Category Archives: crime

“Divines” (Houda Benyamina, France 2016)

Divines

In a Parisian ‘hot’ suburb, drug distribution, blackmail, and violence are controlled by women. Strong performances.

Cast: Oulaya Amamra, Déborah Lukumuena, Kevin Mischel
Director: Houda Benyamina
Writer: Houda Benyamina
Music: Demusmaker
Cinematography: Julien Poupard
Editing: Loïc Lallemand , Vincent Tricon

“Notes On A Scandal” (Richard Eyre, USA 2006)

notes-on-a-scandal

excellent dialogues + music
weakest: message + humor

Cleverly orchestrated four-generational love relationship, in which a woman in her sixties who is still looking for her true (lesbian) love falls for a young married mother of two who has an affair with a teenage boy. The emotional stability of the two male characters (the 15-year old boy and the older husband) contrasts with the vulnerability of the two female leads.

Director: Richard Eyre
Writers: Patrick Marber, Zoe Heller (novel)
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Andrew Simpson, Bill Nighy
Music: Philip Glass
Cinematography: Chris Menges
Editing: John Bloom, Antonia Van Drimmelen

“Nocturnal Animals” (Tom Ford, USA 2016)

nocturnal-animals

strongest: montage
weakest: message, humor

A story set inside a story and related to it, to which flashbacks are added

Cast: Amy Adams, Armie Hammer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ellie Bamber, Isla Fisher, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Karl Glusman
Director: Tom Ford
Writer: Tom Ford, Austin Wright (novel)
Cinematographer: Seamus McGarvey
Composer: Abel Korzeniowski
Editor: Joan Sobel