A journalist estranged from her violent father discovers that he’s become a victim of work exploitation. When she agrees to help him expose the injustice, it reopens the wounds of their past.Read More »
Faraz Fesharaki documents 10 years of conversations with his family across Berlin and Isfahan. His debut film tenderly weaves together recordings, text, and VHS clips into an intergenerational portrait.Read More »
Janet Maslin wrote:
Gilda Radner: A Revue of Repertory
Nothing in “Gilda Live” is funnier than, or a substantial departure from, the material Gilda Radner does on “Saturday Night Live.” But the film ought to satisfy her fans. As directed by Mike Nichols, this is a straightforward record of Miss Radner’s Broadway show at the Winter Garden last year, a show that had its decided ups and downs. The best of her material presents Miss Radner as an agile, versatile comedian, but the lesser skits tend to ramble.Read More »
Shookhy (The Prank) is a 1999 Iranian drama that explores the fine line between innocence and responsibility through the story of a seemingly harmless prank that leads to unexpected consequences. Set within the simplicity of everyday life, the film captures how a small action can deeply affect relationships and individual emotions.
Reflecting the signature style of Iranian cinema, the film features natural performances, minimal storytelling, and a strong focus on human behavior. Told largely from a child’s perspective, it offers a subtle yet powerful look at themes such as empathy, accountability, and the emotional weight of one’s actions.Read More »
Quote:
A cat lover, Jesus coming down from the cross and carolers with pitchforks in their hands, all set in a snow-covered and ice-covered scenery. “Winter” is a psychedelic journey to a small fishing village where the behaviors, customs and vices of the Polish province are concentrated like a lens. In this small community, different attitudes and behaviors of people and animals, as well as their mutual relationships, collide like ice floes on a lake. An animation in the convention of magical realism, reminiscent of a horror film set to the accompaniment of barking dogs and a punk-metal soundtrack.Read More »
letterboxd:
There was an entire sub-genre of melancholic nocturnal dramas made mostly by Toei and Nikkatsu from mid 60s through early 70s. These films typically followed hustlers, hostesses, hookers and other young people chasing their dreams in the neon lit night of vice, with story premises often taken from popular songs. Here is a superior late entry into the loosely defined genre: a stylish Tokyo red light district drama set to singer Kan Mikami’s rock ballads. Newcomer Emiko Yamauchi shines as an impulsive youth lost in the city of opportunities and seduction. She dumps her boyfriend and becomes a bar hostess after being tricked by sleazy/handsome photographer Ichiro Araki.Read More »
This creative documentary tells the remarkable story behind the making of Stalker, including the series of conflicts which led to crew members, most notably celebrated director of photography Georgi Rerberg, being left off the credits, leaving careers in tatters. Far from your standard making of doc, Director Igor Mayboroda has woven an engrossing “documentary cinema novel” which not only stands as a tribute to Rerberg’s career but also as a delight for cinephiles interested in how the creative process can flourish even under the most difficult and ultimately devastating of circumstances.Read More »
