Le Fil
Somewhat strange Franco-Tunisian film
that more than anything seems to have been shot as a vehicle for veteran local
Claudia Cardinale and to show off some of the lovely beaches. Cardinale as Sara is recently widowed and her
only son Malik returns from Paris to give her moral support.
He is a sophisticated architect and being gay
can face a tough time in this Muslim country and with mother who is in
denial. Malik played by the Indian
looking Antonin Stahly promptly falls for house boy Bilal and the two prove to
be great mutual support. Mother throws a
wobbly, there is a wedding to cover the reality but in the end they all live
happily ever after. Cardinale plays a
bit mad and looks well past her best and the young males are suitably discreet
but at least the actors try to work with material that i
s both confusing at
times and rather clichéd. The violin music is very heavy-handed, the
photography sloppy and the direction uneven.
The main value is to see a part of the world we know little of.
2 stars
What a compelling story told by Asghar
Farhadi in this multi-award winner from Iran!


Certainly an elegantly grey British film
about spying made in such a way as to keep us searching for minute clues and
trying to unpeel the layers of deception.
in a complete performance – discreet but at times compelling
and is well supported by a host of top actors in supporting roles like John
Hurt, Colin Firth, Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Predictable, uninspiring French comedy
that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be.

If you had a criticism of this film, it
would be that it reeks depression and hopelessness and as such is not an easy
film to watch.
as Henry the substitute
Moreover the photography and direction are
good and there are touches of logic in the crazy mood swings we seem to witness
in the film.
It might be David Cronenberg but this
didn’t wow me.
and has a dodgy
accent to match but in the end she breathes life into her scenes as does
Vincent Cassel as Otto Gross.
Sadly, this side of the two men leaves us with the image of dullish
academia however spicy the subject matter.
Unusual film from Hong Kong with a
number of features to like – the authenticity with which it treats issues like
death, funerals, sexuality, nudity and family ties in the 21st
century in China.
and
while it perhaps takes too long to tell its story in some places, it is
definitely different and shows us aspects of Asian life we don’t always
see.
Another Greek film on corruption, this
time a comedy.

but in the spirit, this is a wry,
amusing and not very original film that is nevertheless well produced and
entertaining given its setting and the times we are going through now.
Poignant story of a woman in late 19th
century Dublin who dresses up and lives as a man in order to get by in
life.
but
I would not say that she is that superb.
and Brendan Gleeson. Pauline Collins, Mia Wasilowska and others
perform well in supporting roles.
Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Oztepek
returns with another tale of society adjusting to gay relationships or vice
versa.
who reluctantly has to take over the family’s
pasta factory an is expected to be the heir and continue the family line.
