History

The Nightingale (2019)

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Director: Jennifer Kent
Writer: Jennifer Kent

I have to start this with a word of warning: this is an extremely hard film to watch. It’s not just that it’s bloody. There are also several scenes of rape, and a shit-ton of racism. My understanding is that people have walked out of the film when it’s been shown on the festival circuit. That said, if you can tough it out, you’ll find a very powerful, well-made film.

1825: Claire (Aisling Franciosi) is a young Irish woman and former convict who is indentured to Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin), the leader of an unruly group of British soldiers stationed in Tasmania. He refuses to release her from her servitude, and forces himself on her, angering her husband Aiden (Michael Sheasby), who confronts Hawkins and his men publicly one night. Once Hawkins’ misdeeds are uncovered, he loses the commission he was promised, and blaming Claire, he kills her family and leaves her for dead.

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Tim’s Vermeer (2013)

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Wow. I sat down to watch this a little angry at my new neighbors (renters) for building a bonfire so close to the house, and with a nasty headache from the resultant smoke wafting its way through my windows (via the AC units). That’s always a bad time to watch a movie, especially if you want to give it a fair shot.  But I knew within 15 minutes that this was one of my favorite movies of the year, and after half an hour, I thought it might be one of my favorites, period. Continue reading →

Woman in Gold (2015)

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How DO you solve a problem like Maria? If you’re Austria, you do it in court. This is a movie that shouldn’t work. It’s overly sentimental, it doesn’t quite seem to know what kind of film it wants to be, and we essentially know from the beginning of the film how it will end. And yet I found myself completely engrossed and often moved by it. The story itself is fascinating—Maria Altman was a young Jewish woman when she fled from Nazi Germany to the U.S., leaving behind her family’s fortune, including a Stradivarian cello, and—more importantly—a painting of her aunt by the artist Gustav Klimt. The painting was stolen by the Nazis, and eventually became known as “Woman in Gold,” since they whitewashed all hint of Aunt Adele’s Jewish background. Continue reading →

The Man Who Saved the World (2014)

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Can one man truly make a difference? After watching this film, I think your answer has to be “yes.” It’s about Stanislav Petrov. What? You’ve never heard of him?! Well, don’t worry; unless you’re a student of Cold War history, you probably wouldn’t have. But take my word for it—many of us are here today thanks to a single decision made by this man. A single, incredible, almost inconceivable decision. Continue reading →