slowboatmo Reviews

Three Sisters (II) (2020)

a moving portrait of the human condition

[8/10 · 10 October 2021]

Contrary to a lot of slow-paced arthouse films that squarely focus on the task of art for art's sake, Three Sisters is an accessible, humane film whose story feels like one of our own. Each of the three female protagonists follows a divergent path in life, yet find themselves in the same daily struggles against the heavy burden of living in the world, from dysfunctional families to spiritual crisis and personal illness. The genuineness of the portrait of their lives is what gives the film its strength and artistic quality, because it is often the most intimate and ordinary details of human life that resonate with us and move us deeply. And it is in those small vignettes of the downtrodden life of ordinary individuals, as one of the sisters, afflicted with the pain of cancer and poverty, quietly endures the suffering of life and tries to live with dignity, that we encounter the essence of our human condition. Arguably, that is the also the essence of an art movie.

Corn Island (2014)

the best art film of the decade

[10/10 · 28 September 2014]

One of the main goals of art film is to depict life in its most pure, elemental state. Yet few art movies have managed to achieve that goal with as much grace and poetic depth as George Ovashivili's Corn Island. This immaculately composed film takes the viewers on a soul-touching journey into the desolate, breathtakingly beautiful wilderness of a small island in Georgia and perfectly captures the rhythm of nature and the relation between nature and the two main characters whose daily struggles are interweaved into the light, sound and motion of nature around them. Throughout the film, the viewer can't help but feel the life-like, natural quality of every picture and scene. There are no excessive details; everything is distilled into its most natural state. The image of the old man's granddaughter sitting on the boat with a bundle of shining reed under the crisp sunlight is a precise portrait of life itself. In essence, art has blended into life, and life into art. What is more remarkable is that the director has managed to convey this profound state of life without the help of dialogue. Perhaps one could argue that it is precisely the lack of dialogue that has made this film that much more powerful and moving. A scene in the beginning where the old man fondly looks at a little bird pecking at the wood conveys a sense of elegance that no language can easily convey. Even the intermittent gunshots we hear in the background and the discovery of a wounded soldier that temporarily disrupts the tranquility of the island do not lead the film to deviate from its original artistic path. On the contrary, the tension lurking in the background elevates the humanistic aspect of the film to a new height. In the end, every human gesture and activity is dissolved into the larger nature. What we are left with is a film that touches the depth of our soul with such simplicity and gracefulness that very few films can match.

Elena (2011)

Failed to meet the high standard set by "the return"

[7/10 · 10 October 2011]

As one of the most talented directors in modern cinema, Andrei zvyagintsev was known for his critically acclaimed debut, "the return," which won as many as 20 awards at major film festivals. Many have viewed his second film, "the banishment" as a let-down given the unusually high standard set by his first film. So, many fans of Andrei Zvyaginitsev including myself eagerly waited for his third film, "elena" to come out to see whether this young talented director can overcome his "sophomore jinx." Compared to "the return" in which every second is engaging and serves a purpose, "elena" doesn't quite have the riveting power of the former. I can't pinpoint why, but a few minutes into the movie, my emotion remains unprovoked and numbed. The long, still shots of the interior of the bourgeois house in the city center did not quite convey the sense of alienation that the director intended. As one critic comment, it feels rather claustrophobic. It wasn't until 30 minutes into the movie, the first meaningful, engaging scene appears when the couple starts arguing at the breakfast table about the future of the woman's son. Of course, we have to give credit to the director for not making this film into a superficial family drama and for extending into the social and political context where the portrayal of the stark contrast between the woman's son's dingy, run-down apartment in the shady suburb and the rich man's luxurious condo begs some deep questions. But it seems to me that the director tried to take on too many important issues and lost his focus. The identity and the background of the man's pretty daughter are not adequately explained. Again, one problem of this film seems to mirror that of "the banishment." It suffers from being excessively mysterious and lack of explanation. As usual, the cinematography of this film is beautiful, as his previous films. One shot that is particularly striking is the long shot of the industrial complex under the sunset near the end of film. It is an absolutely beautiful and powerful image. And the subsequent scene where a blackout occurred and the hand-held camera follows a group of violent Russian youth gangs including the woman's own son, in darkness dimly lit by the distant bonfire, is incredibly authentic and powerful. This reminded me of the beginning of the banishment; this is where I think the director excels at, being able to immediately establish a mood with a few simple sequences. Overall, the film "elena" shows flashes of brilliance that resemble the director's debut, "the return," but ultimately it suffers from inadequately developed characters, lack of coherence of scenes and a failure to integrate the different themes it tries to convey.

Las Acacias (2011)

unrivaled,rare form of realism portrayed on screen

[7 October 2011]

The film "les acacias" has few dialogues, yet it has a mysterious power to rivet the audiences from the beginning to the end. One has to attribute its success to every one of its meticulously crafted shots that is full of meaning and significance. The audiences get to observe and to appreciate the boredom of the life of truck driver but are never bored themselves since it is precisely the kind of boredom that they can emphasize with. As the movie goes along, two new characters, the woman and her baby, are introduced. Yet their presence on the screen is so natural that we can no longer differentiate their lives from the truckdriver's. The director manages to capture the authenticity of human interaction so well that we are not even aware that we are watching a movie with fictitious plot and characters. We feel that we are observing real life unfolding at every moment of the film, which we savor eagerly as we know that it will slip away both for us and the characters in the film. At the end, we can't help but shed a few tears for the brutal separation that will keep the three anonymous strangers apart forever. For me, the movie "les acacias" is one of the most realistic, touching films that I have seen. The height of realism it has achieved, combined with the depth of its meaning make it a film that is not easily surpassed by most modern films of this genre.

Ordinary People (2009)

Like most other Eastern European movies, this one delivers

[9/10 · 25 June 2010]

It is absolutely a travesty to call this movie superficial, a word used by one of the reviewers. It is anything but superficial. You may feel justified to call it boring, but that is only because your intellectual or emotional faculty has not reached the high level that is required to fully appreciate this film. But to call it superficial? Come on, what word should we use to describe the great majority of Hollywood and even international movies then?

I think the director of this art-house film deserves several special recognitions. First of all, the long shot of the wild landscape of Serbia and the use of the ambient sound of nature make this movie truly unique and powerful at the same time. From scenes of nature, we can deeply understand the feeling of the protagonist and the general mood of the story. Next, although several scenes in the film come dangerously close to become excessively long and self-indulgent, the director manages to maintain the focus of the movie and to let those scenes serve their intended purpose, which is to give the movie more depth and thought. Last but not the least, this Serbian film is realist cinema at its best. Every scene is raw, authentic and suffused with realism. It is almost a documentary with very believable actors and storyline. The sequence on the bus where shades of sunlight is reflected through the trees outside and onto the character's face is a prime example of realist film-making.

Fortunately for me and many other audiences who appreciate realist cinema, the director did not make the mistake that many Hollywood directors have made, which is to give the movie a happy ending. Its ending is profoundly sad, but it feels real.

Pandora'nin Kutusu (2008)

a well-rounded movie that captures raw human emotion

[8/10 · 15 November 2009]

For the first comment, you said only the french actress who played the role of the old lady does justice to this movie, I completely disagree. It seems like you put an excessive amount of emphasis on the development of characters as opposed to the storyline and meaning of the movie. First of all, Chelton is supposed to be the central character in this movie while all the other characters play the supporting role. So it goes without saying that she is obliged to outshine the other characters. In my opinion, this is a very well-rounded, touching movie with deep messages. It paints a balancing, beautiful portrait of life in both metropolitan and rural Turkey. It is one of the better foreign movies I have seen in recent years. Each character's performance is so real and down-to-earth that the whole movie feels like a real-life drama, albeit a profound one. One thing I want to add is that this movie never indulges in sexuality like many other foreign movies do so it elevates itself to a higher, more artistic level.

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

A rather superficial treatment of capitalism

[5/10 · 12 November 2009]

While recognizing that the imbalance of the distribution of wealth is causing many of the problems we see in America today, Moore failed to tackle the root of the evil - the surplus value that capitalists have to constantly create for themselves, the alienation of labor, fetish of commodities and the devastating degradation of the environment caused by capitalism. Most of the movie, Capitalism, a love story, seems to be preoccupied with depiction of the wage discrepancy between CEOs and workers and the powerful influence of wealthy capitalists on politics. Moore rarely digs below the surface to show the monotonous, dehumanizing nature of most occupations in a society where capitalism has not ceased for a moment to strengthen its hold on the people's consciousness. Moore also fails to reveal the concealed relationship between capitalists and consumers under exchange of commodities. In a society where people are constantly subject to the influence of a flood of medias, advertisements and commercials to entice them to buy more products, to consume and thus to maintain the existence of surplus value, it is too hard to ignore the immense presence of the exchange of commodities in daily life and what it means for capitalism. Perhaps this movie should be better titled as "Capitalism, a superficial love story."

Sonbahar (2008)

One of best, most meticulously handled art films in my recent memory

[10/10 · 10 October 2009]

Honestly, I cannot find fault with this movie. If you are a fan of fast-pace,thrilling and noisy Hollywood movies or any other foreign films that are obsessed with the portrayal of sex, then you should not even bother to comment on this movie. Also, if you want to compare this film to Tarkovsky, you are ruining the name of this Turkish director. Tarkovsky's film is like watching the paint dry without any real substance, but this film is a whole level above the self-indulgent art films with ridiculously long shots that offer no meaning. The feeling of the protagonist blends perfectly with the wonderful portrayal of nature and meticulously handled cinematography to create a deeply satisfying feeling that one can rarely get from performing most of the activities in our lives. This movie succeeds on many levels, whether it be symbolical, existential and emotional level. It totally rivets the audience as we watch every sequence of the character's life unfold and are absorbed into the authentic, life-like mood of the Autumn. It is a truly enjoyable and profound experience. Because of this movie, i will be a loyal fan of the Turkish cinema for many years to come. Not only the movie shows what a real movie should be like, it can also be seen as a book of wisdom that reveals eternal truth or problems that are hidden in human lives.

City of God (2002)

I want two hours of my life back

[1/10 · 3 June 2008]

An awful, awful movie. Like one of the viewers said, it is cheap in all aspects. To those people who haven't seen this film, please stay away from this junk at all cost. Go Watch some wholesome, soul-lifting contemporary Russian art movies like the Return and then see how cheap this movie is. But this is totally a piece of stinking garbage. Violence need not to be portrayed in such an outlandish, vulgar style. The camera movement almost made me throw up. Editing is almost not-existent. A cheap, cheap movie that to the greatest irony won so many undeserving awards. People who raved about this film are idiots. Critics too. It is just pathetic. Even Hollywood movies are one hundred times better as much as I don't like them.

Solaris (1972)

To the hell with it

[1/10 · 18 May 2008]

Save two hours of your life for something more meaningful, like working in your garden. If most people were willing to heed my and many other's advice, there wouldn't even be such a fuss about a pretentious filmmaker named Tarkovsky. If the director thought the audiences are unrelated to the film, he should have directed it for his own entertainment at home. Why bother putting it on the big screen? Let's all say "to the hell with it" and move on. Who is Tarkovsky? i don't know Is he the person who makes boring movies? Sure he is the one. i hate those people who pretend to like this film even though they suffered tragically. If you don't like it, say it out loud. You will not offend anyone.

The Banishment (2007)

disastrous ending and too heavy on religious symbolism

[8/10 · 18 May 2008]

Despite this movie's tremendous potential to be turned into an impeccable piece of work that would resound in people's minds for years, it fails to fully realize its potential with its overdose of religious images that clearly mirror that of Tarkovsky. Tarkovsky's films are always too slow and heavy to watch with its long lingering shots that at its best only make for mental masturbation. I was really worried that the director of "banishment" would follow Tarkovsky's steps after first seeing the self-indulgent lingering shots and he did more and more of those later in the film. I think "the return" is a perfect film without any unnecessary conversations or lingering shots but this movie failed to carry the flag of the first one. All in all, the excessive twists of the plot and the pretentious religious symbolism are drawbacks of this otherwise spectacular film despite the stunning cinematography, perfect editing and imposing style. That being said, it is still better than 99% of the films I have seen in my life. Hope the director's next one will be better.

The Italian (2005)

a mediocre, randomly assembled film

[4/10 · 8 May 2008]

It seems like this film is put together by so many loosely connected, pedestrian pieces that it barely reflects the true concept of a film. Even by the end of the film, the different pieces fail to come together and produce a profound, satisfying feeling for the audiences. The director dabbles all over the place but can not come up with even one scene that he hopes would be touching and profound. The 6-year-old orphan did have a wonderful performance but the director never succeeds in adding depth and dimensions to his character. Instead, the film is only left with one-dimensional characters. I don't understand why so many viewers rave about this film. It is at its best a mediocre film that is not even able to match some of the conventional Hollywood films with fully developed characters. A major failure for the director.

The Grand Illusion (1937)

Plain boring and it is black and white?

[7 April 2008]

I have never learned to appreciate the greatness of those old, black-and-white so-called classical movies. There are exceptions such as Bela Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies and a very obscure Hungarian film called "Fallen" that came out a few years ago. But even those are still pretty recent. I am not saying all those old movies are no good, but most of them are. The limit of technology directly determined the fate of those classics. The conversations sound very artificial in this movie, like all other old movies. Sorry but if you compare the modern German war movie "Downfall" to this one, you will find how bad this movie is. The storyline of this movie is also downright boring. And if you are looking for something that can put you to sleep, this one will be it.

The Counterfeiters (2007)

a very poor film

[3/10 · 10 January 2008]

I don't understand how there can be so many lavish praises of this film. The first minute is engaging, but the rest of the film is just a plain bore. To me, sitting through this film is an extreme form of torture: I have to constantly avoid gnawing and pulling myself out of the seat. It is poorly directed, poorly acted and poorly photographed. Hand-held camera just doesn't work in this film at all. The title very well serves the movie: it is counterfeit. The scenes move so quickly from one to another that the audiences don't have any time to digest the meaning. The clichéd ending is just another coup de grace to the film's misery. No more holocaust films for me.

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

Some lengths of the movie is unjustifiable

[5/10 · 16 December 2007]

OK,since this is indeed a very unique and profound movie, I have got a lot to say about it. The first part of the movie is simply brilliant. Each scene is perfectly edited and the transition is flawless. The music at the beginning of the movie when the village drunks stood in a stupor is one of the most haunting melody I have ever heard, and it fit perfectly with the mood of the movie. My first viewing tells me that the part where an old man in a chair is talking about music and philosophy does not make any sense and should be cut, but my second viewing totally changed my opinion. It is a brilliant talk on the musical harmony and its relation to philosophy if you pay close attention to it. Of course one of the most moving scenes in this movie is the protagonist returning to his dilapidated home and cooking a very simply meal. I don't why but it speaks a lot to me. I wish there were more scenes like that that are down-to-earth and profound at the same time. As the movie gets to the second half, it starts to lose some of its potential and directions. The scene where the villagers lose control and start to march into the town to cause destructions is unjustifiably long. The hospital scene did not move me as it did to most viewers. I felt that the second half of the film kind of distances itself from the viewers and lose its accessibility. I understand the director strictly follows "art for art's sake," but the audience is also part of film-watching experience and should not be completely ignored.

Distant (2002)

Not for general audiences

[9/10 · 14 November 2007]

Perhaps many viewers who got frustrated by this film live their lives without ever thinking deeply about life itself. What i want to point out here is that "distant" is not only an art-house film but one of the best art-house films. From all the art-house films I have seen, "distant" is the one that really stands out as a glittering piece of gold. It is even fair to say that this film's cinematography and depiction of human emotion surpass Tarkovsky's Nostalgia. One commentator got it right, that sex, a jaded, common feature among foreign films, is surprisingly lacking in "distant" and in a good way. What is most remarkable about "distant" is that it captures the details of life we usually ignore and the rich essence of our existence that often gets buried under the din and visual extravaganza of our commercialized world. Fortunately "distant" doesn't have that much to spare the audiences and what we see on the screen is a bare portrait of human beings.

Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak (2004)

Indeed an amateur film

[5/10 · 7 November 2007]

The first 20 minutes of the film really brought back some of my own childhood memories and nostalgia to my mind. Because the film is set in such a different and exotic world, it has the incredibly magnetic quality to attract the viewers. But as the film develops, we begin to see some of the overly dramatic scenes and unnatural dialogues. And what the film is really lacking is the depth of its themes and a slower-advancing plot that reflects its placid, melancholic mood. But as the comment says, this film is not made for a commercial purpose like most Hollywood films today. It has its own charm and originality. But the film's lack of maturity and depth prevents itself from propelling toward a higher, more refined level.