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Film reviews

Robot Dreams Review

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This is an animation film that is different than most would expect. It is a revelation of brilliance and wonders that soars truthfully and faithfully. Robot Dreams creates a sensation that thrives in all its empathetic and connecting directions as thoroughly as it can. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2023, and it has been nominated for Best Animated Feature in the upcoming Academy Awards. Director and writer Pablo Berger explores the creation of drama and heartfelt laughter through his narrative eyes with Robot Dreams. The film has no spoken dialogue, as the story follows the life of a dog and his robot.

Robot Dreams uses animation that is blended to a point of surrealism at its finest. Its setting is Manhattan, New York in the 1980s. The film focuses on a character who is labeled as Dog. Dog lives a solo-life in New York. He is lonely in his apartmentand has his introverted routine of watching TV and eating junk food. He occasionally strolls the streets of New York. His loneliness gets to him until a box shipment shows up to his house, and he builds a robot. That character is labeled as Robot. Robot comes alive, and Dog and Robot form a great friendship.They watch TV together, go on excursions, and jam to music. Life is truly one where Dog feels a deep sense of connection with his friend Robot.

The brilliance of Robot Dreams just comes from the inner emotions it stirs. With no written dialogue, the facial expressions of Dog and Robot tell the story. There are no humans in the story, yet the animals in it act as if they were humans. The animals are taxi drivers, security guards, and other normal people. It is a Manhattan, New York Zoo world of surreal imagination. There are many moments that will leave the audience curious about this unique friendship. Dog and Robot do face an instance of disconnect when Robot is stuck on a beach and Dog cannot save him. Therefore, Dog leaves Robot on the beach and assumes he can help get him fixed the next day. Sadly, the fence to the beach is closed, and Dog cannot get over to help him.

The separation moment of Dog and Robot is where the film starts to find its sad moments. This is where the animation hits the audience hard. Going forward though, this is a time whenboth Dog and Robot try to find their happiness solo, as they try to grasp life at their finest moments. There is hardship and sadness all through the film’s eerie approaches, yet it still delivers bits of joyfulness and connection. Robot Dreamsprovides a non-stop empathetic experience in a world of unique animation. It is a “unique animation” because its story is told exclusively through the animation and literary directions via technical aspects—the feelings in Robot Dreams are brought forth through the portrayal of the seasons in the animated version of Manhattan, New York in the 1980s.

Robot Dreams deserves to win in the Best Animated Feature because Berger knows how to dive into his mode of directing. His writing and his storytelling are of inspiring value. Robot Dreams made me laugh, cry, and feel a form of appreciation that was irresistible. Four stars for Robot Dreams.

Film reviews

The Crime is Mine Review

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This is a film that is a farce where one may think it is going to grow into the dark comedy mode, but surprisingly, keeps finding its funny side and maintains its wittiness and its sarcastic brand of humor. Director Francois Ozon brings his audience into a world of crime scenarios in a historic era. The situation is slightly confusing, but all the moving parts are what makes it joyful. The Crime is Mine dives into moments of sanity and does not stop in its tracks. It lays its foundation of egotistical minds in the scenario of a serious crime where there is no clear answer.

The Crime is Mine takes place in Paris, France, and the year is 1935. Its character focus is on an actress, Madeleine Verdier (played by Nadia Tereskiewicz). She is accused of murdering a famous French producer. Her lawyer is also her roommate, Pauline Mauleon (played by Rebecca Marder). The judge is Gustave Rabusset (played by Fabrice Luchini) and his assistant is Leon Trapu (played by Olivier Broche). Gustave is a judge that lacks seriousness and does not look at the full picture. His assistant Leon is not very focused either. The lack of gravity is where The Crime is Mine finds its laughter more in its characters than the crime itself. Madeleine claims she is innocent; however, she believes that lying with honesty may benefit her. There is another actress, and she is Odette Chaumette (played by Isabelle Huppert). She claims she is part of the murder of the producer as well. It is clear though, that she is doing this for some type of advantage. The ratio of lies and half-truths is the clever mind game in The Crime is Mine.

This is a film where the murder case is a satire with laughs. It deals with the dynamic of a case where the minds are not so bright. The stupidity of The Crime is Mine puts its audience in an invigorating bind. It hosts a range of strange personalities trying to fulfill underlying issues. The dialogue and the writing are funny. Sadly though, the film frequently tends to bore.

To clarify, its boredom lies in the level of redundancy that flows throughout the premise of the film itself. I love how most of Ozon’s films have hidden secrets. An example would be his 2003 film Swimming Pool, which contained hidden moments that took me by surprise. I was expecting The Crime is Mine to have the same or similar idea with a broader range of creativity and a comedic side added to it. It does not though, as it just resorts to quirky conversations and thought-out scenarios for the crime of the film. Rather than solving the situation, it just goes down a rabbit hole of a misconstrued context. It comes close, but does not succeed in being clever.

Why are many characters coming over Madeleine? Why is the judge being ridiculous? Why is the film dwelling onassumptions more than finding answers to grasp its audience’s attention. The Crime is Mine has a writing style that is unique in its approach, but blurs as it moves forward. To an extent, the experience of the film felt like watching continuous episodes of Law and Order. A case compiled with multiple moments of different characterizations, stories, and opposing sides. To its credit, it is an arthouse flick with a form of classiness. It just does not make all that much sense.

A French film set in an era where murder lacked resources for investigations. A range of characters that do add quality to the film’s writing. A case that is too confusing. However, the writing is hard to follow. The Crime is Mine is not terrible, it just keeps getting stranger as the film progresses. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for The Crime is Mine.

Film reviews

Bleeding Love Review

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Ewan McGregor and his daughter, Clara McGregor, shine together in Bleeding Love, a profoundly heavy film which lasts an hour and forty-two minutes. The heartache weaves through the aches and pains surrounding the difficult subject of overdosing and relapsing. The film’s writing is poetic to the core and helps maintain an atmosphere which is enticing yet shocking at the same time. Ultimately, the connection grows through the struggles in Bleeding Love. Directed by Emma Westenberg and co-written by Clara, the story is carefully crafted and covers both past and present times. The dramatics soar while sorrow finds its light in Bleeding Love.

The film’s introduction is intense. The audience knows the turmoil comes from a hard place of dealing with crucial, life-threatening moments. Ewan’s daughter has just recovered from an overdose and has fallen under the responsibility of her father, a recovered alcoholic with a rough past. He is trying to do the best he can to give his daughter the support she needs. The conflicts explode due to his daughter’s issues with alcoholism, drugs, and all kinds of detrimental behaviors. This leads the father to take his daughter on a road trip to help her get clean. The road trip is a tough journey especially because of their difficult pasts that have led to some irreparable consequences and heartbreaking moments. Despite the challenges, there is light that is hidden beneath the surface of all the heartbreak in Bleeding Love. The hardest moment is when the father tells his daughter, “You have no idea how lucky you are to be alive!” However, the question is if he can truly be there for her.

The film is rather heavy and a lot to take in. I give the film credit for using frequent flashbacks of both the father and daughter to provide context. The flashbacks are of both good times and bad in the past and present. A key factor in Bleeding Love is that there is a sense of purpose and a drive for resolution. Unfortunately, frustration, hatred, relapse, and addiction create massive barriers in resolving the serious issues faced by the lead characters.

There is a true moment of connection that spoke to me in Bleeding Love. It happens when Ewan is singing with Clara. Both are feeling a loving attachment as two people struggling during an unlikely time of their lives. They both play their roles so well and so deeply that it makes the audience wish for a positive outcome for this struggling pair. With relapse being a constant concern, the writing is poignant when it comes to the real and profound stressors. The story is authentic in portraying how love and truth hurts. It is also shows how challenging it isto accept human errors that have impacted others. The damage done by the crippling relationship in Bleeding Love impacted me personally as it hit close to home. I have also experienceddisconnect in my life, and the story reminded me of how even those who have hurt us in life may still play a role in reminding us that we matter.

This melancholy film is also a treacherous and uplifting experience in which a father and daughter are trying to find the missing pieces. Ultimately, it is about Ewan playing the father of his real-life daughter, Clara, and helping her to overcome her addiction to drugs. Will they make it work? Is Clara strong enough? Can the past be in left in the past? Find out in Bleeding Love. It is hard to take in, but a cinematic work-of-art. Three out of four stars.