Croatian director Ognjen Sviličić’s fifth feature film’s dedication to the minimal social realist aesthetic produces some touching reflections on the family unit outside of its overarching narrative.
The Pearl Button
Another nuanced and moving rumination from Patricio Guzmán tracing the contours of Chilean history in the natural phenomena that has born witness to centuries of human misdeed and injustice.
Iris
Though it probably won’t be spoken about in the same breath as the major films directed together with his brother David in the Direct Cinema heyday, Iris is a tempered, intimate piece of portraiture and a fine end to an important body of documentary filmmaking.
From What Is Before
Lav Diaz’s epic 6-hour opus is a solid cinematic experience, more than worth a look in a theatrical context if such an opportunity presents itself.
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown
For those just beginning to dip their toes into the Godfather of Soul’s universe, one could do worse than to start their education with Alex Gibney’s Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, on of three films by the director playing at this year’s Sydney Film Festival.
You Have To See… Poto and Cabengo (dir. Jean-Pierre Gorin, 1980)
Ivan Čerečina looks at Jean-Pierre Gorin’s unique documentary Poto and Cabengo (1980), the story of a pair of identical twins from San Diego who reportedly invented their own secret language.
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Lineup Announced
This year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival brings together an impressive lineup of 210 films from 45 countries.
Fish Tail
FISH TAIL is a sensitive and intelligent piece of personal documentary filmmaking from Joaquim Pinto (WHAT NOW? REMIND ME) and Nuno Leonel, focussing on the disappearing working methods of fishermen in the Azores as well as the relationship between filmmaker and subject.
The Water Diviner
As a film about the legacy of Gallipoli, Russell Crowe’s attempt to make a story that speaks to both Australian and Turkish history result in the first-time director over stretching himself.
You Have to See… Day of Wrath (dir. Carl Th. Dreyer, 1943)
This week on You Have To See… we look at Carl Th. Dreyer’s intense, slow-burning 17th century religious drama, DAY OF WRATH (1943).