Worth the Watch - September
I love films. I love everything about them. I love the mood a film creates, the characters, photography, script, editing… A good film is genuinely salve for the soul.
Escape for 2 hours, not to escape from reality, but to escape into a deeper reality, into the world you live in but have not personally experienced, into a humanity you form part of it, but have never met. Admire, empathise, suffer, and laugh. These are films: a journey with another. Beautiful.
Each month or so, we try to bring you a list of films that we have enjoyed. Perhaps have been recently been produced or released on mainstream platforms. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have.
Films
PERFUMES (2019)
I laughed when I read the synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes: “A chauffeur lands a driving job with a perfumer who struts around like a diva.” Yes, that’s true! But not the whole truth. It’s much more than that. It’s about a woman who is complex and meets with a new chauffeur who helps her in more ways than one. It’s a beautiful humorous story which we think you’ll enjoy! Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100%. We think it deserved it.
Rental on YouTube (with subtitles).
oslo (2021)
The film is based on a true story of negotiations between implacable enemies -- the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. Stars Andrew Scott (Irish actor) - who did a good job with this movie (imho).
Streaming on HBO.
Herself (2020)
Irish film recounting the life of single mother, Sandra, who escapes her abusive partner with her two young children, only to find herself trapped in temporary accommodation. The story is told with great refinement and vulnerability, and never turns mawkish or too difficult to watch. It leads you by the hand with hope and assurance in the charity of others and the need for friends to sustain you in life.
Streaming on Amazon Prime
PAge eight (2011)
A good classic British detective story about a gentleman named Johnny, a long-serving member of MI5, who finds a mysterious file after his mentor dies. The film is complex enough to keep you going, script is really really good (seriously!) and the acting is impeccable (great cast). Overall, it’s a good watch.
Streaming on Netflix.
concrete cowboy (2020)
Such an interesting film. Cole is sent to live with his estranged father for the summer. He finds kinship in a tight-knit community of Black cowboys in Philadelphia, USA. It depicts a real-live phenomenon of cowboys in an urban culture. The richness of relationships and the different things that happen to all of them is very nicely portrayed. The directing is excellent - very atmospheric and captures very nicely the stories of each individual.
Streaming on Netflix.