Filmmaniak

This film’s focus is on the unexpected understanding reached between a middle-aged theatre director and a young private chauffeur, who could be his daughter and has been assigned to him against his will by the theatre company. Thanks to the trust that is gradually built between them, they are able to confide in each other their traumas and secrets, which are part of a complex, multi-layered story about, among other things, the relationships of couples and lovers and the pain of losing a loved one. The whole movie takes place against the backdrop of rehearsals for Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in a multilingual version (including South Korean sign language), while dialogue from the play is often present in other parts of the film. Despite the fact that the plot really gets going only after more than 40 minutes (when the opening credits finally appear), the length of the film is not a hindrance at all. Drive My Car is superbly written and directed from start to finish and excels not only due to its emphasis on the formal, genteel communication between the characters, but also for its many remarkable and imaginative scenes and the inclusion of several fascinating dreamlike micro-stories.

A prologue, twelve chapters and an epilogue in the life of the almost thirty-year-old Julia, who is searching for her place in life and trying to come to terms with herself, her emotions and her romantic relationships. This relatively successful attempt at a generational statement, which also attempts to touch on several other serious issues, is captivating with its electrifying directing and likable humor, in addition to the natural performances of the actors playing the three main characters. The smartly written dialogue occasionally comes across as being slightly too clever and the narrative falls apart a bit not only because of its division into chapters, but also because of excessive flitting between the individual motifs, especially towards the end. Therefore, the film is strongest in several very effective and bold details and passages, such as the one with the innocent spark verging on infidelity at a party, the scene of spending a day with the love of a lifetime in a city temporarily frozen in suspended animation, and the one with tripping on mushrooms. The intended poignancy at the end doesn’t happen and the film’s two-hour runtime may be too long due to the slowly waning pace, but even so, spending those two hours with The Worst Person in the World is a pleasant and rewarding experience.

Paris, 13th District is an extremely elegantly directed film exploring the amorous and interconnected life stories of three Parisians in their thirties. Experienced filmmaker Jacques Audiard proves that he still has his finger on the pulse of the times and modern cinema and that he has a feel for writing intelligent and, at the same time, fully believable dialogue and for constructing convincing and well-developed characters. He also does a great job of guiding the actors and works superbly with the music. The black-and-white cinematography is also magnificent, as it offers more than just very aesthetically filmed erotica. Some of the themes seem a bit needless, but the film as a whole works very well indeed.

In his highly mature and firmly grasped debut, the talented Panah Panahi clear does not disavow his father. Hit the Road is essentially a drama about a family’s parting from their adult son, who is leaving his homeland. Despite the seriousness of the situation, however, the film falls more into the genre of comedic road-movies in which humor and bitterness are perfectly balanced. From the very first scene, the film abounds with directorial ideas, finely honed humorous (and occasionally sad) situations and funny verbal interactions between the individual family members – besides the brooding introverted older son, the passengers in the rental car include the extroverted and extraordinarily energetic younger son (one of the best performances by a child I have ever seen in a film), the talkative dad with a broken leg, the caring mother who promised not to cry and a sick dog. The confined interiors of the car alternate with carefully composed shots of vast exteriors filmed from afar. The cinematography is generally beautiful. The film does have its flaws – the humor occasionally misses the mark (the ceaseless ridiculing of the elder son doesn’t seem very funny, though it was probably supposed to), the somewhat unclear context of the reason for the son’s journey dilutes the emotion a bit, and the ending is needlessly sentimental. Otherwise, Hit the Road is a huge surprise that arouses extreme curiosity about what this filmmaker will come up with next.

The height of the Bosnian-Serbian conflict in the mid-1990s depicted from the perspective of a Bosnian translator who is trying to protect her family during an evacuation of many thousands of people, while continuously interpreting communications between the two sides and high representatives of the UN. Her story and the depiction of the whole event are powerfully tense and incredibly absorbing from start to finish, told at a consistently brisk pace with the exception of a few quieter moments, and besides the firmly grasped direction and sophisticated screenplay (except for a few conspicuous coincidences that heighten the drama), the film is captivating due primarily to the lead actress’s excellent and entirely believable performance. The brutal climax is extended with an even more devastating ending bordering on emotional blackmail, thus making the film a very depressing affair which, however, corresponds to the actual events that inspired it.

Commitment Hasan is an old-world Turkish drama about the burden of a troubled conscience, the common and uncommon hardships associated with farming and the deeds that one cannot make amends for even with the strongest will to do so. The key aspects of this slow-burning portrait of a flawed man trying to cleanse himself of petty and more serious sins before his journey to Mecca are the lead actor’s performance and the camerawork, which helps to thoroughly depict the lifestyle of a successful farmer through frequent shots of nature’s gifts, lush orchards, vegetable patches and the surrounding scenery. The ending comes with an excellent cathartic point. Until then, however, the trudging pace of the narrative, in combination with the not very dramatic plot, makes it impossible for the film to captivate the viewer other than through a few visual compositions. That said, the consistent quality of what is being depicted is unquestionable. Not all of the storylines are tied together in the climax (the passages with the rejection of the embroidered tablecloth and the purchase of the neighbor’s failing fields are not brought to a conclusion). However, these minor dramaturgical shortcomings are offset by, among other things, the accurate casting of the supporting roles and the refreshing (though unfortunately only peripheral) storyline about the preparations for the holy pilgrimage, which apparently costs much more than many vacations.

This film is a comedic drama about the night shift of several police patrols in the Bulgarian capital. The genre-rich mixture of intertwined stories, which are part chilling and tragic and part funny, or even anecdotal, will stand up as a glimpse into a freak show of different characters and as a socio-political critique of society.

The film sticks to a relatively well-established storyline about a newcomer in a closed and torn community, who inadvertently brings it together through his actions, but who is still unable escape his past. Even the film’s form is quite common throughout most of its running time. What is not as common is the incredibly expressive and even demonic Bartosz Bielenia, who gives an extraordinary performance in the main role and carries the whole film on his shoulders, as well as the perspective of his character, looking at the world through God and thereby getting to know himself. The film also delivers through its comprehensively processed theme of religious faith and a static camera, which in the end surprises when it suddenly and justifiably starts moving at a key moment. This remarkable drama also excels in its elaborate script and serves as further proof that even an intimate film with a small budget and only a few locations can be shot in such a way as to provide the viewer with a strong and exceptionally impressive experience.

This is an excellent drama about (not) dying, with perfectly believable characters, and it is filmed quite realistically, civilly and without pathos and too much pressure. Thanks to a great script and excellent (sometimes breath-taking) actors, the film is strong both in emotionally tense moments and in quieter passages. Bleak running through hospitals and consulting with staff who are not always compassionate during the Christmas holidays and at the turn of the year, administered consistently into the story day after day, surprisingly amounts to more than just a fall into depression and gloominess, because in its second half, especially with the approaching conclusion, the film tries to make up for the sadness with an enormous dose of touching sugar candy which, paradoxically, makes it lose a bit of its emotion. Even so, it is masterfully directed and in all respects a precise relationship study, and what is also interesting about it is that the initially somewhat alienated main characters, who are partners, find their way back to each other and their withered love noticeably gets a second wind precisely because of the vision of the potential imminent death of one of them.

It surprised me how long this film managed to resonate with me, even though about two-thirds of the way through I lost track of what was going on. After visiting several fan sites, I finally have to admit that it does make sense, although in my opinion it was not possible to entirely break away from all of the time paradox lapses. I have to give credit to Shane Carruth for being able to write this type of script (you can tell that he was originally a technical engineer and mathematician), and I have to recommend the film as one of the most remarkable and thought-provoking contributions to the time travel genre, which is well-directed and contains good performances for a cheap independent debut. On the other hand, I fully understand why his deliberately uncertain, not very explanatory and exclusively hinting narrative structure isn't ideal for many people.