Tag: World Cinema

Awards, Female Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Indie Film, Reviews, Short Film, Women in Film, World Cinema

Femme Filmmakers Festival Review 7: Freedom Swimmer

Year: 2022 Runtime: 15 minutes Director: Olivia Martin-McGuire By Joan Amenn “Freedom Swimmer” (2022) is a gut-wrenching film about fleeing oppression as well as a lyrical visual poem. This ying yang of narration combined with montage and animation creates a unique and powerful documentary that will haunt you long after the last frame. As the film recounts, from 1950 to 1980 two million refugees swam … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival Review 7: Freedom Swimmer

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Film Reviews, Indie Film, World Cinema

Film Review: Son of Monarchs

Year: 2020 Runtime: 97 minutes Director: Alexis Gambis Writer: Alexis Gambis Actors: Tenoch Huerta, Noe Hernandez, Alexia Rasmussen, William Mapother By Tom Moore Outside of filmmaking, writer/director Alexis Gambis also works as a biologist and his newest film, “Son of Monarchs”(2021), brings these two worlds together in a personal story about facing past trauma. The film follows a Mexican biologist living in America named Mendel … Continue reading Film Review: Son of Monarchs

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Halloween, Retrospect Reviews, World Cinema

Nosferatu: A Bold Vision of a Familiar Story

a story become too familiar? After almost a century of Dracula narratives, whether they are adapted directly from the Bram Stoker novel or not, the character and his arc feels as familiar as a family heirloom, passed down the generations. This is part of why F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” is the adaptation of the
story I come back to more often than any other- Murnau’s film feels like an oddity, like that weird uncle you don’t really want to talk about. And yet, it still has a place in the family, because the DNA remains constant. Continue reading Nosferatu: A Bold Vision of a Familiar Story

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Female Characters, Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Feminism, Reviews, World Cinema

Caramel: Using the Patriarchy to Explore Female Identity in the public and private spheres: Review

Year: 2007 Runtime: 96 minutes Director: Nadine Labaki Writers: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, and Rodney Al Haddad Actors: Nadine Labaki , Yasmine Al Masri , Joanna Moukarzel, Gisèle Aouad , Adel Karam , Aziza Semaan and Siham Haddad By Jillian Chilingerian Caramel isn’t just a sweet, gooey substance used for waxing. Directed and written by Nadine Labaki, “Caramel” (2007) shares a glimpse into the lives … Continue reading Caramel: Using the Patriarchy to Explore Female Identity in the public and private spheres: Review

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LGBTQ Cinema, Reviews, World Cinema

Review: Beanpole

Perhaps it goes without saying that the Russian historical drama “Beanpole” (2019) is bleak. Directed by Kantemir Balagov, it’s a look at Leningrad after World War II as soldiers trickle back in from the front and people try to put their lives back together after the trauma of war. However, nothing could have prepared me for how twisted and depressing the film is. Continue reading Review: Beanpole

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Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Film Reviews, Reviews, Women in Film

Review: Beginning (Dasatskisi)

“Beginning” (2020) is a hypnotic and disquieting debut feature by Georgian director Déa Kulumbegashvili. Having made waves at San Sebastian it has been selected as Georgia’s entry for the Best International Feature award at the 2021 Oscars. Shot in 35mm, the strength and intensity of the direction in particular makes for a very a striking film. Continue reading Review: Beginning (Dasatskisi)

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Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, World Cinema

Review: Song Without a Name

“Song Without a Name” (2020) confronts the persistent horror of child trafficking that has been ongoing in Peru for decades. It is a gut-wrenching situation but the film has strangely few emotionally evocative moments. As a debut film, it is an impressive achievement but could have been even more powerful with just a little more focus on the heart of the story, Georgina (Pamela Mendoza). Continue reading Review: Song Without a Name

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Retrospect Reviews, World Cinema

Noirvember Retrospective Review: as tears go by (1988)

This strange age we’ve found ourselves in–lockdowns and quarantines abound–has granted me the opportunity to dive deep into the oeuvre of Hong Kong’s cinema god, Wong Kar-Wai. “As Tears Go By” marked Wong’s debut to film two decades ago; with it, was the emergence of an auteur–as well as a resounding Honk Kong new wave. I saw this film for the first time yesterday. Seeing as this month’s Their League theme is “Noirvember”, a piece on this gem appeared to be apropos . Continue reading Noirvember Retrospective Review: as tears go by (1988)

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