kino_avantgarde Reviews

Lore (2012)

Definitely not just another Nazi movie

[7/10 · 29 December 2022]

Let's hear the movie straight from the director herself: "I tried not to judge the characters. When you tell the audience what to feel and think, you cut off any discussion or dialogue."

With this sentence alone, you realize that the movie is not in a sloppy Hollywood style. So very impressive. It makes you feel the drama from beginning to end. Nazism, the war -the bloodiest, most severe - antisemitism, the passion of the Führer... The distinction between ideals / idefix and reality, awakening, inability to wake up, desperation, the hirden of the responsibility, struggle for the life.. The moment you'd think that the drama is finally over, then begins another drama.

It should not be considered as just another Nazi movie and highly recommended for those who like psychological drama.

Atlantic. (2014)

Getting away with it (all messed up)

[6/10 · 28 December 2022]

Jan-Willem van Ewijk's drama is about a young Moroccan windsurfer.

The script starts off well, but deviates from the main story afterwards, and not in a mysterious way, but loosing its integrity. Fettah is running away from something, but what exactly? From his mother's ghost? Or does he run to the woman who awakens the feelings in him? Is that why he's tearing himself apart because she's Europe?

The film leaves those questions unanswered and not giving any clue at all. Flashback sequences are not compatible, music is too loud, non diagetic sound is ineffective. Still, it has a plot which awakens the feelings inside and child actor Wisal's performance is pretty good for his age. Every scene he played added value to the movie.

Closing this by saying that the director is promising and his next films should be well considered.

Atlantic. Was screened at TIFF, IFFR and 34th Istanbul Film Festival.

Silent Light (2007)

In the pursuit of arthouse movie

[6/10 · 11 December 2022]

Silent Light is an interesting Carlos Reygadas movie.

His abundant use of landscapes is an obvious reminiscent of Tarkovsky, even with wide angle scene transitions. The clock detail was also a fine touch. But it can only be a bad imitation of Bergman's emphasis on timelessness. The dullness of the actors, the monotonous life, the direct reflection of emotions, the absence of music in the film, etc., these are the things we are already used to from art films. Obviously, the director is following the footsteps of the big directors. However, it is not considered original, if it continues like this, it remains only as an imitation. There are too many amateur scenes of actors grinning, looking at the camera, etc., even at the funeral.

Also, the Ordet connection is a shiny one there.

Mia madre (2015)

Moretti reflecting his life

[7/10 · 11 December 2022]

The film has many similarities with Moretti's life; her own mother is also a language teacher and she died while shooting the movie Habemus Papam. The scene where he hit the car against the wall was also experienced. Moretti also says that he used his mother's notes during his illness while writing the screenplay.

"Der Himmel über Berlin" by Wim Wenders is the movie the audience is waiting for in the dream scene.

Mia Madre is a movie rich in emotion. Especially the scene where the electricity bill passes is very successful.

As a director, Margherita is able to shape it in the direction she wants; She vacillates between the movies where she can finish and re-shoot the scenes she doesn't like when she says cut it, and the real life, where she is totally helpless. For how long can one escape the flood, the nightmares, the memories, the failed relationships-in short, everything he can't manage? Or is there an escape from life itself?

Mustang (2015)

French or Turkish Movie Indeed?

[4/10 · 6 December 2022]

Often we complain about the weird questions that are asked to Turks, yet we are likely to hear those as long as Turks make their voices heard with such unqualified films.

Mustang: A French Oscar-nominated film by a Turkish director, which deals with a Turkish theme with Turkish actors in Turkish language.

I don't mean that the main failure of the movie is that it denigrates Turkey, because we all know very well how thinngs may go in Turkey. Yet, these may-go-wrong elements are expressed in a very makeshift way, with a mediocre script, using an unpromising cinematic technique. And my objection is that Turkey suddenly become popular with such an unqualified movie, while we have many more valuable ones to become famous with in the world which do not necessarily have such a depicted social message concern in its center.

Carol (2015)

Cate Blancett carries the movie herself?

[5/10 · 29 November 2022]

It is a film that is neither deep enough to be praised nor shallow enough to deserve unfair knocking. While the presence of Cate Blanchett adds value to the film, she shows a bit too much in the foreground, which reduces the depth I believe.

It has been stated that smoking is used as an element of nonverbal communication rather than a masculine symbol. Carol smokes when she is self-confident or she wants to impress someone else. Likewise when she is very tense and distressed. Yet not when she is very happy, calm and content; eg in the car, restaurant, motel / hotel. It is observed that she did not smokes for a long time until she had to return home.

Maybe the book is more impressive, so the movie may have fallen short of expectations. However, for a movie that made such a big impact (77 wins & 255 nomination), it could have been so much better in my opinion.

Crimson Peak (2015)

Just another mediocre gothic romance

[6/10 · 21 November 2022]

Despite its solid cast and rich references, it's nothing more than just a mediocre gothic romance.

Stephen King commented that the movie was "majestic and very scary", interesting.

It's true that the genre of the movie isn't just horror. However, it must be admitted that it is very difficult for many reasons to treat fear as a theme and as a theme today. In a very superficial summary; In the early examples of cinema history, themes such as religion, psychology, etc. Were used as an element of fear, and it was successful. Then, with the development of technology, visual effects integrated into the world of the movies, the first time it was used, it succeeded to create a scary atmosphere, yes, but then the audience got used to it and not effected by it anymore.

In the end, neither the visual effects nor the themes could be turned into an element of horror alone. Now the success of an horror movie (if we just look at it superficially from the eye of the spectator) is able to blend each element in moderation and with a very solid plot (an example worth watching: It Follows (2014)). Also to use up-to-date elements that can directly appeal to perception.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

A film directing its arrow for prize

[6/10 · 18 November 2022]

A film shot by Inarritu with the obvious aim of a technical achievement and concern for prize.

Here is a fine point that hits you in his other films, but you can't explain it with words, it doesn't go through in the movie, it stays in you after the movie ends, you have such a sincere feeling inside you. However, all the messages are pur in the words by the characters, too obviusly. They as well seem so numb and shallow characters, as if in a glass cage, so distant.

Praise yes, ok, fine. Yet there is no cinematic masterpiece here that deserves such "exaggerated" praise, because there is nothing "unique" with this movie.

It would be unfair to criticize the film on technical aspects, but it should not be exaggerated either. And for those who want to see the most praised one shot" or "long take" masterpiece, here are your masterpieces Aleksandr Sokurov: Russki Kovcheg - Russian Ark (2012), or one of the later examples, Victoria (2015), directed by Sebastian Schipper.

Julieta (2016)

Almodovar's "return to self" syndrome?

[7/10 · 18 November 2022]

The Spanish director's 20th feature film again captived by the figures of Almadovar woman and Almadovar red. But this time lacking the humor and irony, unfortunately. It's not a typical late-era Almadovar movie, but it obviously has the syndrome of the kind of "return to self" that most older directors feel.

The movie is based on three separate stories by Alice Munro. And since the worst things happen to Julieta when she's quiet (her silence with the man on the train - suicide, slamming the door without saying anything to her husband's betrayal - storm and death, not being able to say goodbye to her daughter on vacation - losing her), the name of the movie is Munro again. It was going to be called "Silencio", which is the name of one of the stories, but the main character was then the main focus.

A remarkable point about the movie is that although the emotional intensity and drama dominate the movie, no time to cry here, which I found ingenious.

Although this movie does not appeal to those who love Almadovar with his irony humorous stories such as "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", it's quite successful with its scenerio and character analysis.

Hyena (I) (2014)

Getting more blurry each minute

[6/10 · 30 October 2022]

The movie is about the immigrant gangs consisting of Turks and Albanians and drug addicted cops, taking place in England. A so-called protector of the law, in the lead role, who is losing his sense of "ethics" gradually. It is a maze with trap within trap, an event triggering the other, this time even more complex. Being 'Big John' is disappearing in every second; It becomes then blurry who is protecting the law, and even makes you forget the definition of the law, in a pretty dark atmosphere.

Nicholas Winding Refn described the movie as the future of noir genre. Les Arcs owns the prize for the best actor in Edinburgh - also has two nominations for the best British film and Sitges best film.

In the House (2012)

Allen-esque story

[7/10 · 27 October 2022]

Based on Juan Mayorga's play "The Boy in the Back Row", the film is reminiscent of Woody Allen's style with its layered plot.

It's the story of two people and their up and downs in their teacher and student identities, both trying escape to their ideal, in pursuit of reaching their ultima thule. The fiction they need in this escape sometimes turns into reality, but after a point it gets out of control and becomes dangerous. There is a utopia that can never be reached, the existing ones are replaced as it is realized piece by piece, end it gets worse than the beginning. And the movie emphasises this fragility to the audiance. And the ending is not really satisfying, even very weak. Ozon's response: "I think the ending of the movie is clear. I did it on purpose; I wanted the audience to be able to imagine their own movie while watching it. They can imagine a darker ending if they want to." His references to art and literature are very good. I think the biggest hit of the movie is Ernst Umhauer, the lead actor.

Lastly, speaking of Woody Allen; 'Match Point' is the movie that the characters went to see in the cinema, another nice reference.

Inside Out (I) (2015)

Pixar and age stages

[8/10 · 25 October 2022]

An enjoyable, instructive, realistic animation that has been worked with professionals throughout the five-year production process.

Age stages is a favorite subject of Pixar, middle age in The Incredibles and old age in Up; Inside Out is also a story of growing up, examining childhood and adolescence.

"Have you ever looked at someone and wondered what they were thinking?" The story begins with a question.

Dream studio, prison of the unconscious, islets of character, spikes, imaginary friend; The connections between them are very successful.

Emotion centers and their effects on decision making were also realistic but incomplete; but maybe it can be detailed in a further / different version, because other factors affecting the character are not taken into account. But that's not the focus of the movie anyway, so it doesn't affect its success much.

Animation, whose target audience is adults rather than children, can be said to appeal to all ages.

Ember (2016)

Human condition, in between opposites

[7/10 · 20 October 2022]

The film is about the uncanny and veiled behaviors of the characters who are burning inside with what they cannot ask, say, hide, do and did not do. It is full of doubt, hesitation and possibilities. It's always a matter of being in-between, pride and passion, leaving and staying, saying/asking or keeping quiet.

ZD is in the classification of human behavioral scientist directors, meaning that's what he's worried about in his movies. That's why he senses human behaviours pretty well. The frame is another sucessful feature, most of the scenes are showed either through reflections or from behind the door (almost within the frame). In this sense, we can say that it has an expressive and impressive style. The weak point of the film is that it is unnecessarily long and the director's filmography unfortunately loses its originality gradually, even in itself, it falls into repetitions and does not leave room for the audience to breathe.

Still, he is a worthy director. Hoping to see his better movies.

The Danish Girl (2015)

Deep pain, yet in a bit sterile way.

[7/10 · 19 October 2022]

Another transformation story by Eddie Redmayne, which he once again played quite well after Theory of Everything.

The transformation from Einar to Lili is explained very much in details, especially the stages; From the first realization to the decision up until having the surgery; the psychological roots handled masterfully. This movie is definite success.

The part to be criticized on the other hand is on an important and striking subject such as a Danish painter changing his sexual identity (especially in the 1920s); the aforementioned dreams were handled somewhat superficially, and the pains displayed too "sterile". It may not be fair to compare, but even his colleague Van Gogh cut off his ear due to the depression he fell into as a result, regardless of what the rumors about his reason point to. In other words, the critics expected the psychological crisis to be processed more strikingly, which we read only from the facial and body expressions of Einar in the film. While it could have made a masterpiece out of such a story, the director Tom Hooper, deliberately chose this poor path because of the concern that the film might lose its popularity.

It may not be a masterpiece, but The Danish Girl, a successful film that did not deserve such a high dose of criticism.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

Honest and sincere, yet really powerful

[8/10 · 6 October 2022]

I have to say that I divide the movies into three in terms of viewing options:

1. Movies that you should watch with your brain (briefly, high-calibre ones with technical details, references, etc.) 2. Movies that you should watch with your heart (technical details are secondary, you can personally identify with or empathize with the main theme of the movie) 3. Movies you need to watch with your brain and heart (which you're fascinated by both)

Since Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is an example of films in this classification that I should watch with my heart, I will focus on the subject of the film rather than the technique.

Briefly, the film proceeds through the dialogues of Nancy in her 60s, who has not lived her sexuality adequately until now, and Leo, the sex worker she hired for the sexual experience she wanted to explore, that takes place almost in one place.

Of course, Leo's job is not easy against Nancy, who only realizes her sexual awakening in her 60s and has a conservative point of view; although Leo is a successful and professional sex worker. He may not convince Nancy completely, but the ice may melt. We are patiently waiting and watching for two individuals whose energies and dynamics are so opposite to finally create a synergy over the course of 4 sessions. But this synergy is not just physical attraction, but only after the two characters can become friends, or truly touch each other's lives by breaking the stereotypes of 'sex worker and demander'. I'll admit, it was great to watch the dance as they were fascinated by the energy of sex or the synergy they created.

The film makes a good analysis of the social traditions of sexuality, male and female perspectives and the difference in their roles, the dialogues are clever and witty. The film doesn't make a big statement about the subject he focuses on, rather stays observant, because Nancy is almost one of us. On the other hand, you don't push the technical skill limits, you almost guess most of the things from the beginning to the end of the movie. While the conflict is only based on whether sex can happen, and if yes when; the movie goes even further than that, and it's not just sex; it expands the scope of the subject as daily life, personal vulnerabilities, wounds of the past. In fact, these two also become friends; As he himself stated, Leo offers not only sex but also friendship.

As mentione, apart from the two scenes at the end of the movie, the only venue takes place in a hotel room in London. However, it does not make the audience feel stuck there at all, on the contrary, with the warm and sincere conversations of the two characters, the film makes them feel as if they are watching them from the sofa in the hotel room, not in the movie theater.

My favorite part of the movie was about Leo's real job, which he kept secret from his mother - sex worker vs oil worker; Which one is innocent and which one should be hidden? Are we applying the right algorithms when judging things?

And Emma Thompson's amazing acting goes without any saying.

Without further ado, let me end the article with the words of MaryAnn Johanson in which I share her feelings:

"I love this movie so much. I love it for its honesty, its humanity, its utter uselessness for shame or embarrassment over a basic human need, the female experience of which is almost universally ignored onscreen. I love how it upends stereotypes. I love how it challenged my own perceptions of sex work."

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - watch it, make people watch it.

The Nightmare (2015)

The demon you confront

[6/10 · 2 October 2022]

Akiz's (Achim Bornhak) monster movie from 2015 (the director prefers to be called that way rather than the horror genre). It was screened in if Istanbul the same year.

The creature resembling ET is actually a mix of a very old man and a newborn baby. The demon Tina confronts when she realizes there's no escape from it. They share fears and pains. The goal in common is to try to make room for themselves in society. This part actually constitutes the psychological dimension of the movie. There is also the theme of reality, which is the weak point of the film. The creature is presented as a phantasmagorical character in the first part of the movie, and the title of the movie (Nachtmahr: nightmare in German) proves this. But there is no time/event plot that supports its visibility later on, everything is left unsupported.

The acting and gestures of the parents do not seem to be good either. The girl seems to suffer more from her parents' disbelief in fact, rather than the creature itself.

Kerr (2021)

A transcendental film harmonized by literature and dreams

[7/10 · 29 September 2022]

Kerr is the film adapted from Tayfun Pirselimoglu's novel (with the same title) published in 2014.

First of all, it's very obvious from every frame that Pirselimoglu is also a writer and a painter. In addition to being an adaptation, the film is linked to the literature with many other references; my favorite was Kafka - The Trial homage (not only this reference, but the story and the depressing setting are quite Kafkaesque). Speaking of the painter, the director and the cinematographer should definitely be congratulated for the mise-en-scene and cinematography; frames, horizontal-vertical elements, perspective, light, camera angles, each one is admirable.

I didn't listen to the director's interview, frankly, I don't know if he has such an intention; however, the film seems to be open to interpretation with its overflowing metaphors and surreal narrative. What I understand from the movie is about of our lead character named Can, who was not very touch with his sick father when he was alive, and the nightmares he fought in his subconscious as a result of the guilt when the father is dead.

Very clearly Can does not belong to the city / unnamed place upon the death of his father, shown almost in every scene of the movie. Is this "outsider" son the nameless Stranger of Camus, who arrives in the village after his mother's death?

Also most probably the nameless and timeless city is subconscious: gray and gloomy, roaming in dilapidated ruins, the floor is always wet (Tarkovsky - Mirror-like*), the attics where it wanders, the surreal inhabitants of the city, the dialogues and stories. And dreams - there is a very open reference to Shining bar scene and a Lynchian amusement park scene supported by mise-en-scène. The hotel and pavilion, which I consider to be the other dream place, may also be a reference to something, I couldn't catch it, but it's Kubrick-like in any case. And another piece of evidence - "Who are you?" that Can asks the only woman character in the movie. Her response in retirn is "Why don't you just ask yourself" - meaning actually I am you, the demons you fight, the alter egos you perhaps don't want to see. Likewise, the black hole is like the subconscious gateway, where we throw away many things, including our fear; At the end of the movie, the passage that grows big enough for Can to get out and finally saves him from the nightmare (I will return to these two at the end of the critic).

*Also very well adopted (or inspired by) the Tarkovsky mise-en-scène. In many scenes, it feels like as if we're watching Tarkovsky movie collages over many indoor and outdoor spaces. Of course, with the dullness and passive being of the protagonist.

Similarly, the repeated expression "it's very dangerous outside" can be the self's defense mechanism, a series of paraniod states and meaningless events created by the ego, which feels constantly under threat. Armed outside, rabid dogs barking, all roads closed, no going out; there is just no escape from the subconscious yet!

As psychology suggests, we know that you can only deal with this fear with support from your alter ego. In other words, at the end of the movie, Can escapes from the "killer" alter ego (he may think he killed his father by negligence), fearing that he will subconsciously destroy himself throughout the movie, but reconciles with him, gets in the same "car", but then crosses the last threshold by crossing the time tunnel, the roads are opened in a controlled manner. And he can subconsciously get rid of the nightmares that chase him.

And the finale, a masterpiece of editing technique; With the transition from the car radio to the radio station with a sound bridge, he bids us farewell from the subconscious and from yhe movie, it's only the music that remains.

Kedi (2016)

A beautiful cat & city documentary

[8/10 · 27 September 2022]

It's not only a cat documentary or the 'collage of funny cat videos' that you can always find on the internet.

All of its cast (both cat and human) have a different character, cats are not considered as just animals. Perfectly integrated with Istanbul, I must say. The director deserves all applaud for reflecting these two so well and for his camera shots. The only weak point is the fact that it lacks the "difficulties faced by cats in real life", which the director claims to avoid on purpose.

Still, it is a very colorful, subtle and successful production. Highly reccomended if you are interested in stray cats, in their habitat.

La La Land (2016)

Dreamland or fake paradise?

[4/10 · 26 September 2022]

La La Land is a movie that owes its relative success not to the technical quality of the film; editing, script, director, etc.; but instead people's longing for nostalgia, manipulating the audience emotionally, keeping a 'light of hope' alive until the last minute, and of course the leading actors who are loved by both opposite genders.

The fact that it left tears and smiles on the audience's face at the end explains why he is so identified with the audience.

However, if there is one thing to remember, it is the difference between successful and quality film. In addition, success is subjective, quality (technical) objective data; It would be more rational to compare from this point of view.

Whether la la land is a "dreamland" as depicted in the movie, or just a fake paradise, the decision is yours. I only respect the ones which touches my brain, not necessarily or only my heart.

Lamb (II) (2015)

Ethiophia is not that distant in fact

[7/10 · 25 September 2022]

Beginning such as a pastoral story with nice landscapes, mountain view, plain and forest, it's actuall story of Ephraim and his beloved lamb. The movie portrays the innocence of a child, also traditions, hunger, difficult life conditions and a little bit of hope. It makes you feel that Ethiophia, a far away land, is not that distant in fact. It also contains lots of information about Ethiophian culture; their interesting belief mixture for example. As a multi-religious country, they have customs and superstitions similar to those of Muslims, they do prey like Muslims, are blessed with pilgrimage, they as well commomorate Jesus, or have some Buddhists customs. Liked the tiny houses they live in. Among the main characters you see both a grandmother living like Dalai Lama and as well a older sister, being far away from religion, rather secular and believer of positive science, fleeing from her village to live in city. Pretty fun to watch.

It's I believe the first Ethiophian movie to attract the attention of Cannes and The Academy (was Oscar Nominee) when it was released. Really good effort that this movie was able to cross the borders and got known worldwide, which is always nice to see countries display their cultural elements with movies etc. And enlightens our minds a bit making us curious about what we might miss a bit far away from our surroundings.

Pleasantville (1998)

A good non-cheesy criticism to the convention

[8/10 · 25 September 2022]

Pleasantville, I believe, is one of the most valuable films of the 98-99 generation (the 'conventional' criticism series of modernism, American dream within America, Hollywood from the Hollywood etc).

Something really valuable to be able to use black & white and color at the same time in a good harmony, not only technical skill, but also by means of supporting the matter of the movie.

One of the elements that make the film worthwhile is that all the references mentioned really strengthen films content and message.

With all the references given, cinema is associated with politics, history, art (especially Cezanne, the father of modern art, who "destroyed" the classical art), literature (especially Moby Dick); and the most valuable of all, the movie connecting with the cinema itself.

In fact it's the Will Hays reference that I find most valuable, again, among all other references. What is dictated as Code of Conduct is almost the application of Hays' laws to life rather than the cinema this time. Another is the reference ending of 'silent cinema' in Singing in the Rain; this time it's not the sound but the color being welcomed in cinema, but also to life. And all the transition period is displayed with all its bittersweet memories and of course the difficulties.

Finally, I really liked the Blue Velvet connection through many references and the Dogville reference through the 'outsider' narrative.

In short, Pleasantville is a worthwhile film that should not just be passed as an ordinary Hollywood critique.

The Grandmother (1970)

Lynchian vibe meets with his technique at earliest

[8/10 · 18 September 2022]

The Grandmother, Lynch's short film, shot thanks to the $5,000 he earned from the American Film Institute after his two previous attempts at motion picture-film transitions (Six Men Getting Sick Six Times and Alphabet). He also shot two more shorts in this period, with the titles Absurd Encounter with Fear and The Amputee.

The short film tells a lot about Lynch cinema with the motifs it contains throughout its 34-minute duration, which we will encounter frequently in his next films. The surrealist elements and symbols bear significant resemblances specifically to his first feature, Eraserhead.

It is also worth mentioning the sound and visuals that make the film so impressive. Repetitive humming and high-pitched sound elements create a chaotic and uncanny backdrop (by the way, let's add that Lynch continues in his next films with the sound director of this film). Colors, on the other hand, are almost the complement of this uncanny environment, the house is painted black, everything is black except for a few objects - and a few colored objects are of course a symbol of something. And the faces, the pale turned faces with corpse paint make-up, the lynch-like elements and the camera angle. Expressions and the reflection of the face on the screen in almost all of his works -close-ups/angles- are characteristic features of Lynch's filmography.

Let's examine the vibe the movie spreads, as well as the the technique: the mood wanders around the borders of madness, the exaggeration in the expression of emotions. The boy appearently lacks his mother's love and his father's care & attention, instead receives humiliate and punishement all the time. That's the very reason why him growin up yearning for being loved and as a result creating his own care-giver, "grandmother" as a figure that can reflect both the parental love as well as oedipal conflict. Of course, it would be appropriate to observe the relations between mother-child, father-child, mother-father, child-grandmother separately and as a whole at the same time.

Nowhere (2022)

Reflecting inside man with an imaginary mirror

[7/10 · 16 September 2022]

Premiered as the opening film of Filmfestival Ostend 2022, I had the opportunity to watch Nowhere at the Films by the Sea Festival in Vlissingen with the participation of Peter Monsaert, the director.

Peter Monsaert is working on the same theme again in his third feature: human connections and seperations. But compared to his previous films Offline (2012) and Flemish Heaven (2016), Nowhere has a more optimistic outlook and has this time a promising ending. We know that the theme of human connections is very important for Monsaert and it's quite visible that he masters this theme in his each new film.

André, the main character welcomes us into Nowhere with his disheveled appearance and clothes. At first, we realize that he leads an isolated, hopeless and purposeless life in a hut attached to a construction site. This preferred isolation, the reason of which we are yet unaware, is disturbed by an "outsider" intervention. Conflict ensues when he catches young Thierry at the construction site in an attempt to steal. Although this outsider seems to be a complete opposite, André in fact has a lot in common with him: family trauma, past reckoning and the anguish of their souls. As determined by fate rather than being just a coincidence, the encounter of these two restless but fragile men turns into a male solidarity with the common features they discover over time; the webs begin to be knit and they head for a journey that will heal both.

One thing that Monsaert is very good at is that he portrays the depth of characters and their mood so well. With the great acting of the leading actors are added up to this, voila, here is a good psychological drama. Koen De Bouw is one of the well-known actors of Belgium and his companion Tambwe Kabati Noa made his debut only at the age of 11 (currently 18?). According to the director, Tabwe was a bit introvert at the beginning of the shootings, but he displayed then a great acting with the effect of the great chemistry he and Koen caught as time passed.

Another element is the framing and camera angles preferred; the frame in frames in which the characters are imprisoned and their reflections through the glass are a great complement, the handheld camera choice is very appropriate. Close up frame and shaky camera movements accompany the moods of the characters very well. However, the excessive use of close up in almost every scene makes the audience slaps to the back of the characters. It's ok to be close to the character, we're already watching a mood drama, but being stuck there all the time does not go beyond than just leaving a dizzy feeling at the audience I'm afraid.

Another weak point of the film is the repetitive explaining of the feelings and matters that an attentive audience can already catch without. Also, I can't say it's good or bad, but just as an observation, Monsaert is displaying only the side he knows well; the focus is mainly on men, while women appear in secondary /complementary roles.

As a result, despite the budgetary issues they faced and all the covid restrictions they were exposed to during the shooting, Monsaert leaves the audience with a successful drama worth watching.

The Passengers of the Night (2022)

Life is life? Or?

[7/10 · 13 September 2022]

"Les Passagers de la Nuit", being Mikhaël Hers' fourth feature, premiered in the prestigious competition of the Berlin International Film Festival.

The main point of the movie lies in Éric Rohmer's "Les Nuits de la Pleine Lune" referenced in the theater, that the free-spirited characters should not be criticized, but only to be observed, or possibly emphathised. Not only Hers praises the cinema through their character's words, he also tributes French cinema with the other references of Jacques Rivette's Le Pont du Nord (1981) and Claire Denis's Jacques Rivette le Veilleur (1990). The characters are unexpectedly mesmerized when they accidentally find themselves in a theater showing Les Nuits de la Pleine Lune instead of what they had planned to see.

The movie does not have any political concern having shown François Mitterrand's election as the French President in 1981 or by the innocent political actions of Judith (the daughter of the house), rather it displays the optimist vibe of the French left-wing society at the time. But wait, what makes the director choice shifting its films between 8mm, 16mm and 35mm, using of the filters and including some footage back then? A simple yearning or his individual memories and experiences? Editing these grainy images together with the digital ones drifts the audience between an alienation effect or the overpraise of nostalgia.

The biggest hit that keeps the movie worth seeing is the acting skills of the main characters. While the characters emotionally experience the existential pains of their own little worlds, they carefully avoid big words and it's us the audiance left with the choice to feel sympathy for them in this unpretentious melodrama. We very often see Elizabeth stuck in the framed big windows, in the radio building or in her home in the suburb of Paris. Also Talulah, who choose to live only in the present, has already attracted the audience with her free spirit.

Yet we are left with only the anti-heroes who are the passengers of the nights in Paris in the end. Les Passagers de la Nuit is a production that cannot reach the level of the films it's refering to and cannot claim any further than being a modest or weak melodrama.

The Night of the 12th (2022)

Drama on a velodrome loop

[7/10 · 11 September 2022]

Premiered in Cannes last year, La Nuit de 12 is the 7th feature film by German-Belgian director Dominik Moll. Being shot only in 34 days, it's a sucessful film noir holding the suspense for two hours without any agitation or cheesy pickup lines.

It's just clear in the opening credits, %20 of the murder cases in France go unsolved! Based on one example adopted from the original, the film does not mince its word against many units: Symbolic, the disruptions in the crime investigation process and financial impossibilities break the printer, leaving the cops drowning in paperwork. In a patriarchal world it's a man who commits a crime and another man tries to solve it at the same time, against a woman who is murdered only because she's a woman. Again, these male-cop detectives are forced to question and revise their values through traditional gender role stereotypes. Their own fragile world is added up to the complexity of the event, now they have no other choice but to repeat the same tour over and over in a velodrama. Although it rises some hope with "the female touch" added in, all possibilities through the exit eventually disappear; each man has killed Clara, but none of them are officialy guily. There's no other choice but to accept the result, we ride the bike out of the velodrama towards learned helplessness at the foot of the Savoyard mountains, still with the dream of a mystery flower.