In the Shadow of Beirut
This beautifully made documentary takes place is what must be the most desolate slum in all of Lebanon, a country itself teetering on the edge of economic and political ruin.…
All We Imagine As Light
Set in the hectic city of Mumbai, All We Imagine as Light is a story of sisterhood. Head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) lives with younger, recently hired nurse Anu (Divya…
Green Border (Zielona granica)
Agnieszka Holland is one of Poland's most distinguished directors with multiple Oscar nominations. Her most famous film is probably Europa Europa, set in WWII-era Poland. In it the protagonist is…
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
I haven't seen many (any?) films from Thailand, but this one has apparently been a "runaway hit" in East Asia, so I thought I'd give it a go. The tale…
The Falling Star (L’étoile filante)
This droll French comedy caper is from Abel & Gordon, the writing/directing/acting duo behind one of my favorite films from a few years back, Lost In Paris. It begins with…
Io Capitano
16-year-olds Seydou and Moussa live in Senegal. They are cousins and best friends who write songs and dream of being big stars in Europe. Unknown to their families they are…
Perfect Days
The IMDB description of Perfect Days reads: "A janitor in Japan drives between jobs listening to rock music." Not exactly an exciting premise for a film, but that is mostly…
Golden Years
In this Swiss comedy, Alice (Esther Gemsch) and Peter (Stefan Kurt) are moving into the next phase of their lives together with Peter's retirement. As a retirement gift, their kids…
Driving Madeleine
Driving Madeleine is one of those small films that takes you by surprise. So no spoilers here! The main characters are Charles (Dany Boon), a taxi driver obsessed with his…
Fallen Leaves
Finland's entry for the 2023 Oscars is one of my favorite films of the year. This romantic dramedy from Aki Kaurismäki feels like a mash-up of a color-drained Wes Anderson and…
The Taste of Things (La passion de Dodin Bouffant)
I love to cook and I love to watch movies about the love cooking. And The Taste of Things is probably the most delicious movie about that love since the…
Past Lives
Past Lives is one of those small, thought-provoking indie gems that draws you in from the opening scene and keeps you quietly engaged throughout. It's not a film you can…
The Banality of The Zone of Interest
German philosopher Hannah Arendt famously said in her book "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil", which she wrote after covering the trial of the Nazi war…
Concrete Utopia
Korean cinema has long been fascinated by class distinctions. Parasite and Snowpiercer both leaned heavily into the fact that society is unfairly separated by social status. In Uhm Tae-Hwa's dystopian…
Movies about Women Who Leave: Shayda and Priscilla
This time of year, I watch a lot of movies at once and sometimes it seems that two of them are on the same wavelength, despite being very different stories.…