Berlinale 2020 Review: Tsai Ming-liangโs ‘Days’
“Why are we watching if the directorโs gaze — and hence our own — makes us feel like weโre intruding spaces that should be left otherwise untouched?”
“Why are we watching if the directorโs gaze — and hence our own — makes us feel like weโre intruding spaces that should be left otherwise untouched?”
“‘Sweet Thing’ is creatively shot and bursting with energy, but Rockwellโs biggest ambition is seemingly to replicate a bunch of ideas from other films, to put visuals to his favorite songs and to showcase his talented family.”
Swedish Film Critic Jakob ร sell on the Sounds of Berlinale 2020
“Ferrara throws everything at ‘Siberia,’ turning it into a playground for emotive relation. But it is Dafoe, his muse, who so thoroughly brings the audience along with the randomness…”
“Reichardtโs story has the mythic quality of a fable, but refrains from moralising or casting judgement on the misdeeds and mistakes of its characters.”
“Hong Sang-soo’s cinematic apparatus might seem limited to some, but itโs in the endless repetition of the same movements that perfection is achieved.”
“Petzold’s use of fairytale is rote, but – as a piece of Sirkian high melodrama – ‘Undine’ is eminently satisfying.”
“Similarly to its lead, ‘Mogul Mowgli’ indicates its awareness of the big themes tied to the experiences of young British-Pakistani men, but doesnโt quite do all the legwork required to properly manifest a thesis.”
“‘Los conductos’ announces Camilo Restrepo as a visceral talent with the substance to back up his sublime imagery.”
“Franz and Fiala scale down Kubrickโs more expansive vision, and the result offers its own kind of skin-crawling satisfaction.”
“For those suffering from the same dissatisfactions depicted in ‘Touki Bouki’ and ‘Taipei Story’ —ย be they based on economics, vocation, familial and romantic relations or a broad national uncertainty — hope may be all there is. And that, at least, is something.”
“‘The Snake Pit’ became the first Hollywood film to address mental health in such a raw way, and set a standard for future films that similarly explore the topic.”
“The appealing leads spark with genuine onscreen chemistry, and Meghie capitalizes on a terrific supporting cast to vividly render past and present in complementary balance.”
“Tucked in our so-called privileged positions, we need to not only hold tight but also need to learn when to engage and when to let things go.”
“A film like ‘I Was at Home, But’ย tests its audience and never tells them if theyโre right, and therein lies the challenge. The point is not to โgetโ the film but to have thought about it and come up with a whole array of personal truths.”
“Though Sidney Lumet is by and large a classical filmmaker who privileges wide shots, staging and judicious framing over highly expressive techniques, ‘Daniel’ is one of his most formally adventurous works.”
“Schoonmakerโs contribution to ‘The Irishman’ may be her finest effort: she shapes an epic that masterfully controls pace — accelerating and decelerating it at will…”
“‘The Irishman’ may be the last film of an era. The banquet scene ranks among the most powerful sequences of Scorseseโs career because he allows it, following Viscontiโs example, to linger.”
“‘The Cloud in Her Room’ is an indie revelation for the dreamers. It invites collected reflections and quiet reminiscences; the eclectic images are a roaring statement.”
“‘Shell and Joint’ thrives in being carefully discovered by peeling away one layer after the other.”