“Village Rockstars” by Rima Das (2017)

Good script, personages, images, content
Excellent direction

The life of a young girl who dreams of having a guitar
A serene movie in which children possess the rural Indian landscape
interesting scene when the girl gets her first menstruation
A movie predominantly made by Rima Das and her family, and if you’re patient enough to get to the end of the credits, you’ll see how extended her family is 🙂

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 9,3
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 8,0
Average public 8,3

Cast: Bhanita Das, Basanti Das, Boloram Das
Director: Rima Das
Writer: Rima Das
Music by Preetom Dutta
Cinematography by Rima Das
Film Editing by Rima Das

“Pili” by Leanne Welham (2017)

A week of (US) first features

Good script and message
Excellent gender content and minority representation

A young single mother of two is too proud to tell that she’s HIV positive and has to struggle to gather the money she needs to start a business
Although the movie leaves behind the idea that it was made as a vehicle to convince African women with HIV to come out of their isolation, it also illustrates the harsh reality of the life these women have, and the role the community plays in their life

IMDB 6,7

Cast: Bello Rashid, Nkwabi Elias Ng’angasamala, Sesilia Florian Kilimila
Director: Leanne Welham
Writers: Sophie Harman, Leanne Welham
Music by Tim Morrish
Cinematography by Craig Dean Devine
Film Editing by Kant Pan

“An Inspector Calls” by Aisling Walsh (2015)

My Year’s Favorites (Aug. 2019-July 2020)

Good humor and images
Excellent personages and direction
Top script + content

An excellent adaptation of J.B. Priestley’s classic play about class, responsibility, guilt, honesty, and…
A world that will need a most terrible war to (almost) disappear

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,2
IMDB 7,7
Average critics 8,0
Average public 8,0

Cast: Sophie Rundle, Lucy Chappell, Miranda Richardson
Director: Aisling Walsh
Writers: J.B. Priestley (based on the play by), Helen Edmundson (adapted by)
Music by Dominik Scherrer
Cinematography by Martin Fuhrer
Film Editing by Alex Mackie

“An Inspector Calls” by Aisling Walsh (2015)

A British week: Aisling Walsh (2/3)

Good humor and images (8)
Excellent personages and direction (9)
Top script + content (10)

An excellent adaptation of J.B. Priestley’s classic play about class, responsability, guilt, honesty, and…
A world that will need a most terrible war to (almost) disappear

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,2
IMDB 7,7
Average critics 8,0
Average public 8,0

Cast: Sophie Rundle, Lucy Chappell, Miranda Richardson
Director: Aisling Walsh
Writers: J.B. Priestley (based on the play by), Helen Edmundson (adapted by)
Music by Dominik Scherrer
Cinematography by Martin Fuhrer
Film Editing by Alex Mackie

“Gas, Food, Lodging” by Allison Anders (1993)

Facets of Fatherhood (5/10)
Fridays Classics

Good script, direction, images, dialogues (8) Excellent personages (9)
Top score: minorities (10)

Surprising!

Cast: Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk
Director: Allison Anders
Writers: Richard Peck (novel), Allison Anders (screenplay)
Music by J. Mascis
Cinematography by Dean Lent
Film Editing by Tracy Granger

“Capernaum” (Capharnaüm) by Nadine Labaki (2018)

A year’s favorites review

Extremely touching and powerful movie, anchored in a revolting reality!
SPOILERS coming
Nadine Labaki opposes two families, both dysfunctional, both living on the fringe of society. On the one hand, a Lebanese family with many (many) children – Zain, a 12-year old boy, is one of them – living in the slums of Beirut. On the other hand, an Ethiopian woman with her baby living in a refugee camp. Although this single mother has nothing and struggles to keep her baby alive, it’s by her and her baby that Zain will find the love and care that were absent in his own family.

Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad, Fadi Kamel Youssef, Nour el Husseini, Cedra Izam
Director: Nadine Labaki
Writer: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Georges Khabbaz, Michelle Keserwany
Music by Khaled Mouzanar
Cinematography by Christopher Aoun
Film Editing by Konstantin Bock, Laure Gardette

“Capernaum” (Capharnaüm) by Nadine Labaki (2018)

Extremely touching and powerful movie, anchored in a revolting reality!
SPOILERS coming
Nadine Labaki opposes two families, both dysfunctional, both living on the fringe of society. On the one hand, a Lebanese family with many (many) children – Zain, a 12-year old boy, is one of them – living in the slums of Beirut. On the other hand, an Ethiopian woman with her baby living in a refugee camp. Although this single mother has nothing and struggles to keep her baby alive, it’s by her and her baby that Zain will find the love and care that were absent in his own family.

Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad, Fadi Kamel Youssef, Nour el Husseini, Cedra Izam
Director: Nadine Labaki
Writer: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Georges Khabbaz, Michelle Keserwany
Music by Khaled Mouzanar
Cinematography by Christopher Aoun
Film Editing by Konstantin Bock, Laure Gardette

“At Five In The Afternoon” by Samira Makhmalbaf (2003)

Hommage to Hana and Samira Makhmalbaf

(and to Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Marziyeh Meshkini)

A father and her daughter have to keep moving in a voyage that leads them from not much to nothingness
“Despite the deprivations suffered by its subjects, At Five in the Afternoon is distinguished by the elegance and eloquence of its images.” [Jason Anderson]
As in Samira Makhmalbaf’s previous movies, fighting ignorance plays a central role

Cast: Agheleh Rezaie, Abdolgani Yousefrazi, Razi Mohebi
Director: Samira Makhmalbaf
Writers: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira Makhmalbaf
Music by Mohammad Reza Darvishi
Cinematography by Ebrahim Ghafori, Samira Makhmalbaf
Film Editing by Mohsen Makhmalbaf

“Gas, Food, Lodging” by Allison Anders (USA, 1993)

Surprising, great personages

Cast: Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk
Director: Allison Anders
Writers: Richard Peck (novel), Allison Anders (screenplay)
Music by J. Mascis
Cinematography by Dean Lent
Film Editing by Tracy Granger

“Sunlight Jr.” by Laurie Collyer (USA, 2013)

A world of dysfunctional families in which men are assholes and woman have to fight to survive / A critical non-judgmental view on American society and those left behind by the American Dream
See also “The Florida Project” by Sean Baker 

Cast: Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon, Norman Reedus, Tess Harper, Antoni Corone
Director by Laurie Collyer
Screenplay by Laurie Collyer
Music by J. Mascis
Cinematography by Igor Martinovic
Film Editing by Curtiss Clayton

“Linha De Passe” by Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas (Brazil, 2008)

Working in pair: man + woman directing

Social drama set in Brazil showing how football and religion as a source of hope ultimately prevent the poor from escaping their condition

Cast: Sandra Corveloni, João Baldasserini, Vinícius de Oliveira
Directors: Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
Writers: George Moura, Daniela Thomas
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla
Cinematography by Mauro Pinheiro Jr.
Film Editing by Gustavo Giani, Lívia Serpa

“Mudbound” by Dee Rees (USA, 2017)

The many voice-over deepen the personages as we share their “inner voice”, but leave us somewhat outside of them.

Cast: Carey Mullig;an, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Garrett Hedlund, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks, Kerry Cahill, Dylan Arnold, Lucy Faust
Director: Dee Rees
Writer (novel): Hillary Jordan
Writer: Virgil Williams, Dee Rees
Cinematographer: Rachel Morrison
Editor: Mako Kamitsuna
Composer: Tamar-kali

“The Selfish Giant” by Clio Barnard (UK, 2013)

Wow!

Cast: Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Lorraine Ashbourne, Ian Burfield
Director: Clio Barnard
Writer: Clio Barnard, inspired by ‘The Selfish Giant’ by Oscar Wilde
Music by Harry Escott
Cinematography by Mike Eley
Film Editing by Nick Fenton

Paula Van Der Oest, director (3): “The Domino Effect” (U.K., 2012)

A plea against the global economy, showing how it particularly affects women and children. An ode to altruism, and to love as a safe haven. Great editing work and very sober dialogues, a hallmark of this director.

Actors: James D’Arcy, Theo James, Tiya Sircar
Director: Paula van der Oest
Writer: Paula van der Oest
Music by Adrian Corker
Cinematography by Guido van Gennep
Film Editing by Maurice Bedaux, Sander Vos

“Queen of Katwe” (Mira Nair, USA 2016)

Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Madina Nalwanga,
Director: Mira Nair
Writer: William Wheeler, (book by) Tim Crothers
Cinematographer: Sean Bobbitt
Editor: Barry Alexander Brown
Composer: Alex Heffes