All it takes is a single moment for your life to change – and for the frumpish but well-meaning Guinevere Pettigrew, it was a glance at her employment agency that allowed her to rise above her paltry working-class life and sample instead from London’s high society after finagling herself into the life of a well-to-do…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
The Zone of Interest (2023)
While he may only direct sporadically, each one of Jonathan Glazer’s films is a masterful examination of a specific subject, handcrafted by a filmmaker with a keen vision and an even more intriguing sense of philosophical virtue. His fourth feature film, as well as the first film he has made in nearly a decade, is…
Il Mare (2000)
We have always been preoccupied with the concept of time – whether it is in the form of reflecting on the past and wishing we could go back in time, or pondering the future by trying to predict what the next stage of our lives will bring. It almost seems as if we are never…
Dream Scenario (2023)
Anything that can happen will more than likely manifest in a dream at some point in our lives. Scientists, psychologists and philosophers have been trying to figure out why our brains need to be put in a state where we begin to hallucinate while asleep, and we aren’t any closer to finding a definitive answer,…
The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
For some inexplicable reason, Denys Arcand is a filmmaker whose name is not widely known, despite his work being exceptionally strong. He has a small group of devoted followers but has mainly remained quite under the radar outside of his native Canada, which seems like quite an unfortunate turn of events, especially considering he is…
Safe in Hell (1931)
Somewhere in the Caribbean sits an island that may seem like a beautiful slice of paradise, but is the refuge for criminals from all around the world, who make their way to this isolated utopia in the hopes of hiding from the law, not realizing that even when surrounded by fugitives, it is very likely…
Maps to the Stars (2014)
Hell hath no fury like an independent filmmaker scorned. Hollywood has always demonstrated a preference towards certain themes, and none are more adored than stories about the film industry itself. If you take any random assortment of around a dozen films, it is likely at least one of them will be situated in an arts…
The Forest for the Trees (2003)
“Teaching is the profession that makes every other profession possible” – these words adorn many a classroom wall, or are often repeated by educators in moments of self-doubt when they need a boost of confidence to know what they are doing is not only valuable but entirely essential. Maren Ade seems to have a true…
Wonka (2023)
One lesson we have all undoubtedly learned over the past decade or two is that if one waits long enough, every beloved property will be subjected to some kind of remake, reboot or revival, and that nothing is immune to the firm grasp that studios have over their productions when it comes to returning to…
Sugarbaby (1985)
One of the more unheralded filmmakers of European cinema is Percy Adlon, who has made some of the most fascinating films in both German and American cinema, but who inexplicably has never gained the recognition he deserves, outside of a small group of dedicated supporters of his work, who actively celebrate his vision and ability…
The Postmodern Pelican 