berlinale
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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 #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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Berlinale Review: Sages-Femmes (2023)
Léa Fehner’s movie is an ode to the dedication of this mostly female staff, that rises above chronic underfunding, being overworked and managing complex situations, both professionally and personally. Read more
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Berlinale Review: Între Revoluţii (2023)
As the title denotes, this movie by Vlad Petri is set between two revolutions – the one in Iran in 1979 and the one in Romania ten years later. Our struggle for change is a constant one, that slices through history horizontally and vertically – meaning, through society, but also between individuals. Între revoluţii (en. Read more
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Berlinale Review: Mammalia (2023)
It’s enough to give the trailer for Mammalia a quick watch in order to get a sense of what an otherworldly experience it is going to be. This is Sebastian Mihailescu’s second feature and it highlights the Romanian director as a remarkable experimentalist. The plot is straightforward – a man goes looking for his partner, Read more
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Review: Infinite Football (2018)
I was fascinated by how well ‘Infinite Football’ captures the manner in which life shapes the ideas we hold and how, with the passing of time, we have the tendency to create our own narratives almost regardless of how and whether those ideas align or not. Read more
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Movies of the Week #9 (2017)
There was more than a bit of surprise during last week’s Oscars proceedings, with the kind of surprise being more surprising than the surprise itself. Read more
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Ana, mon amour (2017): The Relationship Hive Mind
A complex and layered film, it is framed in the present, but plays with the chronology of events to suit its thematic anchors: how relationships shape their protagonists and create inherent tension, abiding by no morality punch-card. While pertinent and polished in its construction, I found it hard to stay connected emotionally, especially as the… Read more
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Movies of the Week #6 (2017)
Playing catch-up here, this is a short review of the Berlinale movies. Thursday The Wound (2017): All things considered, The Wound stands as a film that, at its best, conveys a unique poetic restraint. It might not shine all the way through, yet it provides insight into a corner of the world that’s usually left in the Read more
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Berlinale Day 4: Courage Against All Odds
The discussion gravitated around some of the more popular movies the two guests had been involved in, with the tentative theme of courage somehow wiggled into it. But it was courage in its wider interpretation, with both protagonists venturing into the unknown at different times in their careers. Read more
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