Ingmar Bergman’s complete filmography so it’s unlikely that we’ll ever watch everything. This one is an out and out horror film and I have to say that it’s one of rare ones that I found truly scary. Like Bergman’s other films, it’s full of symbolism and I struggled to make sense of everything. The great thing about this one however is that it’s possible to view it simply as a film about literal demons and monsters and it’s still effective. That the main character in it is an alter ego of Bergman himself and that at the time he left his own wife and son for the lead actress here Liv Ullman makes it especially disturbing. I’m not a fan of the tortured artist trope but this is one instance of it that is exceptional.

I had such a tough time deciding if I liked this film or not. At first I was all over it, enthused at the prospect of a critical dissection of sexual relationships. But then the character of Susan disappeared and I realized that it really only cares about the male side of the equation and that’s a bummer. Even so, it’s so bold in its treatment of sex, so modern in its analysis, and features so much understated star power that it’s undeniably a film of substance. It’s no masterpiece as it feels abbreviated and incomplete but it is still a film well worth watching.

I suspect that like many others, I first took notice of this show from short clips shared on social media showing the titular presenter saying outrageous things. That she is so blatantly copying the style of BBC documentaries makes it hilarious. This parody series has an actress play a clueless presenter who takes us on a tour of human history, making a horrible mess of it. As full of errors as her deadpan delivery is, this mockumentary surprisingly does have some educational value. I wouldn’t care for too much of this so I don’t think I’ll be watching the second season, but this was good for some laughs for me.

I don’t think I even have a single film starring Brigitte Bardot in this blog though she’s an icon of French cinema. Here she appears in a film by Jean-Luc Godard which also includes Hollywood star Jack Palance and the famous German director Fritz Lang. This isn’t considered one of Godard’s best films but it is interesting in some ways and is easy to comprehend. As it is a film set during the filming of an adaptation of the Odyssey, the characters’ debates about their work applies directly to itself. Apart from this, there are no tricks with form and structure and so this is a relatively conventional film.

This is a tiny independent film that is its director Francis Galluppi’s debut and won over all the critics. It’s easy to see why from the get go with its charm, warm visuals and even the simple story is used to its advantage. It’s such an ode to cinema, wearing its influences on its sleeve, that it sometimes feels like an audition tape but it all comes together very nicely. Unfortunately it runs a little longer than necessary as it keeps piling on layer after layer of plot complications when it should have ended much earlier and that only exposes the thinness of its messaging.

I keep adding these old masterpieces out of a sense of duty but I have to admit that I don’t always enjoy actually watching them. This is the second film by Masaki Kobayashi on my list and I will say that it is easily one of the best samurai films I’ve ever seen. Seppuku itself is now part of the popular vernacular and so hardly alien. Yet the film still succeeds in making it feel viscerally real, dissecting the practice bit by bit with a critical eye. I loved the slow buildup of tension through the extensive dialogue, culminating in explosive violence that literally tramples on traditional notions of samurai honor. I’d expected something much more reverential but this one really doesn’t hold back its contempt for the samurai warrior ethos.

We watched Vietnamese director Trần Anh Hùng’s debut film some time ago and nothing since because they didn’t seem notable enough. Now here he is with an outstanding film that all the more surprising because of how French it is. This is nothing less than a pure love letter to classical French cuisine that is simply overflowing with passion for food. The term food porn is now part of vernacular but this film takes it to a new extreme and even weaves food deeply into the relationship between the two main characters. I’m not a foodie so I’m left bemused by its audacity but I have to admire the director’s total commitment and the excellence of the execution.