The bleak mid-winter in the frozen wilderness; a man clears the snow and stones away, the camera moves back, slowly revealing a huge SOS sign, dug into the snow. Without using any words and only with the sounds of nature, Joe Penna perfectly depicts the situation of the protagonist, Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen: Hannibal, Doctor Strange), in…
Category: Film
62nd BFI London Film Festival: Styx Review
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic atoll, located 7°56′ south of the Equator in the Atlantic Ocean. Charles Darwin visited this lonely archipelago in 1836 aboard HMS Beagle as a part of his second survey expedition of the world, during which he gathered data that aided him in the development of the theory of evolution…
26th Raindance Film Festival: Princesita Review
Somewhere in the southern Chile, in a rural commune that seems to be perpetually bathed in the sun, a 12-year-old Tamara (Sara Caballero) is growing up in a seemingly free manner. The sun for her seems to be not so much the outside source of light, but a person – everything she knows and everything…
26th Raindance Film Festival: Room Laundering Review
In Japan, a ‘jiko bukken’ is the name given to stigmatized properties where the last tenant has died of unnatural causes. Supposedly – according to Room Laundering at least – Japanese landlords must disclose to possible residents if the last tenant died of something out of the ordinary. Leaving landlords stuck with unrentable properties, that…
26th Raindance Film Festival: We the Kings Review
Reportedly around 94,000 children in the UK were living in care in 2016. A number that is only on the rise. With children in care four times more likely to suffer from mental health issues, and if left in care sixty times more likely to end up homeless upon leaving, it’s an issue that is…
My Last Year as a Loser Review
Sound of the bicycle bell. “Excuse me! Just a little please!” On her way to work, a young woman on a small green bike – a legendary Slovenian brand Pony – is trying to penetrate through a big group of Japanese tourists that gathered on one of Ljubljana’s streets. Not so long-ago, Slovenia’s capital city –…
75th Venice Film Festival: Emma Peeters Review
Emma Peeters is the second feature of the Belgian-American filmmaker Nicole Palo, following her 2009 debut feature Get Born. The international title Emma Peeters says little about her second feature, while its original title Le Suicide d’Emma Peeters, when translated directly into The Suicide of Emma Peeters, immediately paints a different picture – but despite its…
75th Venice Film Festival: Tel Aviv on Fire Review
Over the past several years, a new wave of Palestinian film directors, working on different genres, has constructed a specific, on-screen national identity. The projected images of the Palestinian productions have become much more political than the earlier narratives about the life and history of the Palestinians. However, there are still some stories to be…
75th Venice Film Festival: L’enkas Review
For a large number of former prisoners, getting out of jail is the first step of a long and complex journey of starting anew. One might expect that being released from prison should be closely associated with a newfound sense of freedom, but is it? Ulysse (Sandor Funtek: Blue is the Warmest Colour, A Wedding),…
LEAFF 2018 Pre-Fest Screening: Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days Review
Following the success of Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, writer-director Kim Yong-hwa returns with a sequel, with the story picking up right where it left off. I wonder how many underworld trials I would have to go through if I were to be resurrected; I can only hope that it would not be…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 