La Chimera (2024)

Direction: Alice Rohrwacher
Country: Italy

Alice Rohrwacher’s films, notably Happy as Lazaro (2018) and The Wonders (2014), captivated audiences with their intriguing narratives. La Chimera, her fourth feature, stands out as a haunting archeological fable set in Tuscany during the 1980s. Rather than relying on suspense, Rohrwacher favors ambiance, crafting a story that delves into a painful past, an inebriated present, and an uncertain future. 

The story revolves around Arthur (Josh O’Connor), a nearly-spectral English wanderer with a supernatural ability to locate Etruscan artifacts in tombs and underground chambers dating back over 2000 years. Recently released from jail for smuggling these artifacts, Arthur, reluctantly rejoins his gang of “tomb diggers” while awaiting the return of his departed love, Beniadina. He also reconnects with Benidiana’s welcoming mother, Flora (Isabella Rossellini), and gets involved with her Brazilian student/maid, Italia (Carol Duarte), a surreptitious mother of two. 

When at its sharpest, Rohrwacher’s script exudes lyricism in its bendable trajectory, casting a spell on viewers. However, the comedic elements are overshadowed by the emotional crisis of an unpredictable, alienated protagonist with a strong inclination for sloppiness. Love and death are squeezed into an eccentric cinematic pot that, in a sense, harkens back to classics from Pasolini, Scola, Fellini, and Cocteau. Some nostalgic moments are magical and profound in a film full of nudges and nuance. This is simultaneously a fascinating character study, a poignant drama edited with breaks of slapstick humor, and an acute piece of psychological realism that connects the living and the dead.

Even with some unnecessary lengths, La Chimera provides a singular experience in a kind-hearted fashion that allows the movie to resonate with more warmth than what was initially thought. O’Connor delivers an engrossing performance, complemented by Duarte and Rossellini, who are a pleasure to watch.

The Palace (2023)

Direction: Roman Polanski
Country: Switzerland / Italy / other

From the acclaimed director Roman Polanski, whose filmography includes gems such as Repulsion (1965), Chinatown (1974), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and The Pianist (2002), comes The Palace, an oddball satire that starts off well but sloppily falls into a wild intemperance pelted with flat humor, bubbly champagne, and too much caviar for my taste. Set in the luxurious Gstaad Palace hotel in the Swiss Alps on December 31, 1999, Polanski’s 24th feature film follows a cast of wealthy and eccentric characters as they gather for the millennium amid fears of the Y2K bug. They range from socialites and aristocrats with abhorrent faces from plastic surgeries to broke tycoons showing off diva postures to rowdy heavy-drinking Russians with no principles.

The hotel’s dedicated manager demands politeness, precision, and perfection from his staff, only to get trouble, embarrassment, and eccentricity from the arrogant and selfish customers. Caught between a brainless parody and a more observant satire, The Palace works more in the line of The Triangle of Sadness (2022) than The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Hence, despite wrecking you with luscious hues, the film’s scenes are often overindulgent and lacking in moderation. While some viewers may find humor in its zany antics, others may roll their eyes. 

Gone are Polanski's signature style and wit, replaced by repetitive gags and scenes that feel more grating than gratifying. We understand it was all created with mockery in mind. However, there are so many aspects that failed to work properly in this disjointed comedy. The international ensemble cast includes Fanny Ardant, Mickey Rourke, John Cleese, and Oliver Masucci.

Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

Direction: Ethan Coen
Country: USA

Drive-Away Dolls marks Ethan Coen’s first directorial solo feature without his brother Joel, but unfortunately, the results are disappointing. With both the screenplay - written by Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke - and the campy tone providing less than what it should be, this fairly basic lesbian hymn, infused with an unintriguing crime subplot, comes across as more hysterical than funny, denoting more showoff than real insight. With imbecilic humorous lines left dangling, it feels too much like an empty and repeated exercise in style. 

Despite a promising premise, the narrative goes overboard with improbable coincidences, goofy behaviors, and sexual pleasures, interspersed with dreamy states depicted through psychedelic imagery, bluesy guitar licks, and greasy pizzas. It all begins when, on a whim, two lesbian best friends, the uptight Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) and the free-spirited Jamie (Margaret Qualley), embark on a road trip from Philadelphia to Florida, incidentally bumping into criminals. The characters are turned into caricatures, resulting in a cartoonish exaggeration that comes across as simple-minded. 

Coen films with edgy, alienating teen-like angst, but doesn’t surprise. The final part of the film gets totally out of hand, combining elements of a myopic noir thriller with a shabby rom-com. Clocking in at a tight and merciful 84 minutes, the film lacks fun and the performances from Qualley and Viswanathan, while competent, are unable to elevate the material. Overall, Drive-Away Dolls is a jumbled mess that tries to be both tactlessly offbeat and attractively endearing, missing the mark.

Club Zero (2024)

Direction: Jessica Hausner
Country: Austria / other

Austrian helmer Jessica Hausner, who impressed us with a religion-themed arthouse drama called Lourdes (2009), returns with Club Zero, a dark fable hinged on a one-person cult promoting autophagy at a private boarding school. Co-written by Hausner and Géraldine Bajard, the film follows Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska), a rigorous teacher turned guru, as she introduces a dangerous concept to emotionally vulnerable students, touching on themes of faith, manipulation, willpower, and societal pressures. Other inherent topics include faulty parenthood and unsupervised classes and methods. 

While the material holds potential, the film, even with something ominous churning under the surface at all times, falls short of expectations. Built with minimalistic composed settings, stiff arthouse postures, and bitter tones, Club Zero misses opportunities to take us to more terrifying territory, preferring instead a quiet defiance that feels flat in the end. 

Hausner demonstrates a morbid precision in her exploration of contemporary neuroses, and yet, the picture rests in a muzzy middle where observation and absurdity are practically indistinguishable. Club Zero is a failure, but an intriguing one.

American Fiction (2023)

Direction: Cord Jefferson
Country: USA 

American Fiction unfolds as an open-hearted comedy drama with spun fast and sharp dialogue where humor prevails even in the midst of poignant moments. It’s a remarkable feature debut for Cord Jefferson, whose curious perspective and narrative intelligence keep a tight focus on the central character. He makes the film a powerful triumph.

The story centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, portrayed by Jeffrey Wright, a talented yet frustrated Black author and English professor. Under a pseudonym, Monk writes a deliberately clichéd satirical novel that exposes the hypocrisy of the publishing industry and white consumerism. Accused of not being ‘Black enough’ in his writings, Monk grapples with death and illness in the family, and contends with the success of a new literary sensation: Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), whom he deems a fraud. Additionally, he reconnects with his estranged brother, Cliff (Sterling K. Brown), a messy plastic surgeon, and navigates a complex love story with Coraline (Erika Alexander), a lawyer living across the street from his mom. 

Sensitive in so many ways but also confrontational, the film is a brazenly enlightening, stingingly thought-provoking satire that straddles the realms of drama and comedy, making its point. It’s one of those pictures that remains engaging, even in its silliest scenes, ultimately achieving an airy result considering such weighty thematic loads. 

Brilliant casting and a cleverly woven story ensure that funny, angry, and heartbreaking moments blend seamlessly. Wright, who played the leading role in Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat (1996) and has been featured in Wes Anderson’s latest works - The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023) - plays his character with mordancy, virtuosity, and blistering perfection, delivering a career-high performance. Also, composer Laura Karpman infuses some wonderful musical vibes, leaning more towards cool piano jazz than the angular style of Thelonious Monk. 
American Fiction presents itself in a distinctive cinematic fashion, leaving a lasting impact on its audience.

Poor Things (2023)

Direction: Yorgos Lanthimos
Country: USA

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

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

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

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

The Crime is Mine (2023)

Direction: François Ozon
Country: France

In François Ozon’s latest film, The Crime is Mine, the narrative follows Madeleine Verdier (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a struggling young actress accused of murdering a renowned producer who had sexually assaulted her during an interview. Defended in court by her best friend and roommate, the unemployed lawyer Pauline (Rebecca Marder), they initially bask in fame until the iconic silent cinema actress, Odette Chaumette (a scene-stealing performance by Isabelle Huppert), claims responsibility for the crime.

Ozon, infusing the jazzy vibes of the 1930s, adapts a play from that era, creating a whimsical, feminist period farce filled with droll humor and a touch of charm. The film takes a lighthearted approach to murder, capturing the era's spirit through an abundance of color and a joyful atmosphere conveyed in briskly-paced, effortlessly chaotic scenes.

This stylized fusion of theater and cinema, infused with social satire, sarcasm, plenty of lies, and a blend of wacky and goofy moments, explores the burlesque side of screwball comedies. Drawing inspiration from the works of Ernst Lubitsch, Frank Capra, and Sacha Guitry, Ozon mounts the film with a refreshingly old-fashioned flair that doesn't come off as an ironic throwback or shameless nostalgia pandering. The production design is lavish and detailed, complemented by outstanding supporting performances from Fabrice Luchini and André Dussollier.

Less brilliant than 8 Women (2002), The Crime is Mine is performed with an impressive suppression of passion, but never losing sight of more serious aspects akin to today’s world. The elements may feel familiar, even hokum, but Ozon approaches the material with enthusiasm. The film ultimately rewards those seeking a light, feel-good piece of entertainment. 

Fremont (2023)

Direction: Babak Jalali
Country: USA 

Fremont marks the fourth feature film by Iranian-British director Babak Jalali, who co-wrote it with Carolina Cavalli (Amanda, 2022). This delightful and triumphant indie comedy-drama draws inspiration from the styles of Aki Kaurismaki and Jim Jarmusch. Languid and centered, the film is peppered with irresistible dry humor while addressing relevant topics with a philosophical tone and stoic expression.

The camera lens focuses on Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), an isolated 20-year-old Afghan refugee and former translator for the US Army, grappling with guilt, rejection, and melancholy for betraying her country. Working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco to avoid the large Afghan community in Fremont, she battles PTSD, leading her to seek help from Dr. Anthony (Gregg Turkington), a relaxed and patient psychiatrist. An unexpected blind date introduces her to Daniel (Jeremy Allen White), a lonely mechanic burdened with responsibilities. The intense connection she feels with him rekindles her ability to dream. 

Jalali handles narrative understatement with incredible charm, shooting in a beautiful black-and-white without succumbing to the common style-over-substance pitfall. The story - sharply observed, compellingly told, and crammed with agreeable surprises - appears to treat its weighty subjects with lightness and coldness. However, a deeper look proves that idea wrong. The humor pushes Fremont away from sentimental traps, and is complemented by a magnificently romantic section where the chemistry between Zara and White, both desperate for love, is remarkable.

The film's scenes are exposed with a non-cumbersome beauty that elicits tears without being overtly tearful. Fremont concludes with warmth and optimism, infusing independent cinema with a breath of fresh air and a generous heart.

The Holdovers (2023)

Direction: Alexander Payne
Country: USA

Alexander Payne makes a triumphant return with The Holdovers, a heartwarming comedy-drama set in 1970 that showcases his affectionate style of filmmaking. The film, written by David Hemingson and inspired by his personal experiences, marks the second collaboration with actor Paul Giamatti, known for their previous hit Sideways (2004).

The story unfolds at the prestigious Barton Academy, a private high school for boys, during Christmas break. As three lonely souls - the sarcastic and alcohol-fueled classics teacher Paul Dunham (Giamatti), smart troublemaker Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), and the bereaved cafeteria worker Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) - find themselves in an unexpected bond. The film skillfully juggles dramatic and comedic elements, creating a distinctive tone. However, this is not a particularly new palette for Payne.

Painful past occurrences reflect behaviors and postures in this refreshing drama with an obvious finale and a couple of sticky moments. Having said that, The Holdovers doesn’t beg to be liked, and the chemistry among the main cast members enhances the overall experience, making it feel like a Christmas treat. 

The story, guided by Payne’s becalmed direction and elevated by Giamatti’s outstanding performance, explores the complexities of growing up emotionally - not without sacrifice - and the factors impelling us to find the strength to move forward. Abrasive at the surface but warm in its fleeting moments of reflection, the film muses and liberates rather than demands or confines. This year’s feel-good winner bubbles with humor and positive change as Payne, transforming an intelligent cerebral script into a captivating film, showcases his storytelling prowess and the power of well-executed, character-driven narratives.

Flora and Son (2023)

Direction: John Carney
Country: Ireland 

Irish writer and director John Carney has a track record of successful music dramas in his filmography, with films like Once (2007) and Sing Street (2016). However, his latest effort, Flora and the Son, falls flat. It’s a crowd-pleaser that lazily resorts to cheesiness in an attempt to compensate for its plot limitations. The film suffers from an artificial quality, and the sickly sweet songs, while trying to tug at the heartstrings, contribute little to the overall substance.

The story revolves around Flora (Eve Hewson), an angry and frustrated single mother from Dublin who is struggling to find her way in life after separating from Ian (Jack Reynor), a once-successful musician whose career hit a roadblock when his band broke up. Flora’s delinquent teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan), frequently challenges her, and seems condemned to spend time in a correction facility. However, Flora, who works as a babysitter, discovers the transformative power of music when she starts taking online guitar lessons with L.A.-based teacher Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The latter reveals his own personal insecurities, but becomes the catalyst for Flora and her son to forge a bond that never had existed before. 

Carney seemed inclined to embrace the realism of directors like Ken Loach, but then gets too busy honey-coating musical sequences marred by cloying sentimentality. Sadly, they never fill you up. By failing to provide deeper dimension to his characters and their life struggles, Carney's film loses its appeal with each passing scene. Manipulative and superficially constructed to escape monotony, Flora and Son repeatedly hits the same uninspiring notes throughout its duration.

Full River Red (2023)

Direction: Zhang Yimou
Country: China

Whenever Chinese helmer Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, 1991; Hero, 2002; House of the Flying Daggers, 2004) releases a new film, audiences expect dense plots, epic battles, and dazzling visuals. However, his latest venture, the action comedy mystery film Full River Red, delivers some of these elements unevenly and goes overboard with self-indulgent gimmicks. As is often the case, the story is set in an ancient era but this time comes marked by an excess of twists to the point of nausea.

When a Jin diplomat is mysteriously assassinated at the house of Song grand chancellor, Qin Hui (Lei Jiayin), the latter appoints a smart low-ranking soldier, Zhang Da (Shen Teng), and a brave young commander, Sun Jun (Jackson Yee), to solve the case. An important letter is also reported missing, and the conspiracy seems much bigger than initially thought.

Failing to ramp up the drama of things, Yimou adopts a jocular tone that, never fully committing, leaves the film feeling dull. The investigation runs out of steam too early, mired by a convoluted plot that falls into repetitive patterns. It’s hard to see past the glossy surface here, so fans seeking interesting characters should look elsewhere. Moreover, the music playing in the chapter transitions is detestable, and each action scene, sly as it tries to be, feels artificial and terribly monotonous. 

More corny than enthralling, and constantly overacted, Full River Red fails to emotionally invest the audience in the narrative. Lamentably, Yimou didn’t put enough effort into this one to provoke or engage the viewer.

Dumb Money (2023)

Direction: Craig Gillespie
Country: USA

This biographical comedy-drama depicting the stock short squeeze of video game retailer GameStop in January 2021 leans more towards being laughably tame than audaciously bold. Directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, 2007; I, Tonya, 2017) and written by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, the film represents a feeble adaptation of Ben Mezrich's book, The Antisocial Network.

Although it’s an ensemble cast that populates the screen, Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, 2007; Love & Mercy, 2014) takes central stage as Keith Gill, a modest financial analyst and YouTuber operating under the moniker Roaring Kitty. Those who followed Gill's strategies had the potential to amass an unimaginable amount of money in the unpredictable game dictated by the stock market's ebbs and flows. Personal decisions played a pivotal role.

Had the filmmaker dared to dip below the surface, and maybe we would have a better film. Dumb Money fails to adequately develop its characters, making them feel unrelatable and causing the narrative to drag. What are audiences supposed to do with this, anyway? In the midst of the constant buzz surrounding the stock market, Gillespie's film struggles to find its footing. 

His work fails to get under your skin because it's content with poking you in the eye. The material offered the potential to create something thought-provoking and didactic, but he squandered the chance by allowing an invertebrate scenario. Hence, there’s no need to go to the movie theater to measure the extent of the damage because what the film tells you in 104 minutes could be absorbed from reading a brief paragraph.

Rotting in the Sun (2023)

Direction: Sebastian Silva
Country: Chile 

While relaxing in a Mexican gay nude beach, Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva meets American comedian and social media influencer Jordan Firstman, who is a fan of his movies. Despite Silva’s initial reservations, they agrees to an artistic collaboration. The two personalities feast on caricatural portrayals of themselves and mock death in this shaggy-dog meta-narrative called Rotting in the Sun. The true standout in the movie is Chilean actress Catalina Saavedra, who skillfully reprises her role as a morally-resistant maid - a character that garnered critical  acclaim in Silva’s second feature, The Maid (2009).

The film unfolds in two distinct halves, and unfortunately, neither proves satisfying. The first part comes off as gratuitous, fixating on the visibly depressed director engrossed in Romanian author Emil Cioran’s book The Trouble of Being Born while contemplating existential struggles and suicide. It’s also pelted with drawn-out, unsimulated sex scenes that add absolutely nothing to the plot. The second part takes a bleak turn, dealing with real death and disappearance, and adopting an investigative and slightly more thrilling tone. However, it fails to shake off the programmatic nature that plagues the narrative.

Silva's direction falters while striving to shock the audience at every juncture, and the repetitive scenes never compensate the lack of ideas. What could have been a provocative satire ended up feeling excessively simulated, derailed by an uncontrolled impetus that only makes it further rigid and cold. In the end, the uninspired director delivers a poor reality-fiction hybrid that proves challenging for the audience to engage with. Unapologetically unpleasant, the film feels stale, like it has been left to rot in the sun.

Bottoms (2023)

Direction: Emma Seligman
Country: USA 

Although exhibiting a proper tonal consistency and acted with intentness, Emma Seligman’s sophomore feature, Bottoms, fails short of the wit and tension showcased in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby (2020). It’s not that the characters lack empathetic eccentricity, but rather that the director amplifies the imbecility in the last quarter to the point of sacrificing any potential subtlety for depthless. 

The story, co-written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott - who also stars - revolves around two unpopular teenage gay girls and best friends: PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri). They initiate a feminist self-defense fight club at Rockbridge Falls High School, not necessarily to protect themselves from the giant male football players, but to woo the hot cheerleaders they’ve set their sights on. While the shy Josie is smitten with Isabel (Havana Rose Liu), the outgoing PJ is charmed by Brittany (Kaia Gerber). Amidst unorthodox fight and defense tactics, they learn to share their traumas. 

Alternating between crude rebelliousness and soapy tenderness, the film races through the scenes with sharp-tongued cheekiness, a loud-and-brash posture, and pathetic behavior. It’s off-the-wall and carries an energetic vibe that injects dynamism. However, it often feels forced in its subversiveness and becomes quite dull on occasion, seemingly detached from reality as it favors a puerile absurdity. While most of the jokes are satisfying, only a couple truly land as clever jabs.

Bottoms provides gay-themed material aimed at teens with a level of insight that rarely rises above standard parody. It didn’t resonate with me, but at least the cast appears to have had a blast in this feminist celebration of love, youth, and friendship.

El Conde (2023)

Direction: Pablo Larraín
Country: Chile

Acclaimed Chilean director Pablo Larraín continues in biopic mode with El Conde, a film centered around Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, following cinematic idiosyncrasies such as Jackie (2016, about Jackeline Kennedy), Neruda (2016, about Pablo Neruda), and Spencer (2021, about Lady Diana). This time, Larraín ventures deep into surrealism, transforming Pinochet into a 250-year-old vampire in a fable that is both somber and facetious. 

Drawing from German Expressionism (Nosferatu and Vampyr are references) as well as absurdism, the director creates a sinister black-and-white world of fantasy to denounce real sinners and their indelible sins from the past. A mysterious British woman, whose identity is revealed by the end to our surprise, narrates the story of Pinochet (Jaime Vadell), a mediocre royalist French soldier turned oppressive commander and vampire. Years after committing atrocities, he now seeks death. His wife, Lucia (Gloria Münchmeyer), betrays him with his loyal slave and master of torture, Fyodor (Alfredo Castro), who is also a vampire. The scenario is further complicated with the arrival of his five greedy children, and Carmen (Paula Luchsinger is phenomenal), a sweet and sly nun disguised as an accountant and secretly assigned to exorcise him from evil. Unexpectedly, in love, the weak count just needs fresh blood (or a human heart smoothie) from young people to rejuvenate. He no longer wants to die.

Equipped with daring shots, classical arias, religious chants, and a fair dose of madness, the ultra-hype El Conde is delirious and violent. It’s carried out with audacity and virtuosity, showcasing the filmmaker’s mastery of his art. The film is far from making a fully formed organic statement, but that wasn’t Larraín’s intention. Fearless of the result, he focused on satirizing with imagination and scathing black humor, metaphorically condemning the man while also providing entertaining.

The Origin of Evil (2023)

Direction: Sébastien Marnier
Country: France 

The Origin of Evil is a petty comedic thriller with an ostentatious profusion of pretenses. Following Faultless (2016) and School’s Out (2018), writer-director Sébastien Marnier delivers another story centered on class defectors that lures one in at an early stage, keeping the audience on edge with a tight mysterious grasp until everything is suddenly revealed. Afterward, it falls into pure thriller routine with no smarts.

Equipped with a great cast but in need of better editing, the film follows Nathalie (Laure Calamy), a modest young woman who decides to meet her estranged, wealthy father (Jacques Weber) for the first time. Battling illness, this man lives controlled by his wife (Dominique Blanc), a compulsive consumerist; his arrogant daughter (Doria Tillier), who took over his businesses; and a constantly vigilant housekeeper (Véronique Ruggia). Although highly caricatured, not a single character is likable. 

Affected by the imposter syndrome, this is the kind of film where you cannot find a trace of honesty, and you know it beforehand. The director employs a bunch of deceits as narrative propellers, but the film, paralyzed by aloofness, runs out of ideas fairly quickly, leaving us with a general feeling that not everything is quite clicking the way it could have. I found myself struggling to find the laughs while observing avid women battling one another fiercely for dominance and acceptance.

The Lost King (2023)

Direction: Stephen Frears
Country: UK 

Although historically interesting, The Lost King is academic in many aspects, which is upsetting since it comes from Stephen Frears, an experienced director whose major works include Philomena (2013), The Queen (2006), Dirty Pretty Things (2002), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988). Stumbling in a faulty staging, this classically crafted film inspired by an incredible true story, tries too hard to please the audience, but it shrieks as it aims for that middle bar that pushes everything into comedic context. 

This is the story of Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins), a mother of two with chronic fatigue syndrome whose determination and subjective intuition lead her to the spot where the cursed King Richard III was buried. His body had never been found since his disappearance in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Guided by passion and obsession, and having fleeting dialogues with the ghost of the king (Harry Lloyd) while roaming through the streets of Edinburgh, she succeeded where many have failed.

Steve Coogan, who also stars as the protagonist’s supportive ex-husband, co-wrote this infinitely modest autobiographical drama with Jeff Pope, never missing an opportunity to adorn the situations with a dash of British humor. 

The dragging first half makes it harder for us to fully enjoy what comes next, and by the time the story reaches its climax, all my excitement has been drained away. All those cynical opportunists, tough sponsors, and difficult excavations don’t emanate enough tension, with Frears struggling to give a consistent rhythm to the storytelling as well as to find a distinctive style. One of those cases where the tedium outweighed the anticipation.

Barbie (2023)

Direction: Greta Gerwig
Country: USA

The pink bubble surrounding the world-famous 11-inch plastic doll Barbie, which made its first appearance in 1959 in New York by the hand of creator and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handel, is hard to recreate, even in modern cinema. Yet, and despite the dominant sense of goofiness, the talented filmmaker Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, 2017; Little Women, 2019) demonstrates she’s capable of surprising the viewer with clever takes on several important topics - from patriarchy to identity to consumerism and capitalism. Fresh ideas co-orchestrated with partner Noah Baumbach transpire throughout a film that jolts with jubilant humor, music, dance, and a few truths about real-world men and women.

In this artificial Hollywood fantasy, Barbie (Margot Robbie, who also produced) struggles with thoughts of death, and inexplicably gets flat feet and cellulite. These malfunctions prompt her to see Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) for advice. The latter urges her to leave Barbieland and go to the real world where she will connect with the unsatisfied Mattel-designer Gloria (America Ferrera), and her brash daughter, Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). Whereas Barbie becomes aware of her depressive state, her forever boyfriend, Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling), makes a move to transform Barbieland into a patriarchal Kenland by brainwashing the remaining versions of Barbie. A pink revolution, not devoid of sweet reasonableness, is needed to reestablish peace and justice.

Benefitting from Helen Mirren’s effective narration, this feminist film hovers over the topics with wittiness, enjoyment and critical thinking. The result is cheerily upbeat. Great energy and creativity went into the construction, production and direction of this movie, which, as good as it is at times, still misses the heart. With that said, that final scene was simply brilliant, leaving me no other option than surrender myself to Gerwig’s intelligent humor. This Barbie movie might be too candied and flamboyant but is certainly not silly.

Asteroid City (2023)

Direction: Wes Anderson
Country: USA 

Directed by Wes Anderson, Asteroid City blends romance, sci-fi, western, and comedy in an offbeat manner, but stumbles on a few metaphysical questions - death, human existence, the extraterrestrial - that leave us adrift. The bits and pieces of this uninspired chamber film are choppily assembled, with clumsy dialogue serving as a makeshift bridge for passionless scenes fabricated with an enforced mood and drowsy vibes. Here, everything is artificial, including the scenario. 

Anderson and his regular collaborator, the screenwriter Roman Copolla, worked together for the fifth time, drawing inspiration from films by Robert Altman, John Sturges and Paul Newman. The year is 1955. Days after the death of his wife, the confident photojournalist Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) begins a romance with the unenthusiastic actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson). He doesn’t get along with his father-in-law, Stanley Zak (Tom Hanks), and is proud of his shy little genius son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan), a Junior Stargazer winner. All these and other characters, along with all their moves, are products of the mind of Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), a renowned playwright.

With a convoluted scrip, fatuous characters, and obtuse comedic tones trailing off into alien-invasion nonsense, no dream cast could succeed in turning this fabrication into a hip and funny cinematic experience. Both its surface and essence are phony but, worse than that, is the movie’s inability to offer any insight about anything. Asteroid City is equal parts tackiness and boredom. As a result, I urge you to avoid being quarantined by this desert of ideas.

You Hurt My Feelings (2023)

Direction: Nicole Holofcener
Country: USA 

Writer, director and producer Nicole Holofcener (Please Give, 2010; Enough Said, 2013) has a penchant for exploring adult relationships with a certain kind of humor that, most of the time, feels modest. You Hurt My Feelings, intended as a tuneful satire about an upper-middle class Manhattan couple, mixes smart observation with a less effective execution.

At the center we have Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus ) and Don (Tobias Menzies), who have been happily married for years. She’s a writer and literature professor desperately striving to put her long-awaited sophomore novel out; he’s a psychotherapist who definitely needs a break as he keeps mixing his patients’ life details. Their 23-year-old son, Elliott (Owen Teague ), manages a weed store and wants to be a writer. And then we have Beth’s ever-supportive sister, Sarah (Michaela Watkins), her struggling actor husband Mark (Arian Moayed), and her finicky mother, Georgia (Jeannie Berlin). The world seems to collapse when Beth incidentally eavesdrops on Don disclosing he doesn’t like her new book. 

The story - in the attempt to differentiate lying from encouragement - is plausible, but by adopting a cozy ambience for every situation, Holofcener makes us always feel comfortable. Hence, the dramatic stakes are at the minimum, not to mention that everything gets fixed in a blink of an eye, and with a lightness that doesn’t convince. It’s a shrewd plot with some sharp dialogue, which, nevertheless, lacks edginess and a satisfying resolution. 

You Hurt My Feelings is an insufferably cute rom-com but I have absolutely no qualms in saying that it misses out on something. Although the director and her cast bring some funny situations to keep the story going, the film leans more on the average side.