Samsara (2011)

Directed by: Ron Fricke
Country: USA

Review: Watching “Samsara” is one of those unique experiences that one shouldn’t miss. Without narrative, it follows the same approach of “Baraka” from 1992, which also had Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson (producer) as leading team. A picturesque world tour, where the beauty and joy of some images counterbalance with the sadness and disappointment of some others. The powerful images speak for themselves, with the editing being extremely important to achieve the final outcome. Even wordless, some topics are evident: spirituality, nature, war, art, abundance, abandonment, beliefs, cultures, chaos, human creativity, massive labor, construction, destruction… “Samsara” is like the whole world inside a film, and even without a pronounced main theme or the immediate impact of “Koyaanisqatsi” (my favorite of the genre), still is a hypnotic accomplishment.

Beloved (2011)

Directed by: Christophe Honoré
Country: France / others

Review: Christophe Honoré insists on his light style dramas, which usually aren’t warm enough to please us. His new film counts with the presence of three wonderful divas – Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Ludivine Sagnier, but their charm wasn’t enough to turn “Beloved” into a charming movie. The story was too long, dragging for so much time into uninteresting characters and relationships. The musical side wasn’t a gain too. The songs were depressive and the lyrics often foolish. It’s not an easy task to achieve a musical drama with the lightness or delicacy of some French examples of the past – and I´m remembering of Demy’s “The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg” and “The Girls Of Rochefort”, or Resnais’ “Same Old Song”. What I know is that “Beloved” won’t be among them, as an unforgettable experience.

Starry Starry Night (2011)

Directed by: Tom Lin
Country: Taiwan / China / HK

Review: Since we’re on Christmas, nothing better than watch “Starry Starry Night”, a sensitive movie that evokes the season and tells the story of Mei, a 13-year-old girl, who’s passing through a complicated phase in life. With her parents splitting up and her granddad, the one who she trusts most, dying in a hospital, she will find solace on Jie, a new classmate also having some troubles at home. Beautifully shot and adding some fantasy through interesting special effects, “Starry Starry Night” shows a lyrical side when dramatizing this particular vision about youth and growth. The young actors were real heroes, showing a magical gentleness and strong commitment in every scene. Between resolute silences and nostalgic musical compositions, this was a revitalizing film, although denoting some avoidable sentimentality in its final moments.

Vulgaria (2012)

Directed by: Pang Ho-Cheung
Country: Hong Kong

Review: 2012 wasn’t a year of much inspiration for Taiwanese filmmaker Pang Ho-Cheung. After a sloppy “Love in The Buff”, “Vulgaria” was another missed shot on comedy. The first moments had some interest, with a controversial interview given by an experienced film producer in front of students. But suddenly, the movie changed to imbecilic jokes about masturbation techniques, popping candy blow-jobs or sex with animals, all with a cynical silliness that got me bored very quickly. Family problems and Mafia connections were also introduced as mere pretexts to deflect our attention from the uninteresting sexual adventures of producer To Wai-Cheung. “Vulgaria”, as the title suggests, is nothing more than a vulgar movie.

Black's Game (2012)

Director: Óskar Thór Axelsson
Country: Iceland

Review: Oskar Thor Axelsson's debut film had Nicolas Winding Refn as executive producer, taking us to the Icelandic underworld of drugs trafficking and crime. So, it is not surprising if we note some resemblances with Refn’s movies about the underworld, such as “Pusher” or “Bronson”. “Black’s Game” shows the dark path taken by Stebbi, after bump into a childhood friend outside the jail. By joining a dangerous gang, Stebbi will experience things that he would never have imagined. All the cast did a great job, playing properly the dark and evil characters, but this was obfuscated with scenes of drug abuse and orgies that almost looked like one of those despicable low-grade movies. All got worse with a couple of superfluous scenes aiming to impose tension, as well as an hasty ending, which deserved a better conclusion. An hectic film, needing fresh ideas.

Purge (2012)

Directed by: Antti Jokinen
Country: Finland / Estonia

Review: “Purge” is a Finnish bleak drama, based on the best-selling novel by Sofi Oksanen. It tells the life stories of two women, whose memories needed to be purged after years of torments and pain. After having found each other, they will be able to put some hope on their lives. This is the kind of story that we already have seen for so many times, and if it doesn’t get the perfect mood or the right approach, it will fall on banality. That’s what happened to “Purge”. In one hand: scenes of violence and exploitation; in the other: a bloody love story adorned with political connotations and inevitable betrayals. Hope emerges as a possibility in the end, but was achieved through unconvincing sequences of self-repentance and killings. “Purge” was selected to represent Finland at the 85th Academy Awards, but it falls short from what I expected from a drama of this kind.

Barbara (2012)

Directed by: Christian Petzold

Country: Germany

Review: Christian Petzold is a respectable German filmmaker, recognized for his originality and naturalistic style. “Yella” and “Jerichow” were very well accepted by the critic and represented a boost in his career. “Barbara” can be compared to “Yella” in some aspects - slight suspense, a natural performance from Nina Hoss, a changeless pace and a Silver Berlin Bear  – but without the same satisfactory results. The story takes place in West Germany, 1980. Barbara, after having applied to leave the country, is forced to abandon her life in Berlin, to be confined to a small village in the countryside. Closely watched by Stasi agents, she continues to prepare her escape to Denmark, but some occurrences will change the course of her plans.  Too slow and often cold, almost everything in “Barbara” looked like a bit premeditated, making it a film to watch without expecting too much enjoyment.

Holy Motors (2012)

Directed by: Leos Carax
Country: France / Germany

Review: Irreverent filmmaker Leos Carax shares his personal vision on cinema, turning “Holy Motors” in a film to be discussed. The first moments, filled with mystery and uncommon eccentricity, strangely appealed to my senses. My curiosity was sharpened while I was constantly trying to understand the meaning of all the odd assignments and behaviors. An obscure parallelism was made between the roles given to an actor and the roles played in real life (or lives). Each one of them had its purpose and meaning, needing to be fulfilled in a better way. The idea would have worked better, if we weren’t lost for so much time in its surrealism. The effective puzzle from the first half hour, gave place to some frustration due to the consecutive scenes that seemed pointless. This bizarre essay needed something else to become more lyrical or philosophical. Radical and free... although not brilliant.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Directed by: Peter Jackson
Country: USA / New Zealand

Review: Nine years after “The Lord of the Rings”, Peter Jackson returns with another trilogy based on a Tolkien's novel. The first part of “The Hobbit” is visually intense and puts a lot of energy on the screen, but stays a few steps behind any movie from the first trilogy. The formulas need urgently to be recycled. The characters are not surprising anymore and the plot insists on the same kind of dangers, battles and conclusions. Even the humor worked so sparingly that becomes forgettable in the end. The imagery by itself isn’t enough to handle a movie, and it seems that Peter Jackson relied too much in this aspect, simply forgetting to put some spice on the rest. Hereupon, my expectations for the sequel are very low, making me believe that it won’t be much different from the insubstantiality presented in this one. Let's wait and see...

Love In The Buff (2012)

Directed by: Pang Ho-Cheung
Country: China / Hong Kong

Review: “Love in The Buff” is the sequel of “Love in the Puff” from 2010. Cherie and Jimmy continue the struggle to make their relationship endure, but eventually they break up to meet once again in Beijing in unexpected circumstances. Starting all over again, will bring them the same problems as before, with the big decisions being reserved to the end. The movie unevenly stands between the light comedy and the sentimental drama, depicting how inattentive behaviors can ruin a relationship. The romantic side was watchable and with the right balance could have been much better, while the comic side was a complete failure. Using some cheesy scenes, uninspired jokes and an awful karaoke moment, this is a movie with too much ups and downs to be considered solid or interesting.

Tabu (2012)

Directed by: Miguel Gomes
Country: Portugal / others

Review: Aurora had a rich and spoiled youth, spent in a former Portuguese colony in Africa. Now she lives in Lisbon with her african maid, who she accuses of sorcery. She became a fragile, frightened and poor old woman, haunted by memories of a lost lover. Some of the characters have shown margin for further development, yet the plot was rather compelling. The unforeseen invocation of mute cinema to approach the scenes of the past, gave it a distinguished touch, luring the viewer for its magnificent black-and-white pictures. The Religion factor was another fundamental aspect to create a favorable mysticism - guilt, fear and regret are often associated with the devil and hell. Miguel Gomes was deservedly recognized at Berlin Film Festival as an emergent filmmaker.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012)

Directed by: Alison Klayman
Country: USA

Review: This is a powerful and thorough documentary about the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, famous not only for his art but also for his clash with the Chinese Government. The movie covers a long period in Ai Weiwei's life, giving a perspective of the events that led him to a brain surgery and posterior domiciliary imprisonment. This will be another slap in the face of China’s Government, since we witness the inexistence of human rights, corruption and a shadowy democracy. Several people contributed with their words to tell the world how Weiwei is so important in this never-ending struggle. His personal life was also documented, although in a very discrete way. “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” denounces a persisting problem and shows how much fearless people are needed to make pacific changes. 

Kon-Tiki (2012)

Directed by: Joachim Ronning / Espen Sandberg
Country: Norway / others

Review: “Kon-Tiki”, directed by the same duo of "Max Manus"(2008), was the most expensive Norwegian film so far. The plot consists in the voyage planned and made by Thor Heyerdahl (and five more men) in a balsa raft, from Peru to Polynesia, to prove that South Americans could have been the first inhabitants of the latter. A curious detail was that Thor, despite being a courageous sailor, didn’t know how to swim. The highest moments of “Kon-Tiki” were those filled with tension, including shark attacks, a threatening storm and the passage through the Raroia reef. Nothing here was so remarkable or that we haven’t seen before. Feelings only come around in the final scene with a touching letter from Thor’s wife, while the soundtrack reinforced the sense of heroism, in a super-budget film that failed a prominence place among cinematic odysseys.

Sleepwalk With Me (2012)

Directed by: Mike Birbiglia
Country: USA

Review: One-man-show Mike Bribiglia wrote, directed and acted in “Sleepwalk With Me”, a movie based on his own experiences. A weird comedy about the pressure of getting married and how to be a successful comedian using true life stories. Beyond that, a lot of sleepwalk and some setbacks complete the panorama, in a plot that never came to a real shakeup. For many times I could feel the frustration shown by Matthew, when his jokes were completely misunderstood or simply were not funny. I felt frustrated because this movie just needed a push or a click to make the emotions come out, and that never happened. The weirdness fits well here, but in the end there wasn't much more for us to retain. It opted for an honest modesty instead of a deceptive grandeur, which in this case had its own risks, leading to a limited amusement.

Pietà (2012)

Directed by: Kim Ki-Duk
Country: South Korea

Review: With “Pietà”, Korean Kim-Ki Duk is back to interesting projects, after an extended period where his works didn't achieve great notoriety. Since 2004, with “3-Iron” and “Samaritan Girl”, that he hadn't so satisfying and balanced results. “Pietà” carries a psychological weight and violence that could have easily fallen in those kinds of unbearable gloomy scenarios that often lead us to discomfort in detriment of substance. This time, the strong content of the plot was well handled, without excess of violence, keeping the story alive till the end, and even making the imagery appealing. The visual pollution that can be seen throughout the film (decimated buildings, dirty alleys) has the power of increasing the miserable reality of the characters. Awarded with the Golden Lion at Venice, "Pietá" is an asphyxiating story about motherhood, greed, evilness and revenge.

Tilva Ros (2010)

Directed by: Nikola Lezaic
Country: Serbia

Review: “Tilva Ros” is a dissimulated documentary turned into independent drama. The movie was shot in Bor, Serbia, a small town that in the past was considered the biggest copper mine in Europe. Nikola Lezaic, also a native from Bor, decided to make a movie about two friends, Toda and Stefan, who are skaters in a group named “Kolos”. Despite their friendship, they are constantly competing about a girl named Dunja who arrived from France for holidays. Most of the time they're doing small-videos about radical jumps, auto-mutilation, beatings and random destruction, to get her attention. The movie shows a particular way of living, pointing how the living conditions and choices will take them to different paths. “Tilva Ros” may seem aimless at the first sight, but a closer look will make you conclude that this is a curious study about youth and their ambitions, in an isolated town.

A Happy Event (2011)

Directed by: Remi Bezançon
Country: France / Belgium

Review: Rémi Benzançon is known for his heartwarming movies, mixing naturally comedy and drama. “A Happy Event” has all these features but didn’t achieve the brightness and grace of his prior work: “The First Day of The Rest of Your Life”. The eagerness in making all the situations look gentle, charming or delicate, ended up in a quite sentimental analysis of how your life can be affected after having a baby. The story aroused some curiosity during the first half, but from then on, it wilted, never attaining truly high moments. Despite this mishap, all the phases of a pregnancy were analyzed with meaning, from a feminine perspective: starting with happiness and optimism, then experiencing fear and expectation, and ending with restraint, disillusion and tiredness. Unfortunately, the adopted approach betrayed the possibility of “A Happy Event” being a better movie.

Diaz: Don't Clean Up This Blood (2012)

Directed by: Daniele Vicari
Country: Italy / others

Review: At a time where protests are constantly occurring around the world, nothing better than watch “Diaz” to become alert for the dangers of democratic rights’ suppression and unjustified physical violence, all with political consent. After an incident involving a police vehicle and a group of demonstrators, during the G8 summit of 2001 in Genoa, the Italian police start an incursion to Diaz School, which was operating as a shelter for left-wing activists and journalists, causing several deaths and injuries. This true event was also known for the false medical reports and faked proofs used by the police to justify the excess of violence and abuse of power. The characters were based on real witnesses and the scenes generate the proper tension to catch the viewer. “Diaz” is an important film, denouncing a tragic day that will always be a stain on Italian Democracy.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Directed by: David O. Russell
Country: USA

Review: David O. Russell beckons to Academy awards with “Silver Linings Playbook”, an engaging and cheerful romantic comedy filled with plenty of craziness. The explosive encounter between two disoriented souls looking for something new in their lives, was the tonic for one of the most interesting comedies of the year. The story showed consistency, but also competence to ably recover after a couple of trembling moments where everything seemed to fall apart. Indeed, the ups of the plot were in much greater number than the downs. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro, all of them in very good shape, contributed to the triumph, conveying the radiance and truthfulness that were demanded from their performances. Nothing here was unexpected, but everything worked so fine that I left the theater in a very good mood.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Directed by: Jason Moore
Country: USA

Review: “Pitch Perfect” is an empty musical comedy. The movie adopts that annoying attitude of forced enthusiasm and exhibitionism mixed with shabby dramatic situations. Tuned voices or vomiting scenes don’t make me enjoy a movie. Beca, played by Anna Kendrick, makes two superb statements during this movie that describe “Pitch Perfect” in perfection: the first is right in the beginning, while she was answering to the proposition to join Bellas’ group as singer – “it’s pretty lame”, she said. The other when she was talking to his friend about movies - “I get bored in the end, they are so predictable”. So, deliberate or not, this movie had the ability to tell some truths about itself. I just would like to add: frivolous plot and unnatural performances.