Tag Archives: Family

Sister Yoojung (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): The truth about her younger sister

South Korean film “Sister Yoojung” is about a young woman who comes to realize that she has not been that close to a family member she should have supported and comforted more. While its story begins with a rather alarming … Continue reading

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Memoir of a Snail (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A melancholic but funny animation film

Australian animation feature film “Memoirs of a Snail” is deeply melancholic but also undeniably humorous and touching. While often being quite sad and moody just like its heroine throughout the story, the film also shows a lot of wit, style, … Continue reading

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The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A tense Iranian family/political drama

Iranian film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, which was recently selected as the German submission to Best International Film Oscar, is a masterful work which will hold your attention from the beginning to the end. Deftly balancing itself between … Continue reading

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Blitz (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): A boy and his mother under the Blitz

Steve McQueen’s latest film “Blitz”, which is currently available on Apple TV+, tries to bring some new and interesting elements into its familiar genre territory. Although it does not always work, the movie often distinguishes itself with a number of … Continue reading

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The Piano Lesson (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): The family trouble with a piano

Netflix film “The Piano Lesson”, which was released on last Friday, is about a little but complex family issue surrounding one old piano. Although it feels rather contrived during its second half as veering off a bit from what has … Continue reading

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The Voices of the Silenced (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The chronicles of Zainichi Koreans

Documentary film “The Voices of the Silences”, which won the Mecenat Award for Best Documentary when it was shown at the Busan International Film Festival in last year, is about one defiant old Korean Japanese woman and her old but … Continue reading

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Times Still Turns the Pages (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A young boy’s diary

Hong Kong film “Time Still Turns the Page” is a sad, harrowing character drama which mainly follows the story of a young boy under lots of emotional pressure and torment. He simply wanted to be loved and recognized, but there … Continue reading

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Lucky, Apartment (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): That smell of fear and anxiety in their apartment

South Korean independent film “Lucky, Apartment” is a quiet but tense drama about one lesbian couple who happen to be under a lot of pressure and conflict. All they simply want is a stable living environment where they can happily … Continue reading

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Peafowl (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): She just wants to be herself…

South Korean film “Peafowl” is a flawed but interesting queer family melodrama mainly distinguished by the strong lead performance at its center. Even when the movie unfortunately stumbles in one way or another due to its blatant plot contrivance, it … Continue reading

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Tokyo Twilight (1957) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A bleak family melodrama from Ozu

Yasujirō Ozu’s final black and white film “Tokyo Twilight” is quite bleak compared to many of his gentler movies. Yes, as I observed in my recent review on “Tokyo Story” (1953), there is always a subtle sense of sadness and … Continue reading

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