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Peter Strickland recommended Only You (1994) in Movies (curated)

 
Only You (1994)
Only You (1994)
1994 | Comedy, Romance

"I saw this at Helsinki’s Love and Anarchy Film Festival, only missed the beginning of the film, and had to leave early to present my own film at another cinema. This was just a great debut. Really stripped down and honest without the frills and trappings that often come with first film insecurity. I was completely immersed in the couple’s predicament and to my shameful ignorance, there was so much I didn’t know about IVF prior to seeing the film. I’d only seen Josh O’Connor in “God’s Own Country,” but he was just as believable and brilliant in “Only You,” and Laia Costa completely pulled me into the depths of her frustrations. It was also great to see not only a European character in a British film, but also a European played by a European rather than a Brit putting on an accent, which is still often the case. I wonder how that will pan out after Brexit. I had to leave the cinema when the protagonists had a row towards its final minutes and still don’t know or want to know how it ended until I watch it again."

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Peter Strickland recommended Bait (2019) in Movies (curated)

 
Bait (2019)
Bait (2019)
2019 | Drama
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I saw this at Helsinki’s Love and Anarchy Film Festival with Mark Jenkin taking questions from the audience. From the very opening, I was transported to a completely different place even though we’re in contemporary Britain and I haven’t seen anything so singular from my home country in years. I had a sauna with Mark Jenkin the day after its Helsinki premiere and told him how jealous I was. It’s the kind of film I wish I had made. Its success is remarkable and it regally urinates on the perceived industry wisdom regarding so many things: nobody wants grainy black-and-white 16mm, nobody wants unknown actors and so on and so on. Congratulations not only to the truly visionary Mr. Jenkin, but also to the thousands of people adventurous enough to pay to see such a film. Both parties have hopefully made industry heads doubt their opinions. I recently got into an argument with a friend’s salsa partner who told me off for not being an audience-friendly director after he saw “In Fabric” since he regarded filmmaking as being on a par with customer service. I should’ve used “Bait” as a happy example of a film that finds its audience without pandering."

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TW
The Wolf and the Rain
Tanya Lee | 2018
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Voluntary honest review after receiving a free ARC.

An excellent book and fun read, if a bit of a bumpy beginning. It takes a little time to get into it.
  
After a collapse of civilization due to climate change. The North and South of a country has split into opposites. Divided by a heavily militarized border. The North is chaos and almost anarchy where the only authority are the elite compounds or the gangs there are many ways to die in the harsh living conditions. The people are ruled by superstition and fear. Most of the citizens are illiterate and disease is rampant, even if you go to a "stitcher" it is just as risky or riskier as doing nothing. In the South there is order and an almost totalitarian society where the government uses science and logic asking for complete obedience in return. And that you fill out a form for almost everything, even when choosing a sexual partner.

Samarra (Sam) is the main character. She has made a new home in the North after escaping from the South. She has a job as a carrier to one of the compounds that inhabit the North. Felling guilty about taking the place of a former teammate and daughter of a friend. She becomes obsessed with trying to find out what happened to the missing (possibly dead) girl.