March 2023
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Movies of The Week #13 (2023)
Un beau matin (2022): In the skilled hands of Mia Hansen-Løve, a film with not much happening in terms of plot becomes a series of insightful snapshots of the little moments that make up life. Un beau matin is ultimately exactly that, one particular, peaceful moment in a world of turbulences, where time stands still… Read more
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Movies of the Week #12 (2023)
The Tied Up Balloon (1967): There have been many balloon-related headlines recently, so why not check out a balloon-themed movie? This little allegorical piece by Binka Zhelyazkova takes us to a Bulgarian village where a mysterious balloon comes flying about and the locals immediately contemplate potential ways of making material use of it. The balloon… Read more
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Review: Spre Nord (2022)
Mincan proves a patient storyteller with flair for the cinematic, be it in the wide shots of the unnerving ocean, or the claustrophobic mazes on the container-laden vessel. Anchored in particular by Cruz’s performance, To the North takes a hard look at our shared sense of humanity and finds it lacking, but for reasons that… Read more
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Movies of the Week #11 (2023)
Decision to Leave (2022): IMDb says this is a “crime, drama, mystery” movie. Seriously, no romance? It basically portrays all my romantic conceits in a narratively enticing and visually enrapturing manner, very differently from The Handmaiden, but just as effective. The plot sounds almost banal: a detailist and sleepless detective comes across a mysterious case… Read more
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Disco Boy (2023): A Bold Tale of Identity and Freedom
Abbruzzese’s movie might not always run at the same intensity, leaving room for some scenes that are dry, particularly given how general its characters strive to be. However, Disco Boy is a trip, it plays with your senses and takes you along for a ride that starts out as an age old tale of violence… Read more
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Movies of the Week #10 (2023)
Aftersun (2022): This father-daughter holiday is a throwback to the days of Macarena and Dr. Jones, of flimsy arcades and dodgy lodgings in foreign lands and, unfortunately, of underlying trauma. The movie drips with nostalgia within the warm haze of gentle summer days, but leaves a door ajar at the other side of which an… Read more
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Aftersun (2022): An Afterthought
Aftersun drips with nostalgia within the warm haze of gentle summer days, but leaves a door ajar through which the draught of an undefined existential menace lingers. The slow burn might be a challenge for some, but if you allow yourself to make the journey, the finale has good odds of tearing you apart. Read more
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Movies of the Week #9 (2023)
This week, Berlinale recap! Here (2023): At just 82 minutes, the movie is strikingly short. Especially if you get into its mood, it will lull you before you even realize it’s ending. We are so used to our urban jungles, that nature takes on ever more mystical qualities. In the world of Here, nature provides,… Read more
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Berlinale Review: Here (2023)
Here is a moment in time, the proverbial here and now, which is the most blissful place to exist in. It’s mischievously elusive, of course, but Bas Devos somehow manages to capture its essence in this movie, that has all the chances of growing on you and showing you true North. Read more
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Berlinale Review: Passages (2023)
The movie transcends type and finds the truth in its relationships, it dotes on and suffers with its protagonists in a manner that does feel intimate, both emotionally and physically. Sachs has congealed this inherently melodramatic story into one of stoic commitment to ourselves, of finding and cherishing our individuality, both within and outside of… Read more
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