When WWII ended, Poland was thrown into another brutal fight, this time not against Nazis, but against communism, which took over the country from 1947 until 1989. While the 1950s, 60s, and 70s were unsettling, it was the 1980s that many consider to be the most significant time in the lives of Poles. Martial Law…
“Delphine’s Prayers” Review
“The old man I slept with for 15,000 francs…it gives me goosebumps” 30-year-old Delphine confesses in one scene. She is telling the story of how she sold her body as a teenager to pay for hospital treatment for her niece who was sick with malaria. Despite Delphine’s efforts, her young niece passed away before Delphine…
“Ali & Ava” Review (TIFF 2021)
The term “social realism” usually seems like a euphemism for gritty miserabilism in cinema, any feel good films about working class lives usually introducing an aspect of fantasy to proceedings to make them palatable. This might be the reason why any romantic dramas set in Britain revolve around the comfortable middle classes, whose lives are…
78th Venice International Film Festival: “Erasing Frank” Review
Punk has always been the music of rebellion. It might sound like an obvious statement, but this particular genre – from the very beginning of the musical trend within the punk subculture – became the music of the youth. Those who lived in the 1970s and 1980s under the communist regime managed to raise their…
78th Venice International Film Festival: “Dusk Stone” Review
We watch a young boy wander along a windy shoreline in the middle of the night. With him, he’s got his dog, a backpack, and a torch which he shines out onto the sea. He’s looking for the mythical creature that supposedly lurks in these waters. This is the last time we (or anyone else)…
“Ahed’s Knee” Review (TIFF 2021)
One of the worst habits many film critics partake in at film festivals is firing off a tweet declaring that they need to let a film “marinate” after initially seeing it, so desperate to voice an immediate reaction even if they haven’t found the words to adequately describe their feelings. And yet, while watching Nadav…
In Conversation with Chen Yu-hsun, Director of “My Missing Valentine”
“I have romantic ideas, but [when I make films] I am not really a romantic person,” Chen Yu-hsun admits with a chuckle. The Taiwanese filmmaker came to fame in 1994 with his debut feature, Tropical Fish, a razor-sharp comedy-drama, for which he was awarded the Golden Horse Award for best original screenplay as well as…
“Music Is Something None of Us Can See, Yet It Is So Powerful.” – In Conversation with Touched, a South Korean Rock Band
One has to understand that Korean music encompasses more than just K-pop with artists paving their own way into the entertainment world by combining various genres. For instance, although the genre of K-rock hasn’t been a part of the country’s culture for as long as it has been in Europe or North America, rock music…
“Pray Away” Review
Wandering around a car park, Jeffrey McCall approaches strangers offering to pray with them. With him, he’s holding a placard reading ‘trans 2 Christ’ which shows before-and-after photos of when Jeffrey used to live his life as a trans woman and now where, after discovering Christianity, he lives his life as a straight cisgender man….
“Being Artists Made Us Realise That the Road Towards Becoming a Great Band Isn’t Easy” – In Conversation with m1sty as1oth, a Singaporean Rock Band
We don’t often hear music from Singapore, but why? Is it a lack of musicians in the country or not enough exposure to the Western world? I am sure it’s not the shortage of talent as Singapore is overflowing with gifted artists, including The Observatory, Arif, A-do, Aspidistrafly and Falling Feathers, just to name a…
“I’m Your Man” Review
Stories about artificial intelligence in cinema are often told from a distinctly male point of view. From recent indie hits like Spike Jonze’s Her and Alex Garland’s Ex_Machina, to a history of more fantastical narratives like John Hughes’ Weird Science, films about AI always seem to posit a relationship between user and machine – the…
“I Just Try to Follow Where My Instincts/Taste Lead Me, Whether That Be in a Very Pop-centred Lane or an Avant-garde Alternative Direction.” – In Conversation with Traces, a Singer-Songwriter
What makes one a good singer? A sense of rhythm and an ear for music are important, however, technicality is not enough. We expect an artist to charm and delight the audience with their voice. Tim Dehnert, a.k.a. Traces, a singer-songwriter from California, comprises both: a talent for song-writing and captivating vocals. In addition, Tim’s…
“I Feel That Listening to Different Music Expanded My Mind to Being Open to Trying New Sounds as Well.” – In Conversation with Deshawn Visionz
Much of the conversation around what it means to be an original artist centres around being “yourself”— being genuine and authentic without attempting to be someone you’re not. Deshawn Visionz, a hip-hop artist based in California, is unafraid to speak the truth with his songs. He has the confidence to vocalise his own feelings, and…
74th Cannes Film Festival: “Olga” Review
To this day, Ukraine pays for the Euromaidan protest and the Revolution of Dignity that took place in November of 2013 and February of 2014, respectively. Both ended with blood, lowering the standard of living of Ukrainian citizens and the loss of a part of the country’s territory. The first revolt began when President Viktor…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 