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thebeachlife
Reviews
The Pod Generation (2023)
Looks beautiful, feels superficial
A wealthy New York couple of the 22nd century is at a crossroads: they want to have a baby but the wife being the breadwinner in the family can't afford to be pregnant, especially when she is offered a slot in the Womb Center, which offers an external pregnancy in a pod that is kept and taken care of in the labs of this center most of the time until birth. However, it doesn't sound like a good idea to the husband, who's a teacher botanist and prefers "all natural". Little by little, the movie rolls into "all AI is evil, let's go nature" kind of thing, which makes the movie look flat and superficial. Also, implausible (or, sorry, stupid?), because the movie itself looks very glossy and commercial, a little bit like what it itself is trying to mock. The acting though is wonderful, but acting alone can't save this, sorry about that.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Hilarious and entertaining!
I watched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice right before Hallowe'en 2024 and it was the right timing and the right atmosphere. I think the sequel is even better than the first film, and without a shadow of a doubt richer in amazing cast. Apart from the main storyline and its multiple unexpected twists I liked minor details, too. For example, it was funny to see how the wedding guests were sucked into their smartphones. The choice of pace and music was excellent: both very authentic for our times and yet with a touch of nostalgia. The whole film was extremely hilarious, utterly entertaining and, in spite of the theme, cozy and fun to watch!
Lahn mah (2024)
Sentimental, funny, wise
M is a somewhat 20 year-old guy, who lives with his mother in the Chinatown neighborhood of Bangkok. He looks quite happy and careless, enjoys his video games, has no job and can't be bothered when it comes to doing boring things his mother or grandmother ask him. He notices that his cousin got stinking rich from nursing for her elderly family member, so he picks her brain and the idea catches on. His grandma is not that gullible and senses his intentions; however, M does not give up and still unaware, he sets off on a journey of an important transformation, which is at the heart of this brilliant picture.
The film is a mixture of a family comedy and a sentimental drama; it is wise and witty without being too sophisticated. The acting is wonderful, the photography is beautiful and the aftertaste is something you want to keep with you for a long long time after it ends.
Quand vient l'automne (2024)
Autumn is the time to forgive
Most Ozon's films have something theatrical about them; not all of them though and it's not easy to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes them feel this way. However, what is clear, that something makes them charming, character-oriented, very pronounced and beautifully down-to-earth.
The plot is quite simple at the beginning but it twists itself further on and as the whole story unfolds, it becomes more intriguing thus diversifying the genre into more of a thriller or even a detective story. For almost two hours, we are observing lower middle class family members dealing with (or not) with their past (impossible to change) and present problems (Ozon focuses on those this time, and he is being hopeful in a very sweet way). The autumn in the film is a bit sad yet colorful and very beautiful, which is an obvious allegory to a human life. We become more aware of the mistakes of the past, but at the same time we have some more life to live, and we have those significant others that we love and live for. Autumn is the right time to re-establish the values, to accept and to forgive.
The Miracle Club (2023)
Goodbye Mrs Smith
I watched it immediately after the news broke that Maggie Smith died, this was her last film; and it felt like it was a beautiful and warm goodbye.
The story is set in the post-war Ireland, and we gradually get to know the main characters, all women of different generations, who are craving a pilgrimage trip to Lourdes, France, a place where it thought that miracles happen. It's not so easy to get the ticket but they manage to do so. Their friend Maureen died very recently, and her long-lost daughter Chrissy unexpectedly shows up for the funeral, and then joins them for the trip. Little by little we start to unveil the skeletons in these women's cupboards but only to understand them deeper and sympathize with them even more.
The film is questioning some religious beliefs based on ignorance or, to be more precise, downgrades those giving way to common sense, human values and, though indirectly, women's rights. Maggie Smith, Laura Linney and Kathy Bates are fantastic, and the film itself leaves a very warm aftertaste lingering as an inner smile inside. Goodbye, Mrs Smith, you'll be remembered and missed.
Das Lehrerzimmer (2023)
For teachers, students and parents. And people
"Das Lehrerzimmer" is a film I've been meaning to see since last September and I'm happy the opportunity came up and I watched it with my colleagues, the teachers from the school where I work so it made it sort of "teachers' room" within "teachers' room", which was an interesting experience.
Writing a review for this one is not easy without spoiling but I'll do my best. The story is about a new young middle school teacher Clara, who's very devoted and loves her work, and it's hard for her to turn a blind eye to the school theft cases that happen more and more frequently, so she starts a little experiment. Also, she is trying to be fair with her students all the time and prioritizes pedagogical purposes over her personal interests, which engenders conflicts of various sorts within the staff, with students and their parents. Most of the other characters in the film, unlike Clara, only care for their own needs and this, sadly, makes her a lone fighter for justice, equality and professionalism. She shows a lot of confidence and courage even when things turn out against her, never gives up even when she receives zero support from her colleagues (apart from one hug from the counselor no-one really cared). Clara was able to deal with her panic attack caused by an emotionally fierce confrontation with the students' parents and did her best to protect her very vulnerable but strong student that was unwittingly embroiled in the conflict. The ending is somewhat visually dramatic yet ambiguous thus open for us to interpret. What is not ambiguous, at least for me, is Clara's determination to remain professional, fair and empathetic, even, unfortunately, at her own expense: the qualities that us teachers need to learn and apply in our hard work. With students and ... in the teachers' room!
Thought-provoking, topical, inspirational. Amazing acting of Leonie Benesch (Clara) and Leonard Stettnisch (Oskar).
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
A hilarious and moving one about WW2 and the Holocaust
Who could have thought one might create a hilarious and successful comedy about such a horrendous part of the world's history as WW2 and the Holocaust? Jojo Rabbit is exactly that, and it both has you rolling in the aisles and wetting your eyes in the right moments. The overall feel and color are similar to Wes Anderson, the script is very witty and the acting is brilliant. In my opinion, what is most mocked here is the war itself, and as a result, the ideology, the exaggerated nationalism that was imposed on people. Alongside the humor, we can see the stark reality of the Holocaust and what happened to those who chose to save other people's lives by putting theirs at risk. The comic nature of the picture never cancels the harrowing part of history and at the same time teaches us to be sober, vigilant, kind and reasonable, exactly like the main character Jojo, whose glorious transformation is at the heart of this clever film.
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Well done! Amazing voice over cast!
The sequel to the first Inside Out is centered around the new emotion called Anxiety, who's easily taking over and starts controlling the teenager's life, which opens a new can of worms, and we are all eyes, watching how Anxiety deals with those. The emotion is shown as very energetic and willing to actively work its way into the girl's life in order to secure her safe future - an interesting, and not incorrect way to perceive anxiety. Additionally, new puberty emotions are introduced: embarrassment, envy and ennui (look who's the voice-over artist for that one!). Personally, I think it's both utterly entertaining and, as well as the first one, extremely thought-provoking. Beautiful Pixar animation, a thrilling script and amazing voice-over cast! Go for it!
1984 (2024)
40 years later, nothing changed.
This podcast series is surprisingly compact thus very attractive to a modern literature and art consumer, so it didn't take me long to finish it. It's hard to use the word 'enjoy' given the context and the outcome of this classical piece but it definitely touched me as well as kept me tense and all ears. Both Andrews (Garfield and Scott) are fantastic: each of their words, sounds they uttered was permeated with their character's living essence whereas - it was most likely decided that way - Cynthia Erivo as Julia remained more distant and sober, which was probably a good balance. They got carried away, in my opinion, with the number of layers of sound audible at the same time (telescreens speaking, rattlings, street noises, yelling and shouting, etc.); it could have been a bit cleaner and clearer by the rule "less is more" but probably this exaggeration was part of the programme. But all in all, great work, highly recommended, especially if you're a fan of either of the Andrews or/and into noticing how at this very moment, 40 years after 1984, - at least some parts of - the world are falling thick and fast into this horrifying i-love-big-brother reality.
Another End (2024)
On dealing with loss
Another End is an AI company which offers their clients a temporary replacement of a person who recently died, in order to properly say goodbye to them. The deceased (they call them the 'absent') person's memories are transferred to another person's body and mind, and for a certain period of time this person becomes the absent person, without knowing so. As you're reading this, you probably start realizing how many ethical problems of all sorts that might engender, which it of course does; and it makes us doubt the efficiency and success of the whole idea.
All in all, it looks like the main message of the film is that it is natural to want to overcome death however irrational it is. Yet, this desperate desire (and in this film even a feasible option at least for some time) might end up causing even more pain and health problems.
On a happier note, we get a glimpse of how it looks like from the Host's side (the Host is the person who is paid for offering their body temporarily for the experiment) and those parts of the film showed how healing and powerful a real human connection can be and that talking to someone about your loss can be the wonderful first step of this 'saying goodbye' and carrying on.
Yeohaengjaui pilyo (2024)
Subtle little sketch of a film about language, communication and poetry
Iris is French but she is staying in Korea for the time being, we have no clue why she ended up here but we know she needs to make ends meet so she is being creative and starts to teach French using her unique "method".
The film is very down-to-earth yet very poetic and curiously revolves around language and communication. And miscommunication sometimes. Or refusal to communicate or listen. Also, it is about the social and interpersonal distance between people who know each other and who don't and how this "accepted" distance can change or vary depending on various factors like cultural norms, the place of the conversation, the mood, etc. The storyline is simple, but what we're more interested in is the nuances. We're not interested to know what will HAPPEN to Iris or the other characters but how they will react at a certain point of the conversation, what they will feel and say and how they will do it. Additionally, the character of Iris is truly interesting and some little bits of her true self are gradually revealed but there is a lot left for us to think out. Very subtle, authentic and elaborate work while being simple at the same time.
Savvusanna sõsarad (2023)
Intimacy of body and soul
Set in South Estonia, the film explores the old tradition of smoke sauna and chooses to do so in the context of women's solidarity: when they perform the sauna ritual together, they have nothing to hide. So they open up and tell their stories, crying out their pain and fears, sometimes they sing and get out to bathe in the lake (even when it's icy! - they cut a hole in the ice), but most often they just let each other get it off their chest and just listen. By this listening they teach us to listen too, with no judgement but with a lot of empathy and compassion and an open heart. The body is washed, the ritual is performed, now it's the turn for the pain to go. And if it comes again, which it definitely will, they know where to go.
Very intimate, empowering and full of revelation.
The Great Escaper (2023)
Film about war, only 70 years later
Bernie is a 90 year-old war veteran who lives in an old people's home with his wife Rene in South England. This year celebrates the 70th anniversary of a key WW2 combat at the British Channel, and a big event is organized on the other shore in the north of France to commemorate the day. However, there are no tickets left so Bernie decides to take a chance and takes a ferry to France anyway; this is how his short adventure begins. Little by little we get to know more about what had happened to Bernie in the war; more characters are introduced, the missing pieces get found and the whole story takes shape.
At first glance, this is a story of old age and youth memories, however, deep down what is central here, in my opinion, is the war itself and how much it continues to affect living people, their physical and mental health, how absurd, detrimental and traumatic it was and is. And will be.
Amazing and heartwarming acting by Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson.
Kuolleet lehdet (2023)
Kaurismäki at his best!
Apart from the extremely worrying news about the war in Ukraine, the film doesn't suggest any idea of time. Place with Kaurismäki is home: the heart of Finland. The scenes are simple, the decorations minimal and very realistic, the characters speak very little and to the point, yet there is always this very special atmosphere in Kaurismäki's films that makes them linger with you after they finish. I am convinced this is explained by nothing but his exceptional professional excellence that just can't be surpassed.
I'll skip the part about the plot (I'll just mention that being a bit schematic and simplified it is very sweet and very much to the point) and add that this one brings up a lot of global and social problems including alcoholism, employment regulations, war, working class limitations, communication, etc. Having said that, we clearly see a ray of hope for the seemingly desperate characters and a simple way to fix those terrible problems by showing determination, persistence and human kindness.
Inside (2023)
Willem Dafoe is best!
A professional burglar Nemo (Willem Dafoe) skillfully breaks into an obscenely expensive penthouse apartment of an art collector in order to steal the art. However, the security and climate system in the house shows an error and his accomplice from the outside stops being in touch. The apartment is hermetical, which means Nemo is locked in there and left to his own devices for an unknown period of time. Running water is off, food supply is scanty (apart from some luxury delicatessen of course), the AC is oozing heat. The film turns into a top-notch escape room, and we are desperate to know if he is going to make it and break free from the hell of this "extravagant" place.
Yet, on second thoughts, gradually, what steps to the foreground is not the suspense or his chances of survival but the ordeal itself: the man will experience the force of natural elements, the climate change, the divide and re-unification of body and soul, the effect of pain, the work of mind, which panics, but also endeavors to be creative: both in order to find the way out and to make art for art's sake.
The ending is open and visually symbolic. The photography is magnetic. Dafoe is at his best, bravo!
Arrête avec tes mensonges (2022)
A very good film about shame
A successful French writer reluctantly accepts an invitation to pay an official visit to a small town where he spent his youth and where he fell in love for the first time. The more sour he looks about the whole experience, the more we understand that his love story back then was an unhappy one, and little by little we are given more details about what happened and why. This gradual narration travels back and forth in time and reveals very personal secrets of the characters, and before long we are introduced to what it all revolves around: shame. We are slowly shown how it presents itself inside and outside of a person, how it eats, erodes a person unmistakably destroying their entire life. We are also reminded that shame is an internal feeling but caused by external factors, which gives a lot of food for thought in the context of this film.
A wonderful screen adaptation of a novel. A delicate yet confident description of shame and its horrible consequences. Therapeutic. Eye-opening. Heart-warming.
Saules aveugles, femme endormie (2022)
Magic! So Murakami!
The beautiful animation and music by Pierre Földes looks like pure imagination although it is all based on various stories by Haruki Murakami. I can't be called a Murakami fan but I've read a few of his books and they always manage to do some magic on me and make me enter a certain state of trance, a different reality. It is always hard to remember the plot some time later, but this feeling lingers on. Same with this animation film: Földes managed to make this magic visual using his own. Dreams become reality and then turn back to being dreams.
Makes me want to read the stories now. Bravo and many thanks!
Away (2019)
Amazing!
Zibalodis is such a talent! It's unbelievable he created all of it, including the music score, by himself. And we can clearly see that the work he had done for over three years definitely paid off.
We can see a world resembling ours with all the nature elements ever existing: there are tropical oases, deserts, a geyser, mountain ranges, rivers, forests, seas and even an avalanche. Those constitute an impeccable background for the main characters, a boy and his new friend, a little yellow bird. Together, they are trying to escape something they believe is dangerous but as the story progresses, we understand that their friendship is the main focus of this beautiful animation film.
Amazing work! Not to be missed!
Ha'Mishlahat (2023)
A journey, both physical and inner
In Israel it's common to organize Holocaust themed educational trips to Poland for high school students, in Hebrew those are called 'delegations', which is not exactly how the word is used in English but this very well explains the title of the film.
The main characters are three Israeli students, who are on this trip; they are shown the main Holocaust historical places like Treblinka or Auschwitz camps, now turned into museums, but the film is not only focused on that. What we see in the foreground is what is happening in the heads and hearts of those 17 year-olds; the film focuses on their emotional and social needs, their loves and friendships, the Holocaust reminder being the background. Personally, at least two of the three main characters are not very nice (both for us to observe and to each other): one of them is totally neurotic and the other is just stupid. The third one's storyline is a little bit more interesting but I shouldn't start spoiling.
The whole picture is very cute, shows no good or bad; it gives us a little reminder of the history, delicately mixing it with what resonates and seems important to this new generation, whose maturity starts to take shape.
La bête (2023)
The new Lynch! Can't replace the old one though
Throughout the movie, we see two main characters randomly appear in various contexts, decorations and times, thus diversifying the genres of the film and making it a futuristic sci-fi, a costume drama, a thriller. A viewer's mind is trying to ascertain what these contexts have in common, and it seems to be an event yet to happen, which causes discomfort and anxiety in the heroine called Gabrielle.
Time lapses change each other rapidly, moving back and forth, new minor characters emerge, some of whom are AI, and something starts to take shape in this David Lynch-like piece of art: we can see a contraposition of a human with their feelings to a "purified" AI-like mind, interestingly (and ignorantly) compared to the one in the Buddhist tradition.
Still, it's still unclear what is referred to as 'the beast': is it the purification and getting rid of memories and the burden of emotions or the anxiety itself?
That's unclear; but what is certain is that the ones who made this picture into life enjoyed every minute. Well done!
P. S. Stay until the end and scan the credits, there's a surprise - the fortune teller will predict the past this time.
Zielona granica (2023)
Important to watch
Green Border is a film that casts light on what was and, unfortunately, still is happening on the border between Belarus and Poland. Refugees from Syria, Aphganistan and other places from the Middle East and Africa, fleeing the atrocities of their countries and hankering for a better life are offered to fly to Belarus, where they would presumably cross the border to Poland. However, Polish border control police are (illegally!) instructed to come down heavily on the intruders and violently throw them back across the barbed wire of the border. The refugees go through hell and incessant torrents of unheard of violence by both Belarus and Poland.
The film, without being a documentary, shows various points of view into the situation: we see the shattered refugees, the border police officers, some of whom are wrestling with their conscience, a group of Polish activists making a stand against this cruelty thus constantly putting their lives at risk.
Needless to say, one can't watch these harrowing events with a light heart; however, this one must be seen by many of us. To be aware of what is happening in the world. To verify if our life choices contribute to other people's well-being or suffering - and probably change something as long as it's not too late.
Cong jin yihou (2024)
Human conscience
Two women, Pat and Angie, have been happily living in their beautiful cozy apartment in Hong Kong for decades together. They support, both emotionally and financially, Pat's brother's family and always host family dinners and holiday events. There is no doubt whatsoever that Angie is part of this family, but will that change after Pat suddenly dies in her sleep one day?
At first glance, this film seems to be centered around the legal business that has to be done after somebody who had property to bequeath dies. However, deep down, it is nothing but a drama showing human relationships and how they evolve or deteriorate and what causes these changes to happen. It is about human behavior and conscience, and there's definitely a lot to learn.
Beautiful and delicate work, not to be missed.
Trei kilometri pâna la capatul lumii (2024)
Hard to watch. Must watch though
It's extremely difficult to put into words what I experienced when watching this film and I found it hard to breathe for a while when I left the theatre.
Unfortunately, we know about various versions of domestic violence, and it's hard to rank which type is worse than another, but when parents are violent with their children, physically, psychologically, verbally, it causes tremendous damage that can't be undone.
The film depicts beautiful rural Romania and horrible ignorance and cruelty of the people who live there and really believe they know things when they don't. The most powerful scenes, in my opinion, are those of performed exorcism and a conversation between the social worker and the priest.
Hopefully, by watching this one, somebody will learn to be more honest, open, sensitive and compassionate.
Tereddüt Çizgisi (2023)
Open ending, lots of food for thought
Canan seems at the end of her tether: her mother's brain death has been declared yet she is in the state of coma, therefore a decision to end her life and donate her organs must be made soon. However, Canan is the last to give up and lose hope: she is a sharp and successful lawyer. Her current case is another reason of her stress. Her car can't be fixed and there is a storm bearing over their town in Türkiye. But whatever happens, she remains professional (will that continue until the end of the film?), calm and collected (is that possible at all?) and reasonable (she'll never let her stomach ulcer become cancer, or will she?).
The film is a mixture of a detective story, a court film and a drama, and it leaves you with more questions than answers, as a good film should. I thought and talked about it for quite a while after it finished and it intrigues me how other people who watched it might understand its message.
Amazing acting by Tülin Özen! One of the best performances I've seen this year.
Straume (2024)
Mesmerizing, beautiful animation!
Contrary to what one might expect from an animation film like this, this is not the one where animals can speak and magic happens. It looks and is very realistic and still remains magical; all without a single word.
The main character is a black cat, who witnesses the beginning of a natural disaster and tries to save its life by being a cat and going with the flow. The story is reminiscent of the biblical Noah's Arc, only without us humans, although the traces of our earlier presence are clearly seen.
With the cat and the other characters we flow and get mesmerized by the skillfully animated beautiful planet Earth and a little bit beyond it.
P. S. Remember to stay through the credits: there's a wonderful surprise at the end!