120watts Reviews

Afire (2023)

Fire everywhere and nowhere all at once

[5/10 · 24 February 2024]

The plot is very disorienting. There is a huge deadly forest fire and yet mere minutes away these people are going about their recreational and artistic pursuits without issue. The fire keeps pendulating between being the driving force of the plot and being an ignored inconvenience.

The characters are all mildly uncanny. If there is an artistic message in their personae then it must have been too esoteric for me to pick up while watching.

The storyline felt like it may have been a symbol for the ideation of the film. Keep writing literary nonsense while being an unlikeable detached egotist until you finally chance upon something passable... Unfortunately, the protagonist is so egotistical that when he tries self reflection he actually somehow becomes more egotistical! So I have to confess bewilderment at what the message is supposed to be.

Christmas as Usual (2023)

Obnoxious, though not boring

[5/10 · 9 December 2023]

Thea was the only moderately redeemable character of the lot (and I guess the kid). I actually kind of hoped she would just run away from this circus of clowns, each of whom brought the fine viewers a rich palette of personality characteristics, ranging from the mildly disagreeable to the stupidly obnoxious.

Her finance Jashan... you ask someone off-hand to marry you and don't get an enthusiastic "yes;" then you show up at her family's doorstep during the holidays and start judging their traditions and imposing your own? I mean, I may not be up on all the latest trends, but am I meant to be told that a little self-awareness has gone out of style? What a pathetic rube, sorry!

Now, the mom. What kind of a bizarre household does she lead here? Am I missing something, or should you be way more understanding of a stranger not eating your bizarre delicacies, and way less accepting of someone using your kitchen or getting in a brawl? I mean, he's from another country not another planet. Just use some common sense!

As for the family and the ex - let me think... vapid, dim-witted, petty. These are a few words that come to mind. Okay, I did laugh at a couple of Simen's one-liners.

Overall, I get that they were trying to play on the culture clash thread (a genius ploy, as I don't recall this ever having been tried before). Unfortunately, everything else - from the interest level of the plot to the elemental reasonableness of the characters - was subjugated to these awkward tropes and cheap laughs. Of course, I'm sure this was always intended as a light comedy, and it was at least successful at not being a total bore.

I guess the part that saddens me is that it felt like maybe the filmmakers saw themselves as in on the joke - like "let's at least all agree that all these antiquated cultural norms are kind of a laugh." Cultural traditions can get stale, yes, but they are vectors for common values, belonging, depth, meaning, unity, and relationships. If these Netflix producers think they are mostly a punchline, then, I guess I pity them even more than their bumbling characters.

Kalev (2022)

Memorializing a significant moment

[7/10 · 22 November 2023]

The film managed to keep a good tempo and stay engaging. Yes, the athletes looked like beer league players at times, but how big is the overlap between actors and basketball players anyway.

It is essentially a feel good drama but it does reflect a historically significant time period and an important achievement in Estonia's sporting history. They try to weave in some of these angles as well as the realities of being a pro basketball player in the Soviet Union (hint: it wasn't the lifestyle Jokic, Embiid and so on enjoy now). Truthfully, I was surprised that Tiit Sokk was presented almost as a bit player when he is perhaps Estonia's greatest basketball player ever.

I did think that a lot of scenes were a bit too instrumentalized, as though it was written by an engineer. Not a ton of subtlety or mystery... every scene seemed to have a pretty explicit purpose. Overall, though, I think people are watching it to learn about or relive this moment of national pride.

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

Unsettling and captivating

[8/10 · 2 September 2023]

My interpretation of this film is that the young woman (realizes she) actually wants her doting but naive beau to be a little more carefree and mischievous, but he is living in his own world in which she is just a prop. So she explores this duality of the marriage (weight) and the fling (lightness), in increasingly bizarre tones. The one time she tries to merge these worlds, symbolically, in her own terms she is quickly struck down. As for the exotic older guy, he keeps getting weirder and crueller but offers a crux of total detachment, which she finds alluring as his aloofness gives her a peculiar sense of agency. But what terrifies her most is not submitting herself to humiliation, but rather that the cruelty should lose its airiness and become tied down. There is not a lot of exposition so viewers will very much be left to draw their own conclusions.

The entire film has an eerie and unsettling aura: the scenes, the stories and most strikingly the people. At the same time, there is a strong aesthetic quality which captivates the viewer - a juxtaposition of the beautiful and grotesque. I found that it reminded me of the later works of Tarantino in its detached weirdness, and also Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" in its perpetual dream-like quality and the uncanny mannerisms of the characters. I thought Brando and Schneider were both great. Schneider's eyes and facial expressions carry a dialogue on their own.

Overall, I liked it as a mysterious work of art, but it definitely brings a very particular vibe which is best consumed in occasional doses.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Must be a meme

[5/10 · 18 March 2023]

I feel like this film must have been generated by some sort of algorithmic AI optimized to generate meme content. Is it concerning that the most relatable scenes were the ones of the two anthropomorphized rocks overlooking a canyon?

I guess the film stood as a symbol of one of its key themes: that nothing seems to make sense anymore. I bet in 60 or 100 years, should we make it that far, people will look back with a mix of pity and utter confusion and wonder: how did this qualify as a work of art, let alone one that people lined up to see? Let alone one that was acclaimed by the Academy Awards?? Sort of like how we look back at Dadaism or something.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that all of the characters were quite sad and pathetic. I guess the message at the end was: be kind to each other, despite how confused we might all be. That's great, but I'm not sure why I needed to spend my Friday evening sitting through hours of middle-school antics to get there.

I won't give it a zero because it's not a terrible film, but it just feels bewildering and not in an enlightening way. Maybe it's how the robots will look at the people in the future: what are these weird and dumb humans doing? I don't know.

In any case, there is one thing with which I will take issue: the core thesis that as there are millions of alternate universes, in most of which we kill one another, and because life on this planet like the others is ultimately meaningless, we may as well at least enjoy our time here with one another and be mindful of the moment. Maybe that'll turn out to be true - who knows - but most likely it just reinforces quite a nihilist and dangerous attitude towards life. Yes, we should be good and nice - not as a coping strategy to get through a crappy life, but because our lives are precious and it's all we have.

Interstellar (2014)

Engrossing

[9/10 · 14 March 2023]

Interstellar was a very enjoyable film to watch. Compared to some other Christopher Nolan films this one had quite a fair amount of exposition. What I really appreciate is that he strives to be faithful to the state of scientific knowledge, using the film not just as a tool for entertainment but also enlightenment. He takes us to the frontier of our knowledge about existence and then pushes us a little beyond - just far enough to further spark the imagination about what might be.

Let's give credit for the acting too. Matthew McConnaughey was stellar, he really puts you on his back and carries you along on the adventure. The writing is very sharp - great drama, both for the senses and intellect.

Truth and Justice (2019)

The Estonian spirit

[10/10 · 14 March 2023]

The film adaptation is every bit the equal of Tammsaare's classic novel.

It must be one of the best artistic works to capture the Estonian soul, or spirit. The impulsive will toward hard work and persistence, up to the point of obsession. The cold but dutiful temperament. The slowly germinating apprehension of a relationship, the stubborn introversion, the obstinate clinging memory of a word once spoken, a deed once done. The relentless force of a new generation's independence, its resourceful imagination and unbounded creative destruction.

Of course today's Estonia has evolved to weave in newly imported motifs, new ways of thinking and being. But somewhere deep within the subconscious there lies this ancient spirit, which summons forth not a hearty laugh but a knowing chuckle, not a boundless grin but a wry smile, a moment of contented recognition and, perhaps if you are fortunate, deep reflection.

I Am Not an Easy Man (2018)

Entertaining, satirical

[6/10 · 22 January 2023]

It was pretty entertaining, I did quite enjoy Marie-Sophie Ferdane's performance as Alexandra Lamour, the woman who satirizes the chauvinist hotshot.

As a guy myself, I really would be most interested to see a take that explores the power of the masculine and feminine in an insightful, delicate way. I think as men and women we have a lot to learn both about how to be comfortable with our own nature, and how to appreciate and, at times, tap into the energy of the other side as well.

This wasn't that movie. It is part of a succession of performances which seek to topple a certain form of stereotypically obnoxious masculinity, without necessarily exploring solutions. In that sense, it can be considered a reactionary lens, possibly a form of escapism.

Although it plays up crude stereotypes, I don't really understand why some people are giving terrible reviews. It's a movie, a piece of satirical art - not a guidebook. I actually did think there were a few scenes that made me reflect on how certain things that would be considered absurd for men are considered normal for women - that frankly do seem kind of antiquated. Anyway, it moved a long at a reasonable clip and had enough clever moments to sustain one's attention.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Like a fine wine - a masterclass from a genius

[10/10 · 1 December 2022]

As with a fine wine, time's passing brings out new and richer notes from this masterpiece by the brilliant Stanley Kubrick.

Watching Cruise descend down the rabbit hole of curiosity-temptation is at once captivating and terrifying in a way that is difficult to articulate. It is a truly brilliant dramatization of the saying "I can't watch but I can't look away." Indeed, the other aphorism that comes to mind is that sometimes the more you learn, the less you know (or perhaps want to know).

The other wonderful symbolism is around dreams, reality and imagination, in this case centred on faithfulness and fidelity. Who is cheating on the other, and when, and for how long? We are left with more questions than answers. And more broadly - where does the line run between boredom/restraint and adventure/risk? How far out of one's box can/should one explore while maintaining their self- and reputed identity?

As great as the psychological drama is, the cinematography and staging are every bit the equal. Truly classic Kubrick in the use of lighting, camera work, and his purposeful errata. The colour and music in this film have a spectacular emotional valence of their own, a lasting sensation etched in our memory. Let's not forget Cruise and Kidman, who are fantastic.

Perhaps the studio's monkeying around with the marketing has led to lower reviews, but also maybe the understated cleverness of this film is partly a grand trick from the old genius himself: a bewildering puzzle that engrosses, thrills and alarms us - not in the way we want, but perhaps in the way we need.

The Swimmers (2022)

True to life feel-good-story within refugee crisis

[7/10 · 30 November 2022]

It's a heartwarming feel-good story, woven into a wider commentary about the refugee crisis. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the actors who played the Mardini sisters - it was a great editorial call to cast actual real-life sisters in this role as their energetic compatibility in many ways carried this film. They each conveyed a resolute force of personality, in different but complementary ways, and will surely be good role models to inspire young women to pursue their dreams.

I thought the drama of the water scenes was quite effective from a cinematography perspective. I did not feel this film had any glaring weaknesses. Overall, though, I did not get the sense that it portrayed quite the depth of emotion that it may have been capable of. It may be because the side characters were necessarily denied more engaging roles to focus on the protagonist's journey, or maybe the dramatic tension just seemed a little too instrumentalized. Perhaps a tad more creative touch would have taken it to the next level of emotional resonance and drawn out more subtle inward reflection.

Overall, Yusra's story is a remarkable one and I appreciate what seemed to be a good effort to respect faithfulness to real events while moulding a mass-market offering.

On the Water (2020)

Inner gentleness and external tedium

[8/10 · 30 November 2022]

This is a nice contribution to Estonian cinema.

In general, I find the Estonian genre of filmmaking to be less about heroism, incredible journeys and happy endings, and more about perceiving life - and this film is no exception. Here we find the protagonist to be a boy coming of age in Võromaa in the late Brezhnev period. It is a bit of a bleak setting, not because of any singular catastrophe, but rather the cumulative outcome of dull monotony interspersed with petty dramas. We see in some ways the unfairness of a cold and insular place, but also the simple joy and honest humour of everyday life. A big theme for me is the clash of an inner warm and gentle caring against a zeitgeist of tedium and pettiness, which of course is a microcosm of this time and place.

From an editorial perspective, I thought the pace was quite good. They managed to portray a general slowness and non-excitement while keeping the viewer engaged; the scenes were not allowed to drag on excessively and felt illuminating without seeming instrumentalized. The characters are all quite believable and each has their own personality, strengths and flaws.

This genre of film is not about imposing a particular morality, as such, and more about reflecting inwardly on familiarities and curiosities, and about getting to know a certain time and place, its mood, character and spirit.

Margin Call (2011)

Psychological drama

[8/10 · 19 February 2022]

I really enjoyed the psychological drama. All of the characters are, by the standards of ordinary people, successful and well off. Yet in the eye of the storm, they are all leaves fluttering in the wind. What is the right thing to do in a place where 'right' is relative? At what price will you stop beating yourself up over what is right? At what price will you take advantage of others and ruin longstanding relationships? At what price will you accept being made the sacrificial lamb? How do you make sense of your role in the system? Where do you owe your allegiance? To what or whom will you entrust your reputation? How quickly do things change when the teetering top spins back in your favor?

I enjoyed the layering effects as the young analyst comes across higher and higher superiors - up to the boardroom table scene, where a room full of seasoned power brokers looks more like a group of squirming children at the dinner table who know why they need to be there but can't wait to be excused.

The acting was good with a few very good performances. Kevin Spacey stood out as being engaging in his role. As I rewatched some of the clips I also really enjoyed the acting from Jeremy Irons and Paul Bettany.

Compared to other movies about the financial crisis, like The Big Short, Margin Call may lack a bit of pop and pizzazz. But it it is a different kind of film. Focus on the interpersonal dynamics, the power structures, the psychological elements and the characters/casting. It's quite a nice film, really.

The Blue Lagoon (1980)

Even the very best escapist dream is just a naive adolescent fantasy

[8/10 · 16 January 2022]

Doesn't civilization oppress us in so many ways with its laws, norms, gods, institutions, and histories? What if we could conceive of an existence freed from all of these burdensome ties that bind?

Most likely it would give us our brief moment of release - like a rowdy sailor finally freed from responsibility who dances and gallivants around before quickly expiring from drunken exhaustion.

But maybe not? What if we could imagine a version that is a paradise, a stunning tropical beachside wonderland? We would have a few rainy days, but with healthy bodies and modest skills could craft a save haven to protect ourselves against these earthly irritants. We would have some squabbles, but through experimentation could muster up a balance of ambition and contentedness to sustain a healthy psyche. We could make do learning much from scratch - from basic functioning (symbolized by our bodies) to metaphysics (human mortality, the miracle of life).

In effect, we can dream of a version of existence that is divorced from civilization (and yet) is beautiful, tender, loving, innocent (and yet) is also something that we could sustain beyond an initial flash in the pan. It is a dream, yes - of course there are some practicalities it overlooks (like why we would look so good after years of isolation!) - but one that seems like it should, maybe, possibly, be within reach? At least, we have enough imagination to picture it so!

But there are things we can't escape, and not just mortality but also the totality of humanity and civilization. For we can create our own laws, and our own gods, but even in such controlled seclusion, humanity is never too distant - a curious drum beat away - and this humanity reveals too its savagery and violence even when it does not directly confront and attack us. And civilization, as the white ship on the horizon, is also not so far. We may choose to ignore it, out of instinctive emotion or then even from considered reflection, but it will find us in the end, alive or dead.

And that is the rub. For we are all of, and from, civilization. We have been birthed by it and have grown up in it. As strange and alienating as it may at times seem, it is infinitely more recognizable to us than the real proto-human savage's world, which shocks us with its coarse brutality. Even the very best escape - an imagined loving, idyllic paradise - turns out to be nothing more than a naive adolescent fantasy. Even the animals are more-knowing and not so naive.

How fleeting the dream is! For its visual magnificence and visceral resonance - the stress-free liberty of swimming naked and free in the sea, the innocent joy of pure discovery - these things seemingly so close to the ideal existence - how quickly and randomly it can all disappear, suddenly leaving us existentially adrift, with apparently no further escape other than the final one.

So perhaps we could choose this escapist dream - and perhaps we could even make it work, for a while - perhaps. But how fragile we will have made ourselves. We may give up so easy, even when our earthly salvation is still searching for us, just an inch beyond the horizon. We will forget all of our earthly hopes and dreams, distant remnants of our past which once inspired us so. These great goals may still be achievable in this life! But of course we are tortured by the ambiguity - will it find us alive or dead - redeemable or doomed? This we cannot know.

Maybe we need these naive dreams. For better and worse, the fruits of society and civilization have proved resilient in sustaining our species over millennia. But society does become corrupted and is in need of regeneration. We need imagination, creativity, and sometimes release - but we need these things to bring enlightenment to our shared world - not in devoting ourselves to an escapist dream. At the core of this world is a trust and faith in humanity for all its good and ills. What we will find is that, individually and collectively, our faith in humanity, and its faith in us, may be the dividing line between salvation and tragedy.

Green Book (2018)

Well executed with good acting

[7/10 · 6 November 2021]

An enjoyable film in the mold of the unlikely buddy drama/comedy, with a core focus on issues of race and class; a period-piece from the early 60s based on real-life events. I thought the acting was quite strong and held the film together well. Sensitive issues were addressed sensibly and mostly poignantly (albeit more on the "playing it safe" side). The pace was also good, it never got boring.

What held it back a few notches were the storyboard and scriptwriting, which were fine but not great. The storyboard veered towards instrumentalism - next you need a scene showing x,y,z, so here is a scene showing x,y,z - i.e. Compartmentalized to showcase a few key messages. Similarly, the scriptwriting was a bit too literal and overt in a few too many spots. The actors were plenty capable of conveying nuance more subtly, that parts of the dialogue seemed a bit forced and unneeded. I suppose that was just the mass market orientation but there could have been a tad more cleverness and touch.

Overall, I might struggle to identify any truly memorable scenes for posterity, but the execution from start to finish was solid and I consider it a good and worthy contribution.

Fantastic Fungi (2019)

Why have "documentaries" become so poor?

[3/10 · 5 October 2021]

I watched the first 15 minutes and that was about all I could handle. Just another marker on the dim descent into inanity for the contemporary Netflix "documentary."

Why is it that these modern documentaries leave me with more questions than answers?

Why is the storyboard so unfocused?

Why are these people's personal lives so important?

Who are these people in the first place, and why have they been foisted upon us?

Is this a story about mushrooms, or about a group of mushroom hobbyists?

What are their credentials to explain the science?

Why do they so harmoniously mix science and pseudoscience?

Why do they not clearly or even obliquely indicate which is which?

Why do the producers think that the more earnestly someone says something, the more accurate it must be?

Why is there so much repetition, filler and empty language?

Why do they (seem to) assume audiences cannot keep up with hearing more than one fact per minute?

Why do they cut so frequently between talking heads?

Why did one talking head just start speaking mid-breath and complete the sentence of another?

Why isn't the quality of the visual imagery matched by quality of oral content?

Why can't they pick a genre and stick to it?

At first I thought some of these techniques may belong to the realm of propaganda but that hypothesis seems unlikely for a film about fungi. Maybe this is just the standard formula these days: big visuals, talking heads and edutainment, so we can all smile and nod. Heaven forbid someone actually invest some effort in trying to enlighten a curious mind. Anyway, I am now off on a soapbox. I am in my early 30s and I feel like an old-timer complaining about things these days.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Surprisingly endearing with a warm message

[8/10 · 12 September 2021]

The concept, while clever, seems like a trope that would wear thin after the first half hour, if not sooner. However, thanks to Bill Murray's iconoclastic flair and a deeper underlying message to the story, it manages to stay fresh and engaging.

How common is it to feel like everyday is just the same as yesterday? Same people, same places, same problems. We can turn to liquor and drunken escapades for some momentary excitement; we can try to take advantage of those around us to gain an edge; we can become despondent and look for an escape. Where does all that get us - nowhere fast. Only by bettering ourselves, learning new skills, becoming helpful to those around us can we truly turn the page on a new day.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A timeless masterpiece

[10/10 · 12 September 2021]

This film brilliantly encapsulates great abstract themes like hope, freedom, salvation and meaning, in the form of a compelling and dramatic story. Like life itself, it somehow moves slowly and quickly all at once.

Another great theme is friendship. Freed from the distraction of a "love interest" angle on account of its prison setting, the story explores the love of friendship without ever placing that love into competition.

The brutality and cynicism of the prison form a backdrop against which elements of tenderness and enlightenment carry ever more poignance. Life is not always pretty and easy.

Great music, art, literature, and even friendship have a mystical, elevating beauty that we cannot always articulate; yet it entrances us like the prisoners standing spellbound as the PA - a dreary symbol of command and routine - suddenly announces a soaring Mozart aria. As Andy says, there are some things that no one can ever take from us.

The use of symbolic imagery is masterful. The prison, the hole (solitary), and especially some scenery towards the finale are truly proof that a picture can be worth a thousand words. If you look closely, you can find evocative symbolism in virtually every scene.

Likewise, the film is exceptional in its use of time and space. The same place can carry different meanings for different people - the scribbles in the halfway house, the majestic oak tree in the field. The same is true of objects - the Bible, the hidden vault, the revolver and bullets. The complex message may be something like the idea that although places and objects can constrain and capture, salvation lies first within us and between us.

Between the deep messages, the story sustains a good amount of intrigue and drama, and even some levity (see Alexandre Dumas).

Finally, there seems to be some brilliant misdirection on the character front. Morgan Freeman's character Red largely narrates Andy's story, and we could be forgiven for viewing Andy as the lead character given the attention to his heroic deeds. Red is more of an observer, and the story doesn't do much to follow the details of his contraband trade, or his background for that matter. And yet in the final analysis it is really Red whose character is at stake, who must find a transformation.

Don't we mostly go through life as observers? Circumstances and our past selves may lead us in better or worse directions. It may seem that we are a product of a cold and uncaring system, easily controlled and quickly forgotten. Yet when we look inside, when we are honest with ourselves and others, when we open ourselves up to our friends, when we allow ourselves to be inspired, when we heed the call of adventure - that is when we can go forth into the world, free, redeemed.

Under the Riccione Sun (2020)

Vacuous nonsense

[4/10 · 19 April 2021]

An entirely forgettable film, a serious contender for the mediocre triple crown of swiss cheese plot writing, uninspired acting and no discernible point. The scenes of the Adriatic shore - and sentimental longing for any kind of pre-covid social activities - were just enough to get me through watching the whole thing. Plenty of cringeworthy acting, but sadly not quite bad enough to be funny or memorable. The only recommendation I would have is that for a film about nothing, it could have stood to have been about 15 minutes shorter. This is the type of film that 10 years from now you will swear you have never heard of, and have absolutely no recollection of having ever seen.

13th (2016)

Thought-provoking but unfulfilling

[6/10 · 18 April 2021]

The "idealistic" story of America is one of a country that had an ugly history of slavery, denounced and rejected it, and has since been progressing towards a better and fairer society, albeit imperfectly. The alternative "cynical" story is that racism has been a core defining feature of America since its founding and that all that has changed over time has been its form.

13th comes down emphatically on the side of the second version of the story, and sets out to argue the case. The first half of the film is quite strong, with numerous shocking and discomforting segments.

The film traces the history of how slavery transitioned to Jim Crow and most recently to mass incarceration. It shows how law-and-order agendas have been loaded with racial implications that in many cases were not just undertones, but front and center.

One criticism I have is that the film loses focus at the midway point, when it ought to be consolidating its key message. It seems like the director is trying too hard to squeeze in a laundry list of "checklist" issues, like corporate influence on public policy, that are less strongly connected to the main thesis and serve to confuse and distract.

My second criticism is one that is also generally directed towards many other Netflix documentaries these days. The director takes a weighty topic and explores it from one editorial angle, yet there is not much genuine reckoning with alternative hypotheses, let alone value-neutral exploration. Indeed, it seems the very object of this genre of documentary is to "make the case" for a certain viewpoint. This becomes all the more unfulfilling when the principle is applied not just to the substance of the film, but to its style. I routinely found it difficult to follow what person was making what point, because of how the clips were spliced together to present the narrative. There was at least one sequence where the interviewees were literally completing each other's sentences. The second half of the film would have benefitted from more "show don't tell," as too many talking heads had to get their moment under the spotlight. Surely a truly powerful film is one that leaves viewers to reckon with their own inferences, rather than laying out the narrative in chapter and verse.

A sociocultural hierarchy with strong racial or ethnic elements and a seemingly permanent underclass is distressingly common in many parts of the world, both now and in the past. Is America no better than these other places? Is it worse? Is there a virtuous base to the American story, flawed as it is? How might the various versions of the American story weave together? All difficult questions that I'm not sure this film has truly grappled with, with rigour and sincerity. Of course, that would be an unfair expectation, weighty as these questions are. 13th starts out strong with a poignant and thought-provoking retrospective, but then loses focus and falls flat.

The Intouchables (2011)

Strong message wrapped in light-hearted comedy

[9/10 · 18 April 2021]

This is a film that works very well at the core. It's true that many scenes were crass and felt played up for mass-market appeal. I can see why some film critics gave it a lower rating. That, however, seems to me to be missing the forest for the trees.

The acting is superb from both Sy and Cluzet. They deliver force, touch and humour, and have strong chemistry. Although they act out stereotypes frequently, they never become the stereotypes. I think this handling is the correct way both to acknowledge and overcome stereotyping, which is something that is all around us and cannot simply be wished away, but must be overcome through force of character. The leading duo (and for that matter the supporting characters) are both believable and likeable.

Intouchables is full of light-hearted humour and adventure. Aside from keeping up the flow and entertainment level, there's also a strong life message within. Life is something to be lived, not passively observed. Themes of curiosity, self-awareness, courage and responsibility come across strongly. In this sense, the film is more than just a buddy drama about a quadriplegic and street guy. If these guys can expand their horizons, find joy and adventure, laugh a little at themselves, and take charge of their life and families, then surely we all can.

Finally, there are strong metaphorical elements in the storyline. Old aristocratic France is stuck, and relies on immigrant France to keep it moving (literally), and perhaps to bring some life and liveliness too. The two don't often come into such intimate contact, or invade each other's space. But if they did? Lots to think about.

The Boss's Daughter (2015)

Not too memorable

[5/10 · 3 January 2021]

The story was reasonably entertaining and moved at a decent enough pace. The acting was pretty good, the actors all played their roles credibly.

That said, this film was not all that fulfilling to watch - quite a few unexplained plot elements and poorly developed strands in the storyline. There was just enough substance to hold the basic story together, but not enough to make this film particularly memorable.

One Child Nation (2019)

The human side of the one child policy

[8/10 · 3 January 2021]

The one child policy was implemented to stave off a population crisis and help lift China out of poverty. However, the human impacts of this policy were harsh, from forced sterilizations to aborted fetuses discarded in piles of trash, abandoned baby girls left by the roadside, twins separated at birth, and a (state-complicit) black market for Western adoptions.

Was the policy justified? This film did not really explore the question in every detail. It isn't an academic analysis and ought not be judged as such. As several of the interviewees remark, there was lots of human misery - poverty, disease and starvation - in China beforehand, which the policy was meant to (and likely has) alleviated.

What the director quite tactfully does is explore the human impact of this policy on ordinary people, people in her family and others like it. Her own periodic interjections serve as something of a foil - paralleling the kind of ingrained skepticism towards such a policy that most Western viewers likely have. She elicits and captures candid human reactions from her interviewees, ordinary Chinese whose lives on this earth have been so fundamentally shaped by these policies. In many cases, their facial expressions say as much as their words.

For many in the West, how many children to have is one of the most important and moreover most deeply personal decisions of one's life. It so epitomizes basic individual agency that to surrender this choice seems inconceivable. From the comfortable confines of Western countries, it can be hard to truly understand how a national policy like this, implemented by an authoritarian government and buttressed by pervasive state propaganda, would affect one's psyche and one's sense of place in the world. This film brings the viewer a few steps closer to such an understanding.

Somewhere towards the end the idea is floated that now that China has ended the one child policy and switched to promoting two kids as the ideal, it is easy to see how the human history of this policy may simply be forgotten - deemphasized, sanitized, idealized, and coldly filed away in a neat dossier entitled 'national progress.'

Ms. Wang wouldn't have it be so. Her documentary film is illuminating, well crafted, and thought-provoking.

Renoir (2012)

Two takes on humanity

[9/10 · 3 January 2021]

My interpretation is that the film explores two contrasting philosophies of life, personified in the two protagonists.

Renoir the father lives for beauty. He disdains the grotesque horror of war and laments its pointlessness, while exalting the timelessness of total immersion in breathtaking beauty - particularly human beauty. What good are our actions, our daily affairs, in the grand scheme of things if we fail to appreciate the truly beautiful things that give life its richness? His youngest son Claude serves as a foil - living in the same idyllic countryside, with the same quiet, uneventful lifestyle - but with an antithetical fascination for the macabre which reveals a cynical indifference to beauty and a crass ineptitude for distinguishing beauty from carnal lust. While on the surface Claude shares his father's skepticism of the war, this turns out to be rooted in reactionary cynicism rather than service to some other higher ideal.

In contrast, Renoir the son (Jean) sees life as something to be lived, to be experienced. Our actions, our lived experiences are what make our lives and shape the course of history. He has no time for sitting still, for watching life pass him by. He re-enlists to serve as a pilot, and he eschews the visual arts for a career in film. His foil is his older brother Pierre, who too fights in the war but unlike Jean seems to be guided more by political or ideological imperatives (and who, it is revealed, fittingly dies in the war).

Neither father nor son seems to impose himself too hastily or aggressively on the world, which may be why some reviewers see the screenplay as slow-paced or the characters as ill-developed. However, I think that is a mistake. Hints that the protagonists may be lacking in ambition are demonstrated to be false, the father immersing himself in his craft with renewed vigour despite failing eyesight and ill health, and the son finding the impetus to reenlist despite recuperating from a leg wound that threatened to rob him of his mobility (and turning down the apparent possibility of waiting out the war on the sidelines).

Compellingly, it is the arrival of Andrée that serves to bring out the father and son's ambition, but of course in different ways - her awe-inspiring beauty in the former case and her mysterious and lively personality in the latter.

The relationship between father and son evolves through the story. Their initial mutual affection gives way to conflict, as their differing worldviews - personified in their reactions to Andrée's sudden departure - create a painful rift. In the end, father and son are seen to embrace as they abandon their stubbornness, accept their misapprehensions and embrace a seeming mutual respect - namely, the understanding that although there are multiple cynical and cold interpretations of the world (played out in various ways through secondary characters), there is also more than one warm, right-minded ideal of life and humanity.

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Conversation starter

[6/10 · 12 October 2020]

There wasn't a ton of new information and a lot of the substance was really dumbed down. The personification of AI as a three-man war room was somewhat cringeworthy. I would have wanted to hear more about the arguments as to whether social media is a public utility and if so, how it should/could be regulated. Also, I was waiting for a film that really lays out the clever and dystopian ways our phones are tracking us and advertising to us, which this film did not explore in any great detail (presumably these are trade secrets). To its credit, a film like this serves as a good conversation starter, especially across generational lines.

Dave Chappelle: 8:46 (2020 TV Special)

Dave speaks from the heart

[8/10 · 18 June 2020]

Dave isn't there to draw cheap laughs or say "the right thing." What he delivers is a half hour of passionate social commentary, a righteous anger filtered through his unique personable, conversational style. He gets through to people as only Dave Chappelle can. To critics, I say: don't ask what Chappelle is missing, ask what society is missing that people are hungry to hear this message from a comedian. Dave is right - it's because he doesn't deal in political spin, virtue signalling, clout-seeking, or wooden ideological agendas. We know he speaks from his soul.