tedcengel Reviews

Norma (2023)

Enjoyable, but not much happens - Go ahead and watch it

[6/10 · 26 December 2023]

Story about a forty-something woman going through a mid-life crisis (sort of). The acting is great, the filming is great. There are glimpses of humor here and there. The film ambles at a slow pace, which is right for me maybe, but not for others.

Whenever the main character is focused on herself (which is most of the film) her life seems to stagnate -- manifested seemingly by insomnia, doldrums, listlessness... She discovers a way that she thinks will get her out of her funk. In the fleeting moments that involve reaching out in relationships, things seem to improve.

The film is set in Argentina, but it could be anywhere really.

Shahmaran (2023– )

If you like Tarkovsky...

[9/10 · 25 February 2023]

Very thought-provoking. Decent plot. Great soundtrack. But the best part in my opinion is the cinematography. Quite reminiscent of Tarkovsky. This is more the tempo that I like.

I didn't give it a 10 but it might very well have been 10 if I understood Turkish.

After watching all of season 1 in English, I then re-watched Episode 8 in Turkish, and noticed there was more dialog/monolog than in English.

Possibly some of the mysteries (there are many, which is part of the fun) might have been explained with all of the spoken word translated.

It is also helpful to educate oneself of the history and mythologies which make up a significant part of the story.