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Faithfully Yours, a twisty mystery from the Netherlands
Faithfully Yours is an engaging mystery. This Dutch language film uses plot twists and surprises to keep you interested as the story unrolls. There are some very good liars in the film among a group of untrustworthy characters. Thematically, the film is saying that a liar never can believe anything anyone else says.
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Hawa, no challenge is too daunting for this girl
Hawa, from French director Maïmouna Doucouré, tells the story of a young girl who decides Michelle Obama should be the one to adopt her. She pursues this goal with intrepid determination.
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Dating Amber: lovely coming of age & coming out story
Dating Amber features two LGBTQ+ high school students in 1995 Ireland. Both were in denial about their sexuality and struggling to survive high school and appear “normal.”
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On the Fringe, evictions and losses galore
On the Fringe (En los márgenes) takes place on a single day in Madrid, Spain. Interconnected stories about people facing eviction or losing their children all come to a head on this day. Evictions are common in modern day Spain, carried out by police in riot gear. People on the margins, especially immigrants, can have […]
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Operation: Nation (Kryptonim: Polska), Polish dark comedy
Operation: Nation (Kryptonim: Polska) puts Polish right wing Nazi lovers up against a leftist college girl. The small Nazi group calls themselves the Radical Youth Association (RYA in the subtitles, but the Polish is ZMR as you see on the arm bands).
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Kill Boksoon: Kdrama features an unusual mother
Kill Boksoon features lots of violence and stylized fight scenes in a film about a mother who makes a living for her teen age daughter by working as an assassin. It was so melodramatic it was almost funny, but the mother’s dilemmas raising her teenager were universal.
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Plaza Catedral: touching drama from Panama
Plaza Catedral is a Spanish language film from Panama. A grieving woman and a teen age boy are thrown together in this story about human connections in a violent world.
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The Silent Twins, this true story comes close to good
The Silent Twins tells the true story of two young Black twins growing up in Wales who refused to talk to anyone but each other. Learning more about their case sounds interesting, but the film left too much out for me to give it high marks.
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Faraway, charming comedy about finding your island
In Faraway an older woman finds herself and her past in Croatia on a gorgeous island. It’s funny and clever and directed by Vanessa Jopp.
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Stromboli, a drama from The Netherlands about healing
Stromboli stars Dutch actress Elise Schaap in a story about one woman’s twisted and emotional journey toward healing. She leaves The Netherlands for a get away. She heads to the volcanic Italian island of Stromboli with a suitcase full of vodka and a plan to stay in the tiny cottage she rented and be drunk […]
Reviews of movies and TV focused on women