Movie reviews

UN BEAU MATIN (ONE FINE MORNING)

Watchable. About facing life problems but well-paced and with an interesting visual effect where a sea leopard is superimposed on a woman as she's having a dream. Two parallel threads: searching for the best care home for an incurable father and an illicit affair with a married man engage the viewer. It's relatively pleasant to follow since all characters are well-meaning. The film's French so partly philosophical but that, surprisingly, works in this context as it offers insight into losing control of one's body and being trapped in it, likening it to Kafka's "Metamorphosis". The end credits song is evocative and fraught with meaning Bill Fay's "Love Will Remain".

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MARA

Watchable. Street protests intertwine with some theatre and philosophical musings so the form is barely bearable. As for the content, little is new either. It just shows how hard everyday life has become in the Belarusian regime. Only one mention: about crying every night being a physiological necessity, since it gave no relief, when imprisoned and tortured gets you thinking.

DIERBAREN (SHELTERED)

Recommended. Hard-hitting. It starts with a cat let die and ends with 4 dogs put down on account of behavioral issues. You learn a lot about how the pet sanctuary works. But it's often heart-breaking. I was crying through most of the film.

WHILE WE WATCHED

Watchable. Joaquin Garcia's music is Western and modern which makes the film dynamic and versatile, though the case is strictly Indian in the face of elections in the country and the ongoing conflict with Pakistan. As authorities can't deal with the Kashmir warfare with domestic issues like huge unemployment, they look for scapegoats. A bleak picture. Everyday problems of a TV station demonstrate how it's done but constant talking in this documentary dilutes the message.

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BY THE THROAT

Recommended. It's fascinating and frightening at the same time in how many ways a seemingly singular sound can be pronounced. The difference may be a matter of life and death or of which is your gender in others' perception. Difficulty to land a job, being granted asylum, passing a checkpoint - "My voice is my password". Lots about sound articulation - this phonetics at the cross of various languages, dialects and accents is fascinating but probably not for the mass audience. For me it's phonemenal - forgive my pun.

SFORA (THE PACK)

Watchable. However much I love dogs, this documentary about prisoners training aggressive ones is devoid of meaning, what's worse it's 51-minute long and still protracted at times.

THE SMELL OF MONEY

Watchable. It highlights the issue of industrial farm animal waste contaminating the countryside in the US - the hypocrisy of the company and health damage in local people are appalling. Film-wise, too many people are allowed to speak at will, without cutting. 

УКРАЇНА. ПЕРЕМАГАЮЧИ ТЕМРЯВУ (UKRAINE. OVERCOMING THE DARKNESS)

Watchable. Ruins, ruins everywhere. Cooking on open fire outside, but fearless spirit. 

REKONSTRUKCE OKUPACE (RECONSTRUCTION OF OCCUPATION)

I saw only the first 20-some minutes in which people would recognise themselves in the 1968  footage of the Russian invasion. Some locations are compared with modern ones. Intriguing enough. 

THE TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

Recommended. The movie propagates the view the world is a circumstantial combination of skills, money, food, a place to live and sex - food and shelter in particular force you to consider the animal mechanisms of behaviour. At the same time each serves its purpose as a means to assuming power. It also plays with gender roles - how much is biology, how much is ideology?

 Literature choice is symptomatic. The captain reads Chomsky - "How the World Works" and "Who Rules the World", Carl reads "Ulysses". Cinematography plays with the character types too - in the dark, both beautiful people: Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean Kriek who used to work as a model on top of her acting career) look like phantoms, not beautiful any more. Many lines are tongue-in-cheek, but reveal how the rich and corrupt see themselves. The ending, in the manner of  "El buen patrón" ("The Good Boss"), shows how the elites see the poor when they manifest a desirable set of skills. Much thought-provoking and deservedly nominated for a few Oscars.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER AT IMAX 3D HFR

Recommended. The long exposition introduces new characters, explains what happened in the meantime and the reason behind the comeback. That reason, however, will be most likely dealt with in part 3. This one focuses on families. One kid is conceived in extremely vague circumstances and she's particularly gifted and spiritual. On the other hand, an adult protagonist reconstructs a memorable scene from "Hamlet" - as he crushes his human skull he becomes trans human. Probably one hour in, the action shifts locations. The marine world of Pandora is marvellous and the sea creatures look authentic. They must have been inspired by real ones, but compiled so wisely, e.g. big fish with snail faces etc. that it works. More mundane moments look a bit fake visually, not sure why, but never mind, the best effects are top-notch. So is the action. The fights are always kept personal enough to engage even those who don't fancy battles, like me, and are smart, breath-taking, whether on the surface, under the water or in the air. My eyes welled up a handful of times. Whale hunting is revived - one of the most heart-breaking moments. A bitter look at humanity. Our attitude to other races and to animals are both rightfully condemned. The movie has it all: visuals, action, deeper meanings, take your pick - you have it. Over 3 hours long but worth it. Early end credits are accompanied by beautiful visuals and the text-only part hears the second of the final songs.