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Reviews
Une fille facile (2019)
A Pleasant but Uneventful Watch
Strong points:
- Having grown up in the area where this was recorded, I thought it successfully captured the pace of life and the type of people one would find in Cannes
- Pleasant watch, dialogue between the characters flows well and naturally for the most part
- Zahia's acting somehow works. It is quite monotone, although I imagine her casting might have more to do with her reputation than her acting ability. The calmness and seeming detachment of the character creates an air of mystery, an aura of sophistication.
Weaker points:
- The silent, complicit naiveté of Mina Farid works up to a certain degree. There is a point where she begins to express more of a personality (through her exchanges with Philippe) but it does not seem to build up to anything in particular, which I thought was a shame.
- The film is pleasant but uneventful. I wouldn't watch it again but I also wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it.
Divines (2016)
Simply excellent, heartbreaking, engaging, beautiful
There are few films that make me feel the way Divines made me feel.
From the beauty of the acting, the artistry behind the composition of the shots, the tragedy of the story - simply excellent.
It's one of those films that you just know is going to end badly for the main character from the beginning, but cannot help but hope. Uda Benyamina gives you the opportunity to hope without verging into the unrealistic or betraying the roots of the protagonist. She manages to craft a complex, endearing, tragic personage and I applaud her for this.
Fantastic symbolism in the composition of the images. Beautiful, memorable scenes. I watched the film a few weeks ago but the scene where Oulaya Amamra and Deborah Lukumuena are pretending to drive a car, the way the camera trails in front of them...the dancing scene in the supermarket...the tragedy at the end, the flames... incredible, magnificent.
Les amours imaginaires (2010)
So-so
The plot is fine but the film is overstylised and overdone. The actors aren't very likeable (sorry Dolan), so it's difficult to feel anything while watching other than slight anticipation for the next scene. That distance is felt between the characters as well.
Ultimately, the stylistic choices don't do much to carry the film and it seems to be style for the sake of style which is a bit of a drag.
What I liked:
- There was one scene where Francis and Francine were watching Nico and it alternated between shots of Nico and art which I found memorable
What I didn't like:
- Too much slow mo
- Too many songs in the film and it's quite jarring when one song (with lyrics) plays immediately after another
- the coloured scenes don't add much and are not enjoyable
- I didn't understand the role of the random speakers - some of them were interesting (acting and text wise) but seems confused in the midst of the storyline.
Queen & Slim (2019)
Disappointing
I was hoping to watch a modern Bonnie & Clyde, but what I got instead was a confused, slow and superficial film.
The other low-rating reviews have hit the nail on the end so I won't repeat their thoughts here. Suffice to say that there's way too much going on, the plot sacrifices breadth for depth. I personally found it difficult to care about the lead characters which is interesting given they are on the screen 80% of the time. Too much B roll of cars and landscapes as well. In the end, it just feels like the director or scriptwriter simply did not know where they were going with it (was it an overt social commentary? An unlikely but thrilling adventure? A love story?).
Overall, just disappointing. Was hoping for something fresh but left feeling meh.