I am a big fan of tennis and of a few other sports. I also love the art of film. Their meeting should be one in heaven for me, and yet, so far, I haven’t seen a sports fiction movie that I actually liked. The competition is tough. The sports tournaments themselves, when they are of a good level and when you like the sport, are entertainment of the highest quality, suspenseful shows with interesting characters (many of whom we know well) and – we like to hope – honest. Sports broadcasts with today’s technological means bring them to our living room. I have yet to see a sports movie that captivates me like a good tennis or soccer match or an athletic competition or a world-class figure skating competition. I haven’t seen any movie that made me get fired up or at least understand something about those sports that leave me indifferent. ‘Challengers‘ (2024) was promising, especially since it is directed by Luca Guadagnino. The promises were not fulfilled. ‘Challengers‘ didn’t change my opinion at all. But maybe it’s not a movie where sports is the main subject, but just another romantic comedy?
The story is quite simple, although it is not told chronologically. Art and Patrick are teenage friends, good ones, the kind of friendship that lasts either a lifetime or until they meet the girl they both fall in love with. They are also tennis players, they team up in the doubles matches, but all tennis fans know that what matters are the singles competitions. Tashi appears in their lives and on the tennis courts, she’s that gorgeous ‘you can’t help but fall in love with’ kind of girl, and as soon as they see her (on the court, where else?) they both fall in love with her. She is also an exceptional tennis player, maybe even better than them. The boys invite the girl to their room. This is where takes place the first of the few scenes in the film that some will consider brilliant, others questionable. Who will the girl choose? She decides it will be the winner of the next day’s match when the two play against each other! The rivalry between the two would continue throughout their careers. On the ground and emotionally. Art, who will apparently win in the long run, will not be able to erase Patrick from the girl’s mind. 13 years later, Tashi – forced to give up her career due to an accident – is the coach but also the wife of Art and the mother of their daughter. But she did not forget Patrick, her first choice, and when the two men will face each other – at the end of their careers – in a second tier tournament , there will be much more than a tennis match at stack on the court.
For Luca Guadagnino, ‘Challengers‘ is the second film made in the United States. If he intended to direct like an American, he succeeded, but not in the good sense of the expression. Nothing reminds of the subtlety and complexity of some of his earlier films (I really enjoyed the ones with Tilda Swinton). He is not helped by Justin Kuritzkes‘ original screenplay, which fails to avoid clichés and which, when it proposes more interesting conflicts resolves them conventionally. The only aspect that I thought was well addressed was that of the end-of-career crises of great athletes – an interesting topic that deserved a separate development. The footage of the tennis matches in the movie did not excite me either, including the slow-motion effects or the ‘ball-in-flight’ angles. I am probably too spoiled with the games of the great champions that I see in abundance on TV. Additionally, the tennis in the film is mediocre, as only Zendaya of the cast seems to have made the effort to take some serious tennis lessons. The role of Tashi is complex and interesting, and the young actress did quite well, although for me she did not manage to fully elucidate the character of the woman who is loved and who loves two men who fight for her (on the tennis court, but not only). If Zendaya‘s intention is to build a career in JLo’s footsteps, she’s on the right track. But if she has other ambitions, she starts having problems. Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor do honorably as the teenagers who become men on the tennis courts, with a plus for Josh perhaps benefiting from the fact that it’s easier to play ‘bad boys’. ‘Challengers‘ tries to be much more than just another tennis movie or another coming-of-age romance, but it doesn’t quite succeed. Me, I’m waiting for the ‘Nasty’ documentary and for the big tennis tournaments of the year.
Astăzi voi relata pe scurt o succesiune de evenimente care ar putea fi descrise ca o poveste polițistă. Multe dintre ingredientele acestui gen literar sunt prezente: o infracțiune bine camuflată, agenți misterioși care acționează din umbră, identități false. Acțiunea se petrece însă într-un spațiu mai puțin obișnuit – cel al Internetului și mai exact în lumea puțin cunoscută și încă și mai puțin înțeleasă a celor care creează și mențin în funcțiune programele de software care formează infrastructura rețelei globale. Foarte mulți dintre noi le folosim fără să știm prea multe despre foarte puținii oameni care trudesc, mulți dintre ei anonimi, mulți dintre ei voluntari, pentru a face ca Internetul să funcționeze. Povestea aceasta cu eroi misterioși are și o morală și deschide o discuție importantă despre felul în care este administrat Internetul, a cărui utilizare a devenit o parte critică în viețile noastre.
Primele știri despre un eveniment neobișnuit care se petrece în rețeaua globală de comunicații au fost publicate pe 29 martie de Andres Freund, un inginer de la Microsoft. Acesta a observat că una dintre metodele cele mai populare de conectare între utilizatori și serverele legate la Internet, o funcție numite SSH (prescurtare de la Secure Shell) funcționează cu aproximativ o jumătate de secundă mai încet decât normal pe tot Internetul. SSH este o metodă pentru trimiterea în siguranță a comenzilor către un computer printr-o rețea nesecurizată. SSH folosește criptografia pentru a autentifica și secretiza conexiunile dintre dispozitive. Standardizată în 1995 de către organizația Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), este de atunci o funcție standard a sistemului de operare UNIX, ale cărui variante diferite sunt prezente în majoritate pe serverele conectate la Internet. Între aceste servere, multe folosesc varianta LINUX, lansată în 1991 de inginerul finlandez Linus Torvalds, foarte populară, deoarece este o variantă cu codul sursă deschis (open source), adică liber accesibil și modificabil. Un exemplu al utilizării pe scară largă al funcției SSH este legătura locală sau de la distanță a unui tehnician la un calculator cu scopul programării, depanării sau operațiilor de administrare. Atâta timp cât funcționarea este normală, identitatea utilizatorului este confirmată criptografic, iar operațiile sunt cifrate și nu pot fi citite decât de operatori sau mașini autorizate. Asta, dacă nu a fost introdusă o cale de acces ‘pe ușa din spate’ sau în engleză ‘backdoor’. Este exact ceea ce se întâmplase.
‘Backdoors’ constituie unul dintre coșmarurile cele mai răspândite ale celor care se ocupă de securitatea sistemelor informatice. Este vorba despre metode introduse de obicei prin câteva linii de cod strecurate în programele calculatoarelor, care permit scurtcircuitarea autentificării și criptării și accesul direct la codul executat de mașină. Sunt folosite, de obicei, de ingineri în fazele de proiectare, atunci când aceștia doresc acces direct la sistemul în construcție, fără procedurile și costurile impuse de metodele de securizare ale produsului final. În mod normal, înainte de finisarea și livrarea proiectelor, aceste minuscule rutine software trebuie să fie complet eliminate. Scenarii diferite însă se întâmplă. Uneori este vorba despre neglijență. Alteori despre acțiuni intenționate. În cazuri extreme, ‘backdoors’ sunt implantate în codul existent prin intermediul unor viruși digitali. În acest caz, metoda a fost și mai subtila – introducerea rutinei de acces ilegal a fost făcută prin intermediul unor operații de întreținere a codului de domeniu public și livrate împreună cu actualizările periodice ale programelor. Cum a fost posibil?
Pentru a înțelege ce s-a întâmplat, trebuie să aruncăm o privire asupra felului în care sunt întreținute și extinse programele software de domeniu public de acest fel. De multe ori, această sarcină este asumată de ingineri sau programatori care o fac voluntar, în timpul lor liber. Acesta era și cazul cu pachetul de programe numit XZ Utils (în care era încorporat SSH), un program de comprimare și decomprimare a datelor pentru a fi transmise eficient pe rețele. Cel care întreținea acest program era un voluntar pe nume Lasse Collin, care pe la finele anului 2022 ajunsese la concluzia că această activitate devenise prea împovărătoare și consuma mult din timpul său liber, fără vreo recompensă. A solicitat ajutor pe listele de discuții, și pe una dintre acestea s-a oferit să-l ajute un utilizator pe nume Jia Tan, care crease un cont cu aproximativ un an în urmă. Acesta sau aceasta sau poate aceștia au exploatat modul de lucru deschis și colectiv al sistemului de codare și faptul că – la fel ca pe rețelele sociale de exemplu – nu există un sistem de verificare a identității abonaților. Timp de un an, sub numele de utilizator JiaT75, participase la discuții, colaborase și contribuise cu rutine care se dovediseră a fi utile efortului de menținere și extindere a diverselor proiecte și le încărcase prin intermediul sistemului GitHub, care găzduiește acest proiect software și multe altele. Începând cu ianuarie 2023, atunci când Lasse Collin a început să dea semne de oboseală și a comunicat că ar avea nevoie de înlocuitori, Jia Tan a preluat funcția de contributor principal în proiectul XZ Utils. SSH era doar o rutină minoră in XZ Utils, dar sursa era acolo. Când anume exact a inserat Jia Tan elementul ‘backdoor’ în SSH nu este clar, dar probabil că asta s-a întâmplat destul de recent și că pagubele sunt minime. Din momentul în care a fost făcută publică spargerea de securitate, Jia Tan a încetat să mai contribuie. Mesajele trimise la adresa gmail cu care este înregistrat pe GitHub au rămas fără răspuns. Nu se cunoaște identitatea sa reală. Costin Raiu, un expert în securitate, care a lucrat mulți ani la firma de cibersecuritate rusească Kaspersky, apreciază că ar putea fi vorba nu despre un singur programator ci despre o echipă cu scopuri pe termen lung, lucrând în slujba unor servicii ale uneia dintre națiunile angrenate în asemenea activități. Cele mai des citate sunt China, Rusia sau Coreea de Nord. Cert este că. între 2021 și februarie 2024. Jia Tan a lăsat în urmă, în proiectele de sursă deschisă, peste 6 000 de contribuții. Bănuiesc că acestea (sau cele care sunt detectabile) sunt acum re-examinate, pentru a verifica dacă nu au introdus și alte vulnerabilități.
Exista soluții pentru a preveni astfel de evenimente în viitor? În teorie, există o alternativă, și aceasta ar fi stabilirea unui control centralizat, administrat fie de guverne, fie de concerne de companii. În practică, pe lângă costul ridicat al unei asemenea administrări, sistemele de ‘cod închis’ cu administrare centralizată nu s-au dovedit a fi mai sigure. Au fost descoperite vulnerabilități similare în produsele software ale unor uriași precum Microsoft, de exemplu. Cazul pe care îl discutăm demonstrează că formatul de cod deschis este, desigur, o oportunitate pentru cei care doresc să strecoare vulnerabilități, dar și pentru cei care le testează și le utilizează. Cei care au descoperit în acest caz spargerea de securitate au fost tot utilizatorii și faptul că a fost posibilă imediat examinarea codului a făcut ca determinarea exactă a sursei și găsirea celui sau celei care a introdus-o să se petreacă în câteva zile. Există totuși câteva lucruri în plus, care ar putea optimiza performantele sistemului. Unul ar fi găsirea unor resurse care să-i motiveze și să-i recompenseze pe voluntarii care lucrează la programele ‘open source’. Unele dintre marile firme au început să permită programatorilor să lucreze câteva ore pe lună pentru astfel de aplicații. Dacă aceștia și-ar putea permite să dedice mai mult timp acestor activități, rezultatele probabil că s-ar vedea imediat. Nu este nevoie ca ei să rămână pentru totdeauna voluntari și eroi anonimi decât dacă, din motive personale, își doresc asta. Progresele Inteligenței Artificiale pot și ele ajuta. Sisteme AI perfecționate pot fi antrenate în determinarea anomaliilor formate de câteva instrucțiuni de cod în produse software cu milioane de instrucțiuni. În fine, sistemele juridice și regulatorii ar trebui să fie relaxate pentru a permite circulația liberă a ideilor și a codului care le susțin, protejând proprietatea intelectuală și protejând consumatorii contra atacatorilor de securitate. În cazul acesta, vinovatul a fost descoperit, chiar dacă el s-a refugiat în jungla digitală. Pagubele au fost minime, deși breșa era potențial majoră. Prin SSH era deschis accesul spre tot sistemul LINUX, inclusiv aplicațiile care-l utilizează. Această încercare nu a fost însă nici prima și nici ultima. Lecțiile trebuie învățate.
(Articolul a apărut iniţial în revista culturală ‘Literatura de Azi’ – http://literaturadeazi.ro/)
French television studios have recently provided us with several series with female protagonists endowed with exceptional qualities. ‘HPI’ that I saw and wrote about two months ago, was dealing with a woman with an exceptionally high intellectual potential, which made her extremely competent in solving the most complicated murder cases, but also totally emotionally inadequate and socially unadaptable. The heroine of the ‘Machine‘ series whose first (and for now only) season I finished watching has other qualities. She went through military training that included the martial arts of Kung Fu and gained a fighting experience that made her a formidable beating and – when needed – killing machine. Do the authors of the scenarios want to tell us – at the extreme, of course – that in order to succeed or just survive in today’s world, women must not only be much better than men, but sometimes be downright superheroes? If we are to go by what we see in these two series, their special qualities do not bring them happiness and do not help them avoid the loneliness to which they seem condemned. What is certain, however, is that they make interesting heroines for TV series.
The story takes place in an area of France remote enough for the access roads to be at best two-way roads. A rather young but visibly scarred by life woman is assigned by the Human Resources Bureau to work temporarily as a mechanician at a factory of household electrical products. She is single and spends her time listening to fairly old rap and punk music tapes inherited from her mother, who had died a short time ago. Among his co-workers, those who lend her a helping hand are a maintenance technician named P.J. who turns out to be a staunch Marxist and Leila, a young accountant. The factory is about to be sold to a Korean concern. Workers resist, knowing that such transitions lead to worsening conditions and job losses, but economic and political interests go far beyond the local context. As the conflict becomes more and more violent (workers go on strike, the authorities call for the intervention of the police and other “maintaining of order” forces), the young woman whom those around her call Machine reveals her qualities as a fighter and puts them at the service of her fellow workers. At the same time we learn that the military authorities and a mysterious man who has personal reasons for revenge are on her trail.
The script is very well written, combining action films with films with social and political themes. It’s snappy, well-paced, with episode endings that make viewers look forward to the next episode or start watching it immediately if they’re watching on streaming. The actors’ performances are very good, but two roles stand out. The role of Machine is played by Margot Bancilhon, an actress that I confess I have not noticed before, who is excellent, including in the scenes that demand physical qualities and talent for martial arts (or miming them). The role of the Marxist is played by JoeyStarr who is also a singer and producer of rap music, but who in this film does not sing but quotes Karl Marx copiously instead. I also liked the social part of the plot, but less so the political part. For someone who was born and who lived in Eastern Europe for quite some time like myself, the writings of Karl Marx and the concept of ‘class struggle’ have dark connotations. The jokes and the necessary detachment cannot erase the sensation of ‘rehabilitation’ of Marxism, whose harmfulness I experienced firsthand. It’s the main reason this series gets a 7 from me and not a 9.
Were the 1940s the best years in cinema history? The top three films on my personal list were made at the beginning of that decade. One of them is – you guessed it! – ‘Casablanca’. If we can say that ‘Casablanca’ opens the cinematic decade, this is masterfully closed by ‘The Third Man‘, the 1949 film by Carol Reed. In many ways these are mirror films. Both take place in the shadow of the terrible world war that is not seen on the screen. In one the fighting takes place in Europe, far from Casablanca, in the other the war has been over for several years and has left Vienna occupied, divided, in ruins. The locations are ‘exotic’, but in a very different way. Both films are about friendships at test and love stories, with love triangles between two men and a woman. In none of them does the ‘good guy’ end up with the woman he falls in love with. The actors, the cinematography, the soundtrack are formidable in both films.
The script of ‘The Third Man’ was written by Graham Greene. The screenwriter, the director, the producers all knew the war from personal experiences. Today we look at this film as a historical story, and the formidable images of Vienna bombed and divided into occupation sectors are also a document. Robert Krasker‘s cinematography also received an Academy Award, the only one won by this film and the first ever won by an Australian. For the filmmakers, however, it was about a realistic film in contemporary landscapes. This is the scene of a drama in which Holly Martins, an American writer of cheap novels, comes to meet Harry Lime, a childhood friend, to find that he has just died. Instead of a meeting, he arrives at the funeral. Accident? Crime? Or maybe none of these? Holly will try to solve the mystery of Harry’s disappearance. He will find out that he was involved in criminal business. He will meet Anna, his lover, an actress who was hiding under a false identity to avoid being sent beyond the Iron Curtain. The plot has subterranean ramifications – literally and figuratively.
‘The Third Man‘ is one of those films that can be pinpointed in geography and historical moment, and yet manages to be universal. One of the secrets is filming in the city that was experiencing the scars of the war and the consequences of the occupation. Filming on the streets of Vienna and using local extras, everything feels authentic. ‘Dutch angles’, i.e. shots with the tilted camera amplify the tension and uncertainty surrounding the fate of the characters. A special quality is given to the film by the music performed on the zither and composed by Anton Karas. The use of a single instrument recreated the atmosphere of musical accompaniments from the silent film era, where the piano musically accompanied the images seen on the screen. Orson Welles only appears halfway through the film – but what an appearance! This is one of his best roles, even if today it would be considered only a supporting role. Welles is said to have contributed much more – dialogue, direction suggestions – but today his degree of involvement in the production is disputed. I liked Joseph Cotten less in the lead role and think that if Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant had played Holly (as other rumors claim it was considered) the film would have been better. I’m not a big fan of Trevor Howard either and this movie didn’t change my mind. Alida Valli on the other hand, as Anna, is fascinating. She radiates an exotic beauty and reflects an inner drama that makes her attachment at any cost to the man who doesn’t deserve her love seem painfully poignant. The final scene is masterful and seems to conclude not only the film but an entire cinematic decade.
It’s rare for me to recommend a movie not to be seen, but with ‘When Evil Lurks‘ (original title is ‘Cuando acecha la mandad‘) by Argentinian director and screenwriter Demián Rugna, I’m very close to doing so. I think this movie resonates with the word ‘evil’ in the title. It is a horror movie in the category of movies with demons taking over people, animals, entire cities, etc. I love horror movies, and while the demon and exorcism genre isn’t my favorite sub-genre, I’m okay with them as long as they either stick to the level of metaphor or treat the subject matter with enough humor. Horror effects don’t scare me. This film, however, has absolutely none of the elements that allow horror to become entertainment for the fans of the genre. First of all, there is a complete lack of humor and of any attempt at detachment. The film has as its heroes two brothers who live in a remote rural region, but neither they nor any other characters have a minimum of qualities that could make the audience care about them or identify with them in any way. Horror scenes seem to aim to break as many taboos as possible, including avoiding graphic violence when it comes to children or pregnant women. The ‘demonic’ part is also taken very seriously, at some point even, one of the characters recites a full manual of behavior about what one is supposed to do when Evil lurks. From a technical point of view the film is well made and shot with expressiveness, but even these qualities seem to be put entirely at the service of the viewers’ disgust. This kind of film probably has its audience who appreciate it enough to give it an acceptable average rating on IMDB, but I deeply disliked it. There are good movies, bad movies and evil movies. ‘When Evil Lurks‘ belongs to the latest category. Avoid it!
A few weeks ago I was writing about the Irish series ‘Acceptable Risk’ (2017) and I noticed Angeline Ball, the actress who played the role of a competent and brave detective, whom I would have liked to see again in other films, maybe even in a series to span several seasons. Well, my wish was granted sooner than I had hoped. In fact, it had already been fulfilled since 2021, when the first season of ‘Hidden Assets‘ had been filmed, another Irish detective series, created by Peter McKenna, again dealing with a complex case, an international investigation with ramifications in the world of terrorism, big economic business and politics. Detective Emer Byrne from the first series has now become Emer Berry, although we have no explanation or clue as to the reasons of the name change. Unlike many other series of this kind, ‘Hidden Assets‘ does not go into the private lives of the detective heroes at all, which does not mean that we do not notice that the main heroine is suspiciously lonely. This, of course, allows her to devote her days and nights to investigations, but it does not make her insensitive to the presence of men around her. In the new series there is also a partner who may arouse her more than professional interest in the person of the Belgian police inspector Christian De Jong with whom she will form a team from a moment on. However, despite some hints, their relationship does not develop romantically.
The story is engaging, well-written, and the six episodes will be enjoyed greatly by most viewers. Emer Berry is now head of a Dublin police department that deals with economic crimes such as bank fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. De Jong investigates a terrorist bomb attack in Antwerp in which about 15 people lost their lives. Both investigations lead to the same character, an Irish businessman suspected of tax fraud, who is also the owner of the apartment in Antwerp where the suicide bomber hid and where the body of a woman had been found. In addition, the suspect’s sister, a wealthy woman based in Belgium with connections in the world of finance and politics in that country, is the owner of a shipping company where the victim was employed. How are the two businesses related? Irish and Belgian police begin to collaborate and the two investigations merge into one complex and interesting case.
‘Hidden Assets‘ has everything it needs to satisfy fans of detective series. The format of six episodes with a length of almost an hour each allows the development of a complex plot and for viewers enough time to know the main characters – policemen, suspects and those around them. The script is written by two woman screenwriters – which shows in the creation of interesting and believable female characters – and by Wouter Hendrickx, the actor who plays the Belgian policeman. The pace of the action is alert, the characters well defined, the solutions to the various problems that arise throughout the investigation believable. Apart from the roles of the two detectives, there is another character – the one played by the actress Cathy Belton – who deserves a series of his own. She a financial analyst who untangles the most difficult threads of global, complicated and suspicious financial affairs on the whiteboard and laptop screens. The finale leaves some issues only half resolved, which sets the stage for the second season. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m quite disappointed as I read that Angeline Ball is no longer the lead. I can only hope that Emer Berry has been promoted to an even more interesting position, because that’s the life of a cop.
Those who will dare to watch ‘Project Wolf Hunting‘ (the original title is ‘Neugdaesnyang‘), the 2022 film written and directed by Korean director Kim Hong Sun will have a good chance to see the bloodiest movie or one of the bloodiest movie that they have ever seen them. And yet it is not just a film aimed at fans of violent action and/or horror. ‘Project Wolf Hunting‘ is also a film that confirms the boldness and creativity of South Korean filmmakers, their ability to combine and transcend genres and make interesting films that are not shy of being extreme or bizarre.
Several dozen male and female prisoners, handcuffed and guarded by a detachment of guards and policemen armed to the teeth, are extradited from the Philippines to South Korea aboard a cargo ship. The inmates plan and execute a spectacular escape and take control of the ship. They are among the cruelest criminals and murderers, so that the revolt is violent from the beginning and the fights between the guards and the prisoners cause many victims. Before long, however, they will all realize that they face a common danger, even more deadly than their rivalries. The ship carries a secret passenger of a very special kind, a killing machine with seemingly supernatural powers. It will break free and go on a rampage, killing everything in its path. Meanwhile, a remote command center watches over the ship until all communications are cut.
‘Project Wolf Hunting‘ navigates (to use an appropriate expression) between cinematic genres. In the first half hour, which is about a quarter of the film’s duration, we get to know the characters – the policemen, the prisoners, the crew, the people in the command center. Then we start losing them one by one in the violence that ensues. What started out as a psychological thriller turns into an action film about a prison uprising, only to end in pure horror. There is also an explanation of what is happening, a combination of facts from the violent history of Asia during the Second World War with experiences of prisoners that are taken over in our era by big pharma concerns and by armies. Everything makes sense and is well filmed. Those who do not reject violence as cinematic entertainment have a good chance of enjoying this film. The finale opens the premises of some sequels, so we may hear more about ‘Project Wolf Hunting‘.
‘Revenge‘ is the feature debut of French director Coralie Fargeat, a director who doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. She was already 40+ years in 2017 when this film was made, and only this year, as she approaches the age of 50, her second film will premiere in the official competition at Cannes. Even from the title it is suggested that it is a revenge movie, although, perhaps, if I had to choose the closest genre I would rather include it among survival movies. However, ‘Revenge‘ does not sit comfortably within the limits of any of these genres. It has a quality of its own and manages to be more than just a movie in one genre or another, although the amount of action and gore will please fans of those genres. It is also a feminist film, the main heroine being a woman and the director approaching two very ‘masculine’ cinematic genres without any complex. If anyone was in doubt, everything a man can do a woman can do as well, and often much better.
The film has four characters – three men and one woman. The action takes place in a desert hunting area. Richard, who is rich and married, brings Jen, his young and beautiful mistress, to the pool villa in the middle of the desert for two days of intimacy before his two other friends arrive. However, they appear earlier than expected. After a night of partying, Richard leaves to get hunting licenses, and in his absence, one of the friends rapes Jen, while the third man hesitates and decides not to help her. When Richard returns, he tries to appease and cover up the story, but Jen, perhaps shocked, doesn’t seem willing to cooperate. Richard decides to kill her and throws her into a precipice in the desert. Convinced that the young woman is dead, the three men attempt to continue their hunting program as if nothing had happened. But Jen survives. Or perhaps the more accurate term is that she is reborn. And she will take her revenge.
In many ways the movie is predictable and the characters do pretty much what we expect them to do in movies of this kind. And yet ‘Revenge‘ surpasses in quality just about everything we’ve seen in these categories. First of all, the story is very well written (Coralie Fargeat is also the author of the original screenplay) and the action never drags. A few well-placed symbols (the apple the heroine bites into at the beginning of the story, the Phoenix bird as rebirth and healing by fire) add meaning without being excessive. The cinematography is special – both in the way the desert is shot and in the alternation of fast action shots with long shots. For example, the final confrontation in the villa is preluded by a multi-minute single shot frame from Richard’s perspective, which helps build the tension. Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz is the ideal actress for the role, and being directed by a woman adds to the psychological veracity of the character, who transforms from an object of attraction for the men in the film to a machine of survival and revenge. The amount of blood and scenes of cruelty that are the main source of horror place the film among the most violent in an already very violent genre. But ‘Revenge‘ is one of those films where the violence is motivated by the characters, and that’s why it looks credible despite the fact that the amount of blood that flows is much greater than can fit in the bodies of the four characters of the film.
I am a big fan of Fabrice Luchini. The joy of seeing one of his latest films was immense. I was quite surprised that Tristan Séguéla‘s ‘Un homme hereux‘ (2023) seems to have been seen by very few people. The theme of acceptance of different LGBT+ communities always risks generating controversy, and there are viewers who shun films that set or touch on this space. On the other hand, the cinematography of the world in general and the French one in particular has recorded numerous successes – including blockbusters, including comedies – with films of this kind. The common denominator of the successful films, however, was audacity. Addressing sensitive subjects requires courage on the part of screenwriters and directors, and if it is a comedy, taking the risk of offending, within the limits of good taste and avoiding cheap humor. This is exactly what is unfortunately missing in ‘Un homme hereux‘, but the film is still worth seeing. Not just for Fabrice Luchini.
The story takes place in a city in the north of France. Mayor Jean Leroy, a rather conservative 63 years old politician who opportunistically keeps his homophobic views to himself, decides to run for another term. Just then, his wife, Édith, informs him that … she has felt like a man all her life, that she is tired of hiding her sexual identity and that she has begun the process of physical transition from woman to man. The two decide to postpone the public announcement of the transition until after the election, so as not to disturb Jean’s image in the eyes of the town’s conservative electorate. As you might suspect, such a plan cannot be kept a secret for too long, neither from the couple’s three adult children, nor from residents and voters, in a world where everyone has eyes, ears, and especially cameras and mobile phones. The revelation will blow up the electoral plans and transform the mayor and those around him. Meanwhile Édith continues her transition to becoming Édy.
Need I mention that Fabrice Luchini is formidable and his every moment on screen is a delight? The same can be said about Catherine Frot who plays the role of Édith – Édy. The two practically support the film along with Philippe Katerine, a formidable actor himself who I’ve seen perform well in so many supporting roles that I can’t help but wait for the moment when a brave director gives him a big leading role. The problem is the script. Trying not to upset anyone, the story avoids any violent confrontation (like those that happen in reality) and blunts all the arrows of satire. The most successful scenes are those in the LGBT+ support group, where the ‘politically correct’ language of the community is ironized, but here too the excessive restraint is obvious. The feeling of missing out is amplified by the ending. The last 15 minutes seem to belong to the American remake and not the original film, with a very predictable breakup and reunion and a completely missed opportunity to generate more fun and satire based on the opposites of gender cross-dressing at the carnival. We are left with the image of Luchini‘s sad and lonely clown face at the end, but I have already praised him enough. ‘Un homme hereux‘ is a film too nice to be genuine.
‘Huesera‘ (2022) is the debut feature film of Mexican director Michelle Garza Cervera. And what a debut! The director, who is also a co-writer, has imagined a story that combines psychological thriller with elements of horror, tackles feminist themes and explores female psychology during pregnancy and the immediate post-natal period with an intensity worthy of the great masters of cinematic art. Not everything works in this film, but what we saw in the 93 minutes that the film lasts is the promise that this is a significant first film by a female filmmaker who can become a name in the world of cinema.
Valeria and Raúl are an ordinary Mexican couple. They have wanted a child for a long time and for this Valeria will travel with her mother on a pilgrimage to a huge golden statue of the Holy Virgin. She seems to answer prayers and Valeria becomes pregnant. The two spouses begin to plan and prepare for the baby’s arrival, she builds a wonderful bed and transforms her carpentry workshop into the baby’s future room. One night something happens. Victoria sees a woman throwing herself from the second floor of the building across the street and breaking her legs. Until she calles Raúl, the woman had disappeared. Nightmare? Hallucination? Other visions also happen. Memories also return – of an incident in the past when she had fallen with the child of neighbors in the arms, of the adventurous youth in which she had had an affair with another woman. In the eyes of those around her, even Raúl’s, her ability to be a good mother starts to be questioned. The birth of the baby girl should bring things back to normal, but not only is that not happening, the crisis is deepening.
What happens to Victoria is an open question. Is it mental disorders, natural to some point during pregnancy or after birth? Or maybe the young woman represses her sexuality and desire for freedom under social and family pressure? Or maybe it’s about something deeper and stranger. Mexico is a country that lives between tradition and modernity, between reality and magic. Victoria finds herself also between the two worlds. The solution to her problems will also belong to the world of magic. The ending is a variation on a legend that gives the film its name, but what we see is in terms of reality an abandonment, in terms of magic a liberation. The performer of the main role – Natalia Solián – is extraordinary. It can be seen that she worked on the role for a long time together with the director. The cinematography is also of very good quality, with the symbolism of the cobweb trap returning in different visual forms. Not everything works in this film, the horror scenes do not always manage to create the expected effects, but the minuses in the effects are compensated by the eyes and the face of the actress who shouts her feelings beyond the screen. ‘Huesera‘ is a special and impressive film, a spectacular debut.
