1 November 2024.
By Neptune
We are lucky to have exceptional films coming at us in droves, for it’s the season leading up to the award shows. The superb “Conclave” will be out in early December and “Gladiator II” will also be soon released. Take full advantage of these gems.
ANORA ****
This film is no “Pretty Woman”, and certainly no fairy tale. It’s a raw look at the world of a lap dancer, the extravagant lifestyle of the son of a Russian oligarch, how their two worlds collide, and the bumbling henchman of the family trying to clean up the mess before the parents arrive from Moscow.
This fleeting ‘love story’ is also a wild chase and a hilarious comedy. And yet there is a tenderness to it – just follow Igor, the bodyguard, with his transparent Slavic face and soulful eyes (Yuriy Borisov, remembered from the superb “Compartment #6”).
The beauty of this film, Palme d’Or at Cannes, is that each character is perfectly drawn with all their foibles. Even the stereotypes are spot on – from the loudmouth yet sweet lap dancer Anora (Mikey Madison), the spoiled rich boy (Mark Edelstein), the Armenian priest, the billionaire parents and all the rest of the motley crew. And just so you know, it’s sexually graphic all the way through, deliberately so and with chaotic amusement.
Brilliantly written and directed by Sean Baker, this is exaggerated reality with continuous thrills and a great deal of fun. Now that’s art, and entertainment!
Oscars, this one is on its way…
FLOW ****
Directed by Latvian Gints Zilbalidis, this is one of the most exquisitely animated films of the year. With no dialogue but with haunting, evocative music, it’s the story of a solitary cat who escapes his home when strange floods come to take over his world. He ends up on an old sailboat that becomes a haven for him and a variety of other animals with whom he has to get along to survive this watery odyssey.
Not much is really explained, but then the tale suffices as a magnificent adventure that’s also a poetic lesson in the gentle power of unity and friendship. Shown at a variety of festivals including Cannes, and multi-awarded at the Annecy Animation festival, it’s thrilling, zen-like and deeply moving.
JUROR #2 ***1/2
What a gripping dilemma this film is – personally, morally, even politically, as this courtroom drama questions the justice system alongside individual responsibility. And who else to weave such an intricate tale to perfection but the old master, Clint Eastwood.
At 94, Eastwood is still capable of coming up with intelligent fare as he has been doing for more than seven decades. He started in 1950s TV in the long-running cowboy series “Rawhide”, then on to the “Dirty Harry” crime films, turning to directing in 1971 with such varied films as “Play Misty for Me”, “Bridges of Madison County”, “Mystic River”, “Million Dollar Baby” and “Letters from Iwo Jima” among his multitude of award-winning films. This latest is one of his most human.
The intriguing story, with a scenario written by Jonathan Abrams, starts off with a young, loving couple awaiting their first baby. The wife is worried that her husband (Nicholas Hoult) may be chosen for jury duty as she needs him around in her final weeks of pregnancy. Well, he is chosen, and thus begins the gist of the drama. Slowly we are introduced to the prosecutor (Toni Collette), the judge, the court system, and the high-profile murder case. A man is accused of killing his girlfriend with whom he’d had a public fight in a bar. The problem arises when Juror #2 (Hoult) realises he also was in the bar that night.
The rest is for you to witness and discover in this maze of a film which is both captivating and satisfying. Another one to run to.
RIVERBOOM *** (vo French)
If you can get past the film’s silly poster and the misleading title, you will find a breezily paced documentary about three guys (two Suisse Romande locals along with an Italian photographer) who go off on a spur-of-the-moment mission to Afghanistan in 2002, just after 9/11. What a risky adventure!
This wonderfully amateurish, yet nevertheless effective documentary by the young graphist/photographer Claude Baechtold from Lausanne is an invigorating road movie that manages to go to places in war torn Afghanistan and meet the warlords that many pros would miss. But then he has the Le Monde editor and Le Temps journalist Serge Michel, a specialist on Iran and Afghanistan, as the leader of this buddy threesome along with photographer Paolo Woods.
The trio traverses the country almost oblivious of the dangers, especially at that crucial time, revealing the arid terrain through hand-drawn maps, cartoonish posters and insights into the opposing combatants, from the U.S. army to the Taliban.
It’s actually a very informative, delightful hoot that shouldn’t be missed.
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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