Immigrant

Immigrant (2013, James Gray)

The film already appears to be regarded as a cultural interpretation of the specific era in American history. The lighting and the cinematography of the film are designed to create a perfect tableau of the period. The contradiction between the sense of freedom that the American city (New York) represents for the immigrants and the sense of entrapment that the buildings and the tunnels of the city provoke is very important to establish the political connotations of the film. The contrast between the blue colour and the brown colour signifies the joyful and the depressive atmospheres of the scenes though the escape scene at the end happens in the environment dominated by blue colour. Marion Cotillard's performance is extraordinary and unique. Ewa is naïve but intelligent. Not only is her immaturity linked to her unfamiliarity with new culture and territory but it is important to shape her character throughout the narrative. There are many shots in the film that owe their effectiveness to her style of performance. We can scarcely anticipate the resolution of the film whose thematic presentation is dominated by the darkness and the depressiveness of the scenes. Of course, Ewa deals with a conflict between love and her familial responsibility. But her role as a wanderer may suffice to demonstrate her attempt to earn a new identity that defines her choice at the end of the film. Review By Morad Sadeghi

1,000 Times Good Night

1,000 Times Good Night (2013, Erik Poppe) 

Juliet Binoche’s performance has the gift of being able to invent a style for the film that draws the particular attention of the critics to its narrative. We can sympathize with her and understand her commitments on both sides, her profession and her family. The crisis point arrives when she must choose between two different sides of her life. The impossibility of reconciliation between these two brings the crisis to its peak. Rebecca tries to heighten her daughter's understanding of political tensions in the world. But there is a sign of optimism in the film when her daughter finally tries to understand her mother in the class assignment by referring to her mom's photographs in Africa. Rebecca's anxiety about the future of the survival of the next generations and their political awareness is demonstrated in her role as an observer and journalist at the end of the film. The question of realistic accuracy and precision of photos taken in political turmoil could have been another important aspect of the film that is not structured convincingly. Review By Morad Sadeghi

 

Kış Uykusu (Winter Sleep)

Kış Uykusu (Winter Sleep)(Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2014)

 

In making Winter Sleep, Ceylan developed his style further and his themes and motives go beyond all things that have been implied by his best stylistic strategies. The long takes and the shooting on the locations accompanied with the strong characterizations and the well-written dialogues create an astounding and extraordinary cinematic text. Ceylan now with the help of German and French production units succeeds to open a window in front of us in which the class differences become key element to portray the characters. Simultaneously, Aydin’s paranoia (Haluk Bilginer) towards his wife and his sense of controlling her life with all of his failures make a platform to launch the narrative. Visually and thematically, he brings all his theatrical experiences into his private life. His house looks like a stage with different rooms and corridors. The house as it is mentioned in a dialogue is like a cave with its claustrophobic and imprisoning structure that works like a shelter for the rich characters to refuge from the harshness of the reality outside (cold and snowy weather). The impossibility of breaking the gap between poor and rich people is intensified with Nihal's failure (Melisa Sozen) to donate Aydin's money as a charity to the poor family. It is so sad that she doesn't have any place to go back except Aydin's house. Not surprisingly, the form and the shape of the location and the narrative are circular with no place to flee. However, Ceylan never attempts to resolve the moral structure of the narrative. His complete disbelief in offering any solution at the end of the film makes his whole hypothesis about the denial of social class reconciliation provoking and controversial. We should not forget that there are many cinematic and literary references in the film that are worth to be mentioned such as the hunting scene of the rabbit that reminds us of the hunting scene in Renoir's film, Le Regle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) (1939) with the similar thematic pattern or Bergmanian and Chekhovian dialogues between the male and the female protagonists. Review By Morad Sadeghi

Don't Look Now

Don't Look Now (1973, Nicolas Roeg)

Having seen most of this feature I wonder what its complex temporality and eroticism might do to the audiences' power of realization. Perhaps the critics should go further and argue for the editing in the film. What I find unforgettable about the film is its multilayered and complicated narrative with supernatural and spiritual themes and motives. By the same token, the title of the film refers to the power of the look and the premonition of its consequences. At the same time, Roeg's stylistic decisions to play with the themes of death and sexuality make the temporal structure of the scenes enigmatic and mysterious. Does this mean that Roeg is capable of charming us with all potential formalistic strategies to change our mindset to the concept of time in his film? Review By Morad Sadeghi