|
Welcome to Online Film Home! |
|
|
Cannes 2023 :: Killers of the Flower Moon :: Martin Scorsese’s Bitterest Crime Epic Martin Scorsese triumphs yet again. A story about greed, corruption, and the mottled soul of a country that was born from the belief that it belonged to anyone callous enough to take it.. |
|
Berlinale 2023 :: Full Winners List This year’s jury, headed by Kristen Stewart, gave
the Golden Bear award to the French documentary “On the Adamant..” The Silver Bear for
Best Lead Performance notably went to child star Sofia Otero for “20,000 Species of Bees.”
Philippe Garrel's “The Plough” was.. |
|
BAFTA 2023 :: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
Dominates BAFTA Awards With Seven Wins “All Quiet on the Western Front” dominated the BAFTA Awards in London on
Sunday night with a record-breaking seven wins for a film not in the English languag,
including for Best Director.. |
|
Berlinale 2023 :: Golshifteh Farahani :: Talks Role Of
Art In Iran “In A Dictatorship Like
Iran, Art Is Essential, It’s Like Oxygen.” Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who is at the
Berlin Film Festival as a member of Kristen Stewart’s jury, has talked passionately about the
importance of art.. |
|
SIFF 2023 :: Shirin Ebadi :: Until We Are Free
This is the amazing, at times harrowing,
simply astonishing story of a woman who would never give up, no matter the risks. The first
Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi has inspired millions around
the globe.. |
|
IFFR 2023 Awards :: 'Le spectre de Boko Haram' and
'Endless Borders' are the victors Cyrielle Raingou’s documentary took home the Tiger Award, whilst Abbas
Amini’s feature won the VPRO Big Screen Award, as the Dutch gathering celebrated its in-
person comeback.. |
|
Winners of the 2022 ‘Sepanta Awards’ :: 15th Annual
Iranian Film Festival This year, the
festival presented 50 films from Iran, USA, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Greece, UK, Canada,
Australia, and Denmark…, ranging from fiction, documentary, short, animation…. to the
music video.. |
|
Opinion :: Will Venice Protests Help or Hurt filmmakers
in Iran? As the Venice Film Festival
celebrates Iranian cinema — with four Iranian films screening at the 79th Biennale — back
home in Tehran, Iranian filmmakers and artists are facing the harshest crackdown in
decades.. |
|
Biennale Cinema 2022 :: Awards Ceremony
Official Awards of the 79th Venice Film Festival.
Announced by the five international Juries, chaired by Julianne Moore, during the Awards
Ceremony that was held on Saturday 10th September at 7:00 pm..
|
|
Coming: 15th Annual Iranian Film Festival! : San
Francisco: Sep. 17-18 This year, the
festival presents 50 films from Iran, USA, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Greece, UK, Canada,
Australia, and Denmark…, ranging from fiction, documentary, short, animation…. to the
music video. We are happy and proud to.. |
|
|
BERLINALE 2024 Competition Review: Architecton
by Davide Abbatescianni, Cineuropa February 21, 2024
BERLINALE 2024: Victor Kossakovsky’s latest effort is a freewheeling reflection on matter and architecture, and a fascinating journey through time and space.
Several thousand years of architectural history are woven together in Kossakovsky's visionary blockbuster, which almost without dialogue - but with images as sharp as flint and a soundtrack as massive as a pillow - is a total cinematic experience. --CPH:DOX
Most of us – especially those who live in sprawling, drab cities – notice every day that concrete is everywhere, in all its ugliness. And if beauty is indeed supposed “to save the world”, as Dostoevsky once said, by observing the depressing landscapes we are surrounded by, we can safely say there is still a long way to go. This is the message at the core of Victor Kossakovsky’s latest effort, Architecton, which has played in the main competition of this year’s Berlinale.
Review: Architecton
The picture revolves around Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, who appears as a gentle, low-profile presence throughout. He is supervising a very simple project, a sort of “circle of life” to be built in what seems to be De Lucchi’s own courtyard. Somehow, this elementary symbol becomes a tool to explore the rise and fall of entire civilisations. The scenes depicting the architect (who is often accompanied by two workers in charge of completing his project) act as very loose, light-hearted intermezzos, intertwined with the striking imagery which makes up most of Architecton.
Throughout, modern and ancient ruins are juxtaposed with each other, showing from varying distances the aftermath of recent tragedies, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine and the 2023 Turkish earthquake. But the focus is not only on destruction; rather, it is on matter itself. Wood, fire, sand, stone and, above all, concrete take centre stage in spectacular fashion. Matter can be used to craft something useful, create something beautiful or worsen people’s lives; and architecture is just one of the ways in which matter “expresses itself”, Kossakovsky’s film seems to suggest.
Meanwhile, the lack of a clear structure could make for a viewing experience that’s not particularly smooth. Nonetheless, it’s a fairly intriguing journey, enriched by the presence of Ben Bernhard’s sophisticated cinematography and Evgueni Galperine’s highly atmospheric score, capable of transporting the viewer – if only for a few seconds – to a more unearthly, “metaphysical” dimension.
The epilogue includes a brief conversation between the helmer and De Lucchi. They engage in an interesting discussion that finally makes the architect’s personality and vision of the world plain to see on screen. Even though this exchange looks overly staged – they both speak in English while two robotic lawnmowers are scurrying about in and around the courtyard – one might still wonder whether the presence of the architect should have been more strongly felt throughout.
On the whole, it is difficult to label this work by the Saint Petersburg-born filmmaker, owing to its highly freewheeling approach. We could call it an audiovisual meditation or reflection on matter, which touches upon other timely topics, but without going into too much depth. But in this case, remaining on the surface – literally and figuratively – is still a better-suited choice. An attempt to dig deep into something else would have made this feature much harder to enjoy and, possibly, a frustrating experience.
Architecton was produced by German outfit ma.ja.de Filmproduktions GmbH, France’s Point-du-Jour International and Les films du Balibari, the UK’s Hailstone Films and US firm A24. The Match Factory is in charge of its international sales.
Delicious
|
|
Choose an item to go there!
|
|
| | | | |