It's really no wonder Ken Loach's magnificent I, Daniel Blake won the Palme D'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. I've been a longtime dedicated Loach fan since my teens, and this one really is a masterpiece. He's made some very strong films, though critics at times find him a little too didactic. I, Daniel Blake is the agonizing tale of navigating social services and welfare in the UK. It follows a widower trying to collect interim benefits while out of work following a heart attack. It also follows a single mother as she navigates the impossible system, the bond Daniel and her young family forge, and how they all love, help, and support each other. I, Daniel Blake is heartbreaking and profound. 5/5 |
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Sonita is a very powerful documentary about a teenage girl living illegally as an Afghan refugee in Iran who is facing being sold into marriage. Instead, she breaks the law (women cannot sing) and she becomes a Hip Hop artist. Sonita's bravery is astonishing. I'm a big fan of Iranian cinema and this is no different. I'm a fan. This is an excellent documentary. Show your sons and daughters. 5/5 I was very fortunate to see the Premiere of He Named Me Malala introduced by Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai. The love, total awe, and admiration that he expressed that he has for his daughter was extremely moving. This is a documentary film about Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for girls' and womens' right to education. After the failed murder attempt, Malala was not silenced. Rather, she became, and is now, a leading advocate for children's rights and she recently was named the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. This is an inspirational documentary. If you have kids, check it out with them. 5/5 I had the good fortune of seeing David Holbrooke present his new HBO documentary film, The Diplomat, to a Telluride hometown audience this evening. The Diplomat works on several levels, but primarily as the history of five decades of US foreign policy through the lens of the impressive career of the US Diplomat, Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke's long career began in Vietnam, took him to the Balkans, and later to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He served as Assistant Secretary of State and while he never held a cabinet position and never became Secretary of State, he is considered one of the most influential US diplomats. Holbrooke famously helped negotiate peace in the Balkans for Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s under President Clinton. This documentary has clout, and Holbrooke's life and legacy is fascinating. 4/5 |
LindseyHere is where I post new reviews as I see films throughout the year. Archives
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