The Settlers (2024)

Direction: Felipe Gálvez Haberle
Country: Chile / Argentina / other

Felipe Gálvez Haberle's directorial debut, The Settlers, delves into a dark chapter of Chilean history, chronicling a harrowing journey undertaken by three men from Tierra del Fuego to Argentina with the sinister aim of exterminating Indigenous peoples across the pampas. 

Set in 1901, the narrative revolves around Segundo Molina (Camilo Arancibia), a young mixed-blood tracker and skilled marksman, who joins forces with Alexander MacLennen (Mark Stanley), a ruthless English Lieutenant, and Bill (Benjamin Westfall), a prejudiced American mercenary. Both men are hired by Jose Menéndez (Alfredo Castro), a wealthy landowner who disposes the Indigenous people from their land to profit. Along their journey, they bump into a competitive Argentinean captain and a despicable Scottish colonel, carrying out their mission with tenacity. Interrupted by a seven-year gap, the two-part narrative culminates in the visit of Mr. Vicuña (Marcelo Alonso), an intellectual nationalist working for the Chilean president, to Menéndez, in the last corner of the Earth. 

Inspired by real characters, the film effectively captures the poignant brutality of the genocide perpetrated against the Selk'nam Indians in Chile. Its portrayal of a primitive environment tinged with political upheaval and savage acts evokes the spirit of classic westerns, here infused with shades of Herzog and Jodorowsky’s filmmaking styles.

Haberle keeps sentimentality away and doesn’t spare us to violence. The film’s heartrending conclusion may leave viewers feeling somber, with a sense of pure intoxication. Despite its bleak topic, The Settlers is elevated by its stunning location shots and the sharp cinematography of Simone D’Arcangelo, who previously showcased his talent in the exquisite The Tale of King Crab (2021).

The Promised Land (2024)

Direction: Nikolaj Arcel
Country: Denmark / Germany / Sweden

Mads Mikkelsen stars in The Promised Land, the best possible send-off for the actor as a low-key but tenacious protagonist. In this historical period drama set in 1755 Denmark, he portrays Captain Ludvig Kahlen, a tenacious former officer seeking permission from the Danish court to establish a colony on Jutland, a barren moorland. However, he faces opposition from the sadistic Fredrik de Schinkel (played by Simon Bennebjerg), who lays claim to the land.

The film, based on 2020 book The Captain and Ann Barbara by Ida Jessen, counts on the strong supporting roles of Amanda Collin as a brave housekeeper and Kahlen’s lover, and Melina Hagberg as an orphan girl traveling with a group of Romani gypsies. What the director Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair, 2012) has in spades is the ability to find lyricism amid squalor. Certainly, the film is grim in many ways, but the true story is made irrefutably cinematic in its lavish, painterly visual detail.

Still, there are self-indulgences and an occasional excess of sentimental expression, especially in its latter third, leading to an awkward ending. The truth is: it didn’t move me in the end, but it’s guaranteed to give you the chills, reminding you of the ruthless deeds of those driven by greed and power. Laced with the emotional heft of the epic classics, the film is sure to satisfy movie-going audiences looking for tension-filled historical dramas.

Napoleon (2023)

Direction: Ridley Scott
Country: USA 

Ridley Scott's Napoleon attempts to capture both the epic military achievements and personal relationships of one of history's most powerful figures, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine. Known for his prowess in historical dramas, Scott's latest endeavor falls short in grasping the complexity of Napoleon's rise and fall.

The film delves into the events that shaped Napoleon's trajectory, offering a reductive, almost anecdotal vision of his life. While the rough combat scenes stand out as the film's most attractive aspect - the bloody battles against the Russians are potentiated by gloomy undertones and Martin Phipps’ tenebrous score - the overall narrative comes across as disjointed and superficial. 

Even cinematically rewarding in terms of carefully framed shots (the evocative cinematography is by Dariusz Wolski), what we experience is lifelessness. Phoenix's portrayal of Napoleon oscillates between bravery and vulnerability, mirroring the film's own conflicted nature. The lack of a personal perspective also prevents the film from delving into something bolder. 

To make matters worse, Phoenix and Kirby have no chemistry, and the film's energy fizzles out before reaching its conclusion. Abel Gance successfully tackled Napoleon's story in 1927, but Scott's adaptation is another missed opportunity to explore the complexities of France's most significant military commander and historical ruler.

Jeanne du Barry (2023)

Direction: Maiwenn
Country: USA 

Jeanne du Barry, a historical fresco directed, starred, and co-produced by Maiwenn (Polisse, 2011; Mon Roi, 2015), struggles to generate excitement. She shoots the over-the-top costumes and the exuberant Palace of Versailles with a sharp eye, however, the film is totally forgettable. 

The narrative follows Jeanne Vaubernier (Maiwenn), a modest woman with aspirations of social ascent, as she becomes the mistress and favorite of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp). The scandalous romance might have shocked Versailles, but here fails to break free from the constraints of a tightly constricted period drama, resulting in a muddled storytelling experience. Sadly, the potential for vast dramatic possibilities is stifled by a squared and monotonous narrative. 

With predictable plot contours, even the envy and gossip, expected in the French courts, are played too safe. Maiwenn manages to transform the manners and behaviors of the time into effective humor, but the film suffers from a disinterested, passionless performance by Depp, which contributes to the film's plodding pace. This way, the audiences are deprived from the engagement needed to appreciate its historical context.
The various parts of Jeanne du Barry are too uneven to form a decent whole, while the elegiac finale brings even more tedium. 

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Direction: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA

Displaying a personal filmic vision, Martin Scorsese directs the historical western crime film, Killers of the Flower Moon, with insight and restraint, benefiting from outstanding performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. This epic and tragic account accurately depicts Oklahoma in the 1920s, portraying the series of murders of the native Osage tribe by greedy, powerful white men coveting their lands and oil headrights. The asphyxiating monstrosity of the actions is encouraged by a corrupt and racist system that threatens the cultural survival of the Native American tribe in question.

The screenplay, co-written by Scorsese and Eric Roth, based on David Grann’s nonfictional book of the same name, follows the war veteran Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), advised by his corrupt uncle and crime lord, William King Hale (De Niro), to marry the wealthy Indian Mollie Kyle (Gladstone). One of after another, members of her family are mercilessly murdered until the arrival of a Bureau of Investigation team led by agent Thomas Bruce White Sr. (Jesse Plemons). 

We are caught in the gut with this painful reflection on the American history, transformed in a momentous, highly entertaining picture. Scorsese's impressive narration, not praising violence but rather coming to terms with it, flows at a constant pace. The film is nourished by extraordinary performances by the three leads, an accomplished blues-roots score by the late Robbie Robertson, impeccable editing by Thelma Schoonmaker, and delightful images - sharpened by Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto - forming a masterfully staged fresco darkly hued by cynicism, avidity, and transgression.

Kidnapped (2023)

Direction: Marco Bellocchio
Country: Italy

From Marco Bellocchio, the director of Fists in the Pocket (1965), Vincere (2009), and The Traitor (2019), comes Kidnapped, an exposé of a period in history when the Church wielded moral violence without responsibility or accountability to any authority.  In this film, Bellocchio, without exceptional brilliance but with the socio-political edge that characterizes his works, portrays the true story of Edgardo Mortara (Enea Sala), a six-year-old Jewish boy who was forcibly taken from his family by Pope Pius IX (Paolo Pierobon) after rumors of a secret baptism. The film is set in 1858, and Edgardo's parents, Momolo (Fausto Russo Alesi) and Marianna (Barbara Ronchi), wage an inglorious battle to reclaim him. Even with the scandal of several such abductions becoming public and Rome being liberated, it's difficult to erase a lifetime of brainwashing. 

There isn’t a moment that is not watchable but those moments could have added much more to the whole if better planned and executed. Despite needing a darker ambiance and more polished dialogue, the film is visually striking and well scored by the dramatic sounds of Fabio Massimo Capogrosso.

Kidnapped may require some patience from the audience as not offers a narrative that only dazzles intermittently. It’s a film centered on unanswered prayers, life-altering religious conversions, and soul-damaging submissions and humiliations, once again placing the Catholic Church at the center of criticism. Despite the formless ramble of its structure and the emotional distance that impairs some its scenes, the film tackles an interesting topic and features reasonably solid performances.