Joker (2019) is not an ordinary superhero film. Rather than reinforcing the familiar dualism of the previous Batman films, Joker breaks down the hero/villain paradigm and replaces it with something more multifaceted and uncomfortable.
Continue reading Joker; When Tragedy becomes ComedyCategory Archives: Movies
The Square: Compassion for show
The Swedish movie The Square (2017) is a satirical and confronting perspective on modern, western culture. The director’s intention is not to offer moral critique, but rather to highlight the existence of compassion in daily practises. Continue reading The Square: Compassion for show
Reflections on ‘Sorry we missed you’
Film director Ken Loach builds a strong case against the human cost of the gig-economy in his latest movie Sorry we missed you. It is also a thoroughly political film, about things we regard as ordinary, not seeing what is just in front of our eyes. It shows the essential vulnerability of human experience. The political nature of care ethics is paramount.
Continue reading Reflections on ‘Sorry we missed you’
Moonlight – Who decides who you are?
‘You decide who you are’, Juan tells the young Chiron in one scene. But I wonder, what will appear if I look closer? The film Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016) won three Oscars – including the one for Best Film, a first for a film with a cast consisting entirely of people of color. On top of that fact, the film also deals with overt Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) themes, a controversial subject in conservative and predominantly white Hollywood. Moonlight tells the story of a young, homosexual Afro-American man who grows up in a poor neighbourhood of Miami, USA. Moreover it shows the complexity of finding one’s position in a masculine environment while having to hide your nature from the light of day. Continue reading Moonlight – Who decides who you are?
‘A place gets a face’ – Agnes Varda’s attentive compassion with the social
The French movie Faces, Places (‘Visages, villages’ – 2017) by Agnes Varda, well known for her films co-setting the trend for the Nouvelle Vague, and by JR, a young and enigmatic photographer and street artist, is a many layered documentary that makes you wake up with a smile in the morning. Continue reading ‘A place gets a face’ – Agnes Varda’s attentive compassion with the social
Humiliating benefit systems undermine self-respect
‘When you lose your self-respect, you’re done’
I, Daniel Blake is a British-French drama film about a 59-year-old skilled craftsman, widowed, living in Newcastle.
Daniel Blake (Dave Johns), is recovering from a severe heart attack. For the first time in his life, he needs help from the State. Continue reading Humiliating benefit systems undermine self-respect