"Without prior arrangement": a journey deep into yourself
The plot of Behrouz Shoaibi's film "No Prior Arrangement" is built around a woman named Yasmin, who grew up in Germany, but is forced to return to Iran due to the death of her father.
Yasmin did not know him, just as she was not familiar with her historical homeland, since she left it with her mother in early childhood.
Now she is traveling to Iran with her six-year-old autistic son.
The woman learns that her father bequeathed her all his fortune, and also instructed her to visit places that are significant to him.
As Yasmin gets to know her father's relatives and friends, travels to bequeathed places and observes how this has a positive effect on her son's condition, the woman begins to rethink life, death and her own views on happiness and well-being.
The further across the country the car with Yasmin goes, the more viewers are immersed in the inner journey of a woman deep into herself.
Gradually, her characteristic coldness and European stiffness are replaced by sensuality.
“Without prior agreement” is a psychological family drama that demonstrates that without knowledge about oneself and one’s origins, a person sometimes cannot find true happiness and peace.
In May 2022, the film was recognized as the best picture of the year by the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, and on September 2 it received the main prize of the MIFF.
© Shot from the film "Without prior arrangement"
"Maria.
Angel of the ocean ": when a woman is on a ship - unfortunately.
Even rubber
The plot of the film “Maria.
Angel of the Ocean" is inspired by real events that took place in Indonesia in 2016, when local fishermen caught an adult toy in the ocean and began to worship it, mistaking an unexpected "surprise" for an angel.
Taking this story as a basis, director Aruna Jayawardana gave free rein to his imagination and introduced an additional character into the narrative - a young man named Malan, who dreams of immigrating to Australia.
And from the first seconds of his appearance on the screen, it is surprising that the team of fishermen did not drown the guy - he is so annoying.
And when that same “Maria” (as Malan called her) appears on the horizon - a complex and even talking sex doll, a real mess begins on the ship.
The team that got along well with each other suddenly begins to quarrel with and without reason, the captain is decisively unable to restore at least a semblance of order, and Malan only does what annoys everyone around, but not with Australia, but with Maria, with whom he seems to be in love to the point of loss memory.
Apparently, Jayawardana in his film decided to cross a real story with an old maritime belief about women on a ship.
The misfortune actually happens, but already at the very end of the film, and has little to do with the team.
The cosplay of the famous scene from Titanic, in which the character of Leonardo DiCaprio shouts: “I am the king of the world,” looks funny and even somewhat sarcastic, hugging the heroine Kate Winslet.
It is worth emphasizing that Mary
Angel of the Ocean" is not a comedy, but a drama.
And we must not forget about this before viewing, so as not to be deceived in expectations.
The final twist of the plot turns out to be rather unexpected, which is good for the film, and adds a plus to the director's karma.
© Shot from the film “Maria.
Ocean Angel"
"Carpenters of Babylon": a film full of metaphors, or a film-metaphor?
The plot of The Carpenters of Babylon by French director Paul-Anthony Mil seems at first glance quite simple: it is the story of the priest Gaston Froissart (Jonathan Pino-Bonetti), who decides to change the garb of a pastor for the ascetic life of a monk in a remote monastery of Chartreuse.
But after some time, the diocese recalls him back and the young man, who longed to strengthen his spiritual connection with God in solitude, again finds himself in Paris, where he faces many trials, including a crisis of faith.
However, much more is hidden behind the seeming simplicity of the central storyline: the church's search for new ways to communicate with the flock, the question of relations between the sexes in modern society, the issues of creating a family and unwillingness to have children, the topic of sexual minorities.
Quite unexpectedly for a modern picture of a young French author, the characters of the film express thoughts that are extremely unpopular for Western mass culture: there is nothing good in feminism, because because of it men have degenerated, the value of the family and procreation are leveled, and the relationships between people themselves are becoming less and less strong. replaced by fleeting connections.
Moreover, the protagonist's sister makes a very intolerant LGBT joke, making fun of her companion's ex-wife.
Very bold for modern Europe - almost like a director's visit to Russia.
“Carpenters of Babylon” can hardly stand on the same level with the works of Tarkovsky, whom Mil admired, but the picture does not take metaphor and emphatically unusual form: supernatural elements are neatly woven into the relatively ordinary story of the protagonist and his relationships with others.
But in such a form and presentation that it is not immediately possible to realize that something strange is happening on the screen - even a meeting with a ghost at first seems like a collision with a Parisian eccentric.
And a seemingly simple story with rats falling from the ceiling of the bell tower, in fact, turns out to be not at all what it seems.
© Shot from the film "Carpenters of Babylon"
"Hives": what is the price of human life?
In search of a better life, people are often forced to leave their native lands, because for them there is nothing worse than unemployment, which results in hunger and poverty.
This topic is raised by the Peruvian director Luis Basurito in his tape "Hives".
The plot revolves around a 60-year-old man named Luis, who has served in the municipality for more than 30 years, but the new head of the city fires him.
In search of work, Louis decides to return to his native village, where 25 years ago, terrorists staged a massacre in which the man's parents and other peasants were killed.
Luis remembers what his father taught him and finds a new calling.
Basurito shows a fine line between work as a factor in the existence of people and an engine of development, on the one hand, and a mechanism for exploitation and exacerbation of social inequality, on the other.
For Peruvians, a relatively stable source of work is work in local governments, but this stability rests on a certain official.
As soon as the government changes, hundreds of people, unable to find a source of income in a short time, find themselves on the street.
The protagonist of the film, in a sense, was lucky.
As a child, thanks to his father, he mastered the family craft - beekeeping.
And he himself, with his industriousness, resembles bees.
The director does not rush his hero, who no longer fits into the fast and fussy pace of the city.
Slowly and calmly, the camera shows life through the eyes of Luis, and at the same time displays his heightened perception of the world, which forces the hero to look for a more reliable source of income.
© Shot from the film "Beehives"
"The Decision to Leave": "When your love died, mine was born"
Busan Police Department Inspector Jang Hae-joon (played by Park Hae-il) is a seasoned professional and an honest worker.
While investigating the death of a man who fell from a mountain, the inspector meets with the widow of the deceased.
Charming and smart Son So-re (Tang Wei), an immigrant from China, falls under the suspicion of the inspector: he has every reason to believe that she killed her husband, but the woman's iron-clad alibi confirms her innocence.
Hae-jun himself is happy with this outcome, because during his time with So-rae, he developed deep feelings for her.
However, the professional instinct of the inspector makes him tormented by doubts.
Further complicating the situation is the fact that the man is married.
The film premiered on May 23, 2022 at the Cannes Film Festival, where Park Chan-wook was awarded the Best Director award.
In his new film, as in The Servant, the director departs from the detective theme and puts the inner world of the characters at the center of the narrative - accomplished personalities who, in any situation, try to remain outwardly impenetrable.
The cinematographer pays great attention to the details, which at the end of the tape are assembled into one puzzle.
The acting is also top notch.
Especially fascinates Tai Wei.
She managed to keep the intrigue until the last minute, revealing the true motive of her heroine only at the very end of the film.
© Shot from the film "The decision to leave"