Francois Ozon’s French drama with Denis Menochet and Isabelle Adjani. Khalil Gharbia (1h25).
Progressive shifts in pleasure and tyranny. Petra von Kant was a fashion designer and a feminist at Fassbinder. She persecuted her assistant, and she fell in love with a young girl who hoped to be a model. After “Drops on water on hot stones” (2000), Petra, a German playwright, and filmmaker, adapts Ozon.
The director is a successful one and kills his butler. He falls madly in love, however, with Amir (Khalil Gahbia), a young man introduced to him by Sidonie (Isabelle Adjani), who is a cocaine diva. Amir, who is determined to become an actor, takes advantage of his opportunity and offers himself to Peter. He can also choose to love whom, when, and where he likes. His desperate pygmalion is afflicted by the effects of drugs and alcohol. He moans, howls and threatens to scream under the influence. It is both tragic and beautiful when the dominant becomes the dominant.
The film is set behind closed doors in Peter’s Berlin seventies apartment. It is both dramatic and metaphorical. It’s boulevard theater mixed with cruelty. Francois Ozon, Fassbinderrian, directs “Peter von Kant” with nerve, finesse, empathy, and distance. A “henaurmic”, naked Denis Menochet brings “Peter von Kant”, to a high degree of incandescence. They seem both to burn the boards and inhale in the flames of passion. It is impossible to extinguish even the torrents of bitter tears. Jerome Garcin
American sci-fi drama by Kogonada with Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner Smith, Justin H. Min (1h36).
Jake is unable to figure out what to do when Yang, the humanoid robot of the family, falls apart. Mika, her adopted granddaughter, is left without her best friend. In an artificially intelligent future, the quest begins to restore the memory of the cyborg. American director of Korean heritage, Kogonada is a mysterious artist. We don’t know his true name but he has written video essays about Bresson and Ozu. His film is somewhere between daydream and philosophical essay. These questions are approached gently, much like a fairytale episode of “Blade Runner”. It’s thrilling, and the film’s texture, which is very smooth, invites poetry. Colin Farrell is able to find a role that demonstrates his finesse and talent. Francois Forestier
Franco-Italian drama by Joseph Losey with Alain Delon and Jeanne Moreau (1976, 2h03).
Joseph Losey’s masterpiece. It was originally a Costa-Gavras project, which was written with Franco Solinas (screenwriter of “the Battle of Algiers”) and meant for Jean-Paul Belmondo. After a dispute with producers, the script is handed to Alain Delon. He goes searching for Losey, and finds one his most important roles. He is an opportunist art dealer who took advantage of his Jewish name to become an art dealer. This release marks the 80th year of the Vel’d’Hiv roundup. He is the fictional protagonist. This is a sad anniversary, but an opportunity to (re-)discover this wonderful Kafkaesque film. It was booed at Cannes and won three Caesars, including Best Film. Nicholas Schaller
Spanish drama by Chema Garcia, Ibarra with Nacho Fernandez and Llum Arques. Joanna Valverde (1h37).
A group of bright members from a ufology organization, called “Cosmic Pharaoh”, meet in a backroom to make a deal. A mother looks for her child missing (leaving behind a twin brother). TV is full of esoteric ads and scoopy interviews. Chema Garcia-Ibarra enlists the help of non-professionals and mixes SF with drama to create an interesting tale about her family, conspiracy theories, and over-mediatization. This one is a standout because of its slow pace, singular plans, and its humor (sudden intrusion of a battalion Nordic walkers in middle of nowhere). Sophie Grassin
Crazy Belgian Comedy, Gaetan Likens and David Mutzenmacher, with Wim Willaert (Vanessa Guide), Laurence Oltuski (1h22).
This is the most absurd black comedy of the year. It’s akin to “Pulp Fiction”, which Monty Python rewrote and corrected. Francis is a cuckolded accountant. Imagine a waste sorter finding a woman’s head at his factory. Or a jerk with a corpse in his trunk in a Maserati. A gigolo bodybuilder could be the gladiator. A Gypsy dwarf who plays the guitar in a different key. In short, an impossible-to-summarize (but cleverly constructed) puzzle, packed with smashing humor and furious madness, with characters of exceptional bullshit, presented by a voice-over with a Belgian accent. This film is highly recommended and should be reimbursed by Social Security. F.F.
READ ALSO: Why is Belgian Cinema so Black?
Israeli drama by Dror Zahavi with Peter Simonischek and Bibiana Beglau. Daniel Donskoy (1h51).
Austrian patron approaches a well-known conductor to arrange and lead an orchestra of young Palestinian and Israeli talent. It is a hymn to peace through art. Although the film is sometimes too committed in its dedication, it is not negligent in its treatment. It shows the hardships of a generation that has been sacrificed, and how it is hampered by the history that surrounds them and the daily hassles of life. We would not have accepted the intrigue about the chef’s origins, but we will accept the message of tolerance. Xavier Leherpeur
American cartoon by Kyle Balda & Brad Ableson (1h28).
Gru may be still a child but he dreams of being a ruler in a world where dishonesty reigns. He steals a valuable talisman from the most powerful villains to accomplish this. He must first flee their fury and then get the grail that one his minions exchanged for a toy. Blaxploitation and kung-fu films… The screenplay pays tribute to cinema bis and 1970s with just enough flares and funky groove. The screenplay doesn’t hide the fact that inspiration is drying up. It is often humorous and easily forgotten, even though it can cause a sense of déjà vu. X.L.
Documentaire italien, par Giuseppe Tornatore (2h36).
Two years after Ennio’s death, the ultimate documentary about Ennio Morricone. The director of “Cinema Paradiso”, Ennio Morricone’s documentary, was able to reveal many of the secrets of manufacturing and share them over the course of their remarkable career (523 soundtracks, just a handful of masterpieces). This film is the result of eight years of production, admirable editing and a two-and-a half-hour long documentary. It features prestigious testimonials from Clint Eastwood and John Williams and sheds light upon the musical genius that made so many feature films (and Italian songs) legendary. We leave with a strong desire to see them again and some frustrations (too brief overviews of his French collaborations and his gialli period). The film also portrays a man who was a strict man, whose intransigence and rigor often caused him to get angry with the filmmakers and hide a deep emotion. This is a five-hour version. N.S.
French comedy by Nafsika Gurry-Karamaounas with Stacy Martin and Vincent Dedienne, Maria Apostolakea (1h31).
He is a hypochondriac and a city dweller who gets frustrated at the slightest setback. She is a carefree girl who loves the sun and sees the whole picture. The young woman is reunited with her exaggerated opposites in Greece. This sterile game between systematic oppositions is the only basis of the scenario. It tells nothing but a very superficial story about remarriage. Their union fails for the duration of film before they are finally reconciled. The film is largely lazy and only saved by the charmed performances of the two leads. X.L.
