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Forgotten Song (2016)
In Search of the Forgotten Song
I couldn't place the film in any particular genre. It has got the poetic travelogue feel to it combined with bits of information and beautiful imagery across Romania. It is a short film that presents the way Roxi sees Romania by meeting a few people : her grandma, a guy by the side of the street, a photographer and a hotel owner. She travels in a few important cities like Alba Iulia, Sighisoara, Bucharest. The film is infused with nostalgia and enthusiasm for her home country and full of acapella songs and instrumental music.
The Get Down (2016)
Poetic and elegant
If you're ready for a gripping story that elegantly combines poetry, suspense, music and romance, get ready! You're in for a treat! The burning Bronx is not only burning because people want to collect the insurance money but is also burning with hope: for music, poetry and the prospect of changing the world for the better. The series is a merry go round that visits various themes:honour, loyalty, love,sisterhood and brotherhood. But this ain't no sugar coated story! In the Bronx, there seems to be no hope left. People are facing a lot of demons: poverty, drug addiction, getting involved with the wrong people and some lack the support for succeeding. But, as the message written on the trains say: Where there is ruin, there is hope and if you raise your words, not your voice then things change. Even if they don't change for the apparent eye, all the characters change, and so the eyes through which they see the world...
The well crafted story telling reveals characters that seem so real you could feel their breath, is masterfully spiced up by the poetry and the music.
Hip-Hop Evolution (2016)
An exciting journey about the birth of a new art form
I am not a hip-hop connoisseur but this documentary made me dive deeper into this remarkable genre.
Here is another testimony that, when people are facing hardship, there is a hunger for art and people are going to get down and cook some for themselves. Music and lyrics become nourishment but also the weapon against a corrupt system. The film was cleverly cut, the editing working as a metaphor which often illustrates opposing views.
Hip- Hop Evolution manages to balance out the history and the atmosphere of that time with a presenter that adds a combination of enthusiasm and humbleness to the mix. Pertinent questions unveil gems of knowledge coming from the pioneers of hip-hop.
Bande de filles (2014)
Beautiful!
Marianne is 16 and her teacher, let's call her the sad result of a privileged white community tells her that she is not going to be admitted to high school. She replaces the role of an absent single mother who works incessantly as a cleaner to support her family. When there is no place where she can feel protected, she gets "adopted" by a girl's band. The morality of her life changes. There is another set of rules by which she plays now. She doesn't question them yet. It's not the new clothes and make up that make her stay, not the coolness, but the "belonging" feeling. Underneath all the decadence that we notice, there is love. One that they are probably still learning how to show. Marianne gets through a series of metamorphosis. Strength in her neighbourhood is gained by immoral devices but we are watching a world that creates its own set of rules. The camera does not approve of them nor does it judge them. It merely observes them maybe with a bit of compassion. At the end we no longer see a girl but a woman. One that can take her own decisions, without allowing exterior forces to change her trajectory. She can now accept her own vulnerability yet be stronger.
En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (2014)
The sweetness from bitters
The Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence.
It would be inappropriate to talk about this film's genre. This is not a comedy, not a drama and not even a dramedy. It's just a pigeon's reflection on existence. As I came out of the cinema I didn't even know if I liked it or not. But let me tell you something: it's not about that! I woke up the next day with an array of images and tunes in my head. The meaning of the film seeps through the layers of perception and leaves you with an undefined aftertaste.
The camera captures little nothings that upset the characters. The humour emerges from the contrast between the pettiness of their situation and the tragic effect it has on them. A flamenco teacher as her student's unrequited lover, two sales men that never sell anything etc. are just a few examples. On the other side, when real tragedy such as death occurs, people behave like it's just another banal event. The only thread that connects the film is the story of the two salesmen. This duo represents what nowadays we call losers. Their dullness counterpoint the incredible scenarios they end up in. Their universe is anachronistic and at times delightfully surreal. In this mad world it seems like people have strong feelings only at war time. Be it romantic passion, patriotic pathos or grief.
But what about the pigeon? What is she/ he thinking? I believe that the pigeon is a poet. The pigeon sees the things that are outside history. He sees beauty in kids making bubbles and lovers sharing a cigarette. These scenes pop up on the screen like epiphanies and are infused with visual poetry.
There must be a meaning in all this apparent nonsense. There seem to be an answer to Jonathan's malaise(one of the two salesmen). His vision of human sacrifice for the pleasure of others makes him question his existence. He is a tragic hero being shut down by the guy who keeps on telling him that he needs to work in the morning.
I didn't like the film at first. But it gets to you like a good Negroni. It's bitterness flourishes notes of unexpected sweetness.