Where are you going Aida? Aida (Jasna Đuričić) is a former teacher, co-opted into translating for the UN in Srebrenica during the 90s Bosnian war.
Continue readingQuo Vadis, Aida? (2020)
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Honeyland (2019)
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An amazing narrative built from observational filming over three years. Hatidze lives in a remote abandoned Macedonian village with her elderly mother. She harvest honey from bees she has carefully cultivated and sells it in Skopje.
Continue readingOn the Rocks (2020)
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This is a completely enjoyable film by Sofia Coppola, led by Rashida Jones’s strong, awkward and likeable characterisation of an every woman who realises she has unknowingly transitioned from exciting and sexy to boring and frumpy in the eyes of her husband.
Continue readingHattrick (2018)
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I watched this film five years ago and never finished my review. Here’s what I wrote at the time compared to AI-generated text …
Continue readingA Man (ある男) (2022)
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Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised/disappointed that a film with this title revolved primarily around the experiences of a group of men.
Continue readingImmersion (きかいじま) (2023)
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Thanks Lowell for telling me to lower my expectations with this Gen Alpha meets ancient Japanese grudges J-horror.
Continue readingThe Forbidden Play (禁じられた遊び) (2023)
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This is a Japanese horror of Ringu (1998) ilk, all about vengeful wraiths and the monstrousness of female emotions.
Continue readingGhostbook Yokaipedia (Ghost Book Obakezukan) (2022)
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Like a Miyazaki story come to life, with cuteness and soundtrack by Spielberg and a cast from a Japanese staging of The Cursed Child. But don’t let that put you off.
Continue readingParasite (기생충) (2019)
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On my forays to Melbourne, I don’t often re-watch a film at the cinema – so many new films, so little time – but Parasite was worth a second go, especially as Cinema Nova was screening a black-and-white version.
Continue readingThem That Follow (2019)
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I was reminded of the quiet, rural drama of Dark River (2017) while watching this intense and satisfying dive into fundamentalism. It has some predictable beats but introspective camera work and a strong performance from Alice Englert help it transcend cliches.
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