Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

2/5 Fifty-something Antoine is jobless and depressed. By pure chance he hired as a caretaker in an apartment block that had seen better days. Filled with eccentric occupants, this seems to be the place he would fit right in. One of them is Mathilde, who is slowly but steadily being consumed by a mental illness. Will Mathilde and Antoine mange to help one another to see the light in the end of the tunnel? IN The COURTYARD is an unfortunately misfired drama from a very good director Pierre Salvadori (his previous film BEAUTIFUL LIES is one of the best comedies I have seen in recent years). The whole affair seems as uninspired as the lives of the main characters. The plot is barely existent, consisting of a few mes-en-scenes, but some snappy dialogue and a few quirky secondary characters is not enough to pull out a good film.   The story does not seem to have the middle and the end, and the clumsy wrap up of multiple storylines is ultimately unsatisfying. Cather...

3/5 20 year old Amelie arrives to Tokyo full of enthusiasm. Being born in Tokyo and then raised in Belgium, her only dream is to become a true Japanese and a writer. Very quickly she meets Rinri - a student she would teach french. Time flows and before she knows it the relationship with the Japanese boy from a good family becomes very serious. When torn between the prospect of a serious relationship and freedom, what would Amelie choose? TOKYO FIANCÉE is an autobiographical account (and a bestselling novel) from Amelie Nothomb, who had written numerous novels about her Japanese experience. At the core of the film, just like in the famous LOST IN TRANSLATION, is a collision of two cultures, this time it's Belgic and Japanese.   Amelie on the surface is an optimistic and easy person, but deep inside she is independent, responsible and tough. She makes mistakes of course, like any young woman of her age, but she has very serious attitude to decision making and ...

4/5 Paul has everything one may want from life. He is a respected surgeon with a successful practice. He has a glamorous home and an intelligent, beautiful, loving wife. When roses start to arrive to his office and home he takes it as some sort of a joke. But the truth is much scarier than he thinks. Very soon lies are told, friendships are broken and the truth from the past is revealed. Paul has now began a period of transition. With the summer of his life far behind, will he be able to find peace with himself before the first winter chill? BEFORE THE WINTER CHILL is a drama mystery with some macabre undertones. Finding characters in the situation where they live comfortably, seemingly secure behind their electric gates, with their impressive bank accounts, the film creates an atmosphere of something dark lurking in every corner. The danger both comes from outside and from within the minds of Paul, his wife Lucie and their best friend Gerard. While Paul is dealing with ...

2 1/2 /5 Paul used to write books, but since his wife had died five years ago he can only write funeral speeches. His life takes a bizarre turn, when Emma approaches him to write the speech for the funeral of her husband, who had been deceased for some time, but had never been properly buried. After a while Paul feels an attraction to Emma, but things get complicated, when the birthday wish of Emma's little son comes true and Nathaniel, her husband, comes back from the dead. PAPER SOULS is a strange film, its premise is stuck somewhere between THE GHOST and DONA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS. It is a perfect example when originality works against being sensible. The supernatural part kicks in when the first third of the movie is over and there's nothing in the beginning that have prepared you for the ghost story. The feeling of the irrelevance of the "ghost" subplot what not left me until the final credits. Dealing with the problem of one's l...

4/5 Life is not perfect for Charlie whose parents go though an intense on-off relationship, but she is a perfectly happy teenager who does well at school and loved by her classmates. When a beautiful transfer student Sarah arrives to school she becomes Charlie's best friends. But very soon Sarah gets tired of Charlie and starts to torment her. Charlie doesn't know how to fight back, but there's only that much she can take. There comes "the last straw" and nothing will ever be the same. The movie is focused on intense relationship of two female leads, both of them are at their best. Josephine Japi as Charlie perfectly catches the transformation of her heroine from a quiet girl loved by everyone, to an outcast no one can understand or recognise.  Lou de Laage is uncanny as an evil tormentor Sarah, who protects her pain on others and only that way is able to survive. Shot on a hand held camera, that adds authenticity to the scenes, BREATHE is a s...

4 1/2 /5 Life imitates art in this quirky film based on a comic book. Martin is a baker, and an intellectual from a big city who had chosen a quiet life in Province. But it is shattered when an English couple moves next door. Their names are Charles and Gemma Bovery and for Martin it is a sign. Madame Bovery is his favourite book, and when Gemma's life falls into the pattern of the famous heroine, Martin is ready to help. But is he helping Gemma, or just fuels his obsession? GEMA BOVERY is a short and focused comedy with a touch of a dark humour. It holds together mainly by the performance of Fabrice Luchini, whose desires and longing for the real romantic adventure is written all over his  face. Gemma Arterton does her best, and is lovely to look at. There's a lot of food on screen, mostly bread, and there's a magical atmosphere of Province. The France here is  guidebook perfect and the characters are to match. While the story is somewhat predictable, ...

3/5 During summer nights a group of men meet in the house in the forest to dress and live as women. Some of them are gay, some are not, but they are united by a passion of being their inner self and nothing can stop them from expressing that, even if it may hurt the ones they love. Set in 1959 during the Algirian war the movie focuses on the character Michel - a married civil servant in Paris who struggles with his feminine side and torn between two lives he leads. He has a wonderful relationship with his wife Helene, whose rebellious nature causes trouble to his career. But while Helen does not seem to care what society thinks, will she be able to accept her husband’s strange desires? SUMMER NIGHTS is shot in 4:3 full screen ratio, which gives it a feel of a film shot in 1958. The atmosphere has an authentic touch to it, and performances to match. Unfortunately it is the writing that lets SUMMER NIGHTS down. Many storylines lead nowhere and they are being wrapped in...

5/5 Two men in the desert, in a country torn by war. One - is an ex solder, now a teacher, entrusted to take a prisoner to the court to a little town - the nearest point of civilisation.  The other had killed his cousin and is due to be executed. Their trip through the desert is a choice, but whose choice? Two men are going to experience a few adventures and brushes with death, before they can really decide where their destination lies. FAR FROM MEN is based on the short story by ALBERT CAMUS called THE GUEST. The original story is all about the illusory value of a choice. The movie is a longer version as it examines what would have happened if the characters had made a different decision from the story. It takes them on a journey, but ends up exactly like the short story does. This way the movie and the literature compliment each other. AWAY FROM MAN is a slow burning thriller. When we are introduced to Daru he is a teacher in a small Algerian villag...

3 1/2 /5 THE YELLOW EYES OF THE CROCODILES as a film would not exist if not for a bestseller book. In France the book does not have a status of an intelligent novel, but of a popular one. I guess if you want to write a popular novel, make sure that your main character is a single forty something mother who succeeds against odds. Such character is Jo, with her unemployed husband who leaves her, two daughters that she has to raise on her own, a mother who only cares about money and a beautiful sister obsessed with becoming a famous writer. The film is played on the opposites of the two female leads - Jo (Julie Depardieu) and Iris (Emmanuelle Bear). Jo is a Plain-Jane with the heart of gold, easily manipulated and never ready to stand up for herself. Iris is a spoilt brat, that still dwells on one time she could not get what she wanted and ready to lie, cheat and blackmail to get her way. Like many french films these days THE YELLOW EYES is a little detached from realit...

4/5 Samba (Omar Sy) is an illegal immigrant from Senegal who is trying to make ends meet in Paris and become a certified chef. Things get tough when his application is rejected and he is under obligation to leave France. But then he meets enigmatic Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) - a middle aged woman with problems of her own. As two build their friendship their both lives slowly, but steadily, go back on track. But will the one mistake from Samba’s past is going to finally catch up with him and destroy everything he is about to build? SAMBA is a dramatic comedy about taking chances and rebuilding from scratch. A love story with the background of social French issues, it is designed to be both uplifting and a little sad. The immigration problem is showcased as the one impossible to repair and unorthodox methods the characters use in order to evade the rules seems like the only solution.   But it not the main focus of the film.  SAMBA is trying to make the ...