Reviews

Driving in the dark of night, in the middle of nowhere, a car takes a right turn and disappears. Descending. Not to death. Hell is one word for it. Another is role-playing. Another is the seer. The opposite of which, is the monkey. Three Monkeys is one of the greatest films of the year from a country that is not in its cinematic golden age, but which we ought to applaud for one of the greatest efforts of contemporary cinema. In a world wherein art has no place whatsoever, the world of the film, where death is as close as stupidity and narrow-mindedness, love forgotten and humanity reduced to means, this film attempts to rekindle a glimpse of hope for those who see it. But it is as fragile as the ghost of a child that haunts its inhabitants. A brilliant cast, almost flawless cinematography and a poetic direction reminiscent of the great works portraying Hell, this film welcomes a refreshing take on realism with surrealist brush-strokes that in my opinion could only benefit from one single element: a return of the gaze. Unfortunately, this film may be lost in the torrents of mainstream audiences. It is also to be respected then, for not making any effort, not pretending, and in my view, ultimately disregarding, any aspirations to popularity. This is fully in accord with the atmosphere of the film itself. And this, if anything, demands critical appraisal.

David Lynch has so far proved that he can direct various genres ranging from TV. series to incoherent experimental art-cinema. He seems to have concluded that the latter suits him best, and so do we. If you have not watched any auteur Lynch films before, I would not recommend INLAND EMPIRE before you become better acquainted with his other work. For those who wish to give it a try, the hint is, do not trouble yourself if you don't understand anything. INLAND EMPIRE is one of Lynch's best films. Shot throughout with an amateur digital camera, he once more captures all the mystery and perversion that human beings communicate through his close-ups, lighting and music. The film's peak is its capability to force the audience to think and try to make meaning out of where there is none. The mystification of the most trivial objects and the artistic mise-en-scene compose images of a most inspiring piece of art and the extreme surreal he blends more than ever in INLAND EMPIRE all work to produce a chaotic whole with a peculiar, awkwardly mysterious beauty. The performances in INLAND EMPIRE, especially Laura Dern's are simply disarming. Grace Zabriskie's small part will drive anyone mad (she is the classic Lynchean mysterious figure who visits, talks and vanishes) through its unrealistic plausibility and its mystifying weirdness. In a nutshell, INLAND EMPIRE is yet another Lynchean masterpiece that certainly needs more than one viewing and that is, not for one to understand it, but to simply appreciate its value and unveil all its beauty and mystique. Lynch is certainly one of the most talented and artful contemporary directors and INLAND EMPIRE is one of his greatest works...

I watched this film quite a while after its release in the Glasgow Film Festival 2007. I had already heard too much about it amounting to an increase of already high expectations. Not only did it live up to them, but it achieved to startle me as much as no other movie, at least this year (possible exception being "El Laberinto del Fauno". The film is certainly one of the best (if not the best) film(s) of 2006 and possibly ever. It is an insightful approach to the period of divided Germany. Whereas "Goodbye Lenin" gave a nostalgic, emotional and touching view, "Das Leben Der Anderen" gives a realist approach not failing to convey the deepest feelings possible and through its excellent performances, its skillful and artful story and directing it assured its position as a unique piece of art. The blending of Brechtian theater, Beethoven's music(& musical critical appreciation) and psycho-politico-social realism achieves a wonderful balance between the Sophoclean tragic determinism and social humanism that will never fail to provoke the deepest thoughts, emotions and idealism. If there are any negative elements at all these would be that it uses (however if any, just a few) some cliché elements and makes some seriously strong claims, the latter of which, however, I think, more than sufficiently supports (I will not go into these for avoidance of spoilers). German contemporary cinema has yet again proved its value and quality to European and international audiences who should in turn return their gratitude.