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.