My Polish pal recounted stories of her family’s near past, and they are scarred beyond belief as a family… something their newer generations will probably help fade during their lifetimes. I will send my pal the link and attempt to watch it myself, but I am not a fan of heartstrings being pulled, so I will try not to get mad and persevere through it.
I also found it hard to watch at times, and maybe that’s because I’m predominantly Polish by blood. The older I get, however, the more I am bothered by such graphic recreations of wanton cruelty and the gore of innocents. Especially when it portrays real groups of people and still-present political entities. I’m wary of the emotional strings being pulled in such a film. Still, I find Wolyn (Volhynia), both the film and the historical event, to have important, even timely, examples to learn from. I would say they pushed it too far in some places, although it is hard to judge what people need to see and what they don’t. I also find it a little too real to be able to rate as a film, but thank you for sharing it here.
Realive (Proyecto Lazaro), (2016) - A young man with a terminal brain cancer decides to cryogenically preserve himself in order to be revived by the future medicine. After he is successfully revived in the future, he begins to question his life, and life in general, and whether he made the right choice. The idea for the movie is very interesting, and there are some good questions raised by it, but I do wish they flushed some of these ideas out a bit more. Though I believe the movie did make its point (and the end was good). 7/10
[I suppose hypothetically, it’s possible to commit suicide in order to live and also in order to die] youtube.com/watch?v=Djlkn-8fTgU
Fearless (1993) - A bit older, but along the same lines. A man gets a second chance in life by surviving an airplane crash. He’s good at helping other survivors but has difficulty readjusting back to his old life himself. It’s a really well done psychological drama, and gives a good insight into someone who’s going through a PTSD. youtube.com/watch?v=Tm5jBa4LzxQ [I think the trailer is a little bit misleading as it just shows the euphoria part of his traumatic response] If you like dramas, this movie will take for you a ride. 10/10
Manifesto. An artfully done overview of different contemporary art viewpoints. This movie is a visual treat. Good acting too. 8.5/10
The Square. Another art-related indie film. This one is a social satire, essentially pointing at people’s/society’s hypocrisy. (What happened to the square?) This movie is a little bit longer and less streamlined (plot-wise), so a bit of patience is needed, but it has a number of well-done ironic scenes, some of which are subtle (as with street beggars) and some quite powerful, as the noted “jungle” scene with Terry Notary. Okay for one time viewing. 6/10