History has puzzling patterns. Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman (two film directors who both explored the post-World War II malaise of European society) died on the same day in 2007. Ten years later another juxtaposition was just as revealing about American society. George Romero (who directed the most politically charged horror film of the 1960s) …
by Octavio Carbajal González “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” , a remarkably gleaming and grotesque film, brought to us by the peculiar and extraordinary Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, is directly based on the Greek tragedy “Iphigenia in Aulis” by Euripides.We are introduced to Steven Murphy, who is a respected cardiologist and surgeon. His wife …
Director: Tomas Alfredson Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in); has become one of the most peculiar independent films of the recent years. The film adaptation of the novel by John Ajvide Linqdvist by the Swedish director Tomas Alfredson, is one of the most rewarding cinematic surprises in a long time. We …
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho Aquarius is a strong testament to the value of family, memory and womanhood. Set in a seaside apartment block named ‘Aquarius’ in Recife, Brazil, its last remaining resident, 69 year old Clara (played by Sonia Braga) is a formidable opponent of the construction company ‘Bonfim’, who are doing everything in their power …
“Donnie Darko”, directed by Richard Kelly; is a fascinating cult coming-of-age film that calls to be experienced and solved many times. The plot is full of intriguing mental riddles that involve parallel realities and dreams, as well as feelings that transcend the definitions of “nostalgia” or “mystery”. Above all, this film has a kind of …
“Shame” is a harsh and compulsive film, directed by Steve McQueen. The film tells us about the life of Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a life that is almost perfect: he has a stable work, a nice apartment, good friends and women who adore him. However, something prevents Brandon from having a relationship that lasts more than …
On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys wearing trenchcoats carried a disheartening arsenal of military weapons to Columbine High School located in Littleton /Colorado, and systematically murdered thirteen students. Although this singular incident was horrible, it was just one of the eight deadly school shootings in the United States between 1997 and 1999, a number …
Middle school was a torment for me, and don’t try to tell me that middle school wasn’t a torment for you because I know you’re lying. For all, to a greater or lesser extent, middle school was a time of physical and emotional transformation. “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, directed by Todd Solondz, is the story …
#4 Mickey Rourke & Lisa Bonet Never before has a film captivated me as much as Angel Heart. At an early age I started a polygamous relationship with it, marrying three of my favorite things: Mickey Rourke, the Occult and Chicken. My relationship with the latter is really quite simple, each Sunday a chicken is …
“Synecdoche, New York”, is an amazing and challenging film by director Charlie Kaufman. It is a film full of uncomfortable and courageous truths about human beings, which we constantly try to ignore through illusions and stimulating beliefs of transcendence. The theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), is a depressed man, whose life fades quickly. …
