Reviews Review: Infinite Football (2018) 10 Mar 2018 Corneliu Porumboiu's most recent work is a 'documentary-essay' about - well, the human condition. The director likes to focus on the question of how one can be truly free within…
Week In, Week Out Movies of the Week #9 (2017) 6 Mar 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. After the right people came…
Reviews Ana, mon amour (2017): The Relationship Hive Mind 3 Mar 20173 Mar 2017 Netzer's follow-up to the excellent Child's Pose (2013) shares some elements with its precursor, but takes a different angle to the emotional roots and psychological ties of family life. A…
Week In, Week Out Movies of the Week #6 (2017) 19 Feb 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…
Think Pieces Berlinale Day 4: Courage Against All Odds 14 Feb 201715 Feb 2017 To round off my Berlinale visit, I opted for an alternative to movies: a panel talk between jury president, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven, jury member, American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and…
Reviews Berlinale Day 3: No Intenso Agora (2017) 13 Feb 201713 Feb 2017 Brazilian director Joao Moreira Salles wrote and directed this documentary (English Title: In the Intense Now) wrapped around the years 1966-1968 and the intense revolutionary spirit that engulfed certain parts…
Reviews Berlinale Day 3: The Dinner (2017) 11 Feb 201712 Feb 2017 Oren Moverman's latest movie is quite the challenge. It has difficult characters, discomforting dialogue, an intricate construction and spreads over two hours. Nobody can accuse The Dinner of being unambitious, but I…
Reviews Berlinale Day 2: Barrage (2017) 11 Feb 201711 Feb 2017 'A solo woman facing the void' is the expression someone used during the film's Q&A, when describing herself. The tag applies equally to the leading character in Barrage, Catherine (Lolita…
Reviews Berlinale Day 2: Django (2017) 11 Feb 201711 Feb 2017 The opening film of the Berlinale competition is yet another take on the sufferings brought on by the second World War. In a mixture of biopic and historical drama, Django…
Reviews Berlinale Day 1: The Wound (2017) 10 Feb 201710 Feb 2017 A South African film was on show for the opening night of the Berlinale. Directed by John Trengove, it's the story of Xolani, set against the backdrop of a local…