CASE 137
Dominic Moll, the celebrated French director of HARRY HE IS HERE TO HELP and ONLY THE ANIMALS, brings to the screen a compelling true story which follows the story of Stephanie Bertrand (Lea Ducker), an investigator at IGPN, France’s internal affairs unit.
The action takes place during the November 2018 Gilet Jaunes Paris protests where Bertrand sets out to find the truth behind a teenage boy’s critical injuries from the riot police. Her investigation is confronted with hostility amongst the force which makes Bertrand even more determined to uncover the truth behind those horrific events…
Ducker is amazing in the leading role and is a well-deserved winner for the Best Actress Cesar. Bertrand is a complex character, and her investigation begins like a jigsaw puzzle before she gathers all the pieces and evidence together but by the end, the tables are turned and finds herself being investigated for standing up against her ruthless colleagues.
It is an excellent ensemble of actors with a standout cameo from Guslagie Malanda who previously played the modern-day Medea in SAINT OMER. Here she plays Alicia Mady a reluctant but key witness to Bertrand’s investigation.
Moll directs with flair and clarity this harrowing story that needs to be seen.
NAZA
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s urgent documentary arrives in cinemas direct from its Venice Film Festival glory where it won the Special Jury Prize. The title refers to the Hebrew military description of civilian casualties and even the loss of a baby’s life on a Gaza military target counts as a NAZA.
The filmmakers spent three years interviewing Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers on a roof in Tel Aviv where they confess and describe in detail the precision in murdering innocent Palestinian people. It is genocide disguised as an excuse to eliminate Hamas and its cold-blooded collateral damage is beyond imagination.
It is one of the best films of the year and it is essential viewing.
WHALEFALL
Brain Duffield’s enjoyable underwater adventure follows the story of Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams), a young man who, following the death of his father Mitt (Josh Brolin), goes diving off the central coast of California searching for his remains. Instead, he finds himself fighting for his life inside the belly of a gigantic sperm whale…
The underwater sequences and the special effects inside the whale’s huge stomach are well executed. Abrams makes a credible hero and gets solid support from Brolin as his wise father who is always ready to offer his advice even beyond the grave. The wonderful Elisabeth Shue makes a rare appearance as Jay’s mother but to be perfectly frank, it is a thankless role.
It may be a one idea premise without any surprises but still an enjoyable big screen entertainment.
FORGOTTEN ISLAND
This highly energetic and colourful animated feature follows the story of best friends Jo and Raisa, who have been inseparable since school. One-night circumstances force them to make a big leap into the unknown where they end up in Nakali, a magical island from the Filipino folklore. But their memories are under threat, and they must stand up to a plethora of mysterious creatures to save their longtime friendship…
It is a manic, crazy film on speed with a premise that brings to mind THE ODYSSEY’s lotus eaters’ chapter where the island’s visitors are forced to abandon their memories and forget how to get back home. The voice work works well particularly with Dave Franco’s contribution as the manic demented dog Raw.
A likable film for all ages!
BY DESIGN
This is an exercise into the absurd imaginatively written and directed by Amanda Kramer, who follows the story of a chair in a showroom.
It is love at first sight for Camille (Juliette Lewis) who desires the chair at any cost and is determined to possess it or even take its place. Even though Camille is unable to speak or move as the chair she soon finds out that her friends as well as her mother (Betty Buckley) treat her in a much more understanding way…
It is a totally bonkers film sweetly narrated by Melanie Griffith, who attempts to makes us believe that everything about this surrealistic body-swap comedy is real. Just when you thought that Ionesco’s stage play “The Chairs” was totally crazy wait till you see this absurdist comedy.
RESURRECTION
Bi Gan’s lavish Chinese epic is a feast for the senses. It is set in a world where humans have lost the ability to dream while one creature called the Deliriant remains immortal. He travels through the ages until his path crosses with that of one woman, who has the special power to see the Deliriant’s visions and who chooses to enter his dreams…
It is a hugely ambitious with striking designs and set pieces often shot in long takes. It is a dreamlike experience worth the long journey into the unknown. (Trinity Asia)
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