roumelisargyris Reviews

Brief Encounter (1945)

One of the gentlest masterpieces of film

[10/10 · 29 January 2024]

What stroke me the most in tis film - one of my personal favorites - is the gentleness with which director David Lean handles the subjects of the play he adapts. He doesn't use any melodramatic convention except the music and tries to make the audience - which was less receptive of adultery the time the film was made - the psychological ramifications of a woman who finds that her marriage to a conventional man has become stiffling. For that she seeks solace in the company of a doctor she met on a train station. Even then, she finds it very hard to communicate her feelings. The only time this gentle directorial touch is broken is when the woman is led into desperation, when the doctor moves out of the country.

Overall the direction and the acting are suberb, making this film a true classic.

I Am Mackenzie (2019)

A very gentle tale about the female side of courtship

[10/10 · 18 December 2023]

A lucid dramatization of a tomboy trying to experiment with her gender ( something crucial in the stormy years of adolescence ). The experiment is cut short by toxic males' hostility against women. The director handles in a very subtle way the social issues depicted and tries to not be overly preachy.

The direction is intersting and effective enough, the photography is good, but what steals the spotlight is the acting. It's very subdued and helps the film to have a gentle touch.

The script is parsimonious ( something very important in short film ) and helps make an atmosphere that aids the film's message.

Stalker (1979)

A philosophical sci fi pinnacle

[10/10 · 28 April 2022]

A masterfully photographed film that tells a lot about human desires. But the director focuses on the voyage to the desired place not on the place itself.

Its influence on the culture of the former Soviet Union countries is important. Interestingly, the radioactive zone around Chernobyl is named zona - the same as the zone around the alien object in the movie.

The Exorcist (1973)

An arresting classic in terms of atmosphere.

[10/10 · 11 December 2021]

Forget the special effects - this film is a great movie due to its atmosphere ( just picture Reagan's room at the time of the final exorcism ) . Dark and moody in terms of photography, it accompanies perfectly its plot ( most of the time ). Also, the music is used smartly. The most haunting scene of this masterclass in suspence ( Friedkin had preveously done The French Connection ) is the scene where the possessed Reagan pees on the floor during her mother's party - the most scary is the descent of Reagan, in which she walks like a crab. Overall, this movie shows how to create viscerally an atmospere and a mood that are in tune with the psychology of Reagan, her mother and the priests.

Don't Look Now (1973)

The power of montage through a solid narattive movie

[10/10 · 11 December 2021]

You have to see this film in order to feel how powerful montage ( editing ) can be. Nicholas Roeg achieved in this masterpiece to combine the power of the non-narattive editing pionered by the Soviet montage school with the genre of the mystery film ( with a good dose of horror ), which entails a very complicated and tight narattion. This artful combination creates a very idiosyncratic film, a personal statement about the obsession involved in grieving. The scenes are cut into shots and create a dissarayed puzzle that places a crucil point in the plot and is excellent food for thought, I definately recomend it if someone wants something more intriguing than standard horror fare.

The Witch Hunt (1981)

One little gem

[10/10 · 13 May 2021]

A stout drama, it tells with simple language ( mostly realistic ) a tale of love, betrayal and victimization. It speaks about the prejudice and suspicion bestowed upon independant women and the fruitless efforts of educated people to protect them. Strngely, this realistic film depicts the ' supernatural ' events of the end with a sincerity and a certain naivete. Overall, it captures efficiently the conditions and the mindset of the lives of the people it depicts.

Utopia (II) (2019)

George Orwell meets Franz Kafka

[8/10 · 6 April 2021]

A delightful black comedy which sums up with clear, simple and precise language all our orwellian anxieties about government surveilance and the subjucation of citizens from their governments with a Kafaquasque twist.

And an expected take as the two writers were concerned with extreme cases of alienation, even inside the same human subject.

Schoolgirls (2020)

A good old vs new story.

[8/10 · 10 November 2020]

This film isn't just another coming-of-age story: It depicts with a naturalism the major contrast of 90s Spain. This contrast was between the more relaxed morality that the media wanted to project and the conservative stance of the Cathoilic Church and rural areas. The path to adolescense is well told, with all the shananigans and truth revelations it entails. The direction is almost Bressonian in its minimalism and the music is exclusively from the era. Overall, a stellar movie.

Schoolgirls (2020)

A classic modern vs old battle.

[8/10 · 10 November 2020]

This film is a great depiction of the morals of Spain in the 90s. A country which, while trying to look forward, had not eliminated its very conservative institutions. Add to this the beggining of adolescense ( the presence of Brissa symbolizes that ) and the shananigans it entails and you have a good picture. ( In addition, there are the truths about her family hidden from Celia, which are revealed as part of the adolescense process. ) Add to that an almost Bressonian minimalism and the right music for the era and you have a stellar movie.

Relic (2020)

A new spin on psychological horror.

[7/10 · 10 November 2020]

A fresh look at traditional monster horror films, this film depicts the gradual turning of an old woman with dementia into a monster, with her daughter and grandaughter acting as wittnesses. But the genre of the film ( horror ) is a mere vehicle for the action, which is based entirely on the relations between the three female relatives. As a typical good horror film the timing of the film is excellent. The directing is a bit conventional and the music use is a bit bad for the genre, which usually makes heavy use of the element of unexpected surprise. Despite its flaws, it is a completely realistic depiction of dementia and mental health issues.

Uppercase Print (2020)

A fairly balanced film.

[10/10 · 10 November 2020]

Radu Jude, the director, accepts in this film a difficult chalenge: to adopt a play whithout making it too stagy. He accomplishes to find a balance between theatre and cinema. And, although the sets are claearly theatrical and the archive footage's relation to the action is at best obscure ( sometimes even opaque ), the story is very interesting and it is well acted ( I don't know if Brecht's distancing effect is used on purpose. If yes, then it is superbly acted. ). In others words it is like a breeze for someone used to mainstream films.

Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)

ten stars

[10/10 · 2 April 2020]

Interestingly crafted (especially the montage) this movie expresses ruminations on memory, loss (whether personal or historical) and the cul-de-sac that our attempts to keep memories intact leads. A must-see for everyone who wants to understand many of the films that made after that film.

Zelig (1983)

10 stars

[10/10 · 2 April 2020]

Not only a truly fun movie to watch but a movie to think of too. This movie explores with accurate-to-reality descriptions one major theme of both sociology and psychology: how one man identifies himself in relation to others and himself. You can even learn some bits of history (of the pet historical era of Woody Alen, of course). Impecably crafted this movie immerses you in the world of the psychological and sociological probles of its main character. So, prepare yourselves for 79 minutes of both laughter and thought - even of contemplation.

Winter Light (1963)

10 stars

[10/10 · 2 April 2020]

This film is an excellent exposition of the existance of evil - something that has shaped philosophy since Augustine. The spartacian style of directing - especially the photography and sound departments - truly underscore the script, which exemplary develops the film's philosophical and psychological themes. It is really food for thought, even if you intent to see it once.