La noche de San Lorenzo

This film truly has its very specific atmosphere that will engulf you, or you will have to come to terms with the fact that it is just another war movie from an environment you don't know well. But for me, the Italian film, which is such a peculiar fairytale with cruel people but also with those who want to live, captivated and enchanted me. (08.12.2015)

It has been quite a few years since I admired the works of the Taviani brothers at the film club. I missed out on The Night of the Shooting Stars back then, so I was curious about how the work of my former favorites would affect me after all these years. I don't want to overly criticize the artistic attempt of the directing duo, but just like Jesus could walk on water, it seems that I have gained the unintentional ability to watch a film that I can't immerse myself in at all. It emotionally passed me by in the distant galaxy. The plot moved forward somewhat laboriously, but the brothers dealt me the biggest blow with the scene of the partisan unit and war refugees clashing with a group of fascists on a punitive expedition. The scene was supposed to be the logical culmination of the whole film, but instead, I got the feeling that it was something out of Monty Python. I could forgive the Taviani brothers for not knowing much about shooting war scenes if they hadn't turned the most important scene into a theatrical farce. Instead of being stirring and captivating, The Night of the Shooting Stars is entangled in its own uneventful and convoluted absurdity. Overall impression: 25%. (02.09.2015)