Bio (in German):
Saturday 29 October 2022
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)
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Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.
Intense and intricate tale of a downward spiral, all told straightforwardly in chapters and in an almost exhilarated style, enhanced by Anna Karina's marvelously convincing and mesmerizing performance is arguably one of Godard's greatest masterpieces.
Maltin***: "Complex, fascinating 12-chapter portrait of a prostitute..., told in a documentary style. Probing look at the manner in which women and men view one another - and a celluloid valentine to Karina, upon whose mere presence Godard seems to be transfixed."
Thursday 27 October 2022
Sanshô dayû (1954)
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In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.
Harrowing drama on a epic scale is told with skilled direction and beautiful cinematography.
Halliwell***: "A tough tale of oppression and injustice, sacrifice and redemption, told simply but with great skill, the beauty of its images alleviating some of the narrative's harshness, but not its power."
Maltin****: "Epic, poetic drama...Haunting, with stunning direction and cinematography..."
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Saturday 22 October 2022
Das geheime Leben der Bäume (2020)
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When Peter Wohlleben published his book "The Hidden Life of Trees" in 2015, he quickly entered bestseller lists. The forester wrote vividly about his experience that trees are able to communicate with each other, a thesis explored here.
Fairly interesting documentary is more a portrait of the author than a serious and barely scientifically based presentation of its actual topic: the trees.
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Thursday 20 October 2022
El río y la muerte (1954)
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In a backward village where members of two rival families have kept killing each other for generations, a young doctor is expected to avenge his father.
Although more conventionally made, this Buñuel film is highly dramatic and even shocks with its relentless depiction of the horrifying events, all committed in the name of a dubious family tradition.
Friday 14 October 2022
Nico, 1988 (2017)
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The last year of singer Nico's life, as she tours and grapples with addiction and personal demons.
Remarkable bio-pic successfully focuses on the last year of the singer Nico/Christa Päffgen, a complex, controversial, but also fascinating character with Trine Dyrholm giving a breathtakingly convincing performance.
Tuesday 11 October 2022
Au poste! (2018)
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Police officers at a station must solve a murder case.
Madcap, nearly surrealist comedy surprises with swift absurd twists and is sometimes hilariously funny, but sometimes a bit irritating as well.
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Monday 10 October 2022
Nuit et brouillard (1956)
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The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
(Meanwhile) classic, important early documentary is a solemn, thoughtful and stirring depiction of the Nazis, presenting shocking footage that (at the time) was largely not yet realized by its audience.
Halliwell*: "An official film of great dignity."
Sunday 9 October 2022
La jetée (1962)
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The story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.
A masterpiece short film tells its haunting and mesmerizing sci-fi story in exquisitely composed images and is enormously effective with a mind-boggling ending.
Thursday 6 October 2022
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