. Aya's vexingly numpty which hinders the environmental message. The images of human remains which need to be moved from the flooded cemetery are stronger. Songs and local customs depict unhurried, traditional life. Still, my biggest problem with the film is showing Aya's naked breasts - how old is Marie-Josée Kokora for real? Anyway, she plays a teenager so her nudity just feels inappropriate.

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MAKONGO (CATERPILLARS)

Watchable. An ethnographic documentary about the Pygmies living on the border of the Republic of Central Africa. You learn about their lives. That's it. Ah, I enjoyed their music.