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.