Des Hommes
Pretty unexhilarating take on the prison system in France. There have been better documentaries on prison reform.
Sorry We Missed You
“Who cares.” – Seb’s notebook
Sorry We Missed You is a punch to the emotional gut. It follows a family in a tight economic situation that becomes more and more dire. The father works for an Amazon-type of company that considers him self-employed; he has no benefits, but carries all of the risks. The mother is an underpaid caretaker and is a true softie. The teenage son gets into trouble with his parents gone and the adolescent daughter takes selfies with her cereal.
Ken Loach’s film doesn’t have stars or a big budget. It only has an immense heart. And that goes a long, long, long, long way. It’s hands down the best film of the festival so far and it will be hard for anything else to top it.
Papicha
The film covers the treatment of women in Algeria in the nineties. It follows the story of Nedjma, a free spirit, who refuses to be constrained by the ultra-conservative nature of the country. Several women are gunned down right in front of her, yet she fights to put on a fashion show. The lead actress, Lyna Khoudri, was very energetic and strong. It would definitely be worth it to check out Papicha.
Vegan alert:
-BBQ reference
-Honey on the fritters
-Haiks (traditional garb) were 50% wool and 50% silk
-Powdered milk
Additional note:
It seems like Papicha has been downvoted on IMDb. What a shame! This film is not a 4.6. Hopefully, with more people voting, the numbers will balance out.
Burning Ghost
What starts out as an interesting premise and a great opportunity for superimposing different images ends up falling so flat. It plays with time and space, but ultimately doesn’t know how to do so masterfully. It becomes an experiment with ennui. The love scenes were weird. My favorite part was probably the grandmother talking to the boyfriend. However, the accident that landed her in the hospital seemed insensitive, but got a couple of laughs from the audience.
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