French Cinema: Un prophète (A Prophet) film review

Un Prophète directed by Jacques Audiard is an award-winning French crime drama. It won the Grand Prix at Cannes, several César Awards, a Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA, Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards. Quite the collection of accolades and there is most definietly a reason for that.

Tahar Rahim is exceptional as Malik El Djebena, an incarcerated small-time criminal who ascends up the prison hierarchy. Rahim commands the screen completely even though this was one of his first film roles, and we, the audience, follow his startling metamorphosis step by step.

One of the most visceral scenes comes early in the film, where Malik is tasked with the assassination of Reyeb, a fellow Muslim prison mate, by the all-powerful Corsican mob boss César Luciani (Niels Arestrup). It is a startling scene that is hard to watch but brilliantly depicts Malik’s desperation to survive. As a result of his violent and botched murder, he is thus haunted by the spectre of Reyeb throughout the rest of the film.

Impressively, Un prophète is not exactly an original tale, but its execution and exploration of race make it a compelling entry into the prison drama genre. Due to Malik El Djebena’s French-Algerian heritage, he is able to navigate the diverse cultures of the prison; he straddles the gap between the Corsican mobsters and the Muslims and cultivates his position within both groups to further his position in the prison’s hierarchy.

He also finds time to learn how to read and write through the prison school, arming himself for life outside when his six-year sentence is finally over. His journey is a complex and compelling one, and you feel yourself rooting for him throughout.

A familiar story made brilliant through execution and a star performance by Tahar Rahim, who is easily one of France’s most compelling actors working at the moment.

Best Films and TV Shows of 2019

It’s that time of year again, this is my list of the best of all the movies and tv shows I watched in 2019.

Films

All the films I am listing have had their wide release in the UK in 2019, so films like Burning which was released in Korea in 2018 still counts for 2019

Joker

Joker may have been the most buzzed-about film of 2019, well besides Avengers: Endgame that is. It’s the compelling proposition of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker that put the film on my radar when it was first announced.

A bleak and unforgiving look at how society and mental illness can warp a man. This is the darkest incarnation of the iconic Batman villain yet. Of course Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t surprise with his unflinching portrayal as a man at rock bottom. The film also rejuvenated my faith in DC as the Justice League Movie was underwhelming and while Aquaman was fun I do like a dark brooding superhero story. So this feels like a hark back to the Nolan trilogy in the best way possible.

Burning

A Korean film based on a Haruki Murakami short story. A winning combination if you ask me and if you add into the mix Director Lee Chang-dong and actors Yoo Ah-in and Steven Yeun, then you have one of the best thrillers in recent memory. It’s a poetically shot film with a powerful underlying sense of dread that builds and builds until it all comes to a crescendo at the end. I reviewed the film back at the beginning of last year so have a read if you want a full unpacking of my thoughts on the film here.

Midsommar

This film is more than just a film it’s an experience, a WTF am I watching experience that just keeps giving you weirdness after weirdness. It’s also one of the best experiences I’ve ever had watching a film at the cinema as the audience was audibly cringing and gasping together at the craziest parts of the film. My sister kept leaning over and whispering in my ear ‘what are you making me watch?’, well dear only one of the best movies of the year!

Ad Astra

James Grey’s Ad Astra is a slow study on loneliness and emotional wounds that is beautifully complemented by a symbolic journey into the furthest parts of our galaxy. Existential and awe-inspiring, Ad Astra also feels so thoroughly human and personal. Family is at the heart of the film which challenges the audience to take a closer look at what is just in front of them rather than miles and miles away.

Exit

Thanks to the London East Asia Film Festival, I won tickets to the European premiere to see this rather hilarious and smart film from Korea. Exit is a disaster action-comedy, yes that is a thing, and yes this film balances all of these genres tremendously well. The film follows Yong-nam a talented but unemployed rock climber as he tries to save his whole family and his crush from a deadly gas that has been unleashed in downtown Seoul.

Knives Out

Funny, clever and thoroughly entertaining. Knives Out is an all-star comedy whodunnit in the style of Agatha Christie but for the modern age. Ana de Armas stole the film as Marta a nurse caught up in the mystery, and Chris Evan’s first post-Captain America role as Ranson the spoiled playboy of the family was a refreshing and thoroughly un-typecasted role for the actor. Twists and turns abound and no more can be said so go watch it!

TV Shows

Watchmen

HBO’s Watchmen is a fresh and compelling entry in the myriad of superhero centric stories out there at the moment. Rather than be a retelling of the graphic novel, the Watchmen series is its own thing with a storyline that centres around race rather than the cold war. Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night is one of the best black female characters I have ever seen on TV. I also think the show was absolutely fantastic, exciting and kept you guessing and in wonder, as the plot twists unfolded.

The Witcher

While Game of Thrones was epic, brilliant, groundbreaking TV it lost its way towards the end due to rather strange creative ideas regarding the plotting of events and the most lacklustre ending of Bran being the one to claim the iron throne. But not to fear Netflix swoops in with the exact remedy we all were seeking, an exciting new fantasy series in the form of The Witcher. This series is so much fun, Henry Cavill is amazing in the role of Geralt of Rivia, not just because he is mind-blowingly handsome but because he inhabits the role so convincingly. Also, the crisscrossing timelines create an interesting jigsaw puzzle of events that you have to slot together to make sense of the story which makes for an enjoyable watch. Love it: the humour, the cinematography, the world-building, the character development, everything.

Chocolate

Heartwarming, tragic, life-affirming are a few ways to describe the Korean language drama Chocolate. The drama follows Lee Kang and Moon Cha-young, a neurosurgeon and a chef as they fall in love while working at a hospice together. They have a complex history that adds another layer of intensity to the story, but the magic of the show is in the way everyone’s lives at the hospice intersect and everyone ends up teaching each other a valuable lesson about life, from the patients with limited time to the cold Lee Kang who softens over time. And at the heart of the show is food, the characters eat according to feelings and elevate food to more than just sustenance, its a way of bonding, of remembrance and of recovery. I wept my eyes out at most episodes because the story touched my heart so much and it became a cathartic and heartwarming moment each week for me, and the soundtrack is beautiful and it’s the only one I’ve listened to on repeat since One Spring Day and Something in the Rain. I will hands down say that this is one of my favourite Korean dramas to date, and I have watched an awful lot of them so that definitely says something about this one.

The House That Jack Built Review

The House That Jack Built is a polarising film that dares to go beyond the realms of what most directors would ever consider, but then that’s Lars Von Trier all over. I think he is one of the most fascinating directors working today and this film only proves this more.

The cast is rather spectacular from Matt Dillon’s disturbingly brilliant performance as Jack, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Sofie Gråbøl, Bruno Ganz, and a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from Yoo Ji-tae (Oldboy) that probably only Korean cinema fans like me would notice.

The narrative technique of The House That Jack Built is very similar to that of Trier’s Nymphomaniac films (the protagonist retells the story of their burgeoning affliction to a stranger) but it is very different too, especially towards the end. So basically this review is going to turn into a comparison between the two films…

What’s similar

 I love the way Trier writes the narrators in these two films, they are cultured and make interesting parallels between art, music and life. And then the people they tell their stories to comment on the implausibility of events; Verge notes that the incompetence of the police is very convenient in The House That Jack Built while Seligman notes that Jerome appears at moments in Joe’s life unrealistically and conveniently in Nymphomaniac

They both feature extreme imagery, graphic sex and graphic murder.

What’s different

The allusion to Dante’s Inferno that is fully revealed at the end but is quite clear throughout the film takes The House that Jack Built from being rooted in ‘reality’ to taking on a much more fantastical vibe.

Is The House that Jack Built, the male version of Nymphomaniac? Are both of these films showing how the different sexes show their depravity as seen by a biased society, for women it’s too much sex and for men too much bloodlust and brutality, toxic masculinity? Just a thought.

Russian Cinema - Лето (Leto) Review

Лето (Leto) which means Summer in English is a Russian Biographical Rock’n’Roll Musical set in 1980’s Leningrad in the dying days of the Soviet Union. It’s a love letter, a celebration to an era of dawning hope and rebellious youth which is beautifully captured by director Kirill Serebrennikov.

Leto follows the rise of one of the most iconic rock musicians of 80’s Russia, Viktor Tsoi of rock band Kino and his relationship with fellow musician Mike Naumenko of Zoopark and how they both navigated artistic expression, living in relative poverty and restricted success. The film also cleverly comments on the nature of the biographical film with a character who breaks the fourth wall after certain (unrealistic) moments to insist to the viewer that that event never really happened.

There is a frenetic energy in Serebrennikov’s direction which really shines in the musical interludes which include an aggressive cover of the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer and a dreamy rendition of Passenger by Iggy Pop. Doodles appear on the screen in these musical interludes to create a mixed media music video like moment that instantly grabs your attention.

Teo Yoo a Korean actor born and raised in Germany steals the spotlight as Viktor Tsai and his understated performance and character evolution holds the film together.

Another moment that feels so creative and fun is when the characters recreate a range of rock’n’roll album covers, the nostalgia it conjures up in this quirky sequence is undeniable.

Leto is available to rent on Mubi

Swiss Cinema - Sarah joue un loup-garou (Sarah Plays a Werewolf) Review

A gripping portrayal of growing up and the dangerous isolation of being a misfit.

Swiss filmmaker Katharina Wyss’ debut is a powerful statement about growing up. Filmed in a 4:3 ratio to give every frame an uneasy claustrophobia we follow Sarah as she tries to connect with those around her. Her family life is bizarre, with not so subtle hints of incest. Sarah’s only outlet is to abandon herself onstage at her theatre group. But like many young imaginative and disturbed people Sarah falls into a dangerous waltz with depression.

Loane Balthasar’s fearless performance as Sarah drives the film and the realism in the direction makes it feel achingly true. Rich opulent colours dominate the colour palette of the film which gives it a sense of excess that veers towards the grotesque, a metaphor for Sarah’s psyche perhaps. Another aspect of the cinematography and style of the film that I enjoyed was he lingering shots on critiques of theatre performances, opera and Nietzsche which is very indie French cinema.

Overall, Sarah joue un loup-garou is a fantastic psychological journey into the mind of a girl on the cusp of womanhood who is too fragile to survive in a harsh and indifferent world.