Father Brown (Episode 29: The Truth in the Wine): reconciliation and forgiveness win the day
Ian Barber, “Father Brown (Episode 29: The Truth in the Wine)” (2015) Being laid up with flu recently restricted me to watching re-runs of old TV…
nausika
Aniara: a disappointing critique of human society in a spaceship on a doomed voyage
Pella Kagerman, Hugo Lilja, “Aniara” (2018) An ambitious project to bring a poem by the Swedish poet / author / former sailor Harry Martinson (who co-won…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
MH17 – Call for Justice: independent journalists’ investigation and findings create more questions than answers about the official investigation
Yana Yerlashova, “MH17 – Call for Justice” (Bonanza Media, July 2019) Five years after the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 passenger jet was shot down in eastern…
Hail Satan? – fun film about a Satanic movement with a serious message about social justice and religious hypocrisy and oppression
Penny Lane, “Hail Satan?” (2019) Funny and serious at the same time, tight and well made with plenty of information on the history of religious freedom…
Global hi-tech as the handmaiden of the military and intelligence agencies in “The Secrets of Silicon Valley: What Big Tech Doesn’t Want You to Know”
James Corbett, “The Corbett Report (Episode 359: The Secrets of Silicon Valley: What Big Tech Doesn’t Want You to Know)” (July 2019) Dense with information, presented…
Parasite: tale of two families is a stinging attack on capitalism and social hierarchy
Bong Joonho, “Parasite / Gisaengchung” (2019) A stinging attack on capitalism in South Korean society and its effects on people’s thinking and actions, “Parasite” pits two…
French and French-language Films
Claire Darling: slow film about memory, heritage and past pain leading to a big bang
Julie Bertuccelli, “Claire Darling / La derniere folie de Claire Darling” (2018) On the first day of summer in a small village somewhere in France, an…
Red Joan: a stodgy film skirting issues about loyalty, betrayal and the nature of the British state
Trevor Nunn, “Red Joan” (2019) Adapted from the novel of the same name which as the film acknowledges is based on the real-life case of Melita…
“Leaked Court Docs Upending Brazil!” – a brief look at news of leaked documents concerning a popular Brazilian politician
Lee Camp “Leaked Court Docs Upending Brazil!” (Redacted Tonight, June 2019) Along with his weekly “Redacted Tonight” news / current affairs program, comedian / journalist Lee Camp…
Indian Subcontinent Films, Northern European Films
Victim of the World Wildlife Fund: racial cleansing and genocide masquerading as nature conservation
Jos van Dongen, “Victim of the World Wildlife Fund” (Zembla, 2019) Now this is the kind of hard-hitting investigative journalism I like to see! In this…