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Reviews
Moothon (2019)
Rush of themes with an interesting finale but ruinous editing
Just saw it a few days ago at TIFF. It took a while to get immersed in the rush of various themes because of very chopy cuts and sequence switches. Then it was ok for a while, still choppy and rushed but almost harking back to cinema verite. And it felt salvageable, the themes inspiring and tough to handle when inserted into Mumbai slums or seemingly idyllic, but conservative island setting. Ultimately though, two hours later, my distaste of editing prevented me from fully connecting with the film. My female partners didn't enjoy the film at all, finding it confusing and too real in its brutality while unrealistic from a storyline perspective. The Q&A was great and shed a bit of light on what apparently was the prevailing theme of search, and added a lot of colour to many other scenes. Ultimately, I hope the director continues to make films as the narrative was primising and her voice, unique, but it'd be great if she found a better editor.
The Return (2014)
Better than expected
The Return is, in a way, a journey film about four Polish woman (one of them actually Slovak but living in Poland) who either discover their Jewish roots or otherwise become 'affiliated' with Jewishness. More broadly, it's a film about searching for one's identity (as part of a minority group), in this case in modern day Poland, a fairly liberal, developed nation that's nonetheless extremely homogeneous compared to its Western neighbours.
The film follows the lives of four women living in Poland, who in one way or another, become closely attached to the Jewish diaspora and begin investigating their own identities. They're all different from each other and their stories deviate greatly, adding to the overall canvas of the greater tale. The director does a great job of following the four actresses across some period of time, and he picks up four strong feminist protagonists but their journey feels a bit too unique and particular to draw the viewer into generalizing that this is how it happens for everyone.
All in all, a well made documentary that offers a point of departure into many interesting discussions about identity, minority environments, seeking a sense of belonging, order, and overall nostalgia for things that once were.