“Me, Captain”, “One for the Road” and 3 other films from today in cinemas

In the shadow of the bright and no unpleasant surprises, like last year, with the award of the “Everything”, their ceremony begins tonight the film week in the , from which the special film that will impress the public, even though all five premieres have their own interest. So, after the expected triumph of epic Oppenheimer and Christopher Nolan, the strong presence of George Lanthimos – perhaps next time… – and the absence of Martin Scorsese, as the wonderful “The Killers of the Flowered Moon”, were completely ignored by the Academy, we return to our own… The German dramatic comedy for alcoholism “One for the Way” by Marcus Geller, the award-winning Italian drama about the migration “I, Captain” by Mateo Garone, the Australian police psychological thriller “Wild Nature” with Eric Bana, the violent women’s love adventure “Blood Bond”, with a hot leading couple and the award-winning documentary with the Golden Arcto “On the Rivership”, by Nicolas Philibert. One for the Road (“One for the Road”) Dramatic comedy, of German production of 2023, directed by Marcus Geller, with Fredrik Lau, Nora Shirner, Burak Yiggitt Mrs. “One for the road…” How many have we not told? The problem is when a couple of 20 glasses were first. And even bigger when it happens almost daily. And it becomes dangerous, when the drinker has not realized that he has missed the measure and is now swimming all his body into alcohol. So when the bill comes, the time of detoxification then the character must become stronger than the devil, addiction, error that he can cut off a knife and without consequences. This is also the subject of the film by Marcus Geller from Germany, a country that has a problem with alcoholism, like most North Europeans – another symptom of modern lifestyle. Geller, fortunately, avoids dramatic tones, personal tragedies, serious transparency, to convey his story through a dram, with enough humor and light writing. His hero, Mark, has a successful professional life in Berlin, which combines with furious feasts and endless drinking at night, but his relationship with alcohol has created an addiction, which he probably has not understood. When traffic stops him and gives him an alcohol test, he’ll lose his license, and to get it back, he’ll have to go through a medical test that proves he’s over his problem. But then he doesn’t realize his problem until he meets a girl and realizes he’s in serious trouble. The film, flowing smoothly, is seen with interest, has familiar characters, which actually press and describe, with humor and without particular dramatic outbursts, a social problem, which constantly takes on larger dimensions. For the problem of alcoholism we have seen great films (“Days of Wine and Roses”, with Jack Lemon and Lee Remick, “Aspros Patos” etc.), but most of the time we are dealing with dramaticly serious, teaching films, with ethic outbursts and other pheasants. And Geller’s film may not belong to the first, but it’s too far from the second. And that’s what charismatic protagonist Fredrik Lau, who looks very familiar and familiar with drinking, is contributing. Mark seems to have everything under control, with successes in both his professional life and his frenzy night trips to Berlin bars. Still, Mark won’t admit his addiction to alcohol. One night he falls into a roadblock and a police alcohol test and loses his license. To get it back, he has to go through a series of medical and psychological tests. Me, Captain (“Io Capitano”) Dramatic adventure, Italian, Belgian and French production of 2023, directed by Mateo Garone, with Sejdu Sar, Ibrahima Geye, Bamar Kane, Isem Yakubi etc. The Odyssey of two young men from Senegal for the “European dream”, on an epic journey, full of “Laistrygones and Cyclops”, in vast, wild and beautiful Africa, by the hand of Mateo Garone, the creator of the mighty “Gomorra” and “Dogman”. The Italian director’s last film will find many fans among the film circuit, as he will also be honored with the new actor’s directing award and award at last year’s festival Venice, will win the audience award at the San Sebastian festival and fit among the Oscar nominations of a best international film. No wonder, since Garone delivers a film, one of the few, with its style grasping the thread of immigration from the beginning rather than at the border or in the host countries, providing information and harsh truths, about the unheard adventures of these poor people, but leaving out his fine, admittedly, shots, the main responsible. Moreover, the deeper causes, the great picture of exploitation and tooling, on all sides, of an issue that has taken on unprecedented dimensions, a phenomenon that often deceives. Garone unfolds the history of this modern Odyssey through the look of her heroes, two young men from Senegal, who leave their hometown, equipped with counterfeit passports from Mali and after adventures will have to face the Niger Desert and when they finally reach Libya, they will be arrested and taken to separate detention centers. After suffering and torture, they will work as builders until they find the money to enter the boat that will lead them to Europe. However, problems do not stop even when they enter the ship that will lead them to the coast of Sicily. Fascinating wandering, which does not allow the viewer to relax or lose interest, but mainly creating, through the building of characters and plausible situations, a sincere sense of compassion and understanding for young heroes, but also giving the feeling that the film remains in half and now we have to wait for the continuity of what awaits them in Europe. Of course, there are always the gaps for the main responsible and the root causes of this situation, which would probably extricate many of those who deposit the film. On the positives of the film, beyond Seido Sar’s performance and the warning of an old man in Senegal, who knows the game of trafficking and tells them not to believe what they see on their mobile phones or computers, about Europe and tries to prevent them from “the European dream”. A dream that’s already evolving like American. A few words… Sejdu and Musa are two young Senegalese, who, alongside other poor devils, will enter a huge adventure with fake passports, in a desperate attempt to reach Dakar in Europe for a better life. Wild Nature (“Force of Nature, The Dry 2”) Thriller, an Australian production of 2024, directed by Robert Connolly, with Eric Bana, Anna Torv, Richard Roxberg, Robin McLeevy, and three years after the interesting dramatic thriller “The Drying”, the outgoing hero, from Jane Harper’s bestsellers, Detective Aaron Faulk, returns to the large screen, to solve, this time, another unsolved case. starred again by Eric Bana and director again Robert Connolly, this Australian psychological thriller, offers, once again, two recreational hours, with lots of sappens, having a story placed in the lush virgin mountains of Victoria. In contrast, with “dryness”, here dominates the liquid element, which binds to the exploration of the wild nature of man. Five women participate in a corporate walk-through in the depths of Victoria’s mountain ranges, from which only four will return to the shelter, where they reside. Federal Police agents, Falk and Cooper, will take over the investigation in hopes of finding the missing girl alive. In the deserted and inhospitable mountains, the story will be well developed, which shows, on the one hand, that is saturated by intrigue and brings with it some necessary clichés of the species and, on the other, to constantly renew the interest of the viewer, due to some inspirations of the script, how people react to fear, anxiety and jealousy and useful flashbacks. Mostly, but because of Bana’s robust interpretation, as well as the help he gets from the rest of the cast. Mystery, atmosphere, anguish, deepening psychology, but also a finale that rather abnormally lands the viewer, in a decent film of the genre, which eventually offers two pleasant hours, but is apparently inferior to the first film with Aaron Falk as hero. Five women participate in a hiking lodge but only four exit the other side. Federal agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper head to the mountains hoping to find the missing one still alive. Blood Link (“Love Lies Bleeding”) Love thriller, American and British production of 2023, directed by Rose Glass, with Kristen Stewart, Katie O’Brien, Jenna Malone, Ed Harris et al. A simplistic scenario, milled, like blue jeans, which by sweat has begun to spit dangerously, looks like this superviolent revenge thriller, filmed daggers, but also flattened by Rose Glass, known from the horror film “Saint Maud”. And together a hot “lav story”, between two young women, broadcasting an attractive intensity and raising adrenaline more than outbursts of violence and bloody scenes of actions. The script puts a strange story in a small decadent American city in the middle of nowhere, as we have seen in various variations in recent years. She wants Jackie, an athlete body building, passionately falling in love with Lou, owner of a lousy gym. Lou will offer her accommodation, free space to train and free steroids, which can help her win the women’s championship in Las Vegas. Somewhere there goes into history and Lou’s father, a man of the underworld and arms dealer, who oppresses all his family members. A dangerous, despite his age, man, who along with his toxic “manless” will receive the answer he must from the two in love girls when steroids begin to speak. Seemingly from the films that offer unincriminated fun, from excessive violence, the splashes of blood and graphic lines, but at its core hides a charming love story and a feminist “manifesto” revenge. Mostly, however, a film featuring a hot couple, which keeps interest, offers strong moments of passion and some enjoyable moments, until the fat-cut finale. Bad lies, if Christen Stewart and Katie O’Brien were not in the lead roles, who develop an unprecedented film chemistry between them, the film would pass and not touch, remain another empty blue jeans. A few words… Jackie wants to become a famous body-builder and heads for Las Vegas to take part in a competition. Passing through a small town of New Mexico, he knows Lou, a gym owner. The two fall in love, a development that will cause an uncontrolled cycle of violence. On the Rivership (“Sur l’Adamant”) Documentary, French production of 2023, directed by Nicolas Filibert. “No one is perfect”. A conversation heard in the film condenses the meaning of the touching documentary shot by veteran Nicolas Filibert, recognized for his documentary films. His last creation succeeded in winning the Golden Arc in Berlin and causing many discussions mainly about handling his sensitive subject. Philibert, this time he turns his camera to a barge, located in the Seine, in the centre of Paris and hosting mentally ill patients. A unit of warmth and expression, but also of coexistence. Patients participate in activities such as cooking, drawing, painting, music, dancing, reading literary texts etc. A space that also has its own coffee, a cinema, in which films by Fellini, Kiarostami and Woody Allen are shown. Patients, many of whom suffer from serious mental illness and need medication, are not there to be forced to heal, but because creativity – mainly through art – helps them to live with their handicaps. With the camera remaining cold and the image being warmed by the bizarre and tortured faces of the patients, the director explores human temperament when it escapes the usual. However, Philibert, while trying to give the feeling that he simply records what is happening on the flagship, is perceived as blackmailing emotion through the pain of these people. Thus, the result seems uneven, as the film has its interest and usefulness, but at the same time it exploits people who need care and humanity, to further charge emotion, to overflow the Seine from tears of emotion.