Tag Archives: Religion

One of Us (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Out of their insular community

Posted on October 23, 2017 by

Netflix documentary film “One of Us” looks closely into one insular religious community in New York City, and what it shows us is not so pretty at all. Here are three individuals who simply did not conform to the rigid … Continue reading →

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Keep Quiet (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The repentance of an anti-semite Jewish Hungarian

Posted on September 19, 2017 by

Joseph Martin and Sam Blair’s documentary film “Keep Quiet” presents one extraordinary human story. Here is a man who has tried to reach for repentance and redemption since he confronted a hidden truth which shattered what he had fervently espoused … Continue reading →

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Menashe (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A slice of Hasidic life from Brooklyn

Posted on May 6, 2017 by

Sometimes movies can transport you to worlds unfamiliar to us, and “Menashe”, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year and was recently screened at the Jeonju International Film Festival, is one of such cases. While … Continue reading →

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The Student (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A fanatic boy in the classroom

Posted on May 5, 2017 by

Darkly absurd and compelling, Russian film “The Student” disturbs us during its many fierce rhetorical scenes, which will grip your attention regardless of your opinion on religion. Here is an adolescent boy who suddenly starts to drive himself into religious … Continue reading →

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A Stray Goat (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A melancholic wintry tale of two troubled teenagers

Posted on March 16, 2017 by

I once wondered whether sad, cold independent movies about desperate people were becoming a genre of their own. Usually filled with somber wintry ambience, such movies tend to serve us with the bleak sense of harsh reality via their gloomy … Continue reading →

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Silence (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): That deepening silence on human suffering

Posted on February 13, 2017 by

At the beginning of Martin Scorsese’s “Silence”, we hear the sound of insects on the soundtrack. Recurring throughout the film, that plain sound of nature becomes more chilling as accentuating the deepening silence on human suffering in the film, and … Continue reading →

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Almost Holy (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A gritty, tough shepherd in Ukraine

Posted on November 15, 2016 by

Documentary film “Almost Holy”, currently available on Netflix, gives us a darkly complex portrayal of a man of the cloth determined to fight against evil in his own unorthodox way. As the documentary shows more of the gritty, uncomfortable sides … Continue reading →

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