The Zone of Interest (2023): Jonathan Glazer continues to affirm himself as one of the most irreverent directors of his generation, this time reframing an age-old Holocaust drama by changing the point of view. The Zone of Interest depicts a happy German family, the father a hard worker, committed to optimizing how his organization functions, the mother caring for the children and a beautiful garden. Of course, we know immediately this is not just any happy family, but that of Rudolf Höss, SS commander of the Auschwitz concentration camp. A lot has been written about, as Hannah Arendt put it, the banality of Evil, and understanding the moral distancing effect of intermediation in the systemic murder perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Glazer is inventive in his stylistic approach and minimalistic in his story-telling, the two working together well to create a distinctive cinema experience. In an age defined by the intermediation of technology, it alludes to the importance of stepping outside of our normality and checking it for disfunction. 8
Ramy Youssef: More Feelings (2024): As I seem to be doing in this stand-up watching phase of my life, I stumble onto random shows and just go with the flow. I had watched some of Ramy’s TV series, so expected a good time of More Feelings (follow-up to 2019’s “Feelings”), and was not disappointed. As a recent performance, it doesn’t shy away from the situation in Gaza, the tension between Israelis and Muslims and how these “translate”, well, in the bedroom. The cool thing about it is that Ramy sheds the crassness and intertwines stories of family, society and romance in a way that makes his assured smile after each punchline give you a sense of mischievous satisfaction. 7
Ramy Youssef: Feelings (2019): In his first HBO special, Ramy establishes himself with his likable style in a romp that mostly doesn’t reach for the high hanging fruit. Some Michael Jackson jokes, some dating jokes, some family jokes, all marked by the particularities and weight of being a Muslin in modern day America. It’s all mostly funny and not particularly demanding, except for the strong finale that’s bound to give you a good shake and point to a rather depressing if unintuitive conclusion. Overall though, it didn’t strike me as a very inspired show, just workable enough. 6
Scrambled (2023): Leah McKendrick does the trifecta here, being writer, director as well as lead in Scrambled, a movie about a woman in her mid-thirties faced with the decline of her ovarian reserve. It’s a movie that’s often humorous and poignant, at its best when it manages to convey the loneliness of its main character, without appealing to wide spectrum philosophizing about the difficulties of reconciling all sorts of pressures as a single woman – I would dare say single person – in an aimless existence. Were it not for an underwhelming final act that tries too hard to make its case, perhaps stretching itself thin, I would have said that Scrambled is an accomplished story told very effectively. 6
Immaculate (2024): I was surprised by the fairly high ratings this seemingly tame Sydney Sweeney vehicle garnered after its release. I can see the case to be made for a movie about women’s rights over their own bodies, but that’s not the deepest allegory to be made and most of the flick is tedious, with the odd moment of violence. For what it’s worth, the overall look of Immaculate has something going for it, both in terms of visuals and sets, but the banal, yet over-the-top plot is too self-conscious to make the most of its excesses. 5
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