Nowhere in Africa (2001)
German drama film based on a true story by Stefanie Zweig, depicting the lives of Jewish refugees starting a new life in Kenya. The Redlich family lead a comfortable middle-class life in 1930s Germany, where famiy father Walter works as a lawyer. However, rising antisemitism under Nazi rule pushes the astutely forward-looking family to decide to simply get out while there is still time, with a bare minimum of belongings and money. Their destination turns out to be a farm in Kenya, where they try to adjust to a completely different way of life in a foreign climate and culture. Here they discover, among other things, the true value of simple commodities like water. The ultimate irony comes with the distant rumbling of World War II in Europe, when they find themselves classified as 'enemy aliens' - as they come from Germany and speak German - to the ruling British colonists. A fascinating tale of determination and the will to start over again and succeed in the face of all their many trials and tribulations. Trilingual movie in German, Swahili and English.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
US 2010s horror drama. The movie began as, and was for the most part, a first-class isolation drama and chamber piece centred around three characters living in an underground bunker, built and furnished by the sinister owner Howard (superbly played byJohn Goodman). Suspense and tension build up nicely (sure, there is something clonking about out there, but this barely intrudes and is reduced to rumours of a nuclear/chemical attack). Towards the end of the film, this carefully prepared tension then
WARNING: spoilers below
wildly explodes into a sudden mad dash to evade an impromptu aliens-appearance, who abruptly enter stage in the final 10-ish minutes in the most disconnected manner imaginable. There's a final rush of action and a gratuitous and improbable escape scene that then reminded me in a flash where I had seen the lead actress before: Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character pulled a similar stunt in the recent The Thing prequel. We were even treated to a clichéd "resistance-groups-out-there-calling-up-yall-on-the-radio" scene with the corresponding signpost appearing out of nowhere and pointing out the right direction. Although I'm a huge SciFi-Horror fan, this final part jarred clumsily with the rest of the movie: you were left with a film with one body but a very different head, a weird hybrid that ultimately left a bad aftertaste.
wildly explodes into a sudden mad dash to evade an impromptu aliens-appearance, who abruptly enter stage in the final 10-ish minutes in the most disconnected manner imaginable. There's a final rush of action and a gratuitous and improbable escape scene that then reminded me in a flash where I had seen the lead actress before: Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character pulled a similar stunt in the recent The Thing prequel. We were even treated to a clichéd "resistance-groups-out-there-calling-up-yall-on-the-radio" scene with the corresponding signpost appearing out of nowhere and pointing out the right direction. Although I'm a huge SciFi-Horror fan, this final part jarred clumsily with the rest of the movie: you were left with a film with one body but a very different head, a weird hybrid that ultimately left a bad aftertaste.
. The best part was Goodman's performance and the early claustrophobic atmosphere.
Three Colours: Red (1994)
Final part of the tri-colour French-Polish movies. After
Blue in France and
White primarily in Poland, Kieslowski takes the trilogy to Romandy for
Red for a first-class film experience that deserves all the many accolades it has received (Tarantino is said to have rated it even higher than his own winning
Pulp Fiction at Cannes; though the Oscars that year only had eyes for
Forrest Gump, nuff said.) Cat-walk & photo model Valentine (Irène Jacob) accidentally injures German shepherd dog Rita while driving home in Geneva and, tracing her owner, stumbles upon the lonely figure of ex-judge Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who is secretly monitoring and eavesdropping on the telephone conversations of his neighbours. Valentine is initially shocked and angered, but thanks to Rita's visits to the vet and upcoming litter, the two characters' paths are drawn together allowing them to look closer at various facets, including contradictions, of human nature. There are other interesting interconnecting threads that make a grandiose movie and a perfect finale to the trilogy.