A harrowing immigrant story that does an effective-enough job of highlighting a dark reality for far too many people. The filmmaking is technically well-accomplished, the perfomances very good, and the story both believable and . And yet, at every opportunity possible, "Io Capitano" manages to pick the predictable, tried-and-true pathway to its viewers' emotions - never charting a new cinematic course or exploring interesting opportunities (there are a couple of attempts at a Fellini-esque fantasy, whereby the 16-year-old protagonist envisions…
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Fallen Leaves 2023
There's a charm to this film's look, setting and certainly the performances from Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanan - not to mention Alma the dog (as Chaplin)! And there's amble humor springled throughout. And yet, for an 81-minute film, it feels like it's at least two hours long.
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The Father 2020
In his directorial debut, playwright Florian Zeller has shown himself to be nothing short of visionary behind a camera. Based on Zeller's own play of the same name, "The Father" is a maddening, overwhelming, and unquestionably brilliant depiction of dementia's devastating emotional and mental toll on the lives of those afflicted with the horrible illness and those around them. Smoothly and precisely edited (by Yorgos Lamprinos), set on one of 2021 best-crafted production sets, supported faithfully by a pitch-perfect ensemble…
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The Kingmaker 2019
"The Kingmaker" begins as an unfettered check-in on the life of one of the 20th century's most notorious figures, Imelda Marcos. Like a visit to the zoo, we're granted the opportunity to observe the seemingly self-delusional Marcos in her current habitat as she dreams of a time and place she no longer occupies. Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield allows Imelda the chance to justify, in her own words, her and her late husband's ruthless and corrupt reign as the authoritarian overlords of…