gudaulin

This film is closely related to the Italian film Gomorrah in its style. It is not a classical feature film in the true sense of the word, where the screenplay presents a story to the viewer, but rather a docudrama that subordinates the plot on the screen to the greatest authenticity of the environment, the reality of the behavior of the characters, and the overall testimony about the state of French education. It is necessary to emphasize that Laurent Cantet did not choose an extreme case, but rather an ordinary school from the outskirts of a big city with a number of immigrant children and unmotivated urban poverty. French education suffers from massive truancy and criminal activity, so most schools elsewhere in Europe are relatively better off in this respect. On the other hand, I get the impression that they are trying to catch up with this disadvantage. Given the above, it is not an entertaining film, but rather a truly documentary view of the issue. Overall impression: 80%.

Director Peter Weir already has a few masterpieces under his belt, but in this case, I really didn't get this film. It's too shallow, and the dialogues are informative so that even an American viewer unfamiliar with Soviet history can follow the plot. Moreover, the characters are black and white, and it's no coincidence that the only truly well-rounded character is the classic Russian criminal played excellently by Colin Farrell, who exudes genuine emotions, animality, and charisma. Unfortunately, the script does not prescribe him a more significant role, and he completely disappears halfway through the film. This subject matter directly called for a series adaptation in six to eight-hour episodes because there simply isn't enough room in this format for the development of characters and the viewer's acceptance of them. Despite the long runtime, many things are rushed through, and the viewer mostly follows a group of refugees walking through the taiga, desert, or high mountains without witnessing the small but characteristic moments, conflicts, and decisions for the survival of the characters. For example, the escape from the gulag is rushed, and many scenes are highly improbable. Escapes from the camps, for understandable reasons, took place during the hot Siberian summer, not in snowy blizzards and at -40°C... Overall impression: 55%. Despite good intentions, watching The Way Back is at times as descriptive and hastily done in its dramatic aspect as the suffering of the refugees themselves.

I have had the book of the same name in my library for a few months now, but I haven't been able to get to it yet, as is usual for me, so I can't compare it with the film version. Nevertheless, or perhaps because of that, the film captivated me. The unusual combination of genres, where the film gradually transitions from a comedic road movie to a serious drama, worked excellently in this case. The events on the screen are accentuated by music, which is a variation of Jewish klezmer. A young Jewish man from a well-to-do American family searches for his roots in Ukraine and gradually uncovers the dark secret of the destruction of a large Jewish settlement during World War II. The emotionally intense scenes almost brought me to tears, which is a sign for me that the film didn't have fake tones or cheap sentiments, but genuine emotions. It's clear from the film that Liev Schreiber has been involved in the film industry for a long time and, even though he doesn't have directing experience, at least not in the film world, he has learned a lot and has talent. Elijah Wood is a reliable and talented actor who easily handles the main role, and Czech viewers can also be satisfied with the presence of some supporting characters played by Czech actors and can get to know Czech realities, as this film was shot in the Czech Republic. I didn't give it a fifth star because I don't understand how the founder of the American branch could travel from occupied Ukraine to the USA in March 1942, or why the Ukrainian witness never got into a car until the late 90s. A few times, the script and dialogue were a bit off, and it's also evident that it was filmed by Americans unfamiliar with Eastern European mentality. The owner of a travel agency would hardly transport his American clients in a rattling Trabant on perfect highways. Here, the brand of the car is a sign of belonging to a certain social class and wealth, so it would be the opposite. Overall impression: 85%.

The comparison to American Beauty, which operates in the same combination of satire and drama genres, is fitting because in my eyes, that film overwhelmingly beats The Chumscrubber. Recently, I harshly criticized a film whose main character acted foolishly and detached from reality, while here, everyone behaves foolishly in order to confirm the efforts of the screenwriter and director. It's quite clear what the film wants to criticize. It's a matter of exaggerated individualism, egoism, consumerism, and moreover, it tries to confirm the claim that the US population is most affected by various psychiatric disorders. However, it chases too many rabbits at once and offers only functional moments and individual lines or scenes, instead of functioning as a whole. Overall impression: 40%. It's a typical festival film that can resonate with a certain audience.

A typically British, perfectionistic, and old-fashioned film, which, although it has a number of undeniable merits starting with excellent casting, appropriate performances, and conservative but flawless direction, somehow did not enthuse me and captivate me. It deals with aristocratic "better" people bound by strict social rules, etiquette, and responsibility, not for themselves, but for the reputation and status of their family. These people have sympathy for the plebeians down below and feel responsibility for them about as much as a medieval feudal lord felt responsibility for his subjects. By the way, they reduce people to one group and even though they talk a great deal about that group, they are extremely careful not to get themselves dirty with the people below and actually do not even know them. Overall impression: 80%.

I have seen a number of mystery movies lately that I simply couldn't tolerate. Stay is surprisingly not only functional but I would even say excellent. It has excellent coordination of music, camera, film effects, and acting performances, and has atmosphere and a meaningful well-constructed screenplay. In terms of the genre, only some early Lynch films have had such an impact on me, but compared to them, Forster's drama has a more rational point. It's the kind of film that is worth seeing not only twice, but it's even possible to enjoy many scenes from the film better with knowledge of what is going to happen, and it's possible to watch it many times over. The casting of top-notch and well-known actors paid off, and this is simply a genre delight where only two scenes bother me because reveal more than is necessary. Overall impression: 95%.

I already have some issues with Filip Remunda's filmography, but this time it's a major crisis. His film doesn't bring anything new about Russia that isn't already well-known from vastly superior documentaries and feature films from the past. Instead, it's full of posing, forced exaggerations, and, frankly, nonsense. If Czech documentary filmmaking stands high today, then this is its lowest level. Overall impression: 5%.

This psychological drama with a slower pace, in an unusual international co-production, tells a story from an Israeli kibbutz in the 70s, where there is a conflict between an individual who longs to escape the restrictive environment and a collective that manipulates him and tries to impose their idea of happiness and lifestyle on him. The film comes across as too harsh an indictment of the kibbutz, who were actually organized on a voluntary basis and formed the most functional attempt at an egalitarian community built on the principles of nationalism and social program. The kibbutz naturally could not withstand the growing and individualistic society, but the fact that they still exist testifies to the fact that it was and still is the best-organized project of its kind, which has nothing to do with real socialism. A similar story about a nonconforming individual doesn't have to be only from the environment of religious sects or ideologically oriented communities, as it can be, for example, the rebellion of children against their parents who want to dictate their lifestyle, and it can have many other versions. Overall impression: 60%.

In this case, the director's role isn't as important as that of the screenwriter, Oldřich Daněk. His moralistic television stories have a distinct theatrical character, but the essence lies in the dialogues, which Daněk excelled at. Four fictional dialogues from ancient history, which almost certainly didn't happen as Daněk portrays them, but the same could be said about his other works. What matters is that they evoke the right emotions and delve into the most important character traits: justice, truth, honor, the abuse of power, love, friendship, and much more. Overall impression: 90%. Moreover, it's an acting showcase by two Czech acting legends.

A pleasant film. Although it doesn't bring anything new to the perspective of show business and its rules, it is sympathetic in that all the relationship storylines end positively, even though the viewer suspects that in some cases they will not last long. The cast is also good, one would tend to believe in confessions of love to someone like Anna Friel, even though they know she slept with half of her customers just a few minutes ago. :-) Overall impression: 65%.