Gloria (2013)

Gloria: growing old regarding the body but growing wiser and stronger regarding the soul. The way to deal with life, to understand what is important and what is not, to deal with loneliness, problematic relationships and discover the strength we all have within us. A hymn to life despite its hardships. It makes one think that the song Gloria was written for this role (which of course is not the case!). An amazing performance by Paulina García.

My rating: 08/10

 

Frances Ha (2012)

A unique film conveying through the power of black and white, the feelings of love, loneliness, insecurity and the constant struggle of the self into accomplishment, to make the dream (or a part of it anyway) to come through, despite all odds. Honest, realistic, with short scenes following one after another, in accordance to the rhythms of an accelerated life. Aesthetically beautiful scenes intensifying the above. A film which has its funny moments but is more of a drama than a comedy.

My rating: 07/10

Chinese Take-Out (Un cuento chino) (2011)

For some weird reason I prefer the original title, i.e. “Un cuento chino” (a Chinese story) over the English translation “Chinese Take-Out”.

There are films one sees which have something to say and thus are considered important. In many cases however they are very, very depressing. Like the one in my previous post.

There are other films that have also a lot to say but they say it in a beautiful, appealing manner. When they end they leave you with a smile in your face, with a deep satisfaction that you saw something pretty, that may be there is hope in this world because the characters portrayed show a lot of the humanity and kindness we all have within. Do not miss it.

My rating: 10/10

Rent-A-Cat (2012)

 

Rent a Cat: Loneliness. Isolation. A hole in the heart. A cat that (even that if it is rented) may fill the void.A repeating pattern of different people with the same problem. Even for the renter 🙂 A different film worth watching.

My rating: 06/10

Sidewalls (2011) (Medianeras)

A parallelism between a chaotically growing city (Buenos Aires) vs. the chaos and solitude growing in the people’s souls. People living in apartments small like cages, with little light coming in from the sun, trapped in their own phobias, exhausted by trying to understand why and how they face the situation they are in.

There are a number of things I really liked about this film:

• The emotional exposure of the architect to the piano music heard in her apartment through the wall, which is given in an extremely powerful way.
• The way the heads of the architect and web designer formed a … heart in the bus stop scene
• The irony about the Internet which expanded communication and isolated us behind walls (double irony to have this written by a blogger, i.e. myself !!!!)

All the above and more given however with a sense of humor, in an intimate way that really touches one’ s emotions. Original scenario, excellent acting and a direction that makes its point.

One has to open a window to communication even if a wall – or sidewalls! – has to be broken and even if that is against the law: a symbolism that comes effortlessly in the open. A more optimistic artwork than “The Wall” of Pink Floyd :). It also has a happy ending!

My rating: 07/10