2012
Thursday 26-
Unfair world, Pilippos Tsitos, Greece, 4
Sotiris is a policeman nearing retirement. His work consists of interrogating suspects.
One day, he decides he only wants to be just -
Dora,
an opportunistic cleaning lady, who just like everyone else is desperately trying
to keep her head above water in a bankrupt country, is the only person who can help
him. The tired policeman trusts her and they even seem to be falling in love. However,
time and again, Sotiris' desire for and faith in honesty is invalidated.
Mercado de futuras, Mercedes Alvarez, Spain, 3
The Greek poet Simonides of Ceos is remembered for his fabulous memory and as the
founder of mnemonics. In Futures Market, Simonides’ reflections constitute the backbone
of the commentary-
The film shows an old house being divested of its valuable contents,
which then end up at a second-
Les Geants, Bouli Lanners, België, 5
Smoking weed, joyriding, stealing food: the ‘giants’ from the title are full of mischief. It’s a languid summer vacation in the Ardennes mountains of Belgium and the three teenage boys Zak, Seth and Dany have been left to their own devices by their parents. Without a penny in their pocket, they have to fend for themselves. The ideal recipe for an exciting boys book: a series of fairytale adventures in woodlands and over meandering rivers in which not only the local drug dealer and Dany's crazy brother, but also three pigs, angry wolves and a good fairy turn up.
Hoi no tuve miedo, Ivan Fund, Argentina,1
Boring movie. In the first half of this intimate study of everyday life on the outskirts of a small provincial town, we follow the sisters Ara and Marian and their girlfriend Belén with her dog Lulu.
Friday 27-
The day he arrives, Hong Sang Soo, , 4
Hong volgt, in charmant zwart-
The Day He
Arrives is een soort Groundhog Day, waarin Seongjun een aantal actrices en zijn ex-
Ace Attorney, Miike Takashi, 4
Among all the comedy and sci-
Le havre, Aki Kaurismaki, 5
An optimistic fairytale about a selfish old man who betters his life by helping a
young African refugee. Heartwarming and drily comic scenes in the French port of
Le Havre show the soft side of Kaurismäki. Finnish submission for the Oscars.
While
his Finnish wife is in hospital, the selfish old shoeshine Marcel Marx living in
the French port of Le Havre, takes an interest in an African kid who was in a container
on his way to his mother in London when the immigration service caught up with him.
The
hand of the master is immediately apparent in Aki Kaurismäki’s touching, comforting
and wryly comic drama Le Havre. With meticulously framed long shots and the sparse,
slightly absurd dialogues. And thanks to his characteristic bitter humour and the
special characters, played by Kaurismäki regulars such as André Wilms and Kati Outinen.
Monday 30-
Cousin, Syria, Mohammad Ali Atassi, 5
A very honest and interesting portrait of the Syrian dissident Riad al-
On the sand, under the sun, Mohamad MALAS, 3
Short documentary about political prisoners struggling to come to terms with haunting memories, produced for the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The film presents a reflection on the effects of prison in general and on the theatre director Ghassan Jbaii in particular. The artist used his work to come to terms with his haunting memories and regain the world outside the prison walls.
Room 514, Sharon Bar/Ziv, Israel, 5
In this disturbing, realistic debut a determined young female soldier interrogates
an officer. Contrary to her colleagues’ advice she accuses him of beating up an Arab
family. She perseveres against the abuse of power in the army.
Her colleagues, including
her lover, advise her to stop the case -
All the interrogations take place in room 514, where the sound
palette is formed only by voices and the air conditioning.
I met the director in the bar of the IFFR before and he invited me to come and see his movie. I admire him for making this film (his first at the age of 47)
Old dog, pema Tseden, Tibet, 3
Third feature by the front runner of Tibetan cinema, whose first short film was screened in Rotterdam. Without raising the tempo, he gets better and better. In this allegory, an old shepherd is angry at his son for selling their Tibetan mastiff, a popular dog race among rich Chinese people.
Un nuage dans un verre d´eau, France, Srinath C. Samarasinghe, 4
Young Anna is from Romania and old Noun is from Egypt. They are neighbours in a rundown
building in Paris. They share the same interest in idle news but they hate to talk
about themselves. Yet, old secrets are unveiled, little by little.A curious collection
of styles and genres focussed on an Egyptian film operator who passes his old age
in a small apartment in Paris. A Cloud in a Glass of Water starts as a documentary:
the grandson of Monsieur Noun films while the old man talks about his deceased lover
and the days when he screened films during the British rule in Cairo. Then Anna,
the woman next door becomes involved in the project.
From then on, the film ricochets
in different directions. Fiction, biography, animation, mystery, detective story
-
Sur la Planche, leila Kilani, Morocco, 3
After making a documentary about immigrants who risk the crossing from Tangier to
Europe, the breathtaking feature debut of Leïla Kilani is also about the bitter-
Badia and Imane are girlfriends
who peel prawns during the day in the factory and at night rob men under false pretences.
In the streets, they get to know Asma and Nadal, who have jobs in the Free Zone,
the European-
Kilani provides a raw and authentic
glimpse of the attempts of poor workers/petty thieves to get a better life. As moody
as dynamic
Tuesday 31-
Return to Burma, Midi Z, Myanmar, Birma,3
Xing-
Wuthering heights, Andrea Arnold, UK, 4
Andrea Arnold filmed Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights as the story was intended:
dark and sensual. Words are barely audible, eyes see eyes, skin touches skin when
no one is looking and the seething rain batters the windows. The heath outside is
like an unknown land, where the mansions from Brontë's original story have been replaced
by derelict farms, closed off from the world.
This eighteenth adaptation of the novel
turns Heathcliff into even more of an outsider than he already was, as a result of
casting the black actors Solomon Glave and James Howson as the young and older Heathcliff.
The mood is more hostile than ever: the first time the kid appears, he gets spat
in the face. Wuthering Heights was never about romantic love, Arnold stated in interviews,
but about obsession. She managed to capture that obsession, that uninhibited, destructive
energy.
Oslo, August 31st, Joachim Trier, Norway, 4
On the eve of his discharge from an addiction clinic, 34-
Thursday 2-
The Comedy, Rick Alverson, US, 4
Ageing hipster Swanson is about to receive his father’s inheritance, but doesn’t care. He hangs around and acts like a complete jerk. Nevertheless, he’s clearly in search of something to provide satisfaction. An indifferent hero in a fable about modern humanity. Nice acting.
A simple life, Ann Hui, Hong Kong, 5
A very meticulously observed and, as a result, very moving phase in the very ordinary
life of two very ordinary people -
A woman’s revenge, Rita Azevedo Gomes, Portugal, 4
Roberto is a handsome, wealthy man of the world. He is arrogant and easily bored.
Yet one evening his attention is attracted by a prostitute who turns out to be a
missing noblewoman. She tells her story: a marriage without passion, an affair, a
shocking murder and ultimate revenge.
The movie is extremely slow and more theater
than film. Still at the end it compensates for the long waiting . The story unfolds
and even becomes exciting. Well done.
Derniere séance, Laurent Achard, France, 3
With his pale face, penetrating gaze and inscrutable expression, which is both sad and scary, he could have walked straight out of one of the old classics of the silver screen. Sylvain is the cinephile operator of a small neighbourhood cinema. French Cancan (1954) by Jean Renoir is one of his favourites. But his love for film also has a darker side. At night, he turns into a chilling murderer who preys on women who wear earrings. We are worried sick about the young actress who is about to make her debut in the play Phèdre by Jean Racine and innocently falls in love with Sylvain. A bit too simple, but I enjoyed the film
Friday 3-
La Jubilade, Jairo Boisier Olave, Chili, 3
Appealing film about how ordinary people relate to each other in unusual situations.
Fabiola (played by Tony Manero actress Paola Lattus) returns to her birthplace, far
from Santiago, after seven years away. But there are still enough people who recognise
her from her work as a porn actress.
The title of the film refers both to Fabiola’s
father as to herself: at the age of 30 she turned her back on her career as a porn
actress in Santiago de Chile and has returned to her parental home, where her father
lives with her elder sister Gina.
Fabiola is initially not welcomed with open arms;
Gina is not keen to have someone who interferes with her tightly organised housekeeping.
It soon becomes clear to Fabiola that it isn’t easy to leave her professional past
behind her. Moises, who offers her a job, turns out to be interested in more, and
others also seem to only regard her as the lust object she once was.
While Fabiola
tries to improve conditions and relationships at home, an unlikely yet honest relationship
develops with the 16-
Hello, mr Tree, Han Jie, China, 3
Rapid urbanisation in China, seen through slightly absurdist spectacles. A mining
company takes over a dusty village in the Chinese hinterland and the inhabitants
are sent to the settlement New Sun City that still has to be built. At first the
pressure is gentle.The sleepy and rather unworldly Mr Shu -
The film is rather vague and not very entertaining.
Saturday 4-
Romance Joe, Lee Kwang-
Complicated but rather nice film. A filmmaker with writer's block is given stories
by a fun-
It may even start with Romance Joe's squabbling
parents. In all these intertwined stories, we keep seeing a different narrator. For
instance, Romance Joe himself remembers a childhood love that he never dared to pursue.
Then there’s the little boy who is looking for his mother who ran away...
In
Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau, 4
A primary-
Triton |
Study time |
Erasmus work |
Economic affairs |
Foreign Affairs |
Finance / Euro |
EU enlargement |
Global health |
WHO |
Verspilling |
Palliative care |
Comparing LTC |
Ageing |
Support |
NY marathon |
Balkan Blues |
Paris Texas |
Camping with lions |
Barcelona - Villareal |
Kazachstan |
Zweden |
Belfast |
euro |
Bedelen om rust |
bedelen h1 |
bedelen h2 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
Freathening |
Cosmology |
faces |
summaries |