Queen of the Desert (2015)

Directed by Werner Herzog
Country: USA / Marocco

Shot with formal elegance, “The Queen of the Desert” marks the return of the celebrated German director Werner Herzog to fiction, after six years of documentaries, which include the pictorial “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” and the mandatory “Into the Abyss”. 

Set in the early Twentieth century, the film is a biographical drama focused on Gertrud Bell, who drew the attention of the world not only for being a courageous traveler, but also for her work as a writer, archeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political officer for the British Empire. 
Ms. Bell, played with the usual graciousness by Nicole Kidman, feels domesticated and shows an adventurer’s spirit since an early stage, begging her father to let her go away to anywhere in the world. Her father decides to send her to Tehran, to live with her immoderate uncle, an important figure of the British embassy in that city. Once there, she falls for the charming Henry Cadogan (James Franco), an Embassy worker designated to be her guardian and entertainer. Henry shares with her the same interest for the Persian Omar Khayyam’s poetry but doesn’t tell her about his gambling addiction and debts. Regardless this detail, the pair is willing to get married, but the plan is never consummated, though. Gertrud’s father doesn’t give his consent, and some time later Henry is found dead.

This was a turning point in the life of Gertrude, who reserving her heart for the desert, embarks in a couple expeditions of her own. Despite disobeying orders, she gains the respect of the British Bureau and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for her ability to establish bilateral relations between countries and their people. 
Gertrud soon becomes an important instrument for peace and understanding, categorically refusing to work as a spy for her own country when that possibility was considered. Instead, she got the fondness of the not so accessible tribes such as the Bedouins and the Druze, which referred to her as the ‘noble lady’.

Mr. Herzog schemed all the happenings with a profound relaxation, in a way that we never sensed any danger around, not even when apparently harmful warriors intercepted her caravan in the middle of the desert, or when she was forced to remain three weeks in a remote palace as the new acquisition for the master’s harem.
Gertrud was surely fortunate in many ways, but not in love. The sight of a new, sincere love, soon vanishes again when her suitor, the Lieutenant Colonel "Richard" Doughty-Wylie (Damian Lewis), is killed in war.

Beautifully shot, “Queen of the Desert” doesn’t provide enough thrills. It’s too soft when compared with other movies of the same subgenre (John Curran’s “Tracks” is a good example).
Herzog needed more than two hours to tell a story that could have been told in less than one. Similarly to his fellow countryman director, Wim Wenders, these seem to be difficult times in terms of inspiration for Mr. Herzog, at least out of the documentary circuit. 

Embrace of the Serpent (2015)

Directed by Ciro Guerra
Country: Colombia / other

The excellence of Ciro Guerra’s new odyssey, “Embrace of the Serpent”, wasn’t particularly a surprise for me. The Colombian filmmaker had already conquered my respect in 2009 when he released the brilliant “The Wind Journeys”, another eventful and exploratory journey, set in the arid Colombian territories, in which a valuable accordion had to be recovered after being stolen.

For “Serpent”, an Amazonian epic inspired by the real journals of the European explorers, Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes, he engendered a totally different approach, employing an evocative black-and-white to the striking images that stubbornly remain in our minds due to the beautiful, contrasting tones, and the irreproachable compositions by the skillful cinematographer, David Gallego.

I was fascinated by the aesthetic and narrative qualities of the film, which starts by following the young, strong, and wise shaman, Karamakate (Nilbio Torres), the last survivor of his tribe after the aggressive invasion of the greedy white men with the malevolent intention to steal the rubber from their forests. Segregated and self-sufficient, Karamakate has never submitted to the white domination, fighting them bravely whenever is needed.
One day, two explorers, traveling in a boat, approach him and ask specifically for his help. One of them is Manduca (Yauenku Migue), a native member of another Amazonian tribe that gave in to the brutal white men without putting up a fight. He’s a traumatized former slave of the rubber exploration fields, who managed to become a free man. The other visitor is called Theo (Jan Bijvoet), a German scientist who has been exploring the region for four years and is very sick. According to the locals, only Karamakate can cure him through a very rare local plant.
Reluctantly, Karamakate agrees to help Theo if he accepts to be submitted to an essential spiritual and physical probation. The trio embarks on a delirious expedition in search of the miraculous plant, making occasional stops for sleeping and getting food. Firstly, they spend one night with a friendly tribe whose leader ends up stealing Theo’s compass. Days later, in need of food to proceed, they contact with a strict missionary priest who can’t refrain from whipping the local kids who disobey his orders. The last and more chaotic encounter happens when they bump into a feverish white Messiah whose followers are immersed in sickness, lust, and insanity.
Intercalated with the story of the young Karamakate, we also have the adventures of the elderly Karamakate (Antonio Bolivar) who nearly 40 years later, and despite starting to forget the priceless knowledge he acquired over the years, still welcomes Evan (Brionne Davis), an insomniac American explorer who needs the sacred Yakruna plant to heal his disorder. 

Impeccably directed and flawlessly portrayed, “Embrace of the Serpent” is a spiritual experience about colonialism that not always delivers the answers we want. Its trippy finale can be seen as a sort of a freaky embellishment from the director, but is also left open to different interpretations. The eminent transcendental accessories throughout the film give us a vividly expressive perspective about the shock of different cultures, the good and the bad in the human nature, and the forever-complex relation between nature and civilization.

Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)

Directed by Hong Sang-soo
Country: South Korea

The films by the South Korean writer/director, Hong Sang-soo, are widely known for the exploration of multiple possibilities within the same story. That’s why his latest film could have been entitled “Right Then, Wrong Now,” instead of “Right Now, Wrong Then”, the two realistic parts of a fictional story about a celebrated art-house filmmaker from Seoul who arrives in the city of Suwon, accompanied by his seductive assistant director, to give an oral presentation after a screening of his new film. 

Regarded as a womanizer, the married Ham Cheon-soo (Jae-yeong Jeong), tries to avoid further gossips and disregards her company, without guessing he would fall for a model-turned-painter, Yoon Hee-jeong (Min-hee Kim), with whom he engages in a warm conversation and spends the day with. The explorative Mr. Sang-soo, telling the story twice, benefits with the compelling performances and with the honesty of the situations created. During the first vignette the high expectations of the dedicated painter are thwarted by the director’s posture and behavior, while in the second, in a slightly funnier way, he creates an alternative situation in which the opposite happens: a bad start makes way for a wonderful finish.

Mr. Sang-soo intelligently combines the structure with a very particularly serene mood, creating a few familiar situations that can be identified in his previous titles: “The Day He Arrives”, “In Another Country”, and “Nobody's Daughter Haewon”, just to name some of my favorites. 
By resorting to the use of typical scenes like the ones taking place in restaurants where the characters drink and become closer, we have a feeling of déjà-vu that not always work beneficially. The repetition of the ideas, even impeccably executed, feels a bit time-consuming at times. Moreover, the dialogues and the chemistry between the protagonists are not as strong as in the movies mentioned above.

The film, even living from the power of words and the burst of feelings that the characters try to pour out, shows a final segment that felt moderately unseasoned, having trouble to get away from its mechanical re-enactment. With this being said, it’s not my intention to make you disregard the few enchantments presented in this relaxed Korean drama, sensation of the Locarno Film Festival (best film, best actor, prize of the Ecumenical Jury – special mention). It’s just that this two-sided tale feels like ‘not-so-right-now, right-then’ when compared to other identical chapters of Mr. Sang-soo’s career.

Office (2015)

Directed by Johnnie To
Country: Hong Kong / China

The prolific Hong Kong film director, Johnnie To (“Election”, “Exiled”, “Drug War”), whose action and crime thrillers are regularly well regarded both by the public and the critics, steps into the musical comedy genre, bringing a few strong social messages that allow it to stand above the usual mediocrity presented in this type of farce. 

Silvia Chang wrote it and stars with distinction as Winnie Cheung, the CEO of the cosmetics company, Jones & Sunn, whose premises work as a hub for the majority of its occurrences. 
The loyal, proactive, and ambitious initiate, Lee Xiang (Wang Ziyi), who hates to wait in the line for the elevator, gets a job on the 71st floor, the executives' nest, and the one that gives him the possibility to dream of a brilliant future. On his first day, while constantly looking for the ideal postures and proper language to please his rapacious superior, David (Eason Chan), he gets the company of another beginner, Kat (Lang Yueting), a clever economist coming from Harvard, who happens to be the daughter of the chairman, Ho Chung-ping (the excellent, and yet modest this time, Chow Yun-fat). Her true identity is concealed and only Xiang was sufficiently perceptive to discover it, as he maintains a trustful, protective, and slightly flirting relationship with her. 
In the office, the daily gossips run like a river. Besides identifying the daily corporate slavery and speculative negotiations, we soon get into the various rumors about the affairs within the organization - David and the completely unreadable Winnie; also David and the fragile, affianced accountant, Sophie (Tang Wei); and finally Winnie and Ho, who gets his daughter’s blame for his wife’s comatose state.

Here, the rhythm is high and the romance feels busy, taken from a confidently built screenplay that only lacks that eminent emotional touch to become a little more than just an agreeable entertainment. The musical moments, not so special as I would like them to be, failed to alleviate and give a palpable boost to the compact narrative. 

Definitely, Johnnie To couldn’t make of “Office” the best vehicle to explore his strongest talents. Even unobjectionable in regard to its conception and execution, I keep craving his electrifying gang stories packed with warlords, cops, informers, and hoodlums.

Deadpool (2016)

Directed by Tim Miller
Country: USA / Canada

The R-rated “Deadpool” is an often unruly and deftly funny superhero movie, directed by the newcomer, Tim Miller, a special effects artist for film and video games. The screenwriters, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are the same of “Zombieland” and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”, operating also as executive producers. 

The ebullient Deadpool, played with ferocity by Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern”, “Mississippi Grind”), isn't a conventional Marvel superhero but a mischievous antihero who seeks revenge for his disfiguration. 
The man behind the mask is Wade Wilson, a fearless mercenary who enjoys listening to the Wham’s tunes and mysteriously gained unexpected superpowers while being tortured in an airtight chamber. Frequently insolent and incessantly talkative, Wilson loves his job, which consists in getting rid of guys who are even worse than him, and be paid for it. Also, he’s about to get married with his dearest, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), an escort who works at the bar where he always finds his easy-going mate and loyal supporter, Weasel (T.J. Miller). Wilson’s happiness falls apart when he’s diagnosed with terminal cancer. Disoriented and anguished with the idea of losing Vanessa, he volunteers for a dubious transformation program offered by a not less dubious recruiter, referred as Agent Smith. The main goal of this risky experiment would be curing him of the disease, but instead, he falls in the hands of the sadistic Ajax (Ed Skrein), whose real name is Francis Freeman, and his ally, the steadfast mutant Angel Dust (Gina Carano).

Incredibly, Wilson survives the torment, and his cancer vanishes forever. Moreover, he becomes astonishingly agile and powerful, and starts experiencing exceptional regeneration powers. The only setback is that his face and skin got permanently damaged. From that moment on, he lives to achieve two purposes: reconnect with Vanessa, who has no idea what happened to him, and find Francis, whom he believes the only one capable of reconstructing his face and body. For this latter mission, he counts on two X-Men who want to turn him into a respected superhero. They’re Colossus (Greg LaSalle’s face and Stefan Kapicic’s voice), a sort of metallic Hulk, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), a teen version of Ripley from the 'Alien' saga.

I recommend “Deadpool” mostly for its impish humor and tongue-in-cheek posture. A few action scenes, despite gratuitously violent, took me by surprise, positively speaking. It’s unquestionably more entertaining than intelligent, but not so brainless as I was expecting. One can find coherence in the plot, even considering it unsophisticated and cathartic in respect to curse words, tempestuous attitudes, and indigestible brutality. In a woozy manner, it ends up balancing all this destructiveness through encouraging love and good friendship. 

Nina Forever (2015)

Directed by Ben and Chris Blaine
Country: UK

Written, edited, and directed by the debutant brothers, Ben and Chris Blaine, “Nina Forever” is a romantic gothic tale whose morbid and comedic tones are simultaneously disconcerting and ridiculous.

Holly (Abigail Hardingham) is a paramedic student who works part-time in a supermarket where she befriends with the suicidal Rob (Cian Barry), a coworker who’s still trying to cope with the tragic death of his girlfriend.
Their friendship evolves into something more serious, but their first sexual contact is interrupted by a strange presence that emerges from under the sheets. It’s Nina (Fiona O'Shaughnessy), Rob’s possessive girlfriend, who rises from the dead and comes to claim what belongs to her, leaving the bed soaked in blood. Mutilated and flaming with jealousy, this decrepit doll makes her point of view quite clear when she affirms: ‘I’m not his ex because he never broke up with me’. When he says he wants to break up now, she refutes ‘now you cannot because I’m dead’. 
So, imagine the burden! Every time the fresh couple embarks in sexual intercourse, there’s Nina, to spoil the party and cover them with shattered flesh and sticky blood.
Holly wasn’t so scared, but a bit shaken, deciding to give Rob some time to think things over. In the meantime, the latter continues visiting Nina’s grieving parents at their house. The mother, Sally (Elizabeth Elvin), encourages him to move on and find someone else while the father, Dan (David Troughton), enjoys his presence while listening to Nina’s iTunes mix over and over again.

Rob and Holly’s second sexual encounter is much less scary and can be described as a failed threesome. Nina’s rejection in becoming the third element reinforces her willingness to sabotage their pleasurable moments. From that moment on, she acts aggressively, albeit the film cheats on us, proving to be totally inoffensive, volatile, and elusively gory. Moreover, it becomes repetitive in its ideas and consequently unmoving.
Nina’s apparitions are nastier than horrific, and at this point, the directors struggle to find a favorable intersection between comedy and horror, genres that had a margin to be better explored.

“Nina Forever” is technically strong, particularly with respect to the brothers’ editing, Oli Russell’s cinematography, and the remarkable lead performance by the emergent Ms. Hardingham. However, the slick script, even oozing obscure weirdness from all around, gives us too little besides playing with the sinful idea of a lascivious couple having sex with a dead body who loves to mess with them. 

Knight of Cups (2015)

Directed by Terrence Malick
Country: USA

Even assembling a cast whose reputability is beyond doubt, Terrence Malick doesn’t guarantee sufficient depth in his latest drama, “Knight of Cups”, another dreamlike and highly derivative account that unfortunately never offers more than a few opaque insinuations in its attempt to describe a Hollywood screenwriter called Rick, played tepidly by Christian Bale. 

In terms of approach, the film showcases too many similarities with the interesting “To the Wonder”, Mr. Malick’s previous, but this time around, it lacks the guidelines to orient us in a satisfying way, and the intensity to make us feel something more than an overwhelming numbness. In such a way, that I simply couldn’t care less for any of the characters.

The vague mystery introduced as a premise, a tale of an oblivious prince who left his country to find a pearl in the deep sea, simply vanishes in the crescent torpor of the narrative. It’s the Hollywood's monotony that reigns in detriment of Rick’s external stimulations, which are unexciting and shrouded in mist. 
We can listen to a repetitively whispered narration whose melancholic tones become irritating along the way. The viewers will often feel misplaced, and rarely sympathetic with the lonely, stray, and womanizer, Rick, who tries to clarify his way of living by evoking former relationships with women (Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Imogen Poots, and more), a vehement father (Brian Dennehy), and a loved/hated brother (Wes Bentley).

Mr. Malick makes use of artsy and haunting techniques (no filters were applied to the images, but the typical sequences may be immediately identified), however, the film loses impact precisely because we’re already familiar with his sleepwalking ways. The settings are comprised of ample interiors of luxurious houses and breathable exteriors, where there’s always room for the sea and a sunbeam coming out from behind a tree. Occasionally, we are transported to buildings where the heights, captured by the agile camera, make us soar almost in another dimension. The volatile script is the weakest point, even including lustful moments, fancy Hollywood parties, card readings, a despairing idea of damnation, an earthquake, as well as abandonments and yearnings. The fluctuation is so acute that is the real world that seems out of proportion. By the end, I beseeched: ‘someone wake me up!’. 
Too late… I was condemned to successive yawns before discarding this fake pearl.

The Lobster (2015)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Country: UK / other

The absurdly visionary “The Lobster”, a product of the tortuous mind of the Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, who co-wrote with his habitual collaborator Efthymis Filippou, is an opportunistic farce that despite grabbing a few ideas from other movies still manages to keep a personality of its own. 
Along this outlandish trip, we spot camouflaged traces of “The Hunger Games” mirrored in its hunts in the woods, some of the quirks and incongruities characteristic of Quentin Dupieux’s prevarications, and also a mix of doomed futuristic romance that made Spike Jonze’s “Her” a reference in the genre (Colin Farrell even looks like Joaquin Phoenix here). 

I’ve to recognize that the script is both as inventive and empathetic. However, I found the film overlong, adopting an immutable, chewed up pace that after two hours ended up tiring me a bit. Mr. Lanthimo’s humor continues enthusiastically dry, relying on a cadence of words that are frequently uttered in an awkwardly rhythmic manner. The novelty is that these words are in British English, contrary to his previous, “Dogtooth” and “Alps”, whose Greek language makes them even more insensitive. 

The protagonist in this dystopian tale, set in an enigmatic place called The City, is David (Farrell), an architect who was dumped by his wife and taken to an isolated hotel filled with single people who have 45 days to match with someone. If for some reason this goal couldn’t be achieved, they are turned into an animal (Apichatpong’s “Uncle Boonmee” is another one that came immediately to my mind) and set free into the treacherous woods, populated by avid hunters looking for preys. Each successful hunt concedes them a time extension at the hotel. 
In the case things go wrong, David has already chosen to be turned into a lobster because this specimen lives many years, can swim, and stays fertile all its life. Punished by fate, he matches with a short-haired woman who was more his type than a silky blonde he had previously flirted with. Yet, living next to her reserves him some bitter surprises that will transform him into a fugitive. In the woods, he finally finds the true love when he bumps into another fugitive (Rachel Weisz) who belongs to the emancipated Loner group. Their attraction triggers a corrosive jealousy in the dominant Loner leader (Léa Seydoux). In parallel, we can also follow the destinies of David’s peculiar mates, played by John C.Reilly and Ben Whishaw.

Mr. Lanthimos remains faithful to his offbeat inclinations and didn’t seem concerned with the plot’s discrepancies and the frequent puerile dialogue. Regardless his nonchalant posture, the baffling tones become softer as the story advances and the “The Lobster”, even decently amusing and exploratory, never really escalates into superior levels.

The Club (2015)

Directed by Pablo Larrain
Country: Chile

The Chilean cult filmmaker, Pablo Larrain, endures in his keen observations of the society, interweaving themes such as obsession, morality, complex human conducts, and political denouncement, aspects that can be found in his singular cinematic creations such as “Tony Manero”, “Post Mortem”, and “No”.

In “The Club”, 2015 Berlin’s Grand Jury choice, he aims ferociously and bluntly at the Catholic Church, taking us to a secluded house located in a small Chilean seaside town, to where four former clergymen were sent after being accused of a variety of crimes, including pedophilia.
The house should work as a place of penitence and repent, but works more as a retreat center under the supervision of the permissive Sister Monica (Larrain’s wife, Antonia Zegers), who’s not so puritanical as she tries to surface. Among other things, she allows them to drink, watch TV, occasionally interact with other people, and even raising a greyhound, trained to be a racing champion by the obsessive Father Vidal (Alfredo Castro), a sly fox who often escapes the house and believes there’s nothing wrong with his impulses and behaviors.
The other excommunicates are: Father Silva (Jaime Vadell), who previously had served 35 years in the army; Father Ramirez (Alejandro Sieveking), whose mind seems a bit lost, but suddenly starts to describe past occurrences with an overwhelming accuracy; and the aggressive Father Ortega (Alejandro Goic) who curses and adopts a defiant posture whenever confronted with something that goes against him.

The days of false atonement are interrupted by two significant incidents. 
Firstly, Father Lazcano (Jose Soza), under the influence of an overpowering depression, joins the flock after a long absence and listens to the recommendations of Sister Monica regarding the conduct to follow. His tearful eyes mirror infinite sadness, and we can tell right away he’s in a terrible affliction. 
This coincides with the appearance of a drunken local man, Sandokan (Roberto Farías), who stops in front of the house and uninterruptedly shouts the sexual practices he was subjected by the newly arrived priest. Father Lazcano can’t resist the pressure and commits suicide by shooting himself in the head.
This radical act brings Father Garcia (Marcelo Alonso) into the house to start an investigation. He’s a former missionary and an experienced psychologist, highly prepared to deal with situations of crisis. By interrogating the priests, Father Garcia becomes more and more entangled in a spiral of deceit and cover-ups.

Tightly structured and compellingly acted, “The Club” is simultaneously repulsive, confrontational, mesmeric, and self-conscious, being conducted through characteristic elements of Larraín’s style: plenty of darkness all over, provocatively sneering undertones, and an inherent agony that often feels delirious.
The hazy cinematography of Sergio Armstrong, imbued of close-ups, helps to create such a cold atmosphere, letting us experiment the flagrant immorality and sickness of the soul that inhabit in the predators’ heart. These vigilant, startling states contrast with the peaceful surrounding landscapes. The musical score authored by Carlos Cabezas gives the proper weight and dimension to the circumstances
Unsurprisingly, and in opposition to the journalistic “Spotlight”, Mr. Larrain embraces an almost hostile, quite scornful approach to address the topic, totally given from an in-house perspective.

Gente De Bien (2014)

Directed by Franco Lolli
Country: Colombia / France

“Gente de Bien” has a double meaning in Spanish since it may want to refer to good people or rich people. For this observant French-Colombian drama, Franco Lolli’s directorial debut, both options may apply. 
Here, the eyes are put on the 10-year-old Eric (Bryan Santamaria), whose mother is leaving Bogotá for a better job. Since she can’t afford to take Eric with her, the solution is sending him to his estranged father, Gabriel (Carlos Fernando Perez), a skilled handyman at the service of the wealthy and considerate matriarch, Maria Isabel (Alejandra Borrero). In this strange new environment, Eric, who misses playing soccer with his mates, is taken to Maria Isabel’s house where his father replaces the old furniture and everything seems even more unfamiliar. Maria Isabel doesn’t give up on trying to give an adequate education to Francisco and Juana, her spoiled children, who slowly show a contemptuous bias toward Eric. Coming from a much lower social class, Eric never lowers his head, often reacting in a brusque way, and showing an intransigent personality that culminates with a reproachable attempt to steal cash from the host’s purse. 

At the same time, the worried Gabriel, immersed in financial debt, starts looking for a bigger apartment where he can live a bit more comfortably with Eric and the latter’s little dog. Lacking the money to rent the apartment, Gabriel visits his sister, Marta, with the intention of getting a loan from her. Despite the refusal, she invites them to her house where she lives with her husband and kids. However, things don’t go any smoother.
Aware of Gabriel’s difficulties, Maria Isabel makes an irrefutable proposition in order to help him. She’s willing to accept them at her country villa where her family reunites every year during the Christmas season. Once living in the same house as the rich family, both Gabriel and Eric feel detached and unhappy. The former ends up returning to Bogotá. Will Eric be able to adapt to the surrogate family, taking into account that not everyone tolerates well his presence?

Equally subtle and authentic, “Gente de Bien” is never precipitated in its storytelling, relying on the sensitive performances of its cast to build genuinely human characters in a natural manner. It’s this intentional lethargy that makes us understand better the diversified emotional states. The screenplay, devoid of big twists, focuses more on the simple daily situations that mirror the Colombian socio-economic gaps. Nonetheless, what we see in Mr. Lolli’s auspicious first work, can be transported to anywhere in the world.

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Country: USA / UK

One way or the other, the Coen Brothers always please me with their deadpan humor, ironic posture, and diverting stories. Their brand new comedy, “Hail Caesar!”, is a crafty homage to the old Hollywood, aiming loud and clear at the film industry, and employing both subdued and provocative tactics. It’s a movie about old movies, but gladly, it didn’t feel outdated, even if infused with a few known subversive presences.
The film, set in the 50’s, is designed with a luminous cinematography, makes use of an off-screen narrator, and is packed with accurate period details, also counting on a glorious cast to impel the Coens’ ideas. The actors' precise performances and visible glee were fundamental to achieve the liveliness that the directors much appreciate and love to spread on the screen.

Abdicating of the opening credits, the brothers move swiftly into action, presenting Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a temperamental executive who works as a ‘fixer’ at the Capitol Pictures (remember “Barton Fink”?), in one of his frequent confessions at the local church. Mannix is a super-busy man who shows moral concerns about his behaviors. 
In another front, the celebrated actor, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), known as a womanizer and partygoer, plays a Roman Army’s high-ranked soldier in the studio’s major production ‘Hail, Caesar!’. The little mystery in the film comes from Whitlock’s abduction (an unthreatening one) by a group of unsatisfied Hollywood screenwriters who are also fanatics of the Russian communist party. Another of their staunch comrades is the actor, Burt Gurney (Channing Tatum), performer of a great musical number in which he sings and dances in a bar, together with his fellow sailors.
Mannix is also having a hard time, not only with the Thackers (the majestic Tilda Swinton), two twin sisters and viper columnists who are constantly looking for gossips related to the celebrities, but also with Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), an acrobat cowboy whose horse-opera skills are not extended to the drama genre. The renowned director, Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes), who’s involved in a sexual scandal and can’t decide how he wants to be called, categorically complains about the cowboy, forced by the studio management to incorporate the cast of the director's new film. On the other hand, Scarlett Johansson’s character, an agile mermaid, wasn't so perfect and could have been easily discarded.

More comedic than dramatic, “Hail, Caesar!” is a movie that doesn’t require multiple viewings. However, not everybody is going to understand its sly undertones or feel engaged in the process. While some of its sequences are hilarious, some others miss the target, in a story that oscillates between enthralling and zany. The episodes are wrapped in a relentless effervescence, which in some cases feels only apparent. Notwithstanding, this prankish exercise responded well to my expectations, guiding the viewers throughout a Hollywood studio in order to observe its occupants and procedures. It might not be the Coens’ funniest or most satisfying flick, but I can assure you it’s a seductive one.

Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015)

Directed by Peter Greenaway
Country: Mexico / Netherlands / others

The British independent filmmaker, Peter Greenaway, author of a sui generis work whose imagination, mordant humor, and individuality are its strongest aspects, doesn’t make it easy for us in his new artistic creation, a half-baked biographical drama about the Russian filmmaker, Sergei Eisenstein. The latter, here played by the Finnish actor, Elmer Bäck, started his career by gaining a fantastic reputation worldwide with his revolutionary first movies: “Strike”, “Battleship Potemkin”, and “October” a.k.a. “Ten Days That Shook the World”.
 
The visionary Greenaway, faithful to his undomesticated scenic compositions, covers the period since the day Eisenstein arrived in Mexico in 1931 to make a privately funded film, until his final departure for the Stalinist Russia, mirthless and snotty, after a prolonged stay packed with intense personal experiences. Prior to his Hollywood dismissal, Eisenstein was feeling lonely and homesick, deciding to continue his career in Mexico where their artist friends, Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera, were waiting for him. He was so amazed by the country that he shot nearly 250.000 linear feet of film (approximately 50 hours) for his new movie, which had to be stopped by the dissatisfied production company, after growing out of money and patience with the ineptitude of the filmmaker in giving it a coherent direction. 

Mr. Greenaway points the stirring camera toward the homosexual relationship between Eisenstein and his Guanajuato-guide, Palomino Cañedo (Luis Alberti), a married man and father of two, who becomes the reason for the extended permanence of the filmmaker in the country. Regardless of his new companion, with whom he likes to have long discussions on sex and death, Eisenstein calls Russia, to speak to his wife, Pera Atasheva, whenever bored or in trouble.
Often excessively exhibitionist and deliberately trying to extract eccentricities from every scene, “Eisenstein in Guanajuato” feels theatrically awkward, characterizing its protagonist in a pathetic, frivolous way. Intended to be a rollicking piece of entertainment and also a condensed lesson on art, this balmy piece of fantasy makes reference to numerous directors, poets, writers, architects, thinkers, and a variety of other personalities of the art world. 
Our eyes are pelted with sumptuous images, digitally manipulated to form calculated misrepresentations. The screen is occasionally divided into three parts, and once in a while, there are brief insertions of old movie fragments. The problem is that the narrative doesn’t level with the visual exposure. Instead of a veritable human being, our central figure seems more like a clown who even considers himself funny whenever out of clothes. 

The favorable spells that are usually drawn from Mr. Greenaway’s unique style couldn’t be seen this time, unable to survive to a compulsive bawdiness, whimsical shoeshines, and wobbly conducts. Anyway, as a sort of consolation, ‘Que Viva Mexico!’ will be forever in the minds of the true cinephiles.

A War (2015)

Directed by Tobias Lindholm
Country: Denmark

Tobias Lindholm is a commendable Danish writer-director who proved his tremendous quality in intelligent, realistic dramas such as “R” and “A Highjacking”. 
In his latest, entitled “A War”, he earnestly portrays a thorny occurrence that deeply affects the life of a soldier in two different fronts: the military and the civilian. Commander Claus Pedersen (compellingly played by Lindholm’s regular, Pilou Asbæk) leaves his wife and three little children in Denmark and sets foot in the Afghan Helmand province, where he orients a small squad whose purpose is to guarantee the safety of the population, often threatened by the vile Taliban. Their mission in the Middle East also includes locating potential suspects and exterminating them, in the case they’re confirmed as enemies. 

The hardships of war are demonstrated in several ways by Mr. Lindholm, who starts his psychological assault to our minds when a young soldier dies ingloriously after stepping on a landmine. He was replacing another squad member who gets psychologically affected by the incident and, without trying to hide the tears in his eyes, begs his superior to return home. The request is denied by the considerate commander Claus, who can’t do much beyond assigning him duties inside the base, at least for some days. In the meantime, Claus’ wife, Maria (Tuva Novotny), tries the best she can to handle their three children, but not without a few startling incidents. 

The peak of the story, which triggers a complex moral question, is reached when, under heavy crossfire, the pressured Claus is forced to make a tough decision that will change his life forever. In order to protect his men, the brave officer, who frequently participates in the peripheral guarding missions with his patrol unit, orders a deadly attack on a delicate area called Compound 6, which he considered a military target. Shockingly, 11 civilians died in the attack, including women and children. Promptly dismissed, he’s sent back to Denmark in order to be tried, and facing the possibility of being sentenced to four years in prison for crimes of war. The accusation relies on a video from a helmet cam, photographic material, and testimonies of some of his men. 
It’s during this final section that we’re swallowed by a critical moral dilemma. Claus is ready to assume his guilt and willing to confess his mistake, but Maria persuades him of the opposite, begging him to plead innocence for the sake of their children.

Unpretentious, unfussy, and never beyond the limits of reasonable, “A War” evolves in a crescendo, exhibiting perfectly-shaped human characters molded through a rigorous approach that reinforces the urgency of its anti-war message. The finale, not so soothing as some viewers would like it to be, makes us carry this overwhelming weight in our chests. The absence of musical score also enlarges this discomfort.

Liza the Fox-Fairy (2015)

Directed by Karoly Meszaros
Country: Hungary

Freshly arrived from Hungary, the comedic “Liza the Fox-Fairy” provides some fetching moments by resorting to a mix of kitsch and screwball techniques, while boasting a gorgeous 70’s look. 

The surreal, humorous tale leads us to Liza (Monika Balsai), a nice-looking nurse who takes care of Marta Tanaka, a wealthy widow of an influent Japanese personality, whose obesity doesn’t let her get out of the bed. The unmarried Liza, who desperately seeks love, reveals her strong tendency for pop-culture – not only hamburgers make her happy, but also reading cheap Japanese novels in its original language, which she learned from Ms. Tanaka. She’s also prone to connect with ghosts and the most obvious case is Tomy Tani (David Sakurai), a long-dead Japanese pop star who frequently appears at the Tanakas and develops an alarming affinity with her. 
Suddenly, and giving continuity to the film’s initial segment in which Liza, accused of several deaths, is interrogated by the police and states she’s a fox-fairy, we learn that not only she’s innocent but also that a book was the cause of her mutability and curse. The book discloses a grim tale in which the women who are turned into a fox-fairy become forever deprived of love, doomed to live in a desolated forest where usually they end up taking their own lives. It seems this is exactly the malediction that’s hampering Liza from reaching true love. 
The deaths of her multiple eccentric wooers happen one after another, and Liza automatically becomes the main suspect since she was always next to them when the tragedies occurred. The only man capable of untangling the truth is Sergeant Zoltan (Szabolcs Bede Fazekas), a meticulous detective assigned to follow her everywhere and collect the evidence that would put her behind the bars for many years. 

This utterly kinky pastiche, directed and co-written by debutant Karoly Meszaros, is narrated in a complacent manner and moves swiftly, carrying out vivid tones while branding influences of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, as well as the archetypal Asian comedies. The film grants us some diversion, demanding its place among those well-disposed comedies from the past. On the other hand, not everything works fine because originality is not its strength, and the score teases us due to its interminable repetition. Not bad for a first work, though.

Anesthesia (2015)

Directed by Tim Blake Nelson
Country: USA

Tim Blake Nelson’s modest “Anesthesia”, an indie drama involving intractable characters, opens with the death of a man, mercilessly mugged in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The man in question is Walter Zarrow (Sam Waterston), a philosophy professor who lost his life holding a beautiful flower bouquet destinated to his wife, Marcia (Glenn Close), a gesture he kept repeating for years on every Friday. Through flashbacks, we get to know more about Walter, at the same time that a multitude of new characters, somehow connected to the victim, are introduced, every one of them carrying serious problems that vary from traumas to addictions, to unsettling secrets, to forbidden love affairs. 

At first, our eyes are fixated on Sam (Corey Stoll), the one who was next to Walter in the moment he passed away. Sam lied to his boozy wife, Sarah (Gretchen Mol), saying he went on a trip to China, when, after all, he was cheerfully spending a good time with his lover in the city. Sarah, who finds out the truth about her husband, changes her attitude after being confronted by her oldest daughter in regard to her addiction. 
We also become aware that Walter’s son, Adam (Tim Blake Nelson), and his bossy wife, Jill (Jessica Hecht), are going through a difficult phase after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a delicate condition requiring an urgent surgical procedure. Besides this preoccupation, they have their eyes turned to Al and Ella, their teen children who are often seen smoking pot on the roof. 
There’s also Sophie (Kristen Stewart), Walter’s brilliant but problematic and self-destructive student who ends up trusting her good-hearted teacher, finally accepting the help of a psychologist. But that’s not all! There’s another short-term story about a junkie, Joe (K. Todd Freeman), who is forced into a recovery clinic by his lawyer friend, Jeffrey (Michael K. Williams), who maintains a secret affair with Jill, Walter’s son’s wife. 

The individual stories that compound the flawed script work better in an isolated way rather than when are putting together. Mr. Nelson’s condescending crossed paths fluctuate between tacky and curious, but not infrequently the scheme feels like a draft whose main reason to exist is to throw us into the difficulties and pain lived by the characters. The subplot combinations never go deeper than the surface, failing to pass the tough test of freshness, whether in its developments or conclusions.

Macbeth (2015)

Directed by Justin Kurzel
Country: UK / USA / France

Leaning on resplendent visuals and morbid overtones, this reborn “Macbeth” infuses some fresh air in the Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy whose cinematic high point was reached with Orson Welles’ 1948 memorable adaptation of the play.

The Australian Justin Kurzel, who had been absent from the big screen since 2011 when he made his debut with the fact-based crime drama, “Snowtown”, stylishly directed the film, which can be rendered as psychologically intense and darkly pungent. Working from a script by Jacob Koskoff, Todd Louiso, and Michael Lesslie, Mr. Kurzel rebuilds the tragedy, remaining faithful to the Shakespeare’s core but injecting his own style and tone.

Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard play the Macbeths with both amplitude and assertiveness, conveying a raw idea about the limitless ambition that vehemently shoves them into the throne of Scotland, but through an evil path.
Regarded as a mighty warrior, Macbeth (Fassbender), vanquishes the Crown’s opponents in the fierce battles of the civil war, gaining the admiration and respect of King Duncan (David Thewlis). In the course of the final battle, three women prophesy he will become the king of Scotland in a near future. With this tenacious idea in his head, and manipulated by Lady Macbeth (Cotillard), his bitter wife who still grieves the death of their son, the valiant soldier surreptitiously murders the king, his guest for a day. This is a particularly disturbing scene since the unhesitating Macbeth sticks the dagger into the king’s chest, slowly and relentlessly. However, from then on, and even crowned king, a dark cloud falls upon him, bringing disgrace and turning his life miserable. Engulfed by guilt and struggling with an ominous sense of malediction that drives him gradually insane, Macbeth tries to mend his mistakes as the adversities become more and more suffocating.

Dirty but never vulgar, the somber drama is dense with words and filled with superstition, placing its focus on a devastating moral crisis that can be absorbed by following the beautiful compositions that inhabit in Adam Arkapaw’s rousing cinematography. Laborious are the exhaustive speech lines whose theatrical expression Mr. Kurzel opted not to remove. Also, a few battle scenes presented in slow-motion didn’t convince me as they intensify the graphic violence with no particular winnings. Imperfect and yet pulsating, this contemporary “Macbeth” can live by itself.

Aferim! (2015)

Directed by Radu Jude
Country: Romania / others

Wittily co-written and passionately directed by Radu Jude, “Aferim!”, is an extremely entertaining historical adventure, set in Eastern Europe in 1835, that gallops at an effortless pace and carries death, sickness, greediness, and punishment in considerable amounts to grab your senses in several ways.

The filming locations are superb, providing the perfect background for the incredible black-and-white canvases created under the supervision of the competent director of photography, Marius Panduru. This prophetic manhunt, occurring in the idyllic surroundings of Romania’s Wallachia, is simultaneously eventful, chatty, outlandish, and grotesque in its very own way. Its characters are wonderfully sarcastic, moving in idiotic, toadying, and peremptory manners that can be considered equally stupid and funny.

The tale follows Wallachia’s constable, Costandin (Teodor Corban), a preachy lawkeeper who sets off on a peculiar journey, crossing the borders of his dominion in the company of his only son, Ionita (Mihai Comanoiu), to chase down Carfin (Toma Cuzin), a gipsy slave on the run, who was accused not only of stealing from his master, the wrathful boyar, Iordache Cindescu (Alexandru Dabija), but also of sleeping with his wife. Costandin boasts about being just and honest, always having words of wisdom on the tip of his tongue for each situation, and trying to instill the same astute spirit in his nitwitted son, who plays the innocent observer and learner. However, the truth is very far from what Costandin shows off. Along the journey he accepts bribes to let go the wrong man caught; he helps a Catholic priest and agrees with his chauvinistic sermon against all nations except Romania; he leaves a wounded man dying in the middle of the forest, stating that fear is a God’s gift; he negotiates outside the law with rulers and informers; he then kidnaps and sells a frightened kid who’s fed up of being beaten up by his masters; he urges his son to go with a whore after promising to drown him in the case he’s a sodomite; and finally, he returns the innocent Gipsy to the boyar, who castrates him in front of everybody.

For different reasons, the film’s tones brought to my mind the Hungarian classic, “The Red and the White”, and the Russian “Hard to be a God”, which are denser and less fluid than this one. Almost insultingly, Mr. Jude builds a hilarious satire that unreservedly mocks the human values, ethnicities, and the society itself. Pleasurable for the viewer, this manhunt ends up in a disillusion for the protagonists.

45 Years (2015)

Directed by Andrew Haigh
Country: UK

“45 Years” is a distinguished, high-quality British drama, which I recommend without reservations.

The director, Andrew Haigh, who already had convinced me of his filmmaking capabilities with the acclaimed drama, “Weekend”, centered on a gay relationship, was fortunate to work with Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, two of the most extraordinary actors of their generation, whose monumental performances I can’t praise enough (both were awarded a more than deserved Silver Berlin Bear).

They respectively play, Kate and Geoff Mercer, an apparently balanced couple living almost secluded in the beautiful English countryside. Within a week, the childless couple is going to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, to take place in an elegant space in town, and the occasion involves some preparation work so everything can run smoothly. We can sense a mature, warm tenderness on their voices and behavior, despite some debilitation evinced by the retired Geoff, who was subjected to a bypass surgery five years before, the reason why they’re celebrating the 45th anniversary instead of the usual 40th. Suddenly, the arrival of an atypical letter, sent by the Swiss authorities, disturbs the composure of their rustic lives. The letter informs that the body of Geoff’s ex-girlfriend, Katya, was found in the Alpine mountains, preserved underneath the ice since 50 years ago, when she fell down from a precipice. This unanticipated news, which should have been faced with tranquility, inflicts deep transformations in Geoff, who starts having a relentless necessity of talking about Katya. Kate, who shows a salutary openness to talk about everything, is struck not only by a natural jealousy but also by an uncontrollable curiosity that leads her into a nebulous period of Geoff’s past. The biting reality makes her feel betrayed, letting us envision a painful bitterness for the years to come.

Mr. Haigh’s camera lens places its focal point on the characters, soulfully capturing the restless and heavily disappointed look of Kate, as well as the partially camouflaged inner turmoil of Geoff who grows pensive in attitude and reckless in appearance. Not infrequently, the images are quite sharp over the subjects, but intensify the out of focus background. This aspect, intentionally or not, has a parallel with this reflective tale when depicting a supposedly unclouded present sapped by a blurry past.

Timeless and progressively enthralling, “45 Years” ends in an excruciatingly heartbreaking way at the sound of ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’. My favorite of 2015.

The Measure of a Man (2015)

Directed by Stéphane Brizé
Country: France

“The Measure of a Man”, whose original French title “La Loi du Marché” literally means ‘the law of the market’, mirrors the social/economic crisis that fustigates the contemporary France. 

The skilled Vincent Lindon, awarded 'Best Actor' in Cannes, plays Thierry Taugourdeau, an unemployed 51-year-old factory worker who invests everything in specialized courses that seem not to be enough to get a job. He’s been looking for the smallest opportunity for more than a year now, after an unfair dismissal, and the financial problems are now starting to grow as a snowball. Thierry is a considerate family man who dedicates time to spend with his disabled child and goes to dance classes with his supportive wife in order to keep his mind sane. To guarantee this state of mind, he also refuses to follow his former co-workers into court and ask for an indemnity. It’s easy to conclude that his self-esteem and confidence hit the bottom. 

After simulating a job interview at the employment training center he’s enrolled, he gets the following remarks: the inability to smile, the way of dressing, the wrong posture when he’s sitting down on the chair, the low rhythm of speech, and the lack of enthusiasm when answering the questions. Despite the difficulties, Thierry is accepted as a security guard in a well-monitored supermarket, regaining his financial stability while witnessing a variety of theft cases committed by customers and employees. Having gone through hard times, he continues doing his job in a conscious way, but can’t avoid showing some uneasiness when listening to the motives that led these people to steal. 
In one case, involving a long-time employee, a lamentable tragedy occurs, and the silent Thierry becomes more and more overwhelmed by the way the management often reacts. Ambiguity surrounds the last scene of the film, making us wonder if Thierry will continue in the job for the sake of his family, or if this is too emotionally strained for him to handle. 

Director Stéphane Brizé, who also co-wrote with Olivier Gorce, avoids sentimental manipulations and hurls an actual, urgent theme that mixes family, work, and morality. Not disregarding his straightforward filmmaking style, the film caught me mostly because of the powerful acting by Vincent Lindon, who previously had worked with Brizé in “Madame Chambon” and “A Few Hours of Spring”.

Suffragette (2015)

Directed by Sarah Gavron
Country: USA

Sarah Gavron’s “Suffragette” is a fact-based period drama, set in London, whose intention is to dramatize a notable span in the life of the 24-year-old laundress, Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan), who joins a feminine movement to fight for the women’s rights in a society dominated by often abusive men who are not willing to give up their prolonged hegemony. 

Noble intentions aside, the film works very intermittently, only managing to escape the extreme banality due to the great performances of a cast that besides Mulligan also includes Anne Marie-Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, and the revered Meryl Streep, in the kind of a cameo appearance, as the movement’s fugitive leader. 

The intended riotous tones scarcely hit me, maybe because Ms. Gavron decided to include a lame musical score into a drama that proved problematic in terms of direction. Her sophomore feature exhibits annoying zooms and unsteady frames, and is more concerned with drawing some tears from the viewers rather than exhibiting these women's great deeds with vigor and straightforwardness. 
This way, what should have been a catching and powerful work, becomes a conventional, tepid melodrama.