Director: Bong Joon-Ho Stars: Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong Throughout his career, writer/director Bong Joon-Ho has been preoccupied with matters of class and entitlement. From the underdog family at the centre of monster-movie riff The Host to the very premise of train-bound sci-fi Snowpiercer. Bong has a penchant for asking us to root for … Continue reading Review: Parasite
Director: Hirokazu Kore-Eda Stars: Lily Franky, Kirin Kiki, Sakura Andô More commonly than not, Hirokazu Kore-Eda's cinema is about family. His recent police procedural The Third Murder merely interrupted an ongoing streak. Shoplifters - which scooped the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes earlier this year - revives the director's ongoing inquiries. Here, however, family is a broad term, open … Continue reading Review: Shoplifters
Director: Ruben Östlund Stars: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Terry Notary You can't remove any part of a square and have it remain a square; it becomes something other, something open and unresolved. Similarly, one suspects that removing whole parts of Ruben Östlund's Palme D'or winning film The Square would inherently change it irrevocably. It would not be what it … Continue reading Review: The Square
Fleeing Sri Lanka after his involvement in the atrocities of the civil war, Dheepan (Jesuthasan Antonythasan) assumes a new identity, taking up residence in a French ghetto and working as the janitor. He is not alone. With him are 26-year-old Yalini (Kalieswari Srinivasan) and 9-year-old Illayaal (Claudine Vinasithamby). Though they are complete strangers, they must … Continue reading Review: Dheepan
Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winning film begins at the end. Police break into a middle-class apartment and discover the body of Anne, laid out peacefully on a bed, the net curtains gently moved by the wind from an open window. Thus, we know where we're headed as the story zips back months to introduce us … Continue reading Review: Amour
Year: 2010 Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Stars: Thanapat Saisaymar (Uncle Boonmee), Jenjira Pongpas (Jen), Sakda Kaewbuadee (Tong) Genre: Surreal Film / Drama “Facing the jungle, the hills and vales, my past lives as an animal and other beings rise up before me.” Right, I’ve done a few mainstream, or at least well-known films in a row … Continue reading Why I Love… #16: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
