RKS 2024 Film: “The Settlers”: Chile’s Submission For Best International Feature Film in the Upcoming Academy Awards

“The Settlers” is Chile’s submission for best International Feature Film in the upcoming 96th Academy Awards. Given the slew of mostly documentaries chronicling the decimation of indigenous populations the colonization playbook is becoming well worn. Colonize and destroy indigenous populations through violence, both cultural and physical then legitimization through treaties between the colonizers and theContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “The Settlers”: Chile’s Submission For Best International Feature Film in the Upcoming Academy Awards”

RKS 2024 Film: “Beehive”: An Alien Invasion is All the Buzz with Stinging Analogies to COVID

Comets are seeing whizzing by in the night sky in a rural British Columbia area. Speculation in the media is that this may be an alien invasion. A crock of crap? Rosy (Meadow Kingfisher) an energetic aspiring filmmaker at age 10ish lives with her father Frank (Stephen J.F. Walker) and her somewhat surly older teenContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Beehive”: An Alien Invasion is All the Buzz with Stinging Analogies to COVID”

RKS 2024 Film: “Adult Adoption”: Lost in a Barbie Land of Not Belonging

Poor 25-year-old Rosy (Ellie Moon) is floundering in a pink obsessed Barbie Land. She is the perfect nine-year-old girl in her dress style, choice of music and her general level of maturity. Just look at her room! Even her sleeping pills are pink. Rosy was in foster care at age 6 as her mother diedContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Adult Adoption”: Lost in a Barbie Land of Not Belonging”

RKS 2024 Film: “All To Play For” (Rien à Perdre): Boxed in by the State!

Sylvie (Virgine Efira) is a widow in Bretange, France with teenage son Jean Jacques and a younger boy Sofiane. While at work as a barmaid on the evening shift Sofiane, who has behavioural problems, suffers second degree burns while attempting to cook some fries. Older brother Jean Jacques was on his way home from trumpetContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “All To Play For” (Rien à Perdre): Boxed in by the State!”

RKS 2024 Film: “Oasis”: Quebec Filmmaker Justine Martin’s Film Shortlisted at Upcoming OSCARS

“Oasis”, a short documentary film, by 24-year-old Justine Martin is now shortlisted for the upcoming Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Short Film Category. Shot in the Quebec Laurentians the 14-minute short documentary film tells the story of two twins at the dawn of their teenage years. Raphäel is suffering from a developmental handicap. RémiContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Oasis”: Quebec Filmmaker Justine Martin’s Film Shortlisted at Upcoming OSCARS”

RKS 2024 Film: “Fallen Leaves”: Awkwardness, Alienation and Depression Perfected

Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) are two lonely souls portrayed in a gloomy, stark and industrialized Helsinki. Ansa meets Holappa at a karaoke bar full of strange “out of the ordinary” people. In fact the film is full of distracted out of place people in equally stark and bizarre settings. The music throughoutContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Fallen Leaves”: Awkwardness, Alienation and Depression Perfected”

RKS 2024 Film: Palestinian Voices: Larissa Sansour’s Sci-Fi Trilogy

The anger and hate in the War on Palestine is noisy and grating. Whomever can shoot and kill becomes the winner. Of course, cultural eradication is the biggest victory and one senses in Sansour’s Sci-Fi Trilogy (of shorts) Palestinian culture survives and quietly and effectively makes its point without resorting to RPGs. Can you imagineContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: Palestinian Voices: Larissa Sansour’s Sci-Fi Trilogy”

RKS 2024 Film: “Between Two Crossings”: Caught in the Israeli-Egyptian Vice

My late Portuguese friend was a diplomat based in Toronto when I met him. He taught me many things and helped instill my love of Portugal. I last enjoyed his company in Estoril a decade ago and he had retired and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the boardwalk. He loved to say, “It’s complicated”Continue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Between Two Crossings”: Caught in the Israeli-Egyptian Vice”