The Odysseey (Christopher Nolan, 2026)

 A more than 2,500-year-old epic in Ancient Greek and a film shot entirely on IMAX. Can that work together? It works remarkably well. I have to say that I watched the standard version, so my impression might have been different if I had seen it the way Nolan intended. I found the lighting problematic at times, as well as the sound mix.

First, the narrative structure. Nolan reminds us that the Odyssey was meant to be recited. The film starts with a bard introducing the hero Odysseus, but this version is interrupted almost immediately, giving us a hint that we might be seeing a different kind of hero. Let's see.

The Trojan War ended ten years ago. Most of the warriors have returned; only Odysseus and his men are still missing. As in the epic, his son Telemachus sets out to seek news of his father at the court of Menelaus. Menelaus' wife Helen was the reason the war started in the first place. Telemachus is also fleeing from a plot to murder him. Meanwhile, at Odysseus' court, a group of suitors is trying to persuade his wife Penelope to remarry—and her son, as the rightful heir, would only stand in their way.

So there is no news about Odysseus—not even for us—until he is eventually introduced. This also happens only after some time in the epic. Odysseus has washed up on the island of Calypso, where he spends seven of the ten years covered by the Odyssey. What happened before is told through flashbacks. Two different characters recount the earlier events, and while the result is occasionally a little clumsy, it works well overall.

Some of the creative decisions were heavily debated after the trailer was released. Some self-important people criticised the fact that Helen is dark-skinned. They argued about the shape of the ships, the American accents of the characters, and the absence of Greek actors. Guys, this is a myth. What would we gain if the film were spoken in Homeric Greek? Exactly—nothing. Demanding historical accuracy from a myth misses the point. Besides, dark-skinned Helen has barely two minutes of screen time. If that's a deal-breaker, this probably isn't the film for you..

And by the way: in Nolan's version, the gods interfere—or maybe they don't. Nolan leaves it deliberately ambiguous whether the gods truly intervene or whether Athena is simply a projection of Odysseus' traumatised mind. This Odysseus is not a conventional hero, but a man who questions his own responsibility. Yes, he is the cunning trickster, but he also realises that the Trojan Horse undermined the moral foundations of their civilisation. The Greeks won by betraying their own values. He feels responsible for those who were left behind, the forgotten casualties of the war. And he hopes that culture may yet experience a new dawn. 

An Odyssey for our time.

Rapportpigen (1974, Knud Leif Thomsen)

 In Denmark all Danish productions are called "pearls", so today I watches a "pearl from the Danish film trasure". Let's have a look what ia considered pearl level in Denmark.

Vivi is a factory girl. Her boyfriend lives off her and else he is most of the day in bed. It seems that he is ploughing through classical poems that could become texts for a song. Vivi's salary is not enough to feed his need for steaks. In short, there is a need for money. So he persuades her to pose for a sex magazine. Those were the "liberated 70s". She asks, however, if people are talking too much about sex - probably this is meant as a touch of reflection. 

A stalker spots Vivi as she tries to get away, the stalker just in time manages to jump on the bus. Interesting to see that then you were allowed to smoke on a bus. Interesting as well that the stalker openly reads his sex magazine. Those were the times.

On the bus is the man hater Harriet, a woman in her 40s.  Before  we know it Vivi is in Harriet's house. Harriet intends to bring the war of the sexes to a new level. And indeed also the script reaches new levels of stupidity when Harriet tries to seduce the stalker. 

This film doesn't know what it wants to be. A comedy without jokes? A thriller without suspense? A sex film without sex? Or just a reflection on stupidity in society.

IMDb attributes 118' to this junk. Thankfuly my vefsion has 40 minutes less.

Never to be seen again.

2/10

 

Hata Göteborg (2007, Robert Lillhonga)

 Streaming services are in eed of good films. They need to dig up films for our viewing pleasure. Most often these films managed to be under the radar when they were around. It is unlikedly that we will meet underrated masterpieces, but some might get a second chance. 

Hata Göteborg is about hooliganism. I have the idea that it is supposed to be a drama, but to me it is surprizinglu unengagimg. There are various scenes of beating ups, binge drinking and foul talking. At the end one of the gang might quit violence.

Disappointing.

(6/10)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023, Hettie Macdonald)

The biggest surprise of today is that my miserable blog is still around. I have been kicked out from sites,because I didn't login often enough, but this miserable orphaned blog of mine is still around. I think, I should care of it a little more. I realize that it is mostly read by search bots. At least it can be there  for me to remember what  have seen.

So today it was a British film. Before i was undecided whether to call something a movie or a film. Now I know the difference and will stick to the notion film. A film from the UK thus with an old-fashioned appeal, a message so clear that you can cut it out with a butcher's knife and no surprises on the way. Obviously a film that should suit my biology.

One morning Harold gets a letter. Queenie informs him that she has cancer and is going to die.Queenie used to be a colleague when Harold was working at the brewery. Harold want to tell her a letter, telling her that he is sorry, but then a talk with a girl at the garage makes him realize that he should do something more. He gets the idea that he should walk to her and that then she will live.  

At this point we know that there must be some unfinished business. On his trip Harold has many occasions to reflect about his unfinished business. He had a son with serious issues. Harold couldn't get through to David and finally he killed himself. His wife, yes, Harold is married to Maureen couldn't cope and that was basically the end of their marriage.

6/10

Špína ([Filth], 2017, Teresa Nvotová)

 Teresa Nvotová made several documentaries before she presented her first feature Filth. Her take of the drama unfolding in less than 90 minutes is also observing, without judging and empathy. The characters reveal themselves.

The film starts with a electroshock therapy. The next 50 minutes or so tell us, how 17-year-old Lena got there. At the beginning of the flash back Lena is an ordinary girl. Once in a while she skips classes and talks with her Róza about sex and how it feels to have an erected sticky penis in hand. They adore their math teacher Robo. Robo also looks after Lena's physically challenged brother and gives Lena extra lessons in her home. Things go wrong from here, when Robo gets physical and rapes Lena. He leaves her with the trauma. Next she is trying to commit suicide and then we meet her in a psychiatric ward. Things run fast, as Nvotová at this point is not very much interested in Lena's development. Most of the film deals with the scandalously bad state of the health system in  Slovakia. 

The psychiatric hospital is close to criminal neglect,the doctor in charge seems worse than nurse Ratched. What they therapy makes things worse. Lena's co-patient Iva was raped by her father, but the doctor doubts her story. Iva and Lena joke about different ways to commit suicide. When the doctor finally releases Iva, it is no longer a joke. She takes her life. 

Although Lena's mother has doubts, she believes the doctor that am electric shock would benefit Lena. We finally concentrate on Lena's story. Her mother insists that she is discharged. She returns back to some kind of normality. Scumbag Robo is forced to confess his crime, but will he have to pay for it. At the end Lena rejects a  boy, but we don't know if she does so because she now is an independent woman or because the scars on her soul prevent her from the commitments of a relationship.

Filth doesn't really know what it wants. The life in the psychiatric hospital are told in some detail. Nvotová uses real in-mates from psychiatric hospitals who play versions of themselves and real actors. Those scenes are directed very skillfully. The story of Lena is told in a rather sloppy way, more like "Last Time on Filthy" than showing the development, the inner conflicts and the final resolution. Now it is more like a two in one film.

6/10 

Marco effekten (2021, Martin Zandvliet)

 Filmene om Afdelig Q og Carl Mørck er rimelig populær og vellykket. Men bøgernes forfatter, Jussi Adler Olsen, var ikke begejstret. Man siger, at Nikolaj Lie Kaas som Mørck ikke faldt i hans smag. Det er nærliggende, at sammenligne de forrige film og kontrastere, hvad der fungerede godt før med den nye version. Men filmen skal stå på sine egne ben.

Lad os, om Marco effekten leverer en god film. Allerede mens titlerne kører, hører vi nogen ånde meget dyb. En ung mand står på kanten af et højhus og truer med at kaste sig ned. Mørck prøver, at tale ham fra det. Uden held. Manden styrter i døden uden at det tager særlig på Mørck. Han bliver dog hjemsendt for at sunde sig. - Vi klipper til et tog. En dreng er på vej mod Danmark. Han nyder turen, indtil han kommer til grænsen. Panikslagen gemmer  han sig på WC'et. Grænsepolitiet står med hunde (!) på perronen. Det er ikke helt ligegyldigt, om filmen skaber en genkendelig realitet eller om den foregår i et univers. Ja, det koster nok flere penge, at filme på Padborg station. Denne skæve version af Danmark irriterer fra starten.

Drengen har en side fra en dansk embedsmand på sig. Han forsvandt for fire år siden og der var anklager om pædofili. Noget for Afdeling Q. Carl Mørck kan ikke holde ud at være hjemme. Han gik heller ikke til Psykolog. I stedet for vil han hellere rode i andres lort. Så opklaringen kan gå i gang. I cirka en time skal vi dog se på arthouse-agtige nærbilleder af Mørck og hvordan snasker nikotin tyggegummi. Drengen er tavs og brikkerne fra puzzlet forbliver brikker. Det er nærmest ikke muligt, at afgøre, om filmen skal handle om noget.  

Efter en time flygter drengen og fører Mørck og hans team til bagmændene. Nu går det over stok og sten og i farten glemmer vi adskillige mellemregninger. Andre tråder bliver hel glemt. Sjusket editering eller bare dårlig manuskript? Det er forresten meget lidt overraskende, hvem der er skurken. 

Mørck er i denne version en sur midaldrende gnavpot med sociopatiske træk. Han er nærmest en tese. Ulrich Thomsen prøver at give sin karakter dybde, men han får ikke meget at arbejde med. Bipersonerne er i denne version kun kulisser. En fuser.

3/10

 

Dzień świra (2002, Marek Koterski)

 The "Day of the Wacko" has cult status in its homeland, but I first heard about it almost 20 years after its publication. I don't often laugh out loudly, while watching a film, but this was one of the few occasions. Dzień świra is definitely not a "knee-slapper". Is it a comedy or maybe rather an absurdist tragedy? 

Adaś, the sad wacko, uses most of his energy to be irritated about his neighbors, actually everybody who crosses his OCD routines. His egoism could be enough for a minor village. While his relations with other people is -hm - problematic, he tries to relate to his son, who is not very intellectually gifted (fragment from their review of the English language: "To be, fuck it, or not to be").  Although he tries intensely to avoid disturbances, there seems to be a secret conspiration to make his day as bad as possible.

This film would lose when the plot would be retold. It would sound rather flat. It has to be seen as a whole, with every  joke and hilarious idea. And what a firework it is. People outside Poland may not catch every allusion, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Marek Kondrat's deadpan acting is superb, the soundtrack - especially the distorted Chopin  is brilliant. And the titles inform, that no dog was kicked during the making of the film. Essential viewing.

9/10

A boring day in the neighbourhood

TV informs about important affairs

Mom's tomato soup is universal medicine

Advertisements for several unusual products

Evening Prayer

Deutschstunde (2019, Christian Schwochow)

 Am grauen Strand, am grauen Wattenmeer liegt abseits die Polizeistation Rugböll. Dort leistet der Polizist Jens Ole Jepsen Dienst, nein: er tut seine Pflicht. Er hat mit seiner Frau, die ihn mehr fürchtet als liebt, immerhin drei Kinder in die Welt gesetzt. Klaas, der älteste Sohn, ist In Krieg. Hilke, ihre Tochter, ist oft weg. Nur Siggi, der jüngste, ist dem strengen Regiment des Vaters dauernd ausgesetzt. Einziger Lichtpunkt, zugleich Gegenpol zum häuslichen Über-Ich, ist der Maler Max Ludwig Nansen.Dieser, oft wird er auch bloß der Maler genannt, malt Bilder, die dem Regime nicht gefallen. Das Regime hat brschlossen, dass diese Bilder krank sind. Nansen und Jepsen sind langjährige Freunde.  Als Nansen Malverbot erhält, übermittelt der pflichtgetreue Jepsen den Beschluss und überwacht eifrig, ob das Verbot auch eingehalten wird. Siggi ist Nansens Patenkind und gerät so allmählich zwischen die beiden Männer. Der Vater will nämlich, dass er den Maler ausspionieren soll. Siggi gerät in Gewissenskonflikte, die ihn schließlich aufreiben.

Der Stoff ist - leider - immer noch aktuell. Ist Pflicht nur Befehlsausführung? Ist die Eigenverantwortung für Handlungen aufgehoben, wenn sie von einem Befehl gedeckt werden? Diese Diskurse sind nicht nur in der Deutschstunde relevant. Schwochow arbeitet diesen Komplex kompetent ab und bebildert ihn mit düsteren Landschaftsbildern. Viele Einstellungen könnten sind malerisch schön, wie Gemälde eben. 

Vor dieser Kulisse agieren die Darsteller, ohne etwas von ihrem inneren Leben zu offenbaren - das Drehbuch gibt ihnen wenig, mit dem sie arbeiten könnten. Um Siggis Handlungen im letzten Viertel des Film verstehen zu können, muss man sogar den Roman heranziehen. - Es ist indessen, ein feiner Zug, dass der Film auch das offene Ende, den Gang ins Leben, übernimmt. 

Vielleicht will Deutschstunde eine Art Weiterführung von Michael Hanekes Das weiße Band sein. Allerdings: während Hanekes Film weiterhin irritiert und anregt, ist Schwochows Produkt sicherlich gut im Deutsch- und Gemeinschaftskundeunterricht einsetzbar.

6/10

 

Colorless [Sarugakucho de aimasho] (2019, Takashi Koyama)

 I am thankful to the administrators of the Udine Far East Film Festival for making a big portion of their offerings available for online viewing. This might be my only chance to see this film, which isn't even registered on IMDb. Thus I fear  that this is going to be one of those films that only circulate un festivals and never come out to be a bigger public. 

It is not easy to gather information about this film. It was presented at the 2019 Tokyo Filmfestival. 

Haru Nemuri wrote a clever script. There are three chapters: 1. June - July 2019; 2. March 2018 - July 2019; 3. After August 2019. They are respectively 40, 30, and 50 minutes long - again a hint of careful composition.

There are motives throughout the films that highlight the character Yuka Tanaka (played by Ruka Ishikawa) ; when can she tolerate cigarettes? Which phrases does she copy from whom (walking of zombies, innards in Korean BBQs). Who copies whom? Who is authentic? How long will Yuka go to achieve her dream?

In the first scene Shuji Oyamada (played by Daichi Kaneko) learns that millenials lack focus and passion.

Director Takashi Koyama explores the romance between Oyamada and Yuka. Oyamada is an aspiring photographer, Yuka wants to become a model or even better an actor. The film also delves into the darker and self-destructive sides of the couple. Each chapter end with moving out.

In the introduction statement the director expressed his hopes, that we like this film. I do. Colorless gave me a different view of the hopes and aspirations of young people in Japan.

 9/10

Barkomo (2019, Aboubacar Bablé Draba / Boucary Ombotimbé)

 Here is a film that IMDb doesn't know. In some time I have been interested in Films from Africa. I know there is much to find, but where? Distribution is a major issue, another availability. I am really thankful that the service Festival Scope has made several films from Africa available for online viewing. Of course, not all of these films are masterworks, but many are worth a watch. Without a record in IMDb, however, we cannot know that they exist at all. Also the two film makers are not known to IMDb.

Mali - undefined time. A hunter has been married for ten years, but they haven't had children yet. The wife suggests that he takes a second wife. When he does so and when she gives birth to a boy, the inevitable quarrel between the two wives start. The humiliated first wife goes away and comes to the realm of the King of Barkomo. In his realm nature has taken revenge for a not permitted human sacrifice. Nature may be reconciled when certain conditions are fulfilled.

The exiled wife of the hunter is to her big surprise pregnant. The king of Barkomo takes her as his second wife and it shows that her son is the one that can reconcile the nature. 

Many years later has this boy a conflict with the son of the king's first wife.

Barkomo tells the founding myth of the Dogon culture. The film shows and tells and doesn't necessarily explain. Impressive pictures are supported by a suggestive score. The editing is superb The acting is not first-class. Most actors seems to recite their lines in an unnatural manner. Still this is a fascinating look into a generally not much known culture. 

8/10

18 Hours (2017, Njue Kevin)

In October 2015 Mr Alex Madaga was hit by a car in Kenya's capital Nairobi. The paramedics tried to get him to a hospital for 18 hours. When they finally came to a hospital that would take Madaga, his condition had become so critical, that his life was lost. This is the true event on which Njue Kevin wrote the film 18  Hours.
When someone makes a film about a known incident, one reason is to accuse a bad state of affairs and to raise consciousness about a deficit. Kevin succeeds in this respect. The editing of this film creates a continuous suspense. We follow the paramedics Zack and Mark in their run against the clock and have the vain hope, that they may succeed, although we know that this is a vain hope.
The acting is also quite good, anyway much better than often seen in other African films I have seen.
Unfortunately the script is not very strong. Many lines feel like taken from a text book. Other dialogues are painfully clichéd, fx. like God's silence and forgiving. However, the actors (Nick Ndeda and Brian Ogola) manage to deliver these lines in a life-like fashion.
I am grateful that Festival Scope shows at the moment a selection of films from Africa. I am surprized to learn about films, of which existence I didn't know before. I am amazed to see how much talent there is - and talent that rarely gets a chance to tell their stories. I would like to follow the career. And I wish that Africa no longer is the unseen continent on the silver screen.
8/10

Vores lille by (1954, Henning Ørbak)

Ligegyldig hvad nogen smider på marked hedder nu om dage "filmperle", eller endnu værre "perle fra den danske filmskat". Denne tynde omgang nøjes med at være bare en filmperle.
Den lille by er strengt taget bare en klynge huse med nogle ualmindelig frustrerede beboer. Bygden er knyttet til den øvrige verden med et lille tog. En solrig eftermiddag bliver vagabonden Laust ansat som togbetjent. Da ha bosætter sig i samfundet, vækker han det erotiske begær i nogle kvinder. Han er mest interesseret i ung kød. Da han beruset forveksler sin elskede med lærerens kone, kommer der lidt mere gang i handlingen. (Ja, det går nok heller ikke i vores metoo-tid, bare at tager en kvinde i mørke.)
Mændene er nok også erotisk underforsynet. En varm sommerdag er holdet på jernbanen nødt at stoppe toget for at belure piger, som tager et bad. Handlingen er usammenhængende, mere som enkelte situationer og den ender meget brat med et happy ending.
2/10

Binti (2029, Frederike Migom)

Another view thanks to the generous decision of the Film Festival of Aubagne to make entries of the main competition available online.
Usually I don't watch many films for young viewers. This was a charming exception. Binti makes a serious problem understandable and relevant for young viewers. Binti is an illegal alien in Belgium. In other words: she lives, but she doesn't exist. She was born in Congo, but her father brought her to Belgium right after her birth. So they run away, as soon as they see a police agent. Binti meets Elias, a boy with a divorced mother. Wouldn't it be a perfect  match, if Binti's father and Elias' mother became a couple? Things get complicated, when a jealous neighbour denounces them to the police.
8/10

Fritzi - eine Wendewunderrgeschichte (2019, Matthias Bruhn / Ralf Kukula)

Es scheint, dass viele Jugendliche heute nicht mehr wissen, was 1989 vorgefallen. Fall der Mauer in Berlin? War da eine Mauer? Für viele Jugendliche ist Geschichte heute kein Schulfach mehr. Kein Wunder, dass wir eine Generation Doof haben.
Diese Wendewundergeschichte ist kindlich und niedlich aufgemacht. Fritzi lebt in Leipzig. Im Sommer 1989 kehrt ihre beste Freundin nicht mehr aus dem Urlaub in Ungarn zurück: sie ist mit ihren Eltern nach Westdeutschland geflüchtet. Langsam beginnt sie, sich für ihre Umwelt zu interessieren. Ihr wird klar, dass etwas faul ist im Arbeiter-und Bauernstaat. Benni, ein Non-Konformist, hilft auf dem Weg der Erkenntnis.
Dies ist ein Kinderfilm. Es wird sofort deutlich, wer gut und böse ist. Die Geschichte der beiden Freundinnen wird in den zeitgenössischen Kontext eingebaut. Der Film ruft direkt nach einer didaktischen Aufbereitung in der Klasse. Ich meine, dies ist ein gelungener Kinderfilm. Die Handlung ist ansprechend. Es kann allerdings sein, dass sich Fritzi nicht gegen die mächtige Anleime-Konkurrenz behaupten kann. Es wäre schade.
8/10
Großen Dank an das Filmfestival in Aubagne, das diesen Film zugänglich gemacht hat.