In Lila Avilés' Totem, viewers are invited into a world where childhood innocence and the harsh reality of adult grief intersect with remarkable nuance. Through the eyes of Sol (Naíma Sentíes), a young girl fascinated by the natural world around her family's home, we navigate the complexities of understanding and coping with her father Napo's (Juan Francisco Maldonado) terminal illness. This film transcends the typical narrative, focusing instead on the nuanced experiences of grief from a child's perspective. Avilés crafts…
Favorite films
Recent activity
AllRecent reviews
More-
-
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell 2023
In his debut feature, Vietnamese filmmaker Pham Thien An embarks on a cinematic quest that is as elusive as it is profound. The film, which clinched the Camera d’Or at Cannes, is a testament to An's ambitious vision, albeit one that will not resonate with every palate. Set against the backdrop of 2018 Vietnam, this narrative weaves a tapestry of spiritual and existential musings through the eyes of its protagonist, Thien, portrayed with a haunting melancholy by Le Phong Vu.…
Popular reviews
More-
Zack Snyder's Justice League 2021
So it's finally here, the reshot and retooled alternate version of the 2017 box office bomb Justice League. Now admittedly, Zack Snyder's films, along with those of Michael Bay, have never been able to fill me with joyous anticipation. Still, I've had protracted intentions of watching this after all the ridiculous and childish absurdities of the years of online campaigning of #ReleasetheSnyderCut. This campaign saw a loud and primarily obnoxious community insisting they were being denied access to a secret…
-
1917 2019
1917 is an emotionally harrowing and memorable experience. It’s a movie in which Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) utilises long takes to give the impression of it being one continuous shot, as opposed to an authentic one-shot movie such as Sebastian Schipper’s magnificent Victoria. The trick/gimmick very quickly becomes subordinate however as the story itself is so absorbing, but it’s nonetheless an extraordinary feat, and the crew spent months harmonising shots and sequences so that everything would be…