A Fost Sau N-A Fost?

A Fost Sau N-A Fost? (12:08 East To Bucharest) is an intelligent little film with very endearing characters who will make you smile and laugh in your seat. It consist almost completely out of static shots, which later is played with and probably wouldn't have worked so well if not almost the entire film was made up out of these still shots. Having written the story himself, after experiencing a somewhat similar television broadcast which was shown on TV, director Corneliu Porumboiu delivers a fine piece of cinema. Showing the lives of three characters in today's Romania and the way Ceauşescu has effected all of them, Porumboiu presents a beautiful and very charming portrait of a country still trying to recover from its past. It's especially the film's simplicity what makes A Fost Sau N-A Fost? stand out. Using almost only static shots is quite a risk in today's cinema, which makes use of many different shot angles and lots of close-ups. The decision to do this, however, makes that the film is different and gives it this extra charm. It just does what it wants, paying no attention to the conventions. It works out more than well. A Fost Sau N-A Fost? is a wonderful film with very funny dialogue and well written characters. It is very political because of its topic and the placement of the film and time. It really shows something of importance and is part of this bigger cycle that is still going on and which Romania is slowly climbing out of. A Fost Sau N-A Fost? is one of the new films which show life after the downfall of Ceauşescu, which is a theme than can be found in a lot of Romania's cinema right now. It's a great debut which shows the talents of one of Romania's up and coming filmmakers.

What is it about?

Virgil Jderescu, an owner of a television station, decides to make a television programme just before Christmas about the revolution that took place the day that former dictator Nicolae Andruţă Ceauşescu fled the country. In order to discuss whether also a revolution took place in Jderescu's small village or not, he invites two people in his programme, one being a school teacher and the other an elderly man with lots of life experience. Before they come together in Jderescu's television show Manescu, the teacher, is struggling paying his debts and the elderly guy, Piscoci, is getting ready to play Santa Claus. Meanwhile Jderescu is sleeping with the female newspresenter his own wife detests. When they eventually are sitting in the studio being shown on televisions across the town, they start to share their memories about what exactly happened the day of the revolution and a discussion errupts which provides for many comedic events.

Final Verdict: *****

A Fost Sau N-A Fost? is a must-see film, which everyone will enjoy. It's very different from most films you will find in theatres today, being a real breath of fresh air, showing none of the fast cutting that sometimes can become quite tiring. Because of the way the film is shot, at first it's a bit hard to distinguish the three different characters. It's hard without getting any real close-ups in the beginning to separate one from the other. Luckily this doesn't take very long and soon you find your way and are able to enjoy the film to the fullest. I didn't expect to see a comedy, but that is actually what I got. Although, calling it a comedy seems sort of out of place, because it wouldn't be fair to place it in the same line of the 'typical' comedies as we have come to know them. A Fost Sau N-A Fost? has this intellectual feel to it, being funny without using gags. The dialogue is phenomenal and the actors just run away with it playing their roles to full extent and really getting the most out of their characters. Besides the comedic aspect, it also is very rooted in history, really trying to present a certain view of Romania and its social climate. The film makes you think during the little jokes and becomes therefore a very nice mix, where you find yourself laughing, but also taking into account the way life must be like for these people. Mircea Andreescu who plays the old Emanoil Piscoci is a real treat to watch. He's extremely charming and funny making complaints and struggling with the youth living round his apartment who keep torturing him with fireworks and which he refers to as being hooligans. In a beautiful long take, which is also one of the few shots which has the camera moving, the camera follows the car from behind in which two of the main characters are sitting. It's a beautiful shot which shows the bleak streets and make you realize how old the city looks. The difference with the Europe of the West are very big and quite harsh. Appartment buildings with the paint coming off and those old model type of cars, which in most of Europe's traffic are a rarity. Another pleasure of the film is that it brings back little details that were pointed out at the beginning of the film. These don't really make a real impact, but are just part of a character's personality, it's something they're interested in which comes to show during a later event. It's nice when a film brings up these minor details again somewhere later in the film, giving this feeling that the story is actually moving forwards and feels rounded, complete. A Fost Sau N-A Fost? is a real pleasure and will make for a beautiful cinema experience. It's one of those little films that make you feel you have just witnessed something very special.

2 Days In Paris

Julie Delpy until now was an actress who at a very young age landed one of her first roles in a movie directed by French legend Jean-Luc Godard, a musician with one album under her belt, and one of the writers of the screenplay for the film Before Sunset, the follow up to the wonderful Before Sunrise. With her second effort The Countess already in progress, a film about Erzebet Bathory, Delpy now seems to have set her eyes on becoming a serious director as well. And by the look of her fresh and very hilarious debut 2 Days In Paris, she seems to be destined for success. Having not only taken the job of director on her tiny shoulders, Delpy also plays the female lead opposite the superb Adam Goldberg, has written the entire screenplay herself, did all the editing and if all that already wasn't enough, also composed the film's music. It's clear that 2 Days In Paris has been really her project and was a film she wanted to make and most importantly had to make in her own way, the way she really envisioned it. Taking so much control over one's own 'little baby' can sometimes turn out catastrophic. For Delpy however, it all works out more than just fine. 2 Days In Paris is one splash of funny moments and jokes that won't come to an end until the end credits come rolling down the screen. It's fresh and full of life, sweet and charming, as well as very recognizable and realistic. Unlike most comedies which only have a couple of funny moments, which most of the time are already shown in the film's trailer, 2 Days In Paris still has a lot to offer. The writing is funny smart and both characters are very well rounded. The little themes and questions Delpy brings up at the end give the film an extra layer, showing also its serious side and wondering what happened to the romantic side and intimacy in the relationship, beside mocking the cultural differences and backgrounds of both characters. 2 Days In Paris is very entertaining and enjoyable, and proofs comedies can still be very funny.

What is it about?

A couple, the French Marion and the American Jack, decide to spend two days in Paris after having just visited Italy. From the moment they arrive it becomes clear that the two days will be very long and frustrating, especially for Jack, who doesn't speak the language and who is afraid of terrorist attacks. Meeting Marion's parents, he soon discovers there is a lot about Marion he didn't know before, especially the number of exes she has had before he became her new boyfriend. At first trying to be reasonable, Jack just takes it all in without worrying too much. However, Marion's flirtatious character eventually has him over thd eEe, not sure anymore of how much she actually loves him and wants to be together. In the meantime Marion is having trouble herself finding it difficult to for once give herself completely to one guy and trying to make it last. Thinking about how the two days have been, Marion starts to realize that her behaviour must have scared Jack and that she maybe really has some anger management problems. For both it becomes unclear whether they should stay together or not and how their love will survive after getting back to the US.

Final Verdict: ****1/2

2 Days In Paris is one of those films that will assure you of a fun night out, and that will definitely not dissapoint when it comes to how much good jokes there normally are in a comedy. It's one of those rare comedies which will have you laughing in your seat almost consistently. At times you almost feel like screaming for a little break, as the jokes hit you so fast, leaving almost no time to recover from the one before and have some breathing time. Like Before Sunset 2 Days In Paris is set in Paris and shows two people who by the end of this one day, or in this case two days, will come to know how the short amount of time thehave spend together in Paris will come to effect their relationship. Because of this, there will be people who will draw comparison between the two and start looking for similarities. However, apart from both films taking place in Paris, showing Delpy sitting in a cab and being very talkative walking down the street, the two films are very different. Before Sunrise has this very romantic and dreamy style with lots of pretty pictures and being very much related to feeling, wheras 2 Days In Paris is quite the opposite, being full with sexual jokes, that at times kind of make it a bit banal, has a very gritty style, filming the actors' faces from up close and which pays not much attention to beautiful photography and choosing which lighting suits the scenes best. Still there's a big chance lovers of Before Sunset will fall in love with this one as well, even if it's just because it combines all Delpy's many talents. A film 2 Days In Paris draws much more comparison to is Woody Allen's Annie Hall, with the big glasses that Marion wears as a reference to the ones Diane Keaton's character can be seen wearing. Overall 2 Days In Paris stands very much on its own and features a very funny performance by Adam Goldberg, who with Delpy, makes for a perfect match. Wonderful as well are Marion's parents, especially Marion's father, both who are actually played by Delpy's real life parents. With 2 Days In Paris Delpy shows off her talent and makes sure she is one to be watched. Her debut is a delightful surprise and will make her next film The Countess one to keep a very close eye on as it might be surprisingly good as well.

Hallam Foe

Telling the story of a young teenage boy figuring out life and having to cope with his mother's recent death, Hallam Foe by director David Mackenzie is a film that is very nice and made very well, and is original and fresh in its presentation of the film's credits, but also is one that doesn't seem to be held together all that well. Thinking about this film more, it's one that seems to become better on a second view, but after seeing it once, Hallam Foe tends to be a bit problematic having really nice moments, but at times feeling a bit boring as well. The feeling of boredom is strange, when in this film a lot of things happen and keep happening. Though Hallam Foe, the main character, who is perfectly played by Jamie Bell, doesn't really seem to grasp you and make you feel engage completely. His character doesn't completely take you in, compell, as you would expect. It's only when with Kate, the young woman looking almost identical to his mother and who is played by actress Sophia Myles, that he really seems to come alive and you happen to really feel for both. When shown together they create something you as a viewer can hold on to and which before that, the film lacked. Especially the middle part of the film seems to drag on just a bit too long. It seems that, even though Jamie Bell's portrayal is great, his character stays quite distant. Also as a viewer you don't really know what it is he wants. He ends up walking away from home leaving behind his father and his stepmother whom he suspects of murdering his mother who he loved so dearly. Watching Hallam then following this woman who looks like his mother and spying on her like a peeping Tom, you would expect to be totally involved in the story as on paper all the events seem to be easy to cling on to and would make you expect you could easily run away with. Not having read the book though, it seems that the film is quite faithful to the novel it is based on. It therefore can be said that it maybe is too faithful and happens to put too much time in scenes and building up the story which on paper might seem interesting, but on film aren't that much. Being slightly dissapointed with this film I expected would give me much more, Hallam Foe still is a film that can be said to be made quite well. Overall this film is pretty good and more than just decent and it's one I expect to be better seeing it a second time, but a lot of time there felt to be something missing.

What is it about?

Hallam Foe a young teenage boy who likes to spy on people from his treehouse which has a big poster on the wall which shows his mother, is having trouble adjusting to his new family life with a new mother who is young and attractive and who seems to be only in it for the money. Constantly in conflict with this stepmother, Verity, and not understanding his father, Hallam ends up walking away from home and going to London. Being quite extrovert, dressing up and putting paint on his face, this is his way of coping with his mother's death which he suspects Verity to be the cause of. Now in London, with no money, he happens to see a young woman who looks almost identical to his dead mother. Following the woman he ends up working in the hotel she works in, just to be close to her. After figuring out where she lives he starts to spy on her, eventually seeing things he rather would not have seen and which he wasn't supposed to see either. Getting to know this woman, Kate, better Hallam has to start getting real, realizing Kate will never be able to replace the mother he loved so much. While trying to win Kate over Hallam also has to once and for all deal with Verity and find peace in his mother's death.

Final Verdict: ***1/2

There are some very interesting shots with a bit of slow-motion and the soundtrack is really cool, using a lot of indie kind of rock and also a bit of electro. The drawings through which the credits are shown look very fresh and sweet and are also quite funny. It fits the film well and gives it this extra element it very much needs. Not knowing what I was in for, because of the trailer that feels quite deceiving, Hallam Foe is much more sexual than I expected. It's not this romanticized story you might expect the film to be when watching the trailer, which almost gives nothing away of the film's plot. For the first time I also felt myself being totally aware of the clips that were shown in the trailer and every time when seeing part of a scene that was shown in the trailer, I tended to really recognize it as such, being clear evidence of how staged some of these scenes feel to be and how the trailer has made use of them very cleverly to sell this image of a film that seems like this young and fresh depiction of a tale of this young boy trying to figuring out life and who is quite awkward which it all is, but at the same time feels it isn't. Once again showing how deceiving trailers can be as it only shows a stream of clips showing actress Claira Forlani smile, shouting Hallam's name with a big speaker phone and Sophia Myles dancing, while Jamie Bell throws some plates on the floor for no reason. Besides Bell's performance, which is great, he really gets deeply into his character being very convincing in his emotions, one that is very noteworthy is Claire Forlani's portrayal of Hallam's stepmother. Her performance is very strong, showing a woman you love to hate, but at the same time feel sorry for even though she likes to play games, but who is pretty much a victim of the cruel thoughts Hallam holds of her. Hallam Foe ends up being a very difficult film of which it is not so clear what exactly to think. There are moments which are really nice and that will definitely touch you. However, the film seems to come alive only somewhere towards the end, even though not completely, but still then, it's a little too late. Hallam Foe is a good effort and it's not at all bad, but there's this big gap which makes you feel something's missing and which ends up to be never filled up with something special that could have made the film to be more than just alright.

Marie Antoinette

The third feature length film by Sofia Coppola is like looking through a photoalbum. One beautiful picture after another flashes by, providing the viewer with snapshots of Marie Antoinette's teenage life. The costumes worn by the female characters are exquisite just like the huge ballroom locations. The film is all about Marie Antoinette and shows this girl who finds herself in the middle of all this luxury. It makes you question at times why Coppola has chosen to tell Marie Antoinette's story when it feels like this story could be of any girl of the same age. Coppola could have chosen to tell a story of fiction when the film itself doesn't really seem to take history all too seriously. It's nice though that with Marie Antoinette Coppola makes you think about how Marie Anotinette's life could have been like. Looking how she and her friends go through different boxes of shoes and show there love for the most beautiful fabrics for dresses, like modern day women on a shopping spree, feels at first completely out of place. However, it does make you wonder if this could have been really the way things were. We people living in the present, just can't tell. Why can't it be that Marie Antoinette was really like girls of today, very interested in fashion and looking good? What bothers the most though, is the language. It's normal for American filmmakers to tell the story of foreign people in the English language, but still, it does seems kind of strange and makes you think how all of this would have sounded like when spoken in French and the difference this surely would have made. Hearing them sing happy birthday when Marie Antoinette reaches the age of 18, strikes you as totally misplaced. Still the film can be very much enjoyed, even with these little things that can be seen as tiny flaws. Overall Marie Antoinette has this great dreamy atmosphere, kind of similar to Coppola's Lost In Translation, which was part of what made the film such a huge succes. These stream of images that pass by, with especially in the first part, not much dialogue, is providing you a way to just look and go along in this wonderful world of bright colours and insanity. Everything is arranged for this teenage girl, who's only purpose is to give birth to a boy who one day can become king. Coppola is great in creating these atmospheres. Kirsten Dunst looking flawless in a field of grass gushing over a handsome guy and running together with friends partying and enjoying the sunset, just like in Lost In Translation nothing really happens and yet at the same there happens so much. It's a film that works on feeling. The way you are affected by the images shown on screen and the way you in your mind create with them this wonderful world is the power of these films. You reflect, looking at your own life and thinking about which of these images you would love to be part of your own world you live your live in everyday. Coppola's films make you think in this way a lot and way more than other films tend to do. It's therefore her films sometimes seem to be about little and quite empty, when actually they happen to be not.

What is it about?

Marie Antoinette leaves Vienna to marry in France and become queen. Leaving her family behind she, being only a teenager, finds herself in a world full of luxury and servants doing everything for her from making everyday dinners to waking her up and feeding her children. It's a very insane world for a young girl who is supposed to figure out life and sexuality at a peaceful pace. Constantly reminded by her mother that in order to secure her place she has to give birth to a boy who can follow in the king's footsteps, she feels a certain pressure. Eventually, though, she makes the best of it, enjoying the lush life and forgetting about the people of France, who unlike her, aren't able to eat as much cake as they want all day or run around in pretty dresses. Though it's hard to blame this girl who didn't ask for this life herself either. She just happens to be Marie Antoinette and not just a girl from a farm. By taking the things as they are, she learns how to cope with the madness the life of a queen can be and succeeds in not being run over by all the people who tell her what it is she must do.

Final Verdict: ****

Marie Antoinette definitely is not the greatest piece of cinema, but there is very much to enjoy. It's just a very nice film with a nice pace and one that looks beautiful. For something like two hours as a viewer you find yourself bathing in this colourful world, being drenched in pretty pictures accompanied by a great soundtrack. Marie Antoinette is filmed in a manner that gives it this very present day look. Unlike most films of the genre which, when you look at them, have this feeling that makes you aware the film is telling a story of past time, Marie Antoinette has this very fresh look, which makes you feel as if the story unfolds just right now the moment you are watching it happen. Reason for this is the way the camera moves around the scenery. The camera really follows Marie, almost walking along with her, by her side. Showing at times her point of view, like, for example, when looking at the big bed that she will be going to sleep in, being almost completely astonished by the fact that all this is all hers. Great are the scenes where she walks into this crowd of people, a masked ball, with the camera almost invading the space. Though only showing what's on screen, you are very much aware of what goes on behind the camera. The scenes are so vivid, that it makes you feel to be standing in the middle of the crowd yourself. The presence of those who aren't shown, even is felt. Kirsten Dunst who plays Marie Antoinette does a decent job in portraying the young queen. Though there's little to her role. With almost no dialogue it's just her looking at the things around her, the madness of the big landscapes and beautiful royal palaces. She does give great way to the emotions felt by this girl who's only a teenager and happens to make youf eel very involved in her life and character. The soundtrack is very up to date with a lot of contemporary pop and rock instead of big orchestra tunes. It's a risky choice Coppola makes, but she just does it. This is her film and her vision of Marie Antoinette and she doesn't let herself be stopped by the conventions one might expect to be part of the genre. Marie Antoinette definitely is not a Lost In Translation, but it's a very solid and especially fun film which just should be enjoyed, and that besides the little flaws, is very entertaining and gives this really nice view of a girl growing up in a world which would make everyone feel out of place. Marketed as a 'chick flick' which to me isn't really fair and makes that the film is easily categorized which isn't a positive thing as I believe the film can be very much enjoyed by a male audience as well, which for a big part is because of the film's aim at feeling. With lots of pink Marie Antoinette seems to be very girl targeted, but guys who very much liked both The Virgin Suicides and Lost In Translation will find enjoyment in this one as well and because of Coppola will be very much interested. And if the characters won't raise much interest the great cinematography and camerawork will, because the images shown are of pure beauty with astonishing lighting.

Death Proof

Quentin Tarantion's Death Proof starts off with a group of girls, simply called 'The Girls' smoothly chatting away in a car. Just like Kill Bill, Death Proof is all about the women. It's female empowerment of the 21th century, showing women talking about guys, like guys normally would, sitting in a bar, eating, smoking and shaking their behind to the music pumping out of the juke box, knowing that every man in the room looks, but can't touch. Tarantino shows it all being fearless as he always is, not caring about what people might think. In full close-up, as a viewer you therefore are being served with actress Vanessa Ferlito's behind swaying to the beat and later on giving Kurt Russell's character stuntman Mike, a full lapdance. These girls are sassy, with especially Sydney Poitier , the daughter of the actor with almost the exact same name, standing out, rambling up the lines masterfully written by Tarantino as if they have bursted into her head all by themself. The ease with which she flows through the movie is perfect, making her, together with her killer looks, ideal for the role. While they eat, smoke and dance around showing they own the bar of which Tarantino himself is the boss, making a little cameo, as well as director and friend Eli Roth. Always making sure the stories and experiences his characters tell each other are easy to imagine, making the descriptions very vivid, as a viewer it's like listening to one of your own friends. The dialogue is always one of pure naturalness, making it very realistic, and as a result has you almost forgetting you're watching a work of fiction and the lines presented are all scripted. Being chunked up into what can be seen as two segments, the first one featuring actresses like Vanessa Ferlito, Rose McGowan and Poitier, the second segment is all about Rosario Dawson and her girlfriends, one of them being real life stunt woman Zoe Bell, who ends up doing some of the most spectacular stunts ever shown on screen. Knowing she survived is the only thing that holds you from feeling a complete sense fear, as the stunts she is involved in are deadly scary. Being himself in charge of the photography Tarantino has made sure his films look finger licking good, which he has succeeded in with flying colours. These colours being very bright as he provides the viewer with lots of flashes of yellow and pink. Like the bright colours that stood out in Kill Bill, in Death Proof, again those colours are there, but even more so then in Bill. A great moment can be watched during the second segment where the film suddenly turns into black and white. Making Russells's character and his car the last to be in colour, at this point Rosario Dawson's little posse is nothing but colourless. Then when the 'lights' go on, a splash of pure candy wrapping brightness fire's up the screen. The colours looking so tasty it almost makes you want to drool. Death Proof is a very well made film, with numerous references that are well thought about. The soundtrack like in every Tarantino film is perfectly matched too the atmosphere, mixing both classic with contemporary. Death Proof might not be his best work, but on its own it's brilliant and a hell lot of fun.

What is it about?

A group of girls who find themselves involved in a lot of girl talk and having fun bringing the heat to a local bar, end up in some trouble after they meet a mysterious guy who's name is 'stuntman Mike' and who has a car that kind of freaks them out and also happens to be death proof. Another girl sitting at the bar starts chatting to the guy not knowing about the trouble she has gotten herself into by doing so. After she asks him for a ride home she gets a closer look at his car making her realise there's no real passenger seat as in a normal car, but instead something that seems like a cage and which, Mike tells the lovely blonde, is used to place the camera in when they are filming. After their little drive home and the group of girls deciding to move to some other place with just them girls, Mike ends up in hospital. Some months later he's recovered and once again looking for some female beauty who can get him wild. Lucky for him, good looking girls happen to be everywhere. These girls however, aren't the usual cute sweetfaced onces, but those with whom you don't want to mess, eventually leading to a sweet and well deserved revenge.

Final Verdict: *****

Death Proof is one of those films that everyone who likes Tarantino style and wit will fully enjoy. It's the best of entertainment. Being maybe more a guy kind of movie showing a lot of hot girls, this one is also for the girls who will be totally pleased by these women in power. Making the screen at times jump from a scene where the characters are in the middle of a conversation to another scene that is already about something completely different, little things like these are there to enhance the grind house feel, trying to catch the atmosphere of looking a movie in rather bad circumstances like some people used to. The way the camera moves around the girls while they are talking in some kind of diner, making a full round, it's just one of those little extra's that makes watching a film like this even better. It's a great updated version of the genre and Tarantino does it brilliantly. With a director like him you know all you have to do is sit back and relax, while he serves you the best three course meal possible, with a sublime dessert that will have you cheering in the end. The finale is so good and the best possible way to end this insane ride. Death Proof is one crazy film, but in the most positive way of the word. It's a film that every lover of cinema will enjoy. It might be too much for some people, a bit over the top, but everyone who knows Tarantino will realise it's done with a big wink, having to take it all not too seriously. With Death Proof already this good and most critics saying Planet Terror is the better half of the two, I can hardly wait what Robert Rodriguez' film will have in store.

Die Fälscher

Stefan Ruzowitzky's Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters) is a very hard, but gripping film. Telling the story about Salomon Sorowitsch, a forger of Jewish decent and one of the best living in Germany during the Second World War, Die Fälscher shows what happened once he was taken and brought into the concentration camps. At times the film makes you wonder whether or not to show the horrific events. It's very confrontational to be shown the events especially when like in Die Fälscher the events are shown in a way which makes it all look very real. Maybe even too real at times. Some scenes can therefore be quite horrofying. Die Fälscher isn't afraid to show people shot through their heads with just one bullet, blowing it all away in a second. By showing scenes like this you have to take into consideration how much the film tries to show the events and thinks the events really happened. Does it want to shock and point a finger to the Nazi's making sure the audience gets as clear as possible the harm they caused or does it want to show the events as realistic as possible not taking sides? It's important to keep in mind you're watching a fiction film. Some Nazi officers, who are seen making jokes, make the film even more problematic. Even though the story might be based on true events, it doesn not show exactly the way it happened, it can't, no film is possible to do that. The dialogue is made up. But in a way it can be argued that this making of jokes does make the film more real. It dares to do this. A joke seems out of place when depicting events like these, but they probably did make jokes nomatter the circumstances they were in. But still this film is one of fiction and the jokes that are made in the film might have never really been made in real life and thus are only a representation. One might argue that one might is looking too much into this and one should just watch the movie, without being this critical, but these are things that are very important to take into consideration when watching a film like Die Fälscher. However, though us people who never experienced the events themselves, Die Fälscher seems to capture the whole atmosphere really well. Watching the film you actually really do feel the fear these people probably have lived in. When one of the 'mates' of Salomon, Adolf Burger, refuses to help the guys make an exact copy of the dollar and rather sabotage the entire project, questions arise of whether his intentions are legit or not. Die Fälscher gives rise to the choises that had to be made very well, questioning whether to make a descision that can maybe help all the people living in the camps or just do what seems best for the small group of men with whom Burger lives and who all have become sort of friends. Like Sturmbannführer Friedrich Herzog, the guy who they work for, says, in order to surive you have to do what's best in your own interest and forget about the rest. It's therefore not fair to judge the people who went through the events. When living in these camps, those ideas of what is right or what is wrong did no longer count. Burger telling about how he survived by eating food from the luggage of people who were later on gassed, might make him a horrible person, how could someone ever do that? But can you really judge him for doing it? What would you have done? Most people never thought they would survive, a lot of them expected to be all killed eventually, erasing all the traces. So why not try to survive with the food of people who are already going to die?

What is it about?

Salomon Sorowitsch, one of Germany's biggest forgers and one of the best, is taken to spend life in a concentration camp. Arrested by a man named Friedrich Herzog, who he later on comes to work for, Salomon tries to survive the best way possible. Because of his talents to make exact copies of money he becomes the main spill in a counterfeiting operation that has become one of the largest in history. Knowing that they probably won't kill him, because he's the one they need to get the operation to succeed, he tries to help the men who live in the camp with him as much as he can. When one of the guys, Adolf Burger, starts having plans to sabotage the operation, salomon is all of a sudden put in a difficult situation not knowing how to get the project to succeed when one guy tries to keep him from it every single time. When time starts to run out and Herzog threatens to take measures that will end in some of the guys getting killed, Salomon has to make the choice whether to try and make the project work by himself or to join Burger in his attempt to fight back.

Final Verdict: *****

Expecting the emphasis not to be that much on live in the camps, I was quite surprised by the hardness and seriousness of the film and felt quite deceived by the trailer I saw of the film before. This film is not at all like Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives Of Others), as the trailer kind of wants you to believe and the fact that they both deal with the Second World War is probably their only thing they have in common. However, Die Fälscher is a very good film. Different from Das Leben Der Anderen and therefore, though to decide which one is better. But because it's not up to me to decide a thing like that, I will say that they're both excellent in their own way. Die Fälscher is made incredibly well and looks great. The camera work is very good. Some takes at the beginning of the film had me quite in awe, moving easily from showing a big bright chandelier to all of a sudden a crowded gambling table. At times taking on a documentary style of filming, being loose and swaying around the actors, it makes you feel even closer and more a part of the film then you already are. The way the camera easily zooms in to emphasise objects works very well and even more than one might expect. The cinematography too is done very well, showing poetic images with beautiful light blue colouring. The same can be said for the staging of the actors, dramatizing in some way the events, but never too much. Karl Markovisc who plays Salomon is great, never letting the viewer get too close to him and yet close enough to not feel too distant. As a viewer you almost never know what he feels. You watch him go through it all and when asked about what happened to his family he tells almost without any emotion they're all dead. It shows his strength, not giving into his pain and loss. Only at some moments, when something really gets to him, he breaks down smashing a basin with his bare hands. The constant pressure he lives in can be really felt by the way Markovics get into his character, which is done perfectly. Adolf Burger, strongly played by August Diehl, can be seen as Salomon's total opposite. He shows almost too much emotion, giving the viewer two characters that represent two contrasting feelings and two different ways of experiencing the events shown. Burger and his wife made anti-Nazi posters and therefore he no longer excepts helping them by making fake money to get the Germans to prosper. He wants to revolt, getting people together and fight back. By showing these two different characters Die Fälscher manages to give an as close depicion on life in the camps. It's a very strong film, with a good solid story that will really get hold of you and makes you think and which definitely deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

Quand J'étais Chanteur

With his role in Quand J'étais Chanteur Gérard Depardieu comes to show once again why he's one of France's most famous actors. The charismatic actor gives a wonderful performance, making his character stand out from everything else. Though greatly supported by actress Cécille De France who gives a very strong performance and is very mesmerizing, Quand J'étais Chanteur becomes all Depardieus'. Slowly getting into Alain Moreau's skin, the way Depardieu builds up his character is proof of his long time experience. Director Xavier Giannoli is very lucky to have Depardieu in his film, which only starts to get into full steam somewhere slightly after the middle of the film. Showing two characters you dont'expect to end up falling in love with each other, it holds resemblance to Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation, though, standing comepletely on its own. It's a very beautiful and very funny little film. Moreau is a character you can't help but love. A singer with no real succes but who dresses like a real star and gives autographs to old aged admirers. Depardieu kind of becomes the Bill Murray, with De France in the Johansson part. Her character is very interesting and endeering, ending up as a real favourite. You would expect a film about a singer to be not that cool, but Quand J'étais Chanteu, or The Singer which it is called in English, really is. It's a love story, but like Lost In Translation, not in the typical kind of way. It's more an awkward kind of attraction that pulls the two characters closer to one another. At first Marion is quite stubborn, not wanting to give in to the much older Moreau. But his charming and caring personality wins her over. They get to have this sweet friendship edged by a little bit of love. Giannoli's film makes great use of mise-en-scène, finding the perfect backgrounds to place the actors in front of and the way the movie ends is truly satisfying, leaving you with this big lump in your throat. Quand J'étais Chanteur is not the most fantastic film, but it really feels as a complete whole and sure will win its way into many people's hearts.

What is it about?

Alain Moreau, a singer who is left singing in clubs where mostly older people come to party, one night comes to notice Marion, a young mother who works at the same office as one of Moreau's friends. The two have a little chat during one of Moreau's breaks and with his charming personality he manages to get her into his bed. Feeling ashamed of herself, not uderstanding how she could have let it get this far, she runs off after waking up, leaving no message or goodbye. Moreau enters her life once again when he starts looking for a new house to live in. Marion who's job it is to find people who are willing to buy a house of which its owners want to get rid off, thus ends up helping Moreau on his search. Their relationship, because of this, becomes stronger, though she is reluctant at first, calling Moreau a 'ladies man' and taking his attempts not all too seriously. Moreau however has come to have really fallen for the young woman, more than she at first realizes, leaving Moreau with the question how long she will hold back and try not to give into his love, which is hard with someone as Moreau who at first sight already seems such a charming guy.

Final Verdict: ****1/2

Quand J'étais Chanteur is a very well made film, never becoming to cliché or overly romantic. It has this feeling of realism and the beautiful bond of the two characters leaves you wondering and ponder about one's own life and dreams. Sitting in the cinema, my head resting on my left hand I was enjoying the film's all wonderfulness. Even the songs which Moreau sings and that are supposed to be cheesy, were very much enjoyable. Looking at Moreau you could see his love and passion for his work. Marion and he keep challening each other playfully and in the end they're bond has become so strong and that as a viewer you feel pleased to have witnessed it. Quand J'étais Chanteur is a wonderful intelligent film that just makes you feel good watching it. It provides for a very soothing film experience and is floating far above most of the unoriginal Hollywood romantic comedy fluff.

Blue Velvet

David Lynch's Blue Velvet is perfect from beginning to end. It has great use of music, strong performances by its actors and contains shots that feel slightly surreal. The story is quite simple, but one that gets every viewer thrilled with excitement and filled with suspense. Stories about ordinary people getting involved in a murder mystery they shouldn't get involved in and secretly entering the appartment of a stranger, will most of the time have everyone on the edge of their seats. A great example is Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, an absolute classic and one of the best films which concern this theme. Much less confusing then, let's say, Mulholland Dr., Blue Velvet starts by letting its main character come across some strange objects and being witness of some strange events. After his father ends up in hospital, Jeffrey Beaumont returns to the suburban town he grew up in and once he meets Sandy, wonderfully played by Laura Dern, he loses his sense of what's right and what's wrong, being all of a sudden capable to do things he knows he really shouldn't. Isabella Rossellini is perfectly cast as the mysterious singer Dorothy Vallens, given this magical performance of the recurring song Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton. She's a real femme fatale, getting Jeffrey in big trouble once the two of them start having some strange sexual encounters with Doroty pleeing Jeffrey to hit her. Sandy, of whom Laura Dern makes this beautiful and somewhat shy teenage girl, falls heavy for Jeffrey's charms, not aware of his encounters with the smooth voiced singer. David Lynch makes of Blue Velvet a true feast for every fan of cinema. It's different, it's art, it's typical Lynch stuff and one of his many masterpieces.

What is it about?

A young and very curious guy by the name of Jeffrey Beaumont one lovely day finds a finger in a field of grass. Taking the finger to the police station, making sure they do some investigating, he soons come to meet the daughter of the detective, Sandy Williams. Not caring about the fact she has a boyfriend, the two of them start to spend time together spying on a singer who might be involved in the mysterious finger case. When Jeffrey comes with a plan to get into the singer's house by pretending to be a bug exterminator, he soon finds himself in trouble. Instead of giving up and spending their time differently, Jeffrey realizes he's already in it too deep and has to go on trying to help this singer, Dorothy Vallens, who's husband and son seem to be captured by some tough guys of which a guy named Frank Booth supposedly is the leader. Not knowing whether he is able to eventually help Dorothy get out of the mess she has found herself in, he is willing to help her the best he can, not thinking about abandofin
her very soon.

Final Verdict: *****

Blue Velvet is a real delight and captivating from beginnint to end. It has all the usual Lynch flavours all combined into one and is full of suspense and bombastic scenes that seem totally into place. Lynch his films are just loads of fun to watch. He has his own style and dares to be different making his work filled with wonderful things that come to prickle the senses of your little brain. Blue Velvet is more fun than Mulholland Dr. Some might find it a bit kitsch maybe, but to me it's great artistic cinema. It's a true classic and one that years from now still will be special and like nothing else out there. It truly stands on its own. At the end Lynch throws some questions at you that you're unable to really answer, but that's what makes his work so great. You don't need the answers to enjoy them fully. It's mindbobbling stuff you wish every film would be able to give you.

The Best 3 Of September

Having had almost no time to write lately, I'm trying desperately to save this blog, which kind of has become my little baby. Never did I expect to write this much, and thinking about it, I could have written an entire novel if I would have put all my energy into that instead of this. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world, so I'm very glad I started this blog, which is already some long months ago. Already in November I still have to recapture on what I found to be the best films I saw in September. So...here I go.

1. Atonement

Being only his second feature film, Joe Wright's Atonement, is much more than your usual adaptation. Truly capturing the spirit of the book, making great use of mise-en-scène and cinematography, Wright seems to be on his way to become one of the great. Being this big bombastic telling of love, that is edited in a triumphant way, it sucks you in completely taking you on this magical ride presenting the most breathtaking images and doesn't spit you out until the final chapter comes to a close.

2. Reprise

Visually stunning, Joachim Trier's first feature length film is a remarkable achievement. Using beautiful blue colours and wonderful lighting he captures his characters in their most vulnerable ways. The editing simply is amazing, shattering some of the film's scenes into dreamy fragments that are on the edge of reality and fantasy. Reprise is a mesmerizing piece of work that lingers on long after the film ends.

3. Gerry

Gerry by Gus Van Sant opens with this great long take of just two guys in a car driving to the sound of music and tells the story of these two characters finding themselves lost in the middle of nowhere. The choices Van Sant makes to capture this searching for a way out is very daring and unusual, leaving you in wonder, trying to understand what it is what's left once you get lost with just you and this other living soul. Long takes and scenes that seem to never pass, just like real life never seems to pass, Gerry is a smart little film and like nothing else you've seen.

Ultimo Tango A Parigi

Opening with Marlon Brando outside on the street, sounds of traffic rushing by, Bernardo Bertolucci's Ultimo Tango A Parigi (Last Tango In Paris) immediately gets hold of your full attention. Then passing him by, sweeping him off his feet, is Maria Schneider as the very charming Jeanne, of whom Brando refuses to know her name. 'No names' he keeps telling her as they head off into this passionate and very sexual affair. Outstanding use of locations and mise-en-scène, the movie presents itself with lots of beautiful orange and brownish colours, like the long coat Brando's character is wearing. Feeling almost as a play, especially in the beginning, Ultimo Tango is a film that centers around two characters who explore themselves and each other. Playfully teasing one another the film becomes somewhat poetic which is intensified by the wonderful cinematography. Also making somewhat fun of the process of filmmaking itself, Jeanne's fiancee follows her with his filmcrew making a movie which is all about her. But no acting he insists, just capturing her life as she imagines it to be, making up fake stories and turning objects and places to be holding certain childhood memories. Brando and Schneider are a great match, lighting up the screen whenever they're together. Schneider's accent is sweet and fits her character well. Brando shows once again why he is already one of Hollywood's legends, giving a great performance that is very subtle and at times small in its showing of emotion, but also big and fueled by passion as he gets in an argument with his mother. The camera loves him giving him this statuesque presence. The tango scene at the end of the film is beautifully shot, showing the room beautifully lit and the feet of the dancers swaying down the floor. Ultimo Tango A Parigi is a very beautiful movie, at times dreamy, but also hitting you hard with some sexual scenes that in today's period of time, however, is no longer all that shocking. Having a slow, steady pace, Ultimo Tango shows a wonderful story between two characters who challenge each other and manages to depict this story gorgeously.

What is it about?

Paul, a recent widow after his wife commited suicide and who's mother runs a hotel in Paris, heads off into this relationship with a young feisty woman, who is noone but a stranger which Paul likes to keep this way. This young woman, Jeanne, keeps coming back to this empty hotel room, even though she is soon to be marrying her boyfriend who has come over to make a film about her. The two of them have this attraction that draws them into each other arms over and over again. Without telling each other their names and with no real expectations, they just spend their time lying naked in each other's arms. When they do seem to go their separate ways, Paul shows up again, ready to go on where they left off. Jeanne, however, isn't so sure what to think about their relationship and how far she's willing to go.

Final Verdict: ****1/2

Ultimo Tango A Parigi is a real classic showing the great actor Brando is and the sweet faced Schneider who's truly charming as Jeanne. The scene with her walking down the tubes of the subway yelling to her boyfriend who's walking on the other side is already famous as is the 'butter scene' of which Schneider knew nothing about. Besides the title and the tango at the end, the title also seems to refer to the way the camera seems to be almost dancing around the two characters using some long takes. There is this wonderful scene in the beginning as well with Brando going to the bathroom and Schneider making a telephone call in a phone booth, seductively raising her leg up and showing some skin. Near the end and with almost every elevator in sight, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Dreamers, one of Bertolucci's most recent works, which has become my true favourite. Watching Brando run up the stairs to catch up with Schneider who's standing in the elevator I immediately had to think about the great long take in the Dreamers, where Matthew follows the brother and sister after having run through the Louvre with them together making him one of them. Overall the film is magnificently staged, which is due of course by the wonderful directing by Bertolucci. He knows how to get the best from his actors, especially Brando, who is able to show a lot of his range. Ultimo Tango A Parigi is one of those films you have to see at laast once in your life. Even if just for the opening sequence and the images of paintings with which the credits start.

My Own Private Idaho

Taking us into the world of male prostitution, Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho tells the story of a teenage boy searching for his mother driven by daydreams and memories of the woman who has left him behind. Clouds drifting by fast in a bright blue sky, an open road that looks like the face of an ugly man, a house falling down from the sky and into pieces, all the usual dreamy aspects which make up a real Van Sant seem to be there. Experimenting with shots that can be seen as daring, like the one in the diner the two main characters and their friends like to hang out, which show the two main protagonist conversating inside, but from outside or the way some of their friends speak about their experiences separtely, but all at the same time, moving from one character to another, not waiting for one person's story to be finished before moving on to the next. My Own Private Idaho is amazing when looking at it from a visual perspective. It's what is most interesting about the film and what makes you keep watching. It keeps you engaged and make you look even closer waiting anxiously for what's more to come. Narratively, the film isn't as good. Inspired and based on parts of Henry VI and V by William Shakespeare, the movie's dialogue sometimes copies exact lines from the play, an aspect that can be added to the wonderful amount of interesting little things that My Own Private Idaho has to offer. It's style which overpowers the film's story and characters. However, who is able to grab your full attention is River Phoenix. The actor who died at a very young age gives a very strong and fresh performance. His talent really shows through. Stating to be 'a connoisseur of roads' Phoenix makes you care for the boy he presents, searching for his mother's love and longing for more than friendship from his best friend. Phoenix engages you to stick with him and try to figure out what to do with his life. Someone who unfortunately never really seems to convince is Keanu Reeves. Always making it hard for a viewer what to make out of his performance, he again is seen speaking with the same static voice he always speaks with. An actor as Reeves makes you question what it is that makes for a good performance and how much it has to relate to our conventions of reality. Vividly bringing to life a dreamlike and somewhat imaginary world, My Own Private Idaho sometimes seem to resemble paintings, with Van Sant always knowing brilliantly to put together the right colours.

What Is It About?

Loosly based on parts of the plays Henry IV and V by William Shakespeare, My Own Private Idaho tells the story of Mike Waters, a somewhat lost teenager who suffers from narcolepsy, which can suddenly make him fall asleep in the middle of the day, and his friend and fellow male prostitute Scott Favor, who, like the character from the plays by Shakespeare, tries to avoid falling into his father footsteps. In doing so, Scott, a very privileged son with a wealthy father, has left home and joined the group of kids living on the streets who sell their body for money. In search for Mike's mother the two boys head off onto a road trip on Scott's motorcycle. After getting information from Mike's older brother in Idaho, who might even be Mike's real father, of where is mother could possibly be by now, they leave to Rome, Italy, where Scott finds love with an Italian beauty, marking the end of his anarchic days. With his friend's choice to move back to the social class he was born in, Mike's now left on his own to figure out his life which he spends falling asleep randomnly, daydreaming, and lost in melancholic thoughts.

Final Verdict: ****

Though not perfectly realized , My Own Private Idaho is a beautiful depiction of youth, touching upon the ambiguity of sexuality and desires. A visual feast and very thoughtful choices, make of Gus Van Sant's film a great portrait of the life of a teenage boy trying to find out life and himself. The film's made up out of sections, taking the characters and the viewer to different places in this part of the US and eventually Rome. Great is the use of colour, not only in the diegetic world portrayed, but also during the intertitles and credits. The bright colourful splashes make of the film a compact whole. With lines coming straight out of Shakespeare's play, the film is one made up out of many layers, giving more meaning to its story than the eye can see during a first view. My Own Private Idaho asks to be watched again, which is one of the qualities of a good film, which is interesting beyond its narrative. Having seen Van Sant's latest films, one can only hope for him to once again go back to a work like this. It doesn't mean his more recent films aren't good, but based on details and multiple meanings this one is more interesting and feels to have a bit more substance than some of his more recent work.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

As the names of everyone involved slide down the screen and singer Beck can be heard performing a version of Everybody Got To Learn Sometimes, which was especially recorded for the film, you slowly try to recover from the stream of images that flashed by your eyes and that make up the wonderful weirdness of what is Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind. Directed by Michael Gondry and featuring another original and very inventive screenplay by the genius that is Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine starts off by showing us two characters who meet at a train. One of them is the blue-haired Clementine Kruzcynski, a young feisty woman, the other, Joel Barish, a slightly neurotic thirtysomething. Marvelously played by both Jim Carrey, who can be seen in one of his what can be called more 'serious' roles, and Kate Winslet, with a spot-on American accent, the two characters seem attracted to one another, not at all aware of the history they already share together. With fast paced cutting, a perfect use of colour, beautiful unsteady documentary-like camera shots and a superb story with some great twists at the end that make your mouth water and leave you hungry for more, Eternal Sunshine is a celebration of love and the many secrets of the mind. Director Michel Gondry, who takes on the difficult task to bring the story to the big screen, manages to tell the complex story of the two lovers very clearly, keeping it also very entertaining and visually captivating. Like the other adapted screenplays written by Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine too is a complete and very detailed depiction of the imagined world in which the story takes place. Everything seems to be there. Nothing is missing. From crazy hair colours to flashbacks of a young Joel hiding from the rain and strange looking machines that wipe out all of your memory, Eternal Sunshine is a brilliant take on the beauty of our mind and the what if's questions of forgettifg d wanting to forget. Erasing everything you've been through seems so easy, but once you made that decsision there's no way back, or is there? Joel Barish takes on the challenge in a film that makes you think twice about the decisisons you make in life, even the smalles ones or the ones that seem smost easy to make. Eternal Sunshine questions the mind and gives you a wonderful take on what would happen if you just woke up one day deciding to forget everything you've lived through for the last couple of years. It's smart, funny, beautiful cinema that exceeds everything you've seen before.

What is it about?

Joel Barish wakes up to start his day and go to work like he always does. Then at the train station a young woman catches his attention. This young woman is Clementine, a spunky all positive type of girl that likes to chat away. Sitting in the same train, Clementine who has taken notice of Joel's gaze resting upon her, decides to start a conversation. Not knowing each other they feel attrackted and in them both they have sparked an interest. He ends up in her house and a love starts to bloom. Everything seems okay, and there seems to be nothing strange about this love encounter. However, the two of them turn out to have have met before. Or actually, not just met, but spend a whole section of their life together, once they were deeply in love. This scene with which the movie opens turns out to be a flashforward. Both of them have no memory of each other which is caused by Clemetine who decided to erase Joel from her memory and once he found out what she had done, Joel decided to do exactly the same. But as he's going to the process of forgetting Clementine he changes his mind and realizes he don't want to have her erased but hold on to their memories the good ones and the bad. Attached to this big machine that has to wipe out all of Clementine from his mind, Joel has to find a way to save Clementine from dissapearing or he won't ever get hold of their memories again.

Final Verdict: *****

Kaufman again has written a great screenplay to an immensily entertaining and original love story. Eternal Sunshine is about the beauty of memory and the importance to cherish our memories whether good or bad. It makes you realize what a beautiful thing our mind is and how great it is we are able to remember. Brilliant, therefore, is the opening sequence where the two main protagonists meet. Joel doesn't seem to know the famous Hucklebery Hound song which features the name Clementine and when asked for his opinion he doesn't seem to know any other adjectives than 'nice'. It's only until the end that it becomes clear that he does actually know the song and knows lots of interesting words to describe the beauty that is Clemetine, but because of erasing his memories he too erased his knowledge of the songs and the wonderful ways to describe this girl who once was his girlfriend. Great locations that are fully used, beautiful and interesting shots that go hand in hand with the perfect fit of Jon Brion's music, Eternal Sunshine itself feels to be made out of flashes of the mind. It's pace is just right, never becoming too complicated to grasp the beauty of the plot. Featuring a stellar cast, Michel Gondry succeeds to create this world in which almost everything seems to be possible. It's this great mix of fantasy and science-fiction about these two characters who once were madly in love but ended up hating each other. Raising questions about whether you are ever able to erase your soulmate and what you would do if you decided you want to remember instead of forget, it prickles its audience's curiosity until the very end. With wonderful twists that are filled with a certain kind of sadness, Eternal Sunshine is a beautiful mix of images and emotions in which you will find more great things every time you'll watch it and new meaning you didn't find before. It are only the really exceptional films that are able to make its viewers discover new things in a piece of work they've already encountered before.

A Mighty Heart

After In This World and The Road To Guantanamo, both films that feel like a documentary depicting real events, but which are actually fictionalized dramas, director Michael Winterbottom brings A Mighty Heart, a film based on the book written by Mariane Pearl with the same title. Paid full attention to in the news, especially in the US, the story about the kidnapping of Mariane's husband, Daniel Pearl, a journalist, is one of many that have taken place after the events of 9/11. Putting the focus mostly on Mariane and the search for Daniel, Winterbottom's movie tries to capture the chaos and the doubt Mariane's living in, afraid of never seeing her husband again. With fast cutting, A Mighty Heart speeds up the pace, but not always for the better. Throughout the film you can feel the tension and the fear, but the film just shows too much to be fully captured by it. Especially the middle feels too long. There's too much repetition and after a while the search becomes tiring. There are some breakthroughs which are supposed to lure you into the belief of an actual happy ending. But because the outcome of the events is already clear the attempts of creating excitement, doesn't fully grasp you. What's left are a very solid beginning and a beautiful emotion filled ending, which feels like a real closure and leaves you with the faith of Mariane and her son living a happy life nomatter the events concerning Daniel's death. Winterbottom and Jolie succeed in making Mariane a strong woman who is in full control of her emotions, with only one real breakdown, a scene that cuts right through your soul, due to the horrifying screams of grief let out by Jolie. It's one of the strongest scenes, and the one that has the most impact. In what could have easily turned into an overdramatic performance, Jolie manages to stay authentic and subtle, with glances that show the pain felt inside. Never overshadowed by the rest of the cast, Jolie reigns supreme and becomes the heart of the movie, giving a very strong and solid performance. Especially towards the end as a viewer you feel scared for her knowing of the outcome of the events and the pain she will have to endure once she gets hold of this knowledge. The supporting cast, however, is very strong, with standout performances by both Archie Panjabi and Irfan Khan. Overall A Mighty Heart feels a bit as a letdown, especially compared to other films by Winterbottom like the wonderful and intriguing Code 46. On the one hand A Mighty Heart tries to show too much, becoming nothing more than a showing of the events, but on the other, the story feels to small for a motion picture. The strange thing is that the film feels way longer than it actually is. It only has a runtime of 100 minutes, which isn't all that long, but overall the film feels to show more than 2 hours. A large part of this has to do with the length of the middle of the film, which includes parts that doesn't show Mariane at all. This short departure doesn't feel right, as the focus of the film until then, has been most on Mariane, even though a large part of the focus is also on the search for Daniel and the people involved. It's hard what exactly to think of A Mighty Heart. It's a good film which succeeds in showing how those days after Daniel's dissappearance must have been like. The atmosphere and the state Mariane lives in are translated to the screen perfectly. Still the film doesn't really seem to lead towards anything, at least not to anything you as a viewer don't already know. There isn't much to think about, there isn't much to assume. All Winterbottom does is show what happened to Mariane and Daniel without giving his audience an insight on other experiences or giving a real critique on the way the search and the communication between investigators and kidnappers is handled. Winterbottom briefly touches upon the way the news depicts rumours as facts, when a body is found of a man who is thought to be Daniel. In what could have been a very powerful and interesting scene, is turned into nothing more than a sidenote. There are brief reactions about this not verifying of information, but these don't hold the intenseness of what you would have expected from the journalists. The most clear example of Winterbottom trying to take sides is when Mariane is told that her involvement isn't the job of a journalist and she states that it actually is.

What is it about?

Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street journalist, is happily married to his wife Mariane, who is pregnant with their first child, when he suddenly dissapears after having attended a meeting which was set up for him through correspondances via e-mail. Mariane is left without almost any trace of where here husband could be. Supported by, Asra Q. Nomani, a close friend and colleague of Danny, she begins her journey to get Daniel back. Helped by a team of investigators they try to find as much information as they can get, searching for the people who set up the meeting and whom Daniel has last spoken to. Not knowing if she will ever see her husband again, she keeps faith of a safe return home, though her gut tells her that chance is a very small one. Still during everything that happens Mariane stays strong, never falling victim to her inner emotions which scream to get out.

Final Verdict: ***

A Mighty Heart definitely is not a bad movie. It's just that it could have been done so much better. There's a good structure, but the middle is just too filled with events that aren't all that interesting. As a viewer you expect to see Mariane's story, what she went through and how it must be to live in doubt for days. The film succeeds in showing those feelings, but the differences between beginning, end and middle are just too big. A Mighty Heart isn't an action film. It wants to be as truthful to the events, without being too much a product of entertainment. It's what makes the adaptation of this story so hard. The film shows the search, an aspect which in, for example, the Jason Bourne series, could have taken into full use. An event like this could have fitted in perfectly in that kind of film. And that's exactly where the problem lies. The middle of the film isn't exciting enough to keep the viewer's full interest, which has to do with that urge to show the real events, meaning you can't change too many things if you want to stay faithful to what really happened. Therefore the search becomes somewhat tiring and at times though to sit through. The scenes involving Mariane, because of that, are in this way, the most interesting. The search is very well depicted, though. The scenes taking place outside feel very energetic. Karachi is an energetic city and Winterbottom succeeds in capturing its spirit. The constant movement of the camera enhances the documentary feel also felt in Winterbottom's earlier, In This World. Bleak images, without many colours fit the story very well and add to the realness and rawness of the film. A Mighty Heart, even though it's not the best film, is definitely worth to check out and features a very strong performance by Angelina Jolie who finally grabs onto a challenging role again after winning her Academy Award for her role in Girl Interrupted.