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The Battle of Algiers (1966)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
1966 | Classics, Drama, War
7.4 (8 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This is a very important film for me, and it makes me want to make more films about Algeria, which is where my father comes from. He actually is an extra in the film, so I’ve always watched it looking for him. I saw it in Brazil at the end of the military dictatorship, when I was about nineteen, and it was an example of political cinema that was important for me at a time when I was developing a sense of political consciousness. Besides it being a great history lesson, it’s a sweeping film that’s just fantastically well made."

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Queen & Slim (2019)
Queen & Slim (2019)
2019 | Drama, Romance
Another powerful film about racial tensions in America; this one is unusually subtle and sophisticated, too. A young couple are forced to kill a racist cop and go on the run from the authorities, falling in love as they go. The subtext - that the bias in the system inevitable ends up criminalising decent young folk - is obvious, but the film finds nuance as well. There are decent white people and corrupt black people, while the protagonists have no interest in bigger political issues - but find themselves being claimed as symbols or representatives of some dubious political movements.

The film seems to be suggesting that in a conflicted and corrupt world, the best thing is to find joy where you can, and the developing romance between the two leads is as memorable as any of the political or dramatic content. Possibly a bit overlong at two and a quarter hours, but an engaging, intelligent and moving film from the first moment to the last.