October 10, 2024

My Old Ass (2024) ****

A wonderful, magnificent film about love, but very different from a typical romantic comedy, although it is that too, but also so much more. A queer film about a young girl falling in love with a boy. A comedy about a 18-year old girl meeting an older version of herself at 39. A Canadian movie about a family that isn't fuck up at all, not even a little bit. A rare gem.

A Complete Unknown (2024) ****

Excellent biopic about a key period in Bob Dylan's career - 1961 to 1965. Great songs, great performances and a fabulous reconstruction of that era, when the American folk music would discover an electric guitar.

Flow (2024) ****

Fabulous animated feature from Latvia. It's the story of a cat whose life is upended by a massive flood, leading to an unexpected and touching alliance with a diverse group of animals: a capybara, a bird, a lemur, and a dog. Not unlike "Ponyo" (2009) and "Life Of Pi" (2012), but surprisingly different in a variety of ways.

Babygirl (2024) ****

Excellent erotic drama starring Nicole Kidman as a masochistic CEO who engages in an adulterous affair with a young intern.

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (2024) ****

Set during the anti-hijab protests in Iran, it's a tense, surprising drama about an investigative judge who finds himself in a tug-of-war against his wife and two daughters. The film was secretly shot in Iran by dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof, who is now wanted by the police in his own country, where he has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine and the confiscation of property. However, he managed to escape from Iran to attend the Cannes Film Festival, where he received a Special Award for his film.

Emilia Perez (2024) ****

Surprising and amazing French film set in Mexico, with a story straight out of a Latin American telenovela, stunning musical numbers, a powerful political message and superlative acting performances from Karla Sofia Gascon, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Adriana Paz (who all won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival).