A family dinner turns into a tumultuous affair when Romain introduces Cléo as his new girlfriend. Clearly, and particulary to Romains parents' shock and amazement, Cléo is not quite what they consider to be girl. As they wonder what to make of this, they also struggle with their traditional ideas on what defines boys and girls. Although sometimes the framing is a bit too deliberate, this is both a clever and a tasteful treatise on a (still) delicated subject and it is helped by good performances, particulary by François Maquet as Cléo and Ingrid Heiderscheidt as the mother.
The underlying message of the poem which is inspired this animation is at times a bit too obvious, as it expresses how tempting it can be to hate as it seems to be a solution (more or less) to our own anxieties of frustrations. But the animation is lovely, smart and add an extra layer to those words. But it's the fiendish delivery of the words by voice-actor Peter Kenny that stands out.
Remarkably frank documentary in which Aiman Hassani, born and raised in The Netherlands, openly questions his divorced parents about the fact that he feels they don't fully accept the choices he has made in life. His mother raised him in liberal way, but later in life became more religious and criticises both Aiman and his brother for not praying 'like a good Muslim'. Aiman's father, who remarried and returned to Morocco, scolds Aiman for the fact that he does not want a Moroccan passport. Despite Aiman's perfectly sound reasons for that, his father feels that is a betrayal of his identity. It all sounds rather grim, but this is in fact both an insightful and a delightful study into traditional Moroccan culture. Particularly with mom, you're often now quite sure whether to laugh or to cringe at her remarks, which only goes to show how difficult Aiman's relationship with her has become.
You will probably think you've figured out the lead character's emotions and motivations, until the surprise twist at the end of this short about a woman who speaks many languages fluently and works at home as an interpreter. Many of the calls are boring or simply annoying, but she is taken aback when she is called by an airport-security guard who asks her help in dealing with a distraught Greek man who has lost is passport and therefore is not allowed the country. Gradually she figures out how to handle the delicate situation.
Much credit has to go to the voice-actor George Tsachouridis as the Greek man who is only heard, but never seen. Tine Cartuyvels not only seems to speak her languages very well, but she also gives quite compelling performance as the expressions on her face often contrast with what she is saying, and the manner in which she says it.
I'll be frank, I dislike films that use jittery camera movements to create what they see as a sense of authenticity and immediacy. I see it as a way of covering up the film maker's shortcomings and this is a case in point. It's all shot with a handheld camera which is always moving, even if the action isn't. Director Myrsini Aristidou also elected to shoot most of the action in close-up, which make this confusing and headache-inducing rather than exciting and involving.
On the African continent, being born without pigment makes you an outcast, which is why albines are put in a sort of concentration camp with children who are visually and or hearing-impaired. Director Fraay shows how these children are able to play with and live alongside one another in this obvious plea for tolerance. The inclusion of a Witch Doctor who explains his practices and does what he does best doesn't add up to very much.
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