POMO

The substantial motif of opening up and purging hidden truths about oneself, publicly on camera and in the presence of one’s surprised wife. With sincere self-reflexive monologues from the character played by Richard Gere, who is great as usual and is supported by the precise Uma Thurman. The film is given a distinctive theatrical patina by the incredibly pleasant music (songs) and the attractive retro visual aspect in the flashbacks. However, its ending is unsatisfying. The theme with revealing the main character’s past with the relativity of what is and isn’t true of that past had greater potential. [Cannes FF]

Can it really be so bad in India? The transformation of pure feminine innocence into the only possible form of existence that is not submissive to the laws of the patriarchal jungle. In some poor Indian social classes, family values are not the same as they are with us. And what initially seems tempting to take the wrong path can eventually turn out to be a life preserver. Though it is inhumanely sad. The Shameless is a brutal, powerful drama with a screenplay rich in the depiction of cultural nuances, excellent acting and uncompromising directing. [Cannes FF]

A procedural analysis of the actions of Eastern European villagers – the family of the injured party, the police and the father of those who are responsible – during the investigation of a crime and the subsequent handling of the facts that are brought to light. Though incomprehensible to the point of absurdity in the context of Western civilisation, those actions are well intentioned at the core of the characters’ limited way of thinking – albeit with a veil of nagging remorse. And even though the screenplay does not revolve explicitly around tragedy, the film holds the viewer’s attention with the brilliant structure of the dialogue and uncomplicated examination of the characters, while stimulating curiosity as to how it will develop. The same story with the same characters and dialogue could work just as well in the conditions of Poland or Slovakia. [Cannes FF]

Icelandic teenagers and a tragic event that they did not anticipate. The modifier “intimate” takes on even greater significance here than is usual. The detailed depiction of the rising fear of losing a loved one and subsequently dealing with the resulting pain. The main character goes through that mostly in secret, without the understanding of those around her and thus all the more intensely. Though thin in terms of story, this small drama is sufficiently packed with emotions and psychology, and offers a nice, poetic ending. [Cannes FF]

A lot of dark drama inspired by actual events, which you ideally shouldn’t read about beforehand. Because even though the protagonist, Karoline, has it as badly as possible, more unexpected blows will come. The impressive production design gives a sense of the filth and hopelessness of the time. The film also impresses in places with almost expressionistic compositions, whose meaning is symbolically filled out by the appearance of Karoline’s husband, who had been disfigured in the war. There are a lot of details that make us wonder how people lived in such discomfort during that time a century ago. Vic Carmen Sonne in the main role leads the film with her brilliant, quiet performance, which veteran actress Trine Dyrholm later darkens (literally) in a smaller space with equal intensity. Facial expressions are paramount here. Viewers will experience the maternal moments even more powerfully; many gasps were heard in the screening room and people could be seen covering their eyes. [Cannes FF]

Lanthimos has taken a sharp detour from his recent mainstream films. He knows that we will eat anything out of the palm of his hand. Kinds of Kindness is a decadent riddle reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s sultry conversational flicks and his own early Greek films, but with Hollywood stars and an American setting. The first and most polished of the three stories masterfully draws us in from the opening seconds with its subject matter and characters. The second one throws us off balance and the third, in relation to the two that came before, is already fodder for a roundtable discussion. The dark, unexplained supporting character R.M.F, around whom the stories revolve, is most likely the alter ego of the director himself (and is played by Lanthimos’s Greek friend Yorgos Stefanakos) and represents a metaphor for his journey through big-time show business. There is no shortage of funny, bizarre, disturbing and bold moments in Kinds of Kindness, as Lanthimos again takes an original approach to exploring sexuality, sensuality, cruelty, dominance and all of the other things that we love him for. Only with a smaller budget and in a realistic contemporary setting. [Cannes FF]

An ancient drama set in a futuristic New York with literary quotes from classics and existential contemplations, ridiculously incongruent with the film’s overall execution. It’s sexy once and funny once, but in its aesthetics, the rest of the film is a mix of styles ranging from embarrassing to kitschy, making it absolutely unsellable to a broader audience. Crowd scenes with dozens of extras, costumes with motifs from ancient Rome and digital scenes out of a television fantasy for retirement homes. The groundless, half-baked motif of stopping time and many other outlined ideas go nowhere. Is it possible that Coppola would consider this to be his great final work to which he gave his all? Just as he kicked his career into high gear with the long wedding scene in The Godfather, he lays it to rest with this horrible theatrical event for the cream of Megalopolis like something out of the mega-flop Caligula. Otherwise, Nathalie Emmanuel is beautiful, Aubrey Plaza is dangerously seductive and Shia LaBeouf is the best of them all. [Cannes FF]

It was clear that Garland wasn’t going to make a blockbuster out of this. However, it wasn’t clear what his masterful balancing between reality and dimensions beyond human perception would bring to a film that is supposed to stand solely on raw realism. Civil War contains grand scenes with tanks and helicopters, but without a cinematographic concept of the kind that Alfonso Cuarón employed in Children of Men and which would be needed here. At its core, Civil War is merely an intimate road movie spanning a broken America as it follows a team of three seasoned journalists and their novice colleague, whose innocence stands in contrast to their experience and professional detachment. Our question of why such a young girl would be doing such work is immediately answered for us: “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. And I've never felt more alive.” ___ Civil War avoids sentiment and the dark tone of the story is lightened by the use of American pop oldies, but it lacks the artistic optics that we like Garland for in the first place. The film should me made up entirely of terrifying scenes, but it contains only one, which reflects the one-dimensional thinking of America’s redneck population and features a standout performance by Jesse Plemons. The director amplifies the rawness not with dark instrumental music, but with the intense sound of gunfire. And even though the film is compelling and engaging thanks to its characters, it lacks refined and unexpected conflicts, as well as an intellectual reach that would go beyond warning us about Donald Trump. And the climax is literally ridiculous.

Sensational. The narrative was clearly inspired by the Oscar-winning Free Solo. But that film was about the world’s best professional climber and was made by the world’s best professional outdoor director. Skywalkers is an enthusiast’s project about a pair of young adventurers, with a lot of selfie videos taken with mobile phones and drones – including some that are packed to the gills with adrenaline. Seeing it on the big screen means experiencing it with them. A hell of an adrenalin rush! However, what makes the film a sensation is the intertwining of their potentially lethal hobby, in which they find the meaning of life, with the romantic relationship that develops between them thanks to their shared passion and, through absolute trust in and support for each other, helps them to achieve the impossible. And the setting of their Instagram story in the period from the beginning of the pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (which they disagree with). A great, powerfully emotional love letter. [Miami Film Festival]

Better to have a short life in freedom than a long non-life under a communist dictatorship. A powerful true story of young Cubans who chose freedom in the 1990s. The film gets its joyful spirit in an isolated treatment home, where its characters live after deciding to shorten their own lives by deliberately injecting HIV. Because they can live as they please there. However, the introduction in the city is more interesting – rawer, more dramatic, packed with restlessness and rebellious energy. Clichés and mild kitsch pop up in the constellation of characters in the treatment home. But the ending works well. This group deserved to have their story made into a film. Blockbuster-makers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are aiming to make inroads into independent cinema. [Miami FF]