24 October 2025
FRANKENSTEIN ****
The exceptional Mexican director Guillermo del Toro is back once again with another of his moving studies on his favourite themes of myths, gothism and poetic beauty. His previous brilliant works have included the 2017 Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water” and his tenderly innovative “Pinocchio” which won the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for best animated film in 2022.
Here he has created a sumptuous fresque of the age-old story of Dr. Frankenstein, first written in 1816 by Mary Shelley when she was only 18 years old on a trip to Geneva along with her husband Percy Shelley and Lord Byron.
There have been a multitude of films on Frankenstein, in various versions, from horror to comedy, but this one is for me the most complete, romanesque and deeply moving of them all. Starring Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein, Christoph Waltz as his patron and Jacob Elordi as the Monster (who has never had a name), it starts off in the frozen Arctic, as did Shelley’s tale. From there, Dr. Frankenstein relates his tragic story of creating a creature that would never die. It is true to the original in its emotional and character-driven mood, and one cannot help but be touched by the continued rejection of the poor, misshapen creature and his constant longing for some sort of peace and acceptance.
This a grand film not to be missed – another serious Oscar contender.
OUI (YES) **1/2 (vo Hebrew)
This angry, tortured view of what is happening in Nadav Lapid’s home country of Israel is like a fist in the stomach. It’s an impression that leaves one with great unease and many questions, for it’s not easy to describe. Lapid, who lives in France, has been a spectator and a critic of his homeland for many years with such films as the 2011 Locarno Jury Prize-winner “Policeman” and “Ahed’s Knee”, winner of the Jury prize in Cannes 2021.
In this latest work, a married couple of entertainers are animating a party for elite, influential people in Tel Aviv. The scene is colourful, excited, quite vulgar – somewhat Felliniesque – with a torn moral urgency. It continues that way throughout, with unnerving scenes of disgusting ear-lickings of a rich old lady, literal boot-lickings of a Russian commander, and many more debasing scenes. One has to wonder whence comes this terrible satire of life in a country which is at one and the same time aggressive and under siege…
There are more questions here than answers, making this uncomfortable film both bewildering and powerful in its ambiguity.
(Showing at the Grütli Cinemas)
GAUCHO GAUCHO *** (vo Spanish)
Beautifully filmed by Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck, this is a somewhat hypnotic, starkly black & white documentary of the life of the Argentinean gauchos and their families. Austere but intimate and direct, it shows both the fidelity to tradition and the difficulties for the younger generation in this arid land. There’s a strong resemblance to the American cowboy in its scenes of horse training, cattle roundups and the excitement of their rodeos.
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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