Film>Life

MUBI: Swimming Pool (2003) - 3 1/2

CINEMA + LIVE SHOW: Let the River Flow (2023) - 4

MUBI: Sirat (2025) - 3 1/2

NETFLIX: Alien (1979) - 3 1/2

CINEMA: It was just an Accident (2025) - 4

CINEMA: Hamnet (2025) - 4

WOW: Death of a Unicorn (2025) - 2

NETFLIX: Shrek rewatch (2001) - 4

I finally got around to watching this one, it is notoriously hard to find and had been recommended to me by film nerds for years. Surprisingly, about a month ago I was at work in the cinema when the DCP was delivered to me. And finally, yesterday, I was able to watch it and on the big screen no less.

Now this film is a ride. It is the definition of being extra. The performances are so out there, it took me probably 10 minutes to get used to it. But wow, it pulls you in.

The film is about an american couple living in Berlin (while it was still divided by the wall) and their marriage is falling apart. What starts as a seemingly normal break escalates fast where self-harm, violence and a whole lot of shouting and screaming occurs. But it will only get worse from there.

The main themes are toxic relationships, possessiveness of each other and the loss of faith and trust. This is not a couple that works together, and yet, they can't let each other go. The supernatural aspect of it (which is not so much about being possessed) is also mesmerising, with disturbing special effects that remind me why I dislike cgi so much.

This is not a comfortable watch, but it is a must-see for any film nerd. Fantastic performances, some incredible shots, a script that is deep but playful... There are so many scenes that will stay with me. I loved it. I also hated it a little, but I loved it much more.

As soon as I heard Bong Joon-Ho had a new film coming, I was excited. Like so many others, I absolutely loved Parasite (2019), but I've also seen and liked some of his older films - Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Memories of Murder (2003), Okja (2017). He makes playful, beautiful films that are layered and thorough in evey department.

Mickey 17, based on the book Mickey 7, has Robert Pattinson showing a new side of his skills as an actor, as he plays an awkward and not too smart guy who gets in so much trouble on earth, that signing up as an expendable on a space mission to find a new home for humanity, is the only way out he can see. Being an expendable means they reprint him every time he dies, and they upload his old memories so that he remembers the terror he has been through. Pattinson is really great in the role, just what he is doing with his voice fascinated me from the start. There is no batman left in there.

The story itself is fairly simple. The cult and expedition leader Marshall played wonderfully by Mark Ruffalo, is a clear jab at Donald Trump, and Toni Collette is his sauce-obsessed wife and the snake whispering in his ear. They lead terribly, while Mickey is used to test viruses, medicine, and to sacrifice himself when checking out a new planet.

As is Bong Joon-Ho's trademark, it is a story about class, about exploitation and going to extremes to get what you want. But in Mickey 17 there is a very clear line between heroes and villains and pretty much never any doubt about what is the right and wrong thing to do. I think subtlety is what I missed in the film. Although I loved the characters and acting, although it was really funny and had great cinematic moments, to me, it was missing some depth. I expected a film that would surprise me, that would mess with my head a little. Instead, it felt predictable and on-the-nose from the start.

Also, one of my friends told me that in the book, the creepers are the ones who find a way to communicate with the humans, which makes so much more sense than the unbelievably quick development of a translator made by the humans.

THIS IS STILL A GOOD FILM! It is a lot of fun and you will not regret watching it! It is just nothing like Parasite and personally I liked that film more. I still think Bong Joon-Ho is a great filmmaker and I will be there for his next film too.

This film is a ride! Honestly, so much fun from start to finish. The film is semi-fictional/semi-biopic, where my mind was blown at the credits when I realized that the actors were the ACTUAL ARTISTS. They were so good!!

I'd say that the music and lyrics are not my type of thing in general, I find the obsession with drugs a bit meh (and I'm not anti drugs, just kinda anti glorifying drug use), but that's where the irish language comes in and gives the film a depth that almost had me moved to tears a few times.

It is a film about a language that was attempted erased, which is something that has happened far too often in this world. I think learning a language as a part of saving a culture and community is beautiful. Language is so much more than just a tool for communication, if it was, all of Europe would have dumped our own for english long ago. The fact that these two drug dealing chaotic boys are using and mastering a language that their community has lost, is just really fucking cool. Using a language as a form of resistance is just beautiful I think.

Otherwise the film is just blast. High energy, cool visuals, fun storylines and interesting characters and relationships. Highly recommended!