“Earwig”
In the same way that the discourse surrounding Juliet Binoche’s “f*ck box” dominated the post-festival discussion of Claire Denis’ “High Life,” Lucile Hadžihalilović’s “Earwig” near-instantly became infamously known as “the movie about a girl with ice cube teeth.” Although, according to our review, “‘Earwig’ is not about that. [We’re] not sure what it’s about, but it’s definitely not that.” An inexplicable, almost indescribable, Kafkaesque film “that finds beauty in the picture’s ugliness (or perhaps finds ugliness in its beauty?),” the mid-20th century-set movie takes place in an unknown European country, yet it’s also Hadžihalilović’s first film made in the English language). The first quarter of the film unfolding without dialog, Romane Hemelaers plays the notorious girl with frozen dentures, with the script co-written by “High Life” scribe Geoff Cox. – Review by Jason Bailey
“A Hero”
“Asghar Farhadi does not miss. When it comes to precise storytelling construction, few other artists on the planet share his uncanny ability to tap into the double-sided dramaturgy of argumentation and perspective. Iran’s official selection for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, “A Hero” is almost like the Iranian filmmaker’s equivalent to “Uncut Gems,” following a prison convict named Rahim (Amir Jadidi, remarkable) who tells one little white lie about finding a purse when out on a two-day leave from his facility. In a single take, we see Rahim climb the stairs of a massive scaffold, and he’ll spend the rest of the movie trying to keep the support pillars of his embellished story from giving out, as “slight prevarications become pivotal plot points by the end.” Farhadi’s film “[delivers] a nuanced examination of justice—and the many shades of injustice that surround it.” – Review by Caroline Tsai
Release Date: January 7 theatrically, on Prime Video January 21.
“Hit the Road”
A genuinely, creatively exciting road-trip movie where you initially have no idea where it’s heading, Panah Panahi’s fantastic “Hit the Road” sports three of the most evocative shots this writer has seen composed: one involving stars, another featuring fog, and one a seemingly never-ending horizon line (“2001: A Space Odyssey’s” supreme formalist innovation a major influence on the son of the legendary Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s debut). Featuring diegetic and non-diegetic music, complete with fourth-wall breaks (one bit feels a touch Tsai Ming-liang, in spirit) “the meat of the action in “Hit the Road” is made of everyday conversation and standard family bickering, all energized and raised to the level of genuine comedy by the youngest son (Rayan Sarlak).” It’s better to go in knowing little else, the film’s journey as important as its destination. – Review by Elena Lazic
“Introduction”
Hong Sang-soo is so prolific at what he does; he’s released eight movies since 2017. What constitutes a major vs. minor Hong picture, however, seems increasingly subjective as the South Korean auteur’s career moves forward. With a sleek runtime of 66 minutes, “Introduction” appears to fit into the latter category but is broken up into three parts: “it has the feel of a sketchbook,” our review noted, “with the motivation of each episode discovered during the writing, as Hong slowly accumulates coincidences and parallels.” Improvisation is a key part of his process these days, and one never knows where the narrative might be headed. “[Acting] as his own D.P., editor, and composer, as well as being a writer-director, and there’s a stark elegance to “Introduction,” a sense of an artist honing his craft down to its simplest, most telling gestures.” – Review by Mark Asch
“Mr. Kneff”
It is well established that Steven Soderbergh is a wee bit obsessed with tinkering over the editing process (he helped Spike Jonze figure out why “Her,” wasn’t initially working and made an essential suggestion), having recut elements of “2001: A Space Odyssey” and plastering Reznor/Ross music on top of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” after stripping it of sound and saturation (in order to spotlight the strength of a fellow Steven’s staging set-ups). For some time, he’s teased a new version of his second picture, “Kafka,” now known as “Mr. Kneff,” which “completely recontextualizes the visual language and soundscape of the pre-existing thirty-year-old film to breathtaking effect.” Describing it as a mesh of F.W. Murnau and Buster Keaton films, we were thoroughly impressed with ‘Kafka Redux,’ packed with “vigorous sight gags and clever throwbacks to the beloved silent era.” – Review by David Cuevas