Category Archives: Cinema

Mucky and dark… “Zift” [2008 Bulgaria]

Posted on December 25, 2013 by TR

Javor Gardev’s début feature “Zift” is a widescreen homage to the American film noir. It is about a recently released prisoner hounded by his partner in crime from twenty years earlier for the missing portion of the loot. Set sometime … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulgaria | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A review: “Heli” [2013 Mexico]

Posted on December 22, 2013 by TR

Amat Escalante is no stranger to controversy. One of the bad boys of the Mexican New Wave, his films, alongside that of close friend Carlos Reygadas (who incidentally is also often his producer), provoke and shock audiences through searing observations … Continue reading →

Posted in Amat Escalante, Mexico | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Romanticizing social politics: “Ådalen 31” [1969 Sweden]

Posted on December 20, 2013 by TR

Bo Widerberg’s social drama “Ådalen 31” [Eng. Title: Adalen Riots] concerns itself with a working class family during a tragic 1931 strike in the industrial town of Ådalen. The strike spread nationwide and was a turning point in Swedish politics … Continue reading →

Posted in Bo Widerberg, Sweden | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Love under impossible circumstances: “Aimee & Jaguar” [1999 Germany]

Posted on December 17, 2013 by TR

Max Färberböck’s dramatic wartime romance “Aimee & Jaguar” is based on a true love affair that happened between a married mother of four and a young Jewish woman in Nazi Germany. Lily (Juliane Köhler) was a darling of the Nazi … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A very brief review: “Detyam do 16…” [2010 Russia]

Posted on December 15, 2013 by TR

Andrei Kavun’s “Detyam do 16…” [Children below 16] is a romantic drama set in modern Russia. On this occasion, the review is going to be brief because the film is aimed at a local audience of a certain age, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Russian Cinema | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments