2125, Sean Ian’s post-apocalyptic drama, shot as a digital diary, is set roughly 105 years into the future. Humanity appears to have been pushed to the brink of extinction in this 14-minute film, produced, written, directed, shot (on an iPhone), edited and acted by Ian. The choices seem apt and reflective, considering how the story… Continue reading 2125: A Quarantine Much Worse
Tag: Private
Nene: A Moving Tribute To Someone Dearly Loved
A mother and son wait for the start of their journey. Miles away another mother prepares for the end of hers. Shown parallelly are two narratives in writer-director King Louie Palomo’s Nene, a film on life and its all-encompassing stories. A touching and a believable depiction of what must be several people’s real-life experiences, Nene,… Continue reading Nene: A Moving Tribute To Someone Dearly Loved
Anna: Skilful Depiction Of A Ukrainian Socio-Cultural Practise
“Because Ukrainian women have class and they are obedient”, she says without batting an eyelid. It takes a while for the audience to gulp down the open sexism and misogyny in Anna because it is so masterfully captured that the nauseating reality feels encompassing. Director-writer Dekel Berenson’s Anna isn’t easy to watch. It explores the… Continue reading Anna: Skilful Depiction Of A Ukrainian Socio-Cultural Practise
The Invitation (Die Einladung): The Horrors Of Fitting In
Thorsten Schade’s 24-minute Die Einladung, or The Invitation, follows a young, ambitious man as a business meeting brings him an invitation to dinner amongst an informally exclusive group. But this is a horror flick, so of course, there is more to it and not what said the man would like. Tom Renner (Orestes Fiedler) is… Continue reading The Invitation (Die Einladung): The Horrors Of Fitting In
Dreamers: A Well Choreographed Screen Dance To Explain The DACA
TRIVIA: For those unaware, the DACA refers to the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, an executive branch memorandum issued by the Obama administration to offer an extended time period from deportation to people brought into the States as a minor, whose presence might otherwise be considered unlawful. Started in 2012, the act was declared unconstitutional… Continue reading Dreamers: A Well Choreographed Screen Dance To Explain The DACA
The Killing of Time: On The Passage Of A Pandemic
The title demonstrates the era of the pandemic with a precision that is almost poetic. On first glance, it appears terribly ominous, until you realise that it is not. Before you finally realize, all that free time we had to kill came at the heels of something that killed millions, and forced millions more into… Continue reading The Killing of Time: On The Passage Of A Pandemic
Kite: A Story That Spans Across Generations
Yumeng He’s Kite is a visual essay of testaments, opinions and feelings. Of narratives that have long transcended time and left an indelible print on its passengers. And in little over 30 minutes, Yumeng enlists her audience on board this journey. Kite is a documentary that represents the slow ebbing of time, spanning across generations and… Continue reading Kite: A Story That Spans Across Generations
Life…: A Lesson Or Two For Those In The Medical Fraternity
Medical drama is a dynamic subgenre. It can be thrilling, or emotional, or melodramatic, or even sleuthing adventures. And yet there is so much within this sub-genre that remains unexplored, whether it is iatrogenesis, or even self-medication by practitioners themselves. For the 32-minute Life, director-writer Mirlande Amazan picks a well-explored theme, but presents it in… Continue reading Life…: A Lesson Or Two For Those In The Medical Fraternity
DE – Documenting Depression: An Empathetic Gaze To Someone Recovering
Director-cinematographer Francisco Matias’s DE – Documenting Depression is a 58:55 minutes long documentary on a topic that is widely discussed, but poorly understood. And now, especially with the pandemic, mental health issues have risen steeply. That should not come as a surprise, or that isolation has not been easy. But what is surprising is to… Continue reading DE – Documenting Depression: An Empathetic Gaze To Someone Recovering
Snake Trail: Making Peace With Loss
Shicong Zhu’s Snake Trail forges a rarely seen relationship with the dead, in a film that looks at it with more hope than grief. Set amidst circumstances that would generally have been expected to be gut-wrenching instead, the story eases the harshness of loss by synthesizing the optimism of traditional practices. At its centre is… Continue reading Snake Trail: Making Peace With Loss