To watch or not to watch? I will tour around Amsterdam’s cinemas and answer this crucial question every Friday. Without mercy, of course. Sucky movies will be slaughtered, cinematographic pearls will be appreciated as such. Or the other way around. After all, good taste is in the eye of the beholder.
A Dangerous Method
Director David Cronenberg is changing his perspective. Cronenberg, known for his ‘body-horror’ (The Fly), now focuses on the mind. In A Dangerous Method psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and his pupil Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) try to find a cure for Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), who is suffering from hysteria. Jung tries to cure her ‘the Freud-way’, by talking, talking, analysing the talking and then some more talking. While doing so, he gets into some sort of SM-relationship with Spielrein. Sounds too weird to be true? Well, the film is based on a true story and even quotes from letters that Jung and Freud wrote to each other. Seems like an entertaining film to me.
Watch this film in Cineville’s Cinecenter and The Movies. Also in Pathe (City and Tuschinski).
Monsieur Lazhar
Monsieur Lazhar tells the story of a immigrant from Algeria, who starts teaching at a school in Canada. The school just went through something horrible, because a schoolteacher hang herself in one of the classrooms. Monsieur Lazhar tries to bring back a little bit of joy and discipline. Director Philippe Falardeau (who seems to be wearing the same clothes on every picture) didn’t only want to tell something about immigrants, he also wanted to make a statement about the Canadian educational system, in which kids are treated like they’re made out of sugar. Apparently, he did well. Falardeau got nominated for an Oscar, but A Separation ran away with the price.
Watch this film in Cineville’s Cinecenter, Rialto and The Movies.
I am a woman now
Michiel van Erp is very good in what he does, I really hope he keeps doing it for many more years. The Dutch documentary film maker made a portrait of five European women who used to be men. They all had a sex changing operation by the same, French doctor in Casablanca. Van Erp lets them tell their story, from the sexually confused Jean from Germany to the light hearted Corinne from Belgium. Intriguing film, go see it!
Watch this film in Cineville’s Het Ketelhuis.
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