Niloofar: moving story examines ideals of honour, tradition and predestination
Sabine el Gemayel, “Niloofar” (2008) That familiar maxim “Less is more” applies as much to making movies as it does in composing music and creating other…
Coming of Age Films
French and French-language Films
Persepolis: coming-of-age film could be more honest about life under police state regime
Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, “Persepolis” (2007) Adapted from the graphic novel, originally published in two volumes, of the same name, this is a coming-of-age fictional…
Or (My Treasure): film treads gingerly around prostitution issue
Keren Yedaya, “Or (My Treasure)” (2004) Source: www.allmovie.com Debut feature from director Keren Yedaya, this Israeli film is a study of a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship dominated…
Noi the Albino: film about a teenager needing a purpose and anchor in life … like a proper film
Dagur Kari, “Noi the Albino” (2003) This is a curious film where little happens and then all of a sudden, something happens and bang … THE…
French and French-language Films
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran: easy-going road trip with lessons on life and living
François Dupeyron, “Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran” (2003) This is an easy-going coming-of-age story based on a novel of the same name set in…
Winter’s Bone: flimsy plot backgrounded by real poverty and catastrophic social problems
Debra Granik, “Winter’s Bone” (2010) Source: www.mirror.co.uk Meet Ree Dolly: she’s a 17-year-old girl caring for her severely depressed mom and two younger siblings, Sonny and Ashlee, on…
French and French-language Films
La Fille du Rer: film of connections that doesn’t quite connect
Andre Techine, “La fille du RER (The Girl on the Train)”, Strand Releasing (2009) Not a bad drama but I couldn’t quite see the point of…
Let Me In: Reeves “lets the right one in” to smother his version’s potential
Matt Reeves, “Let Me In”, Hammer Films / Overture Films (2010) Once upon a time about 25 years ago in a small town somewhere in Reagan-era America, there was…
Let the Right One In: first, the Swedish version is allowed in
Tomas Alfredsson, “Let the Right One In” (2008) Often when a novel is translated to the screen, the result is a superficial imitation of the printed word:…
The Runaways: Cherie Bomb turns out to be a fizzler
This homage to the 1970s all-female hard rock band The Runaways (Floria Sigismondi, The Runaways, Apparition / Sony Pictures Entertainment 2010) had a lot of advance…