Mommy (9/10): An explosive and memorable family drama

“We still love each other, right?”

Mommy is Xavier Dolan’s fifth feature film (but the first time I was exposed to his work) and it deserves all the recognition it received from Cannes, including its Jury Prize win, because it’s a unique and powerful movie with all around outstanding performances from the cast. Experiencing Mommy without knowing anything prior about the Canadian director was fresh and rewarding. Mommy isn’t an easy watch and at 138 minutes some might have doubts about wanting to watch this raw family drama, but it is well worth your time. The film centers on a widowed mother, Diane (Anne Dorval), who is trying to make ends meet as she tries to raise her troubled teenager, Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon). He has recently been expelled from the institution he was studying at for setting the cafeteria on fire. The directors of the institution realize they can’t do anything for Steve and they give Diane (who goes by Die) two options: educate him herself or let the government raise him. Die is infuriated with the proposition because she loves her son, so despite not having the time it takes to look after him she takes him home. Steve suffers from ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) so at one moment he can be cheerfully dancing along to his music, and all of a sudden a trigger sets him off into a violent behavior. He’s also very attached to his mother (the Oedipus complex is present), but their relationship is a love-hate one. When their reclusive neighbor, Kyla (Suzanne Clement), befriends them she offers to help Steve with his education since she is on her sabbatical year from teaching. Kyla has trouble communicating and has been deeply affected by something from her past so she has issues of her own. Mommy builds on the relationship between these three characters and the explosive dynamics between them. 

Mommy is a raw family drama about characters that we don’t usually see on film because they are hard to engage with. Steve has ADHD so he is constantly swearing and saying all kinds of hurtful things to the people around him, but at the same time he can be sweet and loving. His mother, Die, has no clue how to deal with him. She loses his patience with him, but she doesn’t accept when others try to correct him and will do anything to defend Steve. She doesn’t qualify as your standard parent of the year candidate, so typically she isn’t someone the audience could relate to. Kyla perhaps would be the likable character here, but Dolan manages to direct this film with such grace and elegance that all three characters end up being people we care about and sympathize with despite their flaws. At first I was thinking there was no way I would end up caring for this kid and her mother, but after carefully setting the stage Dolan manages to give each one of these characters depth. There is a scene at a karaoke bar in which you connect with the kid and the more time you spend with this family the more you understand the mother as well. It is a very raw and explosive film with several emotionally engaging scenes. There was one specific dream sequence that touched me, and it is rare for a film like this to have such an enduring impact on me. Mommy makes me want to go and watch Dolan’s previous four films now because this was one of the best dramas of 2014.

The film was shot on a 1:1 aspect ratio which gives the movie a sense of claustrophobia and enables us to focus on the characters faces and emotions. It is like watching a film through a square box, but it definitely works. The performances enhance this powerful film even more. Suzanne Clement, Anne Dorval, and Antoine-Olivier Pilon are frequent collaborators with Dolan. I was surprised by Pilon’s emotional performance. He was an explosive force of nature and delivers one the most memorable performances of the year. Anne Dorval is also a standout here and depicts the different emotions the mother goes through with her troubled son in a very authentic way. Even the way she walks through the streets of her neighborhood says a lot about her character. Clement has the most restrained performance of the three, but she also delivers in a much more quiet way. These characters aren’t easy to relate to at times, but the cast humanizes each one of them in such a way that we sympathize with them. The performances along with Dolan’s solid screenplay turn this family drama into a stunning work of art. It is a film that will stick with you long after the credits role.     

My Review: La Grande Bellezza (5/10)

"I was destined for sensibility. I was destined to become a writer. I was destined to become Jep Gambardella."

It seems director Paolo Sorrentino has become destined to evoke Fellini's work in La Dolce Vita with his skillful direction in La Grande Bellezza, and for many critics it's become one of the best films of the year. Unfortunately this film didn't work for me considering I'm not a huge fan of surrealism nor style over substance. Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful and ambitious film that captures the artistic spirit of Rome with poetic imagery through musical set pieces. The film gives its audience a series of sensations and feelings, but it didn't feel cohesive for me. I found The Great Beauty overlong and dull. Despite engaging me with its visuals during the opening party sequence, eventually the movie wore down on me. There are some touches of comedy here and there as we follow the main protagonist's quest to finding the beauty and meaning of life. Despite the gorgeous set pieces and poetic symbolisms thrown all over the place, the journey wasn't worth taking for me considering I had a hard time relating to the main character. I know I may lose a lot of friends for not liking this film, but just as the pretentious and snobbish artists that hung around with Jep, I felt the film was exactly that: pretentious and snobbish. I didn't find any substance to the film other than the gorgeous style so I am sorry but I can't lie, this film didn't work for me.

The film opens with a few Asian tourists visiting Rome and admiring its beauty and all of a sudden one of them dies. The film then jumps right away to a party where we are introduced to a successful journalist named Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo, Il Divo and Gomorrah) who is celebrating his 65th birthday. He considers himself a sensitive man and that is what allowed him to perceive the world differently from the rest and inspire him to become a writer. He has become a legend in Rome for writing a very popular and Award winning novel several decades ago, but since then he hasn't written any more novels and dedicates himself almost exclusively to the night life of Rome. However his life takes an unexpected turn when he receives some terrible news from the past: the first woman he actually loved passed away. All of a sudden Jep begins questioning his life and decides to search for the true beauty after realizing the emptiness behind all the extravagant parties he's thrown.

I guess I'm not a reliable source when it comes to these sort of surrealist films considering I'm not a fan of the genre. I won't deny this was gorgeously directed and that the set pieces were marvelous, but I really found it to have little substance. It was self indulgent and blah blah with very little actually going on. I didn't find the film to be philosophical either, the final revelation near the end is something we've heard very often so sticking with this man's journey didn't have any reward for me personally. The film does succeed however in showing the excesses and portraying wasted talents thanks to hedonistic lifestyles. I know I'm one of the few people who didn't like this film, so don't pay attention to me and experience this ode to La Dolce Vita for yourself.

My Review: The Hunt (Jagten) (9/10)

"Look into my eyes. Look me in the eyes. What do you see? Do you see anything? Nothing. There's nothing. There's nothing. You leave me alone now."

Danish director, Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration), delivers a powerful and emotionally draining drama that will leave audiences hooked and feeling enraged for what Mads Mikelssen's character goes through in his closely-knit community. It's a film that will resonate with you and stay on your mind long after it's over. Building on Mikelssen's powerful and engaging performance this is a thrilling psycho-social drama that studies the mob mentality very closely while showing us how a lie that's been accepted takes on a life of its own destroying innocent lives in the process. That is what makes this film so infuriating and despite not having any action it builds a lot of mental pressure on the viewer. The Hunt was my favorite foreign film of 2013 and Mikelssen delivered one of my favorite performances of the year (he won the Best Actor Award at Cannes for this role). His character is very restrained at times, but his facial expressions are very expressive. The church scene was one of the most powerful and emotionally draining scenes I've seen all year. This may be a difficult film to watch at times, and the tension can be overwhelming, but this psychological thriller is a must see.

Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is a former teacher who is recovering from a difficult divorce and battling over his son's custody. He lives in a small community where everyone has friends in common. Lucas spends a lot of time with his closest friend, Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen), while currently working at a daycare. The film opens with a lot of laughter between Lucas and his friends first and between Lucas and the children who adore him at the daycare, but this friendly community changes when one of the little girls named Klara (Anika Wedderkopp) accuses him of sexual abuse. This innocent little lie begins to grow as the community reacts with hysteria and accuses him without having any other proof than what this little girl said. The only reasoning being that clearly a girl wouldn't lie about something like this. Lucas's life is shattered and his reputation has been stained forever despite the law finding him innocent. The little lie affects everyone around Lucas including his son Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrom) and his girlfriend Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport). The damage has been done.

This social study about people giving in to hysteria was co-written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm. It's a modern witch hunt tale while at the same time a character study of an innocent man that suffers from his community's harsh judgement. While watching this film one can't help but recall the Cosby series, Kids Say the Darndest Things, because it's exactly what you think when this young girl accuses this man. It's an unsettling and difficult story about a persecuted man which reminds us all that even though you may have won a legal battle, the social effects remain, especially if you live in a small community. The last film that infuriated me like this was In the Name of the Father, and in that film the story only focuses on the legal aspect, imagine the ordeal the main character still had to go through to clear his name from the people who are still second guessing and judging you. A legal victory seems something to cheer for, but The Hunt reminds us that the most difficult jury is the society and community we live in, and their minds aren't easily overturned once they have decided on something. This is simply a powerful and enraging drama that reminds us how judgmental we tend to be towards others.

My Review: Corazon de Leon (7/10)

"All of a sudden you turned into a Snow White."

Corazon de Leon, which translated in english means Heart of a Lion, is a very funny romantic comedy that also delivers an important message about social prejudice. Yes, it is formulaic and is full of cliches, but at the same time it has a lot of heart and works thanks to two great performances from Guillermo Francella and Julieta Diaz. Francella had a memorable role in the Oscar winning The Secret in Their Eyes, and once again he stands out in this comedy. Julieta Diaz, however had an even more difficult role because she was the conflicted character who had to walk a fine line between remaining likable to the audience while at the same time struggling with her inner self and getting past any prejudice she could have. It would've been very easy to dislike a character like this, but Julieta Diaz handles it with grace and somehow she remains a likable character and shares an excellent chemistry with Francella. The theme of social prejudice has been handled before in many films, but I don't know if it has been done better than in this film. Between all the laughs and funny moments there are also some very serious and touching moments dealing with this inner conflict of accepting someone for who they are on the inside. The Farrelly brothers dealt with it in Shallow Hal, but without the same effect that Corazon de Leon has. This time the social prejudice has to do with height, since Diaz's character falls for a man who is only 4 and a half feet tall. Behind all the laughs and funny gags there is a serious underlying tone about how ridiculous our social norms are. This prejudice exists and is very alive in all of us, despite us not realizing it. The film works not only in making the audience laugh but in making us think about the ridiculous standards we have made up as a society in what we consider as normal.

Ivana Cornejo (Julieta Diaz) is a lawyer who shares a law firm with her associate Diego (Mauricio Dayub) who also happened to be her ex husband. They've been separated for the last 3 years. One night she receives a phone call from a man named Leon (Guillermo Francella) who has found her lost cell phone (which she actually tossed in a park after a heated discussion with her ex over the phone) and is offering to return it to her. The two have a very interesting conversation considering Leon has a great personality and is very charming. The two agree to meet each other the next day and when they do, Ivana is surprised to see that Leon is actually a dwarf. Her shock is apparent and Leon understand, but somehow he convinces her to go on a date with her. What Leon lacks in height, he has in personality. He seems to be the perfect man, and Ivana loves being around him, but she also feels conflicted because of the way people look at them in public. As they begin to grow closer and closer, she also realizes she has some prejudice towards him as she tries to keep him away from her circle of friends. This conflict is the heart of the story since the two seem to be perfect for each other, the problem being trying to overcome her prejudice.

If it weren't for all the cliches in this film, this could've been much better, but I still think it stands out as a fun comedy from Argentina. I would definitely recommend this for the great performances and sincere direction from Marcos Carnevale who wasn't afraid to get dramatic and serious when he had to. In that sense it works much better than other comedies that try to send a positive message about social prejudice. The screenplay worked well with very strong characters and a good supporting cast including Guillermo Francella's son, Nicolas playing the same role in the film, Jorgelina Aruzzi playing Ivana's secretary, and Nora Carpena playing her mother. I was laughing out loud during several scenes in this film, and despite knowing where the film was heading I still had a fun time. One may argue that Francella's character was one dimensional in the sense that he didn't have any flaws and was perfect, but I think it was necessary in a film like this focusing on the prejudice we have towards others only based on their physical appearance. The conflict was basically based on this issue, because everything else about this person was flawless.

My Review: The Broken Circle Breakdown (7/10)

¨Bluegrass, that is Country in its purest form.¨

Your musical taste for Bluegrass Country music could affect how much you enjoy this Belgian melodrama, and for me it worked really well because every time the narrative structure began feeling a bit forced the soundtrack saved the moment. Perhaps I would've enjoyed this more if I hadn't seen Blue Valentine, but so many elements from that movie seemed borrowed here by Belgian director Felix Van Groeningen. It has a similar narrative as the story is told in non-linear fashion focusing on a couple falling in and out of love. What did work really well here were the two lead performances who made every dramatic moment seem very real and authentic. They shared an incredible on screen chemistry without ever overdramatizing their scenes. They also did their own singing, and they have incredible voices so that drew me in as well. Some of the dramatic scenes were really sad and the film also touches on some very heavy handed themes, but they work thanks to the performances as well. It is a touching film that will pull on your emotional chords and it can be a bit too preachy at times, but I still enjoyed this film despite its flaws. By the way, The Broken Circle Breakdown is Belgium's official submission to the 2014 Oscars for the best foreign language film category. It has a shot at being nominated, but I don't think it will win. I think the two lead actors deserve more recognition than the movie itself. 

The plot centers on the relationship between Didier (Johan Heldenbergh), a cowboy banjo player for a bluegrass country band, and Elise (Veerle Baetens) a tattoo artist who has her own shop. The two meet and quickly fall in love, but the film cuts back and forth between their relationship when they first met and then seven years into their relationship as they deal with their daughter's (Nell Cattrysse) illness. Both deal with this tragedy in different ways, which eventually begins to shake their apparently steady and strong relationship. The story jumps back and forth as we see the couple falling in and out of love. The entire film centers on this couple and everyone else around them is barely significant to the story.

Veerle Baetens and Johan Heldenbergh give very good dramatic performances and their characters are given much substance. They carry this film and keep our attention even through some forced moments where the story seems to lose its balance. Didier is an atheist, but he loves America and is obsessed with bluegrass music. He finds it silly and offensive to think that people actually believe in religion, but at the same time he sings gospel songs like Over in the Gloryland and Where the Soul of a Man Never Dies. Then all of a sudden after he experiences some deep tragedy he begins to rant on how stupid people are for having faith. This isn't a complaint I have with the movie, as much as I do with his character, but I just don't understand why people wait for some personal tragedy to hit them to then all of a sudden begin caring for something. It just shows how selfish we really are because until it hits home we didn't even think about it. Now all of a sudden, the culture he has always loved is full of people he hates because their faith hasn't allowed stem research to develop as quickly as he would've liked. The way Didier deals with grief just made me dislike his character, but I guess the writers wanted to include this to make this some sort of science versus religion story. I thought it just became a little too heavy handed and preachy when it could have focused more on the soundtrack and let the music touch these characters since it was such an important part of their lives. In my opinion the performances and the music saved this film and got it through some of those difficult and cliched scenes. The Broken Circle Breakdown is still a very good dramatic film and one I recommend.

My Review: Wadjda (7/10)

¨You won't be able to have children if you ride a bike.¨

Wadjda is a beautiful yet simple film about a young girl who is willing to break society's boundaries and traditions in order to achieve her goal. In a sense it plays out as a metaphor considering Wadjda is the first feature film from Saudi Arabia which happens to be directed by a female. In a culture where women aren't allowed to speak up to men or even to drive a vehicle, Haifaa Al-Mansour has found a way to share her voice with the world through cinema. That is groundbreaking on its own considering that Saudi Arabia doesn't even have a film industry and that women are very much tied up to the limitations that their society puts on them. Al-Mansour, who also wrote the screenplay, gets her message across in a simple manner without trying to be judgmental or harsh on her culture. It is through the eyes of this 10 year old girl that we see how difficult the culture is on women. Not being allowed to ride a bike for fear that she could lose her virtue and purity plays out as a metaphor as to the limitations females face in these countries.  I'm pretty sure that we all agree with Al-Mansour's viewpoints here in the west, but it is a shame that this film won't be seen by the people who really should see this film, the Saudis. It may be a familiar tale to us (it has all the known elements of a classic underdog story), but it works thanks to a wonderful performance from the young Waad Mohammed who plays a character we all can identify and relate to. Wadjda is worth seeing for the historical significance it has for females in Islamic countries who are trying to get their voice heard.

Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) is a ten year old girl from Saudi Arabia who lives with her mother (Reem Abdullah) in Riyadh. She's from a very conservative society where women have to cover their hair around men, but she is a very lovable girl who's always pushing the boundaries to her limitations. When one of the boys (Abdullrahman Al Gohani) begins teasing her and outruns her on his bike, she promises that she will buy one to race him and beat him. She sees a beautiful green bike on sale and since her mother doesn't give her the money because she considers girls shouldn't ride bikes, Wadjda decides to raise the money herself. The perfect opportunity presents itself when director Ms. Hussa (Ahd) offers prize money for the winner of a Koran recitation competition at her school. Wadjda begins to dedicate her time and efforts to this competition, while her mother is worried about trying to convince her husband (Sultan Al Assaf) to stay with her and not get remarried. Wadjda is dedicated to achieving her goal despite the limitations presented by the people around her.

The young and talented Waad Mohammed stands out in this film with a heartfelt and lovable performance. It is a simple tale and one we've seen many times in the past with the exception that this film is told by someone who has been facing those very same limitations. Some universal themes about the human spirit and the power of the will are portrayed nicely in this film through the eyes and smile of Waad Mohammaed. Director, Al-Mansour, also gives us glimpses of the limitations women have to face through very small scenes and moments. There is a scene where Wadjda's mother is shopping for a dress and she tries on a beautiful red one and you can't help but wonder what a waste it is considering she can only wear it at home for her husband. She covers herself completely when there is a man around. She also spends so much time fixing her hair, only to cover it until her husband who sometimes doesn't show up in days can appreciate it. Al-Mansour presents these scenes without being judgmental, but they come through very well. Wadjda, like us, doesn't seem to understand all this and won't conform to those boundaries, which is the director's way of sharing her hope for a brighter future for these women. Maybe if there were more determined girls like Wadjda they could break through some of those boundaries and limitations and have some more freedom. The film is full of hope like the main character and it is one worth seeing.

My Review: Nosotros los Nobles (5/10)

Nosotros los Nobles (We the Nobles) has broken the box office records in its native Mexico thanks to its easy and appealing subject matter. It is pretty much a straight forward "from riches to rags" story with some stereotypical characters and some funny moments. The film also has a family friendly message so I can see why it appealed to such a wide audience considering it made fun of the wealthy Mexicans. Unlike what many Americans might think, there are actually some wealthy Mexicans living the "Mexican dream," and they are presented in a rather comical form. The reason this film broke some records in Mexico is because it is really relatable and there are some pretty funny moments as the audience gets to make fun of these rich kids who seem to be clueless about the hardships of life. Nosotros Los Nobles was directed by Gary Alazraki (this was his first feature film) and he also co-wrote the screenplay along with Patricio Saiz and Adrian Zurita. I'm not very familiar with the cast involved in this film, but I think they pulled off some funny performances. This was way different from the Mexician films I was used to watching coming from Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, and Guillermo del Toro. Nosotros Los Nobles is a much lighter and more accesible film for audiences, but I still felt the film suffered from a week first and third act. There were some really funny moments during the second act, but the film opened really poorly when they introduced each character and then ended in a rather cartoonish manner as well.

Nosotros Los Nobles is a film that centers around a rich Mexican family known as the Nobles. German Noble (Gonzalo Vega) has built a financial empire for his family after years of hard work. His wife passed away years ago and he's had to raise their three kids on his own. Barbara (Karla Souza), Javi (Luis Gerardo Mendez), and Cha (Juan Pablo Gil) are not really good at anything except spending their father's money. They are really spoiled and live a life of excess. Barbara's boyfriend, Peter (Carlos Gascon), asks German for his daughter's hand, but he doesn't approve of their relation because Peter doesn't have a job and the couple simply want to live off his money. Tired of his children's behavior, German decides to pull off a charade and tells them that they are broken. He believes this way his children will be forced to find jobs and try to survive in the real world under harsh conditions. Cha finds a job at a local bank, while Javi and Barbara get jobs thanks to their maid's son, Lucho (Ianis Guerrero). Having no work experience whatsoever, the three kids will find it difficult to adapt to this new lifestyle, but German is sure this will teach them a lesson or two about life. 

Barbara, Javi, and Cha all play the stereotypical spoiled kids which adds to the overall comedy, but there really isn't much to their characters. Cha is probably the weakest link here as his story was completely uninspired. At least Barbara and Javi had some substance and side stories to make them a bit more interesting. Peter is the typical villain here who wants to blackmail his future father-in-law and pressure his girlfriend into marrying him so he can enjoy the family's wealth. I found some of the jokes pretty funny, but there were plenty of cheesy moments as well. The movie also is very predictable and despite having some heartfelt moments I felt this was  just another generic comedy about a story we've seen played out before. Overall it teaches some good values and some families might enjoy this film, I thought it was all right but won't recommend it.

My Review: Shaun of the Dead (7/10

"We're coming to get you, Barbara!"

Shaun of the Dead is one of those films that benefited from the release date since a few weeks earlier the zombie horror flick, Dawn of the Dead hit theaters worldwide. A couple of years before that Danny Boyle scared audiences in England with his successful zombie flick 28 Days Later. Shaun of the Dead works as a spoof to all zombie movies so the distributors had perfect timing which is essential for a comedy. The film also had a pretty strong fan base considering Simon Pegg and Nick Frost had worked with director Edgar Wright in the past in the TV series Spaced. The setting for this film was just perfect and Wright and Pegg did a great job with the script. Thanks to Shaun of the Dead we got to see these actors team up together for another great film: Hot Fuzz (a spoof on pretty much all the 90's action movies) and for the upcoming The World's End which is receiving great reviews from critics. Fans of the TV series Spaced might enjoy some inside references in Shaun of the Dead, but regardless of wether or not you've seen it you will still have a great time with this film because the script is witty and clever while the performances are also all pretty strong. The more zombie movies you've seen the more you will enjoy this because it makes fun of several of those generic stereotypes. I wouldn't say this is a horror flick because there isn't really a scary moment, but it is an intelligent comedy that makes fun of those cheesy moments in horror films (jump scenes where one person shows up all of a sudden with creepy music in the background). Shaun of the Dead is worth your time if you are looking for a good and fun time.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is kind of a slacker who hasn't done much with his life. He is content to spend his days with his roommate Ed (Nick Frost) and his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) hanging out at the local pub where he is a frequent customer. The problem is that Liz is tired of the relationship since all they do is hang out with Ed at the pub and she barely gets to have time alone with him. Shaun promises to take her out to a nice restaurant and turn his life around, but the next day he gets distracted by a visit from his stepdad (Bill Nighy) who reminds him he has to go visit his mother (Penelope Wilton) thus forgetting to reserve a table for dinner with his girlfriend. Tired of Shaun's broken promises, Liz decides to break up with him. Shaun realizes it's time to turn his life around, but something strange is happening in his town. All of a sudden dead people are coming back to life and attacking everyone so Shaun realizes this is the perfect opportunity to prove to Liz that he is capable of saving and protecting her from the deadly zombie attacks.

Shaun of the Dead works really well thanks to the great chemistry between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost; you can tell their friendship transcends the big screen and seeing them pair up is what works best in this film. The British gags and cultural references cross borders and the jokes are effective anywhere. This is one film anyone can enjoy because it works on its own. It isn't one of those spoof films which you can only enjoy if you've seen the movie it's making fun of. The fun and the jokes work on their own and the relationship between the characters is also really strong. Shaun of the Dead came to my attention when Quentin Tarantino shared his list of the 20 best films of the last 20 years and this movie appeared on that list. I really enjoyed this movie, but I don't consider it among the best comedies of our era. In my opinion Hot Fuzz was even funnier, but I really look forward to The World's End which looks really promising. Shaun of the Dead is worth checking out if you are one of the few people that haven't seen it.

Rating: 7,8/10

My Review: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (5/10)

"Once we start, there's no turning back."

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a Romanian film directed by Cristian Mungiu which won the Palm D'Or in the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 confirming the resurgence of the New Wave of Romanian Cinema. Other Romanian films that have been a part of this movement include 12:08 East of Bucharest, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, and Tales from the Golden Age. I'm on the minority here when I say that I didn't enjoy this film because the film has won several important awards and has been considered a masterpiece by most critics. As much as I wanted to enjoy this film, I have to be honest and say I felt it was a dull and boring movie. I tend to enjoy these character driven dramas, but I really never felt connected with the characters here and never felt the suspense that most people felt when they watched this. There were a few enjoyable moments and some strong performances, but the plot was simple and I never was drawn into the story. Despite the great camera work and the excellent craft, I never was attracted to this film or cared for the resolution. I'm sure it depicts perfectly the era when Romania was under Ceausescu's communist regime, but having seen so many foreign films focusing on social issues I didn't think there was anything special that stood out here, but I'm probably wrong because everyone else seemed to have loved this film.

The film takes place during the final years of Ceausescu's communist regime in Rumania and it centers on a college student named Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) as she begins to make plans in order to help her roommate, Gabita (Laura Vasliu), have an abortion. We don't really find out about the abortion until 30 minutes into the film, but the trailers take away the suspense. The communist regime doesn't allow birth control nor abortion, so they have to do things quietly and secretly. Otilia arranges to book a reservation at a hotel and picks up a doctor who has offered his service, although it won't be free and it will cost them a little more than money. His name is Bebe (Vlad Ivanov) and he takes advantage of Gabita's desperation to have the abortion and her friend's willingness to help. Everything has to be done quietly in the hotel room because if they are caught they can end up in jail, but Otilia also has to deal with her boyfriend Adi (Alex Potocean) as she has promised to visit him for his mom's birthday.  There are a lot of things at stake here, but Otilia is determined to help out her friend.

One of the main issues I had with the film was that I never believed the friendship between Otilia and Gabita was strong enough for her to go through such extreme measures in order to help her. They seemed pretty distant and I never understood why she was willing to help. I have my theories, but the film is purposefully ambiguous. It is slow paced and nothing really happens. I don't have an issue with this because in films like A Separation it still worked for me because I connected with the characters. Mungiu portrays the era really well and never takes sides on the pro abortion or pro life issue, rather focusing on the dangers of the oppressive regime. It is a very realistic and dark film and Marinca gives a strong performance as the lead character. The best part of the film however was the scene where Ivanov's character manipulates the girls in the hotel room. He was great in that scene. I'm disappointed that I never got to appreciate the film as much as everyone else did, but there is no denying that Mungiu directed a memorable film.

My Review: Kon-Tiki (8/10)

¨And only a hundred days to go.¨

Kon-Tiki is an exciting Norwegian film about a real life adventure involving six European explorers and a raft. This film was nominated for Best Foreign film at this year´s Academy Awards but lost to Amour. I really was drawn into this exciting and epic adventure which had some beautiful visuals. It might not be as stunning as Life of Pi, but the story still managed to surprise me and keep me hooked. The characters might not have much depth to them, but we can feel the excitement and thirst for adventure that they all share. I don´t know if they were brave or stupid, but they were up for one great adventure in the name of science. The film is very balanced as we get to see the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and at the same time the dangers of its surrounding. Kon-Tiki seems at times relaxing and pacific and then the next minute you are caught in the middle of a thunder storm with waves set to destroy the raft. This is what an adventure truly looks and feels like: admiration for the beauty of nature and at the same time astonishment and tension for the bigger than life surroundings. Directors, Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, do a great job at balancing out all these elements together. This film is far more superior to their 2006 film Bandidas, and is probably the reason why they were offered the director´s chair for the fifth film of The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Kon-Tiki is a great and exciting film.

Pal Sverre Hagen plays Thor in this film, although he looks a lot more like Loki. Well this film isn´t exactly about the comic hero, it is a film about a real life legendary explorer named Thor Heyerdal who in 1947 decided to prove his theory that the South Americans were the first to settle in Polynesia way before Cristobal Colon times. After doing research for ten years he couldn´t convince any editors to publish his work since they all thought it was impossible for South Americans to have crossed 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean on a balsa wood raft, so he decided to prove them wrong by building a raft himself and cross the Ocean along with five other friends. HIs first challenge was to raise the money for his exploration and the openning of the film focuses on that as they introduce us to the rest of the explorers: Herman (Anders Christiansen), Knut (Tobias Santelmann), Bengt (Gustaf Skarsgard, who´s father stared in Thor), Erik (Odd Magnus Williamson), and Torstein (Jakob Oftebro).  Their next challenge was to cross the Pacific Ocean safely using only materials that the South Americans could have access to1500 years ago. Thus the adventure begins.

The film is actually based on the true story which was documented by Thor Heyerdal. His documentary won an Academy Award in 1951 and now over half a century later the story has been brought to the big screen by Ronning and Sandberg. They did a great job with the direction of this film as they balanced out the overall dynamics of the film. It is a dramatic adventure with touches of comedy and suspense, but mostly it´s all about the adventure. The journey is recreated with such detail that at times you are drawn into the adventure yourself. It was really a fun film to experience and I felt a connection with the story. The visual effects are also pretty strong and several amazing scenes stand out in this movie. Kon-Tiki is a very engaging film and one you should go see.

My Review: Lore (8/10)

"When your life is a lie, who can you trust?"

Lore is an Australian film set in Germany during the end of World War II. Director, Cate Shortland, shows the devastation and effects of the war through the eyes of a young girl whose inner war has just begun. The film isn't as much a tale of survival as it is the loss of innocence and having to pay for the sins of their fathers. It is a captivating character study of a young girl's sudden transformation from childhood to adulthood due to the horrors and challenges she is forced to face. The imagery is shocking and so are the performance from these young actors. Saskia Rosendahl is breathtaking in the lead role and should have a brilliant future ahead of her. The story isn't fun or entertaining, but it is a good and powerful one. One that leaves you thinking about several issues long after the end credits roll. I have seen many films focusing on World War II and the horrible traumas that the Jews have faced, but never had I stopped to think about what might have happened to the children of Nazi Generals and soldiers. The film enlightens us as we experience this young girl's eye-opening journey as she discovers that everything that her parents have taught her has been a lie.

World War II is over and the allies have taken over Germany. Nazi General (Hans-Jochen Wagner) has returned home to get his wife (Ursina Lardi) and five children and send them to a rural area where they can hide. After a few days the parents are charged for their crimes and the five children are left on their own. It is up to the oldest, Lore (Saskia Rosendahl), to take her siblings across Germany to Hamburg where their grandmother lives. She is forced to look after  her younger sister Liesel (Nele Trebs), her twin brothers Gunter and Jurgen, and baby Peter. With hardly any money and no means of transportation they have to cross through dangerous territory while at the same time discovering that what their parents were fighting for was all based on hate and lies. Now the children have to pay for the sins of their parents while finding a means to survive. Along the way they find help from the least expected person, a young jewish man named Thomas who claims to have survived the deadly prison camps.

This film wasn't nominated for best foreign film in last year's Academy Award, but after seeing some of the nominated films I have to disagree with their choice. This film is much better than Amour and War Witch and should have been nominated at least. I know it isn't an entertaining movie, but it is a powerful story with a great lesson. You can't look at this film as simply a survival story because if you do so you will be disappointed with the ending, but if you understand where these kids are coming from and how their world of privilege and comfort begins to unravel and shatter before their very eyes you will be satisfied with the way Shortland decided to end this film based on Rachel Seiffert's novel, "The Dark Room." Lore is a disturbing but touching film and one that's worth watching. It's also good to see a strong female protagonist in the lead role.

My Review: Fin (3/10)

¨The end is closer than you can imagine.¨

Fin (The End) is a Spanish film that was officially selected for the Toronto International Film Festival last year. It`s a thriller that really never thrilled me and I was highly disappointed with this film because despite having an unknown director, Jorge Torregrossa (mostly known in Spain for directing TV series), the screenplay was adapted by two well known Spanish writers, Sergio Sanchez (The Orphanage) and Jorge Guerricaechevarria (Cell 211), who have written some great screenplays. It was not the case with The End because one of the weakest aspects about this film for me was the script which never managed to create likeable characters or believable situations. If you are going to make a thriller you better back it up with a decent story, but here they never explain the strange developments. This could have worked perhaps as a TV series, but in a 90 minute movie we never got to care for any of the characters and what we really wanted to know never was explained. The End is one of those films that tries to be all philosophical but never ends up saying anything at all. It doesn’t reward the viewer for their patience. The film was adapted from David Monteagudo`s novel which I have never read and really don’t want to after watching this. I imagine it never explains any of the strange events occurring either. There are about nine actors in the entire film and we never really care for any of them. The only positive thing I can say about this movie is that it was nicely shot thanks to the beautiful landscape chosen as the setting for the story.

The plot is pretty simple; a group of friends decide to reunite after 20 years in a beautiful mountain cabin. This group of friends seem to have been really tight, but something happened in their past that has separated them and continues to haunt them. Sara (Carmen Ruiz) is the one who decided to reunite the group for the weekend after calling each one of them. Sergio (Miguel Fernandez) decides to go with his apparent girlfriend Eva (Clara Lago), while Maribel (Maribel Verdu) goes with her husband Rafa (Antonio Garrido). Maribel and Sergio had a relationship in the past, but haven’t seen each other since the episode 20 years ago. Felix (Daniel Grao), the Casanova of the group, is dating Cova (Blanca Romero). Everything seems to be just fine as the group is laughing together as they camp outside, but Sara is worried that their friend known as the prophet (Eugenio Mira) hasn’t showed up. The reason she is so worried is because he was the one that convinced her to call everyone because he wanted to see them. Apparently the prophet was the reason why the group broke up in the first place after he suffered a severe seizure and began prophesying about the end of the world. He was institutionalized, but Sara said he was recovering very well and that is why she insisted on everyone meeting again. Around midnight a strange incident involving a thundering noise and lightning takes place, which leaves the place without lights or communication. The vehicles don’t work either as apparently some strange magnetism has affected them. All of a sudden some of them begin to vanish and no one knows what is going on.

The plot seems pretty interesting but believe me the film isn’t. The director never takes time to explain the strange events, and the back stories of each character are never explained clearly. The reason why the group disintegrated 20 years ago is really poorly developed and doesn’t make much sense really. I was really disappointed with this and expected more considering the plot seemed pretty inventive. This is just another failed attempt at a thriller which really never has any thrills. The cast in this film doesn’t stand out either. The only well known actress here is Maribel Verdu, but she doesn’t play an important role. The entire mystery and eeriness of the film is never explained at all which made me feel like everything was a complete waste of time. We see the events unfolding before our eyes, but we are never explained why these things are occurring. The End just felt pointless for me and I wouldn’t recommend this film.     

My Review: Love is All You Need (6/10)

¨I really don´t understand why anybody would work for you when you are so awful.¨

I really don’t understand why Academy Award winner, Susanne Bier, chose a character so unlikeable to play the lead romantic role in this film. Pierce Brosnan plays this really awful and hateful lead character that is upset at the world, but ends up falling in love with a recovering Cancer patient played by Trine Dyrholm. The two seem like complete opposites, but end up falling for each other after the film magically transforms this unlikeable character into a somewhat sentimental one. I really hated the first half of this film, but once Brosnan´s character became more human the film really picks up and has a strong and emotional second half. The second part is what makes this film worth the while and where Susanne Bier´s magic reappears. This is perhaps her weakest effort after having directed Brothers and In a Better World, two films which I really enjoyed. The Danish director combines some elements from her homeland as well as a touch of British and Italian, but the real problem with this romantic comedy has to do with the pacing of the film. The screenplay was written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen who had also worked with her in her previous productions. Love is All You Need doesn’t really live up to their prior work, but it still is a decent comedy that works better in the second half. The Danish title translates to The Bald Hairdresser, but the English title works a lot better. This was a bit of a disappointment for me despite feeling a connection towards the end, but I expect much more from Bier´s upcoming film, Serena, staring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a hairdresser who has lost her hair after battling with cancer, and at the same time has found out her husband (Kim Bodnia) is having an affair with his accountant. She finds some comfort in her daughter, Astrid (Molly Blixt Egelind), who is getting married with Patrick (Sebastian Jessen) as she travels to Italy for the wedding reception. At the reception she meets Philip (Pierce Brosnan), a successful widowed businessman who is angry at life. Philip is Patrick´s father and he falls in love with Ida´s charm and goodness. She reminds him a lot of his wife and the two spend a lot of time together while their children are getting ready for the wedding. At the same time Astrid feels like Patrick is having second thoughts about the marriage after feeling him very distant the last few days. Conflicts arise at the beautiful and romantic Italian seaside villa as we get closer and closer to the ceremony.

Susanne Bier has made some great dramatic films, but here she falls a little short with this romantic comedy. It has its touching and emotional moments, but the pacing of the film really doesn’t help. She does manage to deal with the complexities of life and love, but in doing so she does make this movie a little more complex than it should be for a romantic comedy. Trine Dyrholm is a delight on screen and she gets much more screen time here than in A Better World. Pierce Brosnan does what he can with his character, but he is so unlikeable at the beginning of the film that it is really hard to cheer for him. It´s hard not to fall in love with the beautiful Italian cinematography and it really adds to the romantic atmosphere. Kim Bodnia, playing the unfaithful husband also adds to the comedy. The young couple has very little chemistry with each other, but we see why during the second half of the film. Despite all my complaints it’s hard not to leave with a smile by the time the credits begin rolling. If you can get through the painful first half of the film you might actually enjoy this film.

    

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My Review: Ip Man 2 Legend of the Grandmaster (7/10)

¨Master, you really can fight ten men at once! ¨

I don’t think there is anyone as exciting as Donnie Yen when it comes to martial arts, and once again he delivers with some very impressive moves and some great choreographed fighting scenes. What Ip Man 2 lacks in storytelling, it makes up for in cool action sequences. This sequel may not live up to the original, but it still is an entertaining movie, and you can never get enough of Donnie Yen. He is just such a natural on screen and his moves are superb; this role was made for him. Yen teams up once again with brilliant director, Wilson Yip, with whom he has worked five times already, and with screenwriter Edmond Wong. The spectacular choreographed fighting scenes were directed by Sammo Hung Kam-Bo who also had a supporting role in this film. The story is like an oriental version of Rocky with Sammo Hung Kam-Bo playing a similar character to that of Apollo Creed and Donnie Yen, Rocky. He begins as sort of a villain, but ends up befriending Ip Man and facing the British version of Drago, Twister. The enemy in this film is the oppressive British regime. This martial art movie was a huge blockbuster in Hong Kong. Despite it having terrific action scenes, it does fail story wise with poor developed characters and some highly stereotyped Brits as the enemy. On the other hand, it is very fast paced and has a lot of action that is worth your time because the martial art scenes are extremely well choreographed and among the best I´ve seen.

The movie picks up right where the first left off as Yip Man (Donnie Yen) migrates from Foshan (after the war with the Japanese) to Hong Kong which happens to be under British colonial rule. Yip Man has a hard time adapting to Hong Kong as his martial art discipline of Wing Chun is unknown in this place. He finally finds one student who seems to be interested in learning this new technique but he encounters some resistance from other martial arts masters who claim he has to pass a test in order to be allowed to teach martial arts in their land. Master Hung Chun-Nam (Sammo Hung Kam-Bo) resists Yip Man at first, but slowly begins to befriend him when they find a common enemy. A western boxer named Twister (Darren Shahlavi) has come to defy their sport by claiming that he can defeat any martial art master. The question then becomes whether or not Yip Man and Master Hung can defend the pride of their nation over this boxing killing machine who has defied them. Lynn Hung reprises her role as Cheung Wing-Sing, Yip Man´s wife who has migrated with him to Hong Kong.

The discipline of Wing Chun involves a lot of close combat so that makes the action scenes much more interesting because everything becomes up close and personal. There are some issues with the storytelling but everything is just an excuse for the next stylized action scene. These fights never disappoint and you don’t get tired of them. The film is nationalistic and that explains the Brit stereotypes. Yip Man 2 claims to be a real life story, but it is more of a fiction work than a bio film. The only true fact about this film is that Yip Man was Bruce Lee´s Master, but all the events in this film happen prior to that and are mostly made up. Seeing Yen in action is what really makes this film worthwhile, but if you are expecting it to live up to its predecessor then you might leave a bit disappointed.

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My Review: A Royal Affair (8/10)

¨I am one of you¨

A Royal Affair is a Danish film that has recently been nominated at the Oscars for Best Foreign Film, and rightfully so. It is my favorite movie in that category so far considering this is a period drama with a great storyline, beautiful production design, and excellent performances from the lead cast. Every period drama seems to focus on the art and production design so much that it sometimes forgets about the importance of the story and character development, but that isn’t the case here because despite the careful attention to the art design there was a great story to be told. I felt this was a much more complete film than the recent remake of Anna Karenina, which also happened to star the beautiful Alicia Vikander who has a lead role here. Vikander seems perfect for these roles with her young and angelical face, and she also gives an incredible and strong performance. This movie will open several doors for her, and I expect to see her in many more films in the future. The story is based on historical events that I´m pretty sure every Danish knew about, but I was pleased to be introduced to this period of history. The screenplay was adapted by Rasmus Heisterberg from the novel written by Bodil Steensen-Leth. Heisterberg had co-written the screenplay to the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Nikolaj Arcel, the director of this film. Arcel directs this film with great craft balancing out the technical aspects with the detailed historical events that took place in this 18^th century tale. This felt like a great history lesson for me (and an entertaining one at it) and was satisfied with this period drama thanks to a clever script and some strong lead performances.

The film takes place in Denmark during the mid 18^th century as we are introduced to the young queen, Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander), from Britain who is to be married with the Danish King, Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard). She has never seen the King or knows what he is like, but royal arrangements have already been made for their marriage as she travels to Denmark to meet her husband. Upon arriving in this new land she discovers that the King is not very fond of her, he seems a little childish and giggles nervously. He receives his dog with much more love than he receives her. Caroline is resigned to live her life this way until she meets the royal physician, Johann Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), who happens to share her same beliefs and ideals. Europe was in a state of transition as The Enlightenment movement was revolutionizing the Dark Ages with new ideas from Voltaire and Rousseau, but Denmark remained tied to the Middle Ages with their traditions. The council, formed by noble men and clergy, was running everything and Christian VII was only the puppet signing the documents. Upon the arrival of Dr. Johann Struensee, a German intellectual influenced by the enlightenment philosophy, things began to change in the Kingdom as he greatly influenced the King. Although at first he spent most his time fooling around with the King and winning his trust, he ends up falling in love with Caroline and begins to have an affair with her. Caroline realizes that Johann has a great influence in the King so she asks him to use that confidence to gain more power in the council and revolutionize the nation with humanitarian ideals.  Of course Johann´s influence on the King isn’t welcomed by the noblemen who will do what it takes to regain their power.

A Royal Affair stands out from other typical romantic triangles in that here there is really no interest from one party. The King doesn’t love his wife, and prefers to spend time with Johann fooling around. He calls his wife mother because he believes she is no fun at all. The affair would have gone unnoticed by everyone if it weren’t for the brave ideals that Caroline and Johann came up with in order to start a revolution. This is what upset the noblemen who found a way to distance the King from his physician, and this is where the tension begins to escalate in the movie. That is also what makes the romance so risky and torrid, and in a way makes the story so juicy. The film is really engaging and entertaining, and works wonderfully as a period drama. The script is very clever and introduces several quotes from Rousseau and Voltaire who were a great influence in that time period. Perhaps the films ends up being a little too predictable, but it does so because it sticks with the historical facts and that is pretty much how things happened. I thought the film ended in a rather hopeful note despite it not having a happy ending. Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, and Mikkel Boe Folsgaard stand out in this film with some terrific performances and make this film stand out above the rest.

         

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My Review: War Witch (7/10)

¨We are rebels. Respect your guns. They´re your new mother and father.¨

War Witch, also known as Rebelle, is a Canadian film directed by Kim Nguyen that has been nominated for this year´s Academy Awards for best foreign picture. It is an enlightening film about the horrors that some children have to face in Africa when kidnapped by rebel forces. Nguyen, who also wrote the screenplay, did it in a very sensitive manner without relying on melodramatic or shocking moments. This is more of a sensitive drama focusing on a character study of a young girl´s life when forced to kill her parents and join a rebel army. The harsh and violent reality of her life is softened by her innocence and supernatural mystic powers. The film combines these two elements in such a way that it makes the movie a much lighter and pleasant viewing experience. The addition of a sweet love story between her and one of the kids in the rebel army is what balances out the ultra realistic violence in her world with a touch of magical romantic moments, such as the search for the white rooster which gives the movie a much more lighter touch in midst of all the drama. The performance from Rachel Mwanza feels so real and authentic that it makes the film work as we see how this innocent girl´s life changes as she becomes a woman in the midst of war. War Witch wouldn’t have worked if it weren’t for her unique portrayal of this character. This is a powerful film because there is no denying these things are happening in real life, and we need to put an end to this senseless brutality. Kim Nguyen does a great job with the direction of this film by adding some unique touches in the sound department, and the cinematography works really well.

The movie takes place in an undisclosed country in Africa where Komona (Rachel Mwanza), a young 14 year old pregnant girl, decides to tell her unborn child the story of her life. When she was 12, rebel forces raided her village and forced her and other children to murder their parents and join them. They were all given guns and prepared to fight for the Grand Tigre Royal (Mizinga Mwinga). She was the only child from her village to survive an early encounter against government army forces, after being warned by the ghosts of her parents to run. After this, she was considered to be a War Witch due to her mystical powers. She befriends another boy from the rebel army, who is also considered to have some sort of mystical powers and is known as the Magician (Serge Kanyinda). Together they decide to run away and hide at the Magician´s uncle´s home. He is known as the butcher (Ralph Prosper) and is very kind to the young kids who fall in love with each other. The Magician asks Komona to marry him, and she says that she can only marry him if he finds her a white rooster, which is extremely rare to find in that country. Despite the pleasant life she seems to be living, the ghosts still torment her, and after a brief moment of peace the rebels are back again to haunt her. Will Komona ever find peace in this senseless and brutal society she´s living in?

War Witch is only about 90 minutes long, which was perfect because it could have gotten heavy handed if Nguyen had decided to expand the screenplay more. I really enjoyed that he decided to include this world of superstition in the midst of all the violence because it is a great part of the African culture which is left out sometimes. Despite the violent world in which Komona was introduced too, she also was able to find love although it was short lived. Nguyen found a perfect balance between this horrific world and the magical romantic one that Komona lived in. This will not win the Oscar, because Amour is a lock at this point, but it still is a unique film that is worth checking out if you´re into foreign films. I really enjoyed this film, although I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece. It isn’t groundbreaking, but is worth seeing for the story and performances alone.

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My Review: Amour (6/10)

¨What would you say if no one came to your funeral? ¨

Amour is French for love, and in this film Austrian director Michael Haneke delivers a unique love story where he defines what love really means in a very unique way. This is not an easy film to watch; it is slow and deals with some unpleasant subject matters to think about such as mortality, old age, confronting death, and sickness. We all dream of finding the perfect soul mate with whom we can grow old together, and many times Hollywood has painted this beautiful romantic portrayal of it, but Haneke shows us what it really means to grow old with the person you love and how difficult it can be to see a loved one go through a slow and painful death. Haneke decides to paint us a different picture of love as he takes us through the indignities of becoming old and seeing the person you love slowly facing death. Amour is a remarkable film and it shows us how love can be severely tested at times, but I also found it to be very pessimistic and difficult to watch. You can enjoy the film for its craft and artistic value, but it is not one you can sit through and say you enjoyed it. The problem I had is that the film is a little too pessimistic as we see this old couple who obviously love each other very much being tested by a severe illness. I have personally experienced a similar disease in my family as my father suffered a severe stroke and was paralyzed on his right side in the same way the main character of this film was. He still can’t speak, but has confronted his illness with a positive attitude. In the end, life can throw harsh things our way and love can be tested, but how we choose to confront those difficulties is what makes love stand out above all. I preferred the much positive French film, Intouchables, where the main character faces his disabilities with a totally different approach. Old age is tough and comes with several indignities, but love conquers all.

The plot is very minimalistic and simple as we are introduced to the everyday life of an old couple in the early 80´s who seem to be enjoying each other’s company. Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) are retired music teachers living in Paris. They live a pretty simple life as they spend most their time in their home talking about life. They have recently been to a theater to listen to a former student of Anne´s, and seem to have enjoyed it very much. Georges mentions that the next day he wants to buy his CD now that he has become so famous. While he is talking, Anne seems to black out for a couple of minutes. Once she comes back to her normal self she has no idea of what happened and Georges decides to take her to the hospital. The doctors decide to operate her, but things don’t turn out well. When they return from the hospital several days later, Anne is on a wheelchair and has her right arm and leg paralyzed. Georges watches out for her with a great amount of love and patience, but she feels like a burden on him. She makes Georges promise that if she ever suffer another attack, he mustn´t take her to the hospital again. As Anne´s illness begins to take a toll on her, the couple´s love for each other begins to be tested.

The film is mostly shot in long and static takes and is very silent at times. There isn’t much going really as we see how slowly old age and illness begins to disturb their daily routines. The film can be upsetting for some viewers and emotionally draining. Michael Haneke is known for making some strong films (Funny Games, The White Ribbon, and Cache) and has received several awards including Academy nominations. In Amour he has received a nod for best director, original screenplay, and best film. He will probably win for best foreign film, but is competing against Hollywood´s top films as well. This is probably his most critically acclaimed film to date as many critics are calling it his masterpiece. It might be simple, but at the same time he uses plenty of poetic imagery (like the scene with the pigeon which many people have made different conclusions about). I really don’t like his dark and pessimistic vision of life, but he does have a talent for stirring up debate and tackling difficult subject matters. I have to mention that the two lead actors were absolutely phenomenal in this film. Both Riva and Trintignant were mesmerizing in their realistic portrayal of this old age couple. They carry the film and make it tolerable despite the material. Riva has also been nominated for her powerful performance here and could upset Lawrence in the Oscar race. I´d like to quote a critic who best describes this film as ¨a graphic portrayal of the unfunny endgame we´re all fated to play.¨ I can´t really recommend this film, it´s not easy to watch, but I can see why many critics liked it.

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