Napoli at its best – a revelation

This is what I call a pretty perfect movie. Suspense, mystery, high drama, deep feelings and pictures and thoughts that will stay with you for a long time. The plot: After 40 years of absence, Felice returns to his hometown: Naples. He rediscovers the places, the codes of the city and a past that eats away at him.

Naples or Napoli is a city that has remained pretty much the same for the past decade or so. A very beautiful, complicated and yes, depending what your calling is – a very dangerous city.

Pierfrancesco Favone is the protagonist in Mario Martone’s beautiful tale of good and bad and life and death. What does Felice want in Naples after 40 years? Is he just here to visit his mother one more time before she dies or is there more to it?

Well, I won’t tell you but what I will tell you is: Pleas go and watch this movie.

Probably better than anything out of Hollywood

What an actor. Ricardo Darin is not only Argentinian royalty when it comes to acting. In my humble opinion (as they say) he might be the best actor the Spanish speaking world has ever produced. From Nine Queens to Truman – Darin is always unbearably good.

And this time he is better than ever. The plot: A team of lawyers take on the heads of Argentina’s bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s in a battle against odds and a race against time. This is beautifully shot and acted. Director Santiago Mitre does an amazing job.

There is not one second in this movie that is wasted. Everything is right where it’s supposed to be. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this movie is a court drama from Argentina. This is high caliber cinema. Argentina, 1985 should be nominated for an Oscar and Ricardo Darin should win Best Actor.

French Comedy at its best

This was a bit of a surprise. The plot is not necessarily too promising: When a prison drama teacher marries one of the inmates, her son begins to wonder if the ex-con is still a criminal, or if he has actually been rehabilitated. Well, it kind of is the plot we have seen and heard before and we think we know where it’s going.

And yes, it kind of is. But director Luis Garrel and a great cast including Garrel himself and the wonderful Nehme Merlant as well as Anouk Grünberg and Roschdy Zem make this an enjoyable ride.

An almost American movie in certain regards but only in the best mixed with a whole lot of French humor. What else do you want if you don’t want to be thinking about too much and just enjoy a movie and having a bit of fun.

Ambitious and very likable movie with a few flaws

The Swimmers is the incredible story of swimming sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini who fled as refugees from war-torn Syria all the way to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sounds like a fairy tale? Well, it isn’t. This is all true. Brutal and heart warming, life affirming and life threatening, beautiful and ugly.

And yes, there is German super star Matthias Schweighöfer as the coach making it all happen after the sisters arrive in Berlin. Look, I’m not trying to mock this movie. There is so much to like about this inspirational story.

Having said that I was left a little bit underwhelmed by the all too sweet plot and the rather smooth ride they had. Yes, it’s easier that way to make people connect; but a bit more grit would have been welcome.