Tag Archives: social cinema

Modern Times Square (film: La Cocina – Alonso Ruizpalacios, 2024)

‘La Cocina‘ (2024), the bold and unusual film by Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios, immediately reminded me of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Modern Times’. Both films have one memorable scene that visually and symbolically represents all that is wrong with the dehumanization of … Continue reading

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broken dreams (film: Stroszek – Werner Herzog, 1977)

Made in 1977, ‘Stroszek‘ is one of the most special films of Werner Herzog, one of the few very special directors who were part of that unique generation of filmmakers who made German (West German) films into some of the … Continue reading

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alone, between two worlds (film: Les fleurs amères – Olivier Meys, 2017)

‘Les fleurs amères‘ (the title in the English distribution is ‘Bitter Flowers‘) is the debut feature film of Belgian director Olivier Meys. It’s also his only film so far, but I sincerely hope there will be more, because Meys demonstrates … Continue reading

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Europe in the Balkans (film: ‘Europa’ – Sudabeh Mortezai, 2023)

Screenwriter and director Sudabeh Mortezai took a bit of a risk by choosing the name ‘Europa‘ for her latest film, and not only because this name has already been used. I found about ten feature films with this name on … Continue reading

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a fading world (film: Return to Dust – Ruijun Li, 2022)

A review of the translations of the title of the beautiful film by the Chinese director Ruijun Li can already be an indication of how the film was distributed and received in the various cinema markets. Using Google Translate I … Continue reading

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the capitalist stepfather (film: ‘El buen patrón – Fernando León de Aranoa, 2021)

Many who have worked in a capitalist firm have heard the phrase obsessively uttered by Julio Blanco, the main hero of ‘El buen patrón‘ (the title is translated into English as ‘The Good Boss‘), the 2021 film by the Spanish … Continue reading

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‘why do they hate us?’ (film: La haine – Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)

‘La haine‘ – ‘Hate‘ is one of the most appropriate titles of movies I’ve seen lately. Many times, faced with violent social events, demonstrations and protests, we ask ourselves: ‘why do they hate us?’. The question is not new. Written … Continue reading

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the war of the classes goes on (film: Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund, 2022)

‘Triangle of Sadness‘ by the Swedish director Ruben Östlund is the film that charmed the Cannes Festival jury this year. It was a choice applauded by many critics and fiercely criticized by a few others. The audience was also divided … Continue reading

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Hollywood investigates Hollywood? (film: She Said – Maria Schrader, 2022)

I confess that I had high expectations from ‘She Said‘, the docu-drama based on the report written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the two New York Times reporters who revealed in the book with the same name the story … Continue reading

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traps of life (film: Fish Tank – Andrea Arnold, 2009)

‘Fish Tank‘, written and directed in 2009 by Andrea Arnold, is one of the most interesting social films I’ve seen lately. Combining the techniques of fiction and documentary films, it owes its freshness and sincerity to the fact that it … Continue reading

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