angel74

A visually striking film about family togetherness and a blood feud from exotic Brazil that dragged on a bit too long for my taste. The obvious emotional message just didn't come through for me. I can't help but feel that it was a bit too much like a soap opera...

Ken Loach is one of the best creators of social dramas and with this film, he has strengthened his unwavering position. The appalling, dignity-devouring bureaucratic machinery into which Daniel Blake was thrust when he lost his job due to illness and struggled to remain financially independent could not possibly be real. I am afraid, however, that this is the way things truly are at the moment. And not just in England, as it's probably similar in most "civilized" countries. While the film does have a few light moments, overall it's a heavy, frustrating, and depression-inducing experience.

There is a certain similarity with the equally successful Finnish film The Grump, but A Man Called Ove is probably even more memorable. The cantankerous, perpetually enraged old man Ove is certainly no prize for the neighbors; in fact, he really got on my nerves at first too. But as I got to know him during his futile attempts to take his own life, I suddenly found myself growing suspiciously attached to him. Maybe because his heart was so big. It is a beautiful story full of sharp humor and at the same time very touching. And strangely enough, these two opposing ingredients do not clash but are in complete symbiosis. As a result, it is an extremely human film that caresses the soul and leaves behind a wistful memory.

Quite an interesting drama about the problems associated with growing up and the search for one's own identity. Although the supernatural element in the form of the intoxicating nectar from the strange flower seemed at least awkward to me at first, as a tool for self-awareness, it can ultimately be accepted. Visually, it is quite a good film, with great music that contributes to the atmosphere.

It really annoyed me that such a cheerful, life-loving woman fell for such a grump. You simply can’t choose who you love. It happens, and we don't even realize how. It can be incredibly frustrating to admit that the person we love either can't or won't reciprocate our feelings to the extent we desire. This not entirely traditional love story is full of joy and great music, but at the same time inexorably heads towards a bitter and painful ending.

The talented Tobias Lindholm made a very believable film about contemporary piracy. The plot quickly gets stuck in negotiation maneuvers between the management of a wealthy Danish company and Somali pirates, who demand a hefty ransom for the release of the crew of a hijacked cargo ship. I thought it would be boring, but the opposite was true. The deadlock situations that piled up one after another during months of negotiation turned the initially straightforward narrative into a truly gripping spectacle, during which the mental states of everyone involved took quite a beating. I would also like to mention the great performances of Pilou Asbæk and Søren Malling.

Wolf Creek is definitely one of the best horror films based on true events I've ever seen. The film’s slow start is not at all a bad thing; quite the contrary. During the opening forty-five minutes, the tension builds up to such an extent that it can be cut with a knife. And then it really starts to have some serious twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Watching the film, I kept wondering how it all could have happened in reality. Given that it's filmed quite believably, I'm willing to believe that this is how it really happened.

Visually and musically quite well done, but that's probably where it ends. At the beginning, it developed quite interestingly, but the rest (especially the last half-hour) deserves to be thrown away. I'm wondering if my two stars are too favorable a rating...

It's certainly good that a film about such a significant figure in modern history exists, and I'm glad I saw it and learned something about Walesa's life. However, it could have been presented in a more accessible format. It felt overly propagandistic to me, and I admit that Lech Walesa didn't really grow on me given his nature. However, the soundtrack certainly deserves praise; it fits perfectly.

Yeah, when it works, it works. Any of us can fall into the debt trap today. It is therefore quite easy to imagine oneself in the difficult situation in which the sympathetic teacher found herself. From the moment she discovered that, through no fault of her own, she owed a lot of money, I was itching right along with her, and as the movie progressed, I felt more and more uneasy. In reality, I probably wouldn't have had the balls for the final solution she ultimately chose, but I breathed a sigh of relief for her as well. At first, however, I couldn't help but laugh at how she suddenly used stockings for a completely different purpose than the erotic one. Anyway, the idea of spending a few years in prison for robbing a bank is definitely better than allowing oneself to be intimidated, humiliated, and degraded by a disgusting loan shark.