Do you know Walhalla in Bavaria? About 10km from Regensburg.
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Le Roman de Jim.
Adapted from a novel by Pierric Bailly - who is a local lad - this new film by the Larrieu brothers’ is the story of a good, but rather hapless man.
It spans 20+ years of him loosing, finding, loosing and again finding a family. It is about the meaning of paternity, it is about him being a nice man that struggles to make an impact (the actor was good, really made me want to shake this man and tell him to have more ooomphh).
And a romantic realism type of film, as it plays with a range of emotions that are all the more powerful for being understated.
The added bonus for us that could have clouded our judgement is that it was filmed locally, so an added interest. Especially the sequence that was filmed on our Via Ferrata. Somewhere I will never go as I have vertigo, but it was stunning!
Spoiler alert And it had a happy ending
Thanks. OH will love it and I’ll certainly point it out to her. Otherwise, make of that what you will 
« Tatami « who would have thought a slightly grainy black and white film about judo would be so good, and gripping? I loved it.
An actor that I rate highly, the Iranian Zar Amir Ebrahimi, plays the coach of an Iranian judo team who are competing at the World Judo Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Where an Israeli is tipped to do very well/win. (As a side note it was filmed in Georgia, and lots of Georgian names in credits plus brutalist sport stadium and a 1930’s aspect ratio for filming that enhances the oppressiveness)
Inspired by a number of Iranian athletes who have defected or bravely faced the consequences of not following the Iranian government’s strict rules, and strongly reminiscent of the real-life story of judoka Saeid Mollaei who was ordered to forfeit a match in the 2019 championships to avoid the prospect of facing an Israeli opponent, this is essentially a straightforward sports/political thriller.
But beautifully filmed, with great casting as the woman who plays the central judoka is a strong lead. And the intensity of a world championships makes the tension mount round by round as serious athletes are super-competitive and intense themselves.
I know nothing about judo, but was held by the film from start to finish.
Much more I could add but it would give away too much, as there are a few twists. And the American funding hasn’t forced them into an American style 100% happy ending. It’s major flaw if the glossing over of Israeli sports boycotts. However I think the film can still stand as a powerful film about injustice and ruthless political systems.
And one can also ignore all the political undercurrents (overcurrents) and just enjoy it for a human drama! Very well worth it.
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Intrigued as to why despite a lack of recent response your very old review is suddenly foregrounded on my page SF. Do you know some technical hack that I don’t?
The movie hasn’t appeared here, but I’m sure I’d appreciate it.
Would like a longer post, but I’m not saying much, and more would just be more empty words
? I only wrote it an hour or so ago? Are you in a time warp?
No, just post-traumatic stress!
My brain’s overloaded with nursing duties and God knows what else, so at the moment, occasionally, I’ll post rubbish -
but at least I hope most of it’s good quality British rubbish!
Looks interesting.
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Le Procès Goldman comes out in French cinemas on the 27th Sept. However, the procès du chien is currently on release
Tough, but equally tough for the nursee. So horrible to be independent one day and dependent the next. Makes me prone to bad temper and lack of gratitude.
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Glad it’s not just me! OH hates it when I’m under the weather (lovely expression) because I so resent it. Sorry, I digress. Have not been to cinema for decades. These days have to wait for stuff on DVDs - which reminds me, couple of Bill Nighy ones I’m on the lookout for. One is “Living”, can’t remember the other.
Unless you have a brilliant TV projector or big screen it’s just not the same! I love the fact that in a cinema you can be immersed in the film - especially our ones as usually only a handful of people so no rustling and coughing. And so many films are made for big screens and just don’t translate well.
In winter when roads are bad we do matinees - dirt cheap too.
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Love the big screen, but recently there’s been so little of note near us. However, Callas arrives next weekend and hopefully that’ll bring in a season of watchable stuff. However I’d really like to chronologically binge my way through David Lynch’s entire back catalogue - lots of hastily compiled snips on Arte this evening.
There’s a screening of the original 1952 version of The day the Earth stood still in February at our local cinema 
. They do have some surprising old stuff on from time to time.
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Went to see Maria this evening (mistakenly referred to as Callas above) wonderful tragic film with an appropriately operatic ending, but as the credits were rolling, the screen cut to a Utube video of a festival presentation and discussion of the film. It was a shitty cut because it was so abrupt and badly executed, but even worse it disrupted the mood that one had been left with as the film ended.
So insensitive - it really pissed me off - they could have waited till the credits had finished. We just got up and left shaking our heads and were pleased to see a lot of others did the same.
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Not being a rugby fan I decamped to the cinema. And so very glad I did.
Ernest Cole, photographer is a documentary released on Christmas day on the life and work of Ernest Cole. He was a South African photographer, was the first to expose the horrors of apartheid to the whole world. His book House of Bondage, published in 1967 when he was only 27 years old, led him to go into exile in New York and Europe for the rest of his life, without ever finding his bearings. Raoul Peck who is a well known Haitian filmmaker narrates. The film also tells how, in 2017, 60,000 negatives of his work were discovered in the safe of a Swedish bank. The film was a bit confused in places, so these things dropped into the narrative just raised so many questions! Overall it was oddly structured as a film, but still gripped me.
Sadly he died at 49 in New York, but a week after Mandela was released so I hope he was aware enough to know that.
Seeing his photos on a large cinema screen was very powerful. He had an ability to photograph people that I found magical. And if you have any interest in that period of history I would urge you to see it.
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The following afternoon saw The Room Next Door at the same venue - was dreading a similar occurrence, but ended smoothly with everyone remaining in their seats thill the credits had finished.
Interesting pairing of two very different films with similar subjects - made me think of comparative essays in film school.
Enjoyed both greatly, think some of the criticisms of Maria are a tad unfair, but haven’t seen any criticism of the RND’s plot - discussed it las night with someone whose mother chose euthanasia last year and we agreed that as the film is set in the present, a wealthy New Yorker would be able to opt for euthanasia in Canada or Switzerland, which of course undermines the whole plot. But we chose to ignore that! Two lovely films and both visually rich albeit in very different ways - good basis for a student essay.
It has been a constant in our experience here that people sit tight until the end.
Indeed, and very different to some countries I’ve known - but S Africa was probably the worst - same on planes, people halfway down the aisle the instant the nose wheels touch the tarmac.
Ooh that does annoy me, as you say wheels hardly down and people are emptying the lockers and getting in the aisle despite pleas from the crew. Where do they think they are going to go and no one goes anywhere until the doors are open anyway and something to step out onto. Silly bu**ers!
In the 80’s I had the misfortune to be on an Aeroflot flight from Bombay to Moscow. Probably 95% of passengers were Indian and they were all out of their seats before the wheels had hit the runway, absolute bloody (literally) carnage. Apparently it was the norm…