20 December 2024.
Christmas is around the corner and it’s all getting a bit too hectic, therefore these reviews will be short so we can get on with our other activities…
Here’s wishing you all a warm, loving holiday and hopefully a new year of peace and good health.
MUFASA; THE LION KING ****
This is the prelude to the original Lion King, told by the wise old mandrill monkey, Rafiki, to the cute lion cub Kiara who is waiting for her parents to return. It’s the thrilling coming-of-age story of her grandfather Mufasa, who ended up becoming a king because of his intelligence and heart.
It’s an absolutely delightful family film for the holidays, with great adventure and wisdom, super soundtrack and songs by “Hamilton”s Lin-Manuel Miranda, and of course wonderful moral lessons along the way. It’s classic Disney with outstanding CGI and a great deal of fun and heart. Not to miss for kids from 4 to 94! ❤️
EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA **** (vo Arabic)
Here is a superb film from Morocco about a woman who has two loves – her bright son who is deaf, and her singing. She performs in various cabarets in her small town but wants to move to Casablanca where she can have a real career as a classical singer.
Once again we are confronted with the difficulties of a struggling single mother in a restrictive, misogynist society, but in this outstanding film by the Moroccan/French director, Nabil Ayouch, there is much more, with a depth of feeling that is both joyous and heartbreaking. The actress Nisrin Erradi as Touda perfectly embodies a universal portrait of a woman whose dreams of a career and a safe environment for her son collide with her dignity as a human being. Unforgettable.
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT *** (vo Hindi)
This is a story about three women who work in a hospital in Mumbai. One is a serious nurse who has long been waiting for her husband to return from a job in Europe. The other is her vivacious roommate who is in love with a Moslem man, while the third is an older cook in the hospital who is being forced out of her home in the city.
Through their friendship, relations and problems, the female director Payal Kapadia shows us the many difficult facets of life in modern India. This tender and perceptive work won the Grand Prix award in Cannes.
HIVER À SOKCHO ***1/2 (vo French and Korean)
A famous French artist (Roschdy Zem) comes to a small seaside town in South Korea to pass some time and work on his drawings. A quiet, discreet man, he rents a room in a small pension.
There he meets a lovely Korean girl (Bella Kim) who is close to her mother and has a boyfriend who travels a lot for his modelling career and wants to settle down with her. But her fascination with the new foreign arrival and her revived thoughts about her unseen French father perturb her normal life. Expertly directed by the French/Japanese Konya Kamura, this is a tranquil mood film that takes one into unknown, emotional territory.
SARAH BERNHARDT, LA DIVINE **1/2 (vo French)
The great actress Sarah Bernhardt was a legend in her time, shining as an international star at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century (1844-1923). She was an extravagant woman who lived her life as a diva, traveled the world, and had many lovers. In this film by Guillaume Nicloux, she is portrayed by Sandrine Kiberlain, along with her greatest love, Lucien Guitry, played by Laurent Lafitte.
This homage to her is plush, presenting her lavish lifestyle, the many famous characters who were connected with her, her conquests and her greatest loss. But somehow the grand decor and hectic glamour of it all lacks the essence needed to convince us of her soul.
UN NOEL EN FAMILLE * (vo French)
It has a great come-on title and the always talented and convincing Didier Bourdon, but this seasonal French comedy unfortunately sinks with a haphazard script and sloppy direction. Stay with your own family rather than visiting this one.
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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