The Mayan renaissance that the entire film circuit had been hoping for came in the very first week of the month, as tickets soared, bringing smiles back to theatergoers. Factor in the opening of several summer cinemas this week, and we can perhaps expect even better results in the coming days. But several of the new premieres starting tonight will also contribute to that. Of the six premieres, of particular interest are the French courtroom drama ’The Girl with the Bracelet“, the also French psychological thriller ”Black Box“ and the British war historical drama ”Operation Kimash“. However, the film that will steal the heart of cinephiles will be the drama of the greatest Satyajit Rai ”Nayak: The Hero“, which is being screened for the first time in the country 55 years after its first screening.
The Girl with the Bracelet (La Fille au Bracelet).
French courtroom drama, produced in 2021, directed by Stéphane Demoustier, starring Melissa Guers, Rossdi Jem, Anais Demustier, Chiara Mastroianni, Ani Mercier and others.
French courtroom drama, which won the Cesar for screenplay and is a remake, but with several differences, of the recent Argentinean film “Acusada”, which was dominated by temperament, melodrama and the role of the family. In contrast, Stéphane Demoustier sets up a hearty courtroom drama, focusing on the affluent bourgeois family at the centre of a disaster, highlighting the paradox of two parents not knowing who their daughter really is, and the coldness with which they deal with their daughter's drama.
The story is about a 16 year old girl, a seemingly quiet girl, being arrested for the murder of her best friend, with no alibi, but with certain elements of the case in her favour. Two years later, it's time for court, as the girl is already under house arrest with a probation bracelet on her leg. The court hearing will reveal details of the girl's character that are completely unknown to her parents. She is not such a quiet girl, she lives an intense, promiscuous love life, she has relationships with other girls, including the victim. The girl has to deal with the relentless prosecutor, but also with the sexual stories that come to light. She remains impassive and seems to rely on the facts, but also on her sense of innocence about her friend's murder.
The film keeps and keeps raising the interest in whether or not the young girl is guilty or not, without any particular flashbacks or the suspense shifting to who is ultimately guilty. A case that, in addition to its interest, will give Demoustier the opportunity to comment on the social environment, the sexist attitude of the prosecutor, social networks, French youth, but above all on the alienation that has taken root in the family, which is more like four people - because there is the little brother, the only one who seems alive with his mischief - who simply live in a house and share obligations...
The performance of the young Melissa Gowers, who remains cold and expressionless throughout the film, without anyone being able to tell if she is really guilty or innocent, is mature, while Anais Demoustier is also close at hand in the role of the prosecutor. Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve's daughter Chiara is also in the film.
IN LITTLE WORDS... 16-year-old Liz is spending the day on an idyllic beach with her family when the police arrive and arrest her for the murder of her best friend. Two years later, Liz is under house arrest at her parents’ home while preparing for her upcoming trial, all the while wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. Her father anxiously watches her every move, while her mother has distanced herself from the family crisis and refuses to attend court. Some evidence is against Liz, but not enough to support a verdict against her. On the contrary, what seems to make her seem more guilty than anything else is her own attitude: a coolness that borders on apathy, on indifference. Even her own parents begin to doubt her innocence.
The Black Box (Bîte Noire).
Psychological thriller, French production of 2021, directed by Jan Goslan, with Pierre Nine, Lou de Laage, Andre Risollier, Olivier Rambourdin and others.
Well-structured and solid thriller that puts the glasses on the Anglo-Saxons, keeps the suspense until the end, avoiding clichés and easy solutions. Jan Goslan (“The Writer”) does not indulge in conspiracy the way his American colleagues usually do, proving with his well-written script that behind the events are most often hidden interests and lots and lots of money.
His hero, a genius black-box analyst of airplane black boxes, becomes embroiled in a dangerous story after a plane crash with 300 deaths caused by an unexplained crash of a brand new aircraft. Just when everyone sees a terrorist attack by some Islamic fanatic, he notices something else is going on. Going against his rational character, he will trust his instincts, but also some evidence that doesn't fit the official conclusion. A lot of strange things will still happen, but at some point it is obvious that the company is hiding the technical problem of the aircraft and its program that wants the pilot to be a spectator.
Apart from the obscure technological examination of the case, which will burn the brain of the protagonist and, at times, of the viewer as well, Gozlan will leave nothing to chance and will show that behind the various shocking events there are not strange and imaginative “conspiracies” but the course of money, which can distort everything, corrupt people and even kill them.
The simple and cerebral performance of the up-and-coming Pierre Nine is perfectly in keeping with the style of the film, while the rest of the cast is also on a good level.
In so many words... Mathieu is a talented young black box analyst. He is called upon to find the cause of a crash of a brand new aircraft when the authorities decide to close the case. Sure that something else is behind the accident, he tries to find evidence.
Operation Kimash (Operation Mincemeat).
A 2021 British and American war drama, directed by John Madden, starring Colin Firth, Matthew McFadden, Kelly MacDonald, Penelope Wilton and others.
A war spy film by the experienced John Madden, with a story that seems unbelievable, but is based on real events. Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) draws on one of the many bizarre stories of World War II to set up a harrowing war drama as he infuses it with fiction and constant surprises for the viewer.
Madden tells the story of two British Secret Service agents who had the idea of misleading the German services and Hitler about the landing of Allied troops in occupied Sicily in 1943, so that their troops would not meet the fierce resistance of the Germans. This was because the Germans were waiting for the Allied invasion of Sicily and needed a way to turn their attention elsewhere. So they find a corpse, load it with false classified documents and throw it overboard for the Germans to find and turn their attention away from Sicily.
The interest of the film lies in the game of lies and truth, or rather how lies protect the truth. Always in wars, truth and lies are closely linked, dancing a passionate tango in tight embrace. All the more so when intelligence agencies are involved. Madden makes the most of the inspiration of British intelligence and the usefulness of lying in a war, winding up the pace and suspense perfectly, though at times the film presents some gaps and subplots of little interest, which seem out of place against the scale of the actual events.
A typical example of a good British production that captures the mood of the times and features a cast of established actors, of which Matthew McFadden and Penelope Wilton stand out.
In a word... 1943: the Allies are determined to eliminate the threat of Hitler and plan a major attack on Sicily. They are faced with an impossible challenge: how will they manage to protect their soldiers from being slaughtered in battle? The ultimate responsibility lies with two secret agents, who devise the most unexpected strategy to disorient the enemy with the help of a dead man.
The Neighbours from Above (Sentimental).
Comedy, Spanish production of 2020, directed by Cesc Gay, with Belén Cuesta, Javier Camara, Griselda Cisigliani, Alberto San Juan and others.
We can't know what they laugh at in Spain, but Cesc Gay's film, based on a play by Cesc Gay, would like to be a witty comedy, but both the wit is exhausted by pretentious “wisecracks” and the comedy, with laughter coming rarely and hardly, is only halfway through, as the last part ends up as a daily drama of modern societies.
However, we are not talking about a completely uninteresting film and this is because its theme permeates a large number of couples today, with alienation, miserable everyday life, conflicts, the compromise of a marriage and even self-interest. Moreover, although the film is based on a play - and it seems to be, it doesn't disturb, as it takes place naturally in an apartment during a dinner party.
It all starts with yet another fight between the estranged husband and wife, who are celebrating 15 years of marriage. This time they fight over the wife's initiative to invite her young neighbours to dinner, who are annoying her husband, a tight-fisted failed pianist and music teacher, because of their intense and noisy sexual performances. The husband will relent and agree to the dinner, but will welcome them by bringing out all the sourness of his already twisted character. On the contrary, the young couple do not seem to be fazed, they try to be friendly, more relaxed and cheerful, and easily reveal that their intense love life includes other friends, but at most up to... eight!
This is one of the few jokes of the film, which at one point turns into a drama, bringing out all the problems of the married couple and making the viewer wonder how they can coexist without getting killed. This may be what civilization is all about....
However, in Gay's film the humour doesn't work, the dialogues that would raise the mood are missing, sometimes there is an unjustified wordiness, while the coexistence of the two couples, even for a short dinner, seems unnatural, with the offensive and inhospitable attitude of the musician. Thus, all that is left is the drama of the couple, which will bring out their innermost feelings and highlight the huge problem of relationships. But that's not what you call comedy, and more importantly, it proves, once again, that comedy is a very difficult genre, one that we already seek out with a lantern.
The misfortune for the film, however, continues with the colourless performances of the leads, of which the most notable is the taciturn (no coincidence) Alberto San Juan - who plays the flirtatious fireman and looks like Steve Martin, minus the grimaces.
In Words... Julio and Anna have been a couple for over 15 years. They don't look at each other or touch each other anymore and fights are their daily routine. One night, Anna invites the upstairs neighbours to her house. Salva and Laura are a little younger and brought a note of joy and optimism when they first moved into the building. The constant sighs and moans coming from their apartment, however, are a source of tension for Julio and Anna.
Virtual Restriction (Delo).
Drama film, Russian production of 2021, directed by Alexei German Jr., starring Merab Ninitze, Rosa Kaerulina, Aleksandr Pal, Svetrlana Khotchenkova and others.
With a fresh eye, Alexei German sets his sights on impersonal power, which oppresses people who insist on thinking with their own minds, resisting manipulation and propaganda, taking advantage of the Kafkaesque-inspired scenario in front of him. The son of the most important Soviet filmmaker German, following his father's spirit of questioning, he will set up a black satire in this, his sixth feature film, which has much to say about the current regime in his country.
His hero is a university professor who criticizes the municipal authority for corruption on social media and finds himself accused of embezzling public money and despite pressure and house arrest, with a probation bracelet on his leg, refuses to apologize.
The film, which is largely shot in a house, has an insightfulness that comes through in the dialogue, celebrates the human will for freedom, and the political and historical path of Russia is evident. Where the film and German's premise begins to blur is when he starts to get intellectual, but also some exaggerated situations that may or may not stick to satire, but not to drama.
However, the problem it raises is serious, remains unsolved and is of increasing concern to many people around the world who can cope with disinformation, brainwashing, manipulative tactics, but not with the power of state repressive mechanisms.
Satisfying performances, especially from the supporting cast, for a film that is timely and therefore screened in the A Certain View section at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
IN SOFT WORDS... A university professor criticizes the city government on social media. But instead of triggering an investigation against the corrupt mayor, he finds himself accused of misappropriating public money and under house arrest. Despite embarrassing police surveillance and extortion, betrayal of acquaintances and growing media interest, he remains steadfast in his views and refuses to apologise as his trial approaches.
The films are still being shown:
Nayak: The Hero (Nayak: The Hero). A masterpiece drama by the great Satyajit Rai (1921-1992), loaded with many awards, including the Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 1966. “Nayak” may not reach the levels of the classics of the famed “Apu trilogy” but it remains indicative of a cinematic greatness and a director who prized austerity and spoke directly to the heart. In other words, a cinema that is now sought after but in vain as it seems.
The story (script by Rai) revolves around a star of the Bengali film industry on a long train journey from Kolkata to Delhi to receive an award. The journey gives him an opportunity to re-examine his life through his interaction with his fellow passengers and his dreams - two dreams of incredible beauty that will captivate the viewer. He will meet an attractive journalist who will convince him to talk to her, revealing his mistakes, insecurities, secrets and his compromise with corruption. Behind the arrogant face of a star lies a lonely, troubled man in need of the warmth and understanding of his fellow man.
An experience for those who love good cinema, with the excellent Indian actor Uttam Kumar.
Fiery Fury (Firestarter).
A 2022 horror film, which has a certain interest as it is based on the classic book by Stephen King. Directed by, film horror specialist, Keith Thomas, the film will satisfy fans of the genre, but not those who want more than a horror. The heroine is a young girl who has the gift of creating fires like the use of a weapon of mass destruction, and for this reason her parents try to protect her from those who want to exploit her ability. With Zach Efron, Keira Armstrong, Sydney Lemon and others.
