Tag Archives: Coming-of-age drama

The Edge of Seventeen (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Edgy, witty, and heartfelt

Posted on May 24, 2017 by kaist455

Edgy, witty, and heartfelt, “The Edge of Seventeen” is a genuine coming-of-age story about that tumultuous life period called adolescence. While it often throws some funny moments of incisive humor via its spunky heroine who tries to deal with her … Continue reading →

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20th Century Women (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Three interesting women in his adolescent life

Posted on May 18, 2017 by kaist455

“20th Century Women” is a warm, sensitive, and humorous film about one adolescent boy who grows up with several colorful people around him during a notable social/cultural transition point in the 20th century American society. Now it sounds like your … Continue reading →

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Eve’s Bayou (1997) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A black family drama in the bayou town

Posted on April 8, 2017 by kaist455

The opening scene of “Eve’s Bayou” is one of the most captivating opening lines I have ever encountered: “Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain. The summer I killed my father, I was … Continue reading →

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Moonlight (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A specific lifetime observed in three acts

Posted on February 8, 2017 by kaist455

Sensitive and empathetic, “Moonlight” is a simple but eloquent coming-of-age tale packed with haunting human moments. While its hero and background are quite specific, we notice universal themes from its intimate drama as watching its hero struggling to find his … Continue reading →

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Little Men (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As their little life becomes more complicated

Posted on December 4, 2016 by kaist455

Intimate and sensitive in its low-key approach, “Little Men” quietly shines with small precious moments to be appreciated for the keen depiction of the emotional undercurrents flowing around and between its two young heroes. The movie maintains its gentle, thoughtful … Continue reading →

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Queen of Walking (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): Walk, Man-bok, Walk!

Posted on October 23, 2016 by kaist455

Have you heard of racewalking? I did not know anything about this rather obscure sport until I watched a little lovable South Korean film called “Queen of Walking”. Before writing this review, I checked Wikipedia, and I was surprised to … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Looking at her from the distance

Posted on September 18, 2016 by kaist455

Israeli film “A Tale of Love and Darkness” is frequently frustrating in its distant attitude toward its sad, depressing human tale. Here is a woman who has probably been quite unhappy throughout her gray, melancholic life which has not given … Continue reading →

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Sing Street (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : First Music – and First Love

Posted on May 30, 2016 by kaist455

“Sing Street” is a small but sweet musical movie with lots of charm and energy. While its musical period background is not that familiar to me, I was amused and entertained by its superlative soundtrack consisting of old and new … Continue reading →

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A Bronx Tale (1993) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A Bronx boy between two father figures

Posted on April 2, 2016 by kaist455

Any good coming-of-age tale is bound to be evaluated by two questions. What happens to our young lead character in the end besides looking older on the surface? And what happens to us as observing that inevitable process of maturation? … Continue reading →

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Theeb (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A simple but haunting tale of a young desert boy

Posted on February 6, 2016 by kaist455

Desert is a harsh environment for any living creature. As watching those barren desert landscapes in Oscar-nominated Jordanian film “Theeb”, I wondered about how men came to live there many thousands years ago. This is a stark world where survival … Continue reading →

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