The Zone of Interest (2023)

Direction: Jonathan Glazer
Country: UK / other

In The Zone of Interest, British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, known for Birth (2004) and Under the Skin (2013), delivers his finest film to date, a loose adaptation of Martin Amis' novel that rightfully earns the accolade of Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. This visually arresting and original work centers around the diligent Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel) and his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), who reside in their idyllic dream house adjacent to the concentration camp. Shot on location, predominantly with natural light, the film masterfully juxtaposes the serene family life of the couple with the harrowing reality of genocidal atrocities occurring just beyond their property fence.

The characters’ examination is done patiently and incisively within a narrative that doesn’t rely on explicitness to convey its message. The film’s opening scenes are evocative of Jean Renoir’s bucolic A Day in Country, only to swiftly confront the audience with a different reality: the banality of evil. This is done with such a discretion it becomes creepy. There’s family and well-founded dreams on one side, and then selfishness, privilege, and indifference on the other.

Polish cinematographer Lukasz Zal, who previously worked with Pawel Pawlikowski in Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018), contributes to the film’s visual allure with exquisite compositional finesse and meticulous attention to detail. His framing effectively captures the narrative's haunting atmosphere, punctuated by dreamy sequences in negative black and white that offer glimpses of compassion amidst the darkness. Despite these brief moments, it’s all very disturbing and fiercely unsentimental. 

The Zone of Interest isn't your high-octane WWII thriller, emerging instead as a spellbinding and unsettling meditation on personal dreams and silent crimes. It’s a powerful and memorable affair that, offering a different perspective of the Holocaust, may feel oppressive despite the absence of explicit violence. Benefitting from impressive performances by the pair of German actors, Glazer portrays this drama with the dazzling smoothness of a movie-making natural.

Dune: Part 2 (2024)

Direction: Denis Villeneuve
Country: USA

Clocking in at a substantial two hours and 46 minutes, the highly anticipated sequel to Dune proves to be a captivating and daring work that surpasses its predecessor. It stands as a pure marvel, leaving audiences speechless with cinematic qualities bound to linger long after the credits roll. 

Directed with ferocity by Denis Villeneuve, the film pushes the envelope with its gripping dark atmosphere, suspenseful hunts and ambushes, intricate rituals and prophecies, psychedelic imagery, and exhilarating fights set against magnificent backdrops. 

In this grandiose adaptation of Frank Herbert’s adventurous saga, Paul Atreides, portrayed with compelling depth by Timothée Chalamet, joins forces with the Fremen tribe, confirming his role as the prophesied leader they have been awaiting. His journey includes daunting challenges such as riding a giant sandworm - a scene described by the director as the most complex he has ever filmed - and facing off against the sadistic Baron Vladimir Hakkonen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his ambitious and ruthless nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). Amidst these trials, Paul also finds love with the rebellious Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya), but their relationship is threatened by the uncertain fate of the universe.

While the film boasts elaborate storytelling, it never veers into indulgence. The incorporation of abstraction amidst its dense layers adds depth, while still delivering all the impact one would expect from a breathtaking sci-fi adventure. Hans Zimmer’s ominous gothic score further heightens the intensity of each scene, contributing to the film’s overall strength.

Dune: Part 2 stands as the apotheosis of Villeneuve's directorial signature within the sci-fi genre - a tremendous display of full-throttle filmmaking that mesmerizes with its clever stylization, unwavering attention to detail, and grandiose visuals. Sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in this unmissable epic space opera.

Poor Things (2023)

Direction: Yorgos Lanthimos
Country: USA

Greek-born filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is able to keep audiences in giddy laughter or shocking horror. Known for his unique storytelling in films like Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015), and The Favourite (2018), he presents his latest black comedy, Poor Things. Adapted from Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, the film is written by Tony McNamara and features a stellar cast, including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, and Ramy Youssef.

The film follows the story of Bella (Stone), a candid young Victorian woman brought back to life by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe). With newfound free will, Bella embarks on a journey of self-discovery, choosing to explore life with its pleasures and challenges. Her unconventional choices, including running away with lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Ruffalo), will teach her many things, ultimately sending her back to an unimaginable past of darkness.

Gorgeously rendered, the film offers a smart and eccentric exploration of society and the human experience. An ambitious idea framed with visual distinction and spirited performances, where vertiginous philosophical foundations merge with a strong determination in self-learning and sexual liberation. This sinister tale is hilarious in spots, persistently full of life (despite dealing with death), and provocative as the hip filmmaker likes to shape his off-kilter comedies. 

With its moody soundscape by Jerkin Fendrix and superb cinematography by Robbie Ryan, Poor Things is the standout unconventional comedy of the year. Lanthimos continues to surprise audiences with his daring imagination, offering a fresh and intoxicating cinematic experience.

Close (2023)

Direction: Lukas Dhont
Country: Belgium / France / Netherlands

Lukas Dhont’s sophomore feature, Close, is an unheralded gem of a motion picture, and one of the most authentic depictions of teenage tragedy in memory. If the 31-year-old Belgian director, a specialized artisan in filming adolescence and the quest for identity, had made a name for himself with Girl (2018), he now takes a huge leap forward with a deeply moving drama about two inseparable 13-year-old friends, whose special connection is suddenly disrupted in the face of the quick judgment shown by their schoolmates. Tragedy leads to guilt, whose corrosiveness is deterrent to a normal life. 

It’s impossible not to be taken in by this devastating and powerful film marked by standout nuanced performances from the two young leads, Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele. One simply finds perfection in their acting debuts.

Finely framed and tightly constructed, the film deals with emotions that swell significantly in non-flashy ways. Every occasion is clearly expressed, including the beautiful scenes between mothers and sons. I found the payoff considerably higher here than in the majority of movies about the same topic. One thing is certain: after watching Close, you won't forget its protagonists such is the intimacy and pain associated with their interactions. 

While working on the thoughtful screenplay, Dhont drew inspiration from the book Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection by psychology professor Niobe Way. His formidable film was the recipient of Cannes Grand Prix and lingers in my head since I’ve watched it.

Past Lives (2023)

Direction: Celine Song
Country: USA 

First-time feature director Celine Song captures an amazing story about two people who share an uncontrollably strong connection over the course of their lives. Past Lives has an autobiographical touch and offers a memorable cinematic experience well worth having. How many love stories can say they've spanned decades and crossed borders? The overall feeling here is almost ethereal and memory-like but also achingly earthly, which makes this drama alluring and emotionally rich. The director, who goes off the beaten path to film the very deep essence of a platonic relationship, nourishes this tone of disillusion and unfulfillment that coats the entire film. It’s all for an intended purpose. 

The story follows inseparable childhood friends Na Young and Hae Sung, who, at the age 12, lose track of each other when Na Young emigrates with her artist parents to Canada. 12 years later, they reconnect again through Facebook - she lives in New York, works as a playwright, and changed her name to Nora (Great Lee); he remained in Seoul all those years but plans to learn Mandarin in China. Despite acting like lovers, they lose contact once again due to distance and career commitments. Another 12 years have passed and they finally meet when Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), who works a regular job, visits New York. She’s now married to Arthur (John Magaro), an American writer. How will they react to this confused state of affairs? 

Past Lives is keenly observed, expertly mounted, and marvelously acted. The build-up gains slow momentum but once it finds its rhythm, the film takes off to positively devastating places that will make your heart grow three sizes while watching it. Distilling its charm with delicacy and introspection, this is a work of refreshing maturity. The director treads through heartfelt territory with authenticity and a no-holds-barred understanding of the complexities of the situation.

EO (2022)

Direction: Jerzy Skolimowski
Country: Poland / Italy

The ingenious 84-year-old Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, who directed peculiar dramas such as Deep End (1970), The Shout (1978), and Four Nights With Anna (2008), returns with the spectacular EO. Centered on the life of a donkey, the film makes for a unique and rewarding cinematic experience, conjuring up Robert Bresson’s masterpiece Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) while heading away from it by designating its own philosophical anthropomorphism and sensory-charged experimentation. 

The film is challenging, not too obvious, and delineated with multiple levels of human complexity. It’s a disconsolate portrait of humanity in the guise of a donkey’s journey painted with red-filtered dreams, life instinct, a lot of resilience in the face of adversity, and inescapable freedom, which is also the essence of Skolimowski’s enthralling cinema. 

The exquisite cinematography by Michael Dymek (Nocturnal, 2019; Sweat, 2020) is absolutely stunning, pairing up with Pawel Mykietyn’s adequate score, and Isabelle Huppert shines a light by the end as a wealthy French countess who faces emotional dilemmas.

The humor, dark enough to merit special attention, arrives unexpectedly in batches, making this moving ballad of fate and suffering even more irresistible. EO sounds an alarm for animal mistreatment while taking a painful look at the malice and cruelty present in our brutal society. Deservedly awarded in Cannes, the film establishes a connection with the viewer, sending us back violently to our mediocrity.

Aftersun (2022)

Direction: Charlotte Wells
Country: UK / USA 

From the first sequence of Aftersun, the remarkable directorial debut by Charlotte Wells, when the 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) asks her dad, Calum (Paul Mescal), if his current life matches the one he dreamed of when he was her age, one can tell that something is wrong. Father and daughter spend some good time together in a resort in Turkey. It’s clear that Calum, who is in his 30s, will soon leave home and his family. Having a strong bond with Sophie, who shares a deep understanding of his volatile emotional states, he does everything to make their summer vacation perfect. But every little annoyance seems to affect him more than it should, and his mood darkens as the days go by.

There’s a languishing warmth here but also something so sad and melancholy that we feel it deep inside our chests. Watching this is like having a constant lump in your throat; memories that break your heart; a nearly consummate rendering of an affectionate remembrance. It’s a genuinely moving and mature film where the precision of feelings and the subtlety of the states of mind are precious. After acknowledging the success of the Scottish director, both in form and content, I felt the urge to revisit her film and extract more from the remarkable simplicity and delicacy with which is made. Everything here suggests an autobiographical story, but personal or not, the result is so complete and with a contemporary bent that the names of Joanna Hogg and Mia Hansen-Love crossed my mind.

Aftersun is a ripe, sensitive and slightly mysterious drama film served by great actors and crystallized by a rigorous staging and a deeper sense of observation. Evolving slowly but with enchantment, the film will reward patient viewers with its magnificent unfolding and nostalgic conclusion. Crediting Barry Jenkins, the director of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, as one of its producers, and boasting a stunning soundtrack, Aftersun is simply memorable at all fronts. The purity of look makes it a 2022 highlight.

Tár (2022)

Direction: Todd Field
Country: USA 

Earnestly told and entirely convincing, Tár is a masterstroke by Todd Field, a director always on the lookout to take the viewer into breathtaking emotional whirlwinds. Inactive since 2006 (after masterful dramas such as In the Bedroom and Little Children), Field will make people wondering if the film was actually inspired by real events, such is the precision of detail and exactitude of information - the film starts with a marvelous interview with the New Yorker’s journalist Adam Gopnik, in which we learn Tar’s considerations about time in music, interpretation and feelings.

Elegantly mounted, his tale of intrigue works like a thriller, presenting us an intelligent post-pandemic journey, whose protagonist - an interesting yet desensitized avant-garde female conductor seriously inspired by Gustav Mahler - exerts abuse of power, tricky manipulation and favoritism. It's bursting with brainy tension, machinations and emotional turmoils, grabbing us from start to finish. The main reason for the film success is Cate Blanchett, who delivers a rock-solid, high-class performance, illuminating every single shot with her acting prowess. For now, I couldn’t think of any other actress than her for the Oscars. 

Just like the music by Hildur Guðnadóttir, the cruel learning story penetrates our soul with entrancing captivation and ravishing violence. The overall story arc is realistically complemented with surgical dialogues and striking visual compositions in a timeless contemporary drama to be remembered for its immense qualities. One can finally rejoice with what have been missing from the movies these days: authenticity and intelligence.

The Quiet Girl (2022)

Direction: Colm Bairéad
Country: Ireland 

The Quiet Girl, a warmhearted Irish drama of superior quality, chews over love and care, enhancing their positive effects on the development of a young girl. The film is a mark of extraordinary promise from Colm Bairéad, a debutant filmmaker whose future works we want to keep an eye on. 

Employing a powerful simplicity in the process, Bairéad tells the story of Cáit (Catherine Clinch), a restrained and sensitive 9-year-old girl who tries to hide from everybody. Both her mood and behavior change completely during the summer of 1981, when she leaves her impoverished, dysfunctional family to spend a couple of months on a farm with estranged relatives (Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett).  

Generating empathy and honesty at every second, The Quiet Girl is a memorable film, not only for the way it’s mounted, but for going against the trendy themes of pessimism, hatred, dystopia, and chaos that consume most of the movies made today. The frames are captured with a rare sensitivity that makes you read and feel the protagonists’ emotions. For this particularity, much contributed the impeccable performances from all members of the cast, a surefooted direction, and an outstanding cinematography.

As subtle and delicate as an affectionate embrace, this is a beautiful film, whose story provides a heartbreaking insight into the different roles people may have in one’s life. The medium is love, and you always feel when it’s present or not. The exceptionally controlled storytelling avoids excessive pathos, but don’t feel surprised if the gracious, bittersweet finale moves you to tears.

This is Not a Burial, it's a Resurrection (2022)

Direction: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Country: Lesotho / South Africa / other

41-year-old filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese was born in Lesotho, a small country entirely landlocked in the territory of South Africa. Being the first representative of his country in terms of cinema, he stands out with This is Not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection, a remarkable work in which he directs a mix of professional and non-professional actors. The heroine of this poignant meditation on the new and the old, tradition and capitalism, birth and death, is the 83-year-old South African actress Mary Twala, who commands the screen with authenticity and simplicity.

She is the forever-mournful Mantoa, the oldest person in Nasaretha, a small remote village nestled in the mountains of Lesotho. When the construction of a dam threatens to submerge the valley and the graves of her ancestors, Mantoa takes the lead, becoming a fierce symbol of resistance in her community. The poetic and moving portrait of this woman and her people is enhanced here by the beautiful natural settings. Judge the magnificent shots for yourself. Some of them feel almost biblical, like the one with the old woman surrounded by sheep in the ruins of a house consumed by fire; or the one she dresses up with clothes given to her by her late husband, waiting and praying for her day to come. 

Hypnotic and haunting from start to finish, the film is ultimately so genuine it's hard to resist. The tragic story it holds deeply shakes, provoking a deep feeling of injustice and helplessness. We feel we are seeing a fair attempt to deal with real facts, a world ready to collapse at any moment. All my heart was with Mantoa, an admirable fighter whose courage is unforgettable. This is a lucid and rare survival cry.

You Won't Be Alone (2022)

Direction: Goran Stolevski
Country: Australia / UK

Sharply crafted with a fabulous style and hair-rising tone, You Won’t Be Alone is the impressive feature debut from Australian-Macedonian writer-director Goran Stolevski, who shows high quality in the way he handles the story. And because of that, his future works will automatically be put on my watch list. More interested in deepening the ominous vibes of chilling folklore than startling us through wild scenes, Stolevski signs one of the most striking films about witchery of the last decade. 

The film thrives with impeccable acting, accuracy in the settings, intelligence in the script, and powerful social commentary. It comes with pleasures big and small. Set in a mountainous Macedonian village in the 19th century, the story starts with the kidnapping of a baby girl by an ancient spirit (Anamaria Marinca). Marked to be a witch, she grows up in the depths of the earth, fated to follow the evil being that took her away from her real mother. When the time comes, this now-adult woman learns about her bloody necessities, the art of shapeshifting, and how to dress in corpses. However, an exceptional curiosity about what it feels to be human makes her choose societal ‘prison’ instead of merely killing for blood. 

The production values are outstanding, starting with the first-class cinematography by Matthew Chuang (he gives us wonderful fields of depth and close ups) and ending with the outstanding score by Mark Bradshaw. The fascinating You Won’t Be Alone grabbed me and didn't let go until the very last minute. It’s absorbing, enigmatic and satisfying in ways that are out of the ordinary.

Azor (2021)

Direction: Andreas Fontana
Country: Switzerland / Argentina / France

Meticulously observed and presented with a pronounced sense of discomfiture, Azor is a perceptive, slow-burning thriller that exposes a fragile Argentina in the middle of a bank crisis and torn apart by an austere dictatorship. 

The year is 1980. Yvan De Wiel (Fabrizio Rongione), a Swiss private banker from Geneva, arrives in Buenos Aires with his supportive wife, Inés (Stephanie Cléau). His purpose is to regain the trust of his clients after the sudden disappearance of a charismatic partner, René Keys (Alain Gegenschatz), while operating in the city. Displaying hopes and insecurities along the way, De Wiel soon learns about the rumors that Keys was eccentric and depraved. He brings a list of important contacts with him, including the confrontational Anibal Farrell (Ignacio Vila), the accessible widow Lacrosteguy (Carmen Iriondo), the bitter Augusto Padel-Camon (Juan Trench), the risk-taking Monsignor Tatoski (Pablo Torre Nilson), and a mysterious person called Lazaro. What’s great here is that one has to slowly dig for answers until reaching a final conclusion. 

Among many admirable aspects, I’m hopelessly smitten with the filmmaking process, which makes every scene subtle, methodical and unnerving. I’m compelled to mention that this is the first feature by Andreas Fontana, and under his command, the film unfolds through realistic, powerful acting all around. Yet, acting-wise, it’s Rongione (the Belgian actor who earned credibility with the Dardenne Brothers) who stands out, breathing honesty while portraying a sober and attentive gentleman. 

Azor is an intriguing and fascinating account with a few crossroads and an unimaginable finale. It’s one of the year’s most cohesive films, and it holds up to repeated viewings.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Direction: Joel Coen
Country: USA

The peerless American filmmaker Joel Coen (Barton Fink, 1991; Fargo, 1996; No Country For Old Men, 2007) goes solo for the first time in The Tragedy of Macbeth. Apparently, his brother Ethan resolved to retire from making movies, if not forever, at least temporarily. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a widely known tragedy that has been taken to the screen by equally adroit directors such as Orson Welles (1948), Akira Kurosawa and Roman Polanski (1971), who, with their own vision, depicted the ambition, guilt, fate, and human suffering that mark the work.

The plot here remains unaltered, but this stylistically somber version got all the moments one would wish for, becoming a vehicle perfectly tailored for Coen’s peculiar eye, Bruno Delbonnel’s finely calibrated black-and-white photography, and strangely captivating performances by Denzel Washington as the powerful Scottish general-turned-tyrant Macbeth, and Frances McDormand as his scheming wife.

Wisely framed, the film is a feast of oblique catches, unexpected architectural forms, and misty Scotland landscapes where the characters appear and disappear in the fog. The minimal settings make the characters look like giants in huge empty rooms; their shadows projected on the walls to a creepy effect. Viewers are, in this sense, subsumed into Coen’s perspective, having the opportunity to enjoy entrancing moments of wicked conspiracy, madness, and ruthless killing. 

The Tragedy of Macbeth is at once wonderful and exasperating; a demented and beautiful delight shaped with risk-taking boldness and considerable maturation in the proceedings. As the Witches would say, “seek to know no more” and watch the film yourself.

The Rescue (2021)

Direction: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Country: USA

The Rescue is an absolutely must-see documentary about 12 young soccer players (aged 11 to 16) and their 25-year-old coach who got trapped in a flooded cave in Northern Thailand during the monsoon season. The occurrence took place on June 23, 2018, and has moved the world, with people from everywhere setting foot in the Chiang Rai province where the Tham Luang Nam Non cave is located. With the danger looming, some never-attempted measures were implemented to make this a successful operation involving experts to volunteers. 

The directors and marital partners, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, did another great job here, following up praised works such as Meru (2015) and Free Solo (2018). They narrate the facts with the help of footage, interviews and several explanatory images that don’t leave margin for doubt. Further detail emerges about the difficulties and pressure encountered on site, the myth and creeds behind the operations, and the diligence and generosity of many people, including the skillful English cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen (true heroes who risked their lives), and the Australian Dr. Richard Harris, who besides being an experienced diver, was fundamental from a medical point of view. 

Suspenseful and powerful from minute one until the end, the film provides a harrowing look at how an apparently safe gathering could veer into a nerve-racking, life-threatening situation. It’s also a moving scenario of perseverance and faith. One advice, though: watch it with precaution if you’re claustrophobic and prone to panic attacks.

Drive My Car (2021)

Direction: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Country: Japan 

This strangely affecting drama directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi produces a flash of quiet brilliance that resonates steadily throughout the engrossing three-hour session. Slowly mesmerizing, Drive My Car brings many rewards in what is an interesting adaptation of a short story by the Japanese writer Hakumi Murakami. Hamaguchi, who co-wrote with Takamasa Oe, modified it with cleverness and gave it extra depth by virtue of delicate gestures and a timeless grace. 

The self-aware and fluid storytelling is at the base of huge moments of cinema, bringing personal life drama and professional theater together, as we follow the sad path and ultimate liberation of Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a theater director and actor consumed by loss and guilt. This man lost his beloved wife (Reika Kirishima), a respected screenwriter, shortly after finding out she was betraying him with a younger actor, Koji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada). Two years later, the director takes the latter as his student during a residency in Hiroshima. Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya is to be performed. Despite the painful memories this situation brings, he finds some relief in his competent new female chauffeur, Misaki (Toko Miura). She is a 23-year-old from a small village in Hokkaido with a complex past and a similar trauma to heal.

This is Hamaguchi’s 2021 double achievement, after having drawn attention with the anthology romantic drama Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. Despite of the possible traps in the material, he was able to maintain a rigorously unsentimental tone here, and mounted each scene like a virtuoso of restraint with the assistance of cinematographer Hidetoshi Shinomiya.

The film won the Best Screenplay award in Cannes, a totally deserved accolade for setting an incredibly subtle example of cinematic virtuosity and poetry.

Passing (2021)

Direction: Rebecca Hall
Country: USA

Rebecca Hall, a British actress most known for her roles in Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008), Christine (2016) and the recent The Night House (2021), deserves praise for her directorial debut. Passing is a remarkably poignant drama based on the novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. She adapted this meaty story with a slow-burn intensity, building it with cleverness and elegance to a shattering conclusion.

The story, set in the 20s, hits the stride when two mixed-race childhood friends bump into each other in New York after 12 years with no contact. Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Claire (Ruth Negga) apparently managed to have the life they’ve ever wanted, even taking opposite directions. The former is responsible, transparent and reserved, and still lives in Harlem as an upper-middle-class black woman with her doctor husband, Brian (André Holland). The latter, ambitious and outgoing, “passes” for white, and moved to Chicago after marrying John (Alexander Skarsgård), a wealthy white businessman with racist inclinations. This unexpected reconnection brings rapture and adversity in different proportions.

The film raises the flag on racial discrimination and class differences, but adds something more; something about the true nature of a person. The cast is faultless, with Thompson and Nagga at their best, while Hall reveals a surprising maturity behind the camera. The shots, consistently ravishing, are perfected with the beautiful tonal contrasts of Eduard Grau’s black-and-white photography. Together with the emotional strength and quality of the story, they make Passing an unshowy, instant classic not to be missed.

Quo Vadis Aida? (2021)

Direction: Jasmila Zbanic
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jasmila Zbanic’s Quo Vadis, Aida? is an enthralling, terrifying look at the barbarian 1995 genocide of Srebenica, when the Bosnian Serb Army killed 8,372 innocent Bosnian muslims during the Bosnian War. Rather than a generic account of the events, the film centers on the personal experience of the wife, mother, teacher and UN translator Aida Selmanagic (what a ferocious performance by Jasna Djuricic!), who fights like a true lioness in a desperate attempt to save her family. Although the film has been inspired by true events, its central character was fictionalized.

The treacherous General Ratko Mladic (Boris Isakovic), supreme commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, negotiates with the leader of the blue helmets, Major Franken (Raymond Thiry), who, despite the multiple recent attacks, keeps declaring the besieged enclave of Srebenica as a safe area. 

As the tension escalates, the UN camp, located in the outskirts of the city, becomes the only 'untouchable' place, and it's where 25000 unarmed Bosnians seek shelter as they fear for their lives. Nonetheless, the ominous feeling that a catastrophe is near seems to make both UN soldiers and civilians restless. 

The film, impeccably edited by Jaroslaw Kaminski (he worked with Pawlikowski in Ida and Cold War), unfolds as an effective nightmare that is suitably appalling in its historical context and extremely heartbreaking in terms of the family perspective. 

Sarajevo-born Zbanic, who is best known for the Berlin-winner drama film Grbavica (2006), has here her best film to date; an unforgettable experience capped off by an acerbic finale, and whose unflagging edginess and breathtaking stride will keep you petrified at all times.

About Endlessness (2020)

Direction: Roy Andersson
Country: Sweden

The singularity of Roy Andersson’s works has been casting a spell on viewers since the early 1970’s. Acclaimed works such as A Swedish Love Story (1970), Songs From the Second Floor (2000), You The Living (2007) and A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) have now the company of About Endlessness, his latest meditation on the human nature, which tells more about life than you might think.

The film, sketchy, simple and sublime, is structured with various vignettes - an envious man gets irritated because a former school mate doesn’t salute him; a priest who lost his faith keeps dreaming with his own crucifixion; two lovers fly over the city of Cologne in ruins; in a fish market, a jealous man slaps the woman he loves; a stressed out dentist abandons work as a patient screams with pain; in a coffee shop, a hopeful man asks all the present: ‘isn’t all this fantastic?’. 

These are some of the stories that the 77-year-old Swedish director prepared for us. They are made of encounters, lost people, uncomfortable waits, surrealism, nightmares, death, and trivial incidents. Attached to these elements we have feelings of regret, sadness, joy, resentment, anguish, all wrapped in a thin layer of sarcasm. It’s hard to imagine any other director depicting life and human nature this way, where there are parts of disarming sincerity counterbalanced by a nearly absurdist humor. 

The cascading imagery evokes deep feelings and some segments are deepened with classical and jazz music. It's a powerful film, equal parts defeatist and exultant.

Minari (2021)

Direction: Lee Isaac Chung
Country: USA

Writer-director Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical family drama set in 1980’s, Minari, is certainly a serious competitor for the best film of the year. Accumulating moments of truth and insight, the film follows a Korean-American family - Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun), his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) and their two kids, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim) - that relocates to rural Arkansas to start over again and try to fix what went wrong in California. The couple had already agreed and arranged the details to work at a local poultry farm, but living in a caravan in the middle of nowhere was sort of a shock for Monica, who expected more for a matured, married couple.

This option had to do entirely with Jacob’s dream of owning a 50-acre piece of land where he could grow Korean vegetables and sell to the immigrant community, a task he undertakes with the help of an ultra-religious local, Paul (Will Patton). Meanwhile, the sensitive seven-year-old David has a weak heart and his blood pressure needs to be monitored every day. His health starts to improve after the arrival of his atypical yet incredibly warm grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung), the responsible for the funniest situations in the film. 

This lovely piece of work combines dramatic sweep and aesthetic power, providing a sublimely moving experience that stays with us long after the final credits roll. It’s all very real, narrated with poise and shot with a glowing perspective that encompasses compassion, intimacy, suffering and resilience. A tough-minded tale that is impossible to resist as it expertly captures the daily life of these empathetic characters with candor. Only rarely is a film this observant, and it felt good to see that director Chung (Munyurangabo) didn't opt to sacrifice narrative identity in favor of tone. In this case, one can’t live without the other. The encouraging finale is left open to our imagination in a memorable portrait of an immigrant family in search of its own dream.

Soul (2020)

Direction: Pete Docter
Country: USA

Gifted writer/director Pete Docter has been a stalwart in the animation genre, gifting us with delightful features such as Monsters Inc. (2001), Up (2009), and Inside Out (2015). His latest gem, Soul, is another superbly crafted and keenly felt computer-animated spectacle that hypnotizes and captivates in its visual, sonic and emotional forms.

This time the story centers in a jazz pianist, Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), who refuses a full-time job with all the benefits as a teacher to follow his dream of gigging. His opportunity arrives when he is hired to join the celebrated saxophonist Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) in her residence at the Half Note (a recognizable illustration of the iconic NY venue The Village Vanguard). Unfortunately, on the day he was supposed to debut with the group, he has an accident while walking on the busy streets of New York. While in a state between life and death, his soul appears at the gates of the Great Beyond, but he will try to return to his body with the help of the unsettled, cynical Soul 22 (Tina Fey).

The film is about finding your own spark among all the troubles of having to live on Earth. Soulful in every aspect, the story is also a love letter to New York, warmly depicting its beauty and bustling activity - rats dragging pizza slices, people eating heros, characteristic barber shops, peculiar subway stations… it’s easy to grow deeply fond of a film that manages to keep things at the peak without ever descending to the valley.

Whereas the original music of the metaphysical sequences was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, both from Nine Inch Nails, the New York scenes had in pianist Jon Baptiste an original creator. 

Clever observations and funny lines deliciously intertwine in a eye-grabbing work of art that is both spiritually rich and terrestrially encouraging.