[JonE(vil)]

Breathless. 2009 South Korea.
8/10
A violent debt collector for a money lender falls for a teenage girl.
Brutally violent for the first hour, it shows a man fully giving into an internal rage. Beating and swearing at anyone who crosses him as well as the people he has to get money out of. These scenes are filmed in a chaotic close up kinda way. Its not a 'action' scene fight, the person, and it doesn't matter who it is, is cowering and getting relentlessly hit and kicked. As the film goes on, it shows the family life of the girl, and her past as well as his, along with his sister. It's made up of domestic violence.
Interesting but harsh film, slow but well written with subtle connections between the characters.

[JonE(vil)]

Carandiru. 2003. Brazil.
5/10
Dramatized account of the inmates and life in a overcrowded prison.
The film follows a doctor and a few inmates who explain to him, as to why they ended up in jail. These are short segments in themselves. Plot wise there is nothing, but a simmering anger that could be expected in any prison. With a run time of two and half hours, it does get a little tedious. The riot is right at the end, with it seeming to kick off over a minor issue, and everyone just getting involved.

[JonE(vil)]

Sinners. 2025.
10/10
A black kid plays the blues and get caught up trying to survive a night of vampires.
Well written film with interesting characters that each have a backstory. The leads are twins played by one actor, while they differ slightly, their character arcs are unique. Dialogue throughout has authentic feel for the time. Soundtrack is a particular stand out. With slide blues going over some scenes, there are a couple of whole musical moments, that fit seamlessly in and give what characters are participating a sense of their own culture.

[JonE(vil)]

Chungking express. 1994.
Did not finish.
Two cops who are looking for love, visit a takeaway bar.
Filmed in a stylized way, it has fast scenes mixed with unusual angles. Sometimes with the viewer feeling they are seeing things from a obscured distance. Plot wise, it starts interestingly enough, but settles more on the detective and his recent break up. The second cop is content in talking to the takeaway assistant. It was engaging to a degree, but only in a slight way, and really came across as a intelligent, but casual watch.

[JonE(vil)]

Quisling.The final days. Norway. 2024
6/10
Based the journal kept by a priest who visited the prime minister of Norway, before and during his trail for co-operation with the germans during ww2.
Interesting drama that shows a defiant man, coming to terms with what he did. Largely dialogue driven, it's a slow film that after a while just drags. The conversations with the priest are enlightening at the start, but when the court case starts, they take a back seat to a largely procedural film.

[JonE(vil)]

Cernak. 2025. Solvakia
7/10
Rise and fall of a businessman/gangster.
Based on true events, it tells the story of a bloke, in business and also fronting a large criminal network, along with a group of others.
Basic kinda plot, but very specific to what happened. It shows a high level of corruption and desire motivated by greed. Interesting watch, no twists or surprises.

[JonE(vil)]

Children of men. 2006. (rewatch)
9/10
Set in a authentic looking time, it tells the story of a woman who is pregnant, the first for 18 years, and her journey to a research vessel. The film is gritty and violent, with a resistance group, labelled 'fishes' battling government forces as the try to help her and the escort. Motives are murky and some of the action scenes filmed in one take add a level of tension and despair. The plot is solid, even in the quieter moments it still adds information and switching allegiances.

[JonE(vil)]

Frewaka. 2024. Ireland.
7/10
A caregiver goes to look after a old woman after she has a stroke.
Psychological folk horror that has a small cast, but alot going on.
The plot is subtle for most of the film, but tells a story that is more than what is seen on screen, for it uses alot of imagery and ritual.
Events come together nicely in the third act, but the viewer is expected to have paid attention.

[JonE(vil)]

Compartment no 6. 2021. Russia.
5/10
A woman travels by train from Moscow to the far north, for a chance to view some ancient rock paintings. She is in a compartment with a young man, similar age. Essentially a road trip film, starts with them not exactly getting along and follows a basic formula.
Well filmed with consistently compact feel, except for some stops. It is engaging and they discuss life, but the dryness of it did make me lose some interest toward the end.

[JonE(vil)]

The ugly stepsister. 2025. Norway.
5/10
Retelling of the cinderella story.
Visual and practical sets combined with the 'classic' tale, just from the view point of one of the sisters. The plot has the cinderella character cast as a girl whose father remarries only to die shortly in.
She is no saint herself, and the film has the themes of beauty, in the form of superficial image, and marrying into wealth at its core. It moves nicely along, with some other elements thrown in, but just kinda fails to spark.