The process of exploring Shoojit Sircar’s cinema in several ways is meditative, irrespective of their quality. It feels like watching a flavorful bowl of soup – simmer and boil into perfection – with the minor ingredients immersing into the sumptuous base to turn into a thick, nutritious blend. Sircar’s latest […]
Read Time : 4 Minutes
‘Luzzu’ review – a heartbreaking Maltese film that glows in its neorealistic beauty
Some occupations go defunct with time. Much like the species of fish that gradually succumb to extinction amid climate change, the fishermen in Malta are falling prey to occupational erosion. Local filmmaker Alex Camilleri’s feature debut Luzzu presents this tricky situation where tradition gets consumed by the need for a sustainable livelihood. […]
Read Time : 3 Minutes
Nedumudi Venu Passes Away Leaving a Giant Void in Malayalam Cinema
Malayalam cinema veteran NedumudiVenu is no more. Not only did he appear in 500+ films but the actor in his three-decade-plus career was synonymous with quality. Be it in supporting parts, in villainous, or in occasional lead roles, the actor managed to leave an indelible stamp – in every film […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
‘Bergman Island’ review – Mia Hansen-Løve conceives a clever, meditative auto-fiction
French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve’s work is known to resonate with a strong auteurial voice. Her cinema deals with intimate characters who delve deep into their minds – which often is a reflection of the director’s own mindscape. Hansen-Løve’s latest film Bergman Island may appear to be a spellbinding ode to Ingmar […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
10 Best Films from the 74th Locarno Film Festival, Ranked
The 74th edition of Locarno Film Festival was a grand fiesta of feature, documentary, and short films. While I watched an assortment of titles at the festival that was held from August 4-14, this list comprises of the finest feature film titles, in the reverse order of my preference: 10. […]
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Locarno Review: ‘Holy Emy’ is an immigrant drama with masterful strokes of body horror
“There is nothing more humbling than a body that doesn’t live up to your desires. What are we if not our bodies?”, quizzes a healer in Araceli Lemos’ fascinating debut fare Holy Emy (Agia Emy). This intriguing line exposes how powerful an element is the construct of the physical body […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘#Home’ review – Malayalam family drama manipulates its way into your heart
Director Rojin Thomas’s Malayalam film #Home is an impressive case study. One that tells the story of a slightly dysfunctional family, the film cleverly masquerades as a neglected father’s tale while slyly guilt-tripping his children. In the early 2000s, Sheela-Jayaram starrer Manasinakkare managed a similar feat but the Sathyan Anthikad […]
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Locarno Review: ‘Secret Name’ is an intimate tale of three women during World War I
Directed by Aurelia Georges, La Place d’une autre (Secret Name) is a tale of poverty, war, identity theft, and deep, unexplained affection. Set amid World War I in France, the film tells the tale of Nelie (Lyna Khoudri) who, in an attempt to escape her life of misery, decides the […]
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‘Shershaah’ review – Sidharth Malhotra headlines an utterly generic war drama
One of the reasons why mainstream Bollywood is losing the foothold it once enjoyed is easily the genericness of its content. It is no flash news that contemporary Hindi cinema churns out films as if they are generated out of a stencil and director Vishnuvardhan’s hugely hyped war drama Shershaah […]
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Locarno Review: ‘Shankar’s Fairies’ is a reflective journey to 1960s India
There is nothing that equates to the tenderness of childhood. Our growing-up years are filled with endless questions, dollops of curiosity, and many mesmerizing stories. Director Irfana Majumdar’s Hindi language film Shankar’s Fairies set in 1962 portrays a network where a bright little girl Anjana (Shreeja Mishra) forges a bond […]