The Terror (2018)

The story of Franklin's lost expedition to the Canadian Arctic which took place using the two famous ships: Terror and Erebus.

Semi-historical, The Terror starts an anthology series, with the first season dedicated to a real historical tragedy, namely John Franklin's expedition through the ice, in an attempt to find a northern passage to India and China via the Canadian Arctic. The supernatural element is used here only as a pretext to put together an intense dramatization, with well-defined and fascinating (in lack of a less cliché word) characters, which keeps the viewer engaged throughout all the ten episodes, even in the presence of a tragically announced end, known already from the first few minutes. The Terror is a delight for horror fans, but even more so for lovers of drama and adventure, and psychological curiosities.

Director:  Tim Mielants and others   

Production:  AMC   

Creators: David Kajganich, Max Borenstein, Alexander Woo   

Duration:  this is the first season with 10 episodes (42 minutes each); the second season came out in 2019

With: Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Paul Ready, Ciarán Hinds, Paul Ready, Adam Nagaitis, Ian Hart, Greta Scacchi, Edward Ashley, John Lynch

Rating: 10/10

Portrait de la jeune fille en feu / Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

An artist is given the task of painting the portrait of the daughter of a wealthy family to serve in arranging a marriage for her.

An entirely feminist film that manages to showcase the few actions available to a woman in the past to control or maintain any degree of her personal freedom. The idea of ​​equality is evident in all the interaction scenes emphasizing the authenticity of emotions. Slowly but intensely, the story develops particularly visually, similarly to the analysis of a landscape picture, a fact highlighted by the emphasis on wide, natural, simple and minimalist frames but with even the smallest details very visible to the eye, which allows the undeniable expressiveness of the two actresses to be impossible to miss. The almost complete lack of music serves the same goal, the music being used efficiently only to mark three scenes of high interest (the scene representing the initiation of the connection between the two characters, in which their fascination becomes mutual, the scene of female solidarity which involves a large group and the final scene, intensely lived by both characters but only as a hidden witness for one of them).

Directed by: Céline Sciamma

With: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino

Rating: 9/10

The Beguiled (2017)

A Yankee soldier, injured in the American Civil War, finds refuge in a girls' school in the South. The new masculine element thus has unexpected effects.

As always when it comes to Sofia Coppola, I was expecting a subtle but intense and sentimental film, and while this is ticking all 3, I wasn't expecting it to be so dark. I was expecting a Marie Antoinette-like effect and I delightedly got The Virgin Suicides instead. The main focus is human duality, especially female, even at very young ages, but it is a strong demonstration of the effect moral isolation and idealism - which does not perfectly resonate with reality - have, an effect that leads to wrong decisions when the victims of said isolation are forced to face a slightly grey situation.

With great subtle performances from everyone involved, The Beguiled is a captivating and clever film. And this marks the second time a female director has won the directorial award at Cannes (after Jane Campion in 1993 for The Piano).

Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Written by: Sofia Coppola and others, based on a novel by Thomas Cullinan
With: Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning

The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015-)

Un inspector londonez investigheaza crime in secolul 19, crime ce au similitudini cu elemente din povestea lui Victor Frankenstein.

Un concept interesant unde cartea lui Mary Shelley si circumstantele producerii sale sunt reale dar intretaiate cu detalii fictive si ajuta sa dea nastere unei povesti complet noi fara a o da in ridicol. Serialul are parte de un prim sezon intens si tipic stilului politist, realist ca apoi sa fie urmat de un al doilea sezon un pic mai slab din cauza usoarei obsesii pentru melodramatic dar care ramane inca interesant de urmarit. Perioada este reprezentata foarte bine, cu toate ororile vremii iar Sean Bean este credibil in pielea inspectorului incercat.

Cu: Sean Bean, Tom Ward, Richie Campbell, Ed Stoppard, Eloise Smyth, Vanessa Kirby, Ryan Sampson, Laurence Fox

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