The Infinite Man (2014)

Directed by: Hugh Sullivan
Country: Australia

Movie Review: Australian writer/director, Hugh Sullivan, intelligently picks a washed out idea such as time-shifting, giving it a fresh shape in his debut feature. Sci-fi rom-com “The Infinite Man” doesn’t disappoint, especially due to a more funnier and engaging concept than those used in similar films, cases of “The One I Love” and “Coherence”. Josh McConville is great in the role of Dean, an obsessed man who does everything to provide perfection in the anniversary of his relationship with Lana (Hannah Marshall). He takes her to an abandoned hotel somewhere in Australia where the desert and the beach seems to merge. The obstinately romantic Dean was happy to be in control of the situation when Lana’s infamous former boyfriend, Terry (Alex Dinitriades), unexpectedly shows up to ruin his plans. Marked by frustration and jealousy that ends up in a hysterical threat of immolation, Dean decides to dump Lana, staying by himself at the hotel working on a tech device that makes possible to redo what went wrong: time travel. The unstable time loop created will duplicate situations (past and present) and also characters that fight and trick one another to conquer what they want. Not without some confusion, the indie “The Infinite Man” brings some originality to the subject in an absurdist way, putting side to side the sad original Dean and the happy Dean of the future, and taking on the perfectionism with inventiveness and neat humor. Considering the low budget (filmed in a single location with just three actors), Sullivan did a pretty well job, controlling this surrealistic adventure with steady hand. Let’s wait for his next time hop and see if the future will confirm the promising direction taken here.

Bird People (2014)

Directed by: Pascale Ferran
Country: France

Movie Review: Writer/director Pascale Ferran returns eight years after “Lady Chatterley” has conquered some moviegoers’ hearts. “Bird People” is a drama with hints of fantasy that tells the story of two strangers who eventually met. Gary Newman (Josh Charles) is an American businessman who is staying at Hilton hotel in Paris where he has an important meeting. Constantly traveling and rushing, the restless Gary is assaulted by attacks of anxiety and an uneasiness that makes him exhausted. When he’s informed that the company needs him in Dubai by December 31st, Gary decides to purposely miss the plane and quit, not only his job but also his wife. Through a realistic skype conversation, he lets her know his intentions of not returning to the US, putting an end to a marriage that seemed to suffer from misunderstandings and a deficient communication. Simultaneously we follow Audrey (Anaïs Demoustier), a student who works as a maid at the same hotel. As a dreamer, she kicks the monotony of work by listening to the guest’s conversations and observing them from afar. Ferran was able to make us plunge into these particular lives, taking some good moments to let the story breath at the same time that asphyxiates us with the drama of its characters. Suddenly the realistic story shifts to a surreal episode involving Audrey who apparently was transformed in a peeking sparrow that wanders from window to window, avid to find something stimulating. This little adventurous installment withdrew some dramatic strength to the story by rambling in its own creative process, built with the help of a disciplined narrative that resorts to a voice-off whenever needed.

Girlhood (2014)

Directed by: Celine Sciamma
Country: France

Movie Review: With “Girlhood”, French writer/director, Celine Sciamma, addresses once again the subject of coming of age, but in a totally different perspective than in “Tomboy”. Sciamma created the perfect scenario to depict her main character, a 16-year-old girl called Marieme (Karidja Touré) who decided to stop being shy, getting away from her precarious family life and giving up school in order to join a gang of the hood, formed by three older girls: Adiatou, Lady and Fily. Their day-to-day basically consisted in drinking, smoking, stealing clothes from stores and money from frightened schoolgirls, in addition to engage in street fights with other gangs. Bashful at first, Marieme soon learned how to look straight into the eyes of people and talk aggressively. With absent parents, she showed to be always very attentive and responsible regarding her sisters, but her main concern was her older brother who often reacted violently if she didn’t comply with his demands. As ambition grows hastily and dreams get wings, Marieme takes unreliable steps to assure her freedom and independence, even if she has to sacrifice her love for one of his brother’s best friends. Socially incisive, “Girlhood” was consciously written and generally well performed, but I felt it got stranded for too long in the ‘cool’ postures of the girls, what made the film not to flow during particular periods of time. Sciamma’s execution was not always empathic, occasionally turning “Girlhood” into an immature exposure that gains emphasis after it has given the sensation that we had reached the end, for at least a couple of times. It’s observant, without a doubt, but sinned for being insistently unripe in determined scenes.

Miss Julie (2014)

Directed by: Liv Ullmann
Country: UK / Ireland / others

Movie Review: Liv Ullmann, former muse of Ingmar Bergman during years in masterpieces such as “Persona”, “Autumn Sonata” or “Cries and Whispers”, directs her fourth feature film, “Miss Julie”, which was adapted from August Strindberg’s play of the same title. For this theatrical drama, Ullmann picked a trio of actors that guarantee credibility: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton. They performed with conviction and it was not because of them that “Miss Julie” didn’t have the desired influence on me. Beyond being excessively wordy, the film occasionally plays with an emotional hysteria, becoming excessively dramatic, stuffy and for several times unnatural. Set during the midsummer night of 1890, the drama follows Julie (Chastain), the spoiled daughter of the wealthy Anglo-Irish Count of Fermanagh. Bored with her daily life, she insists to seduce John (Farrell), her father’s valet, in a disrespectful way in regard to her servant, Kathleen (Morton), who was committed to him. Julie reveals an overbearing and cruel side, but ultimately her emotional fragility and solitude is uncovered. She starts playing a defiant game that is sexy and contemptuous, pushing John to the limits of his sanity, since he is unable to control his impulses but also gets mad when treated as an inferior. All these postures torment the tired and devastated Kathleen, condemned to be on her own. Among confessions, accusations and lots of changings in attitude, “Miss Julie” can never be called a romantic film. Fear, disquiet and prejudice take control of this battle of love and hate that had its funniest moment when Julie states about Kathleen: ‘a servant is a servant’, to what John promptly retaliated: ‘and a whore is a whore’. The truth hurts! Immediately, she fell in tears.

Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014)

Directed by: Andrea Di Stefano
Country: Spain / France / others

Movie Review: Italian actor Andrea di Stefano makes his directorial debut with “Escobar: Paradise Lost”, a thriller, set in 1991 Medellin, whose title mislead us to assume we are before a biopic about the unmerciful popular Colombian drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar. Instead, the film tells about a Canadian young man, Nick (John Hutchinson), who was having trouble with local thugs when trying to set up a business by the beach, in the company of his older brother, Dylan (Brady Corbet). Everything will become easier when he falls in love with the gracious Maria (Claudia Traisac), Escobar’s niece. Accepted by Escobar (Benicio del Toro) to be part of his clan, he will see the coast clear when those who demanded a payment for his business, were burned alive. A day before giving himself to the authorities in a pact with the Government, Escobar’s first concern is to protect the future of his family by concealing the fortune accumulated with years of narcotrafficking. He reserved one last special operation for the innocent Nick who was assigned to meet and kill a ‘campesino’. However, surprises come up and Nick, in panic, will have to fight for his life. As the story unfolds, it becomes too chewed in aspects it should have been more expeditious. Some good hints of tension not always usurp an annoying cheesiness felt in scenes involving Nick, unveiling superficiality and exaggeration in a story that deserved to be better handled. Di Stefano takes the wrong turn when he had everything to do it right – decent script and respected actors. The formula: ‘make it simple and raw’ would have given him better chances, together with a more astute exploration of the characters. Paradise lost… and a missed opportunity.

Rosewater (2014)

Directed by: Jon Stewart
Country: USA

Movie Review: In “Rosewater”, a political drama focused on the crime of bearing witness, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal is Maziar Bahari, the former Newsweek’s Iranian journalist who spent four months in solitary confinement at Evin Prison, northwestern Tehran, after being arrested by the authorities in June 2009 due to an inoffensive interview given to a satirical American TV show, under the accusation of maintaining contacts with an American spy. Jon Stewart, most known as a television host and TV movie producer, makes his directorial debut from his own screenplay, based on the memoir “Then They Came for Me” by Bahari and Aimee Molloy. Not so invigorating as it was supposed to be, “Rosewater” ends up being a bland exercise that relies on the same routines of the genre. If even those routines had been put in good use, perhaps we would have something more palpable here, but the superficiality of its mechanisms left me indifferent to what Bahari had to endure. Its biggest issue relates to the fact that the first half, when the journalist was shooting the civilian uproars after Ahmadinejad’s reelection, was more captivating and active than the second, where the menacing interrogations by governmental agents were more time-consuming than really an added value. The film, in spite of politically enlightening, falls gradually in the abyss, pushed by the elements that were supposed to bring something more to the emotional side, but simply didn’t work out. I’m talking about the journalist’s imaginary conversations with his sister and deceased father (two former anti-regime resistants), or the arduous distance from his pregnant fiancé whose actions in the UK were extremely important to take the case to a triumphant conclusion.

Amira & Sam (2014)

Directed by: Sean Mullin
Country: USA

Movie Review: In “Amira & Sam”, debutant writer/director Sean Mullin, imagined a charismatic ex-soldier finding the perfect match when he meets an illegal Iraqi immigrant woman in New York. Sam (Martin Sarr) served his country during multiple tours in Iraq, where he became friends with his Iraqi translator, Bassam (Laith Nakli), now living in the US. Unhappy for working as a janitor in a rich building in Wall Street, Sam is fired when he traps a couple of presumptuous guys in the elevator. That’s when he decides to visit Bassam, meeting his niece, Amira (Dina Shihabi), who spends her spare time trying to sell DVDs in the corner of Canal St. and Broadway. Their first encounter is uneasy, with Amira opting for a defensive posture while Sam, whose dream was to become a standup comedian, tries to break the ice with his dry jokes and particular little stories. A comforting closeness will arrive when Amira moves to his place after being caught selling illegally in the streets with the aggravation of showing a fake ID containing her real address. While he gradually conquers Amira’s heart with his honesty, he also gets disappointed with his shifty cousin, Charlie (Paul Wesley) who offers him a second opportunity at his own company. The graciousness of the film comes totally from Sam, who endeavors to keep his life neat. The romantic side could have been better crafted, and the ending turns out to be as dry as the humor presented. Regardless this aspect, “Amira & Sam” never tried to please the crowds with emotional conventionalisms or boast itself pretentiously, opting instead for a clear, honest approach that literally saves it from falling into staleness.

The Voices (2014)

Directed by: Marjane Satrapi
Country: USA / Germany

Movie Review: Iranian graphic novelist, illustrator and filmmaker, Marjane Satrapi, nailed it again with her new feature film, assuming fearlessly her own ways of expression, and showing she’s comfortable in other genres besides comedy, drama or illustrative fantasy. In “The Voices”, she makes a confident incursion on horror, and the result brought as much of amusing moments as horrific. Everything wrapped in an almost graphical style and covered in tones of fantastic, characteristic aspects already used in her previous works: “Persepolis” and “Chicken with Plums”. The story, set in the small town of Milton, evolves around Jerry (Ryan Reynolds), the new employee of Milton Fixture & Faucet, whose pink uniform and smiling face make us completely unsuspicious about the treacherous psychological state he is about to get into. To make the things clearer, Jerry is a disturbed, psychotic man who is being medicated since childhood, after a terrible experience that impelled him to take his mother’s life. Undecided about taking the pills, he keeps having long and weird conversations with his pets: Mr. Whiskas, the cat; and Bosco, the dog. While the dog calms him down by praising his good nature, the sardonic cat pulls out his darker instincts, awakening the killer in him. Jerry falls in love more than one time, showing he wants to change and lead a normal life, but fortuitous circumstances will trigger savage actions, which he momentarily regrets but recovers quickly enough to go on living in his delusional world. The film never slows down, maintaining a balanced pace and solid coordination between light drollery and heavy gore. Ryan Reynolds, invoking Alan Bates in his performance, was the key for success, strongly backed up by the rest of the cast.

Timbuktu (2014)

Directed by: Abderrahmane Sissako
Country: Mauritania / France

Movie Review: African cinema has a fearless new voice that deserves a huge accolade. Mauritanian filmmaker, Abderrahmane Sissako, directed and co-wrote “Timbuktu”, one of the most relevant dramas I’ve seen in a while. The film follows the misadventures of Kidane, a pacific cattle herder who does everything to protect his wife, daughter, and assets, from a group of fanatic Jihadists that control Mali’s city of Timbuktu. Mr. Sissako, beyond taking aim on the invaders through a deft sneer, also portrays the joyless life of the tormented inhabitants. The magnificent, well-composed shots amazed me whenever captured the arid African landscapes, but also disturbed me when showed the Jihadists’ demands: women had to wear socks and gloves (poor fishwife who realizes her job is compromised), it was strictly forbidden to play soccer (a game played by youngsters, with the particularity of having no ball, has the simultaneous effect of being ludicrous and cruel), music was not allowed (one woman was condemned to 40 lashes after filling our souls with her voice), and adultery was considered the worst crime (the punishment was death by stoning). Despite the law, forged in the name of Allah, there were those who enjoyed special immunity: Zabou, a deranged woman seen as a kind of a sorcerer, was allowed to wander without covering her head; or a religious fundamentalist who was caught smoking and coveting Kidane’s wife. Not to mention other cultural issues, such as teen girls forced to get married against their will… Every senseless fanatic should watch “Timbuktu” whose objectivity and vision become essential these days. You can call it whatever you want: urgent criticism, breathtaking adventure, or daring mockery… for me, it’s simply an unsubmissive masterpiece, which I wouldn’t change a thing.

The Dark Valley (2014)

Directed by: Andreas Prochaska
Country: Austria / Germany

Movie Review: Achieving considerable notoriety in its origin countries, Austria and Germany, “The Dark Valley” grips us with a tale of vengeance set in a remote village of the Austrian Alps. With a sturdy hand, director Andreas Prochaska, builds this western with passion, even considering that some viewers might be frustrated when trying to find answers for some plausible questions, such as the real motives for the vengeance behind the story. The charismatic Sam Riley (“Control”, “On the Road”) stars as Greider, an apparently quiet stranger who introduces himself as a photographer, willing to pay for staying the winter in the village. The old Brenner and their six harsh sons, as the town rulers for many years, decided to accept his monetary offering, placing him in the house of a widow whose daughter Lucy develops a fondness for her lodger. Lucy is about to get married with Lucas, but gets concerned when informed by her future husband that the ritual known as ‘Primae noctis’, a medieval prerogative that allows the rulers to take the virginity of young brides, will occur after the wedding party with the priest’s connivance. This fact seems to be the reason for Greider’s presence, coinciding with two unexpected deaths in the Brenner family that will make him a suspect, a fugitive, but also a predator. Prochaska takes his time to build things up, but once we are immersed in the hunting process, our attention becomes focused, not on the contestable motives, but on the action itself. Some flashbacks can help turning the visually stunning “The Dark Valley” a bit clearer, while the occasionally incongruous score was its most negative aspect.

Futuro Beach (2014)

Directed by: Karim Ainouz
Country: Brazil / Germany

Movie Review: Brazilian filmmaker, Karim Ainouz, can be proud of his past films. “Madame Satã” and “I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You” were distinguished dramas that elevated his reputation, not only in his country of origin but worldwide. However, his new feature, “Futuro Beach”, starring Wagner Moura (“Tropa de Elite”), Clemens Schick and Jesuíta Barbosa, was more languid than attractive, and more introvert than expansive, never making justice to a potentially interesting plot written by Ainouz and Felipe Bragança (“Heleno”), in their second collaboration after 2006 “Love for Sale”. After an accident that victimized a German citizen in the dangerous waters of Fortaleza’s Futuro beach, Donato (Moura) starts a homosexual relationship with the victim’s close friend, Konrad (Schick). In love, he decides to leave to Berlin with his lover, sacrificing the job of his dreams, and leaving his defenseless younger brother, Ayrton (Barbosa), at his own mercy. Struggling to adapt to a new country and to a new language, immigration revealed to be the most interesting aspect in the film, relegating for second plan the ups and downs of the irregular relationships depicted. Set up in three chapters, the ambiance doesn’t change and the monotony doesn’t go away, not even when Ayrton arrives in Berlin, ready to confront his brother for having let him down. “Futuro Beach” grows tiresome due to a lack of excitement and insistent sexual scenes. The beautiful words by the end, along with the gorgeous images, don’t save the film from some amateurism of processes and frustrating emotional limitations.

These Final Hours (2014)

Directed by: Zak Hilditch
Country: Australia

Movie Review: “These final Hours” is a suggestive example of a dark thriller where the mood overrides the quality of the plot. Australian writer/director Zak Hilditch, brings us an apocalypse tale, set in Perth, that relies on the rescue of Rose (Angourie Rice), a young girl who dangerously fell in the hands of one of the many mad savages who wander throughout the city, after she got lost from her father. With the end of the world arriving in twelve hours, James (Nathan Philips), her savior, tries to find a viable solution for this situation, while simultaneously decides to change his personal life when he learns that his supportive lover, Zoe (Jessica De Gouw), is pregnant of his child. Unsuccessfully trying to reach his sister who would take care of the girl, he ends up in a chaotic private party given by his vicious girlfriend, Vicky (Kathryn Beck), and his maniac brother, where drugs, madness, aggressiveness and orgies are abundant. Even tempted, James opts to put an end to his doomed relationship with Vicky but recklessly leaves the girl behind at the mercy of a spaced-out woman who thinks she’s Rose’s mother. No panic was felt among these people waiting for the end, mostly unsteady characters evincing alienated behaviors. Although Hilditch showed some nerve, I cannot say I was totally engaged by this film, especially in its final moments, which seemed more like an advertisement video clip that ends with the lame words ‘It’s beautiful!’, coming out from Zoe’s mouth when the fatal explosion occurs. Only recommended for enthusiasts of these apocalyptic situations, “These Final Hours”, was presented in torrid yellowish tones that intensifies the heat but doesn’t persuade our hearts.

Men, Women and Children (2014)

Directed by: Jason Reitman
Country: USA

Movie Review: Jason Reitman’s career was marked by an auspicious start, result of interesting dramas, most of them with good hints of comedy - “Thank You for Smoking”, “Juno”, “Up in the Air” and “Young Adult”. Recently he seems to be struggling with dark clouds that embrace his creative process. Last year’s “Labor Day”, his first incursion on dramatic thriller, was such a big disappointment that he decided to go back to a genre he's more comfortable with. Despite of the committed performances by a cast that includes Adam Sandler, Kaitlyn Dever, Judy Greer and Rosemary DeWitt, “Men, Women and Children”, based on Chad Kultgen’s novel of the same name, is a flawed drama that failed to be accomplished due to several dilemmas. In his attempt to condense 1001 things at the same time, Reitman loses direction, creating a half-baked story that associates the obsessions and dangers of technology with sexual experiences. He just couldn’t decide if he wants to address the subject in a teenager or adult perspective, or if he wants a narrated film (occasionally we hear the unnecessary voice of Emma Thompson), or if he wants to deviate himself from the central focus (one more time, unnecessary spatial considerations are made). All of this resulted in a big mess of a story in which any intended lesson or message was completely swallowed by the emotional superficiality presented in excessive characters and subplots. The lack of mature observations or satisfying conclusions, make “Men, Women and Children” a cranky experience that nothing has to do with Reitman's earlier achievements within the genre.

Ned Rifle (2014)

Directed by: Hal Hartley
Country: USA

Movie Review: Hal Hartley, faithful to his own style, haunts us with “Ned Rifle”, the third part of the trilogy that started with “Henry Fool” in 1997, and had its middle part in 2006 with “Fay Grim”. Liam Aiken is Ned Rifle Grim, a chaste religious young man devoted to God, who decides to chase down and kill his own father, Henry Fool, the one responsible for the ruin of his mother, Fay, who was sentenced to life in prison as traitor of the nation. The only one who knows his evil intentions is his best friend and spiritual guide, Rev. Daniel Garden who helps him with money but gets shocked with the possibility of his protégé commit a mortal sin. Ned is advised by his mom to go to speak with his uncle Simon, a poet who now wants to be an online stand-up comedian, in order to obtain more information about his father’s whereabouts. At Simon’s place, he bumps into a graduate student, Susan, who happens to be the same girl who was molested by the mad Henry Fool when she was only 13. Obsessed with Henry, and with a past marked by violence and psychological disturbance, she is also trying to reach him for dubious reasons. The chain effect is hilarious – Ned following Henry; Susan following Ned; Simon following Susan - and even believing that we have seen something similar before, the plot still casts some motivating twists. With funny dark sarcasm and a stirring climax, “Ned Rifle” finishes the trilogy in big, being a Hal Hartley’s comedy in every sense. Sometimes obscene, sometimes literary, Rifle can be also defined as offbeat and idiosyncratic. In spite of living by itself, it will be better appreciated by the viewers who are acquainted with the two previous chapters.

Citizenfour (2014)

Directed by: Laura Poitras
Country: USA / Germany

Movie Review: “Citizenfour” chronicles the unsettling adventures of Edward Snowden concerning the scandal of global surveillance that involved the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. Documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras was on top of the happenings, covering in real time the actions and reactions of the interveners that besides Snowden, include Glenn Greenwald, journalist of the Guardian; Jacob Appelbaum, computer researcher and hacker; William Binney, former intelligence officer for NSA; Ladar Levinson, creator of the extinct encryption software Lavabit; Ewen MacAskill, intelligence reporter for the Guardian; Julian Assange, polemic co-founder of WikiLeaks; among many others. Ethics and freedom are two of the aspects debated here, after Snowden, former NSA employee in Hawaii, has revealed everything about the collection data program set up by this US governmental agency after the 9/11. Confined to a hotel room in Hong Kong, Snowden explains his motivations for denouncing the questionable methods of the agency, accepting calmly his fate, yet not without some alarming circumstances. He was the one who contacted Poitras via encrypted emails, fact that turned this documentary possible. The film gives us a thorough insight about the communication era we live in, where surveillance can be synonym of espionage, jeopardizing the freedom of opinion of the most common citizens. “Citizenfour” conveys a natural interest and curiosity, achieving the desired effect of shocking us with its revelations. However, besides its historic relevance, I didn’t feel any particularly exciting vibration in its images. Snowden says: ‘it’s scary but liberating’. I say: ‘it’s informative but not breathtaking’.

The Humbling (2014)

Directed by: Barry Levinson
Country: USA

Movie Review: 72 year-old filmmaker, Barry Levinson, teams with 74 year-old actor, Al Pacino, in “The Humbling”, a drama about… aging. Philip Roth’s novel of the same name was in the basis of the plot written by Buck Henry, who has “The Graduate” and “Catch-22” in his curriculum, together with a young new voice, Michal Zabede. The film doesn’t maintain balanced levels, blending the traditional drama of an actor whose capacities are gradually vanishing and the trendy openness of a modern, sometimes opportunistic society. Pacino embraces the role of Simon Axler, a sleepless 65 year-old actor whose mind-absences and fantasies became more frequent, while struggling to keep clear what is reality and what is fiction in his daily life. Soon, he adds to this true/false ambiguity the challenging question: what’s right and what’s wrong?, when Pegeen, a young lesbian woman who happens to be the daughter of some old friends, simply sticks to his house and amorally jumps on him. This brings to his door Pegeen’s former girlfriends, one of them recently turned into a man. If this was not a problem to Simon, he will have a hard time dealing with a crazy woman called Sybil, an invasive stalker who wants him to kill her pedophile husband. Somewhat pretentious in its approach, “The Humbling” not always manages to infuse the concerns of an old man within a contemporary stage without some mess. By the end it even drags for several times, revealing a delusional dullness that blurs what it started reliably. The title of this film could have been ‘The Crumbling’ since “The Humbling” pretends to stand up when its legs are tremulous. At least, Levinson and Pacino showed they didn’t forget how to direct and act, respectively.

Mommy (2014)

Directed by: Xavier Dolan
Country: Canada

Movie Review: “Mommy” proves that there’s a young Canadian filmmaker out there named Xavier Dolan who has a lot to give to contemporary cinema. His past dramas evinced a strong sexuality component associated to homosexuality, but “Mommy” can be seen as a slight change of direction, maintaining however the high dramatic levels of its predecessors. The story follows Diane Després (Anne Dorval), a widower who gets his hyperactive 16 year-old son, Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon), back from a juvenile center for troubled youths, after he has set the cafeteria on fire causing a lot of material and human damages. Steve is plagued with frequent raging attacks that not even his mother, the person he cherishes most, is completely immune. The relationship between them is closer to brother and sister than mother and son, and Diane doesn’t seem to have the ability or strength to deal with her son’s unpredictable behavior. When the situation seemed out of control, some hope rises in the horizon when Kyla (Suzanne Clément), a teacher in a forced sabbatical leave, answers affirmatively to Diane’s call for help, giving the desirable assistance that she needed to handle Steve. Not without some manipulation, “Mommy” still presents an enormous emotional weight, for which contributed the superb performances by the trio of actors. How artful from Dolan setting up a sequence of mesmerizing, unfocused images to mirror Diane’s dream of hope for the future, to suddenly discontinue it with a painful reality that would lead us to a devastating finale. Elaborated at a vehement pace, “Mommy is also visually bold, making use of empathic close-ups and expressive detailed scenes, beautifully shot, in its majority, in a non-standard square ratio of 1:1.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Directed by: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Country: New Zealand

Movie Review: Coming from New Zealand and set up as a horror mockumentary, “What Do We Do in the Shadows” is a vampire parody written, directed and starred by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. A promising partnership since the former attained international success with his 2010’s drama “Boy”, while the latter, as comedian and multi-instrumentalist, brings some inspiration on both aspects. Bluntly shot with handheld camera but with appealing results, the film follows four vampire housemates – Viago, Vlad, Deacon, and Petyr (an accurate replica of Nosferatu) - whose sanguinary lives are shaken by the arrival of a reckless young vampire called Nick. With exception of the super-old Petyr who likes to stay in his tomb, the others like to dress well, feel sexy, play music and stroll around the town where they try to be invited for nightclubs, but Nick cannot restrain from drawing attention to himself. This behavior causes problems between the group of friends who rely on Deacon’s ‘slave’, Jackie, to lure humans, preferably virgins, to their decrepit mansion. Vampire hunters, the burning sunlight, and occasional confrontations with a group of werewolves, are other funny factors to be seen. Clever and hilarious, “What Do We Do in the Shadows” shows how to do a lot with so little resources, and my only remark goes to the inefficient light that comes out of the outdoors’ nocturnal scenes. Actually, it’s curious that another vampire film called “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” also had captivated me with its artsy formalism, in a completely opposite approach. Despite the washed-out genre, creativity speaks louder!

The Right Juice (2014)

Directed by: Kristjan Knigge
Country: Portugal

Movie Review: “The Right Juice” is an English-language comedy made in Portugal by Dutch director Kristjan Knigge who now makes his debut on feature film. The story follows Oliver Fellows (Mark Killeen) a British citizen who moves to a modest house in his new land in Perna Seca, Algarve (south of Portugal), with the ambition to grow oranges and do business. However this task won’t be easy since Andreas, a greedy entrepreneur who wants to force Andreas to sell his land, canalizes all the water to his place. He also drags his wing to Oliver’s estranged wife who stays in the city hotel after arriving from London. Everything will take a good way with the help of neighbor Manel (Miguel Damião), a mechanic and medronho-drinker, and Nesta (Lucia Moniz), a dolphin trainer who will be the key to know more about Andrea’s evil plans. With a simple and sympathetic plot, “The Right Juice” has the heart in the right place but its jokes will probably tell much more to the Portuguese audiences than abroad. The score is also very Portuguese resorting to fado many times, while its obvious conclusions and imperfections restrict a better development for the story. If you’re looking for a feel-good trifle, full of beautiful dreams and innocent moralities, you can take a chance on this summertime comedy that is well intentioned but not particularly stirring. After struggling with financing, the film reached a deal with NOS, the biggest Portuguese media broadcaster in order to be locally distributed.

Appropriate Behavior (2014)

Directed by: Desiree Akhavan
Country: UK

Movie Review: Charming, funny and extremely entertaining, “Appropriate Behavior” marks a delightful directorial debut on feature film for Desiree Akhavan, an upstate New Yorker from Iranian descent who had directed the lesbian-themed short TV series “The Slope” in 2010. Akhavan also stars here, keenly giving life to Shirin, a Brooklyn-based bisexual Persian-American video artist who is trying to adopt the correct postures in life to avoid embarrassing her Iranian parents and traditions, at the same time that nourishes her joy of life and seeks the proper confidence to accept herself as she is. These goals, complicated by themselves, get even more compromised when Shirin breaks up with her girlfriend, Maxine (Rebecca Henderson). Feeling dead inside, she finds some solace in talking with her friend, Crystal (Halley Feiffer), while the new job as teacher of young kids seems not to suit her at all. The character of Shirin is very well observed and portrayed, especially by genuinely trying to pass a false assurance in her actions when in fact she’s just trying to gain confidence to move on. Open to new experiences, Shirin will embark in a few weird encounters while the story occasionally winds back to let us know what led to the rupture with Maxine at her birthday party. Smartly, Akhavan embraces a concise humor by making use of efficient jokes in a straightforward manner, but actually the story puts a nervous tension in almost every scene where intense feelings and an associated discomfort can touch sadness. It was indeed an appropriate approach. I’m eager to see in what direction Akhavan will move next; will she keep this creativity within the sexuality theme? For now, it’s proved she swims comfortably in this pool.