MARCH 4 ANATOMY OF A FALL (France)
MARCH 18 BETTER DAYS (Canada) Director: Joan Carr-Wiggin
99 minutes
Better Days is a comedy that explores starting over after the death of a loved one, with a notable cast led by Sonja Smits and Alix Sideris. Directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin, the film showcases her distinctive approach to film making.
After her husband of over thirty years dies, Kate has no idea what to do next. Vodka can only solve so many problems. She befriends three lonely teenagers who share her husband’s love of Halloween costumes, and together the four of them try to figure out what they want from life. But her disapproving son and daughter, shocked by her behaviour, insist she go back to being the woman she was – just as she’s discovering the woman she might become. A delightful comedy about starting over before it’s too late.
APRIL 1 THE MONK AND THE GUN (Bhutan, France, Taiwan)
Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji
Dzongkha and English with English subtitles
107 minutes
Set in 2006, when the Kingdom of Bhutan began its transition to democracy, this playful ensemble drama is a poignant parable about the impossibility of embracing modernity without reckoning with the past.
Following the adventures of monks, villagers, urbanites, and one hapless foreigner, this big-hearted ensemble drama captures that moment of transition in all its strangeness and wonder as the king abdicates.
As Bhutan has never experienced an election, government officials stage a mock election as a training exercise — though even registering folks to vote is a challenge in regions where people don’t know their birthdates!
“A droll, shrewdly satirical fable, in which Western values crash against a seemingly intransigent (but potentially more enlightened) South Asian culture.” - Variety
"unassumingly profound, and hilariously endearing" - Film Companion
Bhutan's entry for Best International Film at the 2024 Academy Awards
APRIL 15 PERFECT DAYS (Japan)
April 29th: THE CRIME IS MINE (France)
Director: François Ozon
French with English subtitles
102 minutes
THE CRIME IS MINE marks a return to comedy for prolific French director Francois Ozon who spent many of the last few years creating dramas like “Summer of 85” and “Frantz.” Reuniting with his "8 Women" star Isabelle Huppert and the dynamic Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Rebecca Marder, Ozon creates a fantasy world of gorgeous 1930s gowns, Art Deco luxury, and of course, a corrupt court and gullible public that’s thrown into a frenzy by our protagonist Madeleine’s supposed crime.
Ozon, who also wrote the film, whips up a frothy story of murder, romance, blackmail, girl power, and a little bit of old French film history. It’s an escapist sort of frivolity that delights in bad behavior, decadent costumes and lavish sets, like a farcical version of “Chicago” minus the musical numbers.
Cinematographer Manuel Dacosse works within a palette of macaroons, from eye-catching pastels to delicious mauves and teals, under golden tones of light that evoke a sense of the romantic past between Ozon’s screwball comedy beats.
No comments:
Post a Comment