Two Days, One Night: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne tell a sad, completely relatable story; it’s simple but there’s an undeniable humanity and sense of reality to it. The gallery of characters, all presented with the same conundrum, show various shades of the human soul; the variation is rich. The acting is uniformly great and Marion Cotillard as the main character is superb; she displays every nuance of her sadness, her frailty and her spirit. She gets no benefit, for the most […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

Tsili: Amos Gitai’s film not so much tells a story, but presents the viewer with a situation (which falls into the dangerous “important” sort) and lets it play; there’s very little context (what there is comes from the sound design) and sense of the characters. Gitai chose to, for the most part, let the film unfurl in lengthy takes with a static camera; however, neither the frames are visually interesting nor the actions portrayed very engaging (or elucidating). The pace, therefore, feels […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

An Eye for Beauty: Denys Arcand’s film tells a story that, in broad strokes, is far from new; the particulars are generally not all that interesting either. The only exception in the writing that brings a breath of fresh air are the sprinkles of rich dialogue (almost too erudite). Acting is hit-and-miss at best; Éric Bruneau is adequate as the main character, but Mélanie Thierry and Melanie Merkosky are stiff, unconvincing. The camerawork of Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky is unadorned, but it makes good use of the […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

The Judge: David Dobkin’s film is a pleasurable watch, mostly due to the presence of an attractive cast in very good shape. Both Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Jr. are playing to their respective strengths, so it’s no surprise how solid they are; Vera Farmiga and Vincent D’Onofrio are also interesting to see. However, the story that unfurls is unremarkable and exceedingly recognizable; also, the plot is too busy, worried about making too many different threads neatly fall in place to do most […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama

The Immigrant: this film is impressed by James Gray with ponderous, careful pace, which allows the melancholic mood to percolate. It’s a sad, touching story; the characters are interesting, complex. Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix play with a great touch of humanity, escaping from clichés given the many shades of grey. Darius Khondji works the light beautifully, adding immensely to the mood and sense of time. This film is not an easy to digest journey, but a deserving one nevertheless.

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: drama