Teaching audiences to view films actively
By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Starring: Mahsa Rostami | Missagh Zareh | Niousha Akhshi | Setareh Maleki | Soheila Golestani
Diane says: “Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof indicts the harsh and corrupt Iranian legal system through the lens of one family in THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG. As the seedlings of the fig strangle their parent, here a man finally promoted
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Brady Hepner | Carrie Preston | Da'Vine Joy Randolph | Dominic Sessa | Paul Giamatti
Chris says: “If Alexander Payne’s last film, 2017’s sci-fi allegory DOWNSIZING was a big swing and a miss, his latest plays it much safer for the benefit of everyone involved. A return to smart, dyspeptic comedy, THE HOLDOVERS also reunites
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Benjamin Ree
Val says: “This heart-soaring story of Mats ‘Ibelin’ Steen was excellently told by Benjamin Ree, who hit the archival jackpot with his chosen subject. Not only did Ree have access to extensive family videos, but footage from a professionally produced
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Xiaoshuai Wang
Starring: Jiang Du | Jingchun Wang | Mei Yong | Roy Wang | Xi Qi
Chris says: “If you’re a Mubi subscriber and a fan of slow Asian cinema, I recommend this 2019 film from director Wang Xiaoshaui, best known for BEIJING BICYCLE (2001) and also SHANGHAI DREAMS (2005), which I saw and loved at
Read the review...By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Starring: Ayaka Shibutani | Hazuki Kikuchi | Hitoshi Omika | Ryô Nishikawa | Ryûji Kosaka
Chris says: “So, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, what are you doing now after all that acclaim (including the Palme D’or and an Oscar) for DRIVE MY CAR? A study of an environmental threat towards a remote community whren a corporation wants to
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Celine Song
Starring: Greta Lee | John Magaro | Leem Seung-min | Moon Seung-ah | Teo Yoo
Gil says: “The debut film from director Celine Song is definitely one of the year’s best so far and I look forward to seeing this film reach a larger audience. The film tells the story of Nora and Hae Sung,
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Ivy Meeropol
Michael says: “This enlightening documentary about the tragic death of a young surfer from shark attack off the coast of Cape Cod did two major things for me. It granted me a newfound respect for the job of lifeguard, and
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Natalia Sinelnikova
Starring: Ioana Iacob | Jörg Schüttauf | Pola Geiger | Siir Eloglu | Susanne Wuest
Michael says: “A social commentary that starts off wickedly funny and gets progressively darker, even while maintaining an edge of humor. Tackling paranoia, mob mentality, fear-mongering (so relevant in today’s world), race and class, WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Léa Mysius
Starring: Adèle Exarchopoulos | Moustapha Mbengue | Patrick Bouchitey | Sally Dramé | Swala Emati
Michael says: “For second outing as writer/director, French artiste Léa Mysius tackles mystic melodrama with largely successful results. An eight-year-old girl with supernatural smelling abilities, an forbidden romance, a tragic fire, and some time travel all add up to a filled-to-bursting
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Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne | Luc Dardenne
Starring: Alban Ukaj | Charlotte De Bruyne | Joely Mbundu | Pablo Schils | Tijmen Govaerts
Chris says: “Reassuring (if depressing) that cine-activists like the Dardenne Brothers will never run out of subjects fueling their outrage at an unjust society; this is one of their starkest and most effective critiques. 4.5 cats“
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