“Movies, I enjoy watching and when you have one of the best film festival coming annual to the city of dreams and getting a selection of movies, the audiences would love to watch, then the only worst thing would be not to attend the annual JioMami Film Festival in Mumbai. I had watched about eleven movies in the week, after shortlisting sixteen movies I would like to watch. But, here I am sharing the best movies from the film festival I watched.”
- Young Ahmed
A Belgian Cinema movie in French .The Story is about a young boy named Ahmed played by Idir Ben Addi who is influenced by The religious book and acts like the fanatic that leads him being an extremist and plotter to murder his Teacher.
The Story opens with Idir Ben Addi running upstairs,Breathing heavily making a call feeling a little helpless and not behaving himself , at the dinning table too his mother notices his eccentric behaviour and is stunned with his reactions and tone. His behaviour’s are so extreme that even A dog licking him- he wants to wash his hands.
The movie focuses on his behaviour in the custody while doing the services and when his mothers come to meet him, He tries to understand what has lead him to be such a being. And when he manages to convince his representatives at the custody that he has changed.
The story moves forward with Ahmed being driven and suddenly opens the car door and escapes- Running for minutes they too are shown chasing him until they loose sight of him and he manages to reach the teachers’s house.
He tries to enter her place initially from the main entrance , but later tries to climb up on the roof and enters by opening the windows – Till he slips down on the floor and is bleeding away looking for help till he manages to alert the the teacher or someone who is at home and … The film background score is a always driving the scenes and setting the mood throughout the film.
The Acting by a Idir Ben Addi was outstanding. Haven’t seen the pervious work of The Directors Duo Luc Dardenne & Jean Pierre who had been nominated for two days and one night in best foreign film category previous in 2015 and were awarded Best Director “young Ahmed “ in 2019. To Judge whether it was their Best work or not .
The Movies ends with leaving you with your own interpretations about the end. Personally it was a great movie for me. Not very slow. But a lesson to takeaway in the end.
***/*****
- Midnight Traveller
A Documentary style autobiographical tone film, is about the Hasaan Fazili & his family how they have to keep travelling to “find a home.“
Hasaan a filmmaker had made a film on a Taliban Commander – And the Taliban first killed the commander and threaten Fazili and at his “Art Cafe” and within weeks they wanted him dead .
A friend of Hassan who worked for Taliban informs him, the Taliban have announced a reward on “Hasaan.”
He manages to escape the country and then story is all about how he & the family keep travelling from Tajisthan and then Afghanistan to turkey finally finding asylum in the Serbia Refugee camp for the longest time until they have to move again,Until today they haven’t found a “Home” they could call it theirs. The Film is entirely shot on mobile phones and the edit has been kept as natural as possible. There are a few light moments in the film . The whole story is about their struggle of how they have survived & have been surviving. And they travel only at night as they aren’t taking the legal route and can’t afford to be caught. In The journey they were also betrayed by the ones they ran for help to.
Midnight Traveller – In certain ways changes your perception of Travel.
****/*****
- The Little Joe – Austrian Cinema (English )
A Sci-Fi film about a genetically engineered plant “ little Joe” Which is an anti-depressant and one who makes you happy.
This is a prototype model the company is working on.
One Day “Little Joe” is taken home by the lead Emily Beecham who plays the role as Alice.
And the son “Joe” played by Kit Connor is impressed by this New mysterious looking plant who one has to speak to “To make him feel alive.”
One of the colleagues in the company “Bella’s” Dog has gone missing and is found in the lab. And he pounces . On the company employee and the “Little Joe” blooms and giveaway pollen that changes the dogs behaviour.
And Bella put had to her dog to sleep.
And Bella believes the Plant is responsible for her to put her dog to sleep.
It isn’t until Joe,s mother believes Joe too has been infected by the plant that she wants to stop this prototype to become a genuine product for all Business.
Suspenseful music at moments when needed enchases and engrosses the audience.
The wide shot to show that focuses greenhouse , the last shot of “little Joe plant” the colour palate & texture throughout the film is very artificially shot – Which the director Jessica Hausner’s says she enjoyed shooting it that way ,but likes to show it authentically.
***/*****
- System Crasher (German)
Problem Children are known as the system crasher. Benni is one such System Crasher who is impatient and has anger issues from childhood. She doesn’t stay with her parents but at a play school. The Boys bully her, she also steals and always looks to escape the reality. The music when the film opens is upbeat ,Certain shots like the screaming from Wardrobe when she is attacked looks beautiful on screen. At times the audience has sympathy for the character,But at times they empathy. We don’t know the exact reason for her Anger, But we get an hint that may be the mother is responsible for state and feels guilty at the same , As she would visit Benni whenever required.
We see certain transformation and change in Benni. But, The end justifies she is one case that will never change.
System Crasher is the Academy award submission from Germany and Helena Zengel who plays Benni might earn a nomination for the performance.
***/*****
- Pain & Glory – (Spanish)
A Filmmkaer is looking back at the choices he made in life – About the film in one line.
Then you realise oh! It;s made by Pedro Almodovar.You start watching the film unfold with full concentration. It’s a the transitions & animation that catches your attention when the lead Salvador played by Pedro Almodovar’s muse Antonio Banderas who talks about his pains & about his life that’s beautiful done. The flashbacks of his childhood reflection when Salvador is tripping on Heroine.
The relationship between his Actor & him when they meet after 32 years and the purpose “ Coming together for a screening and discussion of their film Sabor” But, the moments and some other aspects the story touches upon is wonderful. Throughout the film I noticed a lot of “ RED Colour” used in the background and setting that was cinematically done. Pain & Glory is the best so far I have seen at Mami this Year.
Very Autobiographical in many ways. The opening scene where Salvvadaor is laying in the pool is a scene that’s recreated by the director from his own life.
Trivia : The lead and Almodovar hadn’t worked together for 22 years with each other until “The skin I live in “ a psychological thriller based on a French novel “ Mygale” and later in English as “ Tarantula” they collaborated about eight years ago when Antonio played the lead. Besides Antonio, Penelope Cruz is too someone who has collaborated as an actor in many of his films.
****/*****
- The Truth
A story about a woman who is an actress has written a book on herself & her family.
She is now acting in a movie memories of her mother.
Her daughter comes to visit and tells her mother,
You were supposed to send me the book’s draft first ,before it goes to print.
And after the mother handover the book , She reads and realises there isn’t any truth in this.
The mother has also “killed” her husband in the book. Who is actually still alive.
And in the meantime she is busy with her shoot “Memories of her mother.”
There are moments where her granddaughter on the sets of her film is trying to impress the child actor. Which works and the audiences laugh .It’s a comedy with lot of emotions and understanding of the “Mother- daughter relationship”
To tell you the truth, truth has been one of the best movies at Jio MAMI FILM FESTIVAL.
****/*****
- Lighthouse
The film is cinematically beautiful in B&W . The Background music suspenseful every time the lighthouse is focused on there is a loud noise building up some sort of Mystery.
The Fart sound at opening scene, Adds to the humour and opens with Ephraim played by Robbert Pattison & Thomas played William Dafoe . You will clearly remember him as “Green Goblin” from spider man. The film is about Ephraim who is curious about what lies at the top of the lighthouse and why isn’t he allowed to ever go there and what would Thomas be hiding from me ? Ephraim’s main job is manning the “lighthouse” on an isolated rock. The two protagonist try to find a “purpose“ in the monotonous job and are often seen frustrated with the isolation that surrounds them.
The Performances by both the actors is fabulous and the cinematography showing the transition and visuals of the Mermaid between the present and the imagination is spot on with the siren and seagulls sound effect setting the mood of The film. The film is shot in 4:3 aspect ratio instead of 16:9 aspect ratio. That give it’s effect of being a film from another era. No wonder it was a challenge to get a seat for the movie.
The film is mysterious horror flick directed by Robbert Eggers, based on a story written by his brother Max Eggers & co written by Robert Eggers.
****/*****
- Deerskin (French)
The opening scenes – I Swear never to wear a jacket as long as I live.
Jackets being kept in the boot .
Cut to The protagonist buys a smart Deerskin jacket by spending all that he had for it.
There is something about the jacket,That makes him falls in love with the Jacket Obsessed with the “New addition.” isn’t really the word.
There are scenes where he can’t stop looking at himself in the mirror with the jacket, soon he starts speaking to his jacket, At the bar in the hotel he believes the bartender and the guest seated are talking about his jacket. He slowly starts filming himself with the jacket with a Video recorder he gets “Complimentary” with his “New Buy” The Deerskin jacket The Bartender who shares her interest in editing and her eagerness to edit his film as he shares he is a filmmaker.
The Film is a comedy with moments of laugh . Where his dream is to be the only one with the jacket . He documents all that’s in the recorder.. And the obsession is so out of control as he buy’s shoes,Gloves and and Gets a deerskin pant as a gift from the bartender.
Until the bartender confess she has known all along he was lying to her and convinces him she would seriously like making movies with him .
The film is concept and the way it’s done is totally out of the box. My 2nd Favourite or best movie I have seen at the Mami Fest this year.
****/*****
- The Golden Glove (German)
An utterly disgusting hard to watch film. Based on a true story about A serial killer “ Fritz Honka” Who in the 70s in German had raped and strangled women to death.
The Golden Glove was the bar – which he frequented and connived women to come over to the awful apartment and have drinks & later force sex. It isn’t until one day he follows a lady on the streets that directs him towards his apartment, where fire brigade have arrived and are trying to douse the fire- where he watches and realises the fire is happening from his house – The firemen discover chopped bodies that were locked in a storage space and that’s the end of the horrified story for Fritz Honka. The film is directed by Fatih Akin a German filmmaker who adapted this film from a book . The setting, mood and the feel of the film is very dark and dull right throughout .
The scene that Sets 1974 and Honka lights the cigarette is beautiful captured.
The Acting by Jonas Dasseler who is just 23 years old has acted superbly, getting into the character and walk- That you actually won’t think he is just 23.
***/*****
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