Tag: usa

That was her safe place. “All the Empty Rooms” (2025)

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directed by Joshua Seftel
© 2025 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Such documentaries are needed and it’s needed to talk about them. This year, one of the Oscars nominee is “All the Empty Rooms” – a short documentary that reminds us about what’s left after the tragedy. Steve Hartman, a journalist, and Lou Bopp, a photographer, decide to make a common project together – they visit empty rooms. But not just any empty rooms – they belonged to the children and teenagers who were killed during school shooting. The problem of such events is very big in the USA and we often hear the horrible news about yet another tragedy involving youth. When a school shooting takes place, the world stops for a moment to think about the victims. Then, life goes on. Unfortunately, for many families it’s impossible to deal with the loss and they decide to leave the victims bedrooms untouched. As if the child left it in the morning and was about to come back. Some of them don’t even wash the clothes or bedsheet not to forget the smell of their beloved one. Steve and Lou make sure to approach each family with respect and they wish to pay tribute to their late child. With each room you feel even more overwhelmed by the intensity of emotions, especially since you see all those toys and colourful decorations indicating how young its owner was. To me, it was difficult to watch, but sometimes I need such films. The idea to describe a person by the photos of their room is creative and it’s inspiring how this project may influence the victims’ families. Because even though they had to remind themselves of the tragedy, you can see gratidute in their eyes. That someone else remembers about their child. Make sure to put your phone away and focus on this short, but important documentary. Wishing them a win!

My rating: 8/10
S.

If now is not the time to grieve, I don’t know what to tell you. “A Real Pain” (2024)

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directed by Jesse Eisenberg
© 2024 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Maybe I’ll surprise you with this statement at the beginning, but I was slightly disappointed. So many people were telling me about Eisenberg’s newest film and how much they recommend it. I watched it, I liked it, but no way I could call it a “masterpiece”. Perhaps it’s somehow exotic for Americans, but as a Pole I felt like they americanised my country’s picture, so no, this is definitely not the best portrait of the Polish culture. Bang, I said it. Still, I believe it’s a quite pleasant story to see, therefore I’m writing this post. We’re following two American brothers, David and Benji (Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin), whose Jewish grandmother was living in Poland. That is why they sign up for an organised trip to discover this country and try to learn about their ancestors’ heritage. David is more of a calm, family guy, who just wishes to experience everything with respect, while Benji is the exact opposite, not taking things that seriously and hiding his feelings behind a huge smile and goofy jokes. As you can imagine, those two have quite different priorities in life, as well as during the trip, so a lot of arguments and adventures are about to happen. I see that Eisenberg created the characters of brothers to show different degrees of feeling pain, but what I got from this film is a reminder that each person has their own sensitivity and way of expressing emotions. So just because Benji is an easygoing guy making fun of everything, it doesn’t mean his pain is of a lesser importance than David’s. I also liked the scene where they were taking pictures with the Warsaw Uprising Monument and Benji started having fun, kind of roleplaying with other tourists, which was something that David found disrespectful. Not taking any sides, but that scene is quite interesting as a discussion starter – how should we approach history nowadays? However, the scene I honestly hated was the one where the brothers put stones in front of the door (you’ll see what door and why) and some random guy got mad about it. Jesse… no. Nobody would care about those stones, definitely not a guy who doesn’t even live in that house. He would rather ask who you are and tell you to go away instead of fussing about some little stones. Yeah, I know you wanted to give a scene explaining the Jewish custom and how little Poles might care about that now, I get it, but you could have worked on that a bit more. As a Pole, I’ve seen several mistakes in this film, so I’m sorry for not being amazed like my cinephile friends from other countries, but two things I admire about it are: showing that every person’s pain is valid (no matter how they express it) and the performance of Kieran Culkin. He really catches attention there and I’m glad we’re seeing more of him nowadays. Wishing you numerous chances to shine, Kieran! To sum up, it’s a good film, but as a Pole I have to say that Polish homework hasn’t been done well. C+ from me (or since in Poland we use numbers as grades, 4+).

My rating: 6/10
S.

Dancing on the edge of a volcano. “Fire of Love” (2022)

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directed by Sara Dosa
© 2022 National Geographic Documentary Films. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re still in some Valentine’s Day mood but you’re not a fan of classic rom-com love stories, I’ve got something for you! I’d like to introduce you to an extraordinary couple that shared a lot of love towards each other, but also towards their common passion. Katia and Maurice Krafft were French volcanologists who didn’t think twice when it comes to exploring one of the most mysterious and dangerous creations of nature. I hope you won’t consider it a spoiler as it’s known from the very beginning of the film – both of them died, yet the tragedy is mentioned at the end, so that’s something I’m not revealing here. I was myself quite curious how this power couple lost their lives, especially since there were way too many occasions in their career. The documentary is very much based on their own footage as they were also recording their adventures and studies. I have to admit that I never heard of them before seeing this production, but apparently, they have made a significant impact in the world of science. They were going to places where most people would never even think of staying close to. They were bringing samples back to labs, providing scientists with more specific knowledge on the topic of volcanos. As we learn from the documentary, the couple weren’t wealthy or anyhow privileged, so they lived a rather simple life at home in order to spend the saved money on their next expeditions. I enjoyed learning about Katia and Maurice because they seemed to be a wonderful marriage, where both sides share a passion and support each other no matter what. During their trips, they were looking after each other and, as much as each of them was a very intelligent and brave individual, I’m sure they wouldn’t have done all that without the other person by their side. I believe that support of the other partner was crucial in their development process and I’m glad those two ran into each other at some point in their lives. Thanks to them, many people gained the access to more knowledge, video and paper educational materials, and perhaps also some inspiration to join them in exploring volcanos. It is also proved that thanks to the couple’s work many people were saved from the consequences of eruptions that had been estimated some time before. Besides, I don’t know if it’s because they spent too much time way too close to lava, but watching their interviews in the documentary I could feel this wonderful warmth from both of them. I really believe they were good people. And ambitious passionates. And dedicated partners. So if you want to learn something new and meet a real power couple, that’s a film for you to see.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Skating is not a crime. “Skater Girl” (2021)

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directed by Manjari Makijany
© 2021 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

I feel like it’s one of those films that may get lost on Netflix, so I’ve decided to write about it to make it easier for you to find it. You’re welcome. Today I’d like to recommend you an Indian-American drama, which perhaps isn’t much surprising, yet I’ve found it important to be shared. We get to know Prerna (Rachel Sanchita Gupta), a teenage girl living in a village in the northern India. She’s a very good daughter obeying her parents and following their traditions. However, one day she meets Jessica (Amrit Maghera), an Indian woman raised in the UK, who’s come to India in order to learn more about her family. While being here, Jessica and her friend Erick (Jonathan Readwin) introduce local children to skateboarding. At first Prerna isn’t sure about it, but seeing another woman being enthusiastic about the sport, she gives it a try. Unfortunately, a girl on a skateboard is not something that her family and village community might approve. Prerna does everything to live in accordance with her beloved ones, but also follow her new passion. You may already have an idea how this story will end and you’re most probably right, yet give this film a chance. It doesn’t only show how important it is for children to find their own path and try something different from what their parents have planned for them, but also how much women can influence other women. Jessica is cooperating with Erick, but it’s her who supports Prerna the most and thanks to her the girl believes in her choices. What excites me the most is the fact that the film crew built a huge skatepark in Khempur in order to shoot scenes there and in the end, the skatepark was left for locals to be used. Now, it’s the largest skatepark in India that attracts skateboarders from all over country. I find it wonderful as it wasn’t anything temporary and currently ordinary people may profit from it. And one more thing – I was amazed by Rachel Sanchita Gupta, the actress who played Prerna. I had chills watching her in the film and I trusted her character fully, which made me sympathise with Prerna even more. Hope you’ll find a moment to see this film even if you’re not interested in skateboarding, as the story is much more complex than just doing sports.

My rating: 6/10
S.

What I’m about to show you is highly interesting. “Wrong” (2012)

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directed by Quentin Dupieux
© 2012 Drafthouse Films. All Rights Reserved.

I’m not a fan of surrealism because very often I feel like such productions could be made by literally anyone and there would be no visible difference. I know that a lot of people are fascinated by such strange images and stories, yet I find them difficult to stand. Still, I try to stay open-minded and when someone comes to me and says “hey, I’ve got a surreal film for you!” – I just smile and say “okay, why not?” Maybe I’m just too nice? Or perhaps I really want to start liking such productions and not just feel like I’m wasting time watching them. However, this film actually surprised me because even though it seems not to be from this planet, it was actually quite pleasant. It tells the story of Dolph (Jack Plotnick), who wakes up one day and realises that his dog Paul is missing. And in the next 90 minutes he will be searching for his pet while experiencing quite unusual situations and conversations. I won’t be surprised if you give this film a low rate – as I said, I’m not into surrealism myself. But in this case, I really liked the character of Dolph. He seems to be living in a world that he doesn’t understand. Like he’s the only one who notices that there’s something not right while everyone else ignore it and keep on doing whatever they’re doing. And I kind of saw myself in him, maybe that’s why I enjoyed the film in the end. For your information, this is a comedy, so it’s way more approachable than surreal dramas you might have watched. That is why I’m recommending you to see yourselves and find out what’s “wrong” with it (please appreciate my sophisticated pun here).

My rating: 6/10
S.

Why would I lie to you? “The Farewell” (2019)

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directed by Lulu Wang
© 2019 A24. All Rights Reserved.

Would you like to know that you’re soon about to die? On one hand, you would have a chance to manage some things and say goodbye to everyone. On the other, if you didn’t know what might happen to you, you would spend your last days feeling peaceful, completely unaware. Perhaps some of you know exactly which of those two options they would prefer, but things might get more complicated if it’s not ourselves we’re talking about. The main character of “The Farewell” is Billi (Awkwafina), a Chinese-American young woman living in the USA. One day she finds out that her grandmother (Zhao Shu-zhen), or as Billi likes calling her “Nai Nai” (informal way of calling “grandma” in Chinese), has been diagnosed with cancer. Terminal cancer. Doctors are giving her only few months to live. The young woman is devastated and wants to see her dying Nai Nai right away. However, her family has a different idea. Nai Nai doesn’t know about her condition and everyone wants to keep it all a secret from her. According to them, it’s better to let her live her life and pretend everything’s okay. Still, the members of the family want to see Nai Nai for the last time, so they decide to organise Billi’s cousin’s wedding in China, which would be a perfect excuse for everyone to gather and meet. I have to tell you that I almost cried watching this film. Even though they are all hiding the truth, you can really feel their affection towards Nai Nai. I believe this topic isn’t easy and if you’ve lost someone in your family, then you know exactly how much it hurts. Especially, if this person was dying of cancer of some other horrible illness. It takes time, you see them getting weaker and there’s nothing you can do. You know, I often say that I’m not a fan of Asian acting, because I find it too fake sometimes. This film is absolutely different. Even though it’s all about a lie, the story is incredibly real. I’m not surprised Awkwafina has received a Golden Globe for her performance, but at the same time I’m surprised why The Academy ignored this film. I know that it’s a bit controversial what I’ll say now, but, in my opinion, if The Academy wanted to appreciate Asian cinema, “The Farewell” was way better than “Parasite”. Oh yes, “The Farewell” is a Chinese-American production, but still, it’s much more consistent in its form than “Parasite”. Sorry, not sorry. Oh, and watch “The Farewell” till the end. Really worth it!

My rating: 8/10
S.