Reviews of two films that participate in the main section in search of Golden Astor and the rest of the official awards.
Mimang (South Korea/2023). Written and directed by: Kim Taeang. Duration: 92 minutes. ★★★1/2
In Kim Tae Yang’s long debut, the heroes meet (repeat), walk and chat through the streets of Seoul. Sometimes we see them in the cinema, in a bar or in a car, but basically they walk around the historic Jongno area. The city, in this sense, is another figure, I would say a central figure.
Mimang It is a film about the passage of time (happening over four years), which can be perceived in the changes in the physiognomy of the characters, but also in that wonderful city that is the Korean capital. It is no coincidence that there is talk of the imminent closure of the huge Seoul cinema (the protagonist connects with the seventh art by giving lectures on its history).
an accidental, existential, sad, beautiful and sad film (one of the stories takes place at the funeral of a friend), Minang Obviously, it is reminiscent of the trilogy of Jesse and Celine designed by Richard Linklater, although the romantic vein here is more subtle and silent. A transforming and sensitive (sometimes slightly painful) film built with very natural dialogues and performances with good chemistry about small intimate transformations and great architectural changes.
Arthur and Diana (Germany/2023). Written and directed by: Sara Soma. Duration: 108 minutes. ★★★✩✩
After its premiere at the last Toronto Film Festival and a later period at SEMINCI in Valladolid (where it won the Special Jury Prize in the Punto de Encuentro competition), the predominantly homemade family road film was shot in 16mm (also using an “old” technique such as MiniDV and Betacam) where the screenwriter and director is also the protagonist, presented in Mar del Plata.
On a journey between Berlin and Paris on a perilous truck, Diana (Sarah Soma) is accompanied by her brother Arthur (Robin Soma) and their young son (who are also in real life). Therefore, we are in the presence of a kind of self-image that has the pretext of a trip that is sometimes bumpy and not always predictable, to which other colorful characters will be added later.
Sausterity, small, cheerful and gloomy – in some syllables also eccentric and charming. Arthur and Diana Thanks to nature, fluidity and empathy, he managed to get past some clichés of the travel subgenre that seemed to hinder his drift and cockroach.
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