“Hotel Hibiscus” is a unique cinematic gem crafted by the visionary hands of esteemed director, Yuji Nakae, who is renowned for his subtle yet profound depictions of life in the Ryukyu Islands. Nakae’s “Nabbie’s Love” has been celebrated for their deep cultural immersion and vivid character sketches, and “Hotel Hibiscus” is no exception. Released in 2002, the film transports viewers to the languid tropical paradise of Okinawa, skillfully amalgamating a cocktail of comedy, drama, and the vibrancy of island life.Read More »
Drama
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Yûji Nakae – Hoteru haibisukasu AKA Hotel Hibiscus (2002)
2001-2010ComedyDramaJapanYûji Nakae -
Nikos Panayotopoulos – Delivery (2004)
Nikos Panayotopoulos2001-2010DramaGreeceYoung man arrives in Athens to seek his fortune. Vainly.Read More »
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Hal Hartley – The Sisters of Mercy (2004)
Hal Hartley2001-2010DramaShort FilmUSAHal Hartley reveals the tireless experimentation, curiousity and playfulness that lies behind his many feature films in his this short film, The Sisters of Mercy, starring Parker Posey and Sabrina Lloyd.Read More »
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Glauber Rocha – Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol AKA Black God, White Devil (1964)
Glauber Rocha1961-1970ArthouseBrazilDramaQuote:
After killing his employer when said employer tries to cheat him out of his payment, a man becomes an outlaw and starts following a self-proclaimed saint.Reehan Miah wrote:
Glauber Rocha’s Aesthetics of Hunger – a 1965 essay which attempts to explicate the Cinema Novo – reads like a convoluted mass of allegations, opacities and rhetoric (none of which are necessarily without substance). Somewhere within these imbroglios however, one stumbles upon an assertion that’s especially jarring:Read More » -
Kenya Marquez – Asfixia (2019)
2011-2020DramaKenya MarquezMexicoAfter getting out of jail where she learned how to take care of the sick, Alma, an albino woman, decides to recover something much more important than her own freedom. In order to do so, Alma is forced to take care of Clemente (a hypochondriac with an OCD to avoid a sudden death) at night. The relationship between them will transit from suspicion and fear to tenderness and love.Read More »
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Asli Özge – Köprüdekiler AKA Men on the Bridge (2009)
Asli Özge2001-2010ArthouseDramaTurkeyMEN ON THE BRIDGE – KÖPRÜDEKİLER by Berlin director Asli Özge won Best Film at the Istanbul, London and Adana film festivals. The film premiered internationally in Locarno and Toronto. Caught between tradition and modernity, Europe and Asia, the lives of the three main figures stagnate in the permanent traffic jam of the Bosporus bridge.Read More »
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Marcel L’Herbier – Le diable au coeur AKA The Devil in the Heart AKA Little Devil May Care (1927)
Marcel L'Herbier1921-1930DramaFranceRomancePLOT: Ludivine, a lttle tomboy, takes on the too polite Delphin. Being caught, and punished, she wants him and his father to be dead. When the latter dies, she feels guilty and takes Delphin under her wing.Read More »
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Paolo Taviani & Vittorio Taviani – Allonsanfan (1974)
1971-1980ArthouseDramaItalyPaolo TavianiVittorio TavianiAfter the fall of Napoleon, the Restoration begins. Fulvio (Marcello Mastroianni, La dolce vita), an aristocrat who has dedicated his life to the revolution has become disillusioned and his cowardice keeps him from joining his comrades. As he struggles to manage his evasion and lies he gets swept up in a suicidal uprising in Southern Italy. Stunningly photographed with lush period detail and featuring the Taviani brothers’ trademark magic realism and absurdist irony, Allonsanfàn has Mastroianni on top form as the reluctant insurgent and one of Ennio Morricone’s finest scores.Read More »
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Lila Avilés – Tótem AKA Totem (2023)
2021-2030DramaLila AvilésMexicoQuote:
Seven-year-old Sol spends the day at her grandfather’s home, helping with the preparations for a surprise party for her father. Throughout the day, chaos slowly takes over, fracturing the family’s foundations. Sol will embrace the essence of letting go as a release for existence.Read More »