It’s difficult to imagine a time in which Xavier Dolan wasn’t an omnipotent presence in the contemporary arthouse. A filmmaker who has shown the ability to be both prolific and an exceptional craftsman, Dolan as become a staple of many conversations as to the current generation of filmmakers. However, there was a time in which…

The World of Apu (অপুর সংসার)is less of a film, and more of the end of a journey – and as we can all undeniably attest, sometimes the destination isn’t the part we look forward to, but the methods of getting there. The concluding chapter in Satyajit Ray’s masterful The Apu Trilogy is quite simply…

The second film in a trilogy is in a strange position, particularly when we’re considering a series of films that has been intentionally designed to be told over multiple entries (rather than the tendency for the industry to try and capitalize on major successes by commissioning sequels after the fact). In many ways, the film…

In the tranquil parks and plazas of Seoul reside a small group of elderly women who spend their days patiently waiting to sell bottles of Bacchus-F, a popular energy drink, to a variety of men who come their way. In reality, these beverages serve to be a signal that these women are actually prostitutes who…

Satyajit Ray changed cinema, an undeniable fact that has its basis in his ability to represent life in a way that very few other artists were ever able to. A creative soul that never avoided taking on a few challenges with his work, he was perpetually venturing into the realm of the unknown, pioneering an…

As one of the formative voices of the Dogme 95 movement that redefined how filmmakers produce art, Thomas Vinterberg is an established director who has dabbled in a variety of genres, from intimate comedies to the most sumptuous historical epic. However, where he tends to succeed the most is in his smaller films, the ones…

Despite constant urging by those around him, Charlie (David Gulpilil) has never wanted to leave the small community in which he lives in exchange for a more conventional life amongst what is considered conventional Australian society. His home has always been the bush, and he’s only known the Aboriginal way of life, which is something…

It could’ve been any ordinary day in 1938, but for the occupants of Rome, the 6th of May is one that they’re going to remember for their entire lives, and boast about to everyone they encounter, because it is on this day that Adolf Hitler was making his journey through Italy to pay a visit…

From “Oh captain, my captain!” to To Sir With Love, and from “Gangsta’s Paradise” to Mr. Holland’s Opus, there has never been a shortage of great films focused on teachers. A vocation that is perhaps not as respected as it should be, there have been many films that have attempted to bridge the gap between…

Over the years, I’ve shown my support for independent cinema, not only in its modern iterations (as well as its gradual increase in success as a viable form of filmmaking that gives many artists the chance to have their voices elevated to the mainstream), but also in its origins. One of the most frequent allusions…