Film & Documentary

April 15, 2022 • View in browser

Years After its Release, a Film about Ukraine’s Donbass Region Seems Relevant Again

Initially released in 2018 but never getting a proper run in the US, Sergei Loznitsa’s Donbass now finally comes to theaters. | Dan Schindel

In some ways, the fact that Donbass is only receiving attention now, years after the fact, further highlights the mass hypocrisy in all the coverage that has suddenly come to a region that’s been roiled by such violence for years, all because it suddenly became a lot flashier. Still, it’s a fitfully effective attempt to put one inside the headspace that comes with living in a surreal, disquieting realm.

Dora García Documents Networks of Feminist Survival in Mexico City

In two shorts showing as part of García’s exhibition at Amant, she explores the unfinished revolution of diplomat Alexandra Kollontai. | Billy Anania 

For years, Dora García has meditated on the legacy of Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai, the Soviet Union’s ambassador to Norway, Sweden, and Mexico…

Two of García’s recent films are screening as part of her exhibition at Amant, “Revolution, fulfill your promise!.” Both foster dialogue between Kollontai’s work and communism in Mexico. 

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With Inland Empire, David Lynch Crafted a Nightmare on Home Video

Through a suitably unusual remastering process, the famed surreal artist/filmmaker’s last feature film to date can be experienced in a whole new way. | Cole Kronman

In The Girl and the Spider, Voyeurism Is Both Comical and Creepy

Everybody seems to be infatuated with everyone else in the film, locking eyes with an intensity that could shame a tantra guru. | Eileen G'Sell

A Poignant Family Portrait in the Trappings of Sci-Fi

After Yang merges director Kogonada’s fastidious attention to form with a rare empathy for the insecurity of the human condition, especially within the nuclear unit. | Eileen G'Sell

Fire of Love Captures a Literally Volcanic Romance

Married volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft took incredible footage of eruptions. Sara Dosa’s documentary uses it to tell their unusual love story. | Dan Schindel