Structuring a biopic around a controversial figure is a near impossible art, with mixed results likely to stem from either leaning into or neutering their status. Judas and the Black Messiah opts to lean into the innate complications of William O’Neal, the informant who worked as a Black Panther mole for the FBI, transforming a…
Author: View of the Arts
View of the Arts is run by female arts journalists and works with a diverse team of writers and film critics.
International Film Festival Rotterdam: “Archipel” Review
The French noun for archipelago – an extensive collection of islands, Archipel is a murmuring and drifting exploration of the Saint Lawrence River that runs from The Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Directed by Félix Dufour-Laperrière, Archipel blends the real with the dreamed as it weaves history together with imagination in the form of…
“David” Review
Therapists are often seen as omniscient emblems of level-headedness, reassurance, and wisdom. Enigmatic individuals who soak up your life story and provide answers to all your burning existential problems; all while you barely know anything about their own lives. It’s almost easy to believe that they have no problems at all – but this is…
“The Mauritanian” Review
The legal drama is a genre that has never died, and yet each new courtroom set movie is usually greeted with a critical reaction citing it as the kind of mid budget film for adults that isn’t really made anymore. This is part of the reason why Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7, an…
“The Doorman” Director Ryuhei Kitamura’s Wildest Movie Moments
Exploding onto the action scene in 2000 with his instant cult classic zombie yakuza flick, Versus, director Ryuhei Kitamura marked himself as a name to look out for when it comes to extreme, over-the-top action cinema. With his latest action thrill-ride, The Doorman, Kitamura shows no signs of relaxing the pace as he delivers another…
“One Night in Miami” Review
This year’s prestige film season is dominated by adaptations of stage plays, inadvertently spotlighting the differing ways filmmakers are translating stories from one medium to another. Some seem conscious of not appearing too “stagey”, such is the case with Pieces of a Woman, adapted by director Kornél Mundruczó from a play he co-wrote, which features…
“The Present” Review
The directorial debut of British-Palestinian writer and director Farah Nabulsi, The Present follows the story of Palestinian father Yusef (Saleh Bakri) and his young daughter Yasmine (Mariam Kanj) as they set off across the West Bank to pick up groceries and find an anniversary present for Yusef’s wife. Facing relentless roadblocks, checkpoints, and apathetic IDF…
“PINE EP Analyses My Five Main Emotions That I Have Been Feeling Since I Felt Love for the First Time.” – In Conversation with CHE, a South Korean Singer-songwriter
“I was into all kinds of art when I was growing up. One time I wanted to be a painter, then I thought of becoming a fashion designer, I wasn’t sure about singing,” CHE, a Seoul-born singer-songwriter, says thoughtfully as he speaks about whether music was his intended career path from the start. Exposed to…
“Modelling is My Vocation in Life, My Calling.” – In Conversation with Gimu, a South Korean Model
It was 2019 when I met Gimu at Seoul Fashion Week for the first time. And, as bizarre as it might sound, it took me just 10 seconds to realise that he is one of the nicest and funniest models I came across. Although we have experienced a language barrier at times, his smile, positive…
The Unbearable Lightness of Being: BTS’ “BE” Album Review
BE is BTS’ fourth (Korean) studio album and follows the record-breaking Map of the Soul: 7 from earlier in the year (February 21). Released on the 20th November, six months after the later, BE is a project album that is best understood as a personal response to COVID-19. BE is grounded in reality; while the…
Hong Sang-soo’s “The Woman Who Ran” Review
While her husband is out of town on a business trip, florist Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee) decides to embark on a venture of her own to reconnect with three different old friends living across Seoul. Although reciting a script, Gam-hee routinely mentions to every friend how her and her husband haven’t spent a day apart since…
In Conversation with DONGKIZ, a South Korean Idol Group
“I was drawn to how I can express my own thoughts and emotions through the lyrics or the melody”, says Jaechan, a 19-year-old member of a South Korean group, DONGKIZ, when asked if music was his future. While not all of the members thought of starting their adult lives as a part of a K-pop…
“Artists Must Guard and Maintain One’s Own Style and yet Be Able to Show Various Colours.” – In Conversation with SURL, a South Korean Rock Band
It has been just over two years since SURL, a pop/rock band, debuted. Although they are fresh-faces in the South Korean music market, Ho-seung, Han-bin, Myung-seok and Do-yeon have already won over not only a domestic audience but also gained a decent European fanbase. In September of 2018, SURL released their 1st official song called…
Nomadland Review
Nomadland is a curious beast; a sobering look at the ramifications of an ageing, expanding workforce in the gig economy following the 2008 recession, critical of the corporations who have forced people into this position, while also feeling at first glance like it’s pulling some of its punches. At least, that’s how this writer interpreted…
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