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Kol (2020)
Everyone is talking about the end and they're so right for it
A compelling take on grief; if we had the chance to bring a dead loved one back to life, we all would without even thinking of the consequences it would bring. Though the movie uses a very direct approach when it comes to what the costs would be (it's a movie, it has to be entertaining so...), I believe that what it is trying to convey is very much out there on the open; dealing with the loss of a loved one is something you have no other choice but to learn how to do and that the sorrow that comes with it should drive you to hold on to the relationships you have with the living.
You can always trust Korean thrillers to have as many plot twists as they can and this movie sure does not disappoint in that accord. It honestly depends a lot on your own personal taste, but at no point did I find myself bored or wondering how much of the movie was still left. The pace in the beginning is a little off but it's understandable because it's only supposed to be the premise and the rest of the movie needs the time to feel as high-tension as it did. I do think that it would not be as interesting on a second watch, but I can't say that without actually watching it a second time.
The cinematography is not bad but it's ordinary; some play with the color hues, nothing unforgettable. I also don't have much to say about the acting; none of the performances will remain in my memory as striking but the two main actresses did a good job either way. The script is one of the things done really well in my opinion, there were no lines that felt out of place or that seemed wrong. As for the most memorable scene in the movie, for me it will be the one of Seo-yeon and her dad in the car.
Many people have already pointed this out, but the last seconds of this movie pretty much ruined it. The ending where everything cycles back to the beginning and it's just Seo-yeon and her mother but no longer estranged, was the perfect ending. Should've turned off my laptop then.
5 Herë Jo (2023)
Had no expectations and it still disappointed
"5 Herë Jo"("5 Times No") is a failed attempt at an Albanian romcom that couldn't have been any more of a waste of time than it was...were we expecting more?
The movie centers around Jora and Gjergj, a producer and a director respectively, who have to compete with Klara, another producer of the same television company, for the rights of a most anticipated reality show. To appeal to her family-oriented boss, Jora, a heavily career-focused woman without much of a life outside of work, lies about having a boyfriend and because of lack of options, she has to make a deal with Gjergj in which he's to act like her boyfriend and she's to help him make a movie about the 'everyday lives of Albanians'. Jora's boss then organizes a work trip in which the couple goes through situations that make them question their relationship to each other.
Why was it a waste of time? Well, for one thing, the acting. This movie managed to make Agron Llaka; a seasoned comedian, beloved amongst the Albanian public, seem like a second-grade actor. Donald Veshaj, though experienced, looked and sounded like he was reading lines off a paper most of his screen time and Bora Zemani is genuinely not an actor at all; her voice is way too monotonic and there are no expressions on her face pretty much all of the time. The only main character that was portrayed decently, was that of Klara played by Egla Ceno (this coming from someone who is not a fan of her at all).
For a movie lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes, it does not develop the story or the characters. The plot appears to act like a tide that comes and goes; it's there until it's not because its space is taken by uselessly long comedic bits that do not come off as funny; the movie is trying so obviously hard to make "American/Hollywood humor" appeal to an Albanian audience in the Albanian language and it just does not work. Therefore, the romance is given no time to progress so it gives the impression of being forced and like it comes out of nowhere. Besides that, important parts of the premise of the movie are never mentioned or played out for the public to understand something more, e.g. The reality show they were fighting for or the movie Gjergj was trying to make on the side, which I think if developed, it would've made a really interesting point.
The cinematography is fairly basic for mainstream Albanian movies. The quality is not bad per say but there are some things that get annoying pretty quickly and make the movie look cheap; the very obvious advertising and the stupid looking video montages that come across as if made by an amateur youtuber. The soundtrack is decent but the score simply sucks and in specific scenes, it sounds wrongly used.
In general, it is very exhausting to sit through so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Felt like it had nothing to say and it has no authenticity whatsoever. It is basically just a child of the capitalistic machine that's pulling movies out of its ass because famous faces and incessant marketing somehow sells. Aside from all this, it also left me with a question I feel like I won't have the answer to ever; she only said 'no' once so why is the title "5 Times No"?