Jasmim Talks Cinema

Happy as Lazzaro - A Lost Innocence  Is innocence possible in our modern world? Is it a dangerous or irresponsible act? Is it lost in the past? In a simpler time? Did we lose our naiveté? These are the questions that may be raised by this magical and heartfelt tale. We see it through a dreamlike, almost childish, yet realist atmosphere masterfully crafted by Alice Rohrwacher and her playful directing style. We plunge into a beautiful and humane vision of the world that questions the way we find ourselves nowadays. In a breath of fresh air, Rohrwacher shows us a unique vision of our world and invites us to evaluate what is happening to it - a world where innocence is an endangered species, a world where the innocent man is a lone wolf in the midst of a dark industrial jungle.  This tale is divided into two parts set in two different times, with one part set in the idyllic countryside and the other set in the decadent city. It begins in the past, in an isolated pastoral v...

First Man - A Ballad for the Achievements of the Regular Man   Growing up, the name of Neil Armstrong had always been enveloped in mysticism. In my imagination, and probably in the imagination of most of us, he wasn't a regular human being - he was on the ranks of epic heroes and demi-gods like Ulysses or Hercules. "The first man to walk on the moon" - how could he have been human? How could a man have done such a feat? He surely must have been a superior being - a god walking amongst men. But he was a human being. Demi-gods and epic heroes did not walk on the Moon - regular men did. Men with traumas and who suffered terrible losses- Men who worked hard for the advancement of humanity and its horizons. Mere mortals. Real heroes. Neil Armstrong was a human being like all of us and we tend to forget this fact about historical figures. And Damien Chazelle did a perfect job in this film that is more a ballad for the achievements of mankind and the regular men and women b...

A Star Is Born - A Longing for Change  A woman unhappy with the modern world, wanting something more from her life. A man trying to fill the void inside him in any way possible, wanting something more from his life. What are they searching for? What are we searching for? A Star Is Born  is surprisingly the film we were all in need of - it's a mirror of our society. It's a perfect depiction of the imbalances of our modern society, and Bradley Cooper does a perfect job in his debut on the director's chair, with a compassionate eye that captures the world and emotions better than many veteran directors. This visually and musically dazzling masterpiece is the translation of the longings of our society for a change - something more, something that will elevate humanity into something more humane, less shallow, that will fulfill the voids inside each and every one of us. This is what this musical masterpiece is all about - and it's so refreshing.  The skeleton of the p...

Jasmim's Choice 2005 Best Film: Winner: Brokeback Mountain A History of Violence Breakfast on Pluto Broken Flowers Caché Lady Vengeance Match Point Me and You and Everyone We Know Paradise Now Sophie Scholl: The Final Days The Beat That My Heart Skipped The New World The Squid and the Whale Three Times Transamerica Best Director: Winners: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain; Michael Haneke, Caché David Cronenberg, A History of Violence Jim Jarmusch, Broken Flowers Patrice Chéreau, Gabrielle Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man Park Chan-Wook, Lady Vengeance Woody Allen, Match Point Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know Hany Abu-Hassad, Paradise Now Marc Rothemund, Sophie Scholl: The Final Days Jacques Audiard, The Beat That My Heart Skipped Fernando Meirelles, The Constant Gardener Terrence Malick, The New World Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Three Times Best Actor: Winner: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Capote Viggo Mortensen, A History o...

Jasmim's Choice 2006: Best Film:  Winner: Volver Babel Children of Men Half Nelson Inland Empire Little Miss Sunshine Marie Antoinette Pan's Labyrinth Paprika Still Life This Is England The Departed The Lives of Others The Prestige The Wind That Shakes the Barley Best Director: Winners: Martin Scorsese, The Departed; Pedro Almodóvar, Volver Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Babel Alfonso Cuáron, Children of Men David Lynch, Inland Empire Sofia Coppola, Marie Antoinette Guillermo del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth Satoshi Kon, Paprika Joachim Trier, Reprise Jia Zhangke, Still Life Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Syndromes and a Century Cristi Puiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others Christopher Nolan, The Prestige Ken Loach, The Wind That Shakes the Barley Best Actor: Winner: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson Mads Mikkelsen, After the Wedding Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Clive Owen, Childre...

Tokyo Story - The Poetry of Life "Isn't Tokyo vast? Isn't it? If we were to get lost, we might never find each other ever again." An elderly couple looks on to the changing, industrial landscape of a growing new city, rising like a phoenix - a world moving past them, a world they can no longer recognize. The world is constant change - this is the natural state of things. And Yasujirô Ozu shows us a reflective view of the changing Japanese society in post-WW2 Japan, telling a simple, intimate, and humane story that is timeless and universal. This film is about the poetry of life, and this film is poetry - the simplest, most compassionate poetry there is. This film is life itself.  In this story, we follow an elderly couple, Tomi and Shukichi - played by Chieko Higashiyama and Chishû Ryû, respectively - from Onomichi, a provincial town in southern Japan, who visits their adult children in Tokyo. Before going, they are filled with hope and expectations. They b...

Cold War - Two Hearts and Four Eyes   The Cold War - a period that marked the second half of the 20th century and the history of humanity forever. A war, yet not a war. A conflict, yet not a conflict. A contradiction. This is brilliantly transported to the romance that we witness in this beautiful film about the intermittent love affair between a pianist and a singer, who have different backgrounds and temperaments, mismatched in a divided Europe. A passionate romance afflicted by separation. We are dazzled by the slick black-and-white visuals of Pawel Pawlikowski's stunning vision of this romantic life, with extreme feelings, ranging from the fiercest passion to the deepest depression, loosely based on and dedicated to his parents. This is a picture to fall in love with. This is a picture about two hearts and four eyes longing to be together when they cannot. This is a timeless romance.  Folk music is the start of this romance. We see a group of researchers record folk...

Jasmim's Choice 2007: Best Film: Winner: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Atonement Elite Squad I'm Not There Juno Lust, Caution No Country for Old Men Persepolis Once The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford The Diving Bell and the Butterfly The Edge of Heaven There Will Be Blood Zodiac 5 Centimeters Per Second Best Director: Winners: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men; Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood Joe Wright, Atonement José Padilha, Elite Squad Todd Haynes, I'm Not There Jason Reitman, Juno Ang Lee, Lust, Caution Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, Persepolis Lee Chang-dong, Secret Sunshine Carlos Reygadas, Silent Light Andrew Dominik, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Fatih Akin, The Edge of Heaven David Fincher, Zodiac Cristian Mungiu, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Best Actor:  Winner: Da...