mademoisherl Reviews

How to Have Sex (2023)

NO is a full sentence and you should never doubt using it whenever.

[8/10 · 2 May 2024]

In a world brought by the suffragettes and their reincarnations to make feminism even bigger every day, it's still such a bitter pill to acknowledge that sometimes the one who brings girls down is none other than a girl herself. Molly Manning Walker has a whole cupboard of this kind of pill tho! Isn't it sickening to watch how boys will pull out an excuse to dismiss their "homie" nightmare of behavior in the name of friendship? How easy it is to blindside someone with an unassuming front? The extent of how shameful teenagers feel when they're put to the test of peer pressure? The alarming state of little knowledge on consent especially for minors? Girls' inability to communicate how they feel about a situation out of fear of judgment, prejudice, and more horrifyingly, even worse things to happen to them?

This film might not be in a spectrum of grande cinematic experience but its reflection on the horror of living as a girl unfortunately has been relevant for so many decades now. Here's hoping that sooner in the future, people would look back to this film and find it as a dystopian past they don't wanna revisit, ever.

Grave Torture (2024)

If you survived ESQ and pesantren kilat and whatnot, you definitely can survive this.

[7/10 · 18 April 2024]

For the duration's worth and the marketing materials, I was expecting Joko Anwar to expand the discussion triggers on various perceptions of what would happen the moment someone was buried six feet under. Unfortunately, he spent too much time on the jumpscare build-up in the second act to fully develop his promising main characters, which made the story... kinda go nowhere.

The first act is solid, Widuri Puteri and Faradina Mufti did an immense job of making the seamless transition from young Sita to adult Sita. Her and Adil's childhood struggle is a stellar backstory, which is a shame that the follow-up in the second act felt cheap to handle their inner conflictions. Would love to see more screen time of young Sita and Adil in the pesantren because it would've given more betrayal value to add to drive Sita's motivation and also satisfactory value for what eventually happened to the villain. Personally, I wasn't invested enough in the villain to see his ass totally whipped as a payoff. The horror elements in the second act are what tickled me the most because for being something that supposedly affected Sita's state of mind, all of the events were actually meaningless and contradictory. Why bother making bad things happen to the people who don't deserve it when the point is that you'll reap what you sow before entering the afterlife?

Another thing is Adil's character journey. I feel like he had so much potential, especially with the exceptional delivery by the incomparable Reza Rahadian, that went wasted because the film didn't want to address him explicitly. For being half of the main characters, I wish we got more of his story shown.

All in all, the cast ensemble carried this film on their backs. No bad performances whatsoever. The sound design also popped off. If only the story is much stronger.

27 Steps of May (2018)

Ravi L. Bharwani and Rayya Makarim said otherwise.

[10/10 · 15 April 2024]

Most media representations of SA survivors always put the spotlight on how the heinous things could even happen in the very first place; the perpetrators' motives, what the victims were doing in their lives (or even weirdly enough, wear) before the incident, and how heartbreaking it is for the family.

Ravi L. Bharwani and Rayya Makarim said otherwise.

This film takes us to look at the aftermath, how much an SA survivor had to endure an upside-down world, and how alienating the experience could be for the people around them. My heart continuously breaks as the film progresses and I don't think I can even bring myself to rewatch this film, but Raihaanun and Lukman Sardi delivered an immense performance for their respective roles.

The Lunchbox (2013)

An eloquently beautiful feature debut by Ritesh Batra

[10/10 · 19 August 2023]

The late Irrfan Khan's nuanced take on portraying the aloof Saajan Fernandes balanced well with Nawazuddin Siddiqui's witty delivery for Shaikh. The moment Saajan realized how his age is catching on to him breaks me, while the moment Shaikh asked Saajan to be his wedding witness warmed my heart. There are a lot of mundane moments captured in this film that speaks volume to the majority of people, working hard to get by each day with the same routine and faded-away dreams. I was particularly hooked by the women's journey in this film; Ila's continuous effort to maintain her marriage despite her indifferent husband, Auntie's endless love for her husband despite his vegetative state, Ila's Mother's persistence in keeping the custom beliefs that the family from a women's side should not demand anything despite the great difficulties she was facing, and Mehrunnisa's firm stance for her love life despite her family's objection. Women are struggling every single day in their life, can't catch a single break, yet the world will always expect a great load on them.

Boyhood (I) (2014)

"I just thought there would be more"

[9/10 · 14 May 2023]

Pretty much sums up this whole time capsule Linklater called a "passion project" of a film. 12 years in the making, with no binding contract or script, captured the slices of the life of Mason Jr. As he experienced the passage of time. Many people think this is a pretentious half-baked no plot work that is privileged to be critically acclaimed because of the amount of dedication poured into making Mason Jr.'s life seems slightly more interesting, but I think that's the crashed high expectation talking. Just like in life, we always thought that there would be more as we expect a turning point with amazing return awaits, but in most cases we led an ordinary life (be it circumstantial or instinctively) and thus had nothing to amplify our joy into.

As a character in a film, yes, Mason Jr. Gradually became boring as the film progressed. But, the stories surrounding him certainly do not and he only begins to taste how life would be; constantly putting us human beings in struggle in order to mold us of how we would like to be perceived in our old days. Linklater's way of casually slipping complicated topics into the dialogue and how each year had its own distinguishable moment (Lady Gaga's MV of "Telephone" collaboration with Beyoncé, Obama's campaign, Iraq & 9/11, etc.) as a time capsule are probably the most memorable for me in this film. Ethan Hawke will always be the cool dad for me, he's the best father even though not the best husband.

Like & Share (2022)

Borderline performative

[7/10 · 1 May 2023]

The trigger warning at the beginning of the film serves no purpose as the multiple graphic rape scenes are disturbing enough to the general audience, let alone the survivors of sexual violence. The cinematography is undeniably outstanding and the issues being raised of porn addiction, manipulative relationships, consent, & sexual harassment are important to address, however, the execution felt half-baked. Gina S. Noer spent the first half of the film building a foundation for empathy toward the main characters, each with their own issues, yet the second half of the film only focused on Sarah and not even in a good way. By the time the film reached its ending, it was like giving a pat on the shoulder of the victims & survivors and saying "We stand with you but we can't do much tho so good luck".

Roma (2018)

A great slow-burn with a rather misdirected spotlight

[8/10 · 19 April 2023]

Given that this came from Alfonso Cuarón's personal memory, on the surface it feels like he put an invisibility cloak on us to sneak around his childhood home. Staggering real ambiance from human interaction was constant throughout the film, with the choice of monochromatic visuals & minimalist scoring to add a mundane likeness, and contrasting flow between the events occurring with the everyday lives that going on (i.e.: the nonchalant waitress picking up the family's dishes as the kids weeping out upon hearing that their parents splitting up because, in that exact moment, she's just doing her job while they were having a probably the saddest day in their lives). Nonetheless, I have mixed feeling about this film, predominantly about the center of the story.

We are conditioned to believe that Cleo is the main character, but the events around her most of the time are about the family she's serving. She only had one storyline: she was impregnated by a loser from a paramilitary group, had a stillborn that devoids her state of mind, but then realized that she doesn't even want to have the child. As a human being in this story, she wasn't given the time or place to process her feelings as she must prioritize her employer and her employer's family. It's a long film yet when it comes to dealing with Cleo's storyline it ends abruptly.

I could give a slack if the events happening towards the family serves some kind of parallel that reflect Cleo's take on her life, but the only correlation between Antonio cheating on his wife with Fermín chicken out upon learning Cleo's pregnancy, is that men are trash. Which we already acknowledged, no?

All in all, it's a great slow-burn film, I just hope that Cleo was more in the spotlight rather than a supporting character in disguise.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

PEACHES!

[8/10 · 17 April 2023]

Initially did not have much interest in watching this but ended up watching it anyway to buy some time on a busy Monday. This might be the biased nostalgia talking but I had so much fun with this cute ride of a journey! Would love to have an ensemble cast of experienced voice actors because Jack Black clearly outperformed the others in distinguishing each emotion through intonation and vocal changes. The eye-candy animation, especially during the rainbow scene, is a total striking delight in the sea of films with horrible color grading for brightness, despite having a certain degree of darkness in the atmosphere driven by the plot. Loving the detailed close-up and slow-mo shots as well. Wished they showcase Luigi more and unpack the codependency between him and Mario.

Bedazzled (2000)

Criminally underrated, to say the least.

[7/10 · 15 April 2023]

THIS WAS FUN! A perfect watch for Brenaissance and to remind everybody why he's worthy of it. Brendan Fraser, and some of the supporting actors, were playing completely different comedic characters in this (with one particular sequence requiring them to speak a foreign language) and NAILED it. Everyone seems like having fun in this production. Sure, each of the sequences feels dated due to being heavily stereotyped, but it's entertaining, we get to see a fashion show by yours truly Elizabeth Hurley, and most importantly, runs on 90ish minutes. Let's bring back camp rom-com to the cinema, shall we?

Joyland (2022)

A bold work of art worth to be celebrated

[9/10 · 29 March 2023]

A taboo-tackling slap for Pakistan's strongly patriarchal society in general, as well as for the public's transgender narrative in general. Joyland serves two opposing spectrums simultaneously, the enchanting cinematography contrasted the haunting essence of the story, just like how the patriarchy disguised itself with the idea of "protecting women" to have a "social order" while in the core truth, it hoards the power and privilege for men to oppress others. A constant reality check accompanied the audience for the first half of the film, with the main characters aren't allowed to be themselves or pursue their vision of life, but then most of the plotlines hang dry as loose ends near the ending. Aside from Mumtaz's plotline, which came as a hard reality pill to swallow with a shock value, it felt the film ends abruptly. Nevertheless, this is a bold move for South Asia cinema for showcasing an intricate maze of story-telling and mesmerizing performances of Pakistani actors.

Miss Potter (2006)

Beatrix Potter deserves the world

[10/10 · 29 March 2023]

Was intrigued to watch this thanks to the Renée Zellweger x Ewan McGregor bait but ended up being in awe with Beatrix Potter. Her unshaken belief in her own self-worth and capabilities was the driving force in transforming her into a praised writer and illustrator. Some might undermine her journey in making her own name due to her privileged upbringing, but I think a struggle in staying true to oneself despite the push to conform to the widely perceived "norms" that put women in an invisible cage is a worthy feminist story that should be highlighted in history. The Tale of Peter Rabbit now holds an even special place in my heart.

Happy Together (1997)

They were happy together, they were infuriating together

[8/10 · 22 March 2023]

Someone said that the title is ironic, but come to think of it, they were happy together. However, they were also infuriating together. The upended world caused by a toxic dynamic between a disrespectful partner with a possessive one seems hard to live by, then Wong Kar-wai added the fear of being alone in another country as a cherry on top. Tony Leung gave a sublime melodrama performance per usual, but he succeeded in balancing it with a nuanced viciousness this time. I'm sure a lot of this film's audience would take Fai's side just like how many people side with (500) Days of Summer's Tom, given that our view was mostly centered around him and his "struggle", but let me put a humble reminder that just because someone seemingly puts the most effort into a relationship doesn't necessarily mean that they're not toxic.

Rudy Habibie (2016)

Helplessly cringe I felt sorry for Pak Habibie

[4/10 · 21 March 2023]

You know a film is dreadfully stretched when you can skim through and it doesn't matter because many parts were not essential for the plot anyway. The late B. J. Habibie was an empathetic leader and a phenomenal academic, his early development of those traits is what I was hoping to see more in this film considering we all have witnessed his romantic side in the first film. But of course, some cringe filmmakers should turn this into a cringe work as well. The script is unbearable, the drama is over the top, and most of the actors were either too stiff or take themselves too seriously in the dramatization take. If you intend to make a dual-language film to better reflect the location setting, then go for it fully, don't make a clearly white character speaks Indonesian 90% of the time just because they were "learning the language" a while ago, Chelsea Islan's accent is aggravating at this point. Do you really try to sell the idea that someone speaks a foreign language when they're explosive? Be real for a second. Also, I'm sure this film is backed by a big budget considering the success of the first one, so I wonder what pushed the hair and make-up department to fail spectacularly. Most of the characters abroad, especially the female ones, are presented rather modernly with their hair and make-up. You see, not even Reza Rahadian's genuine performance could save this film.

Suffragette (2015)

It's wild to witness how far women have come to this day

[7/10 · 20 March 2023]

Although cinematography-wise, nothing seems extraordinary about this film, it still doesn't reduce the value of this as an essential watch. A thought occurred to me when the credit rolled, "it would've been more interesting if they picked another set of timelines that displays the success of their effort into passing the law for women to finally be able to vote". Then I realized that's exactly what Sarah Gavron / Abi Morgan tries to bring on screen: how awful it was to be treated as the "inferior" minority despite not being a minority, at all. It's wild to witness how far women have come to this day, in making vulnerability into our strength, despite having a long way to go for gender equality.

The Glory (2022– )

You reap what you sow

[10/10 · 12 March 2023]

A fascinating watch thanks to the solid script, dynamic directing, and stellar acting. Every single one of the cast members gave their utmost performance, making each episode feel intense and mind-blowing in the right balance. My respect for Kim Eun-sook, she didn't shy away from antagonizing the main characters because truly, you reap what you sow. The only thing I wish they'd done differently was to cast someone older for Joo Yeo-jung for a more balanced pairing with Song Hye-kyo, because let's be real; she had more solid chemistry with Jung Sung-il as Ha Do-yeong than with Lee Do-hyun. Overall, a highly recommended drama. Pinnacle of revenge.

Pamela: A Love Story (2023)

Pamela Anderson deserves the world

[10/10 · 6 March 2023]

Yet another hard proof of how the human race that benefitted from tabloid culture can be so disgusting in exploiting women, especially women with abused past lives. Pamela Anderson was and still is a proud woman of self-expression that has unchanging faith in love, suffered from the misogynistic treatment of Hollywood even years after being away from the harsh spotlight. It truly warms my heart that she has loving sons that showered her with endless love and help her in taking back her narrative with her own words but it's sickening to see the unfiltered version of her real story, what she had to endure with, and how people think it's okay to applaud the attempt of bringing back the most traumatic part of her life without her consent. Sure, Pamela might have a really different perspective in navigating life from the widely conformed but essentially she's a precious human being that deserves the utmost of this world. I'm glad she's doing this genuine documentary and may the karma works as it should.

Story of Women (1988)

Women story matters, they just matters

[9/10 · 4 March 2023]

Usually, a film with a title like this would take a sentimental approach to display the hardships of the widely-perceived inferior sex in the world, or, quoting the overused phrase from the media; how women can't have it all. In contrast, Chabrol brings the truthful reality of how women precisely can be a lot of things at once, have contradicting traits even, that doesn't make them worth less than anyone because that's what a human being essentially is. Flawed, layered, soul-searching, can't be defined as a single thing, and can be fiercely ambitious in achieving what they want. Those things should be allowed for anyone on this earth regardless of their gender and that is exactly what Isabelle Huppert did in this film. She gave depth to Marie that sends the audience riding a roller coaster with her life journey, sometimes you root for her while other times you questioned her. But that should be okay because women can't be defined by a single thing, nor should be pitied at all times. What we should always do is support women and believe that we can all benefit from a world with no patriarchal system that only resulted in tragedy.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Vibrant yet melancholic

[10/10 · 7 February 2023]

Visually the most breathtaking right-person-wrong-timing love story I ever watched. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu Wai's effortlessly compelling chemistry combined with the enigmatic cinematography truly distinct "In the Mood for Love" as Wong Kar Wai's finest work. It has a vibrant aura thanks to the striking color palette and the perfect captivating soundtrack, yet simultaneously melancholic from the tender gaze of its main characters. The unexpected sparks caught them off guard and made them understand the lingering feeling. The same with the unexpected influence this film had over its audience, making this film a perfect rewatch material.

Aftersun (II) (2022)

Watched this with nothing in mind, then realized my alternate universe self was on screen the entire time

[9/10 · 7 February 2023]

Any child of separation that is no stranger to empty promises could vouch for the love-hate relationship emerging to either or both of the parent that fluctuates throughout the years. Charlotte Wells made this film to hold a mirror for many of us who struggle in that situation, that have been wishing for an alternate life path, have been hoping for a miracle, and have been having a hard time looking back. But this is not only about the children, this is also about the ever-forgotten side of the story: the parent, whose internal pain in accepting the fact that their life-altering decision has impacted so many elements that may or may not be easy to navigate. Being courageous in ending a relationship not meant for you is the right thing to do, but it doesn't stop there and it doesn't mean that the aftermath would be easy. Separation always hurt everyone and sometimes even time couldn't heal the wounds. All we have left was only recollection and the would've beens.

Autobiography (2022)

Makbul Mubarak's powerful directorial debut

[9/10 · 30 January 2023]

The suspense crafted from every element elevates Arswendi Nasution and Kevin Ardilova's performance. The plot is straightforward, but the nuance that creeps in as the film progressed is what makes this eerie; how close to reality it is to have a powerful figure from a certain institution abuse their power in order to collect more power or simply stay relevant, how perceivably normal it is that a son is so much sought after in the patriarchal misguided interpretation of "legacy", how more of often than not people keep being blinded by the possibility of gaining power no matter how low they can humanely be, and how capitalism agenda has always cruelly successful in putting public interest aside. The story may be a work of fiction, but the title very much reflects its true meaning in our real lives.

Certified Copy (2010)

A copy can attract original reaction

[8/10 · 23 January 2023]

Alluring take on the enigma of how the value of a copy reflects the original, with the first widely perceived as being lesser than the latter all this time by the general public. "Certified Copy" brings another variable, what if it equally holds the same value? What if the existence of the copy can impact the same genuine feeling and reaction? What if the copy blurred the lines between what can be seen as fake and real? The roleplay between our main characters may be confusing at first, but once we filter it as them being the copy of their original relationship, we can see made-up things can set genuine receptions which trigger genuine feelings as well.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Escapism in the beautiful Italy

[8/10 · 23 January 2023]

While the main theme may or may not be touching escapism, the subtext conveniently appeals to the "listening to your gut when you're trying something new no matter how old you have become" archetype that I think has its own beauty in unfolding the possibilities of the main character's turn of life. Sure, spending every last penny from your divorce settlement on an old house in a foreign country seems nonsense in real life but the leap of faith does count in our lifetime. It's scary and oftentimes foolish, but what would life be without some strange decision along the way? If you are facing a midlife crisis then go fetch some beautiful destinations to work yourself out instead of being depressed in a city.

Last Night in Soho (2021)

Thomasin Mackenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, & Matt Smith are magnetic

[9/10 · 15 January 2023]

Kudos to Edgar Wright for making a horror film this beautiful and detail-oriented, the lush color palette does compliment the set design and costumes of the character. With that being said, after all the astounding outfits throughout the film, the dresses on Ellie's final project are off-putting, much like the entire third act of the film. Sandie is the center of Ellie's new obsession that she discovered through her psychic vision, which we learned that applicable to the dead. By making the alive uptight landlady the grown-up Sandie, YET her vision of the ghosts of Sandie's victim is true, made an inconsistency resulting from a struck-out train of ideas. However, it's a breath of fresh air to see a director can insert distressing events of sexual abuse without sexually exploiting a woman on screen. Overall, this is worth the hype, I was hooked up from the very first time the trailer was released and I did not regret being really excited about this.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

When I was a little girl, there were real prices and mom prices

[8/10 · 15 January 2023]

This film has been in such a close place in the heart of so many people because simply, there are a lot of adults that have the surge of spending their adult money in any way possible to fulfill what they couldn't have back then. So many people underestimate this film as a shallow "chick flick" with Isla Fisher's slight kookiness as the main appeal, but if only they also paid attention to the self-reflection journey Rebecca Bloomwood went through from her childhood to her adulthood, you'll applaud P. J. Hogan more for being able to bring Sophie Kinsella's fun story into a whimsical yet touchy film with a valuable financial lesson.

Bullet Train (2022)

Halfway good

[7/10 · 15 January 2023]

It did its job as an action comedy, but with everything being on a surface level it would've been better packed as a 90-min film. Perhaps David Leitch was targeting senile audiences in the first place as there are so many prolonged sequences wasted on the repeated explanatory flashbacks. With a lot of one-dimensional characters, the revenge plot showed conspicuously on the other side as the singular serious aspect of the story, only to be failed miserably by a Hollywood cliché of last-minute swapping bodies. The abundance of technical shots and unnecessary slow motion in this felt like an attempt to make this film sophisticated but fell rather hard under the pretentious filmmaking process only halfway to being actually great. Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson would've been far more interesting main characters, both plot-wise and visual-wise. I also have high hopes for Karen Fukuhara's role in this, which apparently crumbles in a non-existent way.