Tag Archives: Real-life story

The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A devastating docudrama to reckon with

Kaouther Ben Hania’s latest movie “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival and then received a Best International Film Oscar nomination in last month, is a devastating docudrama to reckon … Continue reading

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The Smashing Machine (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A mildly unconventional sports drama from Benny Safdie

Benny Safdie’s new film “The Smashing Machine” is mildly unconventional as often being deliberately subdued and anti-climactic in terms of narrative. This can be considerably frustrating to you at times, but it is somehow held together by the admirably committed … Continue reading

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Diane Warren: Relentless (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Still Relentless as ever

Documentary film “Diane Warren: Relentless” looks over the life and career of Diane Warren, one of the most famous songwriters in our time. As a talented female artist who has gone her way for more than 40 years, she surely … Continue reading

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Queen of Chess (2026) ☆☆☆(3/4): The story of a trail-blazing female chess player

Netflix documentary film “Queen of Chess”, which was released on last Friday, follows the remarkable story of Judit Polgár, a Hungarian female chess grandmaster who was an exceptional trailblazer during her prime. Despite numerous obstacles including sexism, she really tried … Continue reading

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Song Sung Blue (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The story of a singing couple

Craig Brewer’s latest film “Song Sung Blue” is a bit too conventional to my little disappointment. Probably because I am already familiar with its dramatic real-life story, the movie often felt to me like being no more than a merely … Continue reading

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Mr. Nobody Against Putin (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little but defiant personal chronicle from Karabash, Russia

Documentary film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”, which won the Special Jury Award when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in last year and then received an Oscar nomination a few weeks ago (It was also the Danish … Continue reading

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The King’s Warden (2026) ☆☆(2/4): A king comes to his village…

South Korean film “The King’s Warden” often tries too hard for laughs and then tears, and I do not like that much. Based on the real-life relationship between one plain common man and a tragically deposed king of the Joseon … Continue reading

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The Alabama Solution (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The systemic failures of Alabama prisons

HBO documentary film “The Alabama Solution” is often sobering as presenting the alarming failures of the prison system of the state of Alabama in US. It may not surprise you much if you have ever heard about how problematic the … Continue reading

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2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): In the middle of a battle over one Ukrainian village

Ukrainian documentary filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov’ latest documentary film “2000 Meters to Andriivka”, which won the Directing Award when it was premiered at the World Cinema Documentary section of the Sundance Film Festival early in last year, is a pretty grim … Continue reading

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Cover-up (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A journalist still fighting for truth and transparency

Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus’ Netflix documentary film “Cover-up”, which was released around the end of the last year, gives an overview on the career of Seymore Hersh, a Pulitzer-winning American investigative journalist who deserves to be known more in … Continue reading

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