Currently browsing the "Foreign" category.
The Forgiveness of Blood
Posted by Arty Chick on March 9, 2012
Albania is no cinematic hotspot, though as The Forgiveness of Blood shows, they have some interesting stories to tell. It is fascinating to see these corners of the earth that have been ignored and catch a glimpse inside their culture. In this case, it is a strange mix of the modern and the ancient — cell phones and horse drawn carriages, modern policemen and tribal codes of conduct. The plot here revolves around a murderer’s family and the local society’s acceptance that all of them pay for his crime.
A Separation
Posted by Arty Chick on March 8, 2012
A Separation won the 2011 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, marking Iran’s first Academy Award ever. It was also nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, unusual for any foreign film. While the world frets about their nuclear intentions and tension mounts, it is nice to see a fairly non-political depiction of life there. This is a film about relationships and cultures and power and truth, pretty universal themes played out on a very human scale and directed with a masterful hand.
The Skin I Live In
Posted by Arty Chick on December 11, 2011
I have to admit two things up front. I am not usually a fan of Pedro Almodóvar, and the descriptions of The Skin I Live In did not lead me to believe I would change my opinion. “A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.” Ugh! But since the awards season is upon us, and it is showing up on a lot of lists, I decided to give it a look. And surprise!
Melancholia
Posted by Arty Chick on December 3, 2011
Danish director Lars von Trier is not known for happy movies (Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark) and with Melancholia he keeps true to form. The title clues you in to the mood of the film centered on two sisters Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), which is told in two chapters. The first is Justine’s story – the saga of her wedding reception at her sister’s mansion, in which she has a slow and painful meltdown, revealing herself to be a deeply disturbed, depressed woman, incapable of being in any relationship, much less married. The second part belongs to Claire. It concerns her growing terror that a planet called Melancholia that has been hiding behind the sun is soon going to crash into the earth.
The Artist
Posted by Arty Chick on November 25, 2011
I have my favorite movie of the year now, and I expect that The Artist will be at the top of a lot of other reviewers’ lists, too. I’ve been told I gush about it. And I do not gush often. Considering that it is in black & white and is a silent film, you might wonder why.
Incendies
Posted by Arty Chick on June 17, 2011
Incendies is a French Canadian drama that was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Foreign language film and is totally deserving of the honor. Living in small town USA can be frustrating for the lag time in getting to see these films in a theater, but finally, it arrived. (Only 2 left now.)
Potiche
Posted by Arty Chick on May 28, 2011
Potiche is a delightful chique flique or peut-être une comédie romantique starring two of France’s biggest stars, Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu. Mostly it is Deneuve’s show, as the trophy wife (la potiche) Suzanne Pujol who realizes her real potential when she takes the reins at her family’s umbrella factory (a nod to Deneuve’s classic Umbrellas of Cherbourg) after her philandering husband has a heart attack. Set in 1977, the film is full of women’s lib moments and silly 70s pop culture references, including a scene where Deneuve and Depardieu disco à la Saturday Night Fever.
Certified Copy
Posted by Arty Chick on April 27, 2011
There are some movies that are nearly impossible to review because to tell the story is to give away (ruin) the experience of watching it. Certified Copy is one of those films. Directed by Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry) and starring the luminous Juliette Binoche who won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her role in this film, it is about the most confusing 106 minutes I have spent in a long time. Not a bad confusion, but a well planned, edge of your seat waiting and wondering when it is all going to make sense confusion. The central question, which pops up about 20 minutes in, has you questioning what is true and what isn’t right up until the end. And in addition to the twisting plot, the film alternates between English, French and Italian.
