Greetings again from the darkness. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but prior to this movie, I was unfamiliar with Birthe Neumann. Most of her 50-year career has been spent in Denmark projects (film, TV, stage), but her screen presence here is such that I feel compelled to seek out some of her early work in order to catch up on what now feels like a gap in my movie watching. Ms. Neumann stars as writer Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen), who published her 1937 memoir, “Out of Africa”. The adapted book became a Best Picture Oscar winner starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. A couple of years later (1987) the film adapted from Blixen’s story “Babette’s Feast” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.
Director Bille August (PELLE THE CONQUEROR, 1987) and screenwriter Christian Torpe bring Thorkild Bjornvid’s memoir to the screen. You might ask why then the opening paragraph was not about Mr. Bjornvid, a noted Danish writer and poet. The answer is derived from the fact that while the process of writing doesn’t translate well to the big screen, complicated relationships definitely do … and the bond between Blixen and Bjornvid (played here by Simon Benebjerg) was about as complicated and convoluted as one can get. Ms. Blixen was somewhat of an isolated literary icon when she first met the 30ish Bjornvid in 1948. What followed can only be described as a Faustian deal where she promised to make him a great writer if he followed her every direction to a “T”. She says to him, “Have faith and I will protect you.” The stipulations included moving into her compound and being apart from his wife Grete (Nanna Skarrup Voss) and child for long stretches.
Of course, we all dream of having someone bankroll our hobby so that we may leisurely pursue our passions. This was more than that. Blixen was living with the long-term effects of her syphilis and the loss of her friend/lover/companion (detailed in her memoir). Her bitterness filled her with contempt for anything other than the sole pursuit of artistic passions, and Ms. Neumann’s performance is so authentic we are taken aback at times (just like Bjornvid). We know the price to pay for such a deal is sure to be high. Soon enough, Bjornvid becomes infatuated with Benedicte Jensen (Asta Kamma August, the daughter of the director), the wife of Neumann’s friend Knud (Anders Heinrichsen) and the temptation is too strong.
The situation and the film raise many questions. Should one follow their gift, regardless of the cost to others? Is selling the soul a fair price for reaching greatness? Is risk and pain and sacrifice necessary to reach one’s artistic peak? It’s painful to watch the young poet surrender to his elderly patron, but it’s fascinating to see how Karen Blixen spurs the writer to improvement. How far would you go to achieve your dreams?
Opening in NYC on February 11, 2022 and expanding on February 18, 2022
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s best not to take the film or its synopsis at face value. This bears no resemblance to a conventional film and the synopsis would have you thinking this is a traditional crime thriller. Iranian writer-director Abed Abest makes no effort to formulate an easy-to-follow story, and instead gives us a glimpse at war atrocities – here based during the Iran-Iraq War. Though it’s not a straightforward story to follow, the film is visually stunning and reminiscent (at times) of Jodorowsky and Kubrick.
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s often fun when an innovative filmmaker turns a stodgy genre upside down and offers us a new take. And who better to flip over the frequently stale mode of romantic-comedies than Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier? Co-written with his frequent collaborator Eskil Vogt, the film could also be described as a dramady or a thirty-ish coming-of-age tale. Regardless of the label, it’s entertaining and thought-provoking, as well as being a bit dark in parts (some of these also being quite funny). This is being called the final film in Trier’s “Oslo Trilogy”, three loosely connected films including REPRISE (2006) and OSLO, AUGUST 31 (2011).
Greetings again from the darkness. I’ll try to avoid the temptation of including overtly cute food references … especially those that might leave a bad taste (!). Writer-director Cristoffer Boe and his talented co-writer Tobias Lindholm (ANOTHER ROUND, THE HUNT) have collaborated on a film that centers on the world of haute cuisine, and how it can impact the mindset and relationships of those immersed in what may be the most bizarre art form on the planet. Despite the strain of the co-working spouses, rather than describing this as a romantic drama, I believe it might be better termed an obsessive drama.
Greetings again from the darkness. As a devoted follower of films by Almodovar for more than 35 years, I still find myself enchanted by his stories, his visuals, his characters, and his consistency in writing complex and engaging parts for women. Oscar winning writer-director Pedro Almodovar’s last film, PAIN AND GLORY (2019) may be considered his semi-autobiographical masterpiece, but this latest proves he still has much to say, and will do so with his customary flair.
Greetings again from the darkness. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That line from a Sir Walter Raleigh poem hit me early, and stuck with me through this latest superb film from Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi. Having won me over a decade ago with A SEPARATION (2011), and again 5 years ago with THE SALESMAN (2016), Farhadi excels at pushing our buttons on the complexities of human nature.
Greetings again from the darkness. Movies don’t get the credit they deserve for opening our eyes to other cultures and providing a snapshot into the lives of others … lives often unimaginable to us. Another aspect of World Cinema is that it serves as a reminder that people are people all over the globe. Dreams and disappointments are simply a part of the human existence. Often we recognize more similarities than we previously thought. Such is the case with the debut feature film from writer-director P.S. Vinothraj. This is India’s official submission for the Foreign Language Academy Award.
Greetings again from the darkness. If you are a fan of little films that seem quiet on the surface but deep down have jarring tremors of emotions, then this 3 hour art-house gem from Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a must-see. The director, along with co-writer Takamasa Oe, adapted the script from the short story by Haruki Murakami, part of his “Men Without Women” collection. The story revolves around Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya”.
Greetings again from the darkness. Don’t mess with the smart ones, as brains often outlast brawn. I’m conflicted on how best to describe this film. Perhaps … It’s nuanced storytelling at its finest. Jane Campion won an original screenplay Oscar for THE PIANO (1993), while also becoming only the second woman to receive a nomination as Best Director. This is her 8th feature film to direct, and the first since the underrated BRIGHT STAR (2009). Ms. Campion is such a smooth filmmaker, and her latest is so expertly crafted and so beautifully filmed, that some may find themselves not recognizing the underlying tension between characters. I urge you to remain diligent and take note of the subtle gestures and facial expressions, as the emotions run deep.
Greetings again from the darkness. Filmmaker Paul Verhoeven has long made his cinematic living on the fringes: the brutality of the Middle Ages in FLESH + BLOOD (1985), the violence and thirst for power through technology in ROBOCOP (1987), the buried dark side (and other uses of ice picks) of our personality in BASIC INSTINCT (1992), more thirst for power combined with a baffling lack of sex appeal in SHOWGIRLS (1995), and the unbridled desire for revenge in ELLE (2016). This latest displays his mastery of ‘nun-on-nun’ eroticism and the duplicity of religious faith. Verhoeven’s usual goal is to provoke, and along with his co-writer David Birke, this ‘based on true events’ story (adapted from the 1986 Judith C Brown book, “Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy”), is a natural fit.
