I was pleasantly surprised by some high quality movies that totally broke through movie clichés that have plague modern cinema for decades. There are archetypes that I believed could not be broken through because they are ingrained in our culture. I am so happy to have been wrong!
- DIRECTOR/WRITER : Travis Taute
- CAST: Nicole Fortuin, Jarrid Geduld, Andre Jacobs, Gail Mabalane, Louw Venter
This South African thriller blew me away! There is not a second of peace as the plot twists multiply and the action is relentless. Theo Abrams, played by Jarrid Geduld, is a fireman plagued by PTSD. His life is coming apart and his grip on reality is shaky at best. His wife Angela, Nicole Fortuin, is approached by a mysterious man on the run who has a story he hopes she will write for her media. Soon, Angela is dead and Theo is the primary suspect.
As Theo tries to prove his innocence all those he can rely on are murdered by a savage team that works for a man in a position of power who always seem to be one step ahead.
The script is excitingly original. The concept underlying this science fiction thriller is that, somehow, a technology could be developed where a person's PTSD could be harnessed to turn its victim into a murder machine. An ambitious scheme is revealed that takes a position where the US, Europe and Asia are seen as the oppressors that steal the natural resources and limit the opportunities that belong to Africans. We never get to see this perspective much less do we see it being defended. A very satisfying movie!
FINALLY!!!!! A fresh young look at the ancient religion of witchcraft! I LOVED IT!!!
A mother and daughter pair of witches live in isolation in a luscious mountain. They compose excellent heavy metal songs that they play while wearing their spicy outfits.
What is significant is that the movie constructs its own symbology and mythology. The witches transcend the infamous pentagram that is so widely used in witch stories. Some symbols are the same: the book, the keys, the bones: but it is not in an ancient old village, it is in a contemporary environment.
Of course there is wickedness...
- DIRECTOR/WRITER: Ruth Platt
- CAST: Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer, Kiera Thompson
The ghost story is re-invented in this heartbreaking movie.
Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer are the two young actresses who portray the two main protagonists Leah and Rachel with so much talent and spunk, it is amazing! Leah is visited by a mysterious night friend, Rachel. They play strange games that will in the end reveal the essence of the gloom that hangs over the household. What transcends the stereotype is the importance put on the children's views and approaches to the mystery of death, dealing with grief stricken parents all the while trying to grow up. Just lovely!
- DIRECTOR: Igor Legarreta
- WRITER: Igor Legarreta, Jon Sagala
- CAST : Josean Bengoetxea, Haizea Carneros, Itziar Ituñoa
My favorite movie so far in a year rich with very satisfying movies. At the heart of this horror fantasy about vampires are the themes of parenthood and loss. The main characters have all suffered great loss they hope to fill with one another.
Haizea Carneros plays an orphan girl that is transformed into a vampire by a female vampire who desires to love her as a daughter. However they are quickly thorn apart by the villagers hunting down the creatures. And here, the vampire story becomes an entirely different tale that is so touching I actually cried.
Candido, Josean Bengoetxea, finds the girl in one of his hunter's trap after she lived in the wild for a decade. This is the heart of the human tale in this story as the movie expresses with poetic eloquence the profound love a man can have for his daughter.
Haizea Carneros is such a gifted young actress, she is a delight to watch. She is perfectly paired with Josean Bengoetxea as her adoptive father.
The cinematography is exquisite with luscious natural sites and bodies of water and adds to the wonder of this wonderful film.
It will be in-person screening this Saturday August 21 and I hope you will have a chance to see it, it is worth it.
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