IviDvo

The only thing I knew about Anora before the festival was that it was supposed to be about a stripper who meets the son of a Russian oligarch, and very quickly they want to get married. And I think that's pretty much all you need to know. When it gets here, go see it in the theater and I promise you'll have a good time. You'll get a solid dose of harmoniously balanced drama and comedy. What I found very interesting about this film is that I actually didn't find most of the characters entirely likeable, (which is usually what I need for a film to fully draw me in), but I still enjoyed it immensely because it's played to perfection by the entire ensemble cast. So I'm quite happy about the Palme d'Or award at Cannes. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

Demi Moore is back! And in a banger like this! When my friend asked me what it was about, I said: something like Death Becomes Her, but more modern, more revealing, more honest, more daring, more raw, more psychological, and most importantly... bloodier! I had an incredible time, but the film also made me think. I don't have to burden myself with ageing at the moment, but it's coming, and I'm surrounded by women who are at a similar stage of life to the main character (just not famous), and I can see that it's a heavy burden. The body isn't as fresh and firm as it used to be, men don't turn on you anymore, and the terrible way it can play with the psyche, and self-esteem, I think that's portrayed perfectly. What are we going to say, the world has always been, still is, and probably always will be putting a huge emphasis on looks. And then a sleazebag like the one played by Dennis Quaid defines you, your worth, and your life: a perfect contrast. For me, the movie experience of the year, which I will, despite the final over-the-topness and absurdity, gladly give a second viewing. [Festival de Cannes 2024]

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is an intimate but powerful family drama. In the first part, we gradually get to know all the members of the family. How social events in the country affect them, but also the more personal changes brought about by the father's job promotion, which means the family is more careful, vigilant and deliberate about who they associate with, who they say what to, etc. The family seems to be living a quiet life until the day they have to treat a friend of one of their daughters who has been seriously injured while attending a demonstration. This sparks the first rift between mother and daughters, but everything is kept from the father, who is rather absent in the first part of the film. In the second part we follow the hunt for the truth about the missing service weapon. Slowly the character of the father is revealed as he suspects his daughters and slips into the interrogation practices he has adopted from his work. In the finale, it then feels a bit like a kind of Iranian version of The Shining. This transition could have been a great idea, but unfortunately it didn't really work for me because the characters stopped behaving logically. I don't understand why everyone involved let it go so far, their actions didn't seem rational at all, on the contrary it was completely unnecessarily escalated. If they had shortened the first part and given more space for us to get to know the father figure more deeply, maybe everything would have made a lot more sense. But at the same time, the first part of the film is much more interesting because it holds up a mirror to society. It reveals the differences between the older, more conservative generation, for whom God is the law, and the younger generation, who yearn for more freedom, a more meaningful system and justice. Had this been the main theme of the film, I think it would have had a much greater and stronger impact. [Festival de Cannes 2024]