Category: Film

Directed by Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb (2011) A couple months ago, I reviewed Mohammad Rasoulof’s Goodbye, the director’s first film since he was arrested on suspicion of conspiring against the Iranian government. Arrested at the same time as Rasoulof was his much more internationally famous colleague Jafar Panahi, and This Is Not a Film … Continue reading This Is Not a Film

Directed by Benh Zeitlin (2012) Beasts of the Southern Wild, the first feature by director Benh Zeitlin and his Court 13 filmmaking collective, was, by all accounts, the breakout hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A relatively low-budget effort that doesn’t feel like one, the film features compelling performances from mostly nonprofessional actors, as … Continue reading Beasts of the Southern Wild

Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve (2011) In Goodbye First Love (Un amour de jeunesse), Mia Hansen-Løve takes on the challenge of telling a story about a teenage relationship and its aftermath without romanticism or condescension, demonstrating respect for both her characters and her audience. Goodbye First Love portrays events occurring over eight years, and Hansen-Løve takes … Continue reading Goodbye First Love

Directed by Zuzana Liová (2011) The House (Dom), a recent Slovak film written and directed by Zuzana Liová, offers a nuanced take on the familiar coming-of-age genre, setting itself apart with carefully drawn characters confronting non-ideal circumstances in intriguing but believable ways. Eva (Judit Bárdos) lives in a rural village — the sort of place … Continue reading The House

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof (2011) Goodbye (Bé omid é didar), by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, is a carefully constructed and often chilling dramatization of the impact of political events in Iran on a person who has attempted to influence the direction of her society and whose livelihood and social position have been taken from her … Continue reading Goodbye

Dogtooth (2009) and Alps (2011) Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos Attenberg (2010) Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari Greek filmmakers and frequent colleagues Giorgos Lanthimos and Athina Rachel Tsangari have denied that their collective body of work constitutes part of a “Greek New Wave,” and Tsangari in particular has objected to the very concept of a Greek … Continue reading Selections From Recent Greek Cinema

Directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne (2011) The Kid With a Bike (Le gamin au vélo), the latest film by Belgian directors and Cannes favorites Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, stands out in some important ways from their last few films. While those works focused on adults who were placed in the position of making difficult … Continue reading The Kid With a Bike