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[film-nut]

Sicario

DEA agent Kate is transferred to a secret task force that is part of the „War on Drugs“ on the Mexican border. Her role on this strange team is unclear and the role of the South American lawyer Alejandro is even more dubious.

Follow the link to read my review of Sicario for the film mag INDIEKINO

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Love Hotel

I wrote a review for the documentary Love Hotel in indiekino, a film magazine focusing on arthouse cinema in Berlin.  

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The Weekend 5

R.I.P. Mad Men

Amy Nicholson on laughing at old movies.

The history of U.S. pop via 12 fictional acts.

What movies taught Tara Ison about sex and vulnerability.

Trailer of the Week: Jonathan Demme’s Ricki and the Flash

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The Weekend 5

18 important film movements every movie buff should know.

On how ‘Flawless’ became a feminist declaration.

Acting out: on the reflexivity of actors in crisis.

A definitive ranking of every Kurt Cobain movie ever made.

Trailer of the Week: Collin Schiffli’s Animals 

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The Weekend 5

 I watch therefore I am: seven movies that teach us key philosophy lessons.

The unbearable whiteness of indie music.

An article on the Native Americans who left the set of a racist Adam Sandler film.

11 bands that split just as they were becoming successful.

Trailer of the Week: Bill Pohlad’s Love & Mercy

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The Duke of Burgundy (2014)

4 out of 5

A bright eyed woman named Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna) rings the doorbell of a countryside mansion. After waiting on the doorstep for a few minutes, the stern, older Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) curtly tells her she is late and bosses her around in an impossibly rude way. First glances are deceiving, however, as the two are embroiled in a complicated relationship.

This intoxicating reverie, reminiscent of 70s era sapphic Eurotrash films, is a film that revels in the details. From the moment ‘dress and lingerie by’ and ‘perfume by’ appear in the opening credits it is clear that it has something different up its sleeve. Director Peter Strickland, who previously made the meticulously constructed Berberian Sound Studio, combines his impeccable eye for detail with a great feel for the interpersonal dynamics of an unconventional pairing.

Unlike the butterflies the two women so painstakingly research, which seem beautiful from afar but ghastly up-close, The Duke of Burgundy is marvelous to look at. The bulk of the film is set in interiors with rich, decadent colors and the sensual editing compliment the hazy dreaminess of what unfurls. Little quirks like the female-only population, the jarring laugh tracks during serious lectures, and the collective acceptance of certain transgressive practices makes the film’s otherworldliness captivating. Without wanting to reveal too much, the film revolves around power; who has it when and why and the compromises that have to be made in order to keep love alive. The ebb and flow of the relationship between Cynthia and Evelyn is at the heart of the film and the way Strickland chooses to inform viewers bit by bit is strangely enticing. The Duke of Burgundy is a unique excursion that truly pays off.

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The Weekend 5

The BFI made a list of 25 great female film critics.

18 yearsafter its first episode aired, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is still revolutionary.

Notes from Sleater-Kinney first-timers.

How to make a good horror movie: 9 lessons from the genre’s latest triumphs.

Trailer of the Week: Maxime Giroux’s Felix and Meira 

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The Weekend 5

All 109 Sleater-Kinney songs, ranked.

The Telegraph’s Horatia Harrod remembers legendary documentary director Albert Maysles who died this week.

On the rudeness of the phrase “guess you had to be there.”

A wonderful blow-by-blow of Nicholas Roeg’s film Don’t Look Now.

Trailer of the Week: Jonas Alexander Arnby’s When Animals Dream

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The Weekend 5

A New Yorker article about composing for Hollywood.

The breakfast club debuted 30 years ago inFebruary. This is what some Hollywood writers had to say about it.

R.I.P. Parks and Rec. Here are 10 pivotal episodes of one of the more compassionate, optimistic shows around.

What really goes on during film and TV sex scenes.

Trailer of the Week: Ron Nyswaner’s Shes The Best Thing In It

STBTII SXSW TRAILER from She's The Best Thing In It on Vimeo.

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The Weekend 5

A list of 30 essential German films.

Oscars’ snub to “world cinema” promotes a very narrow-minded point of view.

28 romantic cinematic gestures that are actually creepy (and there are plenty more where that came from).

Neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks wrote avery touching op-ed on learning he has terminal cancer.

Trailer of the Week: Joel Potrykus’s Buzzard

[film-nut]

Fusi (aka Virgin Mountain Iceland 2015)

2.5 out of 5

Fusi (Gunnar Jonsson) is a 43 year old airport baggage handler leading a solitary existence and still living with his mother. Spurred by his mother and her boyfriend, he reluctantly goes to a square dancing classwhere he meets the charming woman who turns his life upside down. If the plot description sounds boring it is because the film itself is very conventional. Jonsson makes for an endearing lead but a barebones synopsis is enough to know what the film will be like almost to a tee.

Vergine giurata (aka Sworn Virgin Italy/Switzerland/Germany/Albania/Kosovo 2015)

4 out of 5

In a mountainous village in Albania with rigid, misogynist gender roles, Hana (Alba Rohrwacher) makes the decision to become a sworn virgin and continue her life as Mark, an untouchable man. More than a decade later, Mark/Hana decides to move to Milan and live with their surrogate sister. A new chapter has begun and it is rife with possibilities. Vergine giurata does not take the obvious route and it is all the better for it. Nothing is definitive and Rohrwacher manages to elicit sympathy even though she plays a closed-off character.

One & Two (USA 2015)

1.5 out of 5

Eva (Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka) and Zac (Timothee Chalamat) are two siblings living in an amish-like set-up with their parents. A wall literally divides them from the rest of the world and the two siblings yearn for something more. Eva and Zac have a unique type of superpower that threatens their seemingly idyllic family life. One & Two feels like a combination of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and a particularly bland young adult film without structure or seeming purpose.

Haftanlage 4614 (Germany 2015)

3 out of 5

The provocative documentarian Jan Soldat set his sights on a BDSM faux prison compound. A group of submissives go there on vacation and get treated like bad, insolent prisoners by the head prison guard. Gleeful (responsible) violence and darkly amusing interactions ensue. Haftanlage 4614 allows viewers to peer inside this sub-subculture and is enjoyably voyeuristic. However, the group of protagonists are one-dimensional and the film’s bare conceit starts wearing out its welcome towards the end.

El incendio (aka The Fire Argentina 2015)

3 out of 5

A 30 year old couple are just about to move into a house they just bought. Due to a mishap, they get one extra day to mull things over and their tempestuous relationship makes them question whether they want to make that next big step and whether they should still be together at all. El incendio takes an engaging idea and implements it in a far too heavy-handed way. The couple is exhaustingly manic and the script is not as biting as it thinks it is.

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What Happened, Miss Simone? (USA 2015)

4 out of 5

What Happened, Miss Simone is a documentary chronicling the life of legendary musician Nina Simone. Made with the help of her daughter, the film delves into her beginnings and less auspicious final years. Simone, who started off being trained as a classical pianist, was a difficult, complex woman. A tough marriage and a political landscape she could not stand anymore drove her to the edge yet she fought on and survived. The deft, sensitive hand of director Liz Harbus along with the deeply personal archival material and the use of rousing performance footage does the high priestess of soul justice.

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Petting Zoo (USA/Greece/Germany 2015)

2.5 out of 5

Layla (Devon Keller) is a working-class teen livingin the US South. She lives with her slacker boyfriend and is disenchanted with her surroundings. She finds herself at a crossroads when she gets pregnant and a university scholarship. Petting Zoo refrains from Southern stereotypes and maintains an amiable pace though save from a fine performance by Judy Greer look-alike Keller it is also incredibly indistinct.

I am Michael (USA 2015)

4 out of 5

Michael (James Franco), a man living in San Francisco and founder of the gay XY magazine, slowly begins having doubts about his lifestyle and orientation. Based on a true story, I am Michael follows the protagonist through his existential woes and feelings of alienation till he becomes a pastor/heterosexual conversion practitioner.  Michael did not come from a particularly religious home yet something within him impels him to think that what he is doing is morally wrong which is then confirmed by the religion he turns to. His confused state is ambivalent and complicated, and one gets the feeling he will never be at peace no matter what he chooses for himself. I am Michael embraces this state of uncertainty and self-doubt to great effect.

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Short Skin (Italy 2015)

2.5 out of 5

Teenager Edoardo (Matteo Creatini) has a condition that causes great discomfort when he gets sexually aroused. Insteadof getting surgery he prefers to pretend its not there though his predicamentbecomes harder to ignore when a relationship with a crush begins. Short Skin has a quirky concept but its rendering is unfortunately quite pedestrian. All the characters are drawn with such broad strokes that the film ends up being an average coming-of-age drama and nothing more.

Danieluv svet (aka Daniel’s World Czech Republic 2015)

3.5 out of 5

Daniel is a 25 year old literature student and also a pedophile. The important documentary attempts to humanize a sexual orientation that is universally reviled. Daniel has never acted on his impulses and is extremely aware of what he is and what he has to do to keep people safe from him. He knows he can never have a relationship or have sex and has come to terms with that. Director Veronika Liskova does not deify or demonize Daniel or what he is going through, which is crucial in making this very challenging topic worthy of understanding. The documentary is repetitive at times but the way it deals with the topic of pedophilia is nothing short of commendable.

Censored Voices (Israel/Germany 2015)

3.5 out of 5

A few days after the Six Day War of 1967, a group of young kibbutznik soldiers were taped talking about their difficult experiences. The Israeli army had censored most of the recordings in the past and Censored Voices marks the first time all of the recordings can be heard. Director Mor Loushy chose the most incisive, haunting moments and coupled it with videos and images of the war and the result is deeply harrowing. Censored Voices is an assault to the senses with a constant barrage of brutal visuals and hard-hitting accounts but there is no reprieve, no time given to reflect. It is obvious that Loushy gained access to startling, incisive information but it is less clear if what she does with this bounty is a success. 

[film-nut]

Nasty Baby (USA/Chile 2015)

2 out of 5

Polly (Kristen Wiig) and her gay best friendFreddy (Sebastian Silva) are trying to have a baby. When they find out thatFreddy’s sperm count is low, they immediately try to get Freddy’s boyfriend Mo (Tunde Adebimpe, lead singer of TV on the Radio) on board. Meanwhile in a seemingly disconnected subplot, a volatile man lurks around their trendy Brooklyn neighborhood. Nasty Baby is a dull navel-gazing experiment. The leftfield twist which closes the film manages to bring a tiny dose of excitement, but the film ends just when things start to get a bit interesting.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl (USA 2015)

4 out of 5

It is San Francisco in the 1970s and Minnie (Bel Powley) has recently lost her virginity to her mother’s boyfriend. A whole new world opens before her and she is more than willing to fully embrace it. What might seem like a soapy, melodramatic conceit manages to lay the groundwork for this truthful, touching film. Minnie is unapologetically sexual, headstrong, and highly self-aware; a young woman who knows what she wants and how to get it (for the most part). Based on a graphic novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, director Marielle Heller smartly chooses to pepper the film with some illustrations that come to life at key moments in Minnie’s life. This feminist coming-of-age film belongs to Bel Powley, whose youthful, brash, and authentic portrayal makes Minnie so sympathetic and captivating.

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Angelica (USA 2015)

3 out of 5

In 19th century Victorian England, Constance (Jena Malone) marries a man she loves. Life is swell until Constance discoversshe has a condition that causes her to experience extreme pain after havingsex. When her daughter Angelica is born, Constance proceeds to refrain from intimacy under doctor’s orders. The repercussion of this brings more than she bargained for. Constance’s condition as a metaphor for  women’s oppression and lack of autonomy works splendidly. On the downside, director Mitchell Lichtenstein tries to accomplish too much and unfortunately overreaches; the horror elements come off as silly more than anything else.

The Look of Silence (Denmark/Finland/Indonesia/Norway/UK 2014)

4 out of 5

Following the groundbreaking documentary The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence centers on Adi and his parents who lost a son and brother during the Indonesian genocide. The bereaved family live side by side with the sadistic killers who all hold positions of power in the community. Though most inhabitants would rather not talk about the past (or rather, are afraid of the consequences if they do), Adi is determined to talk to the psychopaths that destroyed so many lives and reveled in the misery. Besides the gratuitous shots of Adi’s ailing father, The Look of Silence gives the respect to the survivors that was lacking in the former film (and which made it hard for me to sit through).  What unfolds is tense, astonishing, and a highly important historical document. The two films hold the power to revolutionize, something only very few films can claim.  

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Ben Zaken (Israel 2015)

3.5 out of 5

In Ashkelon, a Southern town in Israel, single father Shlomi (Eliraz Sade) tries to control his raucous 10 year old daughter Ruhi, his depression, and his nearly non-existent career. Living with his agingmother and more successful brother, Shlomi is constantly overwhelmed by themayhem surrounding him. He loves his daughter more than anything, but the family dynamics are destructive for them all. Ben Zaken is an emotionally honest film made with a lot of empathy for its characters but it is also unfocused.

Misfits (Denmark/Sweden/USA 2015)

3.5 out of 5

Misfits is a sweet-natured documentary following three queer teens living in Tulsa, Oklahoma - a city two thousand churches and only one LGBT center. There is Ben, an extroverted gay man who dreams of a life of luxury, Larissa, a queer woman who lives with her girlfriend after leaving her inhospitable home, and D. a pansexual young man living in a rundown motel room with no support whatsoever. The three protagonists are all incredibly genuine and unpretentious which makes for a light and uplifting film. Misfits is an important film for all small town youths to see and could potentially be used as an educational tool, however, its downfall is that director Jannik Splidsboel opts to concentrate on the message rather than the story.

Queen of Earth (USA 2015)

4 out of 5

Catherine (Elizabeth Moss) has had an incredibly trying year. Her father, a renowned artist, committed suicide and the love of her life broke up with her after falling for another woman. She decides to unwind in a lake house that belongs to her best friend Virginia (Katherine Waterston). Catherine is there to recharge and be with someone she loves, yet things between the two friends quickly sour. Director Alex Ross Perry’s psychological drama-turned-thriller, reminiscent of acting showcases like Robert Altman’s 3 Women and Roman Polanski's Repulsion, is brilliantly and evocatively written, with the two leads spouting the kinds of damaging truths only people who truly know each other can. Queen of Earth’s mesmerizing composition and brutally raw acting by both actresses only add to the arrestingly confrontational film.

The Forbidden Room (Canada 2015)

3 out of 5

To describe the nesting plot of The Forbidden Room is practically impossible. The film is a homage to old lost films; it is director Guy Maddin’s take on silent films, noir, folk tales, disaster movies, instructional videos, and much more. The countless vignettes are lovingly shot with lots of nifty details made by a brilliant director whose love for cinema is plain to see and admire. It is a wonderfully singular experience that is also tedious, conjuring an intellectual appreciation for the fastidiousness that went into its creation rather than a sense of entertainment and emotional resonance.