Malarkey

51. KVIFF – An absolutely mediocre and indistinct story from the environment of Israeli youths who party, drink booze, blazes, try one drug after another and discover a hitherto undiscovered kind of sexuality; thus, nothing fundamentally different from what’s happening in the rest of Europe. After watching, I thought a lot about whether to give it two or three stars.But the only really good scene was when a Jewish family went to search for a lost daughter in the Muslim area of ​​Israel. At that point, I thought that it could lead to a lot of fun moments. But then the movie would have to be about something other than that second daughter around whom it all revolves, and who has practically nothing to do with the only good scene of the film.

51st KVIFF – I don’t know what to think about this movie. It tells the story of three women, each longing for a slightly different kind of love. But every time their story starts and becomes interesting, the director brutally cuts it off and never returns to it. The first story was the most interesting and then it had a downward trend. I had to try really hard to watch until the very end. However, I must admit that the camerawork was excellent. Unfortunately, it films the environment of an absolutely gloomy Polish housing estate located in the middle of a snowy field in the winter, which doesn’t exactly help. The poster for this movie is, I would say, all-telling.

51st KVIFF – Somehow, I’m not lucky with the films from the main competition of the film festival. Once again, I came across a very unbalanced story, which begins as a solid psychological drama and ends as a love story of two people. Even though the psychological part of the movie started in a very interesting way. And although Martina Gedeck’s character couldn’t express many feelings and emotions from the beginning, she eventually began to really get it.But at that moment it was no longer a philosophical drama, but rather a romantic triangle with no way out. The second half of the movie was very boring and it got better only at the very end, which didn’t manage to save the movie at that point. However, the doctor’s method for testing individual philias on his own body and the following detox were interesting. But I’m not sure if humor even fits into a story like this, because the ending sure didn’t help.

51st KVIFF – After watching the film, I had to look at the production year of the American Deadpool (the similarity is huge) and I found out that this Italian piece was created earlier. And personally, I have to say that I might have even liked it more. They Call Me Jeeg is an absolutely perfect European comic-like movie, which is quite unusual in itself. It’s a shame that sometimes, the brutalities seemed incredibly cruel in contrast with the European environment and script. And the awkward sex scene doesn’t exactly help, either. Even so, the movie offers an array of absolutely amazing and entertaining scenes which I already know I’ll never forget. And I won’t forget Luca Marinelli, who did an excellent job on her own version of the Batman Joker. And neither Claudio Santamaria, whose character reminded me that the main character does not necessarily have to stand out with their intelligence, but can also be relatively dull and stupid. Which is actually a good motto for this movie.

51st KVIFF – I did not expect that a similar movie theme as last year would leave me dumbstruck in Karlovy Vary this year. I usually try to treat films about immigrants with respect and I don’t know what to expect from them. In any case, the movie Divines opened my eyes again and told me a story from the outskirts of Paris, where you could find anyone except for actual Frenchmen. The story is very harsh and cruel. At the same time, however, it leans into immigrants and doesn’t spare them any hurt feelings. The two main characters (children!) are absolutely great and I must say that they put their all into the movie. One is rude, serious and thinks the whole world belongs to her. She comes from a Roma slum and the only person she likes is a black woman; who is, for a change, from an orderly family that does not forgive mistakes and she perfectly relaxes the incredibly serious atmosphere with her amazing lines. I have to admit that I was in shock during the whole movie and the ending’s truly done it. The few lines the firefighters have in that movie say it all. If you decide to watch the movie, you will definitely agree with me.

51. KVIFF – After watching this movie I almost feel as if the Finns of the 1960s were completely different from what they are today. But it is also entirely possible that they were influenced by a polar day at the time this movie is portraying. They were all talkative, open, forthcoming, and here and there also a bit sarcastic. So they were everything, just not Finnish enough. However, I have to praise this movie for portraying the boxer drama in a completely ordinary way and as it probably really happened. So no over-the-top American storytelling, but a simple story of Olli Mäki, who was groping around for a while before he understood where his true happiness lay. Unfortunately, the black-and-white scheme had a sleepy effect on me and so I got pretty bored at times. The finale of the movie beautifully showed why European movies are so real. You couldn’t find a more real boxer story if you tried.

51. KVIFF – First of all, I have to thank the Film Festival in Karlovy Vary for hearing out my pleas after years and bringing us a Latvian film. Years ago, Riga itself surprised me with how many posters and commercials were put up around the town for local movies. But nobody here even knew about them. I hope that will be changed by this movie because the Latvians have proved that they can tell a serious drama from an original and atypical Latvian location that is full of wetlands, swamps, and rural gloom. I would compare the story to honest Scandinavia dramas, but with a great amount of personality, which I have never encountered before. What is also interesting is the way the Latvian countryside looks and how renovated and mended the state buildings, like offices and schools, are. I also have to praise the actress Elīna Vaska, around whom the whole story revolves and who completely blew me away with her performance. An amazing movie experience from the Nordic Baltics, which I hope wonʼt be the last one.

51. KVIFF – If we are talking about Balkan movies that are also telling stories from the war or are connected with war, it can be assumed that it will be an absolute blast. In the 1990s, the people of Balkan actually committed such atrocities in the name of God that any dictator could envy them. However, the movie A Good Wife isn’t so rough, fortunately. Even though… it depends on how you look at it. Today, the boundary line for tolerability of violence in movies is in a different place than where it used to be. But maybe A Good Wife managed to captivate me so much precisely because it portrays a very serious topic in a very human way and from the point of view of another person. And when I thought that the story was being unnecessarily stretched and started to bore me a little, the finale, which was flawless, came. And it left me with an empty hole in my head, forcing me ponder how I would react to such a discovery.

Only Daniela Kolářová is allowed to go straight to the edge of the beach with a Fiat 500 in Czech movies. On top of that, there was the classic Tomáš Holý and a bit weaker poetic humor that didn’t really sit well with me with its wackiness and the crazy ending. However, the scene where dryads are being chased by guys with a rag around their waist and a hundred sausages in their hands will stick with me for a while.

I finally came across a truly beautiful Vietnamese movie. At the same time, it is very modest and quiet and lets the children, and especially the camera, which offers beautiful shots that take your breath away, speak for themselves. It proves that Vietnam is a beautiful country, but one extremely difficult to live in. However, it is through the children that it tells a very simple story that is more of a way of life than an attempt at a deeper analysis of the environment. If you accept all of that, you will surely enjoy the movie. But count on your heart rate going down during the movie. If you accept the form, you have to be satisfied. I have to admit that Vietnam really surprised me with this movie.