Tag Archives: Coming-of-age drama

On the Come Up (2022) ☆☆(2/4): A conventional and messy mix of rap and coming-of-age drama

Posted on August 23, 2024 by kaist455

I saw through nearly everything in “One the Come Up”, a rather conventional mix of rap and coming-of-age drama. This is so predictable and contrived in terms of story and characters that I could easily guess each plot turn it … Continue reading →

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Frybread Face and Me (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): That summer in the reservation

Posted on July 13, 2024 by kaist455

“Frybread Face and Me”, which was released on Netflix in US around the end of last year, is a little but likable coming-of-age drama about one summer of a little Native American boy who becomes more aware of himself and … Continue reading →

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Shooting Stars (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The Best Years of Their Lives

Posted on June 11, 2024 by kaist455

“Shooting Stars”, which is currently available on Netflix in South Korea, is a standard biographical sports drama film which plays and then delivers as much as expected. While any good sports drama film needs to do more than that in … Continue reading →

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FAQ (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): The girl who listens to a bottle of rice wine (no kidding)

Posted on March 5, 2024 by kaist455

Dear my little niece who will be one year old in this November I recently watched South Korean independent film “FAQ”, which was released at local movie theaters in last week. To be frank with you, I could not help … Continue reading →

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Amiko (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Here is Amiko

Posted on March 5, 2024 by kaist455

Japanese film “Amiko” is a dry but painful coming-of-age tale about one odd and socially awkward young girl who often clashes with the increasingly gloomy reality surrounding her. While it is quite uncomfortable to observe how frequently she struggles to … Continue reading →

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Poor Things (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The odd adventure of one wild creature

Posted on February 26, 2024 by kaist455

Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film “Poor Things” is another idiosyncratic fun to be savored. While it is as darkly absurd as his recent films such as “The Lobster” (2015) and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (2017), it is also as … Continue reading →

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Io Capitano (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An arduous immigrant odyssey across Africa

Posted on February 19, 2024 by kaist455

“Io Capitano”, which was recently nominated for Best International Film Oscar, follows one arduous journey across the African continent taken by the two young main characters at the center of the story. What we are going to see here is … Continue reading →

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Àma Gloria (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): The last summer with her nanny

Posted on January 7, 2024 by kaist455

“Àma Gloria”, which was released in South Korea on the first Wednesday of 2024 as “The World of Cléo”, is a little but intimate coming-of-age drama revolving around the close relationship between a six-year-old French girl and her dear nanny. … Continue reading →

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20,000 Species of Bees (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The rural summer story of a trans kid

Posted on January 1, 2024 by kaist455

Spanish film “20,000 Species of Bees” is a little but intimate coming-of-age tale of one trans kid who becomes more serious and conflicted about her sexual identity during one summer. As gradually immersing us in her confused emotional state, the … Continue reading →

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Bottoms (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Figthting Girls

Posted on December 6, 2023 by kaist455

Emma Seligman’s second feature film “Bottoms” is decidedly outrageous for laughs, and I enjoyed that. As a high school comedy movie, it is often blatantly artificial in terms of mood and details, but it literally does not pull any punch … Continue reading →

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