When you can’t even protect yourself. “Soni” (2018)

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directed by Ivan Ayr
© 2018 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

After reading the description of “Soni”, you may be thinking it’s a very feminist production and if you’re a man you shouldn’t be watching it. Let me change this opinion. Indeed, it’s about two women and they are the main characters, but it’s actually a film that I would recommend to everyone. Especially those who think we have gender equality in the world. Shortly, Soni (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) is a young woman from India who works as a police officer. The film starts with a man on the street trying to harass her. Soni has her pride and decides to fight with the offender. And that’s the problem. As a police officer, she needs to behave and control herself. Her superintendent Kalpana (Saloni Batra) tries to support Soni, but she also struggles with her own issues and cannot always be responsible for her ward’s mistakes. Obviously, it’s extremely difficult for the young woman to keep her emotions when she’s treated like an object by men, so soon she ends up in trouble again. Generally, we get two different women with their own reaction to the reality. Soni is rebellious and wants to fight for her rights, while Kalpana pretends that everything is fine and this way continues her more or less peaceful life. What’s more, none of them is satisfied. They both miss something, which shows us that no matter how those women act, the problem isn’t from their side. And I don’t want to sound feminist, because nothing is black or white. This film presents how hard it is for women to be respected while working on such positions. Policemen are also treated horribly, but somehow it’s easier to insult a woman in a uniform. Gender equality doesn’t mean there should be the same number of women and men, but they all should have the same rights. And they should also receive the same amount of respect. You know what you will feel watching “Soni”? Helplessness. Absolute helplessness. Not sure if it’s good, but I’m sure this film is worth your time.

My rating: 6/10
S.

I see triple. “Three Identical Strangers” (2018)

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directed by Tim Wardle
© 2018 Neon. All Rights Reserved.

What would you do if one day you met yourself? Same face, hair, body, height, voice. Same you. Just standing in front of you. Sounds like a creepy sci-fi story, but this time, I have a documentary for you. And since it’s a documentary, this weird situation has actually happened. One day Robert Shafran met Edward Galland who was an absolute copy of him. As if those two were looking in the mirror. But the creepy story isn’t over. Soon they would find out there’s David Kellman out there, another copy-paste of Robert and Edward. I wish I could tell you step by step how they all met, but it’s actually a very interesting part and it’s better if you hear it from them. In the film they explain everything from the beginning. It turns out they are all brothers. They were abandoned by their mother and somehow separated later. Each one of them was adopted by a different family. What’s more, those families didn’t know they were adopting one of the triplets. You already have goosebumps? Let me tell you more! Those guys were separated on purpose. Certain people thought it would be a great idea to use the children as lab rats. Each boy was placed in a family on a different economic level and regularly tested. They wanted to find out whether the personality of each triplet depends on their nature or nurture. If it’s nature, all the men should be exactly the same no matter where they grew up. If it’s nurture, then each of them should be totally different even if they all have the same genes. If you want to know what’s the answer, you need to watch the film. Personally, I was moved by the whole story. Because Eddie, Bobby and David aren’t the only brothers who were separated for the sake the experiment. There are more twins/triplets out there who don’t even know about their sisters and brothers. It’s a very emotional production and I finished it with my eyes wide open. And I love the question that is asked during it: is it better for those twins to know the truth or be protected from it?

My rating: 9/10
S.

Buongiorno, Principessa! “Life Is Beautiful” (“La vita è bella”, 1997)

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directed by Roberto Benigni
© 1997 Miramax Films. All Rights Reserved.

Since today is a special day for me, I guess I have to recommend one of the most important films of my life. It said it’s a comedy/drama. Well… for me it was a double drama, because I was crying like a baby. If you haven’t seen today’s film, better choose a right day for it. If you’re a woman, don’t put any makeup that day. Waste of time, trust me. This story grabs your heart, squeezes it gently, but in the end crashes it like a peanut. In the film we move back to 1939, Italy (or as it was called back then the Kingdom of Italy). The main character is Guido (Roberto Benigni), who is a Jewish man, incredibly in love with gorgeous Dora (Nicoletta Braschi). Unfortunately, she is about to marry another man, who is much wealthier than Guido. Yet, he doesn’t give up and manages to show his affection to the lady. Those two finally end up together, married with a son (Giorgio Cantarini) and running their own bookstore. Then, as you may be guessing, the World War II begins and Guido and little Giosué are taken to the concentration camp. Dora, in order to stay with her family, volunteers to get on a train as well. If you know at least a bit about the WWII and what was happening in those camps, you can imagine how their life looked like there. However, Guido is probably the most positive person you’ve ever seen and, despite their situation, he tries to make it easier for his son. Therefore, he tells little Giosué that everything around them is a game, so they need to do exactly what they are told. For each task they receive points and the person who gets the most of them will win a tank. You’ve never seen a film like this, trust me. The thing is that even if we’re laughing at those two goofing around, we still feel overwhelmed by their situation and everything around them. I was mentally destroyed after this film, but I still enjoyed it a lot. The variety of emotions during the projection is huge. They received 3 Oscars for this production, but in my opinion, the Academy should have given them all the statuettes and just apologise to the rest of the nominees. Everything here is perfect: acting, directing, script, music, camerawork, editing. Absolutely everything is perfect. Perhaps Benigni crashed my heart with his work, but I’m so glad he did.

My rating: 10/10
S.

For when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong. “Blindness” (2008)

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directed by Fernando Meirelles
© 2008 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

One of those good films that has such a strong message that you simply cannot ignore it. Although considering how humanity is presented in this story… most of you will probably do ignore it. Anyway let’s give it a try. At first I need to tell you that all the characters are nameless, so I will have to describe them to you. So we get a young Japanese man (Yusuke Iseya) who loses his sight while driving a car. Luckily, he doesn’t cause any accident and immediately gets help. Another man offers to drive him home. As you might be guessing, the guy steals the car later. Obviously, welcome to our reality. The blind Japanese goes to an ophthalmologist (Mark Ruffalo) together with his wife and finds out there’s nothing wrong with his eyes. Unfortunately, something IS wrong, because the next day his doctor loses sight as well. Soon they realise it must be some kind of disease, because everyone around them goes blind. The government decides to collect all the “infected” and separate them from others. The doctor’s wife (Julianne Moore) lies she also doesn’t see and ends up in the asylum with her partner. Soon more and more people join them without any support from the outside world. The blind need to learn to cooperate, which isn’t that easy, especially when they are running low on supplies. Imagine if something similar happened in real. Suddenly everybody goes blind and a huge mess begins. People panic, fight with each other and lose their minds. However, at some point they need to accept it and learn to deal with it. I’ve read some people comparing the film (and the book) to the story about St. Paul in the Bible. Shortly speaking, he was against God and one day lost his sight. During the next days, he converted. So it’s the same what happened to the characters in the film. They went blind as a punishment for their actions as humans. To find out whether they became better people, you need to watch it. Not only it’s a well made film, but you may reflect on yourself after that. What’s interesting is that the community of actual blind people was protesting against this film because, according to them, it presents the blind as uncivilised barbarians. Personally, I think the other way. It presents how the actual blind are skilled and brave in the world where everybody sees. Because other people wouldn’t manage without their sight. So huge respect from my side.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Hire me a woman! “Late Night” (2019)

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directed by Nisha Ganatra
© 2019 Amazon Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Emma Thompson as a bad character. The world is literally ending. Today’s film is a perfect choice for the weekend. It’s not complicated, there’s nothing deep to be found in the story, it can be funny from time to time. And it has a good cast. That kind of film it is. You may know the director, Nisha Ganatra, mostly from her work on several series such as “Shameless”, “The Last Man on Earth”, “Mr. Robot” or “Girls”. This time she gives us 100 minutes of Emma Thompson acting like Miranda Priestly. They even have a similar haircut. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but recently they like to present powerful women as skinny, wearing black clothes and white short hair. Anyway, Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a talk show host. She’s supposed to be funny, but it’s not going that well. Katherine is told that if she doesn’t do something to make her show more popular, the network will replace her with someone else. Worried about her position, the host tries to make some changes. One of them is hiring a woman, which is unusual for her. Molly (Mindy Kaling) joins the male crew of writers and immediately brings new energy. The thing is that Katherine doesn’t share the same vibes and it’ll be difficult for those two to communicate with each other. I’m sure you can name at least 3-5 films similar to this one, but still, I like both Emma and Mindy, so I enjoyed not being surprised by the story. Besides, it clearly says it’s a comedy, so don’t expect any sophisticated moral coming out of it. It is said that Paul Feig was supposed to direct this film, but I guess it’s better that Nisha Ganatra did it in the end. I think this story gained a bit thanks to the female director. Yet I still prefer Emma Thompson as a good character.

My rating: 6/10
S.

When a man loves a woman, but the woman loves another man. “Two Lovers” (2008)

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directed by James Gray
© 2008 Magnolia Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’d like to recommend you a very basic love story, which won’t surprise you at all. Unless you’ve never seen any romantic film. However, it’s made so well that there’s no way I’m leaving it without a post. Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is a man who struggles with depression. He was once left by his fiancée and still cannot deal with it. The film starts with him attempting another, luckily unsuccessful suicide. His parents are worried about him and try to find a woman for their son. They arrange a business meeting and ask Leonard to come with them. During the meeting, he gets to know Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), who is a considerate, sensible and beautiful lady. Perfect wife material. Perhaps it would be easier for those two to get closer unless there wasn’t an attractive Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) living next to Leonard. She’s just moved in and already caught the attention of the man. Soon it is known that the woman has a drug usage problem and she’s also dating Ronald (Elias Koteas), who’s already married. Seems complicated, but it’s actually a classic love story. Sandra likes Leonard, he likes her back, but not as much as he likes Michelle, but Michelle loved Ronald, who is taken, so all they can be doing is having one night stands. On one hand, it’s about our human need of searching for a partner that is unavailable for us. We all like chasing, so when we meet someone who likes us back, we tend to reject them and try with the one that ignores us. And since we’re all “running after that rabbit,” we may never feel satisfied. On the other hand, the main character struggles with depression and it is presented in an unusual way, but quite realistic one. He indeed goes out and socialises, but then he gets back home and doesn’t even feel like leaving his own bed. Joaquin Phoenix is marvellous in this role. Another thing I appreciate highly is the camerawork (especially the scene on the roof, brilliant). The story is simple, but it’s done well and it gives food for thought. 

My rating: 6.5/10
S.

When it comes to marriage, one man is as good as the next. “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988)

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directed by Stephen Frears
© 1988 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

The older Stephen Frears gets, the better films he makes. I mean, he started with good productions, but his recent ones are much better, in my opinion. Still, he’s a director worth knowing and appreciating. Today I’d like to recommend you his old film “Dangerous Liaisons.” It was made over 30 years ago, so don’t expect it to be in 4k. However, you can see 4k actors there, such as Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Keanu Reeves, Uma Thurman or also Mildred Natwick in her last role. For the cast I would give 10/10. Yet, the story could have been told better. Let’s start from the beginning. Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) is angry with her ex-lover who has recently ended their relationship. But she’s a cunning woman with pride. She comes up with an idea to embarrass him with the use of Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich). He is an absolute womaniser, so Marquise’s proposition seems perfect for him. She asks her friend to seduce Cecile de Volanges. Why? Because Cecile de Volanges in Marquise’s ex-lover new fiancée. This film was made when “The Bold and the Beautiful” series was on top, so don’t expect it to be any less complicated when it comes to the connections between characters. Generally it’s about a mean woman who’s so jealous that she’s ready to do anything for revenge. At some point I started yawning, but maybe it’s because I don’t like such trivial dramas based on jealousness. Still, it’s a great director with a fantastic group of actors, so you should definitely dedicate some time to watch them. Especially Uma Thurman who was 18 back then and nobody would guess she’ll end up killing people in Tarantino’s productions.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Creepy? Funny? True! Unfortunately. “Ingrid Goes West” (2017)

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directed by Matt Spicer
© 2017 Neon. All Rights Reserved.

I didn’t have huge expectations about this film. I just saw it on Netflix one evening and thought it would be a great background to my bowl of noodles. At some point I forgot I had something to eat actually. It starts like a silly comedy. Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) is a young woman who seems to be mentally unstable. She follows one woman on Instagram and when her idol organises her own wedding and doesn’t invite Ingrid, she goes there to pepper spray her in the face in front of everyone. Ingrid is taken to a mental hospital and tries to change her way of being. Not for long. Right after leaving the institution, she learns about Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen), an influencer. She immediately starts following the popular woman on Instagram, but it’s not enough for her. Our main character decides to take $60,000 that she inherited from her deceased mother and go to Los Angeles to get even closer to Taylor. Firstly, she starts going to the places that Taylor goes to, but it doesn’t seem to be working well. Then she decides to kidnap Taylor’s dog and pretend she’s the one who’s found him. Bringing the beloved pet home? What a fantastic way to gain trust! As I said, it seemed to be a very trivial comedy at first, but the longer I was watching it, I realised I was feeling more and more anxious. Nowadays people lose their minds about likes, comments, hearts and reactions that they may get from random people on their social media. There’s this idea that if someone likes your picture, it means they have a crush on you for sure. Or that the more followers you have, the more you matter to people. So on one hand, you may find this production an amusing comedy, but on the other, it’s already the reality. Personally, I felt super anxious when it finished and I think that was the point of it. A very well presented problem of people’s addiction to social media.

My rating: 7/10
S.

A remake that matters. “The Next Three Days” (2010)

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directed by Paul Haggis
© 2010 Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved.

Today’s film is actually a remake of “Anything for her” (“Pour elle”, 2008, directed by Fred Cavayé), a French crime/drama production. I watched the original one first and I was slightly disappointed. I loved the idea and I really wanted that story to excite me. In the end I almost fell asleep. It was a very good bed time film. Especially if you have some sleeping disorder. I didn’t really feel like watching the American remake, but I thought it would be right to know them both in order to have a more advance opinion. Surprisingly, Americans did it better. I’m sorry France, but when it comes to crime stories with action, Americans have their recipe and they simply rock. French productions may be more psychological and focused on the feelings that the characters have, while Americans can express those feelings with actual pictures. But let me shortly tell you what this film is all about. It’s a story of a family, John (Russell Crowe), Lara (Elizabeth Banks) and their son Luke (Ty Simpkins). Everything in their life is perfect, they have good jobs, a very smart child, a wonderful house. Couldn’t be better. Unfortunately, one day Lara gets arrested and accused of killing her boss. Since they cannot prove she’s innocent, she is sentenced to life in prison. They all hope that someone will finally help Lara and let her free. Time passes, nothing happens. Except the fact that Lara is slowly losing her mind and attempts suicide. Finally, John gets tired of waiting and decides to kidnap his wife from the prison and run away to another country. I had so much fun watching this remake. Not only it was well edited, but every small situation in the film made you feel even more worried. Will he manage? How will he do it? Is that universal key that he made based on a YouTube video really that universal? I’m not a big fan of action films because they seem to be the same to me. However, this one is an exception. I’m sure I will get back to it one day.

My rating: 8/10
S.

Sometimes I think you ain’t got the sense God game a lemon! “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)

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directed by Bruce Beresford
© 1989 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

They say you can describe all car drivers with only two titles: “Fast and Furious” or “Driving Miss Daisy.”  I would add something to that. You can describe passengers with the same titles. But in this case being Miss Daisy would mean you’re the most annoying person ever and nobody wants to drive you anywhere because you would keep telling them what to do. If you don’t know this classic production, you may already imagine the main character. Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy) is an elderly widow living alone in a big house. She has a son (Dan Aykroyd), but he barely visits his mother. Except seeing her housekeeper (Esther Rolle), Miss Daisy is rather a lonely woman. But there’s also another problem: she’s horribly grumpy. Anyway, the film starts with a small accident. The moody lady drives her car into her neighbour’s yard. Her worried son buys a new car but Daisy isn’t allowed to drive anymore. Her son hires Hoke (Morgan Freeman) to be Daisy’s chauffeur. At first, the woman isn’t thrilled about this fact. Not only he’s an African American, but also he doesn’t agree with Daisy all the time, which is unacceptable. In her world everything must be done in a certain way and there should be no exception. However, day after day those two learn more about each other and start to cooperate. If you haven’t seen this film yet, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the main theme from it. It appears in other productions and a lot of people like to get back to it. I’m one of those people who knew the theme before the story. We can thank Hans Zimmer for this adorable melody. Personally, I’m a big fan of his and I always enjoy the film soundtrack that he makes. Generally, “Driving Miss Daisy” is a calm and sweet story about the importance of friendship. A big mug of tea, a blanket and you can press play.

My rating: 7/10
S.