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hilarycantor
Reviews
Terzi (2023)
Abuse is not entertainment
I rarely comment but I'm surprised no one mentioned the horrific domestic abuse suffered by Mustafa and Esvet. I usually enjoy these torrid Middle Eastern soap opera dramas, this has an interesting story and a terrific location so I hoped for some escapism . The abuse heaped on Mustafa by his mother was disturbing, it kept me awake, there was no need to indulge in such violence and as much as I wanted to continue with the story the thought of witnessing further abuse and enjoying watching it was too much. After 1.5 episodes I had to back out.
I mostly watch world cinema and this came up an 98% match to my profile but this one got thumbs down. Hope their AI can identify that watching abuse on defenceless people is abhorrent to me.
Are those giving it 10 from a troll farm?
Outlier (2020)
Hauntingly realistic
Set in a desolate and magical landscape in the Arctic circle during midsummer, this is an insight into the culture of the people who live there alongside a strong storyline. The fact it is daylight even at midnight, or when Maya is trying to sleep adds to the Scandi noir melancholy. I found the acting natural and believable, you could see the thinking while they tried to solve problems. The apathetic policing style speaks of neglected backwaters that I had not associated with Norway. The character is a real woman, does not do as the men want, without trying to be sexy. A bit like Sarah Lund in the Bridge. She is the opposite of Hollywood, there is no glamour to please the men. We need more actresses like this to erode the stereotypes created for men.
I would like to see what Maya does next in a second series.
Partisan (2020)
Dystopian brilliance
This powerful series is not to be judged by conventional standards. It is not an action cop series set in Sweden. Rather it is a story of alienation, corruption, white suprematism, revealing an under belly of vicious violence and control. It is no coincidence that the title Partisan has the soundtrack from Leonard Cohen, a song originating from the French Resistance when the French were trying to evade and defeat Nazi occupation. There are many references to Foreigner, spoken with vile contempt. The acting is outstanding, the most believable realism I have seen, despite the storyline. The whole atmosphere is terrifying, the drama is more psychological than action based. If you want an action based, logical narrative cop series, this is not that. Although I would have liked a neat ending, sadly there was no need, as in life. If you like to relate to the pain of alienation, loss and the struggle to survive amongst evil, then you will be moved.
Hit and Run (2021)
E1: iphone call back implausible
Unable to get over the simple fact that he wouldn't have been able to view the calls to his dead wife on her iPhone. It would have been locked, I do not know anyone without a password or recognition set up on that model. Lazy scripting that blows my suspension of disbelief at the start. Pity as I loved Fauda. This is nothing like a good Israeli film, at first I thought it was dubbed and spent 5 minutes looking for original language.