A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Reviews of films from Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and countries that used to be the old Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia).
British Films, Eastern European Films
“Nobody Visits This Country … Find Out Why” (Bald and Bankrupt, April 2019) Bald and Bankrupt is the nom de plume of an English traveller who…
Kay Hannahan, “Altimir” (2016) Since 1989 when they left the sphere of Soviet political / economic / cultural influence, and particularly since 2004 when they joined…
Alexander Korobko, “NYC to Donetsk & back” (Russian Hour, 2018) Made in 2017 or 2018, or some time after the death of Mikhail Tolstykh aka Givi…
Eastern European Films, German and German-language Films
Nick Baker-Monteys, “The Final Journey / Leanders Letzte Reise” (2017) The plot may be a familiar one – aged pensioner Eduard Leander (Jurgen Prochnow), recently widowed,…
Ildiko Endelyi, “On Body and Soul / Teströl és lélekröl ” (2017) A quirky romance drama on the universal human desire for connection with others, and the struggles…
Jan Hrebejk, “The Teacher / Ucitel’ka” (2016) Billed as a comedy drama, Hrebejk’s “The Teacher” is a character study of how an individual uses her political…
British Films, Eastern European Films
Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, “Loving Vincent” (2017) Most viewers will probably be bowled over by the use of oil paintings on canvas as animation cels…
László Nemes, “Son of Saul / Saul Fia” (2015) Of all the stories László Nemes could have chosen to film to launch his career as a…
Andrey Karaulov, “Fascism As It Is” (2014) Looking hastily made, this documentary is a snapshot of the chaotic situation in Ukraine after the massacre of left-wing…
Tomek Baginski, “The Kinematograph” (2009) Here is a bittersweet story of a lone inventor labouring to produce the first moving picture with sound and colour only…