World Cinema Wednesdays – November 2021
November 2, 2021 By Go BackAt Hollywood Suite we started World Cinema Wednesdays during lockdown as a chance for you to “travel from your couch,” but as the world begins to slowly open up, I wanted to make sure people knew we’re still bringing some of the best award-winning, unique cinema from around the world that you can catch on Wednesday nights or all month On Demand.
Ran (1985)
Ran is Akira Kurosawa’s final dance not only with Historical Epics but also with the works of William Shakespeare as he adapts King Lear to the turbulent Sengoku period of Japanese history. The film is not only Kurosawa working on one of the largest scales of his career, it is often considered one of his best by American critics and earned four Oscar nominations including his lone Best Director nomination and a win for Emi Wada’s amazing costumes.
Foxtrot (2017)
Israeli director Samuel Moaz creates an unforgettable narrative of absurd humour and devastating grief in this film that follows both a strained family and their son working at a desolate military post. To say any more would spoil the twists and turns in this narrative that both draws on Moaz’ experiences as a soldier and was denounced by some in his home country for its bold stance on the toll its military intervention can have on the lives of its people. The film managed to take home the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and I promise at the very least it has a dance number that will stick in your mind for years to come.
Pain and Glory (2019)
Antonio Banderas takes his long time collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar to the next level with this fascinating story of a director simultaneously dealing with his past and future as an artist and a man. The film not surprisingly weaves much real-life inspiration from Almodóvar, including his own struggles with addiction, and also brings along his other muse Penélope Cruz to play the stand-in for the director’s mother. While the film may not have some of the showiness of Almodóvar’s other films it instead trades in a deeply felt insight and Banderas rightfully took the awards season by storm with one of his best performances in decades.
A Fantastic Woman (2017)
Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio has made a name for himself with fascinating portraits of women rarely seen in Hollywood so it’s no surprise this mix of emotional fantasia and revenge film dazzled its way into a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2018. The story follows Marina, a trans woman whose long time lover dies, and her struggle to grieve while his family denies and attacks her. The movie not only announced its star Daniela Vega as a tremendous talent, its international success and bold message identifying the meager protection trans women had in society and their resilience opened a major discussion regarding trans rights in Chile and many credit for helping change transgender rights laws there in 2018.
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