Nina Dorn (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine Girard (Martine Chevallier) are neighbours, living across the hall from each other in an aged apartment building in the quiet suburbs of Paris – at least that’s what they tell everyone who encounters them. In reality, the two women have been in love with each other for decades, having…

Romance tends to take many different forms, especially when it comes to portraying it on screen. Several directors have approached the idea of love from varying standpoints, but one of the most earnest cinematic representations of romance comes on behalf of Dover Kosashvili, whose masterful Late Marriage (Hebrew: חתונה מאוחרת) is a sensory bombardment, a…

Upon its original release, audiences were presented with posters for Ernst Lubitsch’s iconic Ninotchka, on which the words “Garbo laughs!” were plastered. This should be familiar to anyone with a passing interest in this era of Hollywood history, and will likely evoke some strong reactions, depending on how one feels about the concept being portrayed….

In the canon of great filmmakers that rarely received their due, there are few names that stand as tragically as that of Jack Clayton. Devotees and supporters of the director and his work will be very quick to mention how he had all the makings of a master, but didn’t really amass much of a…

It’s the time of the year where Hollywood sets its sights on the world’s most lavish consumerist event, hoping to capture the spirit of the season and captivate audiences, who are undoubtedly clamouring to get into the Christmas mood. Every year, we receive new Christmas-themed films, many of them following a familiar formula, which we…

Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) is a young woman who has fled to a working-class region of Rio de Janeiro for reasons that are not immediately made clear. She is going to be staying with her cousin, Serafina (Léa Garcia), who turns out to be the complete antithesis of the shy and reserved Eurydice, living her life…

“This is a movie dedicated to all those common but great proletarians” These are the final words spoken by the narrator towards the end of Marius and Jeannette (French: Marius et Jeannette), director Robert Guédiguian’s gloriously triumphant ode to the unimpeachable beauty of modern romance. It is a perfect summary of the previous ninety minutes,…

In a career that stretched from the earliest days of the Golden Age of Hollywood, right to the centre of the New Hollywood movement, George Cukor was a cinematic institution – and anyone who has had the great pleasure of seeing any of his films will doubtlessly attest to the fact that he was a…

There are various elements that go into making a great film – an interesting story, a well-cast group of actors playing compelling roles, visual splendour and execution of some meaningful ideas that resound with audiences, regardless of genre. However, what does it take to make a canonical masterpiece? Someone who seemed to be able to…

There are just some films that fill you up with a sense of joy and wonder, with their most prominent quality being the fact that they’re able to captivate the viewer and take them on a beautiful journey, without needing to become too focused on the details. One of the most exemplary instances of this…