“I had this fleeting hope…that everything wouldn’t turn out to be illusions, dreams and lies.” Ingmar Bergman was a director of many different talents, with his prolific career producing countless masterpieces across numerous genres, each one seeing the famed auteur venturing deeper into his own understanding of the human condition. As a result, it is…
Master of the Temple: The Cinema of Sergei Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov is a name that should either immediately evoke some kind of profound emotion, or be entirely unfamiliar, depending on how much exposure one has had to his work. There are a few of his films that have entered into the general consciousness (one of which will be discussed a bit later in this…
First Cow (2020)
Kelly Reichardt’s films are arguably not for everyone – they’re normally glacially-paced, quiet works of introspective analysis set to the background of more working-class, traditional America at different points, and thus may not always appeal to those attuned to more boisterous works. However, if there is a film that will convert the cynics to her…
A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents (1986)
“The land of my childhood is gone. It only lives within me, and with me it will turn to dust, in one of these hours, that approach me from oblivion.” The words appear towards the end of A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents (Polish: Kronika wypadków miłosnych), spoken by the young protagonist of Andrzej Wajda’s achingly…
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
Somewhere in suburban Australia is a group of individuals who are simply fanatic about dancing, all working towards acquiring fame and prestige by taking part in a variety of challenging dance competition. Amongst the most promising young dancer is Scott (Paul Mercurio), who is supremely talented, but also very rebellious, with his insistence on dancing…
The Truth (2020)
Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) is one of France’s finest actresses and has recently written a book about her life, where she purports to tell “the truth”, even titling it as such. The problem is, most of what she writes about are fictions and fantasies about her career and personal life, a fact that only becomes clear…
Ladybug Ladybug (1963)
“Ladybird, ladybird fly away home, Your house is on fire and your children are gone, All except one, and her name is Ann, And she hid under the baking pan.” These words are taken from the classic nursery rhyme which served as the loose inspiration for Ladybug Ladybug, the sophomore effort of director Frank Perry…
Youth of the Beast (1963)
The history of Japanese cinema can be traced to a few different groupings of filmmakers, who normally tend to be associated to each other depending on their particular style, the stories their films told, or even the specific time in which they were working. It’s a communal approach that made Japanese cinema some of the…
Muriel, or the Time of Return (1963)
In the seaside hamlet of Boulogne-sur-Mer stands a quaint apartment, where four individuals find themselves one ordinary evening. The residents there are Hélène Aughain (Delphine Seyrig), a former housewife who has found her passion in collecting and selling antiques, and her adult stepson, Bernard (Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée), who is a veteran of the Algerian War. Their…
The Caretaker (1963)
Somewhere in London, an elderly homeless man, named either Davies or Jenkins (Donald Pleasance) is rescued from a pub-brawl by a quiet, stoic young man named Aston (Robert Shaw), who he takes in for the evening, allowing him to share the attic of his London house. However, they’re not alone – also in the house…
The Postmodern Pelican 