The Power of the Dog 

"When my father passed I wanted nothing more than my mother’s happiness. For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother. If I did not save her." 

I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of westerns, but I’m a fan of Jane Campion’s movies, especially Bright Star. So I had to watch it as soon as it made its appearance on Netflix. It’s not a movie for everybody, it’s slow-paced and none of the characters are relatable, but if you bear until the end you’ll be rewarded for your patience

At the beginning I was fooled into thinking it was a romantic western, where Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, Phil, will fall in love with Rose (Kirsten Dunst). How wrong I was, especially since I wasn't aware of the novel's plot it was based on. But by half of the movie Phil’s behavior starts to reveal his true nature: he wants to appear as a tough cowboy, who strikes fear into others, but underneath this facade he hides a secret. Peter is the only one who detects his little secret and cunningly uses it to his advantage. Though it is not revealed until the end what Peter’s true intentions were. For me it was a surprise initially, but then I put all the pieces together and it all made sense.

The movie throws subtle hints about the characters’ intentions,but never gives away too much of the plot. 

I like how Jane Campion’s movies don't have a lot of dialogues, but through her shots she’s able to capture the feelings of her characters. My applause also goes to Jonny Greenwood’s score, it knows how to build tension and suspense (besides of being the guitarist of Radiohead he’s also an excellent score composer). Of course Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst are brilliant in their roles, but for me the scene stealer was Kodi Smit-McPhee. His character, Peter, appears as a timid boy, mocked by the other cowboys for his effeminate behavior, but by the end of the movie he becomes more and more confident and inverts the roles with Phil. Now he is the one in charge of the power, he knows exactly what he is doing. It’s about him that the title of the movie hints. All this time we thought of him as weak and helpless, like his mother does, but he is a mastermind or a  psychopath (dissecting a rabbit evoked Psycho's Norman Bates).

I’m a sucker for movies with  a twist, so I cannot deny I’m biased on this one. But apart from the twist “The power of the dog” is a must-see for the amazing setting (it should be set  in Montana, but was it was filmed in New Zealand), the terrific performances of the whole cast (though a small  role, it was nice to see the rising star Kiwi native Thomasin McKenzie) and of course the masterful direction of Jane Campion who knows how to frame the human behavior through her shots. The whole movie is an analysis of human behavior. 

Promising Young Woman

 

"Sometimes gentlemen are the worst"

The film starts from this premise, wants to reverse the roles and show that any man could become a sexual offender / predator if the opportunity presents itself. Emerald Fennell (I only knew her from her role as Camilla on The crown) did a great job of casting. In the roles of molesters we find mostly well-known faces of the silver screen who have earned the reputation of good guys like Adam Brody (Seth Cohen of The OC), or Max Greenfield and Chris Lowell (both nice boyfriends of Veronica Mars). But not only the male parts, even the female ones have been carefully chosen starting with Connie Britton, the usual figure who inspires confidence; then we have Jennifer Coolidge, for years most of the roles she played were the parody of Stifler's mother, here instead we find her in the role of a mother concerned about her daughter's future; and finally the protagonist, Cassie, Carey Mulligan, here in an unprecedented role, apparently harmless, sexy and confident when facing potential predators, but at the same time vulnerable and disappointed by almost all the men in her life.

An important part of the film is also the soundtrack, there are many pop songs, even some questionable choices like the silly song Stars are blind by Paris Hilton, but it is a good choice because it manages to lighten the tone of the film and be in tune with the mood of Cassie in that given moment. Or when the instrumental cover of Toxic by Britney Spears with eerie sounds (it almost reminds me of the Psycho theme song) anticipates the terrifying ending with Cassie, which reminds me the figure of Little Red Riding Hood who goes into the woods towards the house of the wolf, but aware of the consequences she could face. The ending is unexpected, it is a bitter sweet revenge, almost poetic, is as cruel as real life ...

The pièce de résistance is certainly the script, which never disappoints, sometimes is funny, even provocative and never bland. All this crowned by a majestic performance by Carey Mulligan and a noteworthy direction by Emerald Fennell.

The movie makes you wonder if Cassie is just a victim who failed to recover from her friend's death and became a revenge addict or is she a heroine, a woman fed up with man always getting away with their so-called "juvenile stunts", a heroine we need to avenge all the women who were ever humiliated, harassed or abused.

Nomadland

 

“What the nomads are doing is not that different than what the pioneers did.”


There is no doubt Nomadland is a beautiful movie. Visually is mesmerizing, it shows America’s vastness and beauty, there were such sublime and awe-inspiring landscapes that no blockbuster movie could have ever achieved. All that thanks to Joshua James Richards’ realistic photography, it manages to highlight and even amplify the rawness and authenticity of the surroundings, alongside with the harmonious music of Ludovico Einaudi and the majestic direction of Chloé Zhao, it creates a superb piece of work for the sight and hearing.

The movie itself feels like a documentary, not just for the dialogues of the real life vandwellers, but also the way it’s filmed. The camera follows Fern, the protagonist, on her journey, on her temporary jobs, on her nomad reunions, it documents the life of a nomad and the people she meets during her trip. Frances McDormand disappears in her role(even some of her “co-stars” believed she was a nomad like them). She always portrays strong, independent women, but mostly she’s great at depicting human beings, who arouse compassion, but never give up on the difficulties of life, but roll up their sleeves and fight every day against adversity. It’s usually the kind of character I feel more empathy with, because it reminds me of my mom, who was and is an independent and strong woman and my forever role model.

But I have some issues with the plot, more specifically with the fact that it’s never explained why nobody hires Fern for a longer time, why all the jobs are temporary(I didn’t read the book nor I’m aware of USA’s temporary job politics). Another thing is the memory of Fern’s husband, she clearly cannot move on with her life, she’s constantly thinking of him, but we don’t have a flashback of him or not even a picture, just Fern’s stories of him. I think a flashback would have made the story more engaging. Some scenes become redundant, like showing her temporary jobs again and again, it just gets tedious and you may lose your interest after a while. Maybe it’s made on purpose in order to emphasize the loop Fern is stuck into, but I don’t think it was necessary.

Nonetheless Nomadland is a movie that will make you reflect, it deals with many social questions: the economical crisis, the precarious work and its consequences, the new nomads, but I think the biggest protagonist is nature and the sense of freedom which gives you, that no money will ever buy it. Freedom is what motivates Fern to keep wandering and accept the kind of life she leads. Isn’t freedom what we are all longing for?

Judas and the black Messiah

"Anywhere there is people, there is power."

As the title suggests this is a movie about a Judas and a black Messiah. We have two interesting and well layered characters: from one side Fred Hampton(Daniel Kaluuya), the chairman of Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, a revolutionary, a man with principles fighting for a better future for his community; then we have William O’Neal(Lakeith Stanfield), the Judas of the situation, unscrupulous but also remorseful. Both actors were amazing in their roles, but I feel Stanfield’s performance was the toughest to play. William O’Neal was such an ambiguous person, you feel angry with him for being responsible for the death and destruction of many lives, but you can’t help feeling sorry for him. It’s not easy to capture the essence of such a controversial person. Kaluuya is more than believable in his role, but he portrays a character quite steady in his actions, he’s always determined in his speeches and work; the only moments of timidity and weakness were in the moments of intimacy with his girlfriend Deborah Johnson. Other than the performances of the main characters(still not sure why they were nominated in the supporting category at the Oscars) the movie has a good screenplay, especially Hampton’s speeches and the dialogues between O’Neal and agent Mitchell. Moreover what makes it so special is its resonance with the BLM movement in the USA. It’s still so present, you just cannot believe 50 years later police are still killing innocent black people without being brought to justice. It makes you wonder when the violence and racism will end, will we still have this conversation in 50 years or things will eventually get better.
From my point of view I’m glad there are more movies about black, powerful characters as Fred Hampton, that Hollywood is finally giving more opportunities to black actors, that they are not secondary characters anymore. Finally they are getting their own voice as they should rightfully had centuries ago.

The father

"I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves.The branches, and the wind, and the rain. I don't know what's happening anymore.”


“The father” could easily have been a psychological thriller. It starts on a bright note with Anthony enjoying classical music and a visit from her daughter announcing she’s moving to Paris. But then we find out his daughter is worried about him and tries to convince him to take a caregiver, they discuss and then she leaves. Next scene Anthony finds a stranger in his flat, or at least it seems a stranger to him and from there you just never know what is real and what is not. I was just as puzzled as Anthony and sometimes I was wondering if he is not gaslighted. It is harrowing and at the same time terrifying how your mind can twist reality and you find yourself doubting your own mind. I just cannot imagine how it can be for those suffering from dementia and for their families living with them, but the movie helps us understand this terrible disease and the effects it has not only on one’s mind but also on people around him. It comes to mind “Amour” from some years ago that also explored a similar disease and its consequences. But I feel “The father” goes one step further on analysing the subject, going inside the patient’s mind and trying to show us its mental decay and also his helplessness and of his daughter, that it has no other choice than to witness his father’s deterioration and simultaneously the destruction of her own private life.
Despite treating such a delicate subject there are no silent moments, it’s a continuum of dialogues or monologues(mostly by Anthony), you never get bored and the 90 minutes of the movie just flow rapidly. That’s thanks to the screenplay and a mesmerizing performance by Anthony Hopkins. It’s a perfect transition from stage to motion picture especially since the director and screenwriter is the same of the play, that is Florian Zeller. You can clearly see from the setting and dialogues that it is meant for the stage, but it didn’t bother me at all. It was cleverly well edited by Yorgos Lamprinos to give you a sense of confusion just like Anthony.
Just last year Hopkins was nominated for “The Two Popes” and now we witness another great performance of his. He will forever be recognized for his iconic character Hannibal Lecter, but I think his “The father” performance was his best portrayal ever.

Collective

The story is so mind-blowing, I am afraid we’ll look crazy. (Povestea îi atît de halucinantă încît mi-e teamă că o să părem nebuni) 

 I was curious to see this documentary. I’ll admit I wasn’t aware of it before its Oscar nomination, but what piqued my curiosity was the fact it was nominated for both best international movie and best documentary, it’s only the second time it happened in the history of the Oscars (the first one was Honeyland, in 2019, from North Macedonia). So what makes it so special that it can be considered a movie also? Well, first of all it’s an observational documentary, there are no interviews or voice overs, you are just merely witnessing the development of the events. First we have the enquiry of Cătălin Tolontan and his colleagues, journalist at the newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor, that started an investigation after a fire at the club Colectiv caused 27 victims and 180 injured. What he uncovered was more absurd than anyone could have ever imagined and it demolished the entire Romanian health system: the disinfectant they were using in the hospitals was 10 times diluted, it was basically inefficient. Because of that many Colectiv injured died later, as they got infected in the hospital. The news originated a great scandal in Romania with the resignation of the health minister and the takeover of a new health minister Vlad Voiculescu. He becomes the other protagonist of the movie. We witness him trying to save a corrupt system rotten to its core, but even him must admit that it’s almost impossible to come clean from something like that. 

 The other protagonists are the victims of the fire:Tedy Ursuleanu, a young woman who despite the moral and physical trauma she suffered continues to inspire others through her courage and art; the last protagonist is the father of one of the victims of the fire. We follow him to the cemetery to pay tribute to his defunct son. One of the most powerful and atrocious scenes was the secret video of a patient eaten by maggots on his hospital bed. It seems to come straight from a horror movie and you wonder how was this possible, how could the government be so indifferent to someone’s pain. 

 It’s a great investigative movie, similar movies like Spotlight or All the president’s men come to mind, but unlike these movies it’s not a reconstruction of the events, it’s inside the events, it doesn’t get more realistic than this. The real hero of the movie is certainly Cătălin Tolontan, it took a lot of courage for him and his colleagues(Mirela Neag especially) to expose a national health scandal, jeopardizing their own safety and bearing criticism from other journalists for creating dismay. The whole documentary it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s necessary to understand the truth. In a world where there is too much fake news we need movies like this and journalists like Tolontan that always search for the truth and to restore our faith in journalism.