This was a strong debut from Oh Jung-min and reminded me of some other South Korean films I’ve seen that have a lyrical, pastoral nature and observe family dynamics and traditions without a lot of exposition or judgement (Burning, House of the Hummingbird).
Continue reading
This feels like a pretty observation of a unique community that ultimately doesn’t really say anything.
Continue reading
After sitting through four hours of McQueen’s Occupied City, I walked into slow cinema maven Tsai Ming Liang’s 70 minutes of a monk walking slowly.
Continue reading
Although this is a strong ensemble piece about three generations of women, it felt like it came in a long line of films that I had seen over the last few weeks about women who are essentially damaged.
Continue reading
I’m not sure how I feel about this Turkish film by Selman Nacar. It ended with me feeling that I had missed some political or cultural context, seeing repeated motifs that perhaps had meaning but went over my head.
Continue reading
There is nothing really to criticise about the quality of this film. It is a delicate and tender portrait of a lesbian couple in Hong Kong, made tragic by the death of one that then cuts the other adrift with no rights in a heterosexual and patriarchal society.
Continue reading
It’s been a day for hard hitting films. This was one film I was really looking forward to as it’s by one of my favourite directors, Mohammed Rasoulof (Manuscripts Don’t Burn, A Man of Integrity, There is No Evil). He has a tendency to explore morals and actions within corrupt systems in Iran and this one follows those themes.
Continue reading
Matt Johnson is like Mark Duplass’s goofy cousin. This gently diverting, stream of consciousness, white middle class angst movie reminded me a bit of films like Lynn Shelton’s Hump Day (2009) or an early Kelly Reichardt film but without the social weight.
Continue reading
I really didn’t enjoy this film. It felt like a drama camp improv piece with funding. Having spoken to a queer friend afterward though, they have given me lots of links to articles on how it is a trans metaphor and groundbreaking in a lot of ways.
Continue reading
