Category Archives: Directors

Sky is the limit for a modern day Daedalus – “Les Années Lumière” [1981 Switzerland, France]

It can be difficult to pigeon-hole Alain Tanner – he is one of the few pan-European directors who likes to defy cultural, linguistic, and geographical boundaries when it comes to cinema, and here’s another example – his contemplative drama “Les … Continue reading

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The right to live and love even within the jaws of justice – “Leonera” [2008 Argentina]

The 70’s and 80’s may have spawned and subsequently flogged to death an entire sub-genre of exploitative films called Women-in-prison dramas, but just when we thought there’s nothing more left to ‘explore’, comes Argentinian director Pablo Trapero’s Cannes-nominated drama, “Leonera” … Continue reading

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Taking us for a ride – Rivette’s “Céline et Julie vont en Bateau” [1974 France]

The headline might sound a bit disrespectful, but it is this film’s very virtue – and the ride, actually quite joyful. Jacques Rivette’s ingenius “Céline et Julie vont en Bateau” [Eng. Title: Celine and Julie go Boating] explores the art … Continue reading

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Jealousy and Consequence explained in “Celos” [1999 Spain]

Vicente Aranda has never been known to mince words, at least as far as his films were concerned – he relishes exposing dirt from under the carpet, and his drama “Celos” [Eng. Title: Jealousy] is no different – Spanish jealousy … Continue reading

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Little Comfort for Southern Nymphets in Wartime Italy – “Ninfa Plebea” 1996

Lina Wertmüller adapts a traditional novel to create the edgy romantic drama “Ninfa Plebea” [Eng. Title: The Nymph]. Set in an impoverished Neapolitan village in wartime Italy, this Cinderella tale of a young girl finding love and advancing her social … Continue reading

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