When you hear that a new movie scrutinizes the hot-button topic of illegal immigration, you probably assume that the movie is about Mexicans slipping across the southern border. The first surprise of Frozen River, the movie that won the jury prize as best film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is that it focuses on a much less familiar part of the immigration saga: Chinese and Pakistanis being smuggled across the border from Canada. But …
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Bottom Line: Rich Israeli character drama packs a wallop.
Israeli films have come of age recently, with such expert entries as “The Band’s Visit” and “Beaufort” stirring audiences. Now one of the best Israeli films of recent years, “The Secrets,” has been making the rounds on the festival circuit. It recently won the award for best feature at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. With Fanny Ardant heading an excellent cast, the film is an emotionally overpowering … -
A thrilling alternative to all the overhyped summer blockbusters, ”Boy A” is the best film I have seen this year. A work of art challenges us to rethink all of our prejudices and preconceptions. Audiences who join director John Crowley and the splendid actors on this journey to the dark side will come out deeply moved and fired to debate the movie for hours afterward.
Astutely written by Mark O’Rowe (from a novel by Jonathan Trigell), …
