And it lands in a place that feels true and even moving. It’s a film that’s understandably almost in awe of what women have to go through to make another human being. We’ve seen so many films that put motherhood on a pedestal, and no one is suggesting it shouldn’t be, but “Babes” is more … Read more
CUIFF’s official lineup won’t be revealed until the festival itself, but you can get a sneak peek of them in the trailer embedded below. “I am really excited to see the festival transition from startup to an established event,” said Max Libman, the founder of CUIFF and a senior in high school at Academy High. … Read more
While they provide the skeleton of the narrative, the visual component of “Memories of a Burning Body” is handled by a few actors, primarily Sol Carballo, who act out the powerful recollections provided by the subject. The moment when they met their first love or when they challenged for a divorce is depicted with delightful … Read more
Instead, the first chapter, entitled “The Doctor,” leaps into a Chicago hospital where a tearful Amira (Yasmine Al Massri) in a tiny office begins to recall Aleppo, Syria, nine years ago, where she was a combat physician mending bodies broken by a horrific Civil War. Despite the extremist nationalism happening around her, punctuated by killing … Read more
It’s worthy of that lofty placement: “Punishment” is a rock ’em, sock ’em edition that pretty much delivers all the open-hand slaps, booming punches, and flying knees to the head you want. For Ma’s latest case, he must fulfill a promise to a grieving mother who lost her son to an online gambling syndicate. The … Read more
Scorsese has long been instrumental in championing and restoring Powell and Pressburger’s films. (And many others’: At the tribute, Wenders called Scorsese’s Film Foundation “a Noah’s Ark of film heritage.”) But “Made in England,” which goes nearly feature by feature through their careers, is a stunning compendium that gets to the heart of what made … Read more
The only Palestinian film programmed for Berlinale is from a collective composed of Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal with Israeli colleagues Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. It captures the destruction of a West Bank community whose origins can be tracked to the 1830s. While the filming of “No Other Land” began during Summer … Read more
The latter consideration is a lens that feels particular to Diop’s desire to give voice to the most disaffected. In this case, it’s item #26 of the artifacts, a King Ghezo statue, who speaks in a low distorted voice about the scarring that occurred when he was ripped away from home. He mostly speaks when … Read more
Much could be said of how adventurous Mara is here and how exacting every member of this deep ensemble assumes their part — but it’s Carmona, playing a man in clear agony, who’s every word is delivered with cataclysmic intent that always draws our interest. When he finally blows, unleashing a cathartic primal scream that … Read more
While Ms. Lia and Achi’s tall task forms half the story — how likely is it to find Ms. Lia’s niece in a metropolitan area with only an outdated address in hand? — an equally undaunted Evrim (Deniz Dumanli) forms the rewarding second half. A former trans sex worker turned legal volunteer, Evrim helps during … Read more