FERRARI 

Watchable. It's more like "Marriage Story" (reviewed here in the past) than "Le Mans'66". The racing and funding aspects are certainly more engaging than the protracted unfaithful husband story. I seriously considered walking out. The infidelity resulting in a son out of wedlock matters business-wise but the proportions of marital issues to car racing are just skewed. About half an hour towards the end comes one graphic sequence of a racing accident - shocking in such a bland movie. No adrenaline though.

MON CHAT ET MOI (A CAT'S LIFE)

Watchable. Cats, big and small, a dog, a wild boar, a lynx for animal lovers. But excessive music, loud at times, detracts from the feeling of authenticity.

ROBOTS

Watchable. It's based on "The Robot Who Looked Like Me", a 1978 short story by Robert Sheckley and, typically for the author, it's puckish. The speaker in the first scene is called Larry Underwood - if anyone wants to look for hidden modern references. Surrounding sound means decent production quality. The film's too vulgar though, I doubt that comes from Sheckley, some jokes are bottom-end. But the whole thing is totally engaging, with great twists of action even if not very funny. Still good sci-fi fun. 

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

This year's festival ran for 6 days in Warsaw and till December it's replicated in several other cities of Poland, it had its online edition too. More than 60 films were presented and 17 events accompanied them, including the first ever masterclasses: one of a Ukrainian scriptwriter and one a Ukrainian director.

СМАК СВОБОДИ (TASTE OF FREEDOM)

Recommended. Inspired by a true life cooking book from a century ago, it's a fairy tale where a dash of magic spices up chef rivalry. A charming love story, parallel to the career one, neighbour disagreements, cultural differences between classes, a mum in the background make it more "Pollyanna"-like rather than an urban career tale. Owing to professional visual effects, in this movie even accommodation issues and a job search look magical.

Sadly, the part-Korean actor from the movie has died in the ongoing war.

LETO KADA SAM NAUCILA DA LETIM (HOW I LEARNED TO FLY)

Recommended. A sunny holiday story, with occasional pleasant pop music, set in Hvar, Croatia, where a girl from Serbia is spending summer with her grandma. It's comical, especially the overbearing granny, and upbeat, even a death isn't a tragedy but a natural cycle of life. Great fun.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN

Recommended. A wonderfully shot documentary about photographing the most photographed woman in the world. She commanded respect, intimidated even the great and was a challenge taking into account both the lineage whose portraits had already existed and the fleeting impressions of her which were expected to reveal her true self. Over 90 years of images, no interview ever given. "Above the politicians", her enigma and her responsibility to preserve historical continuity to her subjects are stressed a lot by the "vox populi" and famous photographers alike. The documentary illustrates it all artistically but also with anecdotes and consistent perception of her by others. This outsider look reveals a lot about the collected and reserved personality of the unique portrait subject. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

RAPITO (KIDNAPPED)

Recommended. Based on historical facts, with convincingly recreated Bologna and Rome of the mid-19th century, the movie tackles brainwashing and immense power. The story presents the individual level of the kidnapped child, the perspective of the family and the institutions of the state against which an individual is powerless. Religion exerts mind control over people who can't be even punished because they acted in good faith. That shows it's faith that's the problem. Just one mention in the film provokes the thought how one Jew - Rothschild - could have caused the whole Church go bankrupt. That didn't happen. Tear-jerking and frightening.  

PASSAGES

Watchable. It opens with a director complaining about an actor - who soon after turns out to be revealed as his husband, failing to get a passage scene right. Later you realise it's the director himself who's struggling with his life passages even worse. Trying to have cake and eat it too doesn't work in relationships, especially triangles. Film-wise it also barely works out. Utterly ugly Franz Rogowski revolts in erotic scenes, whether gay or straight, the gay ones being more graphic than the straight ones. He also wears really weird outfits. Even if the movie's aimed at gays, I doubt it'll be attractive. Ben Whishaw is not handsome either, but he's the one for whom I stayed till the end. His reactions to his spouse's moves to and fro their marriage and how the woman gets treated is vaguely interesting in the story. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

TU CHOISIRAS LA VIE (WHERE LIFE BEGINS)

Recommended. While initially it tells about ordinary daily matters, the two leads' lives turn out to be worlds apart. What ensues is mutual attraction, subtle and slowly evolving into love. Neither finds themselves able to sever the ties with their extended families. You root for them to get together. Lou de Laâge and Riccardo Scamarcio excel in their roles. Biblical references, when she's running from the olive orchard or when they both ponder on the Garden of Eden and its fruit, add a transcendental dimension to the two people's dilemmas. The story's told so beautifully it leaves you in awe.

XPEND4BLES

Watchable. What's in there apart from off-putting genital warts or pissing jokes? The protagonists are a motley crew: fake face and 'plastic is fantastic' boobs Megan Fox, an alcoholic, a perv, a moron - seriously faulty heroes. But they respect women and ridicule influencers. American versus British ways of expression are mocked too - that's smarter humour. And the line about how WW3 would be disastrous to most but "insanely profitable to some" is spot on. 

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

TA, KTORA KOCHAM (THE ONE I LOVE)

Watchable. The documentary opens with beautiful vistas of Mexico City, some white magic ritual, Mexican food, a swimming pool adjacent to the house - nothing's missing at the protagonist's life. Or so it seems, because there's a mystery in her past. What did her mother do? And why did her mother have so many children only to give them up for adoption? Excellent cinematography renders even the most mundane plane landing or a walk magical. The visit in Toruń, Poland starts with a person talking about her pain too theatrically and who is that woman anyway? Very mundane health issues in the family don't help clarify who is who. But the daughter's letter to her mother is shocking. As she's listing her childhood experiences the horror just grows on you. A man, another woman - an elderly one comes into the picture. Again, is she a relative or who? And what are their silly conversations or arguments for? They don't seem to bring anything into the film. Are they her parents and her grandma in the first place? Or is it some other arrangement? A bit frustrating not to have the basic facts laid out. But the investigation is gripping. 46 minutes into the film I learn who the woman is, still not sure about the man. And a new frustration arises because now I don't know what man and what incident the mother is referring to. Won't Polish people ever learn how to make documentaries?! And who are the two young women Daria frequently connects to online? Friends or someone hired to assist her search for the siblings? Next the mother and the man are talking about having been beaten and sexually abused by some man - who the heck are they talking about?! And when was that wedding? Whose wedding (in case that matters)? It's all "he", "they". Finally she mentions having been 14 at the time. In the 60th minute you eventually learn the mother was talking to her brother about their stepfather. Was it too difficult to add captions or commentary or was the director so engrossed he imagined everyone knew the family as well as he did? The film certainly makes you realise how many elderly people don't deserve respect. And how some harsh decisions are the best. Back from Torun, Daria's happy Mexican family visits a pyramid. The search is concluded. At least the results of it all are written on the screen. No doubts or ambiguities. Finally. And I'm crying. The story's as unusual as it is powerful.

Reviewed from the organizers' screener, cinematic reception might differ.

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 

KARAOKE

Recommended. Wonderful, stylish cinematography, with plenty of close-ups, playing with lights and colours, karaoke songs which make you want to dance, sound effects and top acting glue you to the screen in this evocative look at the human need to be recognised but also at trying out new experiences, at crossing over comfort zones, at establishing your true self. It's also on sincerity in various relationships, on how we treat those we look up to, on self-fulfillment and who truly finds it, on losing yourself and finding yourself anew. Our comfortable lives are put into perspective. 

AS BESTAS (THE BEASTS)

Watchable. Daily life in a village, with some grumbling and quarrels but also work on a farm and pleasant time in a market, turns into increasing harassment and mobbing of a neighbour. Big, strong, tough but still mobbed. The threats, even poisoning his well, cornering him keep you in suspense. Still, it feels lengthy. The inevitable murder steps up the tension. The futile search keeps you on the edge of the seat. Even more so when the murderers start cornering the daughter. The ajar (since not exactly open) ending is a bit disappointing.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

FIGURANT (STRAWMAN)

Watchable. I missed the first few minutes so can't comment on the very opening. This black and white movie blends seamlessly with archive footage, blurring the lines between history and its enaction, but the plot is painfully simplistic and the film drags. Even the investigation is boring. Mateusz Więcławek skillfully portrays whatever complexity there is of his protagonist, using his facial expressions he complicates a bit his banally simple character, but there's only nominal tension in the last half an hour. Everyone's actions are uniform - within each character. Even if life was simpler in the 1960s, it doesn't sell well nowadays. But, gripes aside, top-notch sound, stylisation and the lead actor's aging by Waldemar Pokromski are perfectly fine. I also respect the way the disabled and other ethnicities are presented. 

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

WARSZTATY SZTUKA MONTAZU (THE ART OF FILM EDITING WORKSHOP) BY BEATA DZIANOWICZ AND RAFAL LISTOPAD

The director/writer and the editor of "Strzępy" talked about their co-operation. "Jałowe przebiegi" (idling) were normal when working on the project. A director makes 1 movie in 3 years, an editor 2-3 movies per year, a dresser over 157, so a director is the least experienced. The characters had full back stories since birth so the actors, the costume designer, the set decorator surprised her with how they made use of the info. Director Beata Dzianowicz recommended Łoziński's "Wszystko się może przytrafić" ("Anything Can Happen") which made me immediately apprehensive since I had walked out from that. The 3-hour workshop was little to the point. 

SUR L'ADAMANT (ON THE ADAMANT)

Watchable in pieces. For the location. I got to the screening 16 minutes late and don't regret it. What they say is all boring - only one piece of information may be useful: that with modern sewing machines you don't need to thread the needle. But the day centre for the mentally ill is stylish and comfy.  It's right on the Seine opposite the fashion design centre and across the Off Seine 4-star hotel. 

TEMPETE (RIDE ABOVE)

Watchable. I haven't read the novel it's based on: "Tempête au Haras" by Chris Donner. The movie is a formulaic family tale about overcoming one's limitations and about racing: horseback or modern-day horse-chariot so it'll appeal to horse lovers the most. But it's very pleasant on the whole. Warm colours, wonderful cinematography make everything look beautiful in all weather and seasons. The good ones win and (mild) villains learn a lesson. Heart-warming.

THE EQUALIZER 3

Recommended. You don't need to have seen earlier instalments. Even without the one flashback it's easy to follow this movie. The part where Roberto's settling in enraptures, the people are so amiable you want to move to Altomonte, Italy yourself. But what lies beneath is the petrifying amount of corruption, mafia brutality. Roberto's (Denzel Washington) stance convinces you of his knowledge, skills and mental resilience. The plot is well-structured but what's outstanding is mostly Robert Richardson's top-notch cinematography: vistas of Altomonte, people's faces, especially in the interrogation scene or when people's silhouettes are shown. Good people versus villains, it's a fairy-tale for adults, especially the way the finale's filmed is nearly miraculous, yet consistent with the realism of the film. Impeccably executed. Everyone, oops, everything. 

AFTER EVERYTHING

Watchable. Hero Fiennes Tiffin co-produced this part. The movie wittily reminds you of his earlier impersonation, when his mate remarks:  "Look who's risen from the dead" - dejected Hardin looks like the zombie from the actor's earlier flick "The Loneliest Boy in the World". The 5th "After" film is about the best. Hardin makes amends, pines over his lost love. His father finally has a role to play too, adding meaning to the story and the character. Shot in Portugal and Bulgaria, it has a holiday feel. Glam cinematography, riches make for a pleasant viewing. Flashbacks help refresh the story after years. The last scene though, with Josephine Langford in a wig, as Tessa pregnant and with a kid welcoming dad home is cringeworthy. It detracts from the raunchy and touching love story.

FESTIWAL PRZEMIANY (PRZEMIANY FESTIVAL)

I AM HUMAN

Watchable. There are 100 bn neurons in the brain which is the same number as the old estimate of the number of galaxies in the universe and each neuron is as complex as Los Angeles, as we hear in this documentary. Yet the rest is less inspiring. 3 disabled people gain new chances of recovery through brain implants with varied results: Parkinson's disease treatment being the most promising, regaining one's vision the least. It appears movement is the easiest to re-control. The film is slow-paced with lots of focus on protagonists rather than on science. Ends in scientific hopes.

DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA

Watchable. An unflinching look at a mortuary, a dissection of an amputated breast, a close look at dementia, operations of a penis, an overgrown prostate, an eye, a brain (if I guessed all these right, because no explanations are given), doctors' daily frustrations - hard to watch, brutal but uniquely insightful. Scary how we may happen to be at the mercy of others, also imperfect, humans.

20.000 ESPECIES DE ABEJAS (20,000 SPECIES OF BEES)

Walked out. Only 1 bee in the first 36 minutes. Instead boring family talks, plenty of little children, peeing, breastfeeding even in a swimming pool scene. Revolting.

ROZYCZKA 2 (THE SECRET OF LITTLE ROSE)

Watchable. No need to have seen the first movie. It's perfectly comprehensible even if you haven't. It also doesn't encourage you to check out the prequel. What is it about? Poland doesn't have individualism but familism, especially politicians are often judged by what their parents were or did decades earlier so in this country this bizarre plot actually makes sense. One shot wonderfully demonstrates this predicament when you see the politician's reflection in her father's portrait. The movie's in 2/3 drama, in 1/3 thriller, but fully predictable and ruined by the slow pace of seemingly modern, let alone politicians', life. In 2/3 it's sappy, which is enhanced by the music by Bartosz Chajdecki, in the last third even the music gets better. But all in all, the 106 minutes drag. 

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

ZEEVONK (SEA SPARKLE)

Watchable. Maintained in a calm mood, it tells about daily lives on the sea in the Netherlands. Death happens but the sea is forever. Occasional glimpses of sea creatures, fantastical rather than real, attract visually at times, the rest is mundane. 

ROBOT DREAMS

Recommended. This Spanish-French animation tells about a New Yorker and his humanoid robot. Roller skates dancers were hired to create the Central Park dance scene. But the whole film is a deeply moving animation about loneliness and missing someone once you've met the right person but had to part. This mutual friendship is so deep it's more appropriate to call it love. Sorrowful but beautiful.

I was 2 minutes late and also missed the very last scene when I got distracted by a kid out of control. 

KROL (THE KING OF WARSAW) S. 1 EP. 1

Switched off. Judaism, mindless violence, Polish political history, nationalism unsettlingly resembling our times, the brutal fights of large groups resembling "Gangs of New York", modern-day-like foul language - nothing interesting or pleasant. Jewish soldiers smuggle cocaine - nonsense. 

This episode is available free of charge on Canal+ online.

MIALO CIE NIE BYC (YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE)

Recommended. The film shows how common abortion is and how many kids were born unwanted. Smart dialogue, great acting, especially by Borys Szyc and Sonia Szyc, hard issues are tackled in a light tone. There's even a decent dance choreography. It's all well-paced. 

Young director Kuba Michalczuk, direct and approachable, says we've got plenty of profound movies so he wanted to avoid moral preaching, he prefers to talk to the viewer rather.

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

MINI LAB

A whole room with stands where you could construct a city or look for objects in a game, see how the green screen technique works in films, shoot your own videos with props or try out stop-motion animation in live filming, watch kaleidoscopes, old type animation techniques, dance to a screen responding with colours. VR consisted of short films and interactive activities: one animation charted the history of cinema, another one told a robot tale of Stanisław Lem's, you could also steer a story playing rock, paper, scissors, kayak among views from all over the world day or night in all weathers or change the surroundings with your voice. Great fun. All the activities took about 1.5 hours in total.

KICIA KOCIA POD CHOINKE - ZESTAW: 

KICIA KOCIA - ZIMA, KICIA KOCIA GOTUJE, KICIA KOCIA W POCIAGU, KICIA KOCIA SPRZATA, KICIA KOCIA W BIBLIOTECE, KICIA KOCIA NIE MOZE ZASNAC

Recommended. Charming Kicia Kocia gets to know the world again. This time the activities are more leisurely: playing outside, making cookies, travelling, reading and even washing root vegetables for soup and cleaning are made into the fun of exploration. 40 minutes are enough for the youngest children but I felt a tinge of regret when the series ended. It was available in Polish only.

NINA ET LE SECRET DU HERISSON (NINA AND THE HEDGEHOG'S SECRET)

Watchable. This family drama turns into an engaging crime story. It doesn't shy away from adult issues like fraud or unemployment. But the animals - nice or not - are the most fun. 

Occasional harsh jazz assaults your ears. 

ILE ZA SZTUKE? (HOW MUCH FOR ART?)

Recommended. A thorough documentary about the art market in Poland. It charts its history since the 80s, when there was none. up to now. It presents a few of the highest grossing contemporary artists, collectors, gallery owners and an auction house to put their bits to the picture of the what and how and the hardest question to answer: why. Even in this market, female artists earn 2-3 less than their male counterparts at the same stage of professional development. Attractive visually and in the sound layer, the film almost smothers you with plenty of exquisite artworks of old masters and the brave new generations. It's dynamic and bold. Superb.

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

CHCESZ POKOJU, SZYKUJ SIE DO WOJNY (PRAY FOR PEACE, TRAIN FOR WAR)

Switched off. OMG is it moronic. Agnieszka Elbanowska and Łukasz Czapski's script is full of low brow attempts at humour, actors are amateurish. Some weird voluntary army unit for inexplicable reason is training civilians and does so by extensive bullying. What's the purpose of this ludicrous film?! And whoever has selected it for the Warsaw Film Festival where it premiered?!

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

CHLOPI (THE PEASANTS)

Recommended. 5 years of international co-operation are paying off. It's different than "Twój Vincent" ("Loving Vincent"), since it was first shot with actors, props, on locations, then painted over and the gaps filled in. Folk music creates a unique climate to the production. But most of all, based on the Nobel-winning novel by Reymont, it's a powerful story encompassing a range of issues: some historical Polish, most versatile. Psychology of social groups lies at the core. The power struggle glues you to the screen. Deeply internalised patriarchy, people's pettiness are masterfully presented. Most harrowing though is the central story of Jagna whose beauty is her curse. It's the Polish Oscar candidate.

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

怪物 (MONSTER) AND Q&A WITH PSYCHOLOGISTS JOANNA SZULC AND IWONA ZABIELSKA

Watchable. Directed by 是枝 裕和 (Hirokazu Kore-eda) so quite dull. A more complex version of Belgian "Close" if you get to the point. But at face value it's a story of school bullying. It's told thrice, from 3 points of view. The 2nd already clarifies a lot. The essence of the truth is gradually revealed in the 3rd. So structure-wise it's like Korean "아가씨" ("The Handmaiden") but much more ordinary. The thing is this movie's not about an intrigue. It's rather the same mundane story told from different perspectives. And that means everyone involved, in fact more than just 3 people, sees it differently and each person has their own problem. Seemingly about kids, those behaviours are true for adults too. Nearly everyone turns out to be good which is comforting and kind-of brings back faith in humans.

A highly expert analysis by the two lady psychologists followed the screening. The most interesting observations were: by child psychologist Joanna Szulc: "He accuses the teacher who will neither exact revenge nor will get hurt." and that for both single parents "a disease" labels "otherness".

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

The closing movie was:

HA'MISHLAHAT (DELEGATION)

Watchable. Israeli teenagers on a school tour of shoah reminders travel through Poland. They're preoccupied with their flings, they sing, joke, occasionally mention their future plans. The past only reaches them fleetingly when they're made listen to survivors' testimonies and when death camp visits jug their imagination. Most don't give any thought to it, some decide to experience contemporary Poland on their own or locate the past horror among modern silly activities. The grandfather's never finished tale starts with him being in love, just like some teenage protagonists are. All the film says is that youngsters' love affairs and desire for fun outweigh the burden of mementos. Not too bad a flick for compulsory school groups but I can't see much of any other target audience.

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

KATAK, THE BRAVE BELUGA

Watchable. This Canadian animation about the pains of growing up teaches children about some beluga behaviours and for entertainment purposes features two funny seals and a wonderful big-nosed sturgeon. Basically it offers a "Finding Nemo"-like set of characters which works well but feels trite and monotonous, also the picture is kinda constant. Delightful gentle music accompanies the story. At some point "hasta la vista" is uttered in the English original. So it seems the Polish dialogue is more children-appropriate since it avoids both foul language and connotations from movies which are above the target audience age. 

PATTIE ET SA COLERE DE POSEIDON (ARGONUTS / EPIC TAILS)

Watchable. This movie has more detailed animation and tells about cute mouse Pattie, a pleasant fat ginger cat and funny ninja rats. But at some point the protagonists meet cyclops which are fat, green like Shrek and with red cherokee hairstyles (originally, in mythology, they were part horses) and use some machinery - it all makes no sense. On the other hand the rat mafia is fun, it's run by Don Carmine who asks for "a favour you can't refuse". You also hear "hasta la vista" at some point. The music consists of pleasant 80s pop and John Williams's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" theme, though the songs in the film are dubbed in Polish, only the end credit one is in English. There's an important mid-credit. 

KUTOPPEN - PA SPORET (A MYSTERY ON THE CASTLE HILL EXPRESS)

Watchable. Chickolina, Cowman Islands, Agatha Christensen are Easter eggs for adults. The Polish version offers a Polish song, in general the music is varied: from truly good to bland. On the whole it's entertaining, with serious undertone about seeds. The only problem is, this detective cartoon doesn't show the clues so you cannot try and solve the riddle on your own which severely detracts from the fun.

TOTEM

Walked out. This drama presents mundane daily life of a Mexican family, less mundane only through the fact one person has cancer, one is disabled, one is an alcoholic. Pair that with unduly intimate details like physiology. And the whole thing is thorough, as if in real time so it drags. And it lacks a point. 

KRUK (RAVEN) S. 1 EP. 1

Watchable. Starts weird until a shocking incident explains what was going on and why. Subsequent events also follow the pattern of: weird, makes sense, weird, makes sense. It's often disturbing and the violence repeatedly inexplicable at first which makes it difficult to follow both emotionally and intellectually. I still don't know what those drugs are about - why is he taking them and is he? Bizarre folk but non-Polish songs mar this weirdness even more. At least the ceiling robbery makes sense.

This episode is available free of charge on Canal+ online.

NA ZAWSZE MELOMANI (FOREVER MELOMANI) AND Q&A WITH PRODUCERS

Recommended. At face value it's a documentary on a jazz band, narrated by a rapper. But it's so much more than that. You learn that in Poland jazz was illegal to listen to until 1956, since it was perceived as anti-communist, too American basically. At the same time, in the post-war years, it was mainstream entertainment, preceding rock'n'roll. Lots of archive footage, contemporary interviews with big names even I've heard of, music like from old black and white movies. Then the documentary goes on charting the history of Polish cinema through its use of jazz soundtrack. You also get to see excerpts of Polański's film school etude. Among interviewees Antoni Studziński is a wonderfully expressive storyteller. Dynamic cut, lots of fascinating stories and well-known film fragments. When you recognize famous Polish movie themes, you realize it's all jazz. Eye-opening. I've never been a fan of jazz but it's a perfect documentary for an ignorant like me. 

Sadly Antoni Studziński, the last original band member alive at the time of shooting, passed away in August. Now the producers are making a documentary about Łódź as a city of film. The music event mentioned in the documentary brought a number of Polish celebrities together: Skolimowski met Polański and Komeda at the Sopot Jazz Festival. Before rock'n-roll there was only jazz. Throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s jazz was used in film. "Don't Look Up" is a rare example of this genre in a movie nowadays. Witold Sobociński filmed a dance in "Wesele" ("The Wedding") from the inside. 

RETRIBUTION

Watchable. Liam Neeson is superb as an old man tired of life, though his visible eye make-up is a serious distraction. Emily Kusche plays an episode as Zach's girlfriend Mila. Great electronic music and sound effects in Atmos clarity. The thriller is gripping: there's a menace, a puzzle, suspense. It's a shame the investment fund pretext for the plot is treated so superficially. But a solid actioner it is. 

THE NUN II

Walked out. A sequence of jump scares, a bit of a run-of-the-mill story, jump scars, a bit of a story etc. It's slow-paced, repetitive, uses overly exploited horror gimmicks and plot cliches. And the possessed grunt like pigs. Ludicrous.

HER DOCS FORUM

IT'S A DATE

Watchable. This short film puts you behind the wheel of a vehicle rushing through the streets of Kyiv so fast that you see the atmospheric reddish lights along the road but can barely notice any details of the buildings. When the two girls finally fall into each other's embrace, you know it's a romantic town, even if the hurried ride wasn't. 

Reviewed from the organizers' screener, cinematic reception might differ.

THE BEE

Watchable. This short film is an atmospheric artistic vision. Enticing music gives way to slightly unsettling warning sirens-like sounds. The person's actions, shot in black and white, are incomprehensible until the last minute, spoken in Ukrainian, reveals it's a representation of a refugee's, presumably, judging by Migros bags, in Switzerland, emotional states. 

Reviewed from the organizers' screener, cinematic reception might differ.

VEILLEURS DE NUIT (NIGHTWATCHERS)

Watchable. A French observational documentary about volunteers helping refugees.crossing the Italian border into France. While you learn that pushbacks aren't just a Polish speciality, hear of appalling beatings and bullets fired in Libya, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia or of the French border police blackmailing business owners whose employees volunteer, it's all hearsay. Stunning day, dusk, night and dawn views of the mountains would appear enchanting but for the hypothermia the passage induces. Frostbite, other injures, deaths in accidents don't deter anyone from crossing and the more obstacles are created to hinder the passage, the more suffering results. A bleak picture of humanity.

Reviewed from the organizers' screener, cinematic reception might differ.

DOPPELGANGER

Recommended. Based on actual events, it's a thriller revealing facts piecemeal but it also has a tear-jerking psychological layer of how living in lies destroys you. Emily Kusche in the complex role of Nina stands out even among the fine performances all around. Top-notch costumes, hairstyling, make-up take you back in time to the cold war era. Shot on a few locations in Poland to represent Polish and other European towns: Gdańsk, Strasbourg, a Yugoslavian resort it skillfully convinces you to be a witness of two, or three - counting Yugoslavia, parallel realities of the period.

THE CREATOR AT IMAX AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR GARETH EDWARDS

Watchable. Written and directed by Gareth Edwards, the plot is simplistic, ballistic and doesn't make sense, virtually every minute of it is nonsense, visually it's quite derivative. It's basically reverse "Terminator" - here the humans want to exterminate the AI. Visually it's hardware-heavy like in "District 9", with "Blade Runner"-like cities. Few futuristically-altered landscapes are a nice change. There's little background to the plot, just a brief chronicle of preceding social and political events. The leading protagonist is an AI kid so the movie's on the sappy side. Dogs and monkeys' actions constitute brief nice touches in the constant warfare. In addition, warfare defying logic. The robots, called 'simulants', can be shot like humans or can't - hard to work out, anyway that constant mindless shooting must make the NRA happy. People can donate their likeness to simulants. The robots worship their creator. The 'ultimate weapon' robot is stupid even for a human child, let alone AI. Burning robots on funeral pyres is religious nonsense, especially with metal creatures. A code error caused an atomic bomb detonation. Improbabilities and stupidity just pile up. The futuristic architecture has its style but is fairly uniform all over the world. Most of what you see is just lots of machinery and robots. The flying objects are visibly superimposed on natural backgrounds. Clumsy dialogue makes you cringe further. The sexist look even at cyborgs: "she was beautiful" (as an erotic dancer) perpetuates earlier sexism of movies peddling go-go dancers as objects of love and makes you wonder if Cronenberg had been right with his excitement over tech. There are occasional attempts at references to famous blockbusters or well-publicised real life incidents, e.g. the dead soldier will go to "Valhalla" and the black protagonist utters: "I can't breathe" although in a different context altogether. Luckily the movie's just over 2 hours long. But at Imax the ludicrousness is just greater.

The interview (rather than a Q&A it was supposed to be) was more interesting than the picture. The director says he just hopes his movie, which took him 7 years to make and was going to be both independent and a blockbuster, "isn't shit" - poor guy, it is. He's conducted "loads of research". The idea came to him after hearing of an experiment with animatronic rabbits where people were first playing with them for 15 minutes, then offered a $100 to kill it. No one did. He himself says "Please" and "Thank you" even to Siri in his phone.

His inspirations were plentiful, e.g. the robots' design came from "Ex-Machina", another visual from a few hours' drive through the US where he saw a Japanese factory among fields, "Apocalypse Now" and a handful of obscure movies. He says it was all serendipity. He made his first movie at 35 when he reached a point where his fear of failure was overtaken by the fear of non-achievement. He had been nervously checking at what age e.g. Steven Spielberg or others made their first film. The movie was being made during the pandemic and back to front: first shooting on location, next adding the machinery etc. Someone painted over it and it was passed on to Industrial Light and Magic to "make it look real because that's what they do". They used 8 locations, e.g. Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand - sadly I failed to spot that many or any natural beauty in the film. In Phuket they saw a temple  with a statue which he decided to replace with a robot. Madeleine, impersonating the AI kid, was 7 years old at the time of shooting. The original version was just under 5 hours and it took 3 months to cut it down to a 2-hour movie.