Reviews

A simple but deeply insightful and, at times, challenging documentary, Marjolein Busstra’s We Don’t Talk (Wij praten niet) follows an in-depth series of conversations between therapists and teenagers as they tackle a complex web of sexual violence and exploitation.

The spectacular mountains of Ecuador provide a vibrant backdrop for this epic and often brutal story of the battle between locals (and eco-guerrillas) and a government that is beholden to China, having sold off mining contracts for millions of dollars, resulting in both loss of land and loss of political sovereignty to a foreign government.

The iconic luminous yellow sleeveless jackets sported by French protestors helped define the country’s recent grass roots uprising. With elections looming this summer, and France (along with the rest of the world) assailed by financial hardship, this examination of a modern protest movement as seen from the inside makes for timely viewing as it exposes the methods, aims and inner contradictions of the Gilets Jaunes.

A warm-hearted and delightfully moving mother-and-son story, All That Remains To Be Seen (Mod de blindes verden) manages to be both informative and gently uplifting as it details the story of a blind mother and her seven year-old son whose own vision slowly starts to fade, a new and challenging life opening up before him.

There is a striking unworldly quality to They Made Us the Night which trades on folk myths and supernatural visions despite its core story being about the challenges faced by the inhabitants of a small Mexican town which, according to the maps, does not even exist. Playful, elusive and engrossing the film allows its protagonists to tell their own story even if that means heading into the realm of magical realism at times.

A dreamlike documentary that weaves together the timeless, historical and experimental qualities of shooting on 16mm black-and-white film in its observation of mountain shepherds and their flock. The combined effect of image and sound is a mix of direct, ethnographic observation and dreamlike, manipulated reflection.

A Taste of Whale is definitely not for the faint-hearted with copious amounts of bloodshed and much animal cruelty on display. At the same time it paints a very nuanced picture of what is perceived everywhere as a barbaric tradition: the Grind – the killing of the pilot whales by the Faroese people.

Daughters is both a heart-wrenching and cathartic documentary about three sisters who have lost their mother to suicide. Filming the girls over a long period of time, connecting the past to the present through memories, it shows the impact of grief on young children and the importance of love, connection and communication.

Swiss director Antoine Cattin’s thoroughly absorbing Holidays offers a fascinating - and absolutely prescient - look into the lives of a series of ordinary folk living in St Petersburg as they celebrate (or often simply endure) a series of Russian national holidays.

It is tough to strike the right tonal balance when it comes to looking at the impact of poverty on the vulnerable in society, but while Łukasz Kowalski’s humour in his new doc may well be pitch-black at times, the CPH:DOX Next:Wave film is also astutely compassionate as it dwells on staff and customers as they struggle to deal with their harsh lives.