Tagged locarno 2021

From its title, 100 Minutes would seem to condense the concept of Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (the film’s Russian title makes this connection more explicit). Instead,...

The greatest strength and weakness of Monte Verità - Stefan Jäger’s Swiss historical drama set in 1906 Locarno - is the fact that it so excellently, yet uncritically, evokes its time. Modern art, dance,...

Nélie (Lyna Khoudri) sees no future for herself on the streets of 1914 Paris. A chance encounter with a Red Cross nurse, however, seems a ticket out of prostitution, and her resourceful work on the front...

The unlicensed fisherman of Ostrov, an island in the Caspian Sea, often see themselves against the world. Left to their own devices after the breakup of the Soviet Union, local patriarch Ivan cannot help but...

There are faint echoes of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale The Snow Queen in Natalya Kudryashova’s second feature, but this modern Russian fairytale finds its nature magic up against dreary...

By trade, a documentarian deals in records. Aleksandr Rastorguev was no exception. A prolific documentary filmmaker known for works critical of Russia’s political regime and business interests, he was found...

Many people fantasise about living a life more in tune with nature, but imagining what that might look is more difficult. Daniusa and Basia live such an existence in rural Poland. Bucolic (Bukolika) is a...

Riley (Kit Zauhar) struggles as she approaches graduation. A final paper earns a failing grade, landing her in a remedial summer course to get her full diploma. Meanwhile, she goes heart over head in pursuit...

From the Planet of the Humans (Dal pianeta degli umani) defies easy categorisation. It is a dreamlike documentary, fictionalising a border checkpoint at Ventimiglia where migrants often make perilous crossings...

On the surface, Hleb Papous’ film bears many similarities to 2020’s vaunted Les Miserables. The Legionnaire (Il Legionario) is similarly concerned with tensions between immigrant communities and the...

Teenage years are often remembered for their extreme physical, emotional, and societal changes, and cinema has long immortalised these transformations to tell stories of discovery and danger. In Araceli...

Stojan might be stuck in a dead end job as Serbia adjusts to a post-Soviet economy. His daughter might not have the newest, coolest shoes, and the refugee crisis is on everyone’s lips. But he is happy,...

The Magway region of central Myanmar may be home to one of the world’s oldest petroleum industries, but the business’ possibilities do not trickle down to those extracting the lucrative product from the...