Movies at Dawn

SOULEIMAN: Your eyes never left me. They were there, within me, pouring their light into the depths. Hello everyone! Welcome to this week's post about the movie Atlantique, Atlantics in English. While it was a hard watch for me (I was very tired that day!), I found the plot very intriguing. Thank you so much for  being here and I hope you enjoy reading the post! Atlantique is co-written and directed by the brilliant Mati Diop. It is her debut film - and a successful one as she received numerous awards including NYFCC Award for Best First Film and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. While the film starts off as a love story, it gradually escalates into a supernatural plot but still manages to keep the romance fresh between the characters. The plot was especially surprising to me since I had no prior knowledge about it. By mixing elements of romance, mysticism, and (inevitable) politics, Diop presents a rich content to her viewers.            ...

MR. BAGHERI: Have you lost all hope? Have you ever looked at the sky when you wake in the morning? At dawn, don't you want to see the sunrise? The red and yellow of the sun at sunset, don't you want to see that anymore?  [1] Hello everyone, thanks for joining me this week! I decided to watch Ta'm e Guilass (Taste of Cherry) by Abbas Kiarostami for this post. I've been waiting to explore Kiarostami's works for a while now, and I'm so glad to start this journey with this movie. Let's give a little background about the film and explore the characters more in-depth. I hope you'll enjoy reading the post! Ta'm e Guilass is Kiarostami's one of the most successful features ever. It received recognition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and won the grand prize (shared with another film called The Eel) at the end of the festival. The film is about an Iranian man's search for someone who will bury him under a cherry tree after he commits suicide. We f...

PSYCHIATRIST: Your parents say you're always lying. ANTOINE: Oh, I lie now and then, I suppose. Sometimes I'd tell them the truth and they still wouldn't believe me, so I prefer to lie.  [1] Hello everyone, welcome to this week's post about the movie Les Quatres Cents Coups (The 400 Blows) by François Truffaut. I was quite prejudiced about the movie because of its production year (something I'm trying to work on), but Truffaut has such an amazing storytelling ability that eventually proved me wrong. It was a very emotional yet satirical movie, and I'm so excited to talk about it. Thank you so much for being here and I hope you enjoy reading the post! Les Quatre Cents Coups is Truffaut's first feature, and it was a very successful one as it received many awards including the Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival. The reason behind its success is the film's intimacy. It follows a 14-years-old boy who is left without attention and care from his parent...

PAN: And it is said that the Princess returned to her father's kingdom. And that she reigned with justice and a kind heart for many centuries. And that she was loved by all her subjects. And, like most of us, she left behind small traces of her time on Earth, visible only to those who know where to look.  [1] Hello everyone! Welcome to this week's post about the movie El Laberinto Del Fauno, Pan's Labyrinth in English. Before watching the film, my expectations were already high as the movie received many awards (including 3 Oscars), but in the end, it exceeded all of them and left me speechless. The film was magical yet heartbreaking, and I simply can't wait to talk more about it. Thank you for being here and I hope you enjoy reading the post!                                 El Laberinto Del Fauno is written and directed by the brilliant Guillermo del Toro. The film is about a girl who is living under h...

PANGZI: Life is a mixture of happy and sad things. Movies are so lifelike - that's why we love them. TING-TING: Then who needs movies? Just stay home and live life. PANGZI: My uncle says we live three times as long since man invented movies.  TING-TING: How can that be? PANGZI: It means movies give us twice what we get from daily life. [1] Hello everyone, and a million hugs and welcome to this week's post. I watched Edward Yang's beautiful Yi Yi yesterday, and I can't wait to share my thoughts while the scenes are fresh in my head. While it was a long watch, (2 hours and 53 minutes!) it was one of the most moving films I've ever seen. I recommend you if you haven't watched it yet or are intimidated by its duration (like me). Thank you for being here and I hope you enjoy reading the post! Yi Yi is Edward Yang's seventh and last feature film, also known as his masterpiece. The film received many positive reviews when it first released in North America and Euro...