From the rare times that such an overcrowding of great movies is observed, within a week. The promising program, which starts tonight, consists of the four new films “The Path of Lost Souls”, by Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro, the Iranian drama “Deserted Country”, the Palestinian comedy “My Gaza Love” and his Greek documentary Apostolidis “Latin Noir”. In addition, the reprint and digital copies of Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece drama “Scenes from a Wedding” from the distant 1974, but always very relevant, are shown.
The Path of Lost Souls (Nightmare Alley). Drama thriller, American production of 2021, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, with Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Tony Colette, William Dafoe, Ron Perlman, David Strathern and others.
An evocative atmospheric neo-novel, combining psychological thriller with drama and mystery, by Oscar-winning Guillermo Del Toro (“The Shape of Water”, “The Labyrinth of Pana”) featuring a brilliant cast of stars and remarkable karate characters. , Cate Blanchett and Tony Colette, to Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara and Ron Perlman.
The Mexican director, based on William Lindsay Gresham’s book “Nightmare Alley” ¨, which was brought to the cinema in 1946 by Edmund Goulding with Tyrone Power in the best role of his life, does not make a remake of the old, classic film. as he approaches it with a different and modern look.
The story takes us back to the 30’s, having as protagonist an ambitious, charismatic and at the same time aristocratic man, who aims to succeed by literally pressing on corpses, selling his soul to the devil. He will find work in a touring troupe, a show of monsters and monsters, where some strange guys work, in needlessness, on the margins and sailing on alcohol. There he will realize his gift of manipulating people and will reopen within high society by targeting a tycoon, with the help of a psychologist, as dangerous as he can imagine.
Del Toro, slowly escalating the mystery and the agony, succeeds to a great extent to give the atmosphere of the time, utilizing the exceptional and dark photography, highlighting the moral alienation of a microcosm which, however, through its lens is magnified, generalized, mastered . The message of moral humiliation, of widespread aristocracy, of the madness of power that leads humanity into deeper darkness, is clear, though it gives the sense of incompleteness.
If we exclude Del Toro’s indecision to go even bolder in exploring the sick madness of people for power and its effects on social becoming, there are some scenario pitfalls he can not avoid and the waste of time, with some unnecessarily unnecessary scenes. and the duration of the film (2.5 hours), he seems even more mature to enter the dangerous paths of lost souls, which obviously fascinate him. And at the same time, to carry out a complex work, stylish, flawless in the representation of the time and the gloomy climate, to masterfully direct the cast, which reciprocates to the maximum the well-crafted, demanding characters.
IN A FEW WORDS τικός The charismatic and ambitious Stanton Carlisle joins a touring troupe and wins the favor of psychic Zina and her husband Pete. Soon, he will use his new knowledge to make money against the wealthy elite of New York in 1940. With pure Molly loyal to him, Stanton devises a trick aimed at a tycoon, with the help of a mysterious psychiatrist who can to be his most dangerous opponent.
The Wasteland. Drama film, Iranian production of 2020, directed by Ahmad Bahrami, with Ali Bagheri, Majid Farhang, Turaz Alvand, Farouh Nemati and others.
Magnificent visual drama, in black and white, a sample of the great Iranian school, by the “rookie” Ahmad Bahrami, who in addition to his talent shows that he has deep thought, but also the way to transform it into evocative images, to make a great cinema, which reminds us of bygone times. A film that, as time goes by, fascinates you, addicts you, fixes you and that justifiably won double awards at the Venice Film Festival and has been distinguished in many other festivals.
The film’s slow development may surprise some viewers, but they will soon feel that they are the masters of a cinematic ritual, one that in older cinephiles will bring to mind Kurosawa of acne or even Tarkovsky. And one more story – a brick factory owner wants to close it by leaving his workers and caretaker on the street, who has always normalized employee-owner relations and will have to oppose his boss for the first time – a parable about power and the mechanisms of manipulation but also of alienation. And at the same time, a story of a doomed love affair, proving that great loves can flourish even in the dusty, arid poor place, a remote area, forgotten by God.
A work of art, which reaches heights and due to the incredible work in photography, with impeccable framing and which gives the proper intensity to white and black, the light of life and the shadows that receive the hearts, highlights the harsh dryness of the inhospitable landscape , where a visceral story takes place and the central hero symbolizes the essence of selflessness. With a long continuous journey, Bahrami edits his story with inspiration, while commenting on taboo issues about Iran, such as alcohol, extramarital affairs, racial diversity, but also the businessman’s unconscious. Because closing a factory for new profits may be a daily occurrence in the West, but in Iran it is rather a sad event, a phenomenon of decline.
At the height of his story, Bahrami will lead us to the dark finale, which throws sparks from the ideas of its creator, who has the support of a remarkable cast, but also of a technical staff, which proves that money is not everything in cinema. .
IN A FEW WORDS .. In a remote traditional building materials factory, the caretaker Lotfola has been for years the successful intermediary between his owner and the workers, a meek instrument ready to appease any reaction. When he finds out that the owner of the factory intends to close it and leave the workers on the street, he will be forced to take a different position for the first time to protect the woman he is in love with.
Gaza, My Love (Gaza Mon Amour); Dramatic comedy, Palestinian, French and German production of 2020, directed by Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser, with Salim Doo, Yam Abbas, Maisa Abd Elhandi, George Iskandar and others.
A pleasant surprise from Palestine, is this light dramatic comedy of the Nasser brothers, which was screened at the festivals of Venice, Toronto and Thessaloniki, gaining impressions, but also proving that there is life even under the strict surveillance of Israeli drones and others. inhumane security measures in Gaza. People who dream, who still believe in love, beyond prejudices and the painful obstacles of a difficult daily life. The story of a 65-year-old fisherman who falls in love with a middle-aged woman and when he discovers an ancient statue in his nets, he believes that it can change his life as well.
A short film (in the eye), a simple story, reminiscent of Italian neorealism, which he aptly combines with magical realism and the comedy of the absurd. After all, the inhumane conditions in Gaza are irrational and can be addressed, apart from the unequal struggle of a people, only with humor, with discreet parody, with the optimism that all this may one day be a thing of the past.
The Nasser brothers, focusing on the romantic history of the two middle-aged and everyday life in one of the most populous cities in the world, discreetly allow the political commentary on what is happening in Gaza to develop, without being overwhelmed by the justified sense of militancy, to shout for the violation of basic human rights. Thus, the viewer, seeing a sweet love story, will unconsciously observe the context in which it develops, in order to realize the situation prevailing in Gaza.
The protagonist couple, Salim Doo and Yam Abbas, are very nice, they enter the characters they play with austerity and naturalness, while the deep charm that the female presences in the film radiate does not go unnoticed.
IN A FEW WORDS άζ Gaza, today. Issa, a 65-year-old fisherman, is secretly in love with Sheham, a woman who works in the market with her daughter. When he discovers an ancient statue of Apollo in his nets, Siham helps him hide it, while he feels that his life will change forever.
The movies are still being shown:
Latin Noir. An extremely interesting documentary by Andreas Apostolidis, which takes us on a journey through the police literature of Latin America. The award-winning director and author of detective novels explores how this generation of writers led the writing of noir mystery detective stories in an effort to tackle brutal state violence, increased paramilitary crime, and continued US intervention from 1970 to the present. As the Mexican writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II puts it, “how do you write a detective story in a country where the state is the main culprit?”
And yet there will be many notable writers who will find a way to highlight the difficult, indulgent, situation in their countries. Thus, from Buenos Aires, Santiago, Mexico City and Lima, the literary heroes of detective novels will be identified – detectives, journalists, prosecutors, etc. – who become witnesses and guides of a world radically transformed through revolutions, civil wars, economic crises and social upheavals. Wonderful peoples, often insulted by the developed world, as the last defense of a pervasive micro-psyche and a feeling that pride, courage and sacrifice no longer belong to the rational civilized world …
Scenes from a Marriage. Ingmar Bergman summarizes married life in a digitally reprint, perhaps at the most opportune time, as the two years of pandemics reveal that behind “jealous” marriages lies the interbreeding of couples. But all this was not known in 1974 to Bergman, who, however, could discern the problem of the relationship between a married couple, such as that of his story, with a university professor and a lawyer, who diligently hide their problem. relationship, until the time comes to free themselves from the shackles of marriage. This is because his film is to some extent an important commentary on the supreme primordial convention of mankind, marriage. A masterful film, as the great Swedish director, who in almost all of his films focused on interpersonal relationships, with surgeon movements watches the daily wear of the couple and in a slow, almost torturous way, reveals everything that kills their relationship. Liv Ullman, Erland Josephson and Bibi Anderson star really admirably.
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