Age has always been a fascinating theme when it comes to art, with the dynamic between those of different generations being the source of many interesting stories, several of them being quite touching. The problem with these stories is that not only do they sometimes veer towards controversy (especially when some of them dare to…

Many critics and viewers consider the peak of Yasujirō Ozu’s career to be Tokyo Story, an opinion that is difficult to go against, with the general consensus being that not only is this one of the prolific Japanese master’s finest works, but it is also one of the greatest films ever made. However, Ozu was…

One of the facts that we all have to accept at some point is that life just sometimes isn’t fair – and few stories portray this more vividly than that of Sandra Massart, the 7-year-old Belgian girl who was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition called metachromatic leukodystrophy (also known as MLD), a brain condition…

Without any hesitation or sense of hyperbole, I can boldly proclaim that Vittorio de Sica made what I consider to be the greatest film of all time, the absolutely stunning and deeply captivating Bicycle Thieves, a cinematic marvel that never fails to make an impact when I revisit it and see how the director managed…

It’s difficult to think of a director better suited to tell the story of Benedetta Carlini, the 17th-century Italian nun who was reviled and nearly executed for her same-sex affair with one of her fellow sisters, than Paul Verhoeven, who has made something of a career out of controversial subjects. Benedetta’s decision to engage in…

Depending on how you look at it, life is a comedy masquerading as a tragedy, or vice versa. This is the foundation for Sawdust and Tinsel (Swedish: Gycklarnas afton), the ambitious character-driven drama that serves as an early entry into the long and prolific career of the iconic Ingmar Bergman, who may have still been…

One of the great marvels of modern cinema is how, despite having made his directorial debut over four decades ago, Pedro Almodóvar remains a trailblazer in his medium, an individual whose existential curiosity and unique approach to constructing art have made him one of the most celebrated filmmakers of any generation. There are far too…

Somewhere in residential, working-class Tokyo sits a power station – the community surrounding it have been engaging in a spirited debate about how many chimneys the factory has. The opening narration to Where Chimneys Are Seen (Japanese: 煙突の見える場所) states that it all depends on where you are standing – for some, only one chimney can…

The odd couple trope is one that has been done to death in fiction, but yet it still yields such positive results nearly every time, since audiences seem to adore seeing the contrast between two wildly different individuals that are placed in close proximity to one another, hilarity and heartfelt antics very likely pursuing as…

Death is a subject that has fascinated artists for centuries, with various works focusing on life’s most intimidating inevitability. The vast majority don’t question that it is going to happen to each one of us eventually, but rather the circumstances that surround it. Whether it be the actual process of coming to terms with one’s…