Tag Archives: film review

SFIFF56: Habi La Extranjera by María Florencia Álvarez

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

This first feature film by the talented María Florencia Álvarez is a breath of fresh air: perfectly-paced, funny, kind, observant and sympathetic to the ways in which we play with different identities. Ms. Álvarez has a wonderful instinct for that … Continue reading →

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SFIFF56: The Last Step (Peleh Akhar) by Ali Mosaffa

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

A sophisticated piece of storytelling: Mr. Mosaffa shows us how it’s done. He has a sure hand, confident in his non-linear storytelling and in the rich emotional world his actors create. This film is a sophisticated meditation on the stories … Continue reading →

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SFIFF56: Chimeras by Mika Mattila

First-time filmmaker Mika Mattila did not intend to make a documentary “about China.” As a foreigner, and in particular as a Westerner, he did not feel comfortable making a film “about China,” even as he resided and worked there for … Continue reading →

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SFIFF56: Memories Look at Me by Song Fang

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

Song Fang’s first feature film honors the most simple yet necessary of human endeavors: maintaining family ties. That Miss Song films her own family is both moving and familiar – by the end you start to feel like a part … Continue reading →

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SFIFF56: Mai Morire by Enrique Rivero

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Enrique Rivero’s second feature film takes us back to Mexico, this time to the beautiful landscape and waterways of Xochimilco, where boats are the main mode of transportation. We are reminded of the river Styx and its ferrymen carrying people … Continue reading →

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Less is More: Animated Shorts at SFIFF56

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

The distinction between “form” and content” is not useful in this category. Which came first? Which informs what? Which is the story or the design? And indeed in several shorts (“The Deep End,” “Model Starship”) there isn’t a story – … Continue reading →

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SFIFF 56: Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon

Posted on April 28, 2013 by

The bright spots: Nathan Filion as Dogberry; the Britanick guys playing Dogberry’s minions; a beautiful rendition (arranged by Joss Whedon) of “Sigh No More;” a fun, spontaneous and Shakespearean feel; and, wonderful, contemporary design direction – muted black-and-white, bossa nova, … Continue reading →

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Masculinities: The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

Posted on April 12, 2013 by

I was raised on Scorsese films. In Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, and others, masculinities are best expressed within the confines of groups (gangs). The group is defined by exclusion – it excludes women, other men who are … Continue reading →

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L’Amour Fou (2010)

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

From the opening credits, you know that this film will be about beauty. First there is the haunting piano score by Come Aguiar, which recalls something like a Claude Sautet film. The opening titles are as gentle and quirky as … Continue reading →

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Sympathy for the Devil: the Editrix in Film

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

In The Devil wears Prada, I realize we are meant to empathize with the earnest writer-turned-fashion-assistant Andy Sachs. She nearly sacrifices her writing career, loses her chef boyfriend, has to ditch her comfortable clothes, and is at the service of … Continue reading →

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