l.u.s.s.

The documentary tells the story of two very nice French volcanologists who shared a passion for volcanoes and dedicated their lives to them. Thanks to their fearlessness, we are able to see unique and beautiful images of lava, volcanoes, eruptions... We also get to know Katia and Maurice and their relationship. I subconsciously expected the end that the story had, and I as a matter of fact felt satisfied. They spent their whole lives together doing what they loved, and that's how they passed.

An excellent Italian conversational comedy that gets progressively more and more dramatic. The main idea is very original and I'm sure that many of us have thought about how such an evening might turn out in our case. The film makes you think about how many secrets we actually have and how much we pretend to be somobody else in front of the others.

A film based on a book by Antonio Tabucchi, which is certainly not lacking in quality. In the lead role, the excellent Marcello Mastroianni pulls the whole film with his acting. The story takes us into the excellently portrayed environment of Salazar's Portugal. Pereira is an ordinary man - an editor, a widower, slightly overweight, with conservative habits, who doesn't care about politics and only devotes himself to his cultural section. However, circumstances and, above all, a new colleague gradually change his mind. Pereira's character is inspiring - he shows that even an ordinary man who does not renounce decency can take action. The film is enhanced by the excellent music by Ennio Morricone.

Short Term 12 is a pleasant, subtle, independent film that will surprise you with its power. Brie Larson plays the character of Grace, caring supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers who tries to help these kids. Progressively we discover that her own past is very troubled. She sees herself in a newly arrived teenager, Jadyn, whose pain and traumas open up Grace's own old wounds. The film mixes atmosphere brilliantly: the fates of the children are challenging, but the emotions are portrayed unobtrusively, and by the end, you're left with a pleasant sense of hopefulness. Brie Larson gives one of her best performances here.

Darren Aronofsky is one of the few directors who can evoke such strong emotions in me while watching films. In Mother! it was primarily anxiety, in Whale it is a mix of shame, disgust and sadness, injustice or regret. The film is intimate, we practically watch only few actors, and the entire plot takes place in essentially one location. Brendan Fraser absolutely dominates the film, his character is believable and I can sympathize with him. The atmosphere and emotional tension builds gradually until the final scene, which, in my opinion, is neither over the top nor does it try to be unnecessarily emotionally blackmailing. A difficult film that left an impression on me and had me thinking about it long after I had finished watching it.