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Mohabbatein 2000

6.9/10

Three students learn about music, and love, in this spectacular, if a bit overstretched, musical drama

Three students learn about music, and love, in this spectacular, if a bit overstretched, musical drama.

Our take

If you detest musicals, don’t watch Mohabbatein. The pacing is a tad too slow, the ensemble juggles way too many plotlines, and there are some strange editing choices that can distract from the film. But if you happen to be a musical fan, Mohabbatein has spectacular sequences, with excellent choreography, brilliant blocking, and insanely catchy songs. And it’s all in the service of a story that challenges the ways men approach romance, by embracing love without fear or regret, but with sincerity. Mohabbatein is not perfect– it certainly could be pared down– but it nonetheless makes excellent use of Bollywood tropes in such a novel way.

Synopsis

At a prestigious all-male university, three friends seek love outside of the school grounds; at the same time, a newly-hired music teacher seeks to befriend and loosen up the militantly strict headmaster.

Storyline

Three young students come to study in the prestigious all-boy’s college called Gurukul. While the strict college principal Narayan Shankar forbades all students from romances on and off campus, the three still fall in love, though they find an adult ally in their new music teacher Raj Aryan Malhotra.

TLDR

If we can just cut out some scenes… This would have been a perfect banger.

What stands out

Okay, the backstory was a bit clunky, but Raj Aryan’s love story is what makes the film work, outlining the stakes for its three younger students.

Lore 2012

7.5/10

Nazi children reckon with their parents’ atrocities in this thought provoking, thrilling period drama

Nazi children reckon with their parents’ atrocities in this thought provoking, thrilling period drama .

Our take

What would you do if your parents were Nazis? Based on the second novella of Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room, Lore tells the story of a Nazi officer’s children travelling together after the Allied victory. It’s a harrowing journey, of course, given the end of the war. But writer-director Cate Shortland takes that journey even further, as she pushes the children through terrible situations in such stunning naturalistic shots. The contrast makes it seem that while everything has gone right for the world, it’s only inevitable to dish out societal shunning towards them, but Shortland still manages a tightrope balance between empathizing with the kids, while still acknowledging the natural weight of the guilt, the shame of having benefitted, even if not complicit, in one of the world’s worst atrocities ever committed. It’s because of this that Lore is such an intriguing, complex, but necessary movie to watch.

Synopsis

After being abandoned by their Nazi parents at the end of World War II, five German siblings embark on a harrowing journey across their war-torn country. Led by the eldest, 14 year-old Lore, the children are forced to confront their parents’ actions and the reality of a new world.

Storyline

Southwest Germany, 1945. As the Allied forces sweep across the nation, and their high-level Nazi Officer parents disappear, eldest daughter Lore Dressler must embark on a journey to bring her four siblings to safety.

TLDR

Genuinely sad that certain internet spheres prove the necessity of this film.

What stands out

This was Saskia Rosendahl’s first role right out the bat, and she knocks it right out the park.

Hundreds of Beavers 2024

7.7/10

An ingenious slapstick film that recalls the brilliant silent comedies of the past

An ingenious slapstick film that recalls the brilliant silent comedies of the past .

Our take

Who would’ve thought a wordless, black-and-white, slapstick comedy would still be hugely entertaining in this day and age? Hundreds of Beavers is created in the same spirit as the Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton comedies of yore, but it’s a tribute that manages to feel fresh, exciting, and unpredictable. The premise is simple: a man tries to survive the wilderness in the dead of winter by coming up with new ways to catch game. But the execution is wildly creative and nostalgic. You’ll feel like a kid again watching Saturday cartoons, in the best possible way.

Synopsis

In the 19th century, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Storyline

When an applejack salesman (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) loses his orchard to a destructive group of beavers, he has to find ways to sustain himself in the winter woods.

TLDR

More of these creative lo-fi movies, please!

What stands out

The film’s mere existence is a standout. Created with just $150,000, Hundreds of Beavers is proof that you can make something new and entertaining without the Hollywood style and budget.

The Tracker 2002

7.6/10

A unique, haunting Outback Western that reckons with the historical violence waged on the Aboriginal people

A unique, haunting Outback Western that reckons with the historical violence waged on the Aboriginal people.

Our take

At first, The Tracker seemed to be a straightforward Australian Western with three white men tracking down a murderer, with the help of an Aboriginal man more familiar with the Outback. But The Tracker takes unexpected paths. First, no one is given an actual name– they’re referred to in the credits by titles (e.g. The Fanatic, The Follower, The Veteran, and of course, The Tracker). Second, the soundtrack seems to act as somewhat of a Greek chorus, with Archie Roach crooning the beliefs each player seems to hold. And third, the violence becomes more gripping because of the way it’s presented– intercuts to Peter Coad’s paintings depicting the violence inflicted upon Aboriginal people in just a frame. These choices craft an entirely unique approach. Rolf de Heer’s approach takes a familiar Western plot but doesn’t adhere to the genre’s conventions and it’s totally fitting for a film actively examining a part of Australian history that most of the country wouldn’t want to talk about. And of course, it’s all tied together by The Tracker himself, by David Gulpilil’s powerful performance.

Synopsis

Somewhere in Australia in the early 20th century outback, an Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman. Three white men are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced Indigenous man.

Storyline

Australia, 1922. After a white woman was murdered, a white police officer ventures out into the outback with a newcomer and a veteran to hunt down an Aboriginal suspect, with the help of an Aboriginal tracker he doesn’t trust.

TLDR

There are just some collaborations that just work. Rolf de Heer and David Gulpilil, who teamed up for two more films, is one such powerful collab.

What stands out

The soundtrack. Like it or hate it, there’s no denying that it adds a unique touch to the film.

Monster 2021

7.2/10

A man struggles to survive the famine in this slow, bleak period drama set in An Gorta Mór

A man struggles to survive the famine in this slow, bleak period drama set in An Gorta Mór.

Our take

Irish period drama Monster is downright depressing. Of course, for some viewers, that's just part and parcel of any period drama– without the scientific advancement, the philosophical debates, and the sheer convenience of the modern world, it can be easy to imagine a bleak past. But, like some of the best depressing period dramas, Monster makes clear just how bad things were and what we should never do again. Through depicting An Gorta Mór, or the Great Famine of Ireland, in the eyes of a small village, through visualizing the story so many people from Ireland have heard from previous generations, and through its strong performances, Arracht is a striking reminder of the trauma deliberately struck upon Ireland, the memory that is still strongly felt today.

Synopsis

Colmán Sharkey - a fisherman, a father, a husband - takes in a stranger at the behest of a local priest. Patsy, a former soldier arrives just ahead of ‘the blight,’ a crop disease that caused the Great Plague, killing and displacing millions of Irishmen.

Storyline

Connemara, western Ireland, 1845. Colmán Sharkey takes on former Royal Navy officer Patsy Kelly as a farmhand for the family farm and as a fellow fisherman. However, when the Great Famine descends on the coastal town, Sharkey finds himself on the run for a crime he didn’t commit.

TLDR

Brutal.

What stands out

The language, which is fitting, considering the famine hit the nation so hard, Ireland lost many Gaelic speakers as a result.

Buoyancy 2019

7.6/10

A harrowing, urgent drama depicting modern-day slavery on Southeast Asian seas

A harrowing, urgent drama depicting modern-day slavery on Southeast Asian seas.

Our take

Due to the possibility of death, Buoyancy cannot be made as a documentary. This film, after all, sheds light on today's real life slavery. But that doesn't mean it's no less true. The script was written based on interviews with real life survivors, who, of course, would rather not be filmed due to their safety. The characters were written to closely reflect them, which was why, even though the studio is Australian, they casted Thai and Cambodian actors, and wrote the dialogue in their respective languages. And the story that writer-director Rodd Rathjen created, gradually escalates the terror Chakra faces on the whims of a cruel captain, with each new experience slowly scrapping off the innocence that was supposed to be protected. Buoyancy is not a documentary, but it works as a necessary exposé of slavery in Southeast Asian seas because of Rathjen sticking true to the sadly real life atrocity.

Synopsis

An innocent Cambodian boy is sold to a Thai broker and enslaved on a fishing trawler. As fellow slaves are tortured and murdered around him, he starts to wonder if his only hope of freedom is to become as violent as his captors.

Storyline

Scounging for a better life, Chakra, a 14-year-old Cambodian boy, works grueling odd jobs to make ends meet. However, unbeknownst to him, one of the jobs he accepted turns out to be a slave labor, human trafficking scheme, taking him to a Thai fishing trawler with a cruel and arbitrary captain.

TLDR

It’s genuinely depressing how this was based on real life stories of survivors.

What stands out

Sarm Heng’s performance.

Barney’s Version 2010

7.3/10

An impulsive man remembers a life of foolish, graceless choices in this sprawling, affectionate drama

An impulsive man remembers a life of foolish, graceless choices in this sprawling, affectionate drama.

Our take

When a film is about a person, most depictions would be presented in the best possible light, all to present them as a person to be admired. That being said, Barney’s Version does not do that. The novel does give the adaptation some trouble– after all, Barney is a guy that fell in love with a woman other than his wife on his wedding night– but while Barney isn’t exactly the best person you’d like to meet, the way the story is structured, Paul Giamatti’s sympathetic performance and the way Barney remains honest with himself and his desires all throughout life makes the title character easy to root for, even with all his blunt ways. Barney’s Version does take plenty of familiar tropes, sometimes stereotypical, but it handles this life drama with subtle comedy and excellent performances.

Synopsis

The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky.

Storyline

Looking back at his life, impulsive, irascible TV producer Barney Panofsky remembers his three marriages, his family, and the disappearance of his friend Boogie, which has never been explained.

TLDR

Paul Giamatti really knows how to embody the everyday guy.

What stands out

The performances.

The Man from Nowhere 2010

7.6/10

A quiet stranger saves a child in this emotional revenge thriller

A quiet stranger saves a child in this emotional revenge thriller.

Our take

Admittedly, The Man from Nowhere can feel a bit derivative. A quiet and mysterious stranger befriending a child, and ending up enacting his revenge when the child gets kidnapped… It feels like writer-director Lee Jeong-beom took two certain film plots and stitched it together into one. But where the film lacks in original story, The Man from Nowhere makes up for it with style, with high-contrast, rainy, moody scenes that linger into the mystery to make the few brutal, excellently choreographed action sequences pop. It has familiar tropes, and the backstory becomes a bit predictable because of it, but The Man from Nowhere keeps a steady pulse on the beating heart of the film– the friendship that makes these familiar tropes hold heavier emotional weight.

Synopsis

An ex-special agent is involved in a convoluted drug ring drama. He has to save a drug smuggler's innocent daughter from being the victim of her parents' fight.

Storyline

Quiet pawnshop keeper Cha Tae-sik only has one friend: a child named So-mi. After So-mi is kidnapped, Tae-sik takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hopes of saving his only friend.

TLDR

Think Leon the Professional mixed with Taken.

What stands out

The ending.

Character 1997

7.7/10

A young lawyer and a cold-hearted bailiff are brought together in hatred and rejection in this moody mystery drama

A young lawyer and a cold-hearted bailiff are brought together in hatred and rejection in this moody mystery drama.

Our take

When someone does everything they can to stop you, even to the point of irrationality, that’s hater behavior. This is exactly what drives Dutch-Belgian drama Character. The murder mystery, that is, whether or not Katadreuffe actually killed Dreverhaven, is surprisingly not the most interesting part about this movie– it’s actually what the hell Dreverhaven has against Katadreuffe, because, as the film unfolds, the petty, irrational actions the older bailiff done against the newbie lawyer starts to add up, piece by piece, to the point that this actually starts to matter in Katadreuffe’s life, to the point that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Katadreuffe actually killed him. Gloomy, moody zoom-ins into their faces emphasize the leads’ intense performances, which they infuse with an understanding of the stakes that aren’t obvious to even their own characters. Karakter adapts the bestselling Dickens-like novel with style and subtlety.

Synopsis

In pre-WWII Holland, the penniless, illegitimate son of a powerful bailiff sets out to become a lawyer as he spends a lifetime struggling to prove his worth to his relentlessly spiteful father.

Storyline

Rotterdam, 1920s. Young lawyer Jacob Katadreuffe has done all he can to work his way up from poverty, though becomes the chief suspect of the murder of cold-hearted bailiff A.B. Dreverhaven, who was known as his rival, but holds a deeper connection that the police didn’t expect.

TLDR

That plot twist though… Both of them need therapy.

What stands out

The title is quite fitting, seeing that the characters are what makes this film work.

My King 2015

7/10

A lover heals her knee and her heart in this contemplative drama about co-dependency

A lover heals her knee and her heart in this contemplative drama about co-dependency.

Our take

Why do we cling to the people that we love, but who clearly don’t treat us well? It’s a common question in romance films, one that often leads to a conclusion that people shouldn’t feel shackled to partners that don’t treat them right, but sometimes other films seem to shame these unfortunate lovers for making the wrong choice. My King doesn’t do that. Sure, Georgio can seem like an obvious asshole (he is), but writer-director Maïwenn makes clear that the same things that make him erratic– his spontaneity, his enjoyment of life, and his open acceptance– which Vincent Cassel superbly embodies, are also the same things that attracted Tony in the first place. And as Tony recovers her knee, the careful interstitching between her time at the center and her romance with Georgio visually parallels the physical and emotional wounds in an interesting way. Mon Roi is familiar romance stuff, but it’s the approach that makes the film work.

Synopsis

Tony is admitted to a rehabilitation center after a serious ski accident. Dependent on the medical staff and pain relievers, she takes time to look back on a turbulent relationship that she experienced with Georgio.

Storyline

After tearing the ligaments on her leg in a skiing accident, Tony goes to a seaside rehabilitation center to recover. While there, her counsellor and her painkillers bring her to remember her tumultuous romance with Georgio.

TLDR

I imagine this would hit different depending on your current relationship status.

What stands out

Vincent Cassel and Emmanuelle Bercot. There’s clear chemistry there, in both love and hate.