Edition 105

The Non-English Movies of The Week

Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia, 2020)[IMDB: 7.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, My Rating: 8.0]

This movie is set in Bosnia in the days leading up to the Srebrenica genocide. It tells the heartbreaking story of a local who works as an interpreter for the UN peacekeepers under the Dutch command and ‘leadership’. The interpreter tries to save her family from an imminent catastrophe while the Dutch soldiers are only interested in enforcing the law in a clerical fashion without bothering about the spirit of the law. This movie is a damning indictment of the UN and the failure of the peacekeepers in protecting the most vulnerable. This movie is to Srebrenica what ‘The Pianist’ is to the Second World War. Normal people are placed under the unstoppable force of events beyond their control. The desperation of the characters as the the finale approaches is truly a difficult sight. Watch if you have some humanity left in you.

Dear Comrades (2020, Russia)[IMDB: 7.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 94%, My Rating: 7.5]

In 1962, the people in a small town in USSR revolt against price hikes. This invites the juggernaut of the Soviet establishment to the town. The full wrath and fury of the establishment is unleashed on unsuspecting residents and the rebellion is quickly extinguished. A local communist party functionary who is otherwise enjoying the fruits of her exalted position begins to question her beliefs when she sees the events unfolding in front of her. The more pertinent question is how Russia entered this movie as their nominee for the Academy Awards when it does not show the Russia of the past in a good light. This movie can be construed to be more devious than it appears on the surface. For example, the grave searching expedition could be considered to be a test for the protagonist. The state could be trying to find out whether she is lying about the status of her daughter. There are some stand out scenes though. The rant of the lady in the car is a standout moment. For all that and more, watch the movie.

Better Days (2019)[IMDB: 7.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, My Rating: 6.5]

This Chinese flick takes a strong stand against bullying. The problem with it is that in the process of taking the stand it takes too much time to tell the story which is syrupy and sentimental. Frankly, I do not get the hype about this movie. The story revolves around a girl’s revenge on those who bully her. The plot is convenient at best and crumbles on closer inspection. Ultimately, the movie is a testament to the fact that it is not often the best movies that get nominated at the Oscars.

Movies I Saw This Week

The Father (2021)[IMDB: 8.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, My Rating: 7.5]

‘The Father’ is adapted from a play and it shows. This is papered over by the performance of Hopkins who can draw parallels with his real life for this role. A man losing his memory in old age finds it difficult to make sense of the world around him. He finds it difficult to remember where he is. He even forgets the faces of the people nearest to him. I found this movie to be terrifying in some moments. Real horror is from lived experiences and not from the shriek of a shadow in the dark. The toll this illness takes not only on the patients but on those around them is alarming. Watch the movie for some solid performances.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)[IMDB: 7.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, My Rating: 7.5]

Fred Hampton was a young life cut short by betrayal. This movie tells his story. FBI infiltrated the Black Panther Party to quell the militant activism of its members. I found this movie to be morally in an area that can be described as dark grey. It would be a fallacy to not expect the government to deal with an organisation with a penchant for violence. Black Panthers were no saints. The question is about the extent to which the high handed tactics of the FBI is justified in the situation. Judging purely from an artistic point of view, the movie is a seamlessly edited piece of work. If you know the real life events there is not even an element of surpise. The real question in the movie is about guilt and about the life lived after the betrayal. Also, Daniel Kaluuya will get the Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor.

I Care a Lot (2021)[IMDB: 6.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 80%, My Rating: 6.5]

‘I Care a Lot’ is an opportunity lost. I thought I was in for a treat fifteen minutes into the movie but then the director decided to take the fizz out of the soda. Honestly, I was cheering for the Russian mafia at a point in the movie against the sinister character played with panache by Rosamund Pike who seems to revel in these ice-cold outings. As a ‘guardian’, Pike’s character is a sociopath who makes the near fatal mistake of being drawn into the orbit of the mafia. The plot is a lesson in convenient endings, coincidences and a general inefficiency of the Russian mafia. For god’s sake, the mafia cannot even get a killing right. What the movie really is about is the Frankenstein’s monster that late stage capitalism has become in America.

The Mauritanian(2021)[IMDB: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 73%, My Rating: 7.0]

Snubbed royally by the Academy at the Oscars, this crime investigation / legal drama set in Guantanamo works on many levels. It lobs the grenade of the accusations of inhumane behaviour at the US forces. It tells the real toll that life in a prison extracts out of a detainee. On the other hand, it also make the viewers question the leniency accorded to the accused by the director. It is not often that someone receives a call from Bin Laden or invites terrorists to one’s apartment. There are no easy answers in this movie. There are no good guys either.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)[IMDB: 6.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 79%, My Rating: 7.0]

This is a silly movie. This is a funny movie. This is a hoot of a movie. I have not laughed, smiled and chuckled so much watching an English movie in recent times. Two women who have never ventured outside their hometown take an eventful trip to a seaside town. Actually, the plot does not matter. Just go with the flow and try not to take yourself seriously. Highly recommended.

Pieces of a Woman (2021)[IMDB: 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 75%, My Rating: 6.0]

This movie is what I would call an acting bait. The whole idea is to get people awards and in the garb of doing so make it look like you have a story to tell. The first half an hour of this disjointed jigsaw puzzle is a birth scene (that is the baby variety, in case you did not get it). Vanessa Kirby has acted well in the scene and in the film. Otherwise, the film has nothing new to say. It is a potpourri of infidelity, parental pressure and some legal bits thrown in to fill the remaining parts of the movie. I watched it to figure out how Kirby got the nomination for Best Actress. I figured it out and (as Forrest Gump would say) that’s all I have to say about that.

Documentary of the Week

The Dissident (2021)[IMDB: 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, My Rating: 8.0]

Jamal Khashoggi was an insider who turned against the famouly short-fused rulers of Saudi Arabia. His story and modern day surveillance in this hard hitting documentary.

Eagerly waiting for: ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ with Angelina Jolie

Did you know: ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ is the largest (pun intended) box office hit of the last one year.

Edition 102

The year 2020 has been an extraordinary year. Consequently, the frequency of the blog was cut to once every few months. Still, there were enough readers to keep the flame burning. I will return with renewed vigour in 2021. Take care and stay safe. Wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year !

The Non-English Movie of The Week

Why Don’t You Just Die! (Russia, 2020) [IMDB: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 8.0]

The point of this movie is not the suspension of disbelief required from the viewer. Though the characters survive assault on every sinew of the body, they conveniently die when the script demands that they do. It is a testament to the craft of the director that inspite of the heavy odds against it, the film remains a fun ride from start to end. For those looking for a story, it is about a guy who wants to avenge on behalf of his girlfriend. For those looking for the moral of the story: Good guys can win (in the end).

Movies I Saw This Week

Dating Amber (2020)[IMDB: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, My Rating: 8.0]

‘Dating Amber’ is not a movie that reinvents cinema but it comes close to reinventing the genre of romantic comedy. The warmth and the effervescence are palpable. The performances are genuine and the characters relatable. The story of two queer young adults pretending to be in love to avoid the harsh realities of coming out is affecting. There are very few movies which resonate to such an extent that you care for the characters. The standout feature is that this movie is made with a lot of heart and it will keep you hooked till the titles roll.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)[IMDB: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%, My Rating: 7.5]

This film is a courtroom drama based on a true incident. The thing with movies based on real life is that often they would not pass muster if they were presented as tales of fiction. Indeed, truth is stranger than fiction. The high drama in the courtroom is amusing and appalling at the same time. The trial of civil rights activists descends into a sham under the leadership of an incompetent judge. Aaron Sorkin is in fine form as the director in this movie, whose immediacy and relevance to 2020 are concerning.

Sound of Metal (2020)[IMDB: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 7.5]

Riz Ahmed gives a career defining performace as a musician struggling to come to grips with his rapidly declining ability to hear. His whole world is turned upside down and he faces an existential crisis. The movie has nothing earth shattering to say. The story is fortunately or unfortunately eclipsed by the acting. Ahmed should be a shoo in for an Oscar nomination. I would recommend watching this movie with good headphones.

Swallow (2019)[IMDB: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 88%, My Rating: 7.5]

‘Swallow’ is a richly entertaining movie about a young and pregnant housewife who starts ingesting strange objects. The movie is very layered and raises many issues outside of the central character’s immediate concerns including unwanted pregnancies, the class divide and the vapidity of social soirees. It is evident that a lot of thought has gone into the screenplay and the framing of the scenes. ‘Swallow’ starts slowly but as it gathers pace it pulls in the viewer and does not let go. Very highly recommended.

Mank (2020)[IMDB: 7.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 84%, My Rating: 7.0]

For me, the greatest Hollywood movie of all time is ‘Citizen Kane’. If you have not seen it, please do. ‘Mank’ is the story of the writer who gave birth to ‘Citizen Kane’. Bereft of much drama, the movie rather surprisingly does not fail to keep the viewer interested othen than popping a question at the end about what all the fuss was about. ‘Mank’ is surely an Oscar bait and may yet be in the running for many technical categories and for Oldman’s acting. ‘Mank’ is a lurid look into the unseemly underbelly of the studio system. Hearst and Meyer are singled out for ‘special’ treatment. To take a harsh view, ‘Mank’ is a collection of vignettes from a rabble rouser of his time. Incidentally, he wrote ‘Citizen Kane’

Miss Juneteenth (2020)[IMDB: 6.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, My Rating: 8.0]

I would like to raise a toast to the producers of this gem of a movie for having the courage to put their money into this project. A delicate movie with a lot of self-respect and dignity oozing through its barely contained feeling of doom is a must watch for what I would call silently strong performances. The protagonist is a former beauty queen who has fallen on hard times and wants to give her daughter a better shot at success in life. It is not a movie where there are trumpets and lilting music at the end to herald the victory of the underdog. Victory does come, in a sweet understated way. Highly recommended.

His House (2020)[IMDB: 6.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, My Rating: 7.0]

Horror is a genre that is so easy to get wrong and easier still to be prey to gimmickry. ‘His House’ channels the guilt of the lead characters and their total alienation from what is around them, as they try to build a life as refugess in the United Kingdom. The culture clashes and the dark past start catching up with them as time passes. There are few scenes which evoke laughter in a rather twisted way. Watch this for a different type of horror.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)[IMDB: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 81%, My Rating: 6.5]

Charlie Kaufman is weighed down by his own formidable reputation in this movie with too many metaphors that I stopped caring. As is the case in a Kaufman movie, nothing is what it seems. There are subtexts and subplots but he stretches the metaphor too long. The story is a contemplation of a person’s life and choices just as the person is close to calling it quits. On a shoddiness scale it is much better than the insufferable ‘Tenet’ but that does not say much. Watch it if you have to and think about it after watching it if you have nothing else to do.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)[IMDB: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 99%, My Rating: 7.5]

Abortion is a divisive issue in America. This movie should not be divisive for the humanity and heart it brings to the table. This grim flick is told in a matter of fact way without finding the need to preach. It prefers to practice. The story is of a young girl who has to travel out of state to get an abortion but has scant resources at her disposal. She must put to task every idea and thought that ensures that she gets what she wants. A deeply moving film that is highly recommended.

Happiest Season (2020)[IMDB: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%, My Rating: 6.0]

Kristen Stewart plays the same sex lover who has to visit her girlfriend’s family for Christmas. The twist in the plot: The lover’s family has no clue on the girl’s sexual orientation. There are a few laugh out moments in this straighforward romcom. There are a few cringeworthy moments too but it is Christmas and all is forgiven. If couch viewing for Christmas is what you are looking for, then this will suffice.

Documentaries of the Week

The Donut King (2020)[IMDB: 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 8.0]

If the Los Angeles donut empire looks Cambodian, there was a king to that empire. A story of an immigrant’s rags to riches and then to rags story. Very engaging.

Midnight Family (2020)[IMDB: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%, My Rating: 8.5]

If you have to watch one documentary this year, watch this one. It is about a private ambulance service in Mexico.

Eagerly waiting for: ‘West Side Story’ from Spielberg.

Did you know: Oscar winning production company ‘Higher Ground Productions’ is owned by Barack and Michelle Obama.