In the west, nothing is new
The interest of this new cinematographic adaptation of the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque, in the running for the Golden Globe for best non-English language film, lies in the fact that it is produced in the country of origin of the author. Im Westen nichts Neues moreover represents Germany at the Oscars in the category of best international film. Under the leadership of Edward Berger (Jack, Germany 83), In the west, nothing is new becomes an immersive experience in the trenches with young indoctrinated German soldiers, intended to immerse the viewer in the horror of the First World War. Nor can we overestimate the relevance of a film whose story, which echoes events that occurred more than 100 years ago, could not be more in tune with current events.
On Netflix
Argentina, 1985
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Miter recreates on screen one of the most important episodes in his country’s recent history. Starring Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani, Argentina, 1985 is inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampa, the two prosecutors at the heart of the famous 1985 trial. The day after the fall of the dictatorship, very high-ranking soldiers had to appear to answer for the crimes committed while they were in power. This film evokes this fight between David and Goliath, orchestrated in a still tense climate, at a time when democratic institutions have been reestablished on still fragile bases. In the running for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Argentina, 1985 is also selected for the Golden Globes in the category of best non-English language film.
On Prime Video
Athena
The choice to name “Athena” the building complex in which second and third generation immigrant families are crammed into a Parisian suburb is not innocent. This feature film indeed borrows the form of a contemporary Greek tragedy through the destiny of a sibling. The disappearance of the youngest of a family of four boys, who died – at the age of 13 – after having apparently been beaten up by the police, will be the spark that will ignite the powder. Drawing on his know-how, Romain Gavras has opted for an immersive approach that leaves the viewer no respite. But beyond the feats of achievement, Athena is an explosive and powerful social drama, which manages to translate in a very powerful way the mechanisms of a collective anger.
On Netflix
Good luck to you, Leo Grande (French version : My dates with Leo)
Nancy (Emma Thompson) is a 55-year-old widow; Leo (Daryl McCormack) is a sex worker who, from the top of his glorious twenties, is at the top of his profession. It was to finally feel a feeling of ecstasy that she had never known that Nancy resigned herself, after months of hesitation, to calling on Leo’s good services. The story, divided into four encounters, describes the evolution of a woman who tries to finally allow herself a satisfying sexuality. However, the many discussions between two beings who, inevitably, will gradually reveal themselves to each other will cast a much wider net. In this character who despairs of her own psychorigidity and all the blockages that have poisoned her life, Emma Thompson, nominated for the Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy, modulates her score with perfect mastery.
On Prime Video
sydney
Disappeared at the very beginning of the year at the age of 94, the great Sidney Poitier is the subject of this documentary produced by Oprah Winfrey, directed by Reginald Hudlin. Punctuated by numerous testimonials, from Denzel Washington to Morgan Freeman and family members, sydney evokes the emergence of the actor in the 1960s, the first African-American to win the Oscar for best actor (Lilies of the Field in 1964). The controversies he was embroiled in, including the one accusing him of always playing sanitized roles to please white audiences, weren’t discounted either. The director, however, sees the actor as a “warrior” on racial issues. “Without him, you don’t have me, and you don’t have Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama either,” he said.
On Apple TV+