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202. Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s film “Bacalaureat” (Graduation)...
The year 2016 saw the release of three very interesting award-winning films from three countries on two continents—all films on the same theme. All three films deal with the father-daughter protective...
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203. French director Jean-Pierre Melville’s and cinematographer Henri Decaë’s...
Some of the best films of celebrated filmmakers have been their debut films because they put in all their pent up creative energy in that effort to find recognition as a director. Examples are Orson...
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204. Polish maestro Krzysztof Kieślowski’s film “Dekalog, Jeden” (Decalogue,...
Frozen lakeThe ten-part Dekalog is definitely one of the 10 best works of cinema ever made for this critic. Each segment of the ten-part film Dekalog is linked to the 10 Commandments given by God to...
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205. US director Jim Jarmusch’s film “Paterson” (2016) (USA): A delicate,...
Paterson would appear to be a simple tale; but it is not. It is a film where Jim Jarmusch the original scriptwriter over-shadows Jim Jarmusch the director. Yet they are both the same individual in two...
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206. Russian director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky’s film “Belye nochi...
“Where does this music come from? From the heavens or from the ground? Now it’s stopped.”--- A quote from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, used as the end quote for The Postman’s White NightsAny serious...
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207. Japanese director Naomi Kawase’s film “Sharasoju” (Shara)(2003) (Japan)...
Naomi Kawase is one of the most interesting female film directors alive and actively making films. Her films are slow moving, contemplative works that discuss the close relationship of families, of...
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208. Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s film “Le gamin au vélo”...
"We tend to think that the closer one gets to the cup, to the hand, to the mouth whose lips are drinking, the more one will be able to feel something invisible—a dimension we want to follow and which...
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209. French director Maurice Pialat’s French film “Sous le soleil de Satan”...
Any review of the film Under the Sun of Satan ought tostate the following factoid upfront. When the movie was announced as the winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (with the jury...
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210. The late Chilean maestro Raoul Ruiz’ European film “Klimt” (2006)...
“Who art thou? “asked the guardian of the night. ” From crystal purity I come,” was my reply.” And great my thirst, Persephone. Yet heeding thy decree I take to flight and turn, and turn again. Forever...
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211. US director Sofia Coppola’s film “The Beguiled” (2017) (USA): An...
It is imperative that when a director adapts a novel into a film that one ought to compare how that effort changes or enhances the entertainment of the viewer/reader. That exercise is further...
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212. Czech directors Jan Kadar’s and Elmar Klos’ film “Touha zvaná Anada”...
My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.--Psalms 38:10 (Epigraph/quote that opens the film, before the titles)Adrift isthe third film of a rarely discussed but...
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213. US director Michael Almereyda’s film “Marjorie Prime” (2017) (USA):...
“Nobody is who he was. Nobody will be who he is now” --lines spoken in the film, adapted from Jordan Harrison’s play Marjorie Prime, a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize and the winner of the 2016...
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214. Indian director Praveen Morchhales’s film “Walking with the Wind” (2017)...
Director Praveen Morchhale is an emerging noteworthy filmmaker from India making films based on his own original scripts that use children in pivotal, non-controversial roles. His films certainly...
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215. Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes’ francophone film...
“Your name is Rosetta. My name is Rosetta. You found a job. I found a job. You've got a friend. I've got a friend. You have a normal life. I have a normal life. You won't fall in a rut. I won't fall in...
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216. Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi’s film “Teströl és lélekröl” (On Body...
“Teströl és lélekröl (On Body and Soul) is an idiosyncratic love story full of lyricism and humour, free of all social conventions. It impresses us with the subtlety and eloquence of its style and...
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217. Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu’s film “Grain” (Bugday) (2017)...
Grain is a very important film of 2017. It is an important film for several reasons. Globally, very few feature films have dealt with agriculture as the focal point. In India, several important films...
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218. Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s film “Nelyubov” (Loveless) (2017)...
On the very obvious level, Loveless is a modern tale of a middle-class family living in Moscow. Boris and Zhenya, the parents of a 12 year old schoolboy Aloysha, are on the verge of a divorce. This...
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219. Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s “The Square” (2017), based on his...
“The square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it we all share equal rights and obligations” ---Explanation written for an abstract art installation, a square ground in front of an upscale...
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220. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s “Lerd” (A Man of Integrity) (2017),...
"Early on, this film introduces us to many different facets of its main character's life that barely seem to relate. Gradually and powerfully, the script teases out the connections, all of which...
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Russian maestro Aleksandr Sokurov speaks to Jugu Abraham on Grigori Kozintsev...
Background note on Russian filmmakers Sokurov and KozintsevRussian film director Aleksandr Sokurov (66) is famous for diverse reasons. Some recall his experimental feature film Russian Ark (2002)...
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