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We have seen the horrors that took place in concentration and extermination camps many times on the cinema screen, but this time we take an unconventional look from the other side of the wall, at the life of an Auschwitz commander and his family. Well, it's a disgustingly perfect idyll: a lovely home, a beautiful garden with a pool, a house full of servants; the Höss don't lack for anything. What is happening behind the wall is presented to the viewer only in small "icy" details: the young son playing in the beautiful flowering garden and behind him in the house we see only the steam rising from a train arriving at Auschwitz; the family celebrating a birthday in the garden and behind them we see the incinerator in full swing; they are bathing in the river and suddenly ashes start falling down on them. We all know very well what that means, Jonathan Glazer is counting on it, and he manages to create a perfectly chilling contrast. It also presents a picture of a happy family, which is something I thought about many times in the past because I always found it very controversial. We know all too well what monsters the SS could be, but at the same time they could be, and probably were, loving fathers, something that is beautifully portrayed here. Rudolf Höss is a likeable dad (if it weren't for his uniform, he wouldn't be so different from your friends), but then he picks up the phone and starts figuring out how to streamline the final solution to the Jewish question; at a social event his wife asks him who were the people there and he answers that he doesn’t care about the people, that he was thinking how to gas everything, but it was logistically difficult – that was quite hard to stomach. It took me a while to get used to the way the film is shot, it feels a bit documentary-like, and by the end credits I almost ripped my ears off from the accompanying "music" in agony, but it was a very powerful experience. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

My first screening at the Cannes Film Festival and quite a powerful experience. We follow the day-to-day practices of emergency responders in New York City, and how this work affects their mental health and personal lives. The protagonists Ollie (Tye Sheridan) and Gene (Sean Penn) go on all sorts of cases, so we can get a rich idea of the variety and complexity of their calls (from homeless trouble, domestic violence, unwanted help with drug addicts, to street shootings and many more). What rescue workers everywhere have to deal with inspires great admiration in me in general (even on home soil, of course), but I feel like America is on a whole other level. On the one hand, this film is a tribute to these people, but at the same time it shows how terribly unrewarding this work is and how much of a toll it increasingly takes. And then there is the question of the "divine" decision of whether or not it makes sense to save a life in some cases? I don't want to give anything more away, this film is challenging but definitely worth it. I was very impressed by the music by Nicolas Becker and Quentin Sirjacq; and as for the acting performances, Sean Penn is classically very good, but Tye Sheridan leads the way, I found him incredibly good here. [Festival de Cannes 2023]

The new Indiana Jones left me with very similar feelings to the previous outing, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I love seeing this iconic character on the big screen again, but you live mostly on nostalgia. It's not what it used to be anymore. Not because Indy is getting wrinkles and losing muscle, the new sequels just don't have the same charm. But Indiana Jones still remains popular and in my opinion the filmmakers are pretty cynical with it. And they also count on the fact that the viewer will forgive a lot of stupid things and will turn a blind eye to crazy action scenes that defy the laws of physics, because it's Indiana Jones. The characters are otherwise likeable, and I always welcome Mads Mikkelsen as a bad guy, but it's a long way from Cipher 😊 It was also nice to see Thomas Kretschmann as a Nazi again, how else could it be? To sum up, for me it was a nostalgic respite where I appreciated a few references to past films, but otherwise it's all so B-ish and forgettable, it doesn't offend, but it doesn't excite either. The glory days of Indiana Jones are long gone, and the last two films have only benefited from that popularity, something that is unfortunately quite common nowadays... [Festival de Cannes 2023]

Western is not one of my favourite genres, but every once in a while a gem comes along that convinces me that it's actually not so bad. The trailer gave me the impression that this was going to be a purely feminist western, but it's not. The whole thing is well balanced and all the important characters, and there are not few of them, have their space. This western doesn't just divide good and evil, the plots and characters are complex, which is why, for example, you'll like the main ruthless villain in his own way. And another thing I have to highlight is the music and cinematography – beautiful visuals and scenery, many slow motion shots with unconventional angles, a feast for the eyes. Certainly recommended.

One of the coziest and most endearing romantic comedies I know, and one I love coming back to. Probably most of the credit for this goes to the casting choices, which are extremely likeable. Steve Carell is a great fit, you wish him love. I actually discovered him through this film and he immediately became one of my favorites. Juliette Binoche is very cute and her laugh must put a smile on everyone's face. My favourite Emily Blunt appears here too and the whole plot with her is endearingly comical. As I mentioned at the beginning, Dan in Real Life is a great, easygoing, authentic, and sweet film that caresses the soul.

Another proof that the best stories are written by life itself, and this one is downright fascinating – if it wasn't based on true events, I'd consider it science fiction. Though I had heard about the rescue of the football team from a cave, I didn't know the details, which is why I found the film incredibly suspenseful from start to finish. I don't want to give too much away, I think it's better not to know too much before seeing the film. Hundreds of people were involved in saving those boys and I think this film pays tribute to all of them. What I appreciate most is that the film doesn't slip into heartbreaking pathos. Those divers are heroes, and Howard manages to portray that in a very humble, civil and natural way.

My first and very enjoyable encounter with Kore-eda. It has elements of road movie, detective story, comedy and family drama. A young mother abandons her child at a baby box, the child is then taken in by two men, Sang-hyun and So-young, with the intention of selling him or her. The very next day, however, the young mother returns for her child and joins the two men in their search for suitable buyers or surrogate parents. All this is observed from afar by a pair of policewomen who intend to catch the middlemen in the act. Their journey together is full of humour, but also very poignant. Child abandonment is a very strong and controversial topic with two sides, and this film manages to offer the perspective of both: the one who abandons, but also the one who has been abandoned. We get to know the inner motives of the protagonists, and the initial condemnation that certain characters and the viewer feel towards the young mother, but also towards the middlemen, gradually turns into compassion and understanding. Broker is kind, human, full of emotion and empathy, full of sadness, but at the same time a caress to the soul.

This tragicomic tale of the end of a friendship is set in the early twentieth century, in the beautiful wild Irish countryside, in a small village where people have simple lives and spend most of their days in the local pub. But one day Colm no longer wants to be friends with Padraic. As humans, we are obsessed with the question WHY? Why do two people stop liking each other, why do they stop understanding each other, why do they start hating each other? Does there always have to be a specific reason for this? Colm reaches a stage in his life where he simply doesn't want to waste his precious time chatting shallowly with a man who doesn't enrich him in any way and whom he finds boring and crude. And Padraic takes it hard, he actually wants to keep fighting for his friendship, which leads them to completely unpredictable events. At first, their conflict seems a bit ridiculous, like the bickering of two twelve-year-old boys, but it gradually turns into a heated exchange of opinions and harsh reckoning. The narrative has a very intimate, theatrical feel and is accompanied by Carter Burwell's atmospheric and haunting music. This is a very entertaining reunion of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in front of the camera, it made me very happy.

Louis and Alice are brother and sister, they haven't seen each other for many years, but can't avoid meeting when their parents are on their deathbeds. The emotionally charged, tense beginning lures the viewer in, making them want to get deep inside the two characters to find out what happened to them, what they did to each other that Alice hates her brother so much that she can't be in the same room with him, and the entire film stands on this mystery. Both are artists, both have strong egos, both are emotional, a little hysterical, their characters and the story itself directly invite escalated conflict, heated dialogue and cathartic explanations. Unfortunately, this does not happen and it is a great shame. In the end, the behaviour of the protagonists seems a bit illogical and unbelievable. Paradoxically, I myself wonder if we as viewers are too spoiled. We have high expectations, we demand explanations, but sometimes, as it happens in life, we don't get the explanations we want.

Triangle of Sadness is definitely one of the most notable films of 2022. It can be divided into three parts, which are very different, but seamlessly linked and form a complex and harmonious whole. We first meet the model Carl and his influencer girlfriend Yaya at dinner, or rather at the end of a dinner, when the bill is due. Thanks to this scene, we can get an initial picture of the dynamics of this couple (who has the upper hand and who is manipulating whom), but it also opens up the topic of communication, which is of course absolutely crucial to the functioning of a relationship. The second part takes place on a luxury cruise ship. Here, too, we gradually get to know the supporting characters, be it the deck or cabin crew, and some of the passengers. This part is probably the most memorable, not only because of the terrific Captain's Dinner, which unleashes both an external natural oceanic and internal human digestive storm, but also because of the incredibly interesting characters; here's where the social satire is most marked. In the third part, on the island, the story takes on a completely different dynamic as the clearly defined roles in life are reversed, with money and social status losing all meaning once survival is at stake. The first two parts had much more momentum and were perhaps more entertaining, but the last one is the most thought-provoking and can offer much more than just an interesting and for many contradictory or unclear finale. This film will definitely entertain you, probably even disgust you a little, the interesting dialogues will keep your attention and also make you think. So for me, Triangle of Sadness has everything a quality film should have.