Tag Archives: social cinema

life and love in the convenience store (film: Clerks – Kevin Smith, 1994)

Posted on September 16, 2026 by admin

One of the significant cinematic phenomena of the 1990s was the success of several independent American films made on very low budgets. These films launched filmmakers who would go on to become household names, well-integrated into the industry, created interesting … Continue reading →

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the great Catherines (film: Sage femme – Martin Provost, 2017)

Posted on August 13, 2026 by admin

The 2017 ‘Sage femme‘ (the title of the English distribution was ‘The Midwife’) by Martin Provost was a pleasant surprise and it is not clear to me why the film was underappreciated at the time by part of the public … Continue reading →

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a quality film de papa (film: Les orgueilleux – Yves Allégret & Rafael E. Portas, 1953)

Posted on June 29, 2026 by admin

Yves Allégret, the director of the Franco-Mexican co-production ‘Les orgueilleux‘ (known in English distribution as ‘The Proud and the Beautiful’) was in the 1950s one of the preferred target of the critics of future French New Wave filmmakers. He directed … Continue reading →

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between neorealism and Hollywood

Posted on June 27, 2026 by admin

‘Riso amaro‘ (or ‘Bitter Rice’ in the English release) is one of the films that connects the Italian neo-realism of the 1940s in its ‘pure’ form with the great Italian cinema that would emerge from this movement in the following … Continue reading →

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wedding and prejudice (film: The Drama – Kristoffer Borgli, 2026)

Posted on May 12, 2026 by admin

‘The Drama‘, the film written and directed by Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli who crossed the Atlantic for several years and is now making films in the United States, combines in a surprising and original way two film genres that are apparently … Continue reading →

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René Clair vs. Chaplin (film: À nous la liberté – René Clair, 1931)

Posted on December 11, 2025 by admin

‘À nous la liberté‘ – René Clair‘s 1931 film – is often mentioned in tandem with Chaplin’s ‘Modern Times’ from 1936. The central theme and anti-capitalist message are shared. In the perspective, the direct filiation is obvious. At the time, … Continue reading →

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isolation and prejudice (film: Trei kilometri până la capătul lumii – Emanuel Pârvu, 2024)

Posted on May 13, 2025 by admin

With ‘Three Kilometers to the End of the World‘ (the original Romania title is ‘Trei kilometri până la capătul lumii‘, director and co-writer Emanuel Pârvu continues one of the main themes of his previous film ‘Marocco’ (or ‘Mikado’) – the … Continue reading →

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

Posted on November 13, 2024 by admin

‘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)

Posted on October 2, 2024 by admin

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)

Posted on April 2, 2024 by admin

‘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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