IviDvo

Agra is one of the most visited cities in India thanks to the famous Taj Mahal. It's a land full of contrasts, especially social; there are beautiful historical monuments, luxury shopping malls and restaurants, from which you can see a family of six with a newborn baby having dinner on the pavement – not something you’ll see in Bollywood. I was all the more interested in this film and the story of a young man, torn between fantasy and reality, who, like many men from lower castes, suffers from sexual frustration. This pushes him to absolutely desperate measures, whether it's attempting suicide or raping his cousin. He tries online dating, but fails, and eventually tries to succeed with a disadvantaged woman who doesn't have much chance of finding a suitable match herself. I think the film is successful at reflecting that sad reality, but a bit flawed at times (for example, the violent scenes where it is quite obvious that it is a fiction). What will stick in my mind forever is the opening "love scene" with the squirrel, and the fact that the cinema was brutally cold, which definitely spoiled the experience. But the film held my attention and I wanted to finish it. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

In the beginning everything is like a fairy tale, Blanche has found her prince charming, but it turns out too good to be true. The whole time I wondered if the film could have the same emotional impact on people who have never experienced the situation it portrays. Even though I experienced only a tenth of what the main character Blanche did, it is a very personal film for me, with strong, real and important themes. I have to praise both actors. Virginie Efira is a beloved star in France and in this film she proves that she has every right to be, and Melvil Poupaud, he's both stunningly charming and terrifying, as manipulators can sometimes be. I also have the piano score etched in my memory, really beautiful music. One of the most impressive dramas of this year's Cannes. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

This is one big caress to the soul. A beautiful ode to French cuisine, the French language and to love itself. The opening twenty minute or so cooking scene is a masterpiece, so be warned, don't watch it hungry :D In this film, food is the main character, it's either prepared or consumed, or it's very colourfully and poetically assessed and described, in a way that perhaps only the French can do. The production design is amazingly detailed and it wasn't until the end of the film that I noticed that there was no music; the soundtrack is the sounds of the kitchen: the bubbling of boiling water, the sizzling of oil in the pan, the shuffling of pots on the stove, a wooden spoon sliding on a skillet, the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the clinking of cutlery on plates. Cooking here is not just a tool to fill the stomach and satisfy the appetite, cooking is portrayed as a very important way of communication, to express love and feelings where words are not enough. Similarly, the relationship between Eugenie and Dodin is beautifully and delicately portrayed. They love each other, admire each other, cook for each other with love. This film is like a dream. And rightfully won the Best Director award at Cannes. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

I wasn’t sure how to rate this film, it took me a long time. It’s your typical Anderson oddity, and in this colourful oddity there’s also an even bigger oddity in black and white that I believe spoils the film a bit. Otherwise, the colour part of the film is funny, I liked the cinematography a lot, but it lacks something for a higher rating. And yet it's absolutely packed with Hollywood stars. Maybe my expectations were too high. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

The best short I saw at Cannes (though I didn’t see all the shorts). It's raw, confusing at times, we don't quite know what is imagination and what is reality, which I didn't mind at all in this rendering. I love Polish cinema, and this budding director can be proud of his film. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

Great cinematography, good soundtrack, good lead actress, but for the fact that we were supposed to learn "the truth about the fight", I felt like I didn't learn anything at all. Or maybe I missed something in those monologues. I was amused, however, by the scenes when the main character starts talking to the camera and the people surrounding her shout that she's awkward, that was good. [One of the shorts at Cannes 2023]

A very sad true story of a six-year-old boy who was torn from the arms of his Jewish family to convert to the Christian faith, one of monstrous practices of the Church. The family has been trying for years to get the boy back home, but to no avail, and little Edgardo has a difficult, almost impossible task ahead of him: to remain faithful to his family and his faith despite years of brainwashing, which results in his utter ambivalence. The most heartbreaking scene is the reunion years later with his mother, who is on her deathbed. The film has a fantastic production design, the performances of all the main actors are admirable, my only criticism would be the running time (I would have cut it by 20 minutes), and the dramatic music is a bit too religious at times, but otherwise it is definitely worth seeing. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

Jessica Hausner presented Little Joe at Cannes 2019, and Emily Beecham won Best Actress. Club Zero left Cannes this year without an award at Cannes, and yet for me it's a more accomplished film. But it's true that maybe it could have been a bit more extreme, like The Wave. Here we follow a group of students who sign up for a "mindful eating" course that ultimately leads to no eating at all. Under Ms. Novak's manipulative influence, the students are very passionate, even sectarian, about their project, and we can observe the reactions of their families. The film opens up many themes: nutrition trends, eating disorders, escalating beliefs (thoughts shape our reality, I can do anything if I think it – best portrayed in a disturbing, absurd yet brilliant vomiting scene). The film is funny, but at the same time tragic and especially brilliantly acted by the young cast. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

The only film at Cannes that I really suffered through and wondered how it was possible that something like this could be screened at the world's most prestigious film festival. I admit that I went to the film without knowing what it was about and the beginning was not bad at all, on the contrary it looked very promising, with heavy fog on a bridge and a mass; I was looking forward to what was to come. I would have gladly taken the Korean version of The Mist, but  then there were those loaded killer dogs and my chin dropped in great WTF amazement, which I mean in the most derogatory way possible. Terrible rubbish! [Festival de Cannes 2023]

I must admit that until the last 15 minutes I was having fun :) It's probably all a bit far-fetched, in particular the ending, but if you expected it and if you tune in to the wave and decide to play the game, I don't think you'll be offended. I guess there really are a lot of lapses in logic and absurdities, and I decided not to notice them so much or to forgive them. Anyway, what irritated me a lot was the character of the fifteen-year-old rebel Selma, whom I felt like slapping. Ungrateful, whiny little brat. I really liked it visually, the scene when Selma runs out of the forest with the horses, and the black clouds behind them – beautiful. [Festival de Cannes 2023]