Category Archives: Cinema

Raising the green-eyed monster: “Otel-lo” [2012 Spain]

Catalan writer-director Hammudi Al-Rahmoun Font makes his feature film début with “Otel-lo”, an interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s famous tragedies (Othello). The film might have been made with a ridiculously minuscule budget, but it hardly mattered. It manages to vividly … Continue reading

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A film review: “Illusion” [2013 Germany]

Roland Reber, no stranger to controversy with his persistent recourse to eroticism, continues his exploration of human behaviour and their secret desires through his latest drama “Illusion”. The film incorporates several of Reber’s pet themes like lust, nymphomania, greed, and … Continue reading

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A brief review: “Marina” [2013 Belgium, Italy]

Stijn Coninx’s biographical film “Marina” is about the early life of Rocco Granata, an Italian born Belgian immigrant who’d later become a pop-sensation in his country and beyond. The title refers to his first hit single by the same name. … Continue reading

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Defending individual freedoms: “SM-rechter” [2009 Belgium]

For his directorial feature-length film début, Erik Lamens had chosen a sensational court case from late nineties’ Belgium as his subject. “SM-rechter” [Eng. Title: SM-Judge, Ger. Title: SM Richter] dramatises the story of a sitting judge who was convicted of … Continue reading

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What you don’t take, you won’t have! “Marketa Lazarová” [1967 Czechoslovakia]

Frantisek Vlácil is considered one of the pioneers of the Czech New Wave. Having started out as a graphic artist, Vlácil ventured into film, particularly features, much later in his career, and therefore belonged to an earlier generation to his … Continue reading

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