23 September 2021.
By Neptune
BIGGER THAN US ***
Malati, a young girl of 18 from Bali, started her campaign against plastic pollution in her country at the age of 12. She takes us on a journey around the world, visiting like-minded, caring young people who have decided to take the future into their own hands. And she introduces us to:
- Mohamad, from Lebanon and Syria, who has been working hard at creating and maintaining education for children in refugee camps. He is 18 years old.
- Memory, from Malawi, has been making sure women and young girls in her country have rights over their own bodies. She is 22 and has been at it for years now, with impressive results.
- Rene, from Brazil, has created a newspaper to give a voice to the downtrodden in the besieged favelas.
Mary, 22, is in a Refugee Rescue team in Greece.
Xiuhtezcatl, in the United States, is a Native American and Latino rapper who is fighting for climate change. He considers it an emergency and he is 19.
Winny, from Uganda, has been striving for food security in her region. She is now 25.
These passionate young people have jumped in where adults seem to have failed, and these are their stories.
Directed by Flore Vasseur and produced by the French actress Marion Cotillard, this documentary tends to repeat and stress its message, but it’s nevertheless an important, inspiring film which should be seen, especially in elementary schools and high schools.
FLAG DAY **1/2
There is a new star in filmdom and it’s Sean Penn’s lovely daughter, Dylan Penn, directed here by Penn and actually playing his daughter in this tale about a difficult father/daughter relationship.
The film is based on the book, “Flim-Flam Man – The True Story of my Father’s Counterfeit Life” by Jennifer Vogel, about a conman who could not stop lying to himself and his loved ones about his failures and his addictions. It’s the story of how it affected his wife, his son and his daughter whom he adored, but whom he ultimately almost destroyed.
Dylan is excellent, as is Penn himself, but their constant miseries can be dark and daunting in the beginning of the film. There is light at the end of this tunnel though, and it is a relief. Watch it for the acting, and the power of renewal.
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
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