Tag Archives: Real-life story

Evaporated (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Since his daughter was vanished

Posted on January 2, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean documentary film “Evaporated” is shrouded in somber desperation and frustration right from the beginning. Closely observing a father’s longtime search for his vanished daughter, the documentary calmly and sensitively observes that overwhelming psychological burden on not only him … Continue reading →

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Giving Voices (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Young students channeling August Wilson’s legacy

Posted on December 29, 2020 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Giving Voices”, which was released in last week, follows a number of different participants of one significant annual cultural event commemorating and enlivening the legacy of one of the greatest American playwrights in our modern time. Simply … Continue reading →

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Spaceship Earth (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): Behind Biosphere 2

Posted on December 26, 2020 by kaist455

Matt Wolf’s documentary film “Spaceship Earth” presents a fascinating story behind Biosphere 2, an American Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona. The documentary is often amusing during its first half as delving into an interesting tale surrounding … Continue reading →

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A Hidden Life (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A meditative resistance

Posted on December 26, 2020 by kaist455

Terrence Malick’s latest film “A Hidden Life” is a meditative drama film which calmly and austerely explores its religious/spiritual themes via the real life of one ordinary man who chose to stick to his belief despite being aware of the … Continue reading →

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Rewind (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Rewinding to the abuse in his past

Posted on December 22, 2020 by kaist455

Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s first feature documentary film “Rewind” is often uncomfortable and disturbing to watch for good reasons. Calmly digging into his traumatic childhood past via a series of old home video clips shot around that terrible period, the documentary … Continue reading →

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The Infiltrators (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their risky fight against ICE

Posted on December 20, 2020 by kaist455

“The Infiltrators”, which won the Audience award and the NEXT Innovator award when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, is an uneven but engaging mix of fiction and documentary. Although the overall result is … Continue reading →

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RKO 281 (1999) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A terrific TV movie to complement “Mank”

Posted on December 14, 2020 by kaist455

To be frank with you, it took some time for me to appreciate the greatness of Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” (1941), which has been regarded as one of the greatest works in the history of cinema during last several decades. … Continue reading →

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Radioactive (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A scattershot biopic on Marie Curie’s life and career

Posted on November 23, 2020 by kaist455

I remember well when I came to learn about the life and career of Marie Curie from a little biography book for children around 30 years ago. Although life was pretty hard and difficult for her because of a number … Continue reading →

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Mank (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As he writes “Citizen Kane”

Posted on November 18, 2020 by kaist455

David Fincher’s new film “Mank”, which is released here in South Korea today and will be available on Netflix early in December, presents a personal perspective from the writer who co-wrote the screenplay for Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” (1941), which … Continue reading →

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The Final Year (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): The final year of the Obama administration

Posted on November 10, 2020 by kaist455

It is hard for me not to become nostalgic while watching Greg Barker’s documentary film “The Final Year”, which closely looks into the inner workings of the Obama administration during its final year. At that time, many of us were … Continue reading →

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