FOREIGN FILMS. “Sirat.” / “Brick.” / “Knocking.” / “Mont Foster.” / “Infierno Grande.”

“Sirāt” (2025, Hulu) Spanish/French drama road film. About a father who is in search of his missing daughter along with his son and a group of ravers in the deserts of southern Morocco. 


       This disturbing movie won several accolades at the 40th Goya Awards. At the 98th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound. “Sirat” also received honors in 2025's Cannes.

       This movie is a wicked reminder of friendship and isolation as it also shudders with the horror of abandoned mines in war-wasted geographies as refugees journey to safer grounds, and peace. 

       But there are no gunfires in this movie. Or humans in beastly combat. But emaciated travelers mostly dance in trance to electronica music. An inventive cinematic take by director Oliver Laxe. The sound of pounding bassline beats the conscience louder than an exploding bomb in the desert. 🎥💻📽


“Brick” (2025, Netflix) German mystery-thriller. A couple's apartment building is suddenly surrounded by a mysterious brick wall and must work with their neighbors to find a way out. 



       The start intrigued me but that's it. There's supposed to be some Armageddon of sorts that happened (or some shit) and people are trapped inside a building by a “supernatural” wall that can be controlled or manipulated by an app? Or some shit on your cellphone. I wasn’t really sure what's going on. 

        Because, apart from the obvious, I don’t really know what this movie is saying or trying to say. The characters’ initial response to some shit is obvious but after that, I don't get the rationale of their behavior twists. That's all.

        Writer/director Philip Koch is a confused computer nerd, I think. Or some shit. 🎥💻📽


“Knocking” (2021, Tubi) Swedish thriller. A traumatized woman seeks the truth behind mysterious knocking noises from the apartment above her. 



       The slow-burn intrigue of this indie thriller, directed by Frida Kempff, captivates like an electric shock crawl. In the background is a social issue that creeps and bothers as a traumatized woman channels reality and delusion.

       The majority of the movie's horror and warmth is channeled in Cecilia Milocco's closed-up shots. Powerful acting. 🎥💻📽


“Mont Foster” (2019, Tubi) Canadian/French drama. Freely adapted from the poem “Erlkönig” by Goethe, the film is about a couple spending time at an isolated cabin in the country, where the wife slips into insanity after seeing and hearing strange visions. 


       The film received two Iris Award nominations at the Quebec Film Awards in 2021, for Best Actor (Patrick Hivon as Mathieu, the husband) and the Audience Award. The better performance though was by Laurence Leboeuf as Chloe, the wife. 

       But other than the acting and the suggested symbolism (or poetry) behind Chloe's mental crisis, there's really no “middle” and “end” to this movie. 🎥💻📽


“Infierno Grande” (2019, Tubi) Argentine drama/road movie about María, a pregnant teacher who flees her violent husband in a small town in La Pampa to start a new life, journeying through the remote Pampean desert to the ghost town of Naicó. 



       This little film, written and directed by Alberto Romero, is all about underlying symbols: Emancipation, motherhood, courage and survival. Sans meandering ruminations or confectionary moralism. Just a simple, straight to the gut narrative. And Guadalupe Docampo's subtly nuanced performance essay of María. 🎥💻📽


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BASED on True Story or People: “The Lost Bus.” / “The Stanford Prison Experiment.” / “Escobar: Paradise Lost.” / “Polytechnique.” / “Miss Potter.” / “Last Days.”

Image
“The Lost Bus” (2025, Apple TV+) survival drama film directed by Paul Greengrass , who co-wrote the screenplay with Brad Ingelsby .         This movie is based on a rescue detailed in a section of Lizzie Johnson's book “Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire” about the 2018 Camp Fire , one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, which claimed 85 lives.        Mr Greengrass’ recreation of the disaster is terrifyingly authentic. It'd seem like the film's audience is actually there with the schoolchildren and their teachers and driver, inside the bus. You can almost feel the blazing fire and the searing heat.        Plus an outstanding performance by Matthew McConaughey as the driver Kevin McKee and America Ferrera as the teacher Mary Ludwig.        Recommended weekend family viewing. 🎥💻📽 “The Stanford ...
Read more

COMEDY: “Timestalker.” / “Drugstore June.” / “The Jesus Rolls.” / “Brave New Jersey.”

Image
“Timestalker” (2024, Amazon Prime) British historical science fiction romantic comedy . Agnes falls in love with the wrong man and then gets reincarnated and falls in love with him over and over again, travelling through 1680s western Scotland, rural England in the 1790s, 1980s Manhattan , and a post- apocalyptic 22nd century.         A few sequences kind of worked but the entire movie is a dull, tired and ho-hum derivative of the usual sitcom obligatories. What shows promise is comedian Alice Lowe, who also directed from her own script. Try again next time? 🎥💻📽 “Drugstore June” (2024, PlutoTV) crime comedy. After the pharmacy in her small town is robbed, June, a wannabe influencer Gen-Z twenty-something girl who still lives at home with her parents, takes matters into her own hands to solve the crime. The film stars Esther Povitsky in her first starring role, who co-penned the script with the director Nicholaus Goossen.    ...
Read more

INDIES: “A Small Fortune.” / “Sweet Virginia.” / “Goodland.” / “Slow West.”

Image
“A Small Fortune” (2021, Amazon Prime) Canadian crime drama. A man lives in a small village in Prince Edward Island makes a subsistence living harvesting sea moss on the coast, resisting the urging of his wife Sam that he leaves the province to look for more stable and well-paying work. One day he finds a large stash of money on the beach and hides it for himself.         This noirish “thriller” is pretty well-acted to complement the crisp writing and minimalist direction. Reminds me of the Coen brothers’ classic “ No Country for Old Men .” To think that this indie is Adam Perry's feature directorial debut, an expansion of his earlier short film “A Blessing from the Sea.” He needs to make more movies, this guy. 🎥💻📽 “Sweet Virginia” (2017, Tubi) neo-noir thriller. In a small town where there has been a spate of recent violence, a former rodeo star meets a young man who he develops a burgeoning friendship with. However, he is unaware of his new...
Read more