City of Life
Ali F. Mostafa | UAE | 2009
97 min

City of Life will change the way you think about Emirati filmmaking — it is co-written and directed by Ali F. Mostafa who, with this film, may single-handedly shatter preconceived notions about making movies in the United Arab Emirates. City of Life is especially designed to clear the haze surrounding big budget film production in the city of Dubai and it sets a precedent: an Emirati filmmaker funded by Emirati coin has crafted smart, technically first-rate entertainment that can stand its own ground in the international marketplace. For a young country with a non-existent film industry, on this point alone, City of Life is an important accomplishment. continue reading »»

Che
Steven Soderberg | USA | 2008
262 min

The Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara was many things to many people. To some (especially those from third world countries) he was an effective and fierce opponent of America’s hypocritical imperialism while for others he was nothing more than a criminal who masterminded violent campaigns to overthrow governments. Whatever your opinion of the man might be, Steven Soderberg’s film, a four and a half hour magnum opus feels truly epic in scope and function. It is a rare cinematic experience because it presents both points of view in two equal halves that complement each other. continue reading »»

Blindness
Fernando Meirelles | Canada/Brazil | 2008
120 min

Imagine if people start going blind at random. No reason, no warning. It won’t happen to everyone at the same time, but in slow intervals, and everyday this number of people will increase. That is the world in Blindness. Fearing that the disease might be contagious, the government locks the infected in a hospital ward, to control the outbreak. Things are going fine in the beginning. There is food, the ward is clean, there is space, and people are waiting patiently to be cured. But then, more and more blind people are sent in, the ward becomes overcrowded, food supply has to be rationed, and then things go very wrong. continue reading »»

Genova
Michael Winterbottom | UK | 2008
94 min

The young girl, Mary, is almost certainly the stupidest child character of 2008. Children in movies, like in real life, are always a bit retarded and act like morons, but Mary’s idiocy is too stupid even for a child. Her mother is driving the car, and she and her older sister are in the back seat (why is the teenager not in the passenger seat? Seems a bit rude to me). The girls are playing an obnoxious game, which is to put their hands over their eyes and guess which car passes by next. The older girl gets it right every time but Mary doesn’t, and the whole family is having fun and laughing when Mary decides to put her hands over her mother’s eyes…while she is driving. continue reading »»

Hunger
Steve McQueen | UK/Ireland | 2008
96 min

Hunger is about a man that starved himself to death for his principles. His name was Bobby Sands, and he was an IRA member whom the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher eulogized as ‘…a convicted criminal. He chose to take his own life.’ In this meticulously crafted film, images play a crucial role and expository dialog is at the mercy of economy — yet there is a 17-minute conversation about morality, religion and politics between Bobby Sands and a visiting priest, all shot in one long take from a static camera, that is a touchstone of writing, acting and cinematography. Sound is also important to director Steve McQueen, who uses it most effectively in the wordless third act, as we watch actor Michael Fassender, playing Sands, gradually reduce to skeletal bones before our very eyes. continue reading »»

The Wrestler
Darren Aronofsky | USA | 2008
109 min

The Wrestler is a devastating film about Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a once-upon-a-time famous wrestler, who now hawks his autographs at poorly-attended conventions, sleeps in a minivan when he cannot make rent, hasn’t spoken to his estranged teenage daughter in years, and is in love with a stripper that charges him $60 for a private lap dance. Old, vulnerable and alone, Randy still wrestles in basement gyms, and has not retired because he has nothing to retire to. Randy is played by Mickey Rourke with an aching sadness in a performance that may move you to tears. continue reading »»

Numbers may not mean much — but with a whopping 181 films to choose from, diversity was never a problem at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF ‘08), which got off to an unexceptional start but managed to impress in its last days. For our self-afflicted fest madness, complicated screening schedules were created, intricate routes to venues were devised and in the end, we somehow managed to see it all (at least what we wanted to anyway). It was quite an experience, this wild rush…yet in this hallowed quest by the girded WearetheMovies.com team, cinematic gold was indeed found. continue reading »»

DIFF V – Day 7 Roundup
18th December 2008

The grand finale of the Festival, the final movie in my schedule was also the movie I enjoyed the most. But it was preceded by two interesting movies such that over the last day of DIFF I had traveled from Japan to Italy and finally, back home. continue reading »»