Since I’ve been talking about minimalism in films recently, the works of director Hong Sang-soo so I haven’t previously described them as such. This one is even more minimalist with four characters and pretty much nothing in the way of background extras. This one embodies some of the director’s favorite themes about patterns and events recurring with small changes and the performances are strong as always. But the scenario here is so forced and simplistic that it borders on the farcical and so empty of establishing details that it’s not believable at all. I would consider this a weak film even if it does have artistic aspirations.

It blew me away how someone born and raised in China could make so American a film as The Rider and of course as everyone now knows that Chloé Zhao repeated the feat with this even more highly acclaimed title. I didn’t like this one as much as first as the camera seems to keep the main character at a distance much of the time and it sometimes seemed to be more about the lifestyle of the nomads in general than any one person in particular. But it does eventually settle on a common thread shared by all these different people and though there may be some debate about how valid this interpretation of their choices may be, it does arrive at a very emotionally affecting ending.

This is an Argentine film that is apparently very well known but I haven’t heard of it before I read it being talked about by Tyler Cowen in the context of films that best represent the country. At first I was skeptical as it seemed like a slick movie about conmen which could have taken place anywhere. I eventually realized that it is meant to represent the entirety of Argentine society from the elites at the top to the street-level hustlers who are the main characters here and that is why it is a such brilliant film.

This is another low budget, minimalist film, an adaptation of a Russian novella transposed onto 19th-century England. With its lack of a musical score and limited set pieces, it feels very much like a play and it makes for an engrossing character study of its villainous protagonist. This isn’t one my of favorites however as the character’s internal thoughts are deliberately kept as a mystery to the audience and it doesn’t really have much of a theme that personally resonates beyond the horror of her crimes.

This technology-focused variation on the heist genre isn’t the most well reviewed film so it’s not one for the ages. Nevertheless it is something of a cult classic featuring a stellar cast and a reasonably plausible take on security penetration. Despite the serious stakes involved and plenty of outright murder, the film mostly has a light tone and indeed the cast and crew, including director Phil Alden Robinson, seemed to have had a lot of fun making it. That kind of carries over and makes this a highly entertaining caper.

Here is another documentary about the Taiwanese filmmaking scene with the focus this time being on cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bing. Cinematographers are of course never as well known as directors but this is the person who shot among other works In the Mood for Love with Wong War Kai, The Sun Also Rises with Jiang Wen and many of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s best known works, which makes him a rather big deal. Unfortunately this is only a passable documentary as it is light on technical detail and a little too intent on showcasing Lee’s relationship with his mother.

Here is another film that is based on a real event: the excavation of what is now known as the Sutton Hoo site in England, one of the most famous and important archaeological sites in the country. It’s a somewhat light film and relies on what is most likely a fictional romantic subplot to give it more of an emotional punch. Still the cinematography is gorgeous and I really love the very idea of a film that is about real archaeology instead of the comic book adventure version that we see most of the time. Solid performances all around and I still can’t get around how different Carey Mulligan looks in this compared to Promising Young Woman.