Tag Archives: School

When This Summer is Over (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): A bad influence

South Korean independent film “When This Summer is Over” is often disturbing for good reasons. Phlegmatically following how its plain young hero tumbles down into a number of crimes and misdemeanors thanks to his new “friends”, the movie gives us … Continue reading

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My Best, Your Least (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her pregnant student

South Korean film “My Best, Your Least” handles its rather sensitive social subject with more sensitivity and thoughtfulness than I expected, and I appreciate that. Mainly revolving around a complex teacher and student relationship, the movie powerfully delivers its important … Continue reading

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About Dry Grasses (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Stuck in a remote snowy region

You should have some patience in case of the works of Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan. I saw “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (2011), “Winter Sleep” (2014), and “The Wild Pear Tree” (2018), and they are quite long in … Continue reading

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Armand (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): At her son’s school

“Armand”, which was selected as the Norwegian entry for Best Internation Film Oscar in last year, attempts a sort of high-wire stunt between the chamber drama films of Ingmar Bergman and the psychological thriller movies of Roman Polanski. While I … Continue reading

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Wicked (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): When they were friends…

“Wicked”, which is actually based on the first half of the popular Broadway musical of the same name, is as colorful and spirited as expected. While this is your average bloated musical film, it is thankfully buoyed by the good … 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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Madu (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): A talented boy from Nigeria

Documentary film “Madu”, which is currently available on Disney+, closely follows one talented boy from Nigeria. Although there are a number of small and big obstacles despite one very fortunate opportunity given to him, he keeps trying nonetheless as helped … Continue reading

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Sayonara, Girls. (2022) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Before their graduation

Japanese film “Sayonara, Girls”, which is released as “Girls Don’t Graduate” in South Korea as it was in Japan a few months ago, is so gentle and vanilla that I quickly lost my patience during my viewing. Probably because I … Continue reading

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Club Zero (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Teaching “conscious eating”

Jessica Hausner’s new film “Club Zero” coldly unnerves us with a series of increasingly disturbing moments. While these very uncomfortable moments are presented with artistic precision and control, the movie merely feels distant and hollow in terms of story and … Continue reading

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The Teachers’ Lounge (2023) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A trouble at one school

German film “The Teachers’ Lounge”, which was selected as the German submission to Best International Film Oscar then was recently included the shortlist, is a dry but riveting school drama about how one small matter becomes quite complicated for everyone … Continue reading

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