Tag: Foreign

L’Immensita’s Story Fails to Match the Strength of Its Themes (Sundance Film Festival)

Set in 1970s Rome, L’Immensita tells the tale of Adriana (Luana Giuliani), the oldest daughter of Felice (Vincenzo Amaro) and Clara (Penélope Cruz) who are a couple in an unhappy and abusive marriage. As her parents struggle Adriana…

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Saint Omer is an Intimate Examination of How the Challenges of Immigration and Women Intersect

Saint Omer is told from the perspective of Rama (Kayije Kagame), the daughter of African immigrants and a novelist by trade, who attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanga), a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter…

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Broker Uses Comedy, Drama to Examine Family and Forgiveness in the One of 2022’s Best

The latest film from director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker begins with two men Ha Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) who volunteer at a local church but are, in secret, baby brokers who sell infants that have anonymously been…

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Holy Spider is a Thought Provoking, Topical, and Multifaceted Critique of Iran’s Theocracy

The fall of 2022 saw civil unrest and protest erupt in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was accused of violating the country’s law regarding the proper wearing of hijabs. The nationwide uprising of…

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All Quiet on the Western Front Viscerally Updates the Horrors of War for the Modern Age (Middleburg Film Festival)

All Quiet on the Western Front of course originated as a German novel written by Erich Maria Remarque about World War I published in 1928. The 1930 American film adaptation was a landmark release both for its use of…

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No One Makes Movies Like You Anymore: Decision to Leave Review

Sometimes, you don’t know how much you’ve missed something until you encounter it again. As the American cinematic landscape continues to become saturated with sameness, bombastic CGI slugfests featuring spandex and capes or indies that feel more like…

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Both Sides of the Blade Has Good Performances But Still Feels Slightly Disappointing

“When you love someone it never really goes away.” Another collaboration between director Claire Denis and Juliette Binochet, with 2021 sensation Titane’s Vincent Lindon added to the mix, sounds enticing enough for any film fanatic to give a…

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Petite Maman: If You Could Ask Your Young Mother a Question, What Would It Be? (Toronto International Film Festival)

The relationship between parent and child can be a roller coaster, particularly during a child’s formative years when their emotions are strong but their life experience is thin. Throughout our young lives there are moments where we all…

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A Hero Masterfully Paints a Frustratingly True to Life Portrait of a Cynical World (Middleburg Film Festival)

Societal distrust feels as though it’s as high as it’s ever been. People analyze their neighbors in bad faith, believing the worst of them and their intentions while social media and the fourth estate itself follow suit, looking…

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Titane: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

Strained relationships with loved ones can create a hole in one’s psyche that is tough to fill. People with damaged relationships with a parent for example may often find themselves trying to replicate a facsimile of it with…

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