6 September 2024.
By Neptune
Dear Cinephiles,
I was away last week so a few films have piled up, and will be away again next week, but will keep you informed of the exceptional ones. These reviews will necessarily be short.
Last week’s releases:
LA PRISONNIÈRE DE BORDEAUX *** (vo French)
A well-acted, intriguing film about two women who meet while visiting their respective husbands at a prison in Bordeaux. From very different backgrounds, one is a wealthy bourgeoise living in a large home, the other is a working mother struggling to make ends meet. On a kind whim, the elder lady invites the younger one and her two children to come live with her.
With the excellent Isabelle Huppert and the talented Hafsia Herzi, the film creates a profound yet light tale of two opposite women sharing a span of their lives. Fascinatingly French.
PRISONNIERS DU DESTIN **1/2 (vo Persian)
This documentary about Iranians and Afghans, both families and single men, who have ended up in Switzerland as refugees, follows their difficult quest for integration into a new environment, often waiting years in limbo.
Directed by Mehdi Sahebi, it is a sad look at upended lives.
LA BELLE AFFAIRE (Zwei zu Eins) *1/2 (vo German)
During the 1990s German reunification, a family in East Germany finds a huge stash of now-worthless East German money and tries to figure out a way to cash it in before it’s too late.
Maybe this complicated comedy is relevant and funny to Germans, but the hilarity gets lost in translation. Even their world-star, Sandra Huller (“Anatomy of a Fall”, “Zone of Interest”), can’t save this confused mishmash based on a true event.
And this week’s releases:
TATAMI **** (vo Persian)
Now this is an outstanding film, one that is exceptional in many ways. First, it is extraordinary in that it is co-directed by Guy Nattiv (“Golda”) and Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”, “Shayda”) – one Israeli, the other Iranian, an almost taboo collaboration. Then, it is a highly political film in that it shows the far-reaching power of the Islamic government over its citizens. And it is a gripping thriller that follows an Iranian female judo master in a World Championship event who is about to reach her dream of a gold medal. But as it looks like she might come up against an Israeli opponent, her government insists she bow out of the competition. And she refuses.
Starring Zar Amir (who won best actress award in Cannes for “Holy Spider”) as her coach and Adrienne Mandi as the ambitious judoka, the insidious threats of the government have huge repercussions for all involved. You will be holding your breath throughout. This is a courageous, intense tour de force, not to be missed!
À L’ANCIENNE *** (vo French)
Finally, a delightful French comedy, especially if you don’t mind a bit of silliness. Which is what comedy is all about, really. What makes this one fun and universal is the theme of winning big in the lottery, something we all have at times wished for. But of course this gets complicated, as the two main characters, old best friends on a small island in Brittany, have not won the big ticket but know who has.
Veteran stars Didier Bourdon and Gérard Darmon are a hoot as the culprits who get the whole island in a tizzy. Directed by Hervé Mimran, it’s good for a tender laugh, à la comédie anglaise like “The Full Monty”, “Death at a Funeral”, or the 1998 “Waking Ned Devine”, of which this one is an almost exact copy.
REINAS **1/2 (vo Spanish)
Here’s a gentle tale of a mother who is seeking a better life for her two daughters by emigrating to the U.S. from her native Peru. But there is her large family and her good-for-nothing husband, who was never around but shows up now that she wants to leave, and renews his ties with his daughters – his ‘reinas’.
It’s touching and very human, especially that it’s somewhat the story of the director herself, Klaudia Reynicke.
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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