The combination of Hirokazu Kore-eda and Song Kang-ho practically makes this a must watch and the unusual fact that Kore-eda has chosen to make a Korean film is even more intriguing. This one still shares the theme of being about parents failing their children and indeed is supposedly a companion film to Shoplifters. Unfortunately I found this one to be on the weaker side with moments that just a touch too sentimental. Even so you can see right from the opening shot what a skilled craftsman Kore-eda is and he can imbue meaning even to a deceptively bland phrase.

This French film by German director Max Ophüls defies genres as it at times feels like a comedy and other times like a serious romantic film. It boasts superb production values with lavish sets, over-the-top period costumes and a very aristocratic atmosphere. As my wife noted, its opening title card with its music feels very much in the style of Hollywood. Yet it soon becomes clear that its conception of the proper relationship between a husband and wife and of the role of passionate style is very much in the European style. I don’t really get the humor in play here but I did enjoy its delicious subversiveness.

This documentary tells the behind the scenes story of the exhibition of the largest collection of Johannes Vermeer ever that was mounted in 2023. It was needless to say a tremendous success with its limited number of time slots being sold out immediately. We’ll never get to see its like in person but this documentary at least gives us some idea of what it’s like as well as a fascinating look into the kind of work that goes into organizing such events. The film does assume that one has already some basic idea of who Vermeer was and his significance and there are no grand revelations or new insights on offer but it’s an interesting and educational documentary all the same.

A US election year in which Donald Trump stands a decent chance of returning to power is the perfect time to watch this political epic. I knew going in that this film won critical acclaim upon its release but it still exceeded my expectations and I wondered why it isn’t better known. I suppose it’s because it isn’t outstanding in any single aspect, with no stellar performances and no innovative visuals. It simply is a solid and honestly told political story. I am especially astounded that it manages to say so much and cover so much ground with a running time of less than two hours!

Here we go back to Tsai Ming-liang second feature film which my wife has watched before but I haven’t. It’s shocking to see how young Lee Kang-sheng looks here and I even noted how rough his acting is. He must have picked up the craft over the course of performing for Tsai’s films. This film also has more of a plot than the director’s later films and isn’t as artfully crafted. The themes of alienation and the strong sense of homoeroticism are plain to see, making it one of Tsai’s more lucid films. I can see why it caused a stir upon its release but it doesn’t touch the heights of sublimity he achieves in other films.

A film that includes ‘invisible hand’ in the title is sure to at least aspire to be economically literate and that’s so rare that it’s a must watch for me. The premise is one that I’ve never seen before either. Earth has effectively been conquered by an alien civilization, but through economic, not military means. I have quibbles over exactly how well the aliens are meant to understand human psychology and culture but on the whole I’m very pleased by how this turned out. It has only middling reviews however, leading me to suspect that critics aren’t happy with its very depressing outlook for humanity or don’t understand the economic thinking it is trying to distil.

This should be the last film we have to watch by Andrei Tarkovsky and good thing too because my wife isn’t eager for any more of his work. It’s probably the most autobiographical of his films and even features his wife Larisa Tarkovskaya and his mother Maria Vishnyakova in supporting roles. One can tell how much of himself he put into it and how intense his feelings are. Yet there’s effectively no plot, no biographic details of his real life and hence nothing solid to hang the emotions on. To us, most of it is just incomprehensible and that goes even for dedicated fans and critics.